In my last post, Geek Speak Live Synergy 2009 - Topics Voting Tool User Accounts
I showed you how to create a user account and login to the Topics Voting Tool.
This time I'm going to show you a little more about the interface for the tool.

Note: Anyone can search and browse through the topics, you do not have to be logged in for that.

But once you are logged in you will be able to add topics, watch topics, and add comments.

Click here to go to the Geek Speak Topics Voting Tool: http://www.citrixsynergy.com/topics.php

Search Topics

The Search Topics box will search for key words in current topics

Add Topic

The Add Topic button is used to create or suggest a topic

Topic Category

The Topic Category dropdown will filter by topic category

Topic Status

The Topics Status dropdown will filter by topic status

Popular Topics

The Popular Topics tab is sorted by top votes

Recent Topics

The Recent Topics tab is sorted by most recent

Watch Topics

The Watch Topics tab is a list of topics you choose to watch

My Topics

The My Topics tab is a list of topics you have submitted

My Comments

The My Comments tab is a list of topics you have commented on

Add Comment

The Add Comment dialog box where you add a comment to a topic

One of the great things we are doing with the Topic Voting Tool is to allow for anyone to be able to participate in on what topics most interest them or are important to them. You do not have to be attending Citrix Synergy to participate. You just need to create an account for the voting tool. If you are attending Citrix Synergy, you will still need to create an account, as this is a separate tool and is not incorporated into the registration process. You can begin by choosing to vote or not to vote, it's up to you. You can also give feedback on a topic to maybe give it more focus, or to make it have a broader scope, the choice is yours. Here are some simple steps to begin the voting or commenting:

Click here to go to the Geek Speak Topics Voting Tool: http://www.citrixsynergy.com/topics.php


The first step is to either Signup or Login:

If you don't have an account click on Signup:

If you do have an account click on Login:

If you are using Internet Explorer 8 and you see this:

In IE8 click on Compatibility Mode button:

The Geek Speak Live! Session Topics Voting Tool is now available.

http://www.citrixsynergy.com/topics.php

With the topic voting tool you can vote on all existing topic ideas or even suggest new ones. The idea behind the tool is to have a list of topics that can be used as a Geek Speak Session that was conceived and promoted by you the attendees. The whole premise behind Geek Speak is to allow everyone to have a voice and to hear from others on topics that are most important to you and your peers. In Geek Speak fashion the tool will allow for you give a vote of liking on a scale of 1,2, or 3, with 3 being I like it a lot!

To be able to vote or suggest a topic, you will need to have an account.
You do not have to be attending the event to participate in topic voting tool,
Nor do you have to be registered to attend the synergy event for you to be able to participate
It's easy to get started, when you go to click to vote, you will be prompted to login
This is where you can create an account for the topic tool,
Once again you do not need to register for the event!

We would love to hear from you on the current topics, and maybe even on some new ones,
Click the link below to access the tool and start casting your votes!

http://www.citrixsynergy.com/topics.php

The landing page for Geek Speak Live Synergy 2009 is now available on the Citrix Developer Network.
The page is meant to be a focus point for the aggregation of all the different components for Geek Speak Live at Synergy 2009. You can now see the complete list of speakers and sessions listed here by session type and session scheduling time.

http://community.citrix.com/display/cdn/Geek+Speak+Live+Synergy+2009

Yes, we still have the main page on the Citrix Synergy site,
http://www.citrixsynergy.com/geek_speak_live.php

And there is still the main schedule on the Citrix Synergy site,
http://www.citrixsynergy.com/about.php?id=8

While the schedule on the Citrix Synergy site is complete, schedules can sometimes be a little overwhelming, and by having this dedicated site in the CDN, it will allow us to give focus on Geek Speak as opposed to the whole Synergy event. Synergy is an incredible event, and sometimes you just need to digest events in pieces. By having a place where we can add information about Geek Speak, and give you an opportunity to give feedback, comments, or suggestions; we hope to make your Geek Speak Experience even better.

