The BizTalk Community is the next step in the evolution of the traditional User Group.  It is a fusion of in-person BizTalk User Group and modern social media—allowing broader collaboration, separated by space and time.  But throughout the process, we still want it to be a Community, somewhere where you belong.

We have been discussing all things BizTalk in our meetings thus far and will continue to do so.  Planned Topics include:

Date    Topic

8/3    How to process HIPAA and NCPDP via BTS :  In this session we’ll discuss the ins-and-outs of managing healthcare Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) with BizTalk extensions. We will highlight WPC’s approach of verbose naming in XML schemas, which improves business analyst-developer communication.

9/7    Claim splitting: Using BizTalk to route claims to different adjudication systems: In this session we’ll look at the problem of directing HL7 claims to different systems, during cutover periods.  This pattern works well in just about any situation where you need to cut over from one message processing solution to another (and want to run for a period of time in parallel).   

Our home on the web is http://www.BizTalk-Community.com.  Our meetings in the physical world happen at the Microsoft Office, in Franklin TN (near Nashville).  Directions here:  http://www.microsoft.com/about/companyinformation/usaoffices/heartland/en/us/nashville.aspx.

We meet the first Wednesday of every month at 6:00 pm Central Time.

Initial results from our Nash Hire campaign at CMA and Bonnaroo are encouraging.  If you are looking for a tech job in Nashville, visit our job board or follow us on Twitter.

CentreSource Great Web Developers and Designers

HCA .Net Developer

Emdeon Software Engineer

HealthSpring Business Analyst

Microsoft Technical Account Manager

Today marks the kick-off of the 2011 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas. CES has become the “crystal ball” that shows what we’ll see next in our pockets and on retail store shelves and is now one of the most pivotal places for a company to launch their consumer driven electronic product. Yesterday, companies like Nashville-based Griffin Technology, HP and Verizon already gave the media a sneak peak into what consumer products they will be touting at this year’s event.  Here are the trend observations and predictions popping up already:

• The iPad is getting some competition
• Being green is becoming more of a trend for manufacturers and consumers
• As consumers move more toward mobile technology, more smartphones hit the market, and Android rules
• We’re moving more and more to 3D TV with affordable devices being offered that have better technology

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer, who made an appearance as our keynote speaker at last year’s Membership Breakfast, spoke yesterday at the pre-event show. Microsoft also unveiled their Surface 2.0 tablet device, which is predicted to hit the consumer market at a cost of $7,600.

We’ll see as the week unfolds if what is fresh to market fulfills what Tech Crunch recently predicted as the “Seven Technologies That Will Rock 2011″.  You can follow all the news as it unfolds via the official CES twitter , via CNET’s dedicated CES 2011 Latest News site and through CrunchGear’s live broadcast from the CES tradeshow floor .

We know that Christmas is rapidly approaching and many of you still have yet to put a dent in your holiday shopping list!  Here are some of the Nashville Technology Council’s most wanted tech accessories and gadgets this Christmas for a little inspiration:

“I have a pretty active lifestyle and am not one to want to sit still for very long.  It takes a lot to capture my attention! But, with the Microsoft Xbox 360 Kinect, it’s a whole new game…no pun intended. It tracks voice commands and helps you correct everything from your golf swing to your dance moves. I become an avatar, how fun! It’s definitely on my list for Santa this year.” – Leah Magee

“Being the diehard Verizon Wireless fan that I am, my number one gadget wish list item is the HTC Droid Incredible. After playing with a friend’s for hours, I’m convinced that it’s the smaller, but just as powerful version of the iPhone 4. With five classic camera modes to choose from, the Retro Camera app can make the most amateur photographer like myself look like Ansel Adams. I also love the social media streamlining capabilities—it makes updating all sites so quick and easy! I sure hope Santa comes through on this one…” – Mollie McCormick

“As a busy working mother who often works at home, I’m hoping Santa brings me one of the HP Photosmart e-All-in-One Printers. HP’s ePrint technology allows the user to print anywhere, anytime, and with almost any device. I also like that it allows me to send print jobs securely and handles and variety of file formats.  It’s just the thing I need to make my home office complete!”  – Beth Foreman

