Here I am a week away from Tech-Ed. I am going for my first time and I am a little bit nervous. Nerves aside, there are some key things I am looking forward to and things I am hoping for.
This year’s Tech-Ed is shaping up to be fantastic. At least for someone who has spent years convincing his company to send him to the premier tech event for Microsoft Technologies. I’ve used a number of different places such as Twitter and Linked in to get information on how to best manage my time and get into sessions while there. That said there are a few key sessions I am looking forward to. Most of them hit more on the security side of things, but there are also Powershell and Windows 8 sessions and hands on labs that I have marked on my schedule.
As far as the hopeful stuff goes, there is one big thing. That is getting some real time with a Windows 8 tablet. I have an iPad from the office, along with a Blackberry phone. I have a Droid phone as my personal phone (yes, I do believe in separation of work and personal devices). I have touched 2 Windows 7.5 phones, and have thought them alright, but have not had a chance to really learn them. That is mostly due to lack of need to learn them. On the other hand if the Windows 8 tablets on x64 architecture are what they say, it could be the perfect storm for Microsoft. The melding of the tablet into the office in an elegant fashion.
The one thing I hope they did fix, is the signing certificate installs. On Windows 7.5 installing a SBS self signed cert is a pain. Its Microsoft technologies not playing nice with each other, and that needs to be fixed, otherwise Exchange integration is a failure compared to the iPad and Android.
With all the vendors, Sessions and yes, parties (a group called #TheKrew and the Jam Session are the ones I want in on), the chances to not just network, but in this day of connectivity the chance to make friends is amazing. Tech-Ed should be a site to see, and I will be tweeting and Blogging from there, so stay tuned!