Founded in 1996, Blue Coat provides the Application Delivery Network and infrastructure to more than 15,000 customers worldwide, including 81% of Fortune Global 500. (September 2009)

"Golf Outing 2009"
The Sheboygan Chapter of AITP hosted its 37th consecutive golf outing at the Town and Country Golf Club on August 19. Click on the link below to see the article and pictures on the AITP National website.
AITP National news article
Thanks to Larry Schmitz for the article.

"Practical Ways YOU Can Use Microsoft SharePoint!"
Michael Wheeler, Software Consultant
We seen a demo of SharePoint that show KPIs, dashboards and other high level output. Discussion on how the everyday users are supposed to input the information that makes up those views? The presentation gave department level examples that YOU can implement right away. Michael covered timesheets, calendars and project tracking and how YOU can start today to make your team more productive while reducing costs. (May 19, 2009)

"What is Happening in AITP Region V"
Larry Schmitz, President Common Sense Solutions, LLC
Larry is the past National President of AITP(DPMA) and current AITP Region V Board Member/Officer. He was prominent in establishing the programs that "certify" professionals in our industry (ICP - CDP ect.), the organization and support of the college education conferences, establishing and maintaining a leadership role for Region V, and instrumental in keeping our chapter (207) from disbanding in the mid 1980's.  He will review what comprises Region V, the benefits of Region V, the challanges facing Region V and National, and why you should not miss the next Region V Meeting in Green Bay, Wisconsin. (April 15, 2009)

"Storage Consolidation, Storage Protection and Storage Disaster Recovery for small/medium sized business"
Soren Johnson, EMC Senior Systems Engineer
EMC’s data storage products are built to store, protect, optimize, and leverage information. The company’s network-attached storage NAS and storage area network SAN are market leaders, and the company is credited with creating the content-addressable storage (CAS) category with the introduction of its Centera platform.
EMC’s enterprise content management software is used to capture and store documents in a secure and central location. Using this software, employees can share documents and work together. As a result, companies are able to manage their information better and make sure they are in compliance with various regulations.
RSA Security, the security division of EMC, develops products to secure enterprise data, secure employee and partner access, and manage security information. (March 18, 2009)

"Microsoft Office SharePoint Server Capabilities"
Brian Tinkler of Microsoft
Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 provides a single, integrated location where employees can efficiently collaborate with team members, find organizational resources, search for experts and corporate information, manage content and workflow, and leverage business insight to make better-informed decisions. (February 18, 2009)

"Network Security, Optimization & Management"
Delta Communications
Phil Labas, Systems Engineer for Bluecoat Solutions
Blue Coat secures Web communications and accelerates business applications across the distributed enterprise. Blue Coat's family of appliances and client-based solutions - deployed in branch offices, Internet gateways, end points, and data centers - provide intelligent points of policy-based control enabling IT organizations to optimize security and accelerate performance between users and applications. Blue Coat has installed more than 40,000 appliances worldwide. (January 21, 2009)

"On Wisconsin"
Joe Liebham, Wisconsin State Senator
Joe Liebham (a Sheboygan native) discussed his life in politics and the challenges facing the state government in the upcoming year. (December 2008)

"IBM Power Systems Roadmap"
Mickey Sparks of IBM
Mickey Sparks gave an update on the IBM system i5 platform, formerly known as the AS/400. (November 19, 2008)

"Region V Event in Green Bay, Wisconsin"
Hear the AITP National President speak on "Leading an All-Star Volunteer Team" as well as attend a host of technical and management break out sessions (October 15-16, 2008).

"Accelerate Your Business through your Network"
Geoff Kasten, Sr. Systems Engineer
Businesses all over the world in all industries are turning to wide-area data services (WDS) in order to accelerate business operations while controlling IT costs. Through technical solutions like application acceleration, IT consolidation and virtualization, faster WAN backup, and bandwidth optimization, WDS is enabling businesses to leverage their IT infrastructure in ways that they had never imagined possible (September 17, 2008).

"The State of Imaging Technology"
Russell Lindquist, Content Management Solutions Executive
Exponential growth of information sources required to run a business, goverment requlations on how the information must be stored, accessed, and kept secure have led to companies heavily investing in imaging technology.  This was your chance to learn how imaging systems can provide the kinds of formats to store huge volumes of data, allow managed access to the records, trigger recovery of the data for business resumption planning, and fully meet all government regulations (May 21, 2008).
Managing your local and Wide Area Networks
Packeteer and Delta Communications
The tools you need to proactively manage your network systems at an affordable price level (at a significantly lower cost and with a lower level of maintenance than Cisco based solutions).  They discussed the combination of hardware monitoring and data gathering equipmnet that can easily be moved throughout the networks and the ability to leverage that information to balance load levels quickly to meet your internal performance requirements.  You will find out that bigger (and more costly) isn't always the better solution (April 16, 2008).

"The IT World is adoption Visualization"
Rocky Soper, VMWare
The ability to carve out both logical and physical IT resources and manage them has become a new direction in our industry, the norm now for IT Directors and Managers.  We are seeing a move to Virtualization on all computer platforms and operating systems with the latest entrant into this arena being Microsoft.  This was an opportunity to find out the benefits of this technology from the current market leader, VMWare (March 19, 2008).

"ACE is the Place in Sheboygan"
Cliff Courture, Owner Ace Hardware
The behind the scene details of the building of Sheboygan's "first high tech hardware store".  Cliff covered the installation of Voice over IP, his Wireless choices, and the establishment of his Internet Cafe.  Great story with a local flair (February 20, 2008).

