Read Track Details & Agendas

	Project Management		Procurement & Contract Management
	Professional Development | Technology Management		Technology Training - (Off-site Pre-conference)
	Technology Training - (On-site Conference)		Web Training
	Security

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Paid Training Program

 

Track: Project Management

C1 - Introduction to Project Management     Monday Jan 26 9:00 AM - 4:30 PM     price: $425

Not Technical
6.5 PDUs

This course will provide a solid understanding of project management terms, methods and tools. Gain practical experience in project management techniques and discover valuable tools that you can use immediately. You will learn to manage each stage of the project life cycle, work within organizational and cost constraints, manage your project budget, anticipate risks, and get the most from your project management team.

Instructor: Chris Wright, Forward Momentum LLC

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C2 - Project Management In-Depth - Tracking and Control     Monday Jan 26 9:00 AM - 4:30 PM     price: $425

Not Technical
6.5 PDUs

As the saying goes, you cannot control what you cannot measure. Learn best practices for monitoring and controlling your project. Discuss how to determine appropriate performance measures and how to use those to manage your projects. Discover various performance reports and receive templates that can be used on your projects.

Instructor: Vicki Wrona, PMP, Forward Momentum LLC

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C5 - Leading Projects: Matrix Management     Tuesday Jan 27 9:00 AM - 4:30 PM     price: $425

Not Teachnical
6.5 PDUs

Many project teams are made up of individuals from multiple divisions, departments, sometimes even jurisdictions. This matrix leadership environment, where the project leader has little or no direct authority, is one of the most difficult management models. What do you need to know about managing and leading in this environment? What is unique about matrix management? This class will address these issues and give you strategies for overcoming the complexities introduced when managing in a matrix environment. Specifically, participants in this class will learn to manage expectations and enable participants to deal effectively with change in a matrix management environment. Topics will include:
• Negotiation skills
• Communications between project and resource managers
• Performance assessments for team members
• Conflict management
• Delegation
• Team-building in a project matrix environment

Instructor: Chris Wright, PMP, Forward Momentum LLC

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C4 - Power Requirements - From Process Map to Requirements Documents     Tuesday Jan 27 9:00 AM - 4:30 PM     price: $425

Not Technical
6.5 PDUs

This one day session reviews the process of developing user requirements systematically and clearly, starting with process maps, leading through use cases, to develop URS (User Requirements Specifications). A number of practical techniques including workshops, interviews, job shadowing, document analysis, and reverse engineering are integrated through systematic elicitation to arrive at validated user requirements. These provide a quality product baseline through development and add success potential to system projects. Techniques such as XY Charting, Use Cases, and Traceability Matrices, will be presented and add a new level of integrated analysis to requirements definition.

Instructor: Vicki Wrona, PMP, Forward Momentum LLC

PLEASE NOTE: Date in the GTC Southwest Registration Brochure is incorrect. Correct date reflected here.

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C3 - Leading Projects - Putting the Cart AFTER the Horse     Wednesday Jan 28 10:30 AM - 5:00 PM     price: $425

Not Technical
6 PDUs

The root cause for many project problems can be attributed to inadequate planning (or, in some cases, no planning at all). More specifically, these organizations do not sufficiently define the scope (the "what?") and the activities (the "how?") required to successfully deliver the project. Struggling project teams often drift into the execution phase without a well-defined plan. This seminar is designed to not only introduce better practices for scope definition and schedule development; it is also structured to facilitate hands-on learning through individual and team application. Participants will leave the seminar with a better understanding of project planning techniques such as: Work Breakdown Structures, Activity Breakdown, and Network Diagramming.

Instructor: Chris Wright, PMP, Forward Momentum LLC

PLEASE NOTE: Date in the GTC Southwest Registration Brochure is incorrect. Correct date reflected here.

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C6 - Leading Projects: Communication and Facilitation for Project Leads     Thursday Jan 29 10:30 AM - 5:00 PM     price: $425

Not Technical
6 PDUs

If you're leading a project or a member of a project team, you know how many meetings projects involve: kick off meetings, design sessions, status meetings, executive sponsor meetings, and the list goes on. Yet, how often have you wasted time sitting through meetings where nothing was accomplished? If you want to improve your skills in leading productive, efficient meetings, this class is for you! The class will emphasize hands-on exercises where you can practice communicating and facilitating meetings. Topics will include:
• The facilitator's role
• Facilitator's authority and power styles
• Planning the facilitated session
• Creating your script
• Problem solving techniques and exercises
• Unlocking creativity
• Active listening
• Managing conflict
• Providing effective feedback