In my last post I told you about the breakout session on Workflow Studio I will be doing and I hope to see you there:
http://community.citrix.com/x/FYG1Aw

If you are coming to Synergy I will also be hosting a Learning Lab on Workflow Studio and Citrix Receiver. The Learning Lab format gives us 3 hours to dive into the details, so if you want to learn more about building workflows to orchestrate the Delivery Center - sign up now!

Here are the details:
Title: Hands-on with the Citrix Delivery Center - featuring Workflow Studio orchestration and Citrix Receiver
Session Number: iForumLL706
Track(s): Learning Labs
Room: Premier Ballroom 306

This workshop provides attendees a chance to get hands-on experience with Receiver and Workflow Studio in a Citrix Delivery Center environment. Attendees will gain a deeper understanding for the architecture of these products and best practices for deploying them. Attendees will learn how to create and configure workflows that orchestrate functionality like power management, user provisioning, dynamic resource allocation, disaster recovery and product automation. Attendees will also learn how to configure the Receiver and leverage it to easily provide user access to applications and desktops—simplifying client management for IT.

Prerequisites:
Basic understanding of Citrix XenApp, Citrix NetScaler and Windows administration.
Students are required to bring their own laptops.

This session is held:
• Tuesday, May 5 at 11:30 a.m.
• Tuesday, May 5 at 3:00 p.m
• Wednesday, May 6 at 11:30 a.m.
• Wednesday, May 6 at 3:00 p.m.

 
We're going to have another exciting round of Geek Speak Live! at this year's Synergy! As many of you know, Geek Speak is a series of informal discussions led by technically minded folks about topics that interest us all; for example, "TS vs. VDI" and "IT in the Cloud." This year we have four different session formats planned: a Geek Speak day session track, Geek Speakeasy sessions during Expo Hall, Geek Speak Tonight!, and a Geek Speak Happy Hour.

For details about the different session formats, check out http://www.citrixsynergy.com/geekspeaklive

We've got several Citrix Technology Professionals (CTPs) and other industry experts lined up on the agenda to do what they do best...lead interesting discussions! Speakers include:

- Alex Danilychev  
- Bernhard Tritsch  
- Brandon Shell
- Brian Madden  
- Charles Aunger
- Gabe Knuth 
- Gus Pinto
- Jason Conger  
- Jeroen van de Kamp  
- Joe Shonk
- Michael Keen
- Rich Crusco
- Rick Dehlinger  
- Ruben Spruijt  
- Shawn Bass  
- Steve Greenberg
...and more!

And this time, we're going to have the Citrix CTOs mixing it up even more with the CTPs. The following CTOs are planning their GSL sessions as we speak:

- Abolfazl Sirjani
- Brad Pedersen
- Chris Fleck
- Ian Pratt
- Jason Lieblich  
- Kurt Roemer  
- Martin Duursma
- Michael Harries
- Simon Crosby  

You can vote on your favorite session topics and suggest new ones through our Geek Speak Live Topic Voting Tool. Just log onto the site to cast your votes!

We will also have sponsor sessions taking place at the Geek Speakeasy. These sessions will be led by:

- Microsoft
- HP
- Dell
- Intel
- NetApp
- Wyse
- Stratus
- AppSense
- IGEL
- Symantec
...and more!

We'll be posting more details about the Geek Speak session speakers, topics, and schedule soon, so please stay tuned to the Citrix Community and Synergy sites to find out the latest. Note that speaker and session details may be subject to change prior to the event.

Be there -and- be square! Hope to see you at this year's event.

Laura Whalen

Citrix Systems, Inc.

Citrix: Get Smart

Welcome to Citrix Summit 2009 - May 3rd & 4th, 2009

The premier training conference designed exclusively for Citrix partners.