"Protecting Your Critical Business Information Systems Environment"
Mark Fernstrum of Access, Inc.
Mark touched on the critical components that allow information systems to perform optimally, consistently, and economically to avoid costly down time, he specifically discussed the following elements: Air Conditioning, Indoor Air and Energy Efficiency, Heat and Ventilation, Power Distribution & Monitoring (avoiding electrical spikes), Uninterruptible Power Supplies (Battery Backup), Emergency Switch Over Proceedures, Proper Electrical Racking of Servers and Storage Devices, Custom Racking for All Computer Room Devices (space savings - optimal access for maintenance), Business Process Recovery Steps - 24X7 Emergency Support (January 16, 2008).

"Sheboygan's Festival of Trees"
Nancy Verstrate, Publicity Chairperson
Nancy gave us the background on one of the "treasures of Sheboygan County".  How did it start, how did it grow so fast, how is our community enriched by it (December 12, 2007).

"Microsoft Windows Server 2008 Update"
Al Bandola of Inacom
Inacom presented the a broad-based overview of the new Windows 2008 strategy and top new platform features: operations infrastructure (Improvements to Terminal Services, Network Access Protection, Windows Virtualization Technologies and Windows Server Foundations and Role Based Management); Applications Platforms (IIS 7, Windows Workflow, Windows Communication Foundation, Federated Identity); Server Fundamentals (Windows Firewall, Server Partitioning, Next Generation TCP/IP Architecture, Vista/2008 Better Together). This presentation will provide the core highlights of the up-coming features soon to be available to corporations worldwide (November 15, 2007).

"History of Computer Development"
Lou Buell of Advanced Computing
Due to several conflicts and cancellations for the October meeting, our own Lou Buell tailored a presentation to a more general history of the computer development. We were proud to have a large student presence that evening including several German Exchange Students from LTC (October 17, 2007).

"Lean Manufacturing Solutions on Microsoft Technology"
John Bourgeois of Avanade Inc.
John presented an overview of Dynamics AX, Microsoft's Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) application and Dan Bourgeois presented how to use Microsoft Office Performance Point to analyze and report on Dynamics AX data (September 19, 2007).

"Microsoft SharePoint"
Brian Tinkler of Microsoft
We got the overview of the just released products directly from Microsoft and had the ability to ask the appropriate questions concerning migration from previous products, cost differences, new hardware/software pre-requisites, new functionality, and stated direction (May 16, 2007).

".NET Development"
Connie Hames of Zyquest
Why Object Oriented development? Industry Standards in place (J2EE - Workbenches etc.) and why they are important. Choices (.Net/ASP vs WebSphere/JSP) esentially Microsoft vs IBM are both safe choices but what are the differences? How to get started (software components required - internal skill sets required - consulting services options/ZyQuest case study info). ROI expected. General industry directions. (April 23, 2007).

"Business Resumption Planning - Document Management"
Les Spindler of Contingency Planning Solutions
and Rick Greisser of A.R.M.S.
No longer referred to as Disaster Recovery, the requirement to "resume business" after any type of outage (planned - unplanned) has finally reached the level of importance it deserves. We got a review of the failures and successes of the past, enough information to determine where your organization is today in regards to business resumption planning and learn about the types of plans that are available in todays market (March 21, 2007).

"Microsoft Office"
Brian Tinkler of Microsoft
We got the overview of the just released products directly from Microsoft and had the ability to ask the appropriate questions concerning migration from previous products, cost differences, new hardware/software pre-requisites, new functionality, and stated direction (February 21, 2007).

"Controlling your Network with Network Access"
Kurtis Minder of Mirage Networks
Kurtis Minder of Mirage Networks talked about Signature vs. Behavioral security technologies.  In addition, he communicated the technologies of the Network Access Control landscape. He also talked briefly about Bluesocket wireless authentication and access for the Perimeter. The fact is that the biggest threat to your network security is your users.  Learn how to defend your network against policy violations and day-zero threats by implementing Full-Cylce Network Access Control (NAC).  NAC identifies threats to your network both pre-and-post admission and continually monitors endpoints for at-risk behavior.  Devices that pose a threat to your network or that don't adhere to your security policies are removed from the public network and isolated to a quarantine server.  Best of all, NAC does not require agents nor signatures, and works with all IP device types within your current infrastructure (January 17, 2007).

"Get the Most of your Travel Dollars"
Rose Gray of Fox World Travel
You have heard her travel tips on the radio, this is a chance to see her in person and ask her that travel question that can make a difference in your next trip. Also featuring Lincoln Erdmann's LUCK singers - "Sounds of the Christmas Season" (December 13, 2005).

"VOIP on iSeries Announcement"
Bob Haviland of 3Com
As impressive as the immediate benefits of IP telephony solutions can be, their strategic value is even more compelling. IP telephony solutions can inject new functionality into the core business processes of an enterprise and reshape the way people interact and communicate with one another. The strategic value of IP telephony is its ability to enable systemic collaboration to help sustain competitive advantage (November 15, 2006).

"iSeries Trends and Directions"
Bob Padzieski - IBM, Rochester, MN
Areas that were discussed in detail are: Virtualization, LPARs, Linux, Security, Performance, Cost to own, Why the iSeries? (October 18, 2006).

