Welcome to the Technology blog for Columbus and Central Ohio!
Our mission is to create dynamic connections between individuals and companies, ultimately establishing strong coalitions that build awareness and grow our technology economy. We encourage dialogue, sharing, and learning.
Ben
Monday, September 29, 2008
Monday Morning Muses - Sept 29, 2008 - On Education and Development
As the son of a university professor I grew up with a strong emphasis on education. My wife Sandy and I raise our 4 daughters to place a significant value on education.
It strikes me as ironic that until our early 20's we spend a significant amount of time educating ourselves to get ready for the real world but when we graduate college that level of investment drops like a rock. Be honest with yourself, "How much time are you spending on professional development?". Did the world all of a sudden stop changing and everything you needed to know you learned by your early twenties?
Now for a little math...Let's say Tom has $25,000 car. In any given year Tom might invest (between fuel, insurance, and other maintenance items) - $2,000 - $3,000 dollars. Tom earns $50,000/year. On a hourly basis that equates to $25/hour. Tom spends 40 hours a year in professional development activities. Those activities equate to a $1000 time investment that helps to maintain (and maybe grow) his ability to earn $50,000. I would venture to say that a lot of people don't invest 40 hours a year in professional activities.
Tom is investing more in his car than himself and his fundamental ability to earn that $50,000/year that pays for the car...mmmmm - makes you think
The point of the analogy is that a lot of us invest more in things (cars,furniture, toys,electronics, etc.) than we invest in ourselves and our ability to maintain/grow one of our most precious assets - our minds.
Questions to ponder:
How much are you investing in growing your mind?
What are the implications of that investment strategy?
What example are you setting for your kids?
What kind of insurance are you buying to protect your earning potential?
The fun side of technology - 'Human jet' crosses the English Channel
As a kid I watched my fair share of Saturday morning cartoons and often wondered what it would be like to be able to fly. Today we got one step closer to having personal jet packs...Swiss adventurer Yves Ross crossed the English Channel using a homemade jet propelled wing....click here to see the story...
Reid Hoffman (founder of LinkedIn) and Judy Estrin (author of Closing the Innovation Gap:Reigniting the Spark of Creativity in a Global Economy and former CTO of Cisco) have committed to speaking at a 2.0 technology event in Columbus in support of Senator Obama.
While they are here to support their chosen candidate they are also here to share their perspectives regarding innovation, business and social networks with the Columbus technical community. What a coup for Columbus..We must be doing something right here...mmm..maybe that Forbes award as the #1 top up and coming tech city really means something. And yes they are flying in just for this event.
Whether you're a Democrat, Republican, or some other party affiliation you owe it yourself and our community to be informed voter. Dialogue with national thought leaders Reid Hoffman and Judy Estrin about innovation, social networking, and technology. After all it's not every day we get to hear these thought leaders up close and personal.
I love my state. I love the livability. I love the beauty. I love the people. But if I want to attend an interesting tech related event, where do I go? To one of the coasts. DC. Boston. San Francicso. NYC.
And what one often finds at those events is a good number of folks who have flown in from other places. Folks who recognize the value of working in a location where the cost of living is reasonable and who know how to use online tools to communicate and collaborate with their colleagues around the country (and around the world). Technology innovation can take place in anyone’s garage ☺ or anyone’s home office regardless of where they live....
I agree with Angela. I love living in Columbus and think that there is an incredible amount of innovation happening here...but there's more that can happen..open up your minds and connect with the tech community. Join us on Oct 10...Preregister for preferred seating.
October 10 Draft Event Schedule: 5:00 - 6:00 - Registration and Networking 6:00 Welcome – Angela Siefer & Ben Blanquera 6:05 Judy Estrin – The Technology Innovation Gap 6:25 Reid Hoffman – The Business Side of Social Networks 6:45 Obama Campaign Technology Surrogate – Obama Technology Platform 7:00 Wrap up
Please note that this event is strictly a grassroots function being put on by volunteers passionate about making a difference in Columbus. We may need some more help with the event. Please send a note to benblanquera@hotmail.com if you're interested in exploring volunteer opportunities.
A special thanks to Trace Kingham & team (TRACE Ltd.), Jeff Beeler (Sync Creative), Neal Roberts (Adrenaline ), our fearless leader Angela Siefer (Lumifi), and my wife Sandy (for putting up with me) for all their work in making this happen. Thanks also to the Hilton Polaris for their contribution.