“I have a pretty long list for Santa this year.  MacAuthority has the new iPad as well as a 15-inch MacBook Pro that has been on my radar for a while.  Sprint’s Samsung Epic 4G is also on my list after I got to test it out during our Annual Tech Awards. PC Mag put it on their Best of 2010 List for it’s keyboard functionality and overall performance. As someone who constantly has to be connected and able to send out communication, it’s reliable and an excellent tool for updating all of our social media resources.” – Katy Kirby

“I’ve had my eye a few things from Griffin Technology.  Griffin has some of the best mobile accessories on the planet, and I love that they are based here in Nashville.  Their Airstrap and Studio Stand for the iPad have been on my list for a while, and I also just discovered the leather cases made by Griffin + Col. Littleton.  And I wouldn’t complain if someone left a new Dell Vostro V130 Laptop under my Christmas tree.” – Tod Fetherling

Happy Holidays from all of us at the Nashville Technology Council…and good luck with your holiday shopping!

Register Now

Introduction
The goal of this 4 day, instructor-led training course is to provide students with the knowledge and skills necessary to begin planning and designing portals and collaboration sites using Microsoft SharePoint 2007.

The course will focus on the core features and functionality included in SharePoint 2007, how to use them, and how to plan and design for them.
This course is the first course in a two part series. This course covers the core features that are common to both Windows SharePoint Services v3 and Microsoft Office SharePoint Server (MOSS) 2007. The second course in the series, Applying SharePoint 2007 – MOSS Advanced Features, covers the additional features that MOSS 2007 brings to SharePoint 2007 deployments.

Student learning will be facilitated through a combination of instructor presentations and hands-on lab exercises. A sample company will be used in the labs to teach students how to apply SharePoint 2007 from concept to implementation in a typical environment.

Audience
This course is intended for:
•    Enterprise Planners and Teams
•    Portal and Site Designers
•    Webmasters
•    Project Managers
•    Application Designers
•    Portal and Site Development Teams
•    Systems Analysts
•    Power Users
•    Help-desk and End-User Support Professionals
•    Trainers
•    IT Pros who are interested in out-of-the-box functionality and features
The typical environments that these professionals work in are medium to large organizations that have multiple locations, significant document management requirements, and the need to enable functional teams to easily and effectively collaborate.

At Course Completion
After completing this course, students will be able to:
•    Understand the concepts and terminologies that are unique to SharePoint 2007.
•    Plan a project to design and implement a portal and collaboration sites using the core features of SharePoint 2007.
•    Identify and analyze the major requirements that will drive the design of the SharePoint 2007 implementation.
•    Develop an overall design for the portal and sites, including portal hierarchy and navigation, information architecture, user groups and permissions, and document management policies.
•    Identify and understand how to best make use of the core features of SharePoint 2007.
•    At a high-level, determine if the core features of SharePoint 2007 meet their needs, or if further investigation and study of MOSS 2007 enhancements is necessary.

Prerequisites
There are no prerequisites for this course.  In fact, the course assumes that the students have no prior experience with SharePoint 2007.  If you are preparing to begin a design and implementation project at your company, you will find that this course is an excellent first step.
Knowledge of the previous versions, SharePoint Portal Server 2003 and Windows SharePoint Services v2, is not necessary. (However, we understand that many students attending this course will have significant experience with the previous product.  In this regard, we have designed the course to be appropriate and challenging for both categories of students.)

Course Materials and Lab Environment

Students will receive a comprehensive course manual, which will include all presentation materials and lab exercises. The lab exercises are step-by-step and fully documented in the student workbook. To view sample modules of our courseware click here.
Each student will be given access to their own SharePoint 2007 environment on the classroom hardware. In essence, students will be attending a class where a fully functional SharePoint 2007 environment has been set up for their use in learning the product. No pre-installation of SharePoint 2007 software is required for this class.

Each student will need to bring a qualifying laptop to the class. Click here to verify that your laptop meets the minimum requirements.

Course Outline
(Note: This Course Outline is subject to minor changes and refinements based on student feedback and instructor experience.)

