Technically Speaking

A while back I started reading “8 Things We Hate About IT” and found it to be rather interesting.  Of course the fact that I recently started reading it again says a lot about my reading style… slim and in bursts.  Maybe this time I will get all the way through it without the next shiny thing distracting me.

The idea of the book is to point out the areas where most business leaders and IT leaders disconnect within an organization.  Ironically, from an IT perspective, it makes a good amount of sense.  When I picked up the book and started reading it, I expected that it might be IT against the world (or vice versa) and point out the end user items that exist from both sides, but the book focuses on projects and business outcomes that use technology.

While I am not going to put together a full review (though maybe I should) I think this is a great read for both business minds and IT pros alike.  It will provide a bit of perspective to both sides about reasons why many things may fail and perhaps present some ways that business and IT can work together ahead of the software and the technology to build a better project.

The author focuses more on the relationship between the business side of the house and the IT than the function of the technology and how cool it would be if… and this seems to be something that is missing in many projects (if not in organizations).

You can get the book here: http://www.amazon.com/Things-Hate-About-Frustrations-Partnership/dp/1422131661/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1287324796&sr=8-1

Being the sole IT person for an organization, I have often wondered where the value in technical conferences lies.  Is it in the interaction with other IT professionals or the opportunity to meet those who work in similar (and dissimilar) environments or perhaps it falls in the training and support gained from attending.

I have been to a few tech conferences in the years since I took this position and no year was more filled with them than 2009.  I started slow, attending Microsoft Convergence for a few years to get the latest on the Dynamics line of products (some of which we use) and to see what new BI might help my organization be better.

Convergence was great, I met a great many people who helped me understand more about the application I was supporting and determine that a change in Microsoft Partners was a good move for us.  Since the partner change, life has been much easier, at least in the "Who ya gonna call?” sense.

In 2009 I attended a customer interaction session at Microsoft for the System Center Online Desktop Manager product (still in beta) and because of some pure geek miracle the MVP Summit, which puts awarded MVPs on the Redmond campus for a week early in the year to learn about what’s here, what’s coming, and how/why Microsoft does x and y with those products the way they do.

Summit was awesome and there were tons of great people to meet and new opportunities I could never have imagined.  Being an MVP has taught me this fundamental principal:  use your technical skills to help those around you and be willing to share the information you have.  Good things come to helpful and willing people.

Following the MVP Summit last year I attended Microsoft Tech Ed North America for the first time.  I had previously wanted to attend Tech Ed, but the cost was prohibitive for me and my work schedule made it difficult as well.  Participating in several panels at the event was a great experience, although I was a bit nervous when getting started.

In the future, perhaps not in 2010, I will be returning to Tech Ed, the benefits and learning opportunities are amazing.

Technical conferences are a rather big expense, especially for individuals, but the possibilities for learning and networking with others are very high.  I think the bottom line is to look at the things you are interested in or use in your job and determine which conferences will advance your knowledge of the topic to better your job skills and work to attend these shows.  With the skills you acquire at the conference may well be worth the price of admission.

Social media has become huge on the Internet over the past months and is something that IT Managers and staff are dealing with, or certainly will need to at some point.

A friend of mine, who I first met using Twitter, did a guest post for a local business about key ingredients to Social Media. 

Read his post here.

Sure, mileage may vary when using or getting into Social Media, but understanding the potential value for an organization, its employees, and brand building is huge.

Before you block Twitter and Linked In, look at it through a marketers eyes and see if there are ways to make it a useable part of your business.  You might be surprised.