In order to defray the costs for the event we're also looking for a underwriting sponsor. Send me a note if you'd like to hear more.
I've been experimenting with Twitter (microblogging) for the last few weeks to get a sense of what it is and what it can be used for. If you're interested I can be followed athttp://twitter.com/bblanquera
CIO magazine published 4 ways that business' are using twitter: 1. (Careful) Product Pushing 2. Community Outreach 3. How-to and Service Questions 4. Humanizing the Head Honcho
Steve Clark (VP incubation at Tech Columbus) moving on
I was looking at my twitter account (@bblanquera) and saw a post that made me do a doubletake. Members of the TechColumbus team had posted that Steve Clark was leaving TechColumbus.
Steve Clark is vice president of Incubation Services for TechColumbus and has been a instrumental force in driving the growth of startups in the region. He is going to a local startup People To My Site (http://www.peopletomysite.com/index3.html) . I've known Steve for about 7 years and have always enjoyed his energy and passion in driving regional tech growth. He's also a heck of a nice guy.
The good news is that he's staying in Columbus and will continue to be involved with building the Columbus Tech community. That's good for us.
Steve - congrats and best of luck to you in your new role!
Craig Newmark (of Craiglist fame) on "Rebooting the Tech Economy in Ohio," in Columbus Wed 9/24
(Ben's note - the following is a public service announcement and is not meant to endorse. I believe that it's my duty to offer up opportunities for us to become educated voters) - thanks @Wyliemack (twitter name) for bringing this to my attention
Among the many glaring contrasts between the presidential candidates is Obama's evident appreciation of the power of the internet and McCain's admitted failure to even engage with internet basics like email and Google. In short, tech policy is yet another powerful reason to vote for the candidate who offers real change, not a return to the past. Next Wednesday evening in Columbus, come hear internet pioneer Craig Newmark (of Craig's List) and internet law expert Peter Swire talk about the importance of tech policy and why people who appreciate the power of the internet should get involved in supporting the Obama campaign.
Consider this. John McCain said earlier this year: "I have never felt the particular need to email." When it came to a fact, he said you can look it up on "a Google." And he said: "I am learning to get online myself, and I will have that down pretty soon." The next president needs to be in touch with technology and understand the importance of the internet.
Barack Obama and his campaign, by contrast, have been pioneers in using the Internet, wireless technology, and other cutting-edge applications to link average voters together and empower them to create political change. Once elected President, Barack Obama can lead the government, the national economy, and Ohio back to global leadership in innovation and new technology.
The nation can’t afford to pick a leader who hopes to get online for the first time “pretty soon.” Everyone who recognizes the importance of the Internet to our economy and our future should come listen to Newmark and Swire, learn, and get involved.
Full details after the break. Rebooting the Tech Economy in Ohio
For students and all residents of Ohio, our future depends on innovation and the role of technology to create jobs for a 21st economy. Renowned entrepreneur Craig Newmark (from Craig’s List) will speak about his experience as a leading innovator who has harnessed the power of the internet to create economic opportunities and jobs throughout the nation. He will also discuss the critical role the internet plays in this election and why all young voters need to pay attention and possible get involved in the Obama campaign. When and where: Wednesday, September 24, from 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. The event will be held at the Saxbe Auditorium of the Moritz College of Law of the Ohio State University, 55 W. 12th Avenue, Columbus. The event is hosted officially by the Law School Democrats. Featured Guest Speaker: Craig Newmark, founder of Craig's List. Craig's List is a virtual community where users can list everything from lawn ornaments for sale to personal ads to a simple rant about the morning commute. Craig has a focus on community organizing and recently wrote the following on his blog:
In my day job, I've worked with thousands of people directly, helping tens of millions of Americans with basics like jobs and housing. People are trustworthy and good, and get a lot done when organized at the grassroots level. Good people helping each other out, that's a great expression of American values and democracy. This is sometimes called 'community organizing' and it's part of the vision of the Founders of the USA.
