And so it begins.....

Like I have told anyone who would listen, I love this time of year!!  It's when we all get back to the task at hand after a fun summer.  Perhaps it's because as a kid I actually liked going back to school, September to me is always the start of another exciting year.  The fact that the Microsoft cycle seems to coincide with that, for me, is a bonus.

This month we kick off the activity calendar with a look at Exchange 2007 at the TechNet Monthly on the evening of September 12.  If you are in Ottawa you get to see Rick deliver this session introducing you to the cool new features of Exchange that make the IT Pro and end-user experience so much better.  The same day Rodney Buike, our newest team member and acknowledged Exchange guru, will deliver the session at our offices in Mississauga.  If you have not already done so, register for the Ottawa or Mississauga events today.

On September 26, also in our Mississauga office, Rory McCaw, an MVP for Microsoft Operations Manager (MOM) will deliver a session titled Monitoring Active Directory Security with Microsoft Operations Manager 2005.  If you are using MOM and want to find out how to monitor AD security and do it right, Rory is someone you should come out and listen to.   If you are thinking about using MOM for this, or the many other scenarios where it makes sense, you should register for this event right now.  I know I'll be there since I try not to miss an opportunity to hear Rory speak.  You should also check out his blog on all things MOM.

On the user group front, the Developer Evangelists are on a national tour focusing on AJAX and ASP.NET.  You can view the full list of cities that they will be going to by going to the TechNet Canada Events page and sign up for the event in your home town.  On my end, I will be delivering the Exchange 2007 session I mentioned earlier at the Waterloo-Wellington IT Pro User Group on September 25.  If you are in the Kitchener-Waterloo area, I'd love to see you there. 

Finally, one true sign that the activity calendar is in high gear is having a national tour roll out.  Starting on September 26 in both Montreal and Edmonton, i/o tour '06 hits the ground running.  This is your opportunity to find out how to architect a solid infrastructure throughout the organization.  The tour hits nine cities and will also include a live webcast of the Toronto stop so anyone, anywhere can take part.  If you have not done so yet, visit the tour web page and register today. 

Wow!!  What a way to kick off the fall season!!!