Archive for the ‘Conferences and Tradeshows’ Category

AISN Attends COVITS 2012

September 24th, 2012
Posted by: Donna Hemmert

By Donna Hemmert
AIS Network Vice President, Strategic Development

This year was AIS Network’s first chance to attend COVITS and that is just what we did.  COVITS, the Commonwealth of Virginia’s Innovative Technology Symposium,  is a chance for decision makers from state and local government, business, and education to discuss solutions for Virginia’s technology needs.   The one comment I heard over and over was the quality of the keynotes and how relevant the topics in the panels were to the problems that were being solved.

For AIS Network specifically, it was such a great opportunity to meet with so many people in our extended community.  We met with many state and local people who were focused on a variety of issues.  We also saw a lot of interest around the Cloud (especially Private Cloud) and Bring Your Own Device.

We definitely plan to attend next year.

 

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SharePoint 2010: Most Popular Third-Party Apps

November 25th, 2011
Posted by: admin

By Laurie Head
AIS Network Vice President

In Anaheim, at the Microsoft SharePoint 2011 Conference, Rob Koplowitz, vice president and principal analyst at Forrester, unveiled the results of a Forrester survey on “Best Practices in SharePoint 2010 Adoption and Migration.”

The survey had been conducted in July and included responses from “510 IT decision-makers involved with evaluating, specifying, or administering SharePoint.”  Most interesting, I think, is that analysts found that 44 percent of those surveyed planned to tap third-party software for use with SharePoint.

According to Forrester, the top third-party tool used to augment SharePoint was Nintex Workflow (8% of surveyed).  Workflow tools were the most common solution, followed by administration and then social tools.  According to Forrester, the top third-party software vendors utilized for SharePoint are as follows:

  • Nintex USA for workflow
  • Bamboo Solutions for WebParts
  • AvePoint for administration
  • NewsGator Technologies for social networking
  • Axceler for administration
  • K2 for workflow
  • KWizCom for WebParts
  • Quest Software for administration
  • Metalogix Software for content management
  • Yammer for social networking

Two-thirds of the survey respondents (65 percent) were using SharePoint 2007.  SharePoint 2010 use was also high at 57 percent.

Which apps do you like best for SharePoint 2010?  Let me know by commenting below.

 

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Microsoft SharePoint Conference 2011 Is a Sell-Out Event

October 3rd, 2011
Posted by: admin

Microsoft SharePoint Conference 2011 Welcome

7,500 attendees gathered for the Microsoft SharePoint Conference 2011 in Anaheim this week.

By Jay Atkinson
AIS Network CEO

The Microsoft SharePoint Conference 2011 has officially kicked off!

For those who are unfamiliar with it, the conference has been billed as “the most comprehensive event on SharePoint and related technology.”   SharePoint is a robust business and one of Microsoft’s best-selling products.

This year, 7,500 attendees make up the sell-out crowd in Anaheim.  They are gathering to participate in more than 240 sessions presented by Microsoft, SharePoint experts and customers — panels that  focus on how SharePoint customers “can use the product as a platform for critical business applications, collaboration, content management, search, enterprise social networking, and more.”  Microsoft intends to use this opportunity to “reflect on 10 years of redefining collaboration and look ahead to where the cloud and a growing SharePoint ecosystem will take the product next.”

This morning, conference attendees heard from Kurt DelBene, president of Microsoft Office Division; Jeff Teper, corporate vice president of SharePoint; and Jared Spataro, senior director of SharePoint product management.  Their combined keynote address examined “the current state of the SharePoint business” and its bright future.

Below are some key talking points:

  • In 2008, SharePoint exceeded $1 billion in revenues.  It is the fastest Microsoft product to attain this milestone, and it’s growing at double-digit speed.
  • More than 125 million SharePoint licenses have been sold to over 65,000 customers.
  • Over 62 million SharePoint 2010 licenses have been sold.
  • If SharePoint were a stand-alone company, it would be one of the top 50 software firms in the world.
  • 80% of the Fortune 500 run SharePoint.
  • SharePoint is #1 in satisfaction, likelihood to recommend, awareness, and market share.
  • SharePoint enjoys a healthy ecosystem with 700,000+ developers and 4,000+ trained partners.
  • Currently, there are 1,000 ISV solutions for SharePoint 2010 and another 1,000 in development.
  • This year alone, Microsoft trained more than 93,000 partners on the SharePoint platform.

