DAC Systems will attend Microsoft Ignite, taking place in San Francisco from 18 to 21 November, as momentum builds around a new wave of AI-centred capability across the Microsoft ecosystem. Bernard Vertenten, Microsoft Solutions Business Development at DAC Systems, says the company is focused on deepening partner alignment, strengthening knowledge exchange and unlocking new opportunities for clients across Africa and abroad.
Vertenten will join the event as a delegate hosted by the First Distribution Microsoft team.
“Being hosted by First Distribution allows me to engage fully with the rich partner ecosystem at Ignite and connect with key industry leaders,” says Vertenten.
He believes the timing is ideal. The Microsoft ecosystem is shifting towards intelligent automation, proactive decision-making and integrated service delivery. For South Africa’s enterprise and mid-market organisations, the opportunity is to translate this technology adoption into practical outcomes that improve agility and accelerate growth.
“Unlocking new partner opportunities is a key focus to grow business impact,” he explains. “I plan to dive into partner-focused content for strategic insights. Connecting with partners, customers and Microsoft leaders will help build valuable relationships. Engaging Microsoft subject-matter experts will provide tailored solution guidance.”
He notes that First Distribution’s hosting helps empower South African partners to compete on a global scale, fostering collaboration, increasing access to skilling and resources and promoting joint go-to-market initiatives that drive growth.
Vertenten believes Ignite’s announcements on AI, cloud and security will deliver the most significant step change for businesses in 2026. While this theme is not new, the scale and maturity of the technologies will mark a turning point.
“The AI innovations at Microsoft Ignite will have the biggest impact in 2026 by enabling smarter automation and better decision-making. Cloud advancements will offer greater scalability and flexibility. Security improvements will protect businesses from growing cyber threats. Together, these technologies will accelerate digital transformation. AI, in particular, will drive efficiency and new growth opportunities.”
Ignite is also a critical forward-looking indicator. Product roadmaps and engineering previews enable partners to prepare with confidence and guide clients with greater certainty.
“Attending Ignite gives partners early access to Microsoft’s latest innovations and roadmaps. It provides insights into AI, cloud and security trends shaping customer needs. Partners connect with Microsoft experts for tailored guidance. Networking enables sharing best practices and success stories. This helps partners adapt quickly and meet evolving customer demands,” he says.
Agentic AI, together with upcoming Dynamics 365 innovations, will reshape business systems and user experiences. The practical impact is improved responsiveness, less manual processing and smarter decision cycles.
“I expect the key takeaway from Ignite to be the transformative power of agentic AI combined with the exciting new capabilities coming soon to Dynamics 365. This will drive intelligent automation and proactive decision-making for users. My strategy will focus on utilising these integrated AI-driven features that will assist our clients on their digital journeys. I will emphasise how Dynamics 365 innovations empower clients to unlock new efficiencies and growth. This focus ensures clients stay competitive and future-ready in 2026.”
As DAC Systems builds its global presence, Ignite’s insights will help shape client conversations and project strategies across multiple industries. The expectation is not disruption for its own sake, but purposeful adoption that delivers measurable business outcomes.
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DAC Systems
DAC Systems specialises in using technology to the benefit of our clients to optimise their operations. We focus on the IT capabilities and management systems our clients need to help them run their businesses such that they can plan, collaborate, forecast, report and make timely decisions while executing and optimising their day-to-day core business functions.
We specialise in the Microsoft ecosystem, including the Dynamics 365 business management suite, the Microsoft 365 productivity suite as well as the services and scaling capabilities provided by Azure. Our people are current with the latest Microsoft certifications and specialisations enabling us to perform various roles for our clients including advisory, solutioning and/or support.
We have a strong 30-year track record in the manufacturing, distribution, services, and project-based industries, as well as the public sector.
We remain at the forefront of the latest industry trends and innovations enabling our clients to benefit from a wealth of experience across these key industry sectors and organisations of variable sizes.
Our headquarters is based in South Africa, and we are currently servicing clients in Africa, the US, Europe, and the Middle East.
Recently, we have established DAC Systems Europe to better support clients with operations across the UK and the broader European market.