Instructor: Vicki Wrona, PMP, Forward Momentum LLC

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Track: Procurement & Contract Management

C8 - Procurement Improvement through Strategic Sourcing     Monday Jan 26 9:00 AM - 4:30 PM     price: $325

Not Technical

Strategic sourcing holds the promise of making the procurement process less cumbersome and more effective. In this is the application of an array of best practices in procurement, with the specific objective of improving quality of goods and services and obtaining the most favorable prices. Yet, there is a great deal of confusion around just what strategic sourcing is (and isn't) and how it can be used by government. In this class, focused on government procurement, you will learn the components of strategic sourcing and how it can be used to transform government procurement into a more effective process. You will hear real-world examples of strategic sourcing applied to modernize government purchasing.

Instructor: William Kilmartin, Vice President, eCommerce, Accenture; former Comptroller for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and president of the National Association of State Comptrollers

Chuks Amajor, Director of Strategic Sourcing, Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts

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C9 - Creating an Effective Statement of Work     Tuesday Jan 27 9:00 AM - 4:30 PM     price: $325

Not Technical

Whether part of an RFP or written against a master contract, the SOW is the most important document of the procurement process. If the requirements aren't accurate, the vendor will have delivered exactly what you asked for, but not everything you really needed, leaving the organization with solutions that don't fit, services that aren't what you needed or systems that don't work properly. This often results in change orders, additional costs, delays, or sometimes, abandoned projects.
Translating the business requirements from disparate user groups into an SOW that meets policy, budget and legal constraints is extremely challenging. In this class, you will learn how to create an effective SOW and avoid common pitfalls. The class will cover:
- The components of an SOW
- How to state requirements in plain English
- The role of performance-based SOW
- How to measure success

Instructor: Liza Lowery Massey, CEO, The CIO Collaborative

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C7 - Contracting for Results - Contract Management     Wednesday Jan 28 10:30 AM - 5:00 PM     price: $325

Not Technical

This session is designed specifically for the public buyer and the technology manager who now finds contract management a significant part of your responsibilities. The class will focus on best practices in the public sector for procuring IT services and products, and contract management.

Upon completion of this course, participants will

• Understand the context of the government procurement process
• Determine the needs of your organization, how to scope a problem and determine the best approach to the procurement
• Better understand the procurement planning process and how best to meet your organization's needs
• Understand how vendors decide what public sector projects to bid on, assess success and risk factors to determine pricing
• Effectively manage vendor performance; and
• Hear about valuable lessons learned.

Instructor: Ruth Walters, President, Walters Group

Carolyn Purcell, Former Texas State CTO and Internet Business Systems Group, Cisco Systems, Inc.

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C10 - Buying Texas     Thursday Jan 29 10:30 AM - 5:00 PM     price: $325

Not Technical

The 80th Legislature brought forth some significant changes to the procurement process in Texas. Purchasing functions, processes, and oversight were split between the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts and the Texas Department of Information Resources (DIR). Since then DIR has made significant changes in the procurement guidelines and processes as it pertains to technology procurements in the state of Texas. These changes impact not only state government but local government organizations as well. Learn about the new process and procedures and what impact they have on purchasing staff, project managers, IT managers, and all those who interact with the IT procurement process. DIR will also provide updates on the contracts they manage.

Instructor: Sherri Parks, Director, Contracting and Procurement Services, Texas Department of Information Resources

Agenda:

10:30 - 11:30   Elton Brock, Manager, Procurement Operations and Procurement Support, Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts

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11:30 - 12:30   Lisa Vega, Team Lead, Training & Certification, Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts

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12:30 - 1:30     Lunch Break

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1:30 - 3:00       Sherri Parks, Director, Contracting and Procurement Services, Texas Department of Information Resources

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3:00 - 4:00       Bobby Pounds, Team Lead, Contract Management, Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts

Woody Fluharty, Team Lead, Statewide Contracting, Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts

Ron Pigott, Director, TPASS Division, Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts

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4:00 - 5:00       Paul Gibson, Manager, Statewide HUB Program, Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts

Rachel Snell, Team Lead, HUB Public Outreach, Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts

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Track: Professional Development | Technology Management

C11 - The Leadership Challenge     Monday Jan 26 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM     price: $395

Not Technical
1 day

Do you want to learn how to mobilize others to accomplish extraordinary things? Take the leadership challenge! In this dynamic workshop you will learn the five practices that leaders use to transform values into actions, visions into realities, obstacles into innovations, separateness into solidarity and risks into rewards. The Leadership Challenge will help you create a climate in which people turn challenging opportunities into remarkable successes. Are you ready for the challenge? Join Carolyn Lawson and take the challenge!

