Do you like SharePoint or Exchange? (Or use it, or plan to use it, or want to know information about SharePoint 2010?) This is the seminar for you!

Is your SharePoint environment Secure? (Or even your Exchange environment) and are you looking for solutions around that? Check out what RSA has to say! (RSA Invented security, right?!)

I welcome you to join us for Lunch and content here in Lisle, IL at the EMC Offices! (I will be there, so I can see what RSA has to offer in conjunction with the Microsoft solutions, not to mention checking out the latest happenings on SharePoint 2010 – Yes, I know a lot around SharePoint, but I love it when someone knowledgeable gets up there and evangelizes on it!

A few things clipped from the invite, such as the products covered (Exchange, booyah!) and the ‘intended audience’ If I’m reading that correctly, that’s almost everyone in IT ;)

Featured Products/Topics: Microsoft Office, Microsoft Office SharePoint Server, Microsoft Exchange Server 2010

Recommended Audiences: Technology Executives, IT Managers, CEO, CIO, CFO, IT Directors, Administrators, Business Decision Maker, Technical Decision Makers

Thursday, October 29
EMC Office
4225 Naperville Road, Ste 500 Lisle, IL 60532
10:30 am. – 1:30 p.m.
Space is limited, reserve your place now!

If you want an email invite, let me know and I can shoot one off to you! (I will be attendance!)

I was recently on the Internets when it came about that Oracle President Charles Phillips said he he didn’t realize that customers wanted to run their Oracle products on VMware (similar to how Microsoft customers run their  line of products on both VMware and Hyper-V today)   Wow, is the first thing I’d say – normally you expect “Hey, they’re just ignoring our needs, I mean cmon… who DOESN’T want their product to be virtualized? I mean even the greatest OLTP app, I’d rather find a way to scale and virtualize it than taking up even MORE footprint on the floor with power and cooling to run yet another app on yet another physical box! (Let’s not even get into DR!)

With that said though, Charles Phillips needs to hear from you – the customer : Do you want to run Oracle on VMware? Let him know! – The contact information sniped from another location (which I’ll cite inline as well :))

Re: Need a favor – Oracle

You are not going to believe this. Some VMware folks met with Charles Phillips, the president or CEO of Oracle and he said no customers had ever mentioned to him that they wanted Oracle to support their products on VMware. Or modify the licensing scheme. He offered if anyone knew of customers who did want better or more support for Oracle on VMware, or virtualization friendly licensing, to email him directly. His email is Charles.phillips@oracle.com and he really needs to hear that customers run Oracle on VMware, and better support / licensing would be nice!

So, I’d like to send special thanks to Oracle Storage Guy, Duncan Yellow Bricks, Chad SaKac – and I’m sure others may have discussed this already!

Oracle on VMware – it’s time for us to speak up or shut up!

Oracle feels that not many people want to run their apps in a virtual environment!

Charles Phillips Asks for Customer Input on VMware

I feel it bears repeating – Let Charles know how you feel about Oracle on VMware! I’m always a fan of using my existing virtualization investment to run my next app on, instead of having to invest in yet ANOTHER point solution to run one of my existing apps (which is where it looks like they’ve been trying to go with their Xen, Iron and other investments ;))

If you know me (Sure you do, right!? ;)) you know that I like to find good value which is quick, effective and often and especially free! :)

I’d like to introduce you to Mike Laverick, Virtualization guru extraordinaire! And what Mike has produced here is amazing videos (which you can actually see, since he converted them to SWF/Shockwave files) and not to mention they’re human, humourous and even more so, extremely valuable and fast!

Oh, did I mention these videos will also be supplemental to his Book?! (the book isn’t out yet, but I’ll pick it up as I know how valuable it will be!)

So, I highly encourage you to check this out, if you’re familiar with ESX and haven’t touched on vSphere yet, if you’re a master of VMware and want some good insight and value, and most importantly, even if you’ve never touched VMware, or virtualization before – You’ll get a –lot- out of this! So check it out, this is some of the best content you can pay for – and it’s free!

September 4th, 2009 was a beautiful yet fateful Friday.   The sky was clear, lunch was good, and it also happened to be my last day working at NetApp.

Yes, it was my last day at NetApp – breaking up is hard to do, and this was a particularly challenging breakup!

I didn’t have the opportunity to send a formal farewell message to folks internally, so this will serve as my farewell (but not goodbye!)

