Experience Data & AI in action using Microsoft DREAM Demos and DREAM PoC Accelerators
Experience Data & AI in action using Microsoft DREAM Demos and DREAM PoC Accelerators
iLink Digital has been partnering with Microsoft on DREAM Demos for the past year. This partnership has enabled sellers to take the best of Microsoft Data & AI to their customers globally. Sakthi Kannan, Data & AI CEO of iLink, sat down with Sanjay Soni, the creator of DREAM Demos. This blog is based on that conversation.
Bringing Data & AI to Life with Microsoft DREAM Demos
Microsoft DREAM Demos are industry scenario and product differentiator demos that give Microsoft’s internal sellers a competitive edge, while sparking customer’s imaginations, using ‘stories that stick.’ These demos include Demos for BDM and TDM customers, Short ‘n’ Sweet Click-by-Click DREAM Demos and deployable DREAM PoC Accelerators for sellers and partners. DREAM Demos showcase Data and AI integrated with Apps and Infra, MW and BizApps. Sellers can customize Configurable DREAM Demos with customer logos, colors, etc. without programming. Partners and Customers can access DREAM Demos at https://aka.ms/msdreamdemos to Demonstrate, Relate, Excite, Accelerate, and Master the art of the possible with DREAM Demos!
Deployable DREAM PoC Accelerators (DPoCs) are packaged DREAM Demos using ARM templates and automation scripts (with a demo web application, Power BI reports, Fabric resources, Notebooks etc.) that can be deployed in a customer’s environment. Imagine a Microsoft FTE (Full-time employee) seller or a trained DREAM Demo partner presents the Retail DREAM Demo to a customer who loves it. The very next day, the technical seller/architect at that partner company can deploy the entire demo—web app, Power BI reports, AML notebooks, Synapse pipelines, and more—in the customer subscription. With proper setup, it can be functional in a matter of hours! Customer teams can get familiar and get hands on experience with the demo. But what if the customer asks, “Can this be personalized according to my data, logo, etc.?“
Well, using customer data sets, partners can even personalize the demo. They can modify the CSV files or tables, even the Power BI reports, dashboards and AML notebooks – according to the customer logo and customer data sets. From step one to step four could be, hypothetically, done in approximately a week or two instead of five to six weeks. Please note that DPoCs are not MVPs. Think of them as an accelerated step between demos and MVPs. Partners can deploy these demos in their own subscriptions as well.
DPoCs are located at https://aka.ms/dpoc. Before trying DPoCs, please read the license agreement and disclaimer, (and other conditions mentioned on https://aka.ms/dpoc) as your access to and use of the code made available hereunder is subject to the terms and conditions made available therein.
Impact – DREAM Demos by the Numbers
It has been an 8-year long journey since the first DREAM Demo was created at Microsoft. In FY25 alone, DREAM Demos were used across 100+ Countries.
Global Reach
Used Across 100+ Countries in FY25
Seller Adoption
10K Sellers | 50K downloads
Partner Engagement
25K DPoCs & GitHub clones | 40K demo Executions
Sanjay Soni
Director - Global Cloud and AI Technical Sales Enablement Experiences From Microsoft
“I remember, we created our first Retail DREAM Demo showcasing Synapse and AI almost 8 years ago for National Retail Federation (NRF). and it has been such a great journey. At the time, we had a strong need to build a demo and show how our Azure services open up the world of retail.
Fast forward to now, we have 30+ DREAM Demos including 9 Industry demos and several product differentiator demos. These demos were created over the past 8 years as a live hosted demo platform within Microsoft for Microsoft’s internal sellers, and they are game changers.
Microsoft’s DREAM Demos offer businesses a unique opportunity to experience Microsoft solutions in action, highlighting the transformative power of Data, AI, and Cloud innovations across industries. As a Microsoft DREAM Demos Center of Excellence partner, iLink and other partners help organizations explore these cutting-edge solutions, showcasing real-world applications that drive growth and innovation.”