Instructor: Carolyn Lawson, CIO, CA Public Utilities Commission

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C12 - Acceptance Testing - What Customers Need to Know     Tuesday Jan 27 9:00 AM - 4:30 PM     price: $395

Not Technical

This workshop is aimed at the business professional who is asked to conduct acceptance testing and needs to understand the basics of testing. It will give you an overview of the acronyms and common terms, and help you understand requirements documents. You will learn what traceability is, why you care, and how to ensure that it exists. You will also learn how to create acceptance criteria, develop and run tests, and decide whether a system should be accepted.

Instructor: Kathleen Costello, Principal, KC Consulting - presented through the Software Quality Institute - the Center for Lifelong Engineering Education at the University of Texas at Austin

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C16 - eDiscovery     Tuesday Jan 27 9:00 AM - 4:30 PM     price: $395

1 day
Slightly Technical

Electronic discovery is a federal mandate that is a huge challenge for all jurisdictions. The requirements can be mind-boggling. Add to this the sheer amount planning needed to properly save, search and produce information in response to a discovery agreement or order, and the job becomes even more daunting. The time and cost of identifying, sorting, retrieving and delivering the required data can be staggering. The right tools and the right policies can help you deal with the eDiscovery requirements in ways that are manageable and cost effective.

This class will provide an overview of the regulatory landscape and decode some of the requirements, plus give you a "view from the trenches." It will also cover the policies and technologies that will help you comply with eDiscovery orders.

Instructor: Ira Victor, GIAC G17799 GCFA GPCI GSEC, Director, Compliance Practice, Data Clone Labs; Co-Host, Data Security Podcast

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C13 - ITIL Awareness     Wednesday Jan 28 10:30 AM - 5:00 PM     price: $395

Not Technical

This class provides an overview of the key concepts and terminology of ITIL. It will provide an overview of what ITIL is and what it can do for your organization. You will learn the ITIL approach of applying lifecycle principles to IT services and making continual service improvement an integral part of business day to day. This class will touch on the five core volumes of ITIL:
- Service Strategy
- Service Design
- Service Transition
- Service Operation
- Continual Service Improvement

Instructor: Dick Szymanski, CEO and Founder, AmerIT Learning

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C14 - Essential Skills for a World Class Service Desk     Thursday Jan 29 10:30 AM - 5:00 PM     price: $395

Not Technical
1 day

Service desk technicians have some of the most challenging work in technology support. They need to communicate with customers who often have little or no technology skills, work with them to identify and isolate problems, and frequently, talk these same customers through the steps to resolve a problem. This course will help service desk professionals hone their communications skills, especially phone skills. Attendees will learn how to ensure that communications are understood, how to talk with non-technical people, and how to effectively engage others through listening actively, and tailoring their discussion to the audience. It will also provide critical skills to help technicians isolate and troubleshoot problems, and implement solid problem management and escalation procedures.

Instructor: Dick Szymanski, CEO and Founder, AmerIT Learning

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Track: Technology Training - (Off-site Pre-conference)

PC4 - .NET Programming 1     Monday Jan 19 9:00 AM - 4:30 PM     price: $425

Technical
1 day

This class provides students with an introduction to the technologies that comprise the Microsoft .NET strategy. This course is a high-level overview of multiple aspects of .NET, and will serve as a starting point for developers to begin implementing .NET tools and technologies.

Instructor: Eric Level, Instructor, XMaLpha Technologies

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PC5 - .NET Programming 2: Development with C#     Tuesday Jan 20 9:00 AM - 4:30 AM     price: $745

Technical
2 days

This course is designed to provide students with the foundational knowledge and skills they need to begin to develop C# applications for the Microsoft .NET Platform. The course focuses on C# program structure, language syntax, and object oriented development principles. The course utilizes the Visual Studio application development environment and emphasizes C# development within the context of the .NET framework.

Following the course students will be able to:

• Understand the .NET Framework and how C# fits in the .NET Platform.
• Apply basic concepts of object-oriented design and programming.
• Develop a C# application and be able to code, debug, compile, and run a simple application.
• Define, instantiate, and destroy objects in a C# application.
• Build new C# classes from existing classes, while using common objects and reference types.

Prerequisites

Students enrolling in this course should have some previous programming experience and familiarity with the program development process, as well as having taken .NET Programming 1 or equivalent.

