Day 2- TechFuse
Click each track for information about the sessions*: Day 1 Sessions Day 2 Floor Plan *Sessions are subject to change, times coming soon.
System Center
Tour of SCCM 2012
8:15 - 9:45
Matthew Teegarden, Carlson Companies
Session Level: 200-Intermediate
Audience: Anyone using or has used SCCM 2007, or interested in implementing 2010.
In this session you will take a tour of the new SCCM 2012 Administration Console and learn what has changed from SCCM 2007. The new SCCM Administration Console does away with the MMC. (is that applause I hear?)
You will learn the requirements for deploying SCCM 2012 and how to prepare your current SCCM 2007 environment. We will discuss the different scenarios for deploying SCCM 2012 including side by side migration.
Software Distribution has changed quite a bit and we will look at what's familiar and what's new. Basic Software Distribution hasn't really changed. There is a new distribution type called Advanced Software Distribution which takes us away from managing machines to providing users with the software that they require.
Finally, we will discuss the new Role Based Management feature of SCCM 2012 which makes it much easier to delegate granular permissions to users or groups.
Service Request Fulfillment Using Service Manager 2012 & Orchestrator 2012
10:00 - 11:15
Jason Rutherford, Oakwood Systems
Session Level: 200-Intermediate
Audience: This session is for anyone looking to get the most from their System Center investment or people trying to understand what automation can be provided with components from the System Center suite
In this session you will see a brief overview of Service Manager 2012 features, an overview of Orchestrator 2012 and how the integration between the two products is achieved to create powerful request offerings.
As an IT department providing services to the consumers of IT, we can take steps using components the System Center Suite to automate the mundane or tedious tasks we are asked to complete each day. We’ll discuss how to automate those tasks to specific users in your organization, leveraging Service Manager and Orchestrator.
While each of the System Center product could conceivably be used in a stand-alone fashion, the power of the products is truly understood when they are integrated together.
System Center Virtual Machine Manager VM & Services Templates - What, Why and How
1:30 - 2:45
Mark Sundt, Microsoft
Session Level: 200-Intermediate
Audience: This session is for anyone who needs to move beyond managing infrastructure to managing application architectures on Microsoft and non-Microsoft Hypervisor technologies.
Private cloud has been labeled by some as "just virtualization," nothing new for IT departments. But with a Microsoft Private Cloud you can achieve many of the benefits of public multitenant cloud computing—including scalability, and elasticity of your applications, not just your infrastructure. At the end of the day, private cloud computing is "all about the application" because that's what the business cares about. Come learn how Microsoft System Center Virtual Machine Manager 2012 helps companies create service consistency through VM and Service Templates.
Let’s Automate IT with System Center 2012
3:00 - 4:15
Lu Patrick, Benchmark Learning
Session Level: 200-Intermediate
Audience: Datacenter Management, IT Pro
Often an IT pro’s time is consumed with repetitive tasks…how many steps does it take just to deploy a new desktop? Today’s business expects IT to be able to respond quickly to new initiatives. It’s tough to be responsive when there are so many routine tasks to be completed just to keep things running? This session will introduce System Center 2012 – Orchestrator and how an IT pro can use it to help automate the repetitive and free up time to be creative.
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Infrastructure
XenApp 6.5: Feature Set Overview
8:15 - 9:45
Dan Villanti , Benchmark Learning
Session Level: 200–Intermediate
Audience: IT Professionals
XenApp 6.5 adds exciting features in Citrix's continuing quest to make the user experience more elegant and robust. Features like session pre-launch, session lingering and ICA multi-channel. Come see demonstrations of these and other XenApp technologies, including an overview of Receiver...what, really, is the difference between Receiver Enterprise and Receiver Standard? It'll all be explained at this demo-packed session!
Fear of Typing
10:00 - 11:15
Lu Patrick , Benchmark Learning
Session Level: 200–Intermediate
Audience: IT Professionals
This PowerShell thing has been around for a while. You may have dabbled with it to make Exchange do what you need it to do. As more and more products build on PowerShell, you’re finding you might need to know a bit more about it. This session is intended to help you overcome the fear of typing and take advantage of what PowerShell can do for you.
