Atlanta WUG
We had a well-attended meeting this month on SOA Technical Architecture. Paul Giangarra gave a great, detailed presentation on SOA architecture, including lots of real life examples about how a full deployment can transform business (including examples outside the insurance industry!). more

Wisconsin WUG
Ascendant Technologies hosted our event at a top notch hotel with excellent food. They were also kind enough to donate an iPod shuffle as a free giveaway to a lucky attendee. 33 people attend the 1st Quarter WISWAS meeting. more

CIO Study 2007
This article reveals how SOA spells money. Each year, CIO magazine surveys more than 500 heads of IT, asking these executives about their positions within the organization and the path they followed to the CIO job. They ask them about their IT staffs and their outsourcing practices, their priorities, their difficulties and the ways they perform their jobs. They tell CIO magazine about IT's overall impact within their companies. CIO magazine use this data, along with many one-on-one interviews, to identify and define best practices, analyze trends and develop an agenda for all CIOs.

And wouldn't you know...SOA was a key topic for these CIOs. The findings in this survey highlight:

Why SOA is Good for CIOs
SOA spells money
SOA leads to the executive committee's door
Process improvement replaces cost cutting as a top management priority
Top technology priorities is integration/enhancing existing systems and

Articles

Defining SOA as an architectural style
Discover how to define SOA as an architectural style to promote business-aligned enterprise services as the fundamental unit for designing and building solutions.

Considering WebSphere on System z for your SOA environment
For companies using System z, this article describes advantages of using System z as your SOA foundation, and explains how WebSphere on System z lets you develop services that maximize the reuse, scalability, availability, and performance required for the enterprise.

On-demand Webcast

Broadening your SOA Assets: Extend RAD
Learn how to integrate the service-enabled artifacts you've created with Rational Application Developer (RAD) to broaden their use in an SOA? IBM WebSphere Integration Developer (WID) complements RAD allowing you to choreograph existing assets for composite application development.

The latest updates to IBM WebSphere Application Sever v6.1
Have you seen the latest updates on IBM's early programs for WebSphere Application Server v6.1? Click on the link below to see how IBM's WebSphere Application Server v6.1 is delivering the latest in exciting new technologies and standards to you. Take advantage of these optionally installable features to get the latest standards in Web Services, SDO & SCA, EJB3 or Ajax for WebSphere Application Server v6.1.

One Tool, One Set of Skills for SOA End-to-End Business Integration
Wish that for once you could complete the entire job with just one single tool - without having to be a Java^TM developer or needing to write any code? WebSphere Integration Developer (WID) enables the assembly of solutions using SOA principles and standards.

• See a New demonstration of how WID helps discover and expose assets as services, rapidly create new business processes and transform, route, mediate in-flight information between services.
  www.soaflexibility.com/WID1



• Learn how IBM WebSphere Integration Developer, the unified tool for WebSphere ESB, WebSphere Process Server and WebSphere Adapters, helps you rapidly build SOA solutions and simplify integration using service discovery, mediation and orchestration. No coding required!
  Register today for this March 15, 2007 Upcoming webcast!

Achieve Unparalleled Business Flexibility with Business Process Management

• See a demonstration of a day in the life of an automated business process
• Try it out yourself with the WebSphere Business Modeler Trial Download.

And if you're a Business Partner, take advantage of the in-depth WebSphere Business Process Technical First Look Webcast Series covering new WebSphere BPM Products:

• WebSphere Process Server V6.0.2, WebSphere Enterprise Service Bus V6.0.2, WebSphere Adapters for V6.0.2, and WebSphere Integration Developer V6.0.2
• WebSphere Business Modeler V6.0.2 and WebSphere Business Modeler Publishing Server V6.0.2
• WebSphere Business Monitor V6.0.2 Overview

Make an IMPACT on your business in 2007!
How will you make an "Impact" on your business in 2007? Searching for cutting-edge business and IT solutions and strategies that will set you apart? REGISTER NOW for this exciting new conference scheduled for May 20-25, 2007, Orlando, FL.

Are you a non-IT business leader or process owner? Join us at IMPACT 2007 for our Business Leadership Track!

Click here to see SPECIAL DISCOUNTS for user group members.

Upcoming IBM-organized events

• Mar 6 Houston, TX, SOA Movie Experience
• Mar 6 Tampa, FL, SOA Architect Summit
• Mar 7 Santa Clara, CA, WebSphere SOA Experience
• Mar 8 Bellevue, WA, SOA Movie Experience
• Mar 8 McLean, VA, WebSphere SOA Experience
• Mar 13 Denver, CO, SOA Movie Experience
• Mar 15 Phoenix, AZ, SOA Movie Experience

Dr. Dobb's Journal NetSeminar:
Datagrid Architectures and the Challenges of Implementation
Sponsored by Intel and IBM

Date: Tuesday, March 13, 2007
Time: 2:00PM ET
Where: Click here
(Please note: For access to the event, please make sure your computer's "cookies" are enabled and any pop-up blocking software is off)

REGISTER TODAY:
In this NetSeminar, we will highlight how the challenges of dealing with large datasets can be overcome. You'll hear more on establishing an information grid for sophisticated in-memory management of large data sets spanning thousands of servers, some geographically dispersed. This grid needs to be virtualized so that applications can be easily deployed to it. This will include indexing techniques for petabyte size files, parallel queries for high-speed search results, and descriptions of the underlying topologies required to support these business applications with high availability qualities of service.

Featuring:
Wilfred Pinfold, General Manager of Integrated Analytical Solutions
Billy Newport, STSM, IBM

Teleconference: March 7, 2007

Increase value with IBM WebSphere Service Registry and Repository for z/OS

The New Language of Business: SOA & Web 2.0 by Sandy Carter
Author Sandy Carter takes readers through a specific roadmap on how, where, when, and why to embrace a Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) strategy.

Highlights include a review of best practice methodologies behind hundreds of successful SOA implementations in over 50 countries.

Grow Skills Early. Save Big.
Your training dollars will go further with $500 savings on public software classes scheduled in the U.S. in first quarter 2007 and valued at $2000 or greater. What better time to attend training when your business goals are set and your IT needs are immediate? Get award-winning training from IBM instructors/developers to help build your skills portfolio long before budgets are trimmed. Enroll now through March 28, 2007, in any eligible IBM publicly scheduled software classes in the U.S. and receive $500 off the tuition. At enrollment, reference priority code 6N2KJO4W to receive your discount.

All public IBM software classes listed in the IBM Training Catalog in the US (software category) are included in this offer, excluding Lotus, Microsoft, Tivoli and Linux. All classes must commence on or after January 1st and complete by March 30, 2007, to take advantage of this offer.

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

Most-requested Rational software courses - Quarterly in nine U.S. cities
We're offering our most requested IBM Rational® software instructor-led courses each quarter in nine major U.S. cities. The training you need to build skills is now even more convenient. Just peruse the provided table of contents and first module from the student guide to determine if a course is right for you.

Rational web-based training library Get up to speed on Rational tools and best practices with our web-based training library. Access over 60 courses for an entire year for one great price. Purchase using your IBM Education Pack - online account and save more.