Citrix Summit is the place for Citrix partners to start learning about the latest and greatest products and technologies for application delivery infrastructure. Here, during 2 days of non-stop educational and networking activities, you'll strengthen your solution selling skills so you can expand beyond point products into comprehensive application delivery solutions.

Plus, you'll find out how to increase your services business around Citrix solutions for larger revenue streams. And by learning about the Citrix Delivery Center portfolio of desktop and server virtualization solutions, applications, and many supporting products, you'll have the knowledge and confidence to better advise your customers on the best approach for solving their IT challenges.

Summit is a must-attend event for Citrix partners, especially if your customers are:

• Interested in desktop virtualization
• Looking for smarter ways to deliver applications
• Turning to you as their trusted advisor on application delivery infrastructure

Click Here for more information and to register.

There are a lot of things to do in Vegas, such as seeing a show, riding a roller coaster and of course, becoming a high roller; however, none of them come with a guarantee that you will go home with something more valuable than you arrived with. At Citrix Synergy, not only will you leave with new and/or renewed connections with other professionals in the industry and at Citrix, but you will leave with knowledge that will deliver more value to your company and to you as an individual.

Sure, there are multiple valuable conferences within a conference at Synergy (iForum, Network World Live! and Virtualization Congress) but my personal favorite is GeekSpeak Live!  If you haven't seen or attended a GeekSpeak session (examples Shawn at Synergy  and Michael with GeekSpeak Roadtrip!) , you need to check this out. These sessions are where true unfiltered technical interactive discussions occur, many sessions are led by Citrix CTPs such as Charles Aunger , Ruben Spruijt  & Jeroen van de Camp, and Brian Madden and many more, but you also have the ability to lead and/or change a discussion topic on the fly.

This year we have expanded GeekSpeak Live to not only include our traditional evening sessions, but we also have the GeekSpeak SpeakEasy sessions on the exhibit floor and we have woven GeekSpeak session through the traditional conference tracks as well.

As we get closer and closer to Citrix Synergy, I will be posting more information about our GeekSpeak sessions and presenters. Please feel free to leave a comment on this blog, check out the GeekSpeak forum or drop me an email if you are interested in a topic or being a GeekSpeak session lead.

Before I go, I wanted to share a discussion I had with a Citrix Synergy attendee. The discussion started regarding the GeekSpeak session, but quickly transitioned to "I am planning to attend, but my boss/finance team is really leery of spending on technology conferences (especially in Vegas), given the negative press that AIG and others in the industry have gotten regarding conferences. Do you have any advice for me?"

We at Citrix are completely aware budget constraints and have pulled together some information on the topic for you. The fact is that from a cost perspective, Vegas is a value compared to other cities hosting technology events Vegas is 20%-60% cheaper from an attendee perspective. With the data we provided, she was able to assure her management that Citrix Synergy was not a boondoggle!

I look forward to seeing you at Citrix Synergy and Geekspeak Live! , perhaps the one time that "What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas" isn't true!

I will be speaking about Workflow Studio at the upcoming Citrix Synergy event. Come by and here about what is coming next with Workflow Studio and if you have ideas for things you want covered, post them here or email me.

Here are the details:

Title: Go with the flow - Workflow Studio simplifies IT management and reduces costs
Session Number: iForum207
Track(s): iForum
Date / Time: May 7, 10:00 am - 10:50 am
Room: Premier Ballroom 310

According to industry analysts, 80 percent of unplanned downtime is due to "people failures" and 80 percent of IT budgets are spent just keeping the business running. Citrix Delivery Center simplifies IT by eliminating manual processes that are labor intensive and error prone with Workflow Studio, a process automation solution that enables you to compose, integrate and orchestrate rule-based workflows across your IT infrastructure. Power management, dynamic resource allocation and disaster recovery are just a few of the solutions that can be automated using Workflow Studio. Go with the flow and turn your IT infrastructure into a dynamic delivery center.

In this session you will learn:
• What Workflow Studio is and how it works
• How to build workflows that reduce power usage and maximize server utilization
• How to integrate Workflow Studio with your management systems

Let the games begin...before you even get to Las Vegas!