Enhanced Interactions using SharePoint and Lync
1:30 - 2:45
Doug Splinter and Brian Caauwe, Avtex
Session Level: 300-Advanced
Audience: IT Pros and Admins
We all need to interact with data and people and now SharePoint and Lync can work together to make those interactions seamless across platforms. This session will explore what options and dependencies are available in SharePoint and Lync to make both products better for end users. If it has to do with employee images, skills searching, presence or social integrations this session will cover the details.
Let’s Virtualize Everything! Virtual Applications, Virtual Servers and Virtual Desktops
3:00 - 4:15
Kent Huelman, Benchmark Learning
Session Level: 200-Intermediate
Audience: IT Professionals
Many organizations have already virtualized applications and most are using virtual servers, so why not take it the next step and find out if it makes sense to virtualize the desktop. This session will go through the process of creating a virtual desktop environment and explain how it integrates with virtual applications and virtual servers.
Attendees of this session will learn:
- The benefits and challenges of virtualizing desktops.
- How to navigate a virtual desktop environment.
- How to determine whether or not a virtual desktop environment is within scope.
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Security
Clarifying 10 myths of Forefront TMG 2010
8:15 - 9:45
Peter De Tender, ICTinus
Session Level: 200-Intermediate
Audience: Security professionals
Even after a product history of 10 years (ISA 2000…), it is still hard to convince some folks about the benefits of using Forefront TMG. This session will cover 10 myths of Forefront TMG, and break them down completely so that attendees understand how secure this product can make your company.
Unmasking Administrator’s Evil
10:00 - 11:15
Paula Januskiewicz, CQURE and IDesign
Session Level: 300-Advanced
Audience: IT Architects, IT Professionals, IT Managers, Security Professionals
Have you ever wondered what could happen with your company if your administrator moved to the dark side? Today! Right now! Sounds scary, huh? There are no doubts that there are better business continuity testing methods available. What about the technical guru dismissal? Are you ready for that? Topics covered in this session help you to feel for the detective role and also protect your network from malicious pranks. During this intensive session Paula guides you through the forgotten regions that were available only for administrators: tracing detection and protection from the administrative revenge. Don’t count on making a truce. This session is very technical and entertaining!
The 10 Domains of CISSP
1:30 - 2:45
Kent Huelman, Benchmark Learning
Session Level: 200–Intermediate
Audience: Security
Even if you have no plans to take the CISSP exam you can learn a lot by looking at security the same way the CISSP exam does. When you take the wide view approach to security by examining the 10 domains from the CISSP CBK you realize how all-encompassing a security program needs to be. We will take quick look at all 10 domains and see what they can add to your security program.
- The 10 domains of Common Body Knowledge, and how they will benefit your security program
- How to better understand information security and risk management
- How to understand the benefits of taking the CISSP exam for your organization
Stronghold to Strengthen: Advanced Windows Server Hardening
3:00 - 4:15
Paula Januskiewicz, CQURE and IDesign
Session Level: 300-Advanced
Audience: Developers, Architects, IT Pros, IT Managers, Security Professionals
So you have achieved a high level of the network functionality, the ‘working’ level. Your users are happy and everything looks fine, but there are still many things you can do to your IT infrastructure that won’t change the functionality but increase the level of security. Hardening shown by Paula during the session includes: server hardening, infrastructure hardening and internet service hardening. Each section will discuss unique configuration options. This is a very inspiring session with tips to take and use in the company environment.
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SQL / Business Intelligence
SQL Server 2012: A Window to T-SQL Enhancements
8:15 - 9:45
Jason Strate , Digineer
Session Level: 200–Intermediate
Audience: Data analysts, BI professionals and DBAs
The upcoming release of SQL Server is full of new features to help everyone from DBAs to developers. This session will examine some of the new features being added to the T-SQL language. From error handling to windowing functions, this session will cover the new flexibility and power available within the T-SQL language.
Self-Service BI with SQL Server 2012
10:00 - 11:15
Dan English, Superior Consulting Services
Session Level: 200-Intermediate
Audience: IT Pros and Information Workers
This session will cover the enhancements and new features in SQL Server 2012 as Microsoft continues its roadmap with self-service BI. Topics include the changes that have been made to PowerPivot in Excel, as well as the new features. There will be a demo showing how PowerPivot models can be used in SharePoint along with Power View to provide self-service reporting capabilities to end-users. This session will also cover what Power View is, how it works, and what you can do with this new reporting feature that is part of SharePoint SSRS 2012 Integrated Mode.
