Exchange Connections reflections

Thanks to everyone from the Connections conferences. The Exchange Connections conference closed on Thursday of last week (well, Friday if you count the post conference sessions). It was a great conference and refreshingly nice to have the developer conferences (SQL Connections, ASP.NET Connections, VB Connections) rolled in with us systems folks. I learned a lot of new things that I would not have learned without those folks around. It was nice seeing a lot of people I have met at previous conferences, too.

For folks that attended my sessions and want my slide decks, here are the session's PowerPoint files.

Full-Day Session: Security For Exchange: Assessment, Auditing, and Hardening
75 Minute Session: Achieving Higher Availability Without Clustering

The sessions were good. David Lemson (a program manager from Microsoft) gave a few good talks on Exchange 2007, which everyone is clamouring to find out more about. I had lunch one day with two Exchange guys from Boeing. It is always good to hear how companies like Boeing are using the technology. Plus, it pays to know people at Boeing when I get ready to buy a new 787 Dreamliner. You never know who is going to help you get a good discount.

Las Vegas was entertaining, as usual. I am continually amazed at the designs of the casinos and how they attempt to "trap" you once you are inside. I take it as a challenge to figure out how to get out. Not being a gambler, the slots and tables hold no draw for me.

I was in Vegas from Sunday through Saturday, which is a long time to be in Las Vegas! I did take in two shows while I was there. I saw the Cirque du Soleil show "O" at the Bellagio. It was beyond cool. It is worth it just to go and watch the sets! On Friday night some friends and I went to see Phantom of the Opera at the Venetian. I had seen it several years before in San Francisco, but it was still entertaining.


As usual, Vegas has a big shortage of taxi cabs. I was always surprised at the lenghts of the lines waiting for taxis. I used the Mandalay Bay tramway and the new Las Vegas monorail to get back and forth. Plus good old fashion shoe leather.

Hopefully I will see everyone again at Connections either in the spring or fall.