Wednesday, October 13, 2010






TechMentor Orlando 2011
March 14-18, 2011 at the
Disney Yacht Club; Orlando, FL

Call for Presentations - Now Available

The Call for Presentations for TechMentor Orlando 2011 conference is now posted at http://cfp.techmentorevents.com/. The deadline for submissions is Friday, October 15, 2010.

2011 marks TechMentor’s 13th year of providing IT Managers and Professionals real-world, in-depth, unbiased technical training. During TechMentor educational conferences, expert instructors and leading independent analysts instruct tactical and strategic sessions on managing, securing, and troubleshooting Microsoft Windows server systems. An emphasis on vendor agnostic virtualization solutions addresses the business and technology drivers behind the adoption of virtualization technologies.

People come to TechMentor for many reasons, and our content must reflect their needs and appeal to their educational needs. Attendees come to TechMentor to acquire practical, pragmatic and immediately applicable knowledge. They come for inspiration, to be shown a vision of a better future through the use of concepts, techniques, patterns and technology that they can apply in their organizations.

To ensure that you have a positive conference experience, please read the entire Call for Presentations guidelines before submitting your proposals.

If you have any questions regarding the conference or CFP submission process, please contact Suzanne Young, Event Manager at SYoung@1105Media.com or (240) 479-1479.

We look forward to seeing you in Orlando this March.

Contact: Suzanne Young and the TechMentor Event Team
www.techmentorevents.com



Call for Papers Submission Process

Deadline: Submission deadline is October 15, 2010.
Submit Proposals at: http://cfp.techmentorevents.com/
Conference Dates: TechMentor Orlando – March 14-18, 2011, Disney Yacht Club, Orlando, FL

TechMentor 2011 Focus Topics
We welcome presentation proposals that are suited to our educational foci, which include (but not limited to):

Windows PowerShell
Virtualization
Architecting and Administering Microsoft Exchange
Security and Malware Protection
Active Directory Management and Architecture
Advanced Troubleshooting for Servers and Applications
Automated Windows Deployment
Managing Windows SharePoint
Getting More out of your Existing IT Investment
Schedule

9/20/10 --- Call for Presentations is released.
10/15/10 --- Deadline for Proposals: Friday, October 15 - 5:00pm Eastern Time. No extensions will be granted.
11/12/10 --- Notification for all who have submitted presentations
11/29/10 --- Deadline for executed speaker agreements
2/7/11 --- Deadline for all presentation materials (including PowerPoint presentations). Submit electronically.
2/14/11--- Deadline for all changes to abstract information to be included in conference materials.
3/14–3/18/11--- TechMentor Orlando 2011 – Disney Yacht Club, Orlando, FL

Submission Guidelines
Please include the following information with your submission (Failure to supply all requested information may limit opportunities for selection):

Speaker’s Name
Speaker’s Title
Speaker’s Company
Title of Presentation
100-word Description of Presentation
3-5 Bullets, explaining what the attendee will learn from presentation
Speaker’s Color Photo (hi-resolution)
Speaker’s Bio, including previous conference speaking/presentation experience
Submission Criteria
Proposals must adhere to the following criteria:

The Proposal Terms and Conditions must be checked upon submission.
To be considered, all proposals must be complete, comprehensive, and deemed relevant and timely by the conference selection committee. Complete proposals is defined as submitting information in all fields of the accompanying session form in full (including full contact information of speakers, biographies of each speaker per session, session title with abstract, and learning objectives.) Partial session submissions will not be considered.
All proposals must include clear and concise written statements of intended learning outcomes or objectives for each session. These statements must reflect what the attendees will achieve by participating in this session.
Proposals for presentations should be designed to fit into the appropriate timeslot for allotted for sessions. TechMentor Conferences offer 75 minute sessions, 120 minute double sessions, and three hour tutorials.
All presenters will be required to sign a Speakers Agreement with TechMentor, which will include granting a nonexclusive license to the copyright of written materials and may include permission to record (audio and/or video) the session.
Presenter Responsibilities

Presenters are responsible for returning a signed and executed speaker agreement by the deadline: November 29, 2010.
Presenters agree to submit all program materials, including handouts and PowerPoint slides, electronically by February 7, 2011. Presenters will receive instructions on submitting your materials electronically.
If additional handouts are required for session and not submitted to by February 7, 2011 then the presenter is responsible for management and costs associated with duplication, shipping, and distribution of materials to conference attendees.
All presenters must provide their own laptop loaded with their presentation at the time of session.
Presenter Expenses: Speakers chosen to present at TechMentor Orlando 2011 will receive a stipend for each session they present along with a small travel stipend. TechMentor Conferences will also cover hotel accommodations (room and tax only) for a pre-determined number of nights at the host hotel as outlined in the speaker agreement.


