Events! We got ‘em!

World Class Live In-Person Events for IT Professionals “Hey Kevin.. the TechNet Events site has been pretty bare lately. Aren’t you guys doing any live events?”

Yeah.. unfortunately this is the time of year at Microsoft where budgets are being finalized and plans put in place accordingly.  And we can’t plan out our schedule until all of those “ducks are in a row”.  This year the process was a bit more painful than most.  (I’ll spare you the bloody details.)  But finally we have some of our TechNet Events scheduled for the coming several months.

“But they’re not on TechNet Events yet. At least not as of this blog post’s writing…”

Yep.  They will be soon.  They ARE actually up in what we call our “World Wide Events” engine, so you can GO HERE and search for live events in your area. 

And I STRONGLY encourage you to do that ASAP.   We have events starting this next week, and with so little time to get the word out, there is a possibility that we will have to cancel due to low registration.  Believe me – we don’t want to have to do that!

“Where will you be, Kevin?”

I’m glad you asked!  Here is my schedule (some of which is tentative) for the next several months: 

Date Location Event ID (link to registration page)
August 19 Chicago, IL 1032384092
August 26 Des Moines, IA 1032384097
October 2 Omaha, NE tentative
October 21 Indianapolis, IN tentative
October 23 Southfield, MI tentative
October 28 Minneapolis, MN tentative
November 11 San Antonio, TX tentative
November 13 Houston, TX tentative

Those tentative dates haven’t been finalized (still making venue arrangements, etc) yet, so keep watching my blog and watching the TechNet Events site for these to come available for registration.

AND PLEASE – don’t let the fact that these cities are nowhere near you stop you from going to the events site and searching for a TechNet Event or other great Microsoft Events coming to a city near you!

“What are you speaking on this time?”

Here’s the line-up!  We think it’s a good one!"

Want to save the day? We’ll save you a seat.

Session 1: “Why Vista?”

While those “Mac vs. PC” commercials are entertaining, they don’t tell the whole story – especially when it comes to Windows Vista with Service Pack 1. In this session we’ll dispel some of the common myths and misperceptions about Windows Vista. We’ve been listening to your feedback since Vista’s initial release and we’ll address the top deployment blockers as reported by you, the customer. You’ll get quality technical information about why installing or upgrading to Windows Vista with Service Pack 1 can increase end-user productivity, improve stability and reliability, give IT staff more control of the desktop, and help secure your networking environment. Learn the truth about Microsoft’s new operating system and prepare to leave this session with a fresh perspective on Windows Vista.

Session 2: Managing Windows Vista with Windows PowerShell

Windows PowerShell provides scripting capabilities to automate system administration activities that can really help IT pros increase their productivity. In this session, we’ll focus on using Windows PowerShell with Windows Vista to manage and automate common client administration activities. We’ll explore the features and capabilities of Windows PowerShell and the Windows Vista operating system functions that can be automated, plus activities that can be automated to troubleshoot Vista client computers. Finally, we’ll touch on the new capabilities you can expect in the next version of PowerShell.

Session 3: Group Policy Preferences, Templates and Scripting

As an IT professional, you’ve probably mapped user network drives with logon scripts – which meant you had to write and debug the logon script, store the script in a central location, then run the script by configuring user objects in Active Directory or by creating a Group Policy Object. Sound familiar? Now think about all the other settings you’ve configured using logon scripts or similar methods. With Group Policy Preferences, you can cut costs (and headaches) with a simple, central system to configure, deploy and manage operating system and application settings. In this session, you’ll get the inside track on the Group Policy enhancements in Windows Server 2008 and Windows Vista. You’ll learn about Group Policy processing, scripting, features, and how to use the template format. Don’t miss this informative session on the latest Group Policy preferences.

Hope to see you there!