I will do my best to update this page regularly with all the upcoming West Region Events that are pertinent for IT Professionals.  I am including both Microsoft led events and non-Microsoft led events such as Community led events (i.e. SQL Saturday, Code Camp, etc.)  I will not necessarily be presenting at all of these events either, but I will notate the events that I will be presenting at.

If you are aware of any events that I did not list, please email me and I will update this page.

Upcoming Events

IT Camp: Hyper-V Today and into the Future with Windows Server 2012

IT Camps are semi-structured, no-fluff events exclusively designed to serve IT professionals.  They are a free, in-person learning event for anyone seeking professional development as it applies to IT Professionals.  The agenda is intended to deliver a technical overview and hands-on experience that is less formal or structured than traditional instructor-led training.  Participants will have a chance to perform hands on activities / exercises individually or as a team.  At the end of the day, we encourage everyone to share their thoughts and experiences with the rest of the group.  Come prepared to have fun, be excited, and interact in a group.

Join us for our upcoming IT Camps where we will continue with the new format introduced in March. We implemented the following changes:

1. The events will start at 8:30 AM and end at 4 PM (versus 8 AM – 12 PM)
2. We will have a Hands-On component as part of the afternoon agenda
3. You get to help pick the content / topic of discussion for a good portion of the presentation slots (and maybe even get to present yourself if you want)
4. We will only have two “official” presentations – one from Microsoft and one from Vision (Double-Take)

To participate in the afternoon session, you will need to bring your own computer (laptop preferred) with the following minimum configuration:

• x64 compatible processor with Intel VT or AMD-V technology
• OS that is either Windows 7, Windows Server 2008 R2 or Windows Server “8” Beta
• 4GB RAM (8 GB preferred)
• At least 40GB of free disk space (75 GB preferred)
• No drive encryption (such as Bit Locker) enabled

I encourage everyone to start posting suggestions for topics to be discussed during the Open Topics sections. Also, if you have a topic that you would like to discuss, then please say so when posting your comment to this blog post. I am a firm believer that we can all learn from one another as we all have unique experiences and talents that we bring to the table. I look forward to reading your topic suggestions and then seeing you at the events!!

To register, please visit the appropriate links for your city.

Agenda and abstracts of Sessions

8:00 AM – 8:30 AM Check-In and Welcome

8:30 AM – 9:30 AM: The State of Microsoft Virtualization today with a look towards the future

As virtualization continues to grow; Microsoft is continuing to grow our capabilities in this space. In this session, we will look at the current state of Hyper-V capabilities while also peering into the horizon with some key enhancements in Hyper-V in Windows Server 2012 Beta. We will also share what you need to do today in Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 to prepare for the future.

9:45 AM – 10:45 AM: Vision (Double-Take) Presentation

Come and see how your organization can benefit from no-downtime physical and virtual migrations. With Double-Take Move, you can migrate from anywhere into Hyper-V while users are online and productive. See how Double-Take provides real-time data movement on any hardware platform into a Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 Hyper-V environment. And this can all be accomplished through the ease of use benefits and integration with System Center 2012 (free download here). Microsoft and Vision – providing the tools you need for fast and easy migrations.

11:00 AM – 12:00 PM: Open Topics

12:00 PM – 12:45PM: Lunch

12:45 PM – 2:15 PM: Open Topics

2:30 PM – 4:00 PM: Hands-On-Lab: Configure Hyper-V settings in Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 and Windows Server 2012 Beta

Virtualization is core building block in cloud computing today. We will walk you through configuring Hyper-V settings in Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 which then translates into configuration of Hyper-V in Windows Server 2012 Beta. You will see that the skill sets for today translates very well into the future. The second portion of the hands on session will entail working with the Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 Hyper-V Virtual Machines provided by Double-Take to get experience with their solution and how it integrates with System Center 2012.