Chris Hoard is a two-time Microsoft Certified Trainer Regional Lead (MCT RL), four-time Dual MVP in the areas of Microsoft 365 Apps and Services (4) and Security (2) and is a qualified secondary school teacher (QTS). With over 14 years of cloud computing experience specialising in Provisioning, Professional Services and Architecture, and over a decade of that active in the field, he has built and leads a skilling and enablement program servicing over 800 Microsoft partners for Infinigate Cloud (Tier 2 CSP) throughout the UK, Ireland and the UAE. His focus areas include Microsoft 365, collaborative workloads such as Microsoft Teams, Microsoft Viva, the whole of the SCI stack including Microsoft Defender, Microsoft Purview and Microsoft Entra as well as elements of Azure such as DevOps. Outside of work, he is very active in the Microsoft Tech Community, blogs at microsoft365pro.co.uk and since 2019 has spoken at many international events including Microsoft Ignite, Microsoft Build, Microsoft Secure, the Microsoft MVP Summit, MCT Connect and the Modern Workplace Conference Paris. As the co-creator of Teams Nation and Metaverse One, he sits on the Microsoft Certifications Advisory Board and several feedback programs including Teams, Viva and Defender.
Certifications | Active (Credly)
| Certification | Exam | Field |
| Microsoft 365 Certified: Enterprise Administrator Expert | 100/1 | M365 |
| Microsoft 365 Certified: Fundamentals | 900 | M365 |
| Microsoft 365 Certified: Messaging Administrator Associate | 203 | M365 |
| Microsoft 365 Certified: Modern Desktop Administrator Associate | 100/1 | M365 |
| Microsoft 365 Certified: Security Administrator Associate | 500 | Security |
| Microsoft 365 Certified: Teams Support Engineer Specialty | 740 | M365 |
| Microsoft 365 Certified: Teams Administrator Associate | 700 | M365 |
| Microsoft 365 Certified: Teams Voice Engineer Expert | 720 | M365 |
| Microsoft Certified: Azure Administrator Associate | 100/1 | Azure |
| Microsoft Certified: Azure Solutions Architect Expert | 305 | Azure |
| Microsoft Certified: Azure AI Fundamentals | 900 | Azure |
| Microsoft Certified: Azure Data Fundamentals | 900 | Azure |
| Microsoft Certified: Azure Fundamentals | 900 | Azure |
| Microsoft Certified: Cybersecurity Architect Expert | 100 | Security |
| Microsoft Certified: Dynamics 365 Fundamentals | 901 | Bus Apps |
| Microsoft Certified: Educator Expert | 193 | Edu |
| Microsoft Certified: Identity and Access Administrator Associate | 300 | Security |
| Microsoft Certified: Information Protection Administrator Associate | 400 | Security |
| Microsoft Certified: Power Platform Functional Consultant Associate | 200 | Bus Apps |
| Microsoft Certified: Power Platform Fundamentals | 900 | Bus Apps |
| Microsoft Certified: Security, Compliance, and Identity Fundamentals | 900 | Security |
| Microsoft Certified: Security Operations Analyst Associate | 200 | Security |
| Microsoft Innovative Educator | N/A | N/A |
Certifications | Legacy
| Certification | Exam | Field |
| Microsoft 365 Certified Teamwork Administrator Associate | 300/1 | M365 |
| Microsoft Certified Solutions Associate: Office 365 | 346/7 | O365 |
| Microsoft Certified Solutions Expert: Productivity | 345 | O365 |
| Microsoft Technology Associate: Cloud Fundamentals | 369 | O365 |
| Microsoft Technology Associate: Mobility and Device Fundamentals | 368 | O365 |
| Microsoft Technology Associate: Security Fundamentals | 367 | Security |
Awards
| Award | Year |
| Microsoft MCT Regional Lead | 2020/21 |
| Microsoft MCT Regional Lead | 2022/23 |
| Microsoft MVP M365 Apps and Services | 2020/21 |
| Microsoft MVP M365 Apps and Services | 2021/22 |
| Microsoft MVP M365 Apps and Services | 2022/23 |
| Microsoft MVP M365 Apps and Services | 2023/24 |
| Microsoft MVP Security | 2022/23 |
| Microsoft MVP Security | 2023/24 |
User Groups and Conferences
| User Group | Role | Since |
| Metaverse One | Principal | 2022/22 |
| Teams Nation | Principal | 2019 – Present |
| Teams Nation Meetup | Principal | 2019/22 |
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