Why Use PowerShell with SQL Server? Hint: It’s Not Just for DBAs
1:30 - 2:45
John Thurow, Benchmark Learning
Session Level: 200-Intermediate
Audience: DBAs and those who need to manage servers will benefit using PowerShell with SQL Server.
Are you missing something by not using PowerShell with SQL Server? Any task performed in SQL Server Management Studio can be done with PowerShell, but what are the appropriate uses for each tool? See the top 10 tasks using PowerShell instead of T-SQL. Both DBAs and non-DBAs can leverage PowerShell with SQL Server. Learn how to get started and take your next steps to release the power in PowerShell for SQL Server. Anyone who is not using PowerShell with SQL Server should attend this session.
Introduction to Data Mining Using Microsoft SQL Server
3:00 - 4:15
Brian Larson, Superior Consulting Services
Session Level: 200-Intermediate
Audience: Data analysts, BI professionals and DBAs
Data mining provides a powerful tool for predictive analysis. These capabilities are available free as part of your SQL Server license. Unlock this powerful analytical tool to assist with decision making, cross-selling and data analysis, and other areas within an organization.
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Developer
The Architect
8:15 - 9:45
Shy Cohen, IDesign
Session Level: 200–Intermediate
Audience: Software architects or those interested
The software industry is in a deep crisis. Projects suffer from low quality; schedule slips and cost overrun are common. But this is hardly ordained, since there are plenty of examples of projects done on schedule, on budget, on quality in a repeatable manner. The key for solving the crisis is to practice software development as an engineering discipline, just like it is done in mechanical or electrical engineering. That is exactly the responsibility of the modern software architect, which must address software systems from an engineering standpoint, applying age-old engineering practices to software development. Armed with that crucial observation, Shy will share his perspective on what is the key set of skills required of the architect, the role architects have to play in order for the project to succeed, what it implies both to companies and to individual architects, and how should architects navigate and manage their own career path and personal growth.
ASP.NET MVC - Building Dynamic Websites
10:00 - 11:15
Brian Lockwood , Benchmark Learning
Session Level: 200–Intermediate
Audience: ASP.NET Developers
ASP.NET MVC gives you a powerful, patterns-based way to build dynamic websites that enable a clean separation of concerns and gives developers full control over markup. ASP.NET MVC includes many features and also enables test driven development defined applications that use the latest web standards. This session will discuss the primary elements to ASP.NET MVC including Models, Views and Controllers.
Attendees of this session will learn:
- How to build dynamic websites that enable a clean separation of concerns with full control over markup.
- ASP.NET MVC features and test driven development defined applications that use the latest web standards.
- The primary elements to ASP.NET MVC including Models, Views and Controllers.
Getting Started on Windows 8
1:30 - 2:45
Jeff Brand, Microsoft
Session Level: 200-Intermediate
Audience: Developers
Windows 8 offers a compelling platform and marketplace for both the traditional Microsoft developer and for HTML5/javascript developers. This session will introduce attendees to the Windows 8 Metro environment and show that attendees can use either C#/XAML or HTML5/javascript to get started writing applications and getting them into the Windows Store. Covering the dev tools, the Metro environment, WinRT, and more, you will leave with a solid understanding of how to get started writing applications for Windows 8.
A Lap Around Visual Studio 11
3:00 - 4:15
Steven Borg, Northwest Cadence
Join Steven Borg from Northwest Cadence as we explore Visual Studio 11 Beta and provide an introduction to the major new features and improvements. Expect to see the new enhanced User Interface, Agile Planning Tools, Requirements Gathering Tool, Stakeholder Feedback Tool, Updates to the Developer and Tester Experience, Version Control Improvements and DevOps Integration. The list goes on but the ride starts here, so buckle up and join us for this lap around Visual Studio 11.
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SharePoint
SharePoint Business Applications at your Fingertips
8:15 - 9:45
Don Donais, Avtex
Session Level: 200–Intermediate
Audience: SharePoint Power Users, SharePoint Site Collection Administrators, SharePoint Administrators, System Analysts
Many organizations need to balance cost, time and resources when it comes to creating a new business application. This becomes a nightmare when IT only has so many resources available at a given time. Starting with SharePoint 2007 and continuing with SharePoint 2010, the ability to create business applications using out of the box features, Office tools, and database connectors allows the business users to be part of the overall process and help the organization move faster at point of demand.
