Join the West Michigan Technology Association this Thursday, August 19 beginning at 11:45am for lunch and a discussion on Google Apps Cloud Computing.

The presentation will focus on cost savings and collaboration through the use of the various Google Applications.  Whether your business is considering moving to the cloud, just wants an affordable email solution, or struggles to give employees access to critical information from anywhere, Google Apps Best-In-Class Cloud Solution can help you address the issue.

This month’s Google Apps presentation is brought to you by Keith Torno, Rick Penn, Mike Sweany, and Marc Creviere of Maximize Technologies, LLC.  Maximize Technologies will also sponsor lunch at the event.  As always, the meeting will be held at ITT Technical Institute located at 1980 Metro Court SW in Wyoming, Michigan from 11:45am until 1:30pm.  First time guests and WMTA members may attend the meeting free of charge, while returning guests pay $15, or $5 for students.

To register for this event, please email rsvp@wmta.biz.  If you have questions, feel free to call Caitlin or Catherine at 616-717-5750.

As Vice President of the West Michigan Technology Association (WMTA), Catherine works very closely with the organization.  Below is more information regarding WMTA’s upcoming events covering topics of interest within the telecommunications field.

WMTA monthly meetings take place at ITT Technical Institute located at 1980 Metro Court SW in Wyoming, Michigan beginning at 11:45am and usually conclude around 1:30pm.  Registration is free for WMTA members with a $15 fee for guests and lunch is included.  If you are interested in attending any WMTA events, please contact Samantha at sgorton@symplicitycom.com.

We hope you can join us for these upcoming meetings.

April 15, 2010

Topic: Virtualization & the Eco-System of the Data Center

This presentation is going to talk about what virtualization is at the Compute, Network , and Storage levels. There may be small portions where we get really technical and geeky.

* Virtualization benefits

* Virtualization pitfalls to be aware of

* Some unique features that can make IT departments more agile

* Virtual Machine and Data Center portability

* Business Process aware virtualization

Speaker: Craig L. Chapman, MCPc

Craig started his IT career in 1995 assisting system admin at East Kentwood High School, setting up a state-of-the-art CAD lab during one of his course hours. After getting bitten by the “technology bug”, Craig worked at both customer end-user and VAR positions. Accenture, Northrop-Grumman, Trivalent Group, and MCPc to name a few. Craig’s focus is to assist businesses in virtualization acceptance and help them see the value of it’s implementation. Holding a large number of technical certifications and over 15 years experience, Craig looks to empower IT to understand its impact on the business user community that IT is asked to support and enhance.

May 20, 2010

Topic: Why cellular reporting and bill management is more critical than ever!

Speakers Steve and Catherine will present the latest software from Matsch that puts cellular reporting at the fingertips of the users.  Finally, an easy solution to managing hundreds, and even thousands of cellular phones.  The latest from Sprint, Verizon and AT&T will be discussed.

Speakers: Steve Schafer, Matsch Systems and Catherine Lazarock, Symplicity Communications, Inc.

Symplicity is very excited to be participating in the upcoming WMTA meeting.  The topic is an important one for anyone in the technology field and we could not have found a better speaker.  Check out this exciting event!

CLOUD COMPUTING – Keeping up on changing technologies

Presented by: Jim VanderMey, Chief Technology Officer,

Open Systems Technologies, Inc. (www.ostusa.com)

The West Michigan Technology Association (WMTA) presents the latest in technology on August 20, 2009 at ITT Technical Institute. If you are a professional in the technology field, this is a “do not miss” event. This month’s meeting will focus on Cloud Computing which is creating quite a buzz in industry publications and at tradeshow events. WMTA is thrilled to welcome internationally renowned speaker, Jim VanderMey, Chief Technology Officer at Open System Technologies, Inc.[SinglePic not found]

Jim has served as VP of Technical Operations for OST since the very beginning. He is a technology visionary who sets the long and short-term direction for OST. He specializes in seeing the “big picture” of technology, the computer industry, and the business objectives supported by IT. As OST has gained an international reputation, Jim has taught and spoken at conferences in Europe, Japan, and throughout the US.

Jim attended the Grand Rapids School of Bible and Music as a pastoral ministries major, and went on to manage large scale applications running on UNIX and Windows for healthcare, manufacturing, and insurance industries. He has served as a consultant to many large organizations such as Herman Miller, Boeing, Priority Health, Magna-Donnelly Corporation, Hewlett Packard, Komatsu, Alticor, Navistar (International Truck), the US Navy, Mercedes, Targus, and Bio-Rad. Jim has senior level skills in Informix, Oracle, Baan Tools, HP-UX, AIX, high-availability clustering, SAN design and implementation, systems architecture and design, and the application of ERP to the manufacturing environment. He holds many active industry certifications including the HP Master Accredited System Engineer in High Availability and Storage, SNIA Certified Architect (Level 3), and Certified System Administrator for HP-UX and AIX

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This event will take place at ITT Technical Institute located at 1980 Metro Court SW in Wyoming, Michigan from 11:45am through 1:30pm. Lunch will be sponsored by OST and is included in the price of attendance. As a member or first time guest of WMTA, the meeting will be free of charge. If you are a guest that has attended a meeting prior to this event, the cost will be $15. To RSVP for this “do not miss” experience please email sgorton@symplicitycom.com. You can also visit the WMTA website at www.wmta.biz for more information.

About West Michigan Technology Association (WMTA)

The West Michigan Technology Association (WMTA) is an organization of professionals working in the telecommunications (voice, data and video) arena.  Monthly meetings include presentations on current issues and future trends in our industry. The presentations cover a wide range of topics, from legislative and regulatory changes, to demonstrations of the latest in voice, data and video communications.  There are opportunities to share technical knowledge and experiences; assist others with telecommunication and data network problem solving; and discuss the challenges we face in our rapidly changing industry.  The atmosphere is open and informal.  The WMTA benefits both our employers and ourselves, as we develop our professional skills. All members are asked to keep in confidence the information shared to avoid conflicts among the various organizations represented at our meetings.

Regular meetings are held on the THIRD THURSDAY of each month except in July and November, when no meetings are scheduled due to summer and Thanksgiving.  In place of our regular meeting in June we have a golf outing and in December we have a special holiday meeting.

You are invited to attend our next meeting to explore the possibility of becoming a member of our informative and enjoyable group! Visit the Current Events Calendar for complete details of upcoming events.  Also download the Membership Registration / Application for information on becoming a member.

For additional information, please contact:

Catherine Lazarock, President

Symplicity Communications, Inc.

250 Monroe Avenue, NW, Suite 400

Grand Rapids, Michigan 49503

616-717-5750 – Office

catherine@wmta.biz