Submit Proposals at: http://cfp.techmentorevents.com/

We look forward to for your submission!



Jackie Fernandez
Executive Director
South Florida Technology Alliance
954.239.9739
P.O. Box 831046
Miami, Florida 33183-1046
http://www.southfloridatech.org/
http://jackiesfta.blogspot.com/
http://twitter.com/JackieatSFTA

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

SFTA Sponsor, Host.net Teams with StillSecure to Protect Cloud Computing Clients

BOCA RATON, Fla., Jan 26, 2010 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ ---- Host.net today announced new 24x7x365 managed security services for its cloud computing customers through a partnership with network security provider StillSecure. Utilizing StillSecure's ProtectPoint(TM) managed security service as a virtual appliance, Host.net can now provide 24x7x365 security monitoring and management of the virtual infrastructure, immediate response to security threats, and compliance reporting for enterprises using its cloud computing service for line-of-business applications and complex hosting.

Virtual security services including firewall, VPN, intrusion detection/prevention (IDS/IPS), vulnerability scanning, web security, and email security can be purchased from Host.net on a subscription basis as either a standalone solution or service bundle. Services can be configured for monitoring both gateway and internal connections, providing comprehensive protection against internal and external threats. All security services are backed by a 24x7x365 SAS-70 Type II audited Security Operations Center (SOC) that is staffed by certified security analysts.

The new virtual-based security services offer the same vigilant protection, monitoring and management as the hardware appliance-based service with the added benefits of standard high-availability redundancy, near-immediate failover in the event of a virtual equipment failure, and the ability to rapidly upgrade and add system resources (CPU, RAM and disk) when a specific client's traffic and workload demand more horsepower from the firewall.

"Host.net is one step ahead of most data centers because they truly understand the importance of embedding security within the virtual environment," said Steve Harris, VP of Managed Services at StillSecure. "Host.net customers save time and money by leveraging the pre-built, pre-configured and ready-to-run VMware version of our ProtectPoint managed security services."

"We had the rare opportunity to team with StillSecure during the strategy and design phase of their new platform. The result is a product that protects the customer's mission with CIA (Confidentiality, Integrity, Availability)," said Roger Barranco, Host.net's Chief Technology Officer and VP of Operations. "Host.net uniquely interweaves security throughout the platform rather than simply layering security on top of their infrastructure as other providers do. It's a critical addition to our service portfolio that will help keep our clients' virtual infrastructure safe from both inside and outside attacks."

Host.net's new StillSecure-based managed security service extends the competitive advantages of Host.net's cloud computing platform, which focuses on performance, high availability and data protection. Benefits of Host.net's cloud computing services include 300-500% performance increases over standard hosted SAN solutions, recovery of virtual machines within one minute of a host failure, full data backup to one on-site and one off-site storage subsystem within Host.net's own national virtual private data center (vPDC) network for near-immediate disaster recovery, and optional replication to additional Host.net sites for added security and redundancy.

As a single source for virtual enterprise server, SAN storage, backup/restore, disaster recovery, colocation, Internet access, multinational transport, MPLS, Metro Ethernet, managed security and IP voice, Host.net leverages their capabilities to ensure the integrity and availability of their clients' data.

About Host.net

Host.net is a multinational provider of network infrastructure services focusing on colocation, cloud computing and storage, and network transport and transit for education, finance, government, healthcare, wholesale and carrier clients. The company operates multiple enterprise-class data centers connected to an extensive fiber-optic backbone delivering Internet, MPLS and layer 2 communications using a wide array of last-mile options. It serves customers in most major metropolitan regions of North America as well as portions of Europe. Founded in 1996, Host.net is headquartered in Boca Raton, FL. For more information visit www.host.net

About StillSecure

StillSecure delivers comprehensive network security that protects organizations from the perimeter to the endpoint. Offering both products and managed security services, StillSecure enables customers to affordably deploy the optimal blend of technologies for locking down their assets and complying with security policies and regulations. StillSecure customers range from mid-market companies to the world's largest enterprises and agencies in government, financial services, healthcare, education, and technology. For more information please call (303) 381-3830 or visit http://www.stillsecure.com.

