Egypt JUG
On December 2nd, the Egypt Java User Group met to discuss Systems Modeling, SOA, and Model Driven Architecture. More

Rio de Janeiro WUG
On December 13th, the Rio de Janeiro WUG held a special meeting to celebrate its second anniversary. More

Washington DC WUG
The Washington DC WUG had its second recent meeting on December 9. John Reeces discussed Stargazer Customer Experiences, and Jeff Tennenbaum gave a Technical Overview of WebSphere XD. More

Austin WUG
On December 12th, the Austin WUG Chapter gathered for its final meeting of 2006. Approximately 30 people from 10 different companies and organizations were in attendance. More

REGISTRATION NOW OPEN: Impact 2007 Technical Conference
Your business is fluid - you need to innovate to stay on top of your game. Set a new pace in innovation by getting the latest on SOA at Impact 2007. This conference brings you the freshest information on new SOA technologies, from IBM business and technical experts, and companies like yours who have implemented SOA solutions. You'll learn the keys to generate innovation and operational excellence in your business using your existing resources. And, you'll get the insight you need to quickly impact YOUR business.

Dive right in and join other industry leaders, analysts and influencers May 20-25 in Orlando, FL. Regardless of where you are on your SOA journey, you'll get value from these five action-packed days. Discounts are available for User Group members!

REGISTER TODAY! Click here for more information

Registration Now Open - Rational Software Development Conference 2007
June 10-14, 2007
Orlando, FL
Join us for the 10th anniversary of the IBM Rational Software Development Conference and experience first-hand why customers keep coming back year after year. Be refreshed, learn, network with colleagues and have an exciting week filled with great skill-building opportunities! Some highlights of this year's event include:

• Inspiring keynote sessions by industry experts and IBM leaders on governing software and systems delivery.
• More than 20 hands-on technical workshops.
• Over 285 sessions, including new and expanded tracks.
• Exhibit Hall where you can see advanced solutions and technologies from IBM and our Business Partners.
• Interactive Birds-of-a-Feather sessions for asking questions of the experts in an informal environment
• IBM Certification Lab where you can test your skills and show your expertise.

Upcoming Webcasts

Jan 31 - "Make your enterprise portal successful with WebSphere Portal Enable for z/OS, V6.0"

Feb 21 - "Unleash the power of your existing mainframe assets into the SOA world"

Feb 28 teleconference - "Webify your mainframe applications with WebSphere Host Access Transformation Services V7.0"

Ten steps to SOA success
Unsure about starting an SOA project? Follow these ten steps from Sandy Carter, IBM Vice President for SOA and WebSphere strategy, and you'll be on your way to success.

IBM WebSphere Portal Enable for z/OS, V6.0 helps improve the efficiency of your business and leverages the availability, security, and performance of IBM System z (Dec. 5 announcement)

IBM WebSphere Developer for System z V7.0 supports application development (Dec. 5 announcement)

IBM Software Support Toolbar (ISST) V2: ISST offers a quick and easy way to find highly requested software support pages in just a click or two.
The toolbar has been available for the IE browser and now it is ready for the Firefox browser too! You'll see an updated layout and new graphics. You have the ability to search IBM's multiple resources, and even narrow that search down to a specific Brand/content.

Links to many IBM support resources are included to make it easier for you to find what you need to successfully use IBM software. If you haven't tried it before, click the link above for a quick download and simple installation. IBM WebSphere Host Access Transformation Services (HATS) delivers all the tools you need to quickly and easily extend your legacy applications to business partners, customers, and employees. HATS makes your 3270 and 5250 applications available as HTML through the most popular Web browsers, while converting your host screens to a Web look and feel. With HATS it is easy to improve the workflow and navigation of your host applications without any access or modification to source code.

Plan your 2007 training budget! Get up to 10% and up to $5,000 during the IBM Education Pack – online account SaveTwice Sale
Develop training plans now at the start of the year, long before budgets are trimmed. When you buy a $25,000 or $50,000 IBM Education Pack - online account you can see your savings multiply. You can save not once, but twice with our special limited time offer. When you purchase $25,000 of training to open an IBM Education Pack – online account, save 10% and pay only $22,500. Save a second time when you receive an extra $2,000 in bonus dollars posted to your account right away. That’s $27,000 worth of training for just $22,500! And when you purchase $50,000 of training in your online account, you pay only $45,000, plus you will receive $5,000 in bonus training dollars for an account value of $55,000. That’s a total of $10,000 worth of training— free! Save with this special offer now through February 16, 2007

First Class Savings from IBM
Your training dollars will go further in 2007 with $500 savings on public software classes scheduled in the first quarter in the US. What better time to attend software training when your business goals are set and your IT needs are immediate? You can enroll through March 28, 2007, in any eligible IBM publicly scheduled software classes in the US and receive $500 off the tuition. At enrollment, reference priority code 6N2KJO4W to receive your discount.

• Take the training you need now before budgets are cut
• Get award-winning training from IBM instructors/developers
• Choose from hundreds of eligible software courses
• Stretch your training dollars with up to 25% savings

Rational Education 2007 Open Enrollment Schedule
Rational Education announces the 2007 Open Enrollment Schedule, which offers you a consistent set of courses in nine major markets. Beginning in January, we will offer our top 10 IBM Rational courses and will guarantee delivery with a minimum of two students. Check out the courses and schedules!