Register for Citrix Synergy before April 24 for seven chances to win self-paced online training from Citrix Education valued at $2,000!*  Simply indicate your desire to enter the Lucky 7 drawing under the Options section of your event registration form and qualify when you complete Synergy registration.

This newly-released delivery format allows users to benefit from the cost savings and convenience of training from the comfort of home or office.  Featuring a robust technical curriculum and 30 days of unlimited lab access time, self-paced online training equips learners with the skills and hands-on experience to master their Citrix solution.

Winners will be posted at the Citrix Education booth during tradeshow hours.  Visit the booth to find out if you are one of the Lucky 7!

Register Now

Already registered for Synergy?
Access your My Synergy account to update your event profile and enter to win.

*Please see terms and conditions for eligibility.

We are always looking for idea's to improve our Citrix events. Some of the past feedback we have received is to step-up the technical content and include more unscripted and unfiltered opinions and dialog. At Synergy 2008 we introduced GeekSpeak which was very well received as indicated by the feedback and standing room only crowds. At Synergy 2009 you can expect even more technical content plus more GeekSpeak sessions. In addition as many iForum/Summit/Synergy attendees know. Citrix usually includes a concluding session that could be a brand name comedian ( Dana Carvey - Synergy 2008) or an Athlete with a story ( Lance Armstrong - Summit 2008 ) or other memorable entertainer.
 
In keeping with listening to the community and even better engaging with some of the innovators of social media we thought it might be interesting to have Kevin Rose and Alex Albright host an episode of Diggnation at Synergy 2009. As you may know Kevin is the founder of Digg and an expert at developing a community. If you're not familiar with the show check it out at Diggnation.com ( it's about as unscripted and unfiltered you can get ...  ). If you are a fan of Digg this might be your chance to watch an episode first hand and maybe hang out with Kevin and Alex afterwards with some beers at our closing party. If you're not a fan of Diggnation and would rather we look for other entertainment we would like to hear that as well. As always, suggestions and comments welcome.
 

Do you Digg the idea of Diggnation at Synergy ?	Choose
2 Thumbs up, I want to see Kevin and Alex at Synergy in Vegas !
Keep looking ...

Citrix Hands-on Technical Workshops are also being made available with on demand streaming video. The very popular Citrix Hands-on Technical Workshops allow you to Learn step-by-step from the product experts how to navigate through the features and capabilities of Citrix's portfolio of products, and there all now being made available on demand!

Continue to Synergy on Demand

iForum Track breakout sessions from this year's Citrix Synergy conference are being made available to you. That's right, if you missed out on attending the Synergy event in Houston, don't despair, because Citrix will be offering access to the content with on demand streaming video. This year's breakout sessions offer detailed technical content, best practices, demos and helpful tips on Citrix products as well as information you need to optimize and enhance your existing environment.

Continue to Synergy on Demand

Synergy 2008 was a great event, and I wanted to introduce you to a group of people, among the many other people, who have done their part in making all the magic happen at Synergy. They have been the crew year after year that have made all of our events possible. Missing this year was Donnie Page, but he had the best excuse, something about his wife having a child or something, congratulations to you and your family, which now includes a new baby girl, we missed you. I was in awe at how organized this team was and how quickly they went about getting everything setup, not to mention the long hours. Thank you all for the great job well done, and please help me add anyone to the list that I may have missed, you guys rock!

Brian Miller
Fabian Wright
Doug DeLucca
Greg Sanders
Ray Stanton
Jesse Lazcano
Riley Cooper
Chris Schultz
Mike Delaguardia
Brian Moss
Mike Rossi
Mike Morris
Cory Ohm
Kpayah Tamba
Allen Furmanski
Pedro Llugano
Jose Rios
David Moxey

Here are a couple of photos I took during a well deserved night out for dinner:

Synergy 2008 turned out to be an incredible event, it was an Expo, an iForum, IT 2.0 , and it was Geek Speak Live all in one. I had my reservations at first, as I really didn't like the idea of moving it from October to May, which in my point of view, put it in the same time slot as so many other events. I knew that this had the possibility of making people having to choose which event to go to during this time. I would like to thank all of you that were able to attend, and I hope that it was all that you expected and more.