Guest Speaker: Peter Swire, Internet law expert, the Chief Counselor for Privacy to President Clinton, and former member of the White House Electronic Commerce Working Group. Swire is now a law professor at Ohio State, and will provide, in humorous form, reasons why it is important for the next President to "get" how to create the most vibrant Internet and technology future possible. Also featuring: Speakers explaining what technology and innovation mean to students and other residents of Ohio, and how to start using that technology and other resources to help elect Barack Obama as the next President of the United States. *** Note: The work affiliations of Craig Newmark and Peter Swire are listed for identification purposes only, and they will not be speaking on behalf of Craig's List or the Ohio State University. ***
A New Kind of Venture Capitalist Makes Small Bets on Young Firms
Good story in New York Times on VC - Union Square Ventures which has built its portfolio making small bets on young companies.... click here for more -
Union Square Ventures’ partners are, from left, Brad Burnham and Fred Wilson, the co-founders, and Albert Wenger. The firm has become a magnet for Web entrepreneurs.
Former partners reunite to launch new Columbus-based IT professional services firm, DesCovRe Consulting, LLC.
Three former IT consulting partners have reunited and have recently announced the formation of DesCovRe Consulting, LLC, a professional services firm specializing in the measurement, analysis and optimization of business-critical IT systems. The new venture is led by Mario Desiderio, Mike Covert and Matt Balent, an executive team familiar with the professional IT services market, the start-up business model, and with one another.
Based in Columbus, Ohio, DesCovRe (pronounced ‘discovery’) Consulting will provide specialized IT services to the financial, insurance, retail and healthcare industries, a market well-known to its founders. The three initially teamed up to form the Advanced Technology Group for Claremont Technology Partners (now Convansys) and later re-joined as founders and executive partners of Infinis, Incorporated (acquired by WHITTMANHART; now TUSC Consulting).
“This is familiar territory for us”, said Desiderio. “We know what our individual strengths are, how we operate together and as an executive team we can quickly focus on what’s important. Our success has always been in providing our clients with high quality work from high quality people that they can trust. That’s really what we do best.”
“So many of the consulting companies today are focused purely on the technology itself”, said Covert. “Our approach has always been to understand the business first. While we’re fully prepared to dive into the technology, it’s critical to always first understand and communicate the business implications of doing so. Our ability to manage that ‘gray area’ between the business and the technology is something that sets us apart”.
Prior to DesCovRe, the three were instrumental in the successful development and management of another Columbus-based start-up, Infinis Incorporated. Their roles included Desiderio, as founder and Chief Executive Officer, Covert as Chief Operating Officer and Chief Technology Officer, and Balent, as managing partner and Director of the Business Technology Optimization practice. Prior to Infinis, Covert was CTO and Vice President of Product Development at Alta Analytics and Balent was co-founder and President of Paladin Technology Partners.
Spotlight on top local innovators - Information Week 500
INNOVATION - it's a business imperative and everyone is looking for more of it. Information Week discusses trends in emerging technologies and recognizes 500 of top companies for their innovation.
The IT community was out in force last night at IT Martini 2 at the Park Street Patio. Over 300 IT professionals came out to mix and mingle. John Bishop and Aladin Gohar have done a great job in putting together a wonderful networking event. Judging from the turnout there is some pent up demand for this kind of activity. Kinda makes me remember the Digital Cocktail events several years ago.
As Steve Gruetter said," Had a blast at the IT Martini event last night, had fun w/Ben doing the random interviews, made many great new contacts - SUPER EVENT!"
Interview with entrepreneur - Vish Vishwanathan - Znode
What is Znode? Znode is a Flexible Storefront Platform – Revolutionary technology that allows online retailers to launch world-class online storefronts and increase profitability within weeks instead of months. Extensive research and analysis shows that no other competing platform has the Ultimate Flexibility that Znode Storefront includes in its framework, which allows it to be custom-tailored to virtually any business requirement. Moreover, Znode is extremely user-friendly, can handle millions of SKUs and can be easily integrated with virtually any back-office system or third party application. Znode allows retailers to rapidly market their products, manage inventory and connect seamlessly with trading partners.
What problem does it solve?
Znode's primary goal is to address the biggest challenge in e-commerce today which is the lack of flexibility in commercially available solutions. We are continuously working to make the Znode Storefront platform provide the ultimate flexibility to enable our customers to create rich, custom-tailored solutions for virtually any real-world requirement. Our extensive expertise with building user friendly web applications and adherence to a standards based development approach has clearly differentiated us from other competitors in the market.
Where is the company at its maturity?