We eagerly await the Microsoft SharePoint Conference 2012 (November).  See you then in Las Vegas!

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SharePoint Saturday in DC a Big Success

August 16th, 2011
Posted by: admin

AIS Network booth, SharePoint Saturday

AISN CEO Jay Atkinson in the AISN booth at SharePoint Saturday.

By Laurie Head
AIS Network Vice President, Marketing Communications

Last week’s SharePoint Saturday The Conference in DC (August 11-13) was a terrific success.  This community-organized event attracted about 2,000 registered attendees and 60 sponsors. Over 190 speakers presented 250 sessions.  150 volunteers coordinated it.  Kudos to Dux Raymond Sy, managing partner at Innovative-e, and his team of volunteers who made it all happen.

AISN used this opportunity to:

  • reconnect with old colleagues and welcome new colleagues;
  • present a session (led by AISN Chair Kurt Baumann) for those who are choosing between on-premise hosting and outsourced hosting;
  • communicate the value of outsourced SharePoint hosting through our exhibit in the Exhibitor Hall; and
  • release our    white paper, “To Cloud or Not to Cloud: SharePoint 2010 Hosting Options…and Which One Is Right for You.”

If you didn’t make it to the event, we encourage you to participate next time.  For less than a $40 registration fee, it’s a great value to the SharePoint Community.  Check the SharePoint groups on LinkedIn for feedback.  Also, Dux’s blog may be found on his site.

What did you think of SharePoint Saturday?  We would love to hear from you.

Jay Atkinson, Mike Herrity at SharePoint Saturday DC

Jay Atkinson and Mike Herrity get their ducks in a row.

SharePoint Saturday DC

SharePoint Saturday crowds throng the booths.

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AIS Network to Present “Content Is King” at HostingCon 2011

August 3rd, 2011
Posted by: admin

By Laurie Head
AIS Network Vice President, Marketing Communications

If you have to ask what content marketing is, it’s more than likely that you’re not doing it – or at least, you may not be doing it well.  And, if you are not using compelling content to connect with customers, potential customers and your industry at large, well, then your company may not be realizing its full potential as it competes in the 21st century market.

The rules of marketing have changed – due in large part to social media and the ability to share content.

It’s no longer all about boisterously proclaiming your product’s superiority in so many different ways – or about interrupting your customers repeatedly with advertising or other messages.

Rather, you should recognize that what customers really crave is valuable content that will solve their problems and demonstrate how your product, or service, lives in the world.

Wednesday, August 10 at 3p.m.

Let’s face it.  With the exception of a handful of companies, the hosting sector has never particularly excelled at marketing.

As an industry, we don’t articulate clearly the value proposition of outsourced hosting.  It doesn’t have to be that way.  Now is the time for us, as an industry, to start making the connection between how the latest approaches to creating good content and utilizing social media dovetail to help us in telling our individual and collective stories more clearly.

Next week, in our “Content Is King” session at HostingCon 2011 (the premiere conference for the hosting industry), Carrie Jones of San Diego’s prestigious BaileyGardiner marketing agency and I will explain how getting customers to engage with your company’s expanding body of content is one of the most effective ways in which you can:

  • enhance your company’s credibility and visibility;
  • raise the perception that you are an expert in your industry; and
  • build ongoing loyalty/advocacy for your brand.

Even marketing/communications teams that are on a budget can become effective at content marketing, and we’ll give you some ideas and examples to run with.

I encourage you to learn more.  Join Carrie and me for our “Content Is King” session at HostingCon 2011:  Wednesday, August 10, at 3 p.m. in the San Diego Convention Center.

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SharePoint Conference.Org in Baltimore a Hit

March 10th, 2011
Posted by: admin

By Jay Atkinson
AIS Network CEO

Great time at the SharePoint conference presented by SusQtech this week.  The presentations were varied — from technical to business function to design, which kept it interesting.

Even though there was a tremendous amount of information presented, the environment was friendly and upbeat and conducive to both learning and networking.

Obviously, one of the major themes of the conference was SharePoint 2010.  From highlighting the improved functionality over SP 2007, to the obstacles and opportunities presented by upgrading to 2010, it was very informative.

As one of the first companies to host SharePoint 2010, we at AISN understand the excitement surrounding it.  We believe in it strongly, and it was great to see so much enthusiasm for it in the wider community.

 

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