Here are some photos I took during the first day registration:

Citrix has grown its position in the industry and in the community, we hope to hear from you, as we would like to know how we can make things even better, please let us how we can make Citrix and our involvement go to places never thought possible.

Thanks for attending and we hope to see you next year!

On behalf of the Synergy Underground team, we would like to thank you all for tuning in and watching.
We hope that we have given you a uncensored glimpse into the goings on at a Citrix Event,
and what better event to kick it off with other than at this years Synergy!

Please say hello to the Synergy Underground team:

John Fanelli
James Rabey
Chris Fleck
Barry Flanagan
Vishal Ganerwiala
Adam Marano
Sunil Kumar
Gus Pinto
Rich Crusco

We would like to take this Underground idea to the next level, so please feel free to let us know what we can do to make it even better. What did you like, what didn't you like, what should we have done, what shouldn't we have done, or just what ever you think.

Thanks again and stay tuned for more!

Continue to the synergy underground:
http://community.citrix.com/underground/

"Here's to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently. They're not fond of rules. And they have no respect for the status quo. You can praise them or glorify them. About the only thing you can't do is ignore them. Because they change things."

The text above wasn't quite written by me, it shipped with my new Mac, if you have one, open finder and take a closer look at TextEdit's icon.

Although the thought above wasn't written by me, it reflects exactly how I feel today.

• Geek Speak

An experiment, that is sure enough in its infancy. Although for years censorship surrounded the hallways of Citrix now we have a direct channel to allow our customers, partners, employees and most passionate geeks to speak up - speak whatever they want good or bad.
The ability of criticize or praise is within everyone's heart, however those speak their minds open the path for those who listen, and smart ones take advantage to improve when the road of improvement is presented.
I could make my above statement easier if removed the metaphors and simply say. We are open to hear from everyone our greatness and weakness - now more than ever we are open to act upon it and make the wrong, right.
Thanks for all those who helped us put together Geek Speak, for helping make it a naked conversation with our most important audience.
We will shape Geek Speak based on things we've learned, expect to see us rattling the cages in Vegas next year.

• Synergy Underground

Another learning curve for both our team and Citrix, over 17,000 views in 3 days, 190 updates on our twitter feed, tons of live shots on Qik, over 70 veedios.
More than numbers Underground was a concept, the concept of change - no agendas, no holds bar format. Go out there be yourself show people what you see, give you very own view of the conference, while helping those outside to share the same experience.
We put together this little site together in two days, next time we will spend more cycles creating a more unique experience, more information, better formatting, more contributors and heck of a lot more fun!
If there's anything I highly regret is not being able to cover breakout sessions and keynotes, but since this Synergy is behind us, I won't spend my time in sorrow, instead I will make sure we focus and deliver what our visitors have asked us.

• In Sum

I can't thank everyone enough for putting their time and effort on pulling off Geek Speak and Underground. If you want to know the ones I'm actually speaking of, here they are: Adam Marano, Barry Flanagan, Chris Fleck, Vishal Ganeriwala, Sunil Kumar, John Fanelli, James Rabey, Myself and Rich Crusco.

Learned from our audience: Less PPTs showing how our products work and more Demos of them in action during Breakout sessions, Let's always give out our do's and don'ts when it comes down to showing the capabilities of our products.

This was an event like no one I've been before, it started a revolution and will continue to do so during our next years to come.

See you all in Vegas.