Our licensed product – Znode Storefront was launched in the first quarter of 2007 after 30,000 man-hours of development over a period of 3 years. Since its launch, several major retail brands such as LoJack have successfully implemented world-class solutions using the Znode platform. The platform is currently in version 5.1 and is very mature. We have also established streamlined development and support processes in place to provide world-class support to our customer base. Znode is currently in the process of enhancing its enterprise service offerings such as the “Storefront-On-Demand” product which would allow rapid implementation of complex enterprise storefronts through a middle-ware service model.
Why did you start Znode?
We were doing a number of e-commerce projects for different clients – we realized that all of these projects had a “common thread” – we felt that it could benefit us if we were to create a solid e-commerce base framework that we could base all our projects on. When we started building this framework, we were careful enough to ensure that it is based on industry standard best practices. Once the framework was built, it was obvious to us that it would be beneficial to license it to other developers and agencies as well.
Tell us a little bit about your background
Currently the CEO of Znode – I have been with Znode since its inception. I have consulted as an architect for several companies over the last 15 years including BMW Financial Services, Qwest Communications, Wendy’s International, Borden Foods and Information Control Corporation. I have a bachelor’s degree in Electronics and Communication Engineering and have a number of patents and publications in the electronic firmware area.
About yourself I have 2 cats that keep me busy, I like riding my bike, love the TV series : Entourage, not much of a writer, favorite travel destination:Santa Monica, I am a big movie buff, musicals tickle my fancy, Favorite drink: Chai Tea Latte with Soy and a shot of Espresso (only at Starbucks!) What are your aspirations for Znode?
Our goal for Znode is to achieve global leadership status in the e-commerce domain. There are several players In this domain but we have been able to cut through the competition easily because of our unique product strategy. We strongly believe that we can achieve our leadership goal in the next few years based on our roadmap and current momentum.
What would you like to tell our columbustech.blogspot.com readers?
First of all, we would like to thank everyone in Columbus who have been instrumental in Znode’s success. We have received invaluable help and support from industry leaders in this region that has helped shape our company to what we are today. We are proud to be located here in Central Ohio!
Reminder - Central Ohio Sharepoint User Group is meeting Thursday September 18.
Just a quick reminder that the Central Ohio Sharepoint User Group is meeting Thursday September 18. Details shown below. Hope to see you there -- and bring a friend! Also, mark your calendar for the Central Ohio SharePoint Conference 2008 Date: October 31st Time: 8:00 am – 3:30pm (registration @ 7:30) Location: Platform Labs Topics and Details coming soon! If you would like preregistration information please contact Michelle Caldwell at marymcaldwell@yahoo.com
Please help us spread the news!!
Sept. 18 SPEAKERS: Shane Young, MS MVP Join us as Shane Young walks us though a complete installation and configuration of a MOSS 2007 environment. Shane will cover the common mistakes that are made as well as answer any questions you have throughout the installation. For more information on Shane, check out his blog at http://msmvps.com/blogs/shane/default.aspx
Sept. 18 MEETING SPONSOR: Infonic -- Jeffrey Wolff, Technical Director, will present "Best Practices for Deploying SharePoint in Remote, Mobile and Offline Environments"
Learn about key business drivers facing organizations as they architect their SharePoint infrastructure for remote, mobile, and offline users. This seminar's focus will be on providing global agility and improved remote connectivity to critical business data. Infonic's Geo-Replicator allows rapid access to web applications and replicates web or file-based content to remote servers and laptops, using a fraction of network bandwidth. Geo-Replicator also virtualizes SharePoint content to mobile users' laptops to make it possible to access files offline when a network connection is not available. Wolff will discuss how organizations can provide: * A consistent user experience - across the enterprise, regardless of location * Universal access to SharePoint portal documents and applications * WAN connectivity at LAN speeds * COOP/Disaster recovery scenarios for real time server to server replication Actual case studies will be provided as well as time for questions and answers.
This series of hands-on training course explores VMware Infrastructure 3, which consists of VMWare ESX Server and VMware VirtualCenter. Completion of this course entitles...
Project Management Resource Group is a Project Management Institute(PMI)Registered Education Provider (R.E.P.). Their mission is to provide high value educational programs for...
This year's conference will convene health care providers and professionals, governmental officials, policy makers and industry representatives to discuss the integration of health information technology (HIT) into the...