Module 1: Introduction to SharePoint 2007
This module introduces Windows SharePoint Services v3 and MOSS 2007. Key topics discussed include:
•    History and purpose of WSS and MOSS
•    Overview of WSS v3 and MOSS 2007 features and functionality
•    Relationship between WSS v3 and MOSS 2007
•    Requirements for WSS v3 and MOSS 2007
•    Licensing and pricing information on WSS v3 and MOSS 2007 that Microsoft has published

Module 2: Requirements definition, planning and design
SharePoint 2007 is a very powerful and comprehensive product, and when combined with Office 2007, the two form an unparalleled system of productivity tools for information workers.  To get the most benefit out of the system, it is necessary to thoughtfully consider a number of key planning issues before deploying the products.   This module reviews the key planning issues that need to be addressed such as:
•    Navigation and taxonomy
•    Access control and security
•    Site directory
•    Site columns
•    Content types
•    Lists and Views
•    Search
•    Branding
•    Extranet Usage
•    Development, testing, and production environments
•    Governance
•    Microsoft Office versions in use
•    Decision points for determining the need for MOSS 2007 enhancements

Module 3: Creating an enterprise portal with the out-of-the-box portal template
In this module, students will create a new web application, and then an initial site collection, using the out-of-the-box portal template.  An overview of all of the out-of-the box templates will be given by the instructor, along with an explanation of the purpose for each.

Module 4: Creating user roles and establishing security
The security model in SharePoint 2007 is based around the concepts of “role definitions” and “role assignments”.  This is a departure from the Site Group-based security model in SharePoint 2003.  While some of the concepts are the same, there are some significant differences and this module will present a thorough discussion of the role-based security model in SharePoint 2007 plus plenty of hands-on experience in the lab.

Module 5: Creating the portal structure and navigation
There are many changes and improvements to portal and site organization and navigation in SharePoint 2007.  In this module the students will work on creating a logical and well-organized portal structure and will explore the customization opportunities for the navigation controls.  Specific new SharePoint 2007 features that will be covered in this module include:
•    Automatic breadcrumb navigation bar
•    Customizable tree-view left navigation bar
•    Security-trimmed menu options

Module 6: Creating content for the portal
For most organizations, it is necessary to store and present a wide variety of content in the portal.  Content types can include documents, images, links, static HTML, lists, discussion boards, etc.  In this module, students will flesh out their new portal by adding content to pages, document libraries, lists, etc.  Specific content-related features of SharePoint 2007 that will be explored include:
•    Content Types
•    Site Columns
•    Document Information Panel and metadata
•    Summary Links web part
•    Content by Query web part
•    Documents and Sites Roll-up web parts
•    Audience targeting

Module 7: Configuring search for the portal
The search engine in SharePoint 2007 is very powerful and highly configurable.  Furthermore, the user experience is common between WSS v3 and MOSS 2007 – unlike the user experience with WSS v2 and SPS 2003.  This module will cover the key features that are provided and discuss which features come with WSS v3 vs. MOSS 2007.  Some of the features that will be covered include:
•    The new Search Center interface
•    New features in the Search Results presentation such as “hit highlighting”, generation of “do you mean” synonyms, and others
•    Addition of new content relevance algorithms
•    Scope changes to WSS v3 search to include entire site collections

Module 8: Creating effective team collaboration sites
In this extensive module, the student will create multiple team collaboration sites, and work with the rich set of features and functionality provided in SharePoint 2007.  Some of the specific features that will be covered include:
•    List functionality enhancements such as new column types, list indexing, RSS feeds, support for folders, etc.
•    Document management functionality such as check-in/check-out, major and minor versioning and item-level security
•    Workflow using the new Workflow Designer in SharePoint Designer 2007
•    Integration with the Office 2007 client programs
•    Offline document library support in Outlook 2007
•    Survey enhancements
•    Alert enhancements
•    Calendar enhancements
•    New Project Tasks list for lightweight project management
•    Recycle Bin
•    Mobile device access to list data
•    E-mail enabled lists, document libraries, discussion boards, calendars and announcements

Module 9: Creating and utilizing meeting sites
Having dedicated WSS sites for important meetings is something that can help participants be more effective both before and after the meeting.  WSS v2 provides several different meeting site templates and they have been retained and enhanced in WSS v3.  In addition to working with the new templates, the student will also work with the significant enhancements to Outlook 2007 to further integrate it with SharePoint meeting sites.  Some of the specific enhancements to Outlook 2007 that will be covered include:
•    Creation of meeting sites from Outlook 2007
•    Read/write access in Outlook 2007 to SharePoint calendars, tasks, contacts, discussions and documents
•    Offline support of document libraries and list
•    Roll-up views of calendars and tasks across multiple lists and sites
•    Unified view of personal and SharePoint tasks in Outlook 2007