Cheers,
Gus Pinto

It was great to see all of the many people that came to Geek Speek Live, and it was even more incredible to see that it turned out to be a standing room only event! Not that I didn't want everyont to have a seat, of which we apologize to you for underestimating the amount of people who would be attending. We knew that there was a need and demand for people to have a voice and dialog with Citrix community, but who would have guessed that it was going to be this big

Here are some photos I took on day 1 of Geek Speak Live

I want to thank everyone who was involved in Geek Speak Live, the people who envisioned it, the people who helped make it a reality, the people who set it up, the speakers, the sponser (Intel), and of course the attendees.

We look forward to any and all feedback you have to making this and even more impressive event, so please, if you have any ideas or feedback please let us know how we can make it even better.

Thank You All!

Here is your chance to preregister for Citrix Synergy 2009 in May 2009, Las Vegas

If you can only attend one conference this year, Synergy, the event where virtualization, networking and application delivery meet, is your best choice. Synergy combines multiple events to provide a holistic view of today's hottest technologies, along with the business and technological savvy you need to succeed in challenging times.

Continue to Citrix Synergy 2009 Pre-Registration: http://www.citrixsynergy.com/about.php?id=5

Overview | Where virtualization, networking and application delivery meet

Synergy 2009 has been completely reconceived as the industry's premier thought leadership event where virtualization, networking and application delivery meet. While other conferences provide broad topics of general interest to attract as many attendees as possible, Synergy remains tightly focused on virtualization, networking and application delivery, and will provide you with the steps you can take today to enable a simpler and more cost efficient computing environment for your company.

Synergy will enable you to break away from the cost and complexity of distributed computing. By making application delivery a strategic priority, you can lower TCO, improve business processes and respond to market forces with greater agility. You'll increase your skills and bring back new ideas and solutions that will enhance IT's strategic importance to your organization.

Overview | Conference Highlights

In addition to being the best event to expand your knowledge and skills regarding application delivery, networking and virtualization, Synergy is also a great place to find out what other organizations, industry experts, vendors and opinion leaders are doing. Synergy provides many opportunities to network, exchange ideas and compare notes.

Synergy is being held at a fabulous venue—the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas—which offers plenty of opportunities for relaxation and entertainment.

Welcome Reception - Monday, May 4
During its 10-year history, Synergy has always begun with a gala Welcome Reception in the Exhibit Hall. You will be able to greet friends, meet new acquaintances and get a first look at the many products and solutions on display.

Innovation Award
The Citrix Innovation Award recognizes Citrix customers that have implemented its solutions to drive innovation in their businesses. Presented at Synergy, the award showcases compelling, real-life examples of customers who exemplify IT agility from the datacenter to the desktop.

Solutions Expo
This large and diverse exhibition will feature exciting new products and solutions where more than 70 leading industry vendors will showcase their application delivery solutions. The Solutions Expo Hall also offers a presentation theater and a whiteboard area staffed by Citrix experts on hand to answer your detailed technical questions. At the center of it all will be the expansive Citrix booth which will include hands-on demos of Citrix technologies given by product experts.

Citrix Testing Center

Take one of our latest exams at regular price at the Citrix Testing Center, located in Grand Ballroom 109-110 (MGM Grand Convention Center), during business hours and receive an extra exam of your choice at no cost! The free exam may be used for retakes or advancement toward your desired credential. Now through Friday, May 1 pre-register to take an exam at the Testing Center and receive an extra 20% off the exam price! Testing Center Hours: Monday, May 4 - 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Tuesday, May 5 - 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Wednesday, May 6 - 10:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.; and Thursday, May 7 - 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

MGM Grand
This world-famous hotel and casino offers practically unlimited dining, relaxation and entertainment possibilities, including a spa, Parisian-style cabaret, pool club, nightclubs and lounges, and even the renowned Cirque du Soleil, which performs its theatrical extravaganza, KÀ, right in the hotel.

Here is a collection of videos from the synergy underground at Citrix Synergy 2008 in Houston, TX

Continue to the synergy underground:
http://community.citrix.com/underground/