As part of the launch events for Windows Server 2008, SQL Server 2008 and Visual Studio 2008, there are a number of Community Connection Events happening across the country in 14 cities. My colleague, Rick, does a great job of explaining in detail what these events are. The most exciting part of these events, in my opinion anyway, are the learning circles where IT professionals and developers talk about some key industry topics, voicing their opinions, concerns and ideas. The topics chosen for the learning circles cover the following:

  • Impact of Virtualization on the IT Industry
  • Application Lifecycle – Upgrade, Migrate, Rebuild, etc.
  • Importance of Security – Data, Management, Privacy
  • Software Plus Services and the Impact on the Industry
  • ICT Skills Shortage and Declining Interest in ICT Careers

We've captured the discussions taking place in note form and will update the Community Connection Resources page on the IT Pro blog as we move across the country. So far, discussion notes from Toronto are up and those from Vancouver and Victoria will be posted soon. Take a look and see for yourself what people are talking about.