"Do you believe you are secure"
Cory Michal, Chief Technology Officer, Exceed Security, Inc.
Part 1 = How your network gets hacked: Background and step by step analysis of recent high profile network compromises; Part 2 = Protecting your Enterprise Network. Review of security risks, types of attacks, threat and risk assessment, securing the perimeter, securing the internal network, and assessing (September 20, 2006).

"AS/400 Virtualization"
Chris Austin - VMWare
What is the most popular tool available today to manage your AS/400 resources? A detailed discussion of that tool, [VMWare] including implementation tasks, resources required, and the direct advantages for companies that deploy it (May 17, 2006).

"Network Quality of Service"
Delta Communications
How can companies prioritize and even in some cases improve the performance (acceleration) of core applications on their networks? What is required to be able to provide QOS, is it hardware, software, or both? Specific examples and details on performance at area accounts were discussed (April 19, 2006).

"Current and Future IT Skill Sets"
Gina Cook of Consultis
We found out from a major consulting company what IT skill sets are in demand today and what skill sets may be in demand tomorrow. How long will RPG and Cobol be viable skills, is there a language beyond Java, should I be interested in .Net or WebSphere? (March 15, 2006).

"VOIP Return on Investment"
Al Bandola of Inacom Information Systems
A high level overview of the return on investment available for moving to Voice & Video over IP, a demonstration of the capabilities and discussion of future directions with this technology (February 15, 2006).

"Microsoft Vista"
Mark Tanin of Microsoft
After a barrage of Windows operating systems announcements and deliveries (95 - 98 - 2000 - NT - XP) hyped with huge marketing campaigns, Microsoft has been very quiet the past couple years but are about to deliver Vista in 2006. What are the features of the new OS, how does it apply to home use and business use, what are the migration and associated cost issues, how long will the older versions be supported, and what changes are there to the development tools? Find out the answers on after the Beta has been completed (January 18, 2006).

"Behind the scenes of Sheboygan's lake front success story"
The Blue Harbor Resort and Conference Center
Planning - building - opening - expanding - future directions... Also featuring the singers of North High School - "Sounds of the Christmas Season" (December 14, 2005).

"Security Options"
Al Thompson of Secure Pipe
By far the most requested topic on the 2005 golf outing ballots. How do you determine how secure your systems are, what are the existing and future threats, how much time should be spent in detection prevention, should you consider outsourcing these critical tasks? (November 16, 2005).

"Region V Event in Green Bay, Wisconsin"
Hear the AITP National President speak on future technology and AITP directions as well as attend a host of technical and management break out sessions (October 19, 2005).

"Microsoft Update"
Brian Tinkler of Microsoft Corporation
Microsoft Office Suite - a review of the current product offerings and insight into future releases by Microsoft's Partner Technology Specialist. Get the facts direct from Microsoft (September 21, 2005).

"Investing in Information Technology"
Ken Muth, Senior Technology Analyst, R.W. Baird
This was a chance to find out how dollars are directly spent on current and future technologies and their return on investment as well as the competing forces within the industry and opportunities for market niches that have yet to be addressed. Ken works directly with market symbols such as CSCO, NT, LU, TLAB, ANDW, JNPR, FDRY, TKLC, ADTN, ATSN, WSTL, ADCT, and TLGD. Ken is a native of “Sheboygan” where his grandfather and father have founded and successfully run several manufacturing corporations. Ken has appeared on CNBC, Money Line, Kudlow & Kramer, and Nightly Business Report R.W. Baird is an employee-owned international wealth management, capital markets, private equity and asset management firm headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. R. W. Baird was recently judged the “18th best place to work” for by Fortune magazine. (May 18, 2005).

"iSeries State of the Union"
Mike Martin, Computech Resources
Mike Martin works for Computech Resources as Director of eServer Strategies. Prior to joining Computech, Mike worked for IBM as the America's iSeries Server Consolidation Sales Executive.  He developed and managed sales activities and tactics contributing to over 1/3 of the total iSeries sales.  In addition to iSeries sales responsibilities, Mike has a strong technical and consulting background as a result of four years of IBM Global Services consulting.  Mike's strong sales and technical background has allowed him to be recognized as an IBM eServer server consolidation expert.   Mike has been a featured speaker at executive level customer events as well as published in several IT publications.  Mike will review trends and directions of the IBM iSeries product line and how it's continuous development and enhancements are making it a key element of the IT strategy for many companies. (April 20, 2005).

"Outsourcing Pros and Cons"
Clint Harder, Berbee Information Networks
Clint Harder is a business consultant who specializes in application architecture, service level management consulting, outsourcing analysis, and disaster recovery planning. Clint has worked with larger organizations such as Harley-Davidson, Liberty Mutual Insurance, Fiserv, and Dean Health Systems, as well as smaller organizations. Clint focused on strategic and tactical recommendations that allow clients to realize immediate and long-term improvements. (March 16, 2005).

"Leveraging Technology in Manufacturing"
Greg Lake, The Lake Companies
This session will be devoted to manufacturing software and how it is evolving to shape the future of manufacturing. We'll discuss what attrition and consolidation has done to the software industry and who the major players are today. One example of new technology in manufacturing will be presented. You will see how it addresses such issues as lean manufacturing, shop floor execution, and how user personalization is being created in today's applications (February 16, 2005).

"How Data Features are Integrating with the Wireless Market"
Dan McTernan - McTernan Wireless
Dan introduced the data features of each carrier and compared the distinct package offerings they have to gain advantage in the market. He then provided examples of test and picture messaging, wireless web browsers, and third party java based applications (January 19, 2005).