Module 10: Creating a blog site using the Blog Site Template
Blogs (web logs), are frequently used by individuals or teams to publish expert information to a wide readership.   SharePoint 2007 includes a Blog site template that can be used for this purpose.  In this module students will create a Blog site and explore the features such as:
•    Article posting
•    Reader comments

Module 11: Creating a Wiki site using the Wiki Site Template
Wikis are websites that are used for a number of different purposes such as knowledge management, creative forums, brainstorming areas, etc.  Common characteristics of Wikis include quick and easy creation and modification of pages, annotation and tracking of contributions and changes.
SharePoint 2007 has a new site template to create Wikis and in this module students will create a Wiki with that template and explore the available features such as:
•    Fast and easy page creation
•    Easy and automatic linking
•    Version differences
•    WYSIWYG page editing

Module 12: High-level survey of enhancements offered by Microsoft Office SharePoint Server (MOSS) 2007
This module will provide a quick survey of selected advanced features that MOSS 2007 adds to a SharePoint environment.  The purpose of the module is to make students aware of the feature availability, and suggest appropriate follow-on in-depth education for those students who plan to implement MOSS 2007 in addition to WSS v3.

Upcoming Classes
Applying MOSS Core Features
When: 5/18/2010 – 5/21/2010
Where: SharePoint Solutions Training Center – Brentwood, TN, Nashville
Cost: $1995.00 (Note: Discount only available to NTC members – Discount Code NTC400)
Status: Seats Available
More Information

Registration Fee Includes

The registration fee includes your tuition, student materials, breaks and lunches. Hotel, airfare, ground transportation, breakfasts and dinners are not included in the registration fee.

Register Now

Register Here

Introduction

The goal of this 3 day, instructor-led training course is to provide students with the knowledge and skills necessary to take advantage of many of the advanced features of Microsoft Office SharePoint Server (MOSS) 2007.  This course is the second course in a two part series.  The first course in the series, Applying SharePoint 2007 – MOSS Core Features covers the core features that are common to both Windows SharePoint Services v3 and Microsoft Office SharePoint Server (MOSS) 2007.

This course will focus on Enterprise Content Management (including Web Content Management, and Records Management), basic branding with Master Pages, an introduction to Excel Services, custom workflows using Microsoft SharePoint Designer 2007, My Sites, and integration with other Microsoft Office programs such as Groove, OneNote, and Access.

About 70% of the features covered in this course are available in MOSS 2007 Standard Edition and Enterprise Edition.  The other 30% are only available in MOSS 2007 Enterprise edition.

Student learning will be facilitated through a combination of instructor presentations and hands-on lab exercises.  A sample company will be used in the labs to teach students how to apply the advanced features of MOSS 2007 from concept to implementation in a typical environment.

Audience

This is a non-technical course and is intended for:
•    Enterprise Planners and Teams
•    Portal and Site Designers
•    Webmasters
•    Project Managers
•    Application Designers
•    Portal and Site Development Teams
•    Systems Analysts
•    Power Users
•    Help-desk and end-user support professionals
•    Trainers
•    IT Pros who are interested in out-of-the-box functionality and features

The typical environments that these professionals work in are medium–to-large organizations that have multiple locations, significant publishing and workflow requirements, and the need to enable functional teams to easily and effectively collaborate.

At Course Completion

After completing this course, students will be able to:
•    Perform basic editing of Master Pages using SharePoint Designer 2007 to provide basic branding and look-and-feel changes
•    Utilize the Web Content Management features in SharePoint 2007 to establish content review, approval, and publishing capabilities
•    Use Excel Services to create basic dashboards for business intelligence
•    Configure their My Site to maximize their use of SharePoint Services
•    Develop a records management policy and implement that policy using SharePoint Records Management
•    Create workflows with SharePoint Designer 2007 and forms with InfoPath 2007
•    Use Microsoft Office Groove, OneNote, and Access with SharePoint
•    As an information worker, use data exposed through the Business Data Catalog

Prerequisites

Ideally, students will have previously completed Applying SharePoint 2007 – MOSS Core Features course or SharePoint 2007 Jumpstart. These students will be well-prepared for this class.

Students who cannot attend Applying SharePoint 2007 – MOSS Core Features or SharePoint 2007 Jumpstart first, at a minimum, should already be familiar with creating sites and workspaces, creating libraries and lists, working in document libraries, establishing security, editing pages, working with web parts, and working with content types and site columns.