This hands-on training course, aimed at experienced VMware Infrastructure administrators, has been updated to reflect ESX Server 3.5 and VirtualCenter 2.5. It focuses on...
The Central Ohio ISSA - Columbus chapter has a mission which is to enhance the professional growth of our members via education, training and networking. Come join the local ISSA chapter as...
The Cincinnati Programmers Guild features Platform Lab Director, Steve Gruetter as speaker for their October meeting. Gruetter will be discussing 'Leveraging Ohio's Resources', an interactive informative presentation focusing on how to take advantage of...
The user group is targeted towards end users, administrators, implementers, developers, and anyone who likes to learn about emerging technology. We meet the third Thursday of every month from...
“Collaboration – Working Together” Guest speakers, Dr. E. Gordon Gee and Bob Harrington will be exploring this topic from a wide variety of perspectives, the focus will be on Central Ohio's...
This hands-on training course is aimed at experienced VMware Infrastructure 3 administrators and covers installation, configuration and operation of VMware Site Recovery Manager and...
This two day seminar will give participants the knowledge necessary to understand and effectively evaluate controls over an Oracle database management system. Participants will...
The gist of the story was that the movement to turn 10,000 acres along Rt. 315 into a place that would attract research and technology companies and that all involved needed to show the will to turn potential into results. It was an exciting vision.
2 years ago Columbus announced plans to turn 10,000 acres along Rt. 315 into a place that would attract research and technology companies. It even launched a website touting the plan ..(click here to access) and local leaders were quick to endorse the plan.
Let me share with you an excerpt from the master plan ---
Vision To make central Ohio a premier international destination, a place where energy, creativity, technology, entrepreneurship, science, research and medicine intersect, fuse and emerge as whole new theories, solutions and products. The Corridor will be a place where man and machine devise new answers for critical world challenges and where smart capital and jobs produce new opportunities for today and the future.
Goals
• To become an internationally recognized center for cutting-edge research and development.
• To build upon the deep research strengths that already exist in the Corridor, including: advanced materials; ag-biosciences; applied health care; high-speed computing; information and knowledge management; life sciences and environmental management; and sustained solutions to 21st century energy needs.
• To foster an entrepreneurial environment entrepreneurial that doubles the number of ideas that translate into patents and potentially marketable products/solutions.
• To attract and keep the best and brightest minds, particularly the 25-44-year-old skilled workforce so essential to economic development in the next decade.
• To enhance the depth and breadth of workforce skills and capacities in critical science, technology, engineering and mathematics areas. • To strengthen an economic engine that has the capacity to be the foundation of central Ohio’s economic future.
• To more than double the number of jobs in the Corridor in the next two decades.
Business Objectives – By the end of 2006
1. Create or adapt an existing entity that can help guide critical Corridor activities and crucial collaborations;
It seems as if we as a community never got off ground zero with the first business objective listed above. The movement never found its coach. (see this Business First story). It concerns me that a community, touted as a up and coming top 10 tech city, can't find a coach in a city full of chiefs.
What do you all think? Do we need to create a 315 tech corridor or is the status quo good enough for us? Are we playing to win or not to lose?
A few days ago I received a facebook post from an old friend. It took me until this morning to check it out. Given the 9/11 anniversary day the video struck a chord with me and I thought others might enjoy seeing it. Check it out - make a difference - share it with your family and friends. It's worth a few minutes of your time.
Here's the URL - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2FmEIP46B-E and supporting website - http://www.peaceoneday.org/
Alan Cullop, EVP and CIO, of NetJets Inc. will provide an overview of NetJets unique business model created by Richard Santulli in 1986 and its rapid growth to become the world's largest air carrier in terms of fleet size. Alan will discuss how technology transformed from a cost center to become a strategic enabler for NetJets enabling growth and incremental revenues. Alan will also discuss economic factors, regulatory, environmental responsibilities, and factors for its continued growth.
Ideas to Deals BASE - Sept 11 - Dublin, Ohio - Check it out if you're looking for angel or venture investment
The landscape for building a business capable of dominating markets and scaling quickly has changed. The entrepreneurs that will succeed don't spend their time chasing investors; rather they focus on what it takes to bring the business to life and reach paying customers.
