Got this email from GITCA so if you're a IT manager read on.

Good day Leaders,

Are you an IT Manager? Do you know of an IT Manager in your user group? If so, then you need to know about this offer.

Microsoft Learning is looking for IT Managers, people who manage teams of IT Professionals, to join a new Advisory Council to help them better understand the values of IT Certifications.

Here is a little more about this opportunity to help shape the future of Microsoft Certifications.

One of the consistent pieces of feedback we hear about the new generation of certifications is “OK, I understand. But certification doesn’t matter to my manager.” While Microsoft Learning is getting better at getting the word out to IT Professionals about the value of a current certification, MCITP, etc. we’re not doing such a good job at reaching the folks who are making hiring decisions and managing IT teams.

We’re looking for some experienced folks who manage a team of IT Professionals to work with us as part of the Microsoft Learning IT Manager Advisory Council. The primary objective for this group is to provide input and feedback around key Microsoft Learning strategies and products and to help us build solid recognition at a manager level around the value of certification. Members will share their insight and experiences as IT managers. They will be the voice of the community as we develop offers, tools and materials exclusively for the IT Manager audience.

We’ll be holding 3-4 Live Meetings throughout the year. And we’ll be holding a full day meeting on Sunday, June 6^th prior to TechEd in New Orleans for the North American members of the advisory council. More info here on Born to Learn:

http://www.microsoft.com/learning/en/us/start/start-career-it-manager.aspx#council

If you are interested in becoming a member of this Council, please click the link above and then click on the "Download and complete the profile form" link on the IT Manager Portal page.

Please note that this is a limited opportunity and not everyone will be accepted to the Council.

Regards,

Your GITCA North American Board

I’ve always thought the user group meetings in Dallas were a tremendous opportunity for the community to learn about new topics at a low cost. While I haven’t been to all the User Groups in Dallas am familiar with some of the development groups for PHP, .NET, and Java. I also felt the group members had a lot to share in the way of networking but when 8:30pm rolled around everyone left to go home and only a few new introduction were made each month. Now I can’t speak for everyone but a couple Miller Lites always helps me make new friends so I thought an open Happy Hour for all the User Group Members in Dallas wouldn’t be a bad Idea. I’m calling a couple places in Allen to see what special we can get on Food and Drinks. I’ll update you once I have more information.

If you have any thoughts or ideas give me a shout at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Thanks,

Quinn

Join us April 1st for a Presentation on Cloud Computing by Rackspace.

Managed Private Clouds

Your Mission Critical Applications are Ready to Run on a Private Cloud

Most clouds that people are familiar with are the public clouds, also known as shared clouds or private virtual servers. These clouds have hundreds or even thousands of businesses running in isolated containers within the same physical environment. And there are a lot of benefits to public clouds. But for some businesses, certain feature limitations and the implications on an application's architecture are definite drawbacks. They make it too difficult to transition from a dedicated environment to a public cloud.

Private Clouds, however, are an easy step into the realm of cloud computing. Each customer is physically separated on their own dedicated hardware. Not to forget that their support is also handled like a traditional managed hosting environment. So high levels of security, reliability, performance, customization and service are simply inherent to the solution. Yet you can still scale quickly, optimize your hardware resources and get utility billing for your VMs (Virtual Machines)—which are some of the benefits that make clouds so appealing in the first place. Think of it as getting the best of the cloud combined with the best of managed hosting—without the limitations of either.

Join us April 1st to learn how to create you Corporate Strategy for Adopting Enterprise Clouds (Private vs Public).

Rackspace will also be raffling an Apple IPod and other swag.

Pizza is free but please RSVP to make sure we order enough food and drinks.

Agenda: 6:00 -6:30: Dinner and Networking 6:30 -7:00: Announcements, and Business meeting 7:00 - 8:30: Presentation and wrap up

RSVP now for the April 1st DFW IT Pro User Group Meeting

Join us April 1st for a Presentation on Cloud Computing by Rackspace.

Managed Private Clouds

What are the Benefits of using Virtualization software to create your own Private cloud?

Security: If your data and apps have to be as secure as possible to meet compliance requirements or your own high standards, Private Clouds are ideal. The inherent security that comes with a dedicated, single-tenant environment is a pivotal reason to choose a private cloud.

Speed and Size to Scale: When it comes to on-demand and unlimited scaling, the Private Cloud has one limitation to consider. The number of VMs you can provision and deploy will be limited by the physical hardware running behind your Cloud. You can of course still add computing power by expanding your configuration. It just won't be as fast and seamless as a public cloud.

Private Clouds, however, are an easy step into the realm of cloud computing so Join us April 1st to learn about The Advantage of Virtualization for Enterprise Environments.

Rackspace will also be raffling an Apple IPod and other swag.

Pizza is free but please RSVP to make sure we order enough food and drinks.

Agenda: 6:00 -6:30: Dinner and Networking 6:30 -7:00: Announcements, and Business meeting 7:00 - 8:30: Presentation and wrap up

RSVP Here: http://events.linkedin.com/DFW-Pro-April-1st-Meeting-Virtualization/pub/253167