"What's Happening in Sheboygan County"
Dee Olsen, Executive Director, Sheboygan County Chamber of Commerce
A review of the effect of recent major events within the county, the forecast and preparation for proposed major events, the current status of the local business arena, and the where people stand on local issues of importance. (December 8, 2004).

"Websphere/.Net/Java Tools"
Centare
In almost every instance, organizations will choose between WebSphere and .Net and with either choice be required to add Java Tools to the development platform they select.  We got the pro's and con's of each discipline along with recomendations on the best tool sets available (November 17, 2004).

"Voice and Video over IP"
Berbee Systems
Topics discussed were: the current level of the technology that is deliverable, implementation specifics, do's and dont's and the future of both technologies (October 20, 2004).

"Vulnerability Assessment Solutions"
Jim Heagney of Beyond-IP LLC
Topics discussed were: Intrusion Detection, Intrusion Prevention and Vulnerability Scanning of the Network (September 15, 2004).

"Information Technology in the NFL"
Wayne Wichlacz - IS Director, Green Bay Packers
Topics discussed were: On the field communications, Stadium communications, Week to week reporting requirements and Long term reporting (May 19, 2004).

"Virtual Private Networking"
Chris Austin - Aventail
Chris defined Virtual Private Networking and the components that are required to install, deploy, and manage a VPN. A major discussion point was the Secure Sockets Layer component in regards to its implementation, effectiveness, and effect on network performance. He also compared the VPN offerings that are available today (pros & cons) as well as project the future of VPN (April 21, 2004).

"RPG IV, A New Frontier"
Jim Oberholtzer - Computech Resources
This session concentrated on many of the new exciting things that IBM Toronto has provided in the iSeries programming environment. We took a tour of the new Websphere Development Studio Client V5R1, the new PDM/SEU. Next we discussed the many new features of RPG IV and why you should be using them. We also took a sneak peak at some of the new items arriving soon (March 19, 2004).

"High Priority Communications Technologies"
Tom Szews - Norlight Communications
Spam/Virus Scanning, Managed Security, and Web Conferencing. (February 18, 2004).

"Data Warehouse 101"
Chad Knutson, Advanced Computing Inc.
What is the definition of a data warehouse? What is the definition of a data mart? What are the steps required to determine the applicability of a data warehouse? What is the criteria to determine whether to build or buy a data warehouse? What are the key areas/benefits to consider when presenting an ROI to management? How do you develop a realistic implementation plan? How do you leverage your investment? (January 21, 2003).

"2004 PGA Championship"
Mike Belot, PGA Operations Manager
The effect on our community and the behind the scenes planning details of the 2004 PGA Championship hosted at Whistling Straights, August 9th through August 15th, 2004. Also featuring the Kohler High Madrigal Singers - "Sounds of the Christmas Season" (December 10, 2003).

"Internet Security"
Jim Beck - Patheon Consulting
The presentation will cover our three pronged approach to Internet Security, which includes Firewalls, Virus protection, and E-mail Gateways. Patheon Consulting specializes in building new, small to medium size business networks, upgrading existing networks, and providing full spectrum system service and maintenance. (November 19, 2003)

"Voice over IP"
Rocky Soper - CC&N
Why haven't you done it yet or why would you bother? Should I or shouldn't I? Who has the best strategy according to Gartner Group? Can I save money? Do I really have to replace everything? Trunk side, line side, tie side VOIP. What about the reliability 9's? What does my data network have to provide to ensure a successful implementation? Can this stuff use the data wireless? What is a personal communicator? (October 15, 2003)

"AITP Update"
Mark Gilfand, National AITP Director
Mark is the past Region 5 President and the person who spearheaded the development/implementation of the AITP Web Portal. He provided us with the current and future AITP direction, reviewed the benefits and goals of our organization and demonstrated the AITP Web Portal. (September 17, 2003).

"Application Development with Flash and SQL"
Mainline I.T.
The use of flash and database integration to develop Internet and intranet applications. (May 21, 2003).

"Service Level Agreements"
Ken Wendle - HP OpenView
How do your users measure your services today? Are service level agreements only for Fortune 500 companies? If I have SLA's in place, how can I be sure that they are measured correctly? Who should be involved in negiotiating service level agreements? What tools are available to manage SLA's? Ken addressed these questions and our direct questions in reference to SLA's (April 16, 2003).

"Business Intelligence is not an oxymoron"
Carl Salerno - Advanced Computing
Carl demonstrated the ability to access existing multiple data sources to quickly build queries and reports designed to "tell you something about the business that you do not know". The tools he used to do analytical processing are the Cognos Impromptu and Powerplay products. In addition he demonstrated a set of business applications based on the Cognos tools that interface general ledger packages with ERP systems financials that they designed for Caterpiller Corporation as well as software built to determine the profitability of the Caterpiller franchises. (March 19, 2003)

"Java vs. .Net"
David Zey, ZyQuest Inc.
How does an organization decide which one to choose or does it use both ? David provided a brief history of the two technologies and provide us with the basics of each platform. He then defined the terminology that is common between them and discuss similarities and differences. (February 19, 2003)

"The Importance of Training"
Business System Concepts
Often overlooked and undervalued, what is the return on investment within an organization, can it be measured, what training options are most popular and available. Also, to be discussed are the Key Elements of a Successful Training Program. (January 15, 2003).

"Behind the Scenes look at the Sheboygan Theater"
Bruce Browne, Director, Weill Center
Also featuring the Kohler High Madrigal Singers - "Sounds of the Christmas Season"(December 11, 2002).