Course Materials and Lab Environment

Students will receive a comprehensive course manual, which will include all presentation materials and lab exercises. The lab exercises are step-by-step and fully documented in the student workbook. To view sample modules of our courseware click here.

Each student will be given access to their own SharePoint 2007 environment on the classroom hardware. In essence, students will be attending a class where a fully functional SharePoint 2007 environment has been set up for their use in learning the product. No pre-installation of SharePoint 2007 software is required for this class.

Each student will need to bring a qualifying laptop to the class. Click here to verify that your laptop meets the minimum requirements.

Course Outline

(Note: This Course Outline is subject to minor changes and refinements based on student feedback and instructor experience.)
(A) – Covers features available in all MOSS 2007 editions (Standard or Enterprise)
(B) – Covers features available in only MOSS 2007 Enterprise edition

Module 1: Creating a Publishing Portal   (A)
In this module, the student will create the foundational structure that will be used for the rest of the class. Questions that will be answered in this module include:
•    What is Enterprise Content Management?
•    What is the Publishing Portal template?
•    How do I change which subsite templates are available?
•    What is the “Features” feature and why is it important?

Module 2: Basic SharePoint Branding   (A)
SharePoint 2007 uses special pages called Master Pages to control the look-and-feel for all pages in a SharePoint site. Students will use SharePoint Designer 2007 to customize the look-and-feel and branding of their Publishing Portal. Questions that will be answered in this module include:
•    What is SharePoint Designer 2007? What is it for?
•    What are Master Pages?
•    What Master Page designs are available out-of-the-box?
•    How can I modify an existing Master Page?
•    How does inheritance work?
•    How does source control work on Master Pages?
•    What security is available to control look and feel customizations?

Module 3: Web Content Management   (A)
Microsoft has included the functionality from a previous product, Microsoft Content Management Server 2002, into MOSS 2007. This provides organizations with a robust and content rich platform for publishing information on a web site including publishing rules and approval workflow and routing. Questions that will be answered in this module include:
•    What is Web Content Management?
•    What permission levels and security groups are available to assist with Web Content Management?
•    What is the Pages library?
•    What are Page Layouts?
•    How do Page Layouts work with Content Types?
•    What is Reusable Content?
•    What is rich-client authoring? How do I create a SharePoint web page with Microsoft Word?
•    How does the approval process and associated workflow work when creating new pages?
•    How does scheduling of content publishing work?

Module 4: The Report Center and Excel Services   (B)
Excel has long been the Business Intelligence tool-of-choice for many professionals. Excel Services brings powerful Excel based Business Intelligence to SharePoint 2007 by allowing browser-based access to Excel spreadsheets, allowing users to include Excel data in dashboard pages, and much more. The Report Center site template is specially designed to assist with hosting these reports and dashboards. Questions that will be answered in this module include:
•    What is Excel Services and why is it needed?
•    How do I enable a spreadsheet for web access?
•    How do I use the Excel Web Access Web Part to display regions of an Excel spreadsheet?
•    What are Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)?
•    What data sources and web parts are available to generate KPIs and how do I use them?

Module 5: My Sites, Personalization, and User Profiles   (A)
My Sites in SharePoint 2007 are much more than a MySpace. They are designed to serve both as a hub for each person’s interaction with the SharePoint environment, as well as a resource to tap into much of the knowledge that is stored in worker’s heads and not available in other documents. Questions that will be answered in this module include:
•    What is a My Site and why use them?
•    What is My Profile? And how does it appear to different users such as my Manager, my Workgroup, my Colleagues, and everyone?
•    What are My Colleagues and how is this list used?
•    What is the RSS Viewer web part and how is it used?
•    What is the difference between Personal Documents and Shared Documents and how are they used?
•    How Does My Blog integrate with My Site?
•    How can I display my Calendar (or Contacts, Inbox, Mail Folder, or Tasks from Outlook Web Access) on My Site?
•    What is the I Need To… web part and how does it work?
•    What is the SharePoint Sites web part and how does it work?
•    What is the In Common With You web part and how does it work?
•    What is a Personalization Site? How does it integrate with My Site?
•    How do I pin and unpin a Personalization site?
•    What are My Links, and how do you maintain them?
•    How do My Sites improve search, collaboration, and sharing of knowledge?
•    What is Knowledge Network for SharePoint Server 2007?