This session will look at SharePoint 2007 & 2010 features for Business Application deployment. This will include:
- Out of the Box features within SharePoint 2007 & 2010, Standard and Enterprise versions
- SharePoint Designer
- InfoPath
Governance for SharePoint Technologies
10:00 - 11:15
Zandy Garrard, RBA Consulting
Session Level: 200-Intermediate
Audience: Decision Makers, IT Managers, SharePoint Administrators
Implementing a game-changing technology like SharePoint into an organization is no easy task. Understanding the new roles, processes, policies and effort to enable these features across the enterprise is vital to ensure a successful implementation. This session will focus on the governance of SharePoint and will include a discussion on roles and responsibilities, organizational support, usage definition and other related topics. Attend this session to learn how to leverage these “real-world” tested governance topics at any organization.
Integrating SharePoint Online With Local Resources
1:30 - 2:45
Craig Yellick, Alto Consulting
Session Level: 200-Intermediate
Audience: SharePoint Developers
Running SharePoint “in the cloud” does not rule out interaction with your on-premise data and applications. You have options! Right out of the box, SharePoint Online can perform some amazing data import, export and even synchronization tasks. With some additional programming you can integrate line of business applications as well. Attend this session for an end-to-end overview of the tips and techniques you can use to keep SharePoint Online integrated with the rest of your on-premise operations.
Visual Studio SharePoint Workflows – Getting Started
3:00 - 4:15
Phil Wicklund, RBA Consulting
Session Level: 300–Advanced
Audience: SharePoint Developers
Workflows that automate a company's business processes are one of the top ROI generating features in SharePoint. Learn from the author of "SharePoint 2010 Workflows in Action" about how to get started with Visual Studio workflows. This session will cover when and why to use Visio, SharePoint Designer and Visual Studio for workflows, since each tool has its unique pros and cons. This session will also jump into code with a demo guide of sequential and state machine workflows in Visual Studio, task-based workflow processing, and custom workflow forms with InfoPath and ASP.NET.
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Professional Development
Situational Leadership: Adapting your Leadership Style for Stronger Teams
8:15 - 9:45
Ann Marie Tsoi, Benchmark Learning
Session Level: 200–Intermediate
Audience: Everyone
In this session attendees will learn a brief history of Paul Hersey and Ken Blanchard’s Situational Leadership Model. Learn how to adapt leadership styles based on the needs of the individual or task that needs to be accomplished. Learn how to provide the right level of direction and support for each of the leadership styles: Telling, Selling, Participating and Delegating.
Introduction to Kanban
10:00 - 11:15
Steven Borg, Northwest Cadence
Kanban is the most talked about and implemented new approach to process improvement in software development, IT work and DevOps. Taken from Lean Product Development, the Toyota Way, and even some ideas from Lean Manufacturing, Kanban is helping companies make continuous, incremental improvements to their software development processes. Unlike many other agile methodologies, Kanban can be implemented inside of very "non-agile" companies with great success. Plus, it works well with other agile methodologies, such as Scrum, XP, Spiral and FDD. Come to this session to learn the five basic steps to implementing Kanban. The speaker, Steven Borg, has been involved in many real-world Kanban implementations and can help you navigate around the pitfalls, while bringing real change to your organization.
Thinking like a Project Manager Makes You a More Valuable Team Member
1:30 - 2:45
Darrell Andersen , Digineer
Session Level: 200-Intermediate
Audience: All potential team members on a project
Almost all technical solutions these days are delivered within the framework of a project. Whether it's a traditional waterfall project, an iteratively delivered project or some version of Agile, Scrum or XP, thinking like a Project Manager will make you a more valuable member. Most project team members do not realize the increased value they can bring to the team by learning and implementing some basic project management disciplines. In this session you will learn the skills and domain knowledge to help you and your team deliver a valuable project.
Business Etiquette: New Rules in a Digital Age
3:00 - 4:15
Kathy Northamer , Robert Half Technology
Session Level: 100-Beginner
Audience: Everyone
There are many gray areas when it comes to communicating in the digital age. This presentation provides guidelines on digital protocols in the workplace, including LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter, as well as traditional communication tools such as email. Find out what executives say about etiquette in the workplace, and learn how to tend to your network in just five minutes a day.
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