Architect Council aka arcCouncil -- Microsoft Silverlight, Expression and Meeting with Microsoft Certified Architects

Agenda

Architecting Web Applications with Microsoft Silverlight and Expression Part I

Silverlight is Microsoft's solution for delivering rich interactive applications (RIAs) for the Web and beyond. Silverlight will enable the creation of rich, visually stunning and interactive content and applications that run on multiple browsers and operating systems. In this session, we will discuss what Microsoft Silverlight is, its architecture and components, how it works with other technologies such as AJAX and web services (through demos), what it may affect your application development, deployment and hosting strategy, and what benefits and requirements it may ensue to your organization.

Presented by Zhiming Xue “Z”, Architect Evangelist, Microsoft East Region Developer and Platform Evangelism

Zhiming Xue “Z" is a Microsoft Architect Evangelist based in the Mid-Atlantic area. He has more than 12 years of software development, consulting and IT experience, specializing in enterprise application architecture, development and integration. During the past years he has played technical and architectural roles on many consulting projects for large enterprise customers in both the commercial sector and the public sector. He has presented various topics at Microsoft events and local user groups. Through his blogs and publications he has reached readers in the U.S., China and other countries and regions. He holds a Ph. D. in Management Science from the Isenberg School of Management at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, a professional certification from American Production and Inventory Control Society (APICS), as well as several Microsoft certifications. His blog can be found at https://blogs.msdn.com/zxue

Architecting Web Applications with Microsoft Silverlight and Expression Part II

Customer demands for richer user experience (UX), multi-platform support, and higher quality video are continually factors in cost of delivery. In this session, we will discuss how designers and developers can work together using Microsoft Silverlight, Expression Studio, ASP.NET and AJAX to improve the end-user experience and reduce the cost of video and rich media delivery.

Presented for the Reston VA event by Ashish Jaiman, Architect Evangelist, Microsoft US ISV Developer and Platform Evangelism

Ashish Jaiman works as ISV Architect Evangelist with Microsoft, managing ISVs in the Mid-Atlantic area. In his role he drives and accelerates the adoption of new (mostly pre release) technologies and tools with in the ISV community. He focuses on SQL 2008, VS 2008, Win2008, Net3.5 and web based technologies. Ashish has over twelve years of experience in designing and developing enterprise software, bringing technical solutions to business problems and consistently delivered high quality software on time and on budget. Before joining Microsoft he has worked with small startups. His blog can be found at https://blogs.msdn.com/ajaiman

How to Become a Microsoft Certified Architect

The Microsoft Certified Architect (MCA) programs, which went public on June 12^th, 2006 at the Boston TechEd after a pilot phase, identify top industry experts in IT architecture. The MCA programs offer certifications in Infrastructure and Solutions for broad architecture skills and certifications in Messaging and Database for technology-specific architecture skills. As of April 2007, there are 81 infrastructure and solutions MCAs: 36 MCAs are from Microsoft Corporation and 45 MCAs are from other corporations, consulting firms, and businesses; 44 MCAs from the United States and 37 MCAs from other countries and regions. In this session you will learn what it takes to successfully go through the MCA certification process from two local MCAs, discuss and share your MCA related questions, concerns and comments, and start building your connections to the MCA programs. Whether you are an architect, developer, designer, IT pro, or DBA, this session is for you if you are interested in becoming a privileged MCA.

Presented for the Reston VA event by Biff Gaut, Senior Software Architect at Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, and David Ziembicki, Sr. Consultant, Microsoft Consulting Services

Biff Gaut is a Senior Software Architect at Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA, formerly NASD), leading the delivery of major .Net applications. As VP of Software Development at Research Alternatives in the 80's, he designed and led the development of a shrinkwrapped product that won a Computerworld-Smithsonian award for Excellence in Information Technology. In the 90's he delivered enterprise level Microsoft/COM systems as a consultant with Plural. He has a degree in Mechanical Engineering from Virginia Tech, has spoken at numerous industry conferences and has been published by Microsoft Press.

David Ziembicki joined Microsoft in 2006 as a member of Microsoft Consulting Service (MCS) U.S. Intelligence and Homeland Security practice. David works with government agencies to design, build, and implement secure enterprise infrastructure systems and services. David leads architecture design teams through the full project lifecycle from envisioning through deployment and operations. Throughout his career, David has managed large infrastructure architecture projects, including the design of a complete reference architecture for an intelligence agency, a security architecture for a global Department of Defense command and control system, multiple migration and server consolidation projects at Fortune 500 companies, numerous Active Directory and server infrastructure designs, and one of the largest public wireless LAN implementations. David is a Project Management Professional (PMP), Certified Information System Security Professional (CISSP), Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA), Microsoft Certified Solutions Engineer (MCSE), and Microsoft Certified Database Administrator (MCDBA). Prior to joining Microsoft, David worked for SAIC providing information security architecture support to the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA). David also served for four years as a principal consultant with Avanade, a joint venture between Microsoft and Accenture providing enterprise Microsoft consulting services to Global 2000 companies. David was Vice President of Technology for an Internet access startup and was an SAP certified consultant for Deloitte Consulting. David graduated from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Management and Technology.