Module 6: Records Management   (A)
Regulatory compliance has become increasingly more important for organizations. Microsoft has built powerful Records Management features into Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 that will allow organizations to easily set compliance policies at the server level which can be manually driven, or automatically executed, without extra work and thought from information workers. Questions that will be answered in this module include:
•    What is Records Management?
•    What is the Records Center site?
•    What vault capabilities are available in the Records Center site?
•    How does auditing work?
•    How does expiration work?
•    How does labeling work?
•    How do barcodes work?
•    How do holds on records work?
•    How do I configure the Records Center site to receive and rout records?
•    How do I plan a records management strategy?

Module 7: Forms Server and Workflows with SharePoint Designer   (A)  (B – Last 4 bullet points)  
Forms Server 2007 allows users to extend the use of forms-driven business processes to any user with a web browser. Forms are created with Microsoft InfoPath, but users do not need InfoPath to fill out the forms. This module also looks at how to create custom no-code workflows using SharePoint Designer 2007. Questions that will be answered in this module include:
•    What is a workflow?
•    How are workflows created with SharePoint Designer 2007?
•    What events can trigger a workflow?
•    What actions are available?
•    What aspects of list items can be controlled?
•    How do I apply conditional branching to a workflow?
•    What are parallel actions and serial actions?
•    What are workflow steps?
•    How do I add forms to a workflow and how are workflow forms used?
•    How do workflows interact with the Tasks list?
•    How do I check the status of a workflow?
•    What is InfoPath Forms Services?
•    How do I create a browser compatible form template with InfoPath 2007?
•    How do I deploy and manage browser enabled form templates?
•    How can a form be enabled for mobile devices?

Module 8: Using Groove, OneNote, and Access   (A)
Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 is designed to integrate closely with the Microsoft Office suite of desktop products. This module takes a closer look at Groove for workgroup collaboration, OneNote for notebook sharing, and Access to enhance interaction with SharePoint lists. Questions that will be answered in this module include:
•    What is Microsoft Office Groove?
•    How do I create a new Groove Workspace?
•    How does Groove keep information in synch?
•    What tools are available to enhance your Groove workspaces?
•    How do I use the SharePoint Files tool to synchronize Groove files to a SharePoint document library?
•    What is Microsoft Office OneNote?
•    How do I link a OneNote notebook to a SharePoint document library?
•    How can I create a shared OneNote notebook that can be utilized by different team members?
•    How is Microsoft Access 2007 integrated with SharePoint?
•    How do I use Access 2007 to provide richer maintenance forms for SharePoint Lists?
•    How do I use Access 2007 to create more sophisticated views of SharePoint Lists?
•    How do I use Access as a report writer for SharePoint Lists?
•    How do I migrate existing Access databases to SharePoint Lists?
•    How do I use Access to take SharePoint Lists ‘offline’?

Module 9: Using the Business Data Catalog for Information Workers   (B)
The Business Data Catalog provides an easy way to integrate business data from back-end databases and web services with SharePoint 2007. This module will focus on how the everyday information worker can interact with business data once the connections have been made between SharePoint’s Business Data Catalog and non-SharePoint business databases. Questions that will be answered in this module include:
•    What is the Business Data Catalog and what can it be used for?
•    What web parts are available to utilize the Business Data Catalog?
•    How do I add a Business Data Column to a List?
•    How do I search Business Data?

Upcoming Classes
Applying MOSS Advanced Features
When: 5/25/2010 – 5/27/2010
Where: SharePoint Solutions Training Center – Brentwood, TN, Nashville
Cost: $1495.00 (Note: For NTC Members Only – Discount Code (NTC400)
Status: Seats Available
More Information

Registration Fee Includes

The registration fee includes your tuition, student materials, breaks and lunches. Hotel, airfare, ground transportation, breakfasts and dinners are not included in the registration fee.

Register Here

Gordon Bennett
Enterprise Mobile Solutions Strategist
Microsoft Corporation

Gordon is a 17+ year veteran at Microsoft and currently is responsible for evangelizing Microsoft’s Windows Mobile strategy for enterprise customers which now includes the upcoming release of Windows Phone 7 Series.

