Neil Macdonald: Inside Microsoft Fabric: Data, AI, and the Next Digital Wave
Microsoft Fabric has been called the fastest-growing product in Microsoft’s entire suite - but beyond the buzz, what does it actually do? And more importantly, how can New Zealand businesses use it to drive meaningful results?
In this episode of Digital Changemakers, Umbrellar’s Luke Golds sits down with Microsoft New Zealand’s Neil Macdonald to unpack exactly what Fabric is, how it’s designed, and why it’s proving to be a game-changer for Kiwi companies - especially those ready to level up their data and AI capabilities without the enterprise-scale investment.
Over a dynamic and practical conversation, Luke and Neil cover:
What makes Fabric a breakthrough data platform - and how it compares to Snowflake and Databricks
How businesses are using Fabric to reduce reporting complexity, unify structured and unstructured data, and unlock real-time insights
A real-world case study where a company reduced its warehouse project cost from $750,000 to under $100,000 with Fabric
The power of SaaS-based data tools for small and mid-sized businesses - and why Fabric finally makes advanced analytics realistic for this segment
How Fabric becomes the foundation for integrating AI - from predictive models and automation to custom copilots and telephony use cases
Why governance, infrastructure readiness, and working with partners like Umbrellar is essential to success
Neil also shares surprising stories about AI’s adoption in places like aged care - including conversational bots, fall detection via camera feeds, and medicine management, highlighting the broad scope of what's now possible even for traditionally conservative industries.
Whether you're a CIO modernising your data stack, an operations lead chasing better reporting, or a curious leader trying to understand where Fabric and AI could fit in your business, this episode delivers clarity, inspiration, and a real-world grounding in what’s next.