For those of you who don’t know, I worked for NetApp in the Chicago District – Yes, this is the very same Chicago district who recently won Teamwork Award across all of the Americas in the hardest Q4 most businesses had to deal with in their entire business!   So, it goes without saying that I had the opportunity of working with a cohesive family which embodied teamwork.

Fortunately, I worked with, met and interacted with so many intelligent and passionate individuals, the entire experience of working for Fortune magazine’s #1 best company to work for was an absolutely great, engaging and rewarding experience like no other.    In the short time (2 years) I was with NetApp I have seen extraordinary change, the ecosystem of business and the economy go on a rollercoaster adventure.   Never once did these individuals stray, but instead stepped up to the occasion and became better for their actions.   I know in my stead, this trend will continue and I look forward to seeing the growth within the community over the passage of time.

So, while I will miss you all – this is only farewell, but not goodbye.  Fortunately the community we’re all a part of is a receptive and growing one.  Our paths will cross continually and growth and self-development will always be an agenda we all pursue.   My community involvement will not shrink, and likely will continue to increase.  And my communication back out of offers to the technology community as a whole (whether those be discount vouchers, opportunities, so on and so forth) will continue to flow like a tapped pool of knowledge!

I’m sure given the circumstance many of you may be interested in why I made this particular decision.   Know that through heavy calculation, this was chosen as the best decision for me and my family at this particular stage in my life, and is in no way a reflection of the absolutely amazing organization I am walking away from to the equally amazing organization I am going towards.  

I am particularly excited about the new role I will starting on September 14th, 2009 (My Birthday of all days!)   Yes, while this may read as though it is a rebirth; starting a new job on my birthday, I will be certain to bring the same level of passion, engagement and enthusiasm that every one of you who has ever met me is likely to recall. :)

The next chapter of my life will be living the rock star life of a Senior Technology Consultant at EMC, continuing my trend of raising awareness, education, doing the right thing, evangelizing and informing the Enterprise IT community.     I know what you’re saying “Wow Christopher, you’ve held one consulting role or another for the past 20 years” Damn straight skippy! A consultant is strangely what I grew up knowing and being, and the evangelist side of things is just a further extension of my adopted religion (Re: Facebook Religion status is listed as Technology:))

I will continue to be actively involved in giving back to various technology communities.   Within the Exchange community (there’ll be more to say on that soon ;)), within the Chicago Microsoft space in general (Chicago Windows Users Group), the global Microsoft space (TechEd) and the Training Community (MCT Summits, etc).  I encourage you to reach out to me through any of these avenues, not to mention LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, (vouchers ;)) and any number of random Security, Cloud and Virtualization events as they come up! (Oh, email is fine too :))

So, I wish every one of you I’ve had the opportunity to work with, customers, partners and colleagues alike the best! Do keep in touch and let me know how things are with you, and I’m glad to help in the various ways I can and do help within the community!    And to my future customers, partners and colleagues – I look forward to the opportunity to work with you!

Best of luck, I appreciate all of the encouragement and continue to look for good things from me… :)

Did you get one of these mails? House Party extravaganza?! If you didn’t, well here is the low-down!

Be a part of Windows^® history.
Host a Windows^® 7 Launch Party.

Have Fun. Help Your Friends.

Receive a Signature Edition of Windows^® 7 Ultimate.

You host the party. We’ll bring the favors.

Apply online to host a Launch Party. Choose a day from October 22-29 and if you’re selected, you’ll not only receive a special Signature Edition of Windows^® 7 Ultimate but your very own Windows^® 7 Party Pack.

Hosting a Windows^® 7 Launch Party is easy.

You’ll be assisted by House Party, the world’s leading party organizer. Pick a theme, then upload photos and videos, chat with other hosts, blog your experience, and download fun favors all from your personal House Party page.

Let’s Party!
Just choose one of our Windows® 7 Party Themes:
•    > PhotoPalooza
•    > Media Mania
•    > Setting Up With Ease
•    > Family Friendly Fun

All around it sounds like it’d be a blast! Fill out the form, and coordinate a party, receive a party pack and give away favors.. yay?!   I don’t know about you, but I’m all signed up and if I get approved… par-tay! It doesn’t hurt that a majority of all computers we run in our household are already running Win7 ;)

So, get out there, apply.. earn your free Signature Edition of Win7 Ultimate! Party Favors! Connect with the community! and more!   Hell, I may host mine at our 2000 square foot studio if I get much demand for this! :) So, party down! win7, yay! :)