"Implementing Voice over IP for a Business Advantage"
Kurt Jacobs, Director of Product Development, Sphere Communications
Converging voice, data, and business applications in the enterprise IP network is both a significant challenge and opportunity for organizations. Learn how technologists and business managers have overcome common challenges when moving to Voice over IP. Kurt will provide real world examples of organizational ROI and provide some generic formulas to use as a tool for making your technology decision. (November 20, 2002).

"Bandwidth Management"
Milan Urban - Regional VP, Packeteer
The ability to identify and solve application performance and bandwidth usage problems in order to deliver predictable, efficient performance for all applications running over a WAN (Wide Area Network) and Internet is high on IS managements wish list. Milan will discuss how to keep your critical traffic moving at an appropriate pace through bandwidth bottlenecks and prevent any single type of traffic monopolize the link. (October 16, 2002)

"Current Topics in Network Security"
Peyton Engel, Security Engineer, Berbee Systems
The objective was to provide a clear conceptual framework for working with network security. Beginning with the fundamentals of security architecture, and drawing on real-world examples, the discussion will cover common pitfalls, relevant technologies, and concepts such as inverted security and defense-in-depth security. The presentation was intended to cultivate a sound understanding of security best practices and is designed to be applicable regardless of the specific products in use on any given network (September 18, 2002)

"Getting Benefits from an ERP System"
Shane Judd, Kohler Company
Enterprise Resource Planning Systems, what are they comprised of, do they replace all of the current core application systems, what are the associated costs, migration issues, licensing issues, integration issues, and the potential benefits to the organization? How do the offerings compare between the major vendors (SAP - BAAN)? (May 15, 2002)

"Java - Where Do I Start?"
Cheri Duchrow, Schenck Technology
An experience procedural language (RPG - Cobol) programmer's perspective on how to move into the Object Oriented world of applications development. How much of the existing legacy code can be utilized, how much education is involved, do I need to learn a completely new set of development tools, how do I connect to existing data sources, will I be significantly more marketable as a programmer? (April 17, 2002)

"Content Management"
Jim Swentik, IBM
Content management is the next generation of data management, enabling organizations to collect, manage and distribute all forms of business information including financial statements, e-mails, audio and video images and link them to its core business processes. The META Group states, "By 2002, the ability to effectively manage business-critical content will be a recognized differentiator for businesses." (March 20, 2002).

"Wireless Internet"
Larry Weidig, Excel.Net
Larry discussed and addressed various questions and concerns that he has encountered regarding this service. Topics included: What is this and how does it work? How does it compare to cable and/or DSL? Will weather affect my connection? What does the equipment look like? Are there security concerns with this? He had a working wireless connection setup for you to experiment with and also answer any additional questions (February 20, 2002)

"Business Resumption Planning"
Les Spindler, CPSI
How long can your business remain in business following an unplanned outage due to a disaster? Do you have a detailed plan in place that identifies recovery procedures and required resources, is it continually updated, is it tested on a regular basis? Based on the current state of world events, this is becoming an area of increased concern for businesses (January 16, 2002).

"Festival of Trees"
Nancy Verstrate, Publicity Chairperson
Traditional community oriented theme for spouses night Christmas meeting. We learned how the Festival of Trees started, who benefits, how is it supported by the business community, and who are the organizers. In addition, we learned more about the Sheboygan Falls Mainstreet Program (December 12, 2001).

"Microsoft Windows XP"
Paul Hildebrandt, AE Business Systems
Topics included: Positioning of the product, Overview of the features/functions, Rollout (general availability), Comparison to Win/5X and Win/2000, Upgrade paths, Estimated costs (licensing & minimum hardware requirements), Training/certification (November 13, 2001).

"Application Development Environment for iSeries"
Gary Konicek, IBM Corporation
IBM has developed and continues to enhance a comprehensive set of tools and technologies for creating modern applications on IBM e-server iSeries. You can extend and enhance your current software investment to meet the challenging demands for the next generation of computing. This presentation addresses the application development environment and strategy for iSeries (AS/400). (October 17, 2001, Kimberly, Wisconsin)

"ASPs and MSPs"
Lyle Gray, eSolutions
ASPs and MSPs Lyle Gray, eSolutions There are many definitions being used to describe Application Service Providers and Managed Service Providers. For some it's applications on demand. For others it's management of networking gear. To Berbee, it doesn't matter what you call them, the key remains matching the business need to the technology solutions available. (October 17, 2001, Kimberly, Wisconsin)

"Packers Technology"
Wayne Wichlacz, Computer Services Director, Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers deploy many different technologies to support the football operations and administrative departments. Coaches, trainers, equipment managers, marketing and ProShop personnel, public relations, ticketing, accounting, and administrative users all use computers, systems, and technology to support their day-to-day functions, along with Game Day operations. This presentation will give a behind the scenes look at the technology systems that support the 12 time World Champions. (October 17, 2001, Kimberly, Wisconsin)

"The Importance of Messaging & Queing Systems"
Pete Williams, IBM Software Specialist
IBM's MQ-Series connects platforms (35 platforms supported to date) and allows companies with different servers to point to and communicate with one another with no changes in the software necessary. MQ-Series is "middleware" that communicates via SNA or TCP/IP and supports RPG, Cobol, C++, or Java. It consists of a family of 4 API's (Application Programming Interfaces) that send and get messages. It ensures that messares are delivered only once and verifies that the messages have been delivered even if the receiving program is inactive or unable to process the message immediately. This is an opportunity for you to learn about the transparent "Glue" that allows programmers with different programming skills to work together as well as unlike hardware systems to easily "talk to each other". (September 19, 2001)

"Application System Provider (ASP)"
Gary Lorge, Berbee Systems
Are you confused by the terms Application System Provider (ASP) and Managed Service Provider (MSP), are they in essence what we used to refer to as "outsourcing companies", if not what differentiates them? Why is ASP such a hot topic in the industry today? What are the business benefits of each? What kind of offering is E-Learning? Berbee has been a huge success story in the state of Wisconsin and now Minnesota.. who are the companies that have contributed to their success and why did they select Berbe? (May 16, 2001).

