Looking for an opportunity to get together and discuss Enterprise IT topics? You’re in luck! The Minnesota Enterprise Technology Group has recently formed to discuss Enterprise IT and technology topics in a OEM-neutral environment on a quarterly basis.

The topic for the next meeting is cloud computing. The discussion will be focused on the opportunity for corporate IT users to utilize the cloud in real and new ways. They’ll also talk about what’s merely vapor… ie. what has been in existence for years, but now is being re-labeled as “cloud”.

Johnny Hatch with VISI will be there to talk about the advent of cloud computing, demo the ReliaCloud cloud computing platform and discuss the cloud marketplace.

You can still register online if you’re interested in attending the METUG meeting on February 18th.

This weekend I had the pleasure of attending the first-ever ProductCamp Minnesota.  Over 100 folks showed up at the Mall of America on a cold Satuday morning to learn from, teach to, and network with professionals involved in Product Management, Marketing, and Development within Minnesota. 

While at the event I met Jeff Pesek, the co-founder of Tech{dot}MN.  If you haven’t heard of Tech.MN, don’t feel bad - I hadn’t either.  They’re a relatively new organization focused on providing Minnesota’s high tech startup community with “local, relevant and timely news” as it relates to early stage Minnesota tech ventures.  What excited me most about my conversation with Jeff was that they plan on simulcasting the MinneDemo event being held on February 5th.

What is MinneDemo?  MinneDemo is one of the best tech events in town!  A couple hundred technology and design folks will gather to show off new software applications that they’ve created.   Each of the ten individuals selected to present with have 7 minutes to show off their stuff.  There is only one rule — no PowerPoint allowed!  This year VISI will be there to demo ReliaCloud — a cloud computing platform that allows people to create scalable computing infrastructure on demand.

The MinneDemo event sold out already.  But, there is still room at the MinneDemo Annex for those that were unable to get tickets.  And of course, you can always stay home and watch the demos live by tuning into Tech.MN at 6:30pm on February 5th. 

Yesterday, VISI took part in the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math Summit hosted by the TwinWest Chamber of Commerce. Over 150 middle schoolers from three different school districts eagerly listened and asked questions as VISI employees showed students the inside of a server. The purpose of the Summit was to help draw a connection between what the students are learning in school and how it can translate into a fun and interesting career.

More information on the Summit as well as a video from Kare 11 are available here.

We appreciate everybody who attended today’s webinar on Virtual Dedicated Servers. If you were unable to make it or would like to share it with your coworkers, you can find it in our webinar archive.

For a quick review of the presentation, you can also download a PDF of the slides.

Other upcoming events include the TwinWest STEM Summit, a free breakfast seminar entitled “Security and Reliability in the Cloud”,  and Business & Economic Outlook 2010. You can view details on these events at our events page.

Wishing you all a happy and prosperous New Year! 2009 proved to be a great year for VISI, and hopefully for all of you as well. Last year, virtualization technologies became more mainstream. Join me as I lead our first webinar of 2010 and take a closer look at the benefits you can gain from virtualization.  During this presentation we will lay out three real-life scenarios of companies who chose VISI’s virtual dedicated server (based on VMware technology) over physical equipment.  Come and see if you can identify with our personas and use cases so that you might be better equipped in your decision-making process toward a hosting solution. Register online at https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/911641843.