I admit it, I’m a bit of a conference junkie. I love attending events, listening to interesting keynotes or panel speakers, passing through the expo areas and chatting with other IT Professionals.
There are only so many weeks in the year though and my calendar is starting to fill up with some promising events.
CITE Conference (April) - Okay, well, you just missed this one. The last day is today. I attended it yesterday and thought it was a great conference around Consumerization of IT and Mobility in the Enterprise. I highly recommend looking for it next year. Visit their website to keep track of them via all the popular social mediums.
TechEd 2014 (May) - There is a special place in my heart for TechEd… this will be my 10th year attending and you’ll be able to find me in the Windows Client booth area.
TechDays SF (June) - Brought to you by PacITPros and hosted in the Microsoft SF office, this two day event is like a mini-TechEd bringing you similar caliber speakers talking about all the current topics. Registration is currrently open.
Dev/IT Connections (Sept) - I was able to speak at this event in 2013, but won’t be able to attend this year. Still, it’s a great event and I hope to be able to attend in 2015. Plus everyone needs a reason to visit Vegas, right?
That’s just a short list… Do you have any conferences you love that I should try to check out?
Tuesday, April 29, 2014
Monday, April 21, 2014
On My Start Screen: NextGen Reader
I’ve been a Windows 8 user since the beginning and because I’m most often a business user, I live on the desktop, just like those old days of Windows XP or Windows 7. But there are some great modern, native apps that I use and I wanted to highlight one I use every day: NextGen Reader.
Prior to it’s demise, I was a long time user of Google Reader. Since that service was discontinued, I’ve been on the lookout for the best way to manage the reading of blogs and other RSS feeds. I didn’t necessarily need to read from within a browser and with Windows 8.1, I really wanted to take advantage of the touch interface and what my employer likes to call the “immersive experience” of the modern OS.
NetGen Reader had a version for Window 8.1 and the Windows Phone, which makes it the perfect solution for my feed-reading needs. The backend is powered by feedly.com which ties to my Google Account.
Using Feedly, you can group feeds into different categories, control how feeds organized and then sync that across multiple devices and platforms.
It’s not a free app, but the modest cost gives me some peace of mind that the developers of it will continue to support and improve it going forward.
Now if you’ll, excuse me… I’ve got some reading to do!
Prior to it’s demise, I was a long time user of Google Reader. Since that service was discontinued, I’ve been on the lookout for the best way to manage the reading of blogs and other RSS feeds. I didn’t necessarily need to read from within a browser and with Windows 8.1, I really wanted to take advantage of the touch interface and what my employer likes to call the “immersive experience” of the modern OS.
NetGen Reader had a version for Window 8.1 and the Windows Phone, which makes it the perfect solution for my feed-reading needs. The backend is powered by feedly.com which ties to my Google Account.
Using Feedly, you can group feeds into different categories, control how feeds organized and then sync that across multiple devices and platforms.
It’s not a free app, but the modest cost gives me some peace of mind that the developers of it will continue to support and improve it going forward.
Now if you’ll, excuse me… I’ve got some reading to do!
Tuesday, April 15, 2014
Become an Early Expert in Virtualization
In an increasingly multi-hypervisor world, more and more IT organizations are using Microsoft Hyper-V and Microsoft Azure to achieve superior performance and workload flexibility at the best possible price. With nearly two-thirds of businesses on more than one virtualization platform, adding Microsoft virtualization and cloud skills to your technical repertoire can improve your career options and prepare you to face new IT demands.
If you're located outside of the U.S., you're certainly still welcome to join us and take advantage of the Early Experts study materials to help you prepare for certification.
**NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Open only to IT Professionals who are legal residents of the 50 U.S. states or D.C., 18+. Sweepstakes ends on June 30, 2014. See Official Rules.
What is Early Experts?
Microsoft Early Experts is a free, online study group for virtualization professionals who want to extend their Microsoft Hyper-V, System Center and Microsoft Azure knowledge with official Microsoft certifications. We've organized our high-impact learning resources into online Knowledge Quests that include concise videos, prescriptive study materials and hands-on practice with real products. Complete the weekly quests at your own pace and enjoy the flexibility to stop and review certain topics when you need more time.Rewards and Prizes (U.S. Only)
Complete the online Quests and receive a completion badge suitable for printing or sharing online to showcase your new skills with Microsoft virtualization! In addition, IT Pros located in the U.S. are eligible to win one of several cool prizes during monthly prize drawings in April, May and June 2014. **The clock is ticking … Join us today!