Benefits of Microsoft DREAM Demos for Key Personas
- For Customers
DREAM Demos provide customers with first-hand experience of Microsoft solutions. By visualizing potential applications, customers can understand the impact of Microsoft technology on their business processes. They can better comprehend ROI through industry-specific examples and identify how Microsoft solutions can address specific business needs, improve operational efficiency, and create new revenue opportunities.
- For Partner
Partners benefit from DREAM Demos as they showcase pre-built, ready-to-deploy demonstrations. This allows partners to reduce the time and resources required to build custom demos and deliver tailored customer experiences that address industry-specific challenges. This can open new revenue opportunities by providing value-added services (consulting, customization, and implementation) following the demos by using DPoCs.
- For Microsoft’s Internal Sellers/FTEs
Live hosted DREAM Demos for thousands of Mirosoft sellers, empower them to simplify the sales process by showing rather than telling to help close deals faster with impactful demonstrations that address customer needs directly. Sellers can access a library of demos designed to resonate with industry-specific concerns, from retail and finance to manufacturing and healthcare.
- For Developers/ Architects
Developers can utilize DREAM Demos to access GitHub repositories, quickly obtain reusable assets and demo environments, thereby reducing development time. They can design customized enterprise solutions inspired by pre-built demos. These demos assist with understanding the technical integration of Microsoft products with existing systems and exploring innovative features and extensibility options to create custom solutions.
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For Solution Engineers
(Technical Sellers)
Solution engineers benefit from DREAM Demos by delivering effective technical presentations and can get started with PoCs/ MVPs faster using DPoCs. They align technical capabilities with customer needs to demonstrate solution feasibility and build credibility through live scenarios that illustrate real-time problem-solving.
- For Business Decision Makers (BDMs)
Business decision-makers leverage DREAM Demos to visualize strategic advantages and business outcomes driven by Microsoft solutions and assess potential cost savings, efficiency gains, and competitive differentiation. This helps them make informed investment decisions based on real-world use cases.
- For Industry Specialists
Industry specialists use DREAM Demos to explore tailored solutions for sector-specific challenges, such as in retail, healthcare, and finance. They showcase compliance, governance, and regulatory capabilities, highlighting innovations that align with industry trends and best practices.
How to Deploy Microsoft DREAM Demos
Deploying a Microsoft DREAM Demo is streamlined for partners using ARM templates, PowerShell, or Azure CLI available via Microsoft’s GitHub Repository, which automates the deployment of demo environments. Here’s a simplified process to set up a demo at https://aka.ms/dpoc.
Getting Started with DPoC (MS DREAM PoC – Proof of Concept Accelerators) Access Microsoft DREAM Demos for partners at https://aka.ms/MSDREAMDemos
Access the Click-by-Click, play the Demo Video, or download the DPoC package from the Mega Map and follow the setup guide. Here is the link for the Fabric Partner Resources https://aka.ms/fabricpartnerresources
Summary, Microsoft DREAM Demos transform data into engaging and insightful visualizations, making complex information more accessible. By harnessing AI and innovative design, they inspire new perspectives on data, proving that its future lies in storytelling and impact. Harness the power of data to drive insights and innovation, and let your data come to life.
For more information about DREAM Demos, reach out to dreamdemos@microsoft.com. For DREAM Demos support from iLink, reach out to: data.ai@ilink-systems.com
Elayaraja Eswaran
Senior Vice President - Data and Analytics at iLink Digital
Author
Elayaraja Eswaran, Senior Vice President of Data & Analytics at iLink Digital, brings over two decades of experience in shaping data-driven strategies and delivering enterprise transformation. He is recognized for his expertise in Microsoft Fabric, Azure Data & AI, and Generative AI, and has led global teams across architecture, practice leadership, and alliance management. With a passion for technology evangelism and business impact, Elayaraja is committed to helping organizations harness the power of data and AI to drive measurable outcomes and growth.