Previous to his current role, Gordon has held numerous roles at Microsoft including: Windows Server Security & Management Team Manager, Business Productivity Team Manager, Application Platform Team Manager, Microsoft Consulting Services (MCS) Practice Manager, MCS Managing Consultant, Account Executive and Messaging Specialist.    Gordon began his career at Microsoft in May of 1992.

Gordon earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration from Southeast Missouri State University with a Major in Marketing Management and Minor in Information Systems.

Prior to joining Microsoft, Gordon worked for Software Solutions Unlimited, Inc. as a Product/Program manager in Albuquerque, NM and Houston, TX; Wang Laboratories, Inc. as a Marketing Representative in Salt Lake City, UT; and with Automation Services Company as a Networking Consultant in Cape Girardeau, MO.

Gordon and his family currently reside in the Nashville, TN area.

Nashville Tech Story (1/20/10)

The Nashville Technology Council Staff could not be more excited about the amazing turnout of over 800 technology professionals today at our Second Annual Membership Breakfast, sponsored by ComFrame Software Corporation.  This marked the largest Tech Council event ever, and the crowd was full of energy and anticipation to hear what Microsoft’s CEO, Steve Ballmer, might throw at them.  Innovation was a key topic this morning, as Ballmer discussed  Microsoft’s investments of over $9.5 Billion on R&D this year. Ballmer also noted, one key factor many individuals forget in innovation is patience. In addition, the audience also got a preview of the new version of x box 360, which has voice recognition technology among other advanced qualities.

Ballmer’s trip to Nashville, has certainly created a great deal of buzz from Nashville Technology Council Members.  See what participants had to say below:

devinmcc Good presentation this morning by Steve Ballmer (@Microsoft) at the @nashtechcouncil membership breakfast. More than 800 people there…

MattLargen @techville event: Microsoft CEO @Ballmer: overestimate short-term tech advances, underestimate long-term tech advances

MattLargen Live from @techville event: Microsoft CEO Ballmer: 50% of searches don’t lead to answers…Me: Bing Newseum app sounds interesting

WendyStoneberge Got a preview of project natal @techville event. Wow and wow again.

SLIatBU Heard Steve Ballmer, CEO-Microsoft, present to the Nashville Technology Council this am. The future of technology is bright in Nashville!

jamessholmes Great talk by steve ballmer of Microsoft here in Nashville. Showing the next version of x box360.

muzikcitee Steve Ballmer: “I needed to do some research, so I fired up my favorite trusty search engine: BING!”

thommycho Steve Ballmer, CEO of Microsoft, speaks about innovation and the future. Amazing stuff. Interesting guy.

muzikcitee Ballmer: “Microsoft will be plenty good for the average skateboarder.”

abbielundberg Ballmer equating Bing to The Little Engine that Could. Also new for MS: humility (tho he says just being numerically correct!)

caparks I must be drugged… Ballmer just said “social networking” and “fan groups” “bing!” and the Little Engine That Could #microsoft

abbielundberg Ballmer: Windows 7 – took our cue from customers – end customers and developers. Me: probably as important as anything else why its better

caparks Ballmer presenting theme of “Seamless experience across your life” of cloud/server …and Natural User Interface aka 3screens + theCloud

We are thrilled to have an exciting line up for this year’s Membership Breakfast. Abbie Lundberg, longtime Editor and Chief of CIO Magazine, will start the morning with a discussion surrounding a future scope of IT challenges and opportunities.  Lundberg has 21 years experience reporting and commenting on the use of technology in business, and under her leadership, CIO Magazine received over 230 editorial awards.

Next, Steve Ballmer, Chief Executive Officer of Microsoft, will take the stage.  Not only is he a leader for one of the world’s largest corporations, Ballmer is the second person after Roberto Goizueta to become a billionaire in U.S. dollars. In Forbes 2008 World’s Richest People ranking, Ballmer was ranked the 43rd richest person in the world, with an estimated wealth of $11 billion.

With over 780 people registered, this is Nashville Technology Council’s largest event to date.  For a full speaker biographies, click here.

The Nashville Tech Story (1/17/2010)

The Annual Membership Breakfast is sold out!  We are excited to have Steve Ballmer, CEO of Microsoft and Abbie Lundberg, longtime Editor & Chief of CIO Magazine join us to kick off the new year.  Attendees will be receiving information in the mail this week.  Check back here tomorrow for more updates.  Thank you from the staff at the Nashville Technology Council.