"NetWare vs. NT"
Novell representatives
We have had representatives from both Novell & Microsoft in the past promote their offerings. We have asked Novell to respond because they for many years were the "de facto standard" and are now the underdog. The trades fail to do the comparison in detail, the membership deserves and apples to apples comparison. (April 18, 2001)

"High Speed Internet Access Overview"
Monty D. Shaw, Global Crossings
Monty provided us with an industry overview on IP initiatives, defined and discussed high speed IP technology options, address fault tolerance, and the state of converging data and voice. Monty manages Global Crossing's sales engineering organization supporting multi-national sales efforts for the central United States. Prior to joining Global Crossing Ltd. five years ago he managed communication sales for World Com. (March 21, 2001)

"e- Business Demystified"
Lou Buell, Strategies & Solutions-LLC
Are you overwhelmed by the latest surge of products and announcements regarding e-business ? Do buzzwords like Domino, WebSphere Studio, JavaBeans, Java Servlets, JSP/EJB's or Host on Demand leave you scratching your head ? This presentation given at the National AITP Meetings will help you understand the tools, assist you in positioning them in your enterprise and explain how they can be leveraged with your existing (legacy) applications to not only make you a player in the e-business marketplace but a winner as well. (February 21, 2001)

"Network Security"
Chris Austin, Watchguard Corporation
How safe is my Network? What are the top security issues in our "open" communications world today, what are the hardware and software components available to implement a secure network? Where does the FireWall sit, when do I need to deploy encryption, should I consider a Virtual Private Network? These questions were answered by Chris as well as the questions you may have had concerning your organization as well. (January 17, 2001)

"Come and Celebrate Some Holiday Cheer"
James Schramm, Mayor, City of Sheboygan
Have you heard the popular phrase, "Whats Up?" Let the Mayor reply to that concerning our rapidly growing community. Bring your questions, your spouse (date) and bring your Holiday Spirit. (December 13, 2000)

"ADSL arrives in Sheboygan - Why should I be interested?"
Spencer Thomason, Delta Communications
What is ADSL? How much faster is it than ISDN? How expensive is it? How do I qualify for it? How long does it take to get it? (November 15, 2000)

"Why Run NT (or other operating system of choice) on the IBM Netfinity Series?"
Tom McNamara, IBM, Chicago
A week after IBM announced a new line of Netfinity processors, the Netfinity X-Series, Tom reviewed the significance of this timely announcement, and discussed in detail the benefits of the new series of processors that included best of breed availability, redundancy, and superior systems management capabilities. As more "production" applications are moved to the Local Area Network platform and function co-operatively with the AS/400 and RS/6000 legacy applications, IS professionals are making Netfinity a business requirement. (October 18, 2000)

"Neugents (Software That Can Think)"
Dave Maiwurm, Computer Associates
Neugents, CA's neural network-based technology, enable a new generation of intelligent solutions for eBusiness. Using advanced pattern recognition and neural network techniques, Neugents continually learn relationships and patterns in vast amounts of information, and apply the learned knowledge to detect changes and predict results. (September 20, 2000)

"AS/400 Dedicated Server for Domino"
Gary Marx, IBM
Lotus Domino for AS/400, announced in January of 1998 has achieved tremendous success in the marketplace. It offers rock-solid reliability that customers seek as their e-mail, collaborative, and Web-enabled applications become mission-critical, along with ease of management and a low total cost of ownership. Many customers and Business Partners asked IBM for the same characteristics for "pure" Domino environments. IBM's response is the yellow striped AS/400e (known as the "bumble bee") dedicated Domino server. (May 17, 2000)

"Web Application Serving"
Peter Stillmank - IBM
If you were hesitant to move towards e-Business solutions for your organization and getting internal pressure to do so or thought it would be nice if you could extend your business solutions (legacy applications) to the Web without having to re-build your IT infrastructure, then the answer is "Web Application Serving", a platform independent architecture with a rich tool set. This was your chance to learn about servlets, applets, and java beans and the mechanics of building e-Business solutions for your business. This was not a presentation on futures, over half of the world's web-based stock trades are handled by IBM's WebSphere today. (April 19, 2000)

"SANS (Storage Area Network Systems)"
Jay Strand, Compaq Computers
You are very familiar with LANS and WANS, but do you know what a SANS is? What are the many benefits of a SANS and should it be a consideration for your organization? Based on industry research, 3Com estimates that the SANS market will be $1.5 billion by 2002 with the hardware market alone estimated at $836 million by the end of 2000. With storage needs increasing at an estimated 30% annually and the popularity of thin clients with their limited storage capacity chances are you will be considering a Storage Area Network within the next year. (March 15, 2000)