The "Ideas to Deals" BASE is for entrepreneurs interested in turning their business idea into an opportunity worthy of angel or venture investment. "Ideas to Deals" will explore issues relating to start-up, marketing, financing, sales and growth to create an investment-ready business
Date: Thursday, September 11, 2008 Time: 8:00AM–8:30AM Registration & Networking
8:30AM–12:00PM Program Place: City of Dublin - Economic Development
Make sure and register today for the Grails Training course coming to Columbus offered by Scott Davis & No Fluff Just Stuff on October 8-10th. Come and find out why Grails (www.grails.org) is fast becoming the defacto choice of 21st century dynamic web frameworks for the Java community.
Click here for more info: http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dcr92k6t_161rhf44gdf
Monday Morning Muses - Sept 8, 2008 - Out of the cubicle...
In 2000 I had my own version of a midlife crisis. I had it all (or so I thought). The exciting job with a big salary and title, the Parade of Homes house and wonderful kids. One day I wrote down my top priorities (family, community building, education) and then wrote down where I spend my time (work,work,work,and more work) . Guess what? The two lists were pretty different and I began experiencing a severe case of cognitive dissonance (according to Webster - cognitive dissonance, noun, definition - psychological conflict resulting from incongruous beliefs and attitudes held simultaneously)
At that point I knew I had to do something and live a more purposeful life. This was a critical moment in my life.
Question to ponder:As you think about your life and how you spend your time. How does what you want to do compare to what you're doing?
Vital to any development is the ability to test that application. Often time developers use excuses as to why NOT to test. One of those excuses is not knowing HOW to test. Testing can be as simple as writing code to go against your method and expecting a certain result. However most applications have a variety of moving parts that include databases or outside services that we do not want to test. Luckily Java has created multiple ways of helping to test out outside services, and we shall go over four of those ways. The first two will look at Easy Mock and JMockit which can be used by any framework. The third one will be specific for EJB3Unit testing and our last example of testing will look at how to test against JBoss Embedded application server.
Bio
Joseph Faisal Nusairat, author of "Beginning JBoss Seam" and co-author of "Beginning Groovy & Grails", is a Java developer who has been working full time in the Columbus Ohio area since 1998, primarily focused on Java development. His career has taken him into a variety of Fortune 500 industries including military applications, data centers, banking, internet security, pharmaceuticals, and insurance. Joseph is particularly fond of open source projects and tries to use as much open source software as possible when working with clients. Joseph is a graduate of Ohio University with dual degrees in Computer Science and Microbiology with a minor in Chemistry. Currently, Joseph works as a Senior Partner at Integrallis Software (www.integrallis.com ). In his off-hours he enjoys watching bodybuilding and Broadway musicals, but not at the same time.
Quick Solutions Offices
Time: 11:30 am
Address:
440 Polaris Parkway
Suite 500
Westerville, OH 43082
Evening Meeting
Google Web Toolkits (GWT)
Quick Solutions will be providing an after hours event at Brazenhead.
Abstract
Brief introduction of ajax as needed, what is and why GWT? Building User interface with GWT Widgets, event handling and styling, Remote procedure call (RPC), JavaScript Native Interface (JSNI). The talk will be accompanied with live demo.
Bio
Yiguang Hu have been working in IT for over 12 years for some of the finest companies in Ohio. He was a Sun Certified Java 2 Programmer and J2EE Web component developer. He also passed the Sun Certified Enterprise Architect in Java Technologies knowledge exam. He is now a senior software engineer working on supply change management software using technologies like JSF/Spring/Ajax technologies.
Columbus IT Professionals: Community that Shakes and Stirs
Social community for Columbus Information Technology professionals hosts the city's premier social networking event at Park Street Patio on September 18th, 2008.
Columbus, OH --- This September marks the second time that the rapidly growing Columbus IT Community (http://www.itmartini.com/) comes together at an event hosted by IT Martini, a community start-up group dedicated to connecting IT Professionals (http://www.itmartini.com/?page_id=4). The first IT Martini event in June brought together over 200 IT Professionals, demonstrating a level of interest that exceeded the expectations of nearly every attendee.
John Bishop, IT Martini cofounder, offered some perspective: "Our approach was based on a simple idea - that social networking can bring together the IT Community in this city and make it better. Even so, it was amazing to see this concept take off with full force at our very first event."
