Reflecting on Our Roundtable #4: A Deep Dive into the Microsoft Entra Suite
Last Wednesday, on March 26th, 2025, we hosted what might just be our most successful roundtable to date — a focused session on the Microsoft Entra Suite. Looking back, it feels like everything came together perfectly: from record-breaking customer attendance to insightful conversations and expert contributions. Here's a breakdown of why this event stood out, and why I’m already looking forward to the next one.
A Record-Breaking Turnout
As with every roundtable, our goal was to create a platform for our customers to meet and discuss with each other, as well as the experts from Microsoft and water. With nearly 25 customers, four Microsoft experts, and a significant amount of colleagues from water attending, I believe it is fair to say that we achieved this goal. It was amazing to see such a diverse group of customers from various industries come together.
This was also our first roundtable in the new water headquarters in Düsseldorf (instead of a Microsoft office where we previously held them), and the new venue was a perfect setting for the event. The space at water HQ created a safe atmosphere where everyone could ask questions, mingle, and get the most out of the day’s discussions. What really stood out was how natural it felt to connect with everyone. I left the event feeling inspired, and judging by the feedback, it seemed our guests felt the same way.
Insights from Microsoft Experts
A key highlight of this event was the caliber of speakers we had. We were fortunate to have four Microsoft experts join us, including two Global Black Belts. Each one of them brought a wealth of knowledge and insight into the Microsoft Entra Suite. Tim Baumann from Microsoft kicked things off with an overview of the five pillars that compose Entra Suite and its licensing model. We spoke about Zero Trust and how Entra Suite can help to realize this concept. Microsoft’s Peter Lenzke went on to take us deeper into two distinct parts of Entra Suite: Internet Access and Private Access. We also discussed the concrete customer case of SchmitzCargobull on the latter, who also joined us in a customer panel discussion.
These experts didn’t just talk about the technical features of the suite, they also gave us an exclusive glimpse of Microsoft’s product strategy behind it and the road where these products are headed. I know I personally walked away with a much deeper understanding of the Entra Suite and the ways it can revolutionize how we manage identities and access.
Real Conversations, Real Connections
What truly made this roundtable special, though, wasn’t just the speakers. It was the incredible energy in the room. We had so many passionate people talking about their challenges and their solutions, asking critical questions, and most importantly sparking some meaningful conversations. It was inspiring to see how everyone was open to learning and discussing new ideas, not just from the experts but also from each other.
Like I said earlier, our roundtables aren’t just about a one-way transfer of knowledge. They are about creating a safe space where people can share their experiences and come away with new ways to tackle their most pressing challenges. Taking the feedback of our attendees into consideration, I believe we also achieved just that.
Looking Ahead: The Future of the Roundtable Series
We’re thrilled with how this event turned out. With that in mind, I can also share that we will rebrand roundtables to water lab live, bringing all our customer facing activities together under the umbrella of our exclusive water lab customer community.
We’re already in the process of planning future events, and I’m excited to see where this series will take us. Düsseldorf was just the beginning — stay tuned for updates on upcoming dates and locations.
A Big Thank You to Everyone Who Made It Happen
Of course, none of this would have been possible without the amazing people who made it all come together. Huge thanks to our expert speakers, guests, and the behind-the-scenes team who helped pull everything off smoothly.
And of course, thank you to everyone who attended. I’m looking forward to reconnecting with all of you at our future events.
With the Microsoft Entra Suite at the forefront of digital identity management and secure access, this roundtable was a great chance for all of us to dive deep into its possibilities.
See you soon, Düsseldorf — and to everyone else, stay tuned for more updates from water lab live!