"Linux"
Sean Berry, Chaney Systems Inc.
You have heard the industry buzz about the Linux operating system, what better than a "Linux 101" presentation followed by a question and answer session to give you the knowledge base you need. Sean's presentation defined Linux, compared it to other Unix flavors (Solaris - AIX - NT), listed the basic requirements (MHz - Memory - Disk Space), indicated where it can be obtained, discussed associated costs, discussed support and training issues, indicated available talent, noted where it fits best, reviewed initial and current Linux consulting projects, projected future applicability and market share. (February 16, 2000)

"Citrix Server Based Solutions"
Paul Fisher, IKON
Who would not welcome a solution that would allow you to make Windows based applications available to all users regardless of types of hardware, operating system platforms, network connections and LAN protocols. The Citrix solution allows organizations to deliver the same set of applications to virtually any client device, anywhere, with exceptional performance and at a lower total cost of ownership. Sounds too good to be true but it is not, the Citrix solution is endorsed by Microsoft and IBM and has an excellent track record. (January 19, 2000)

"Kohler High Singers with your favorite holiday songs"
Rhys Lewis, Executive Chef, Kohler Hospitality
Insight into the efforts and activities required to have such a variety of unique restaurants achieve national recognition. Menu composition, specialty items, most popular entrees, major event preparations, cooking contests, tips for at home. (December 9, 1999)

"Windows 2000"
Albert Thompson - Microsoft Corporation
The timing for this presentation was perfect, with general availability of Windows 2000 scheduled for February, 2000. Take an up close look at each of the Windows 2000 offerings: Windows 2000 Professional, Windows 2000 Server, Windows 2000 Advanced Server, Windows 2000 Datacenter Server What are the requirements for each offering, the migration issues, functional comparisons to Windows/95 and Windows/98, the cost differences, and the business benefits expected when moving to Microsoft's current technology offerings. Microsoft Corporation has added 20 million new lines of code to their "flagship" product line of the new Millenium, don't miss your chance to hear their story first hand and ask questions relevant to your organization, they value our feedback. (November 17, 1999)

"Communication Servers, is there one in your future"
Jeff Farmer, District Sales Manager, Interactive Intelligence
Jeff will discuss the ability to bring multimedia events into a call center. Interactive Intelligence is a leader in developing enterprise software that allows you to automate virtually every aspect of your business communications. When installed on a Windows NT server, their flagship product provides a single, integrated solution capable of processing telephone calls, e-mails, faxes, voice mail messages, and Internet chat sessions. Their solution can replace a variety of traditional devices such as PBX's, fax servers, call recorders, and CTI gateways. Have you been reading in the trades about "Unified Messaging"? come and see how it can now be not only talked about, but delivered. (October 20, 1999)

"Y2K - What Have I Missed"
Lou Buell, INSpire Insurance Solutions
Lou provided insight gained through one and one half years experience in establishing, implementing, and monitoring a corporate Y2K plan to ensure compliance for the parent, the licensed client base, and business partner alliance companies. The plan included the AS/400, RS/6000, and WinTel (Local Area Network) platforms in addition to services contracted for on Value Added Networks (Advantis - The Internet). (September 15, 1999)

"Voice Over IP"
Cisco Systems
With the mass move from SNA to IP due to the Internet "explosion", a majority of companies have been quick to install for Virtual Private Networks to take full advantage of the new low cost and easily accessable communications services. The net results can be more security, easier mobile access, and now the ability to not only use IP's data services, but also the "voice" capabilities of IP. Recent Cisco technology allows companies to use their existing phone systems over their IP networks. This represents another cost savings advantage and also makes maintenance (adds/changes/moves) much easier from a PC based console. A more timely topic within our industry would be hard to find. (May 19, 1999)

"Cognos' "business intelligence" tools"
Cognos Corporation
Bob Nahrstadt of Cognos Corporation discussed the February announcement of Cognos' "business intelligence" tools. The new industry term for "data warehouseing" is BI or Business Intelligence. We Learned how you can quickly implement a BI solution on a server platform to work in conjunction with your existing platform(s) and retain the strength of your legacy applications at a reasonable capital expenditure. (April 21, 1999)

"Lotus Domino/Notes"
Computech Resources
Computech Resouces did a presentation on the number one collaborative processing tool in the industry, Lotus Domino/Notes. What is Lotus Domino, what is Lotus Notes, what is a collabortive processing tool? We got the answers to these questions as well as the benefits of using this fast growing technology to achieve a competitive advantage. Several demonstrations enhanced the presentation and explictly showed the benefits available. (March 17, 1999)

"OS/400 V4R4"
Gary Marx - IBM
Gary Marx of IBM discussed OS/400 V4R4. This release of the AS/400 operating system puts this platform as far as functionality as a player not only in mid-range but now mainframe computing. The logical partitioning feature allows for multiple OS/400 virtual machines to operate side by side. This will provide greater availability (fall over), the ability to have test and production machines, and in the future the ability to have multiple levels of OS/400 operating simultaneously. Several other major features and multiple enhancements will also be described. The timing of this presentation was perfect. (February 17, 1999)

"Windows NT"
Scott Acker - A.E. Business Solutions
Have you ever wanted to get a good opinion about Windows NT in respect to Microsoft products and how it also can compare to other types of similar products. You can hear this from a independent source like Scott Acker from A. E. Business Solutions. (January 20, 1999)

"South High Singers with your favorite holiday songs"
Judith Berger - Discovery World Travel
Judith presented "Getting The Most For Your Travel Dollar" and "How To Pack Your Suitcase" (December 9, 1998, Spouses Night)