The next event, IT Martini Hour 2: Summertime Roles, has a theme that emphasizes the roles of the IT Professional. Several well known members of the Columbus IT Community are keying off this theme as discussion leaders, including Ben Blanquera (Progressive Medical), Steve Gruetter (Platform Lab), Bruce Pecci (AEP), Steve Harman (Quick Solutions), and Jim Holmes (Quick Solutions).
Paul MacCartney, the event's keynote speaker and President of MindLeaders (http://www.mindleaders.com/), sums it up, "This well rounded cast of discussion leaders at IT Martini Hour 2 reflects the deep IT Professional talent pool right here in Columbus."
In addition to thematic discussion, IT Martini Hour 2 brings the 'after work' IT Professional crowd demos of products built here in Columbus, door prizes, and refreshments. Of course, networking is still the most popular draw, as IT Martini co-founder Aladin Gohar explains, "The rapid changes in technology demand that IT Professionals utilize, and extend, their personal networks - for the sake of their careers."
IT Martini Hour 2: Summertime Roles is scheduled for September 18th, 2008, from 5:00-8:00pm at Park Street Patio, 533 Park St., Columbus, OH 43215. A limited number of registrations are available at itmartini.eventbrite.com. For more information, please contact cofounders @ itmartini.com.
Checkout http://www.10tv.com/live/content/business/techcolumbus.html for TechColumbus/10TV Innovation Spotlight 4 that will start airing tomorrow. It focuses on building connections and the strengthening of the region’s tech community. The idea is to encourage people to “Get Connected” by signing up for a newsletter and becoming TechColumbus members by learning more about the region and the benefits of getting connected.
You will spend 5 intensive days as experienced instructors drill down on the most important topics and best practices associated with managing and architecting SharePoint Server 2007. After bootcamp...
Central Ohio ISSA is offering a series of seminars oriented towards preparing security professionals who aspire towards CISSP certification or to get a deeper understanding of Information Security. These classes allow...
This two-day practicum on September 10th & 11th provides a hands-on introduction to exploratory testing and is designed to give students supervised practical applications of the skills and tactics covered in...
Do you ever think that your IT environment is chaotic? During the annual WPAFB update - three war zone veterans will share their IT experiences in Iraq and Afghanistan under truly hostile...
Alan Cullop, EVP and CIO, of NetJets Inc. will discuss how technology transformed from a cost center to become a strategic enabler for NetJets enabling growth, incremental revenues and its rapid ascension, becoming the world's largest air...
As a devout Buckeye that attended high school in Southern California, Platform Lab Director Steve Gruetter has a special place in his heart for the University of....
Quarterly 'The State of the Threat' – Brent will present an update on the latest information security threats. Learn where attackers are going and what new security issues are likely in...
CONNECT with IT Professionals from all over Columbus at IT Martini Hour 2! Join us at Park Street Patio right after work for an exclusive event that includes networking, lively discussions by the brightest in...
The user group is targeted towards end users, administrators, implementers, developers and anyone who likes to learn about emerging technology. We meet the third Thursday of...
“Are you a small business just getting started and confused by what it takes to get someone to invest some funds to get off the ground?" Then you may want to hear from several people that have recently received...
"SEO and Beyond" We’ll quickly cover an overall understanding of Search Engine Optimization and then dive in to the “meat” of planning and implementing an overall...
The Central Ohio ISSA will host a golf outing Monday September 22nd at The Country Club at Muirfield. Please join us for a full day of golf, food, beverages and...
Join The CBTS team, manufacturers and vendors as they kick off their "Buisiness Technology Solutions Symposium" in Dayton, Ohio. These programs and topics will be focused on...
Please join TechColumbus and other members at Quick Solutions new facility, where you will be given a brief overview of Quick Solutions and their roadmap to success. Complementary beverages and...
"Got mobile? Solutions for a Mobile Work Force" Special guest speakers will discuss innovative new technologies allowing users to communicate, collaborate & view each others...
"Ten Technology Trends That Will Shape Your Corporate Future" - The West Coast has a reputation for creating new technology businesses that send shock-waves around the...
Contingency Planners of OHIO (CPO) is pleased to announce the return of our annual Business Survival and Recovery Conference – celebrating CPO’s twenty-second year. As a professional in...
Career and job fairs are a great way to meet a wide variety of potential employers in a friendly setting. Join us at Bio-Ohio's annual state-wide Bioscience Career Fair, bringing together job seekers and Ohio’s top...