Early Experts study groups are forming now for existing VMware / Virtualization professionals targeting the following Microsoft certification:Monday, April 14, 2014
Are you ready to begin your Quest of the Cloudwalker?
Hark beleaguered IT
Professionals! We know of the evils which plague you daily—mountains of help
desk tickets, crashing computers, ridiculous requests from management, and far,
far worse. But fear not, for we have felt your misery and despair, and created
a fantastical world where you can use your hard-earned knowledge to crush
demonic personifications of your IT woes.
So begin
thy quest, choose from one of three
heroic avatars, and arm yourself with up to four of the righteous weapons of
IT. For each mystical weapon you arm yourself with, you’ll receive a code to enter in the game for a chance to win a
fabled Xbox One.
Then carry onward into
battle, where eight of your greatest foes await. There is Tickakomus, the God
of forgotten passwords and missing power cords; Messglore, master of server
closet chaos; and of course, the most feared monster of all, Chronos, Devourer
of Time and Destroyer of Reality!
The task before you is
mighty, but if you are true of heart and steeped in knowledge, your victory is
assured. Become the savior all besieged IT Pros have been waiting for, in Quest
of the Cloudwalker!
Friday, April 11, 2014
FREE Windows 8.1 Camp: Discover Key Windows 8.1 Solutions for IT Pros
As IT professionals, it’s your job to keep up with the latest demands – ensuring your organization has the fastest, most intuitive technology and uninterrupted services, while giving people the freedom to work anywhere, anytime, on a variety of devices.
Join us (the IT Pro Evangelists!) for the upcoming IT Camp, “Empowering People-Centric IT with Windows 8.1 for IT Professionals,” and learn about the new features in Windows 8.1. These capabilities simplify the migration, deployment, and management of tomorrow's IT environments, while tangibly improving the end-user experience.
At this IT Camp, you’ll get hands-on experience with Windows 8.1 and Windows Server 2012 R2 in the enterprise. Explore the new Windows 8.1 feature set while you dive deep into key enterprise scenarios around System Center Configuration Manager 2012 R2 and Windows Intune management, deployment, security, desktop virtualization, side-loading apps, and mobility.
Session Requirements
- Be sure to bring a modern laptop that can run the following prerequisites.
- Modern operating system, including Windows 7, Windows 8, Linux or Mac OS X
- Modern web browser supporting HTML5 and Javascript, including IE 9 or later, Chrome, Firefox and Safari
Remote desktop (RDP) client – included with Windows platforms. Mac and Linux RDP clients can be downloaded for free at http://www.2x.com/rdp-client/
Date
|
City
|
State
|
4/29/2014
|
WI
| |
4/29/2014
|
TX
| |
4/29/2014
|
FL
| |
4/30/2014
|
MI
| |
4/30/2014
|
NY
| |
4/30/2014
|
CA
| |
5/1/2014
|
IL
| |
5/1/2014
|
FL
| |
5/6/2014
|
MN
| |
5/6/2014
|
NY
| |
5/7/2014
|
OH
| |
5/7/2014
|
GA
| |
5/7/2014
|
PA
| |
5/7/2014
|
CO
| |
5/7/2014
|
CA
| |
5/8/2014
|
KS
| |
5/9/2014
|
FL
| |
5/20/2014
|
OH
| |
5/20/2014
|
VA
| |
5/20/2014
|
IL
| |
5/21/2014
|
TX
| |
5/21/2014
|
MA
| |
5/21/2014
|
NC
| |
5/22/2014
|
WA
| |
5/22/2014
|
MO
| |
5/22/2014
|
AZ
| |
5/28/2014
|
TX
| |
6/4/2014
|
CA
|
Much thanks to Matt Hester, who let me "borrow" his blog post to re-post! Why reinvent the wheel, right? :-)
Wednesday, April 9, 2014
Hey Ladies... the next She's Geeky is in Seattle!
She's Geeky will be two days in Seattle, May 9 and 10th at the Lake Washington Rowing Club.
Register HERE. It will be the best $90 (one day) or $160 (two days) you spend. I recommend going both days, since you won't know what's going to happen until you get there.
You can even bring your daughter for a discounted price!
Register HERE. It will be the best $90 (one day) or $160 (two days) you spend. I recommend going both days, since you won't know what's going to happen until you get there.
You can even bring your daughter for a discounted price!
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