I’ve been a part of the EUC community since the beginning and I’ve seen it grow into something more than just about technology. People coming together to support and help others in ways I don’t think any one of us could have foreseen about 20 years ago. This community is special and I am extremely proud to be part of it.

As such, I want to renew my commitment to the community. What does this mean? First, I am going to try to attend more events during 2020. I’m already committed to the EUC Masters Retreat and E2EVC Madrid. In my opinion, these are two premier events because both are grass root efforts started by members of the community. If you have never been to either, you owe it to yourself to attend at least one. I plan on hitting users groups and other events as often as I can.

Second, as I hit these events, I’m pushing for speaking slots. Not necessarily about IGEL but about trends, observations, opinions, etc. I’m in a very neutral position right now where I can give honest opinions on most anything. I don’t know about you but that can be hard to find these days. You can count on me to be honest and truthful when I speak, blog or whatever. And it doesn’t have to be a physical event, it could webinars, podcasts or really anything.

Also, I have over 25 years of experience in EUC and technology in general. I’ve seen things come, I’ve seen things go and I’ve seen things just stick around for good or ill. I’d love to pass some of that along.

Third, you’ll see more blogs and more interaction in various places like twitter and other platforms.

Fourth, I’m trying to find an angle on developing a podcast. I really don’t want to “compete” with the other great ones already there. This is definitely a work in progress thought. I’m open to suggestions on this 🙂

Last but not least is a project myself and Matt Allen have been working on. I talked about it a bit on twitter and even tried a poll to see if there was interest. There is definite interest in this subject. The subject being ‘becoming a successful Sales Engineer’. I’ve found that companies and people tend to look at this position in the wrong way. They almost always approach it from a technical perspective but in reality it’s very much a sales position and required good oral and written communication skills. Let’s be honest, as techies that can be very difficult. What good is a Sales Engineer if they know the product inside and out but cannot communicate that information in a way that is relevant? This may be a webinar we do, it may be an in person thing, it may be both. At this point, we aren’t 100% sure but it will be coming.

What is the kicker in all of this? As of this writing, I’m doing all of this on my own dime. I have no problem with that but it does put an onus on hitting the right events. This also unfortunately means you may not see me at Synergy or VMworld or the really big shows unless invited by a sponsor or the company putting on the event.

If your group would like me to attend and/or speak at an event, I’d love to be there and I’d love to give my unique insight into what is happening today and what I see happening in the foreseeable future.

I am also look to collaborate with others on various projects. If there is something, you’d like help with or simply want to talk over or whatever, reach out. I’d love to help.

In summary, expect to see more of me in 2020. I’m really looking forward to next year and meeting everyone I can. This community is second to none and I look forward to what the year brings.