"Are You Ready For e-Business"
Doug Dubois - IBM
e-Business is a way of integrating your organization with the internet and allowing you to leverage your investments in existing business applications. It has the power to ransform entire industries and has created winners and losers. Doug discussed examples of winners and losers and how you can make e-business work for your organization. Doug manages IBM's e-Business Solution Unit in the central USA, as well as providing input into IBM's national e-Business segment. (November 18, 1998)

"Customer Service - A 5 Year Perspective"
Cathy Behnke - Lucent Technologies
Cathy defined "good customer service", and discussed ways to achieve it and maintain it. Her presentation featured CTI, Computer Telephony Integration. One of the hottest topics in the industry is referred to as convergence, the blending of voice and data. Cathy was instrumental in designing Caterpillar's world class Call Center that included CTI and desk-top video technologies. Cathy also did this presentation this Spring at the AITP Region Conference in Stevens Point, WI. Cathy is an Appleton, WI native and just completed her 30th year in our industry. Prior to joining Lucent Technologies, she was an AT&T National Account Sales Manager. (October 21, 1998)

"Novell - Netware 5.0"
Thor Madsen - Novell
Thor Madsen provided an overview of Novell 5.0 and Perry Roberts talked about and demonstrated the details of Netware 5.0. NetWare 5 is the #1 network for Internet-enabled businesses. NetWare 5 combines the maturity and reliability of the traditional NetWare network with the global reach and open standards of the Internet. Simply put, it lets you create a network based on Internet protocols, while leveraging your existing network investments. NetWare 5 includes an enhanced version of Novell Directory Services (NDS), bringing unequaled management, security and power to your network. NDS gives network users secure access to all authorized Network services with a single login and makes it possible to manage the network from a central location. NetWare 5's other features include centralized IP address Management based on open standard DNS and DHCP utilities, a revolutionary storage service (Novell Storage Services), the next generation print services (Novell Distributed Print Services), a new kernel providing memory management, an integrated web server from NetScape, Java development tools, and a free five-user Version of the world's leading database, Oracle8. (September 16, 1998)

"Imaging Solutions"
Ed Ruffolo - Strategies & Solutions
Ed Ruffolo provided an overview of Document Imaging. Included in the overview was the basic goals of a document imaging system, including the business problems that can be addressed with a document imaging system. The presentation also discussed the necessary hardware, software, and infrastructure components of the document imaging system. A preliminary cost/benefit outline was also provided. Finally, a live demonstration of a document imaging system, including COLD, was provided as part of the presentation. (May 20, 1998)

"Raptor (Eagle Firewalls)"
Austin Kyser - Electroline
Raptor Systems, Inc. the leader in enterprise network security solutions, with Eagle the industry's most advanced high performance firewall featuring industry leading VPN (Virtual Private Network) security. With this high levels of performance in combination with comprehensive content filtering, ease of use, and the scalability required for mobile users, puts Eagle in the top rank of enterprise firewalls. (April 15, 1998)

"Impromptu and Powerplay"
Bob Nahrstad - COGNOS
Bob presented the internet versions of Impromptu and Powerplay. Cognos is the only vendor to offer query and OLAP products for the WEB. Using business intelligence tools such as Impromptu, users can perform sophisticated queries that provide them with answers to their key business questions. The end result is greater productivity and improved decision-making through quick and easy information access. Now managers can experience these benefits from a simple browser interface-thanks to Impromptu Web Query. Using business intelligence tools such as PowerPlay, users can perform high-speed graphical navigation of multidimensional information that makes it easier for them to identify trends, gain new insights, and find answers to questions. The end result is greater productivity and improved decision-making through quick and easy information access. Now managers can experience these benefits from a simple browser interface-thanks to PowerPlay Server Web Edition. (March 18, 1998)

"Year 2000"
Jim Burnett - Allegiant Legacy Solutions
Definition of Year 2000 problem & scope was this issue. Also dealing with shortage in resources and ways to automate pieces. Exacta provides the people and methodology, and ALS provides the conversion software (Adapt/2000) tools. Dave is the original founder of DASD Corporation which he eventually sold to Cap Gemini in the mid 1980's, in other words one of the first to offer data processing consulting services in the state of Wisconsin (late 1960's). He is a real pioneer and extremely knowledgeable. (February 18, 1998)

"Multi-functional Office Machines"
Amy Perrault - Duplicating Systems
With an estimated two million multi-function products to be sold this year in the the U.S. this market is the fastest growth market in the office machine segment. The industry defines multi-functional products as any machine that combines two or more functions including copyingns including copying, printing, faxing, scanning and connectivity. With the new interconnected systems print jobs no longer need to be manually set up on a copier. Through advanced hardware and software releases information can be sent directly from a computer with instructions for faxing, copying, collating, and stapling This will be an opportunity to learn first hand about the new market. (January 21, 1998)

"North High Singers with your favorite holiday songs"
The creators of Packers.Com
Behind the scenes on how packers.com is put together (December 10, 1997, Spouses Night)

"AS/400e"
IBM
The most popular business computer in the world has been enhanced to such a degree that the name has actually changed, in August IBM announced a series of computers called the AS/400e series. The "e" stands for electronic commerce enabled. IBM discussed the new hardware, middleware, and software that comprised the announcement. The discussion included performance that was 18 months ahead of schedule, "tools" for the easy enablement of Internet Applications, an "in the box" firewall that is standard equipment, and the integration of collaborative software (Lotus Notes-Domino) into the operating system. (November 19, 1997)