Instructor: Eric Level, Instructor, XMaLpha Technologies

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PC2 - XML Programming 1     Tuesday Jan 20 9:00 AM - 4:30 PM     price: $745

Technical
2 days

This class provides a comprehensive introduction to the major topic areas in XML technology and provides an introduction to Advanced XML. Learn what all the fuss is about and how to jump immediately onto the fast-track for XML development.

Instructor: Devan Shepherd, CEO/Chief Technical Officer, XMaLpha Technologies

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PC3 - XML Programming 2     Thursday Jan 22 9:00 AM - 4:30 PM     price: $745

Technical
2 days

This is a concise technical course in the essential concepts, constructs, tools, and related standards for the XML developer and technical leader. This course focuses on XML DTDs, XML Schema, XSLT, and XPath to enable developers to begin implementing powerful XML solutions upon completion.

Topics include, XML well-formed documents, validation concepts, DTD syntax and constructs, W3C Schema syntax and constructs, XSLT syntax and processing, XPath addressing language, development and design considerations, the XML processing model and a brief overview of XML development & processing tools. Exercises and supporting PC-based workshops will reinforce understanding of these topics.

This course is aimed at technical architects, engineers and developers, as well as system analysts, managers and others involved in developing XML-based systems. Some basic experience with developing structured information systems is required for this course. Familiarity with Web systems, HTML, general computing processes & tools is very helpful. Experience in RDBMS systems & data definition is helpful, but not necessary.

Instructor: Devan Shepherd, CEO/Chief Technical Officer, XMaLpha Technologies

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PC1 - Java Programming 1     Monday Jan 26 9:00 AM - 4:30 PM     price: $745

Technical
2 days

This hands-on technical course teaches the basics of Java programming. It is recommended for programmers who wish to learn the basics of software development using Java. This course briefly covers the Java standard language fundamentals of keywords, operators, and control flow. It then moves into the basics of object-oriented programming with classes, inheritance, and interfaces. The course ends with a brief look at next steps.

Prerequisites: Students should have some background in programming, preferably in a higher-level language.

Instructor: Joyce Deeb, Instructor, XMaLpha Technologies

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Track: Technology Training - (On-site Conference)

C18 - Securing Applications     Monday Jan 26 9:00 AM - 4:30 PM     price: $395

Technical

According to Acunetix (a vendor of web application scanning tools), 70% of applications they reviewed contained high or medium security vulnerabilities. Learn how to develop more secure applications using simple, repeatable steps. This session will include demonstrations of key attacks, analyze those attacks step by step, and provide solid countermeasures that any development team can use in its web environment. This course is appropriate for application developers, business analysts and application development project managers with some technical background.

Instructor: Warren Sheaffer, Senior Instructor, XMaLpha Technologies

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C19 - Data Modeling for Business Intelligence     Tuesday Jan 27 9:00 AM - 4:30 PM     price: $395

Slightly Technical

Structuring data for business intelligence requires a new way of thinking about data and database structures. In this class you will learn:

• Pros and cons of various development and implementation methodologies, including: Waterfall vs. Iterative, Kimball vs. Inman, and some common business intelligence mistakes to avoid
• Identifying and locating technical data types such as operational and historical data
• Selecting the technical architecture, including considerations for right-sizing, the SOA impact, the necessary technical skills and the hardware components
• Continuous improvement and post implementation support

Instructors: Jeff Drewes, Chief Technology Officer, Natoma Technologies, Inc.

Chuck Lott, Vice President, Services, Natoma Technologies, Inc.

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C20 - Leveraging Location: Aligning GIS and Other Spatial IT with the Enterprise Agenda     Thursday Jan 29 10:30 AM - 5:00 PM     price: $395

Slightly Technical
1 day

Whether referenced as Geographic Information System (GIS), Mobile GIS, GPS, Google Earth/Maps, Microsoft Virtual Earth, or Location-Based Services, it is all too common for spatial IT to stand apart from mainstream enterprise IT portfolios. This class will describe how leading federal, state and commercial IT staffs are successfully assimilating a variety of spatial IT resources into their portfolios to bring new value for both internal and external clients. Attendees will learn how they can remarkably improve their enterprise IT portfolio performance by recharacterizing the many assorted geospatial IT technologies into a single, spatial IT portfolio of resources that are effectively aligned and governed to achieve targeted business outcomes.

Instructors: Costi Tudan, Defense Installations, Spatial Data infrastructure, Chief Architect, CH2M HILL

Colby Free, Technical Manager/Enterprise Architect, CH2M HILL

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Track: Web Training

C22 - Usability and Accessibility for the Web     Thursday Jan 29 10:30 AM - 