SOURCE Host.net

Jackie Fernandez
Executive Director
South Florida Technology Alliance
954.239.9739
P.O. Box 831046
Miami, Florida 33183-1046
http://www.southfloridatech.org/
http://jackiesfta.blogspot.com/
http://twitter.com/JackieatSFTA

Thursday, January 14, 2010

South Florida Technology Alliance Announces New Leadership for 2010

For Immediate Release
Fort Lauderdale, Fl - January 12, 2010

South Florida Technology Alliance Announces New Leadership for 2010

SFTA is pleased to announce it’s newly elected Directors for 2010:

Chairman of the Board – Christopher Burgio of Seitlin Insurance and Advisory
President - Kevin Brady of Corporate Services IncVice President – Albert Maggio of Carey Rodriguez Greenberg & Paul
Treasurer – Michael Daszkal of Daszkal Bolton
Secretary – Carolyn Childs of The Lindsay Group Inc

Board of Directors:
David Bates of Gunster, Yoakley & Stewart, P.A.
Anthony Carvalloza of Scripps Florida
Chip Casanave of Data Access Worldwide
Lenny Chesal of Host.net
Christopher Fleck of Citrix
Mark Grossman of Grossman Law Group
Greg Heller of Silverglade Capital Partners LLCJohn Igoe of Edwards Angell Palmer and Dodge
Greg Nordone of ENS Corporation
Tim Orr Blue Wave Communications
Michael Richtberg of BluTech Innovations, Inc.
Chris J Terry of Nextshore LLC
Bob Swindell of The Greater Fort Lauderdale /Broward Alliance, IncDeborah Vazquez of PROTECH


About the SFTA…
With over 11 years of leadership as the region’s most effective technology organization, the South Florida Technology Alliance (SFTA) promotes the growth, success and awareness of the vibrant South Florida technology community. Through events, networking, programs and education, the SFTA provides south Florida’s technology-related companies, academic institutions, entrepreneurs, governments and related organizations with an active forum to grow the business of technology.
For more information about the SFTA, visit www.SouthFloridaTech.org.

SFTA Contact:
Jackie Fernandez
Executive Director
South Florida Technology Alliance
Jackie@southfloridatech.org
Tel. 954.239.9739

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

eFlorida Roadmap to Florida’s Future

The latest Roadmap to Florida’s Future, the official statewide strategic plan for economic development, is now available online!

Shaped with the input of a wide cross-section of Florida’s leaders in economic development, business, education, workforce, economic development and other community stakeholders, the Roadmap provides a long-term vision for Florida’s economy and specific policy recommendations to achieve it.

As Florida emerges from the global recession, its future trajectory will and must be different. The Roadmap to Florida’s Future charts the state’s path towards an Innovation Economy built on the principles of sustainable growth and expanding high wage employment opportunities in competitive and knowledge-based industries.

This five-year strategic plan provides 24 sets of policy and business development recommendations on how to make Florida a global economic leader. Explore the Roadmap to Florida’s Future: 2010-2015 Strategic Plan for Economic Development to learn more.

Visit www.eflorida.com/roadmap today!

Jackie Fernandez
Executive Director
South Florida Technology Alliance
954.239.9739
P.O. Box 831046
Miami, Florida 33183-1046
http://www.southfloridatech.org/
http://jackiesfta.blogspot.com/
http://twitter.com/JackieatSFTA

Tuesday, January 5, 2010

SFTA Presents the 2010 State of the Technology Industry Report

* Get a glimpse of what 2010 holds by hearing directly from Gartner Research and CIOs representing major South Florida-based companies in key vertical industries.

* Learn about the principal technical, business and social concerns on CIO’s minds surrounding Cloud-based initiatives.


* Gain insight on technology trends during the next three to five years and the challenges or opportunities they present for your business.



Sponsored by



Keynote address by



Akshay K. Sharma
Gartner Research
Research Director

Roles and Responsibilities
Akshay Sharma is a research director in the Carrier Network Infrastructure group of Gartner Research, leading the Research Agenda for Converged Infrastructure Worldwide. Current research interests include mobile infrastructure (radio and core), mobile broadband, cloud-based Telco 2.0 initiatives, WiMAX/Wi-Fi, PacketCable, VoIP, IMS, FMC, and trends in core network distributed softswitch architectures.

Panelists Include:


Bill Hicks CIO & SVP of Shared Services of Ultimate Software

Jim Bussey MBA Associate Dean, Administration at St Thomas University

Sergio Garcia, SVP and CIO, Bank United

Doug Cormany, SVP and CIO, Preferred Care Partners

Click here to register online now!



Jackie Fernandez
Executive Director
South Florida Technology Alliance
954.239.9739
P.O. Box 831046
Miami, Florida 33183-1046
http://www.southfloridatech.org/
http://jackiesfta.blogspot.com/
http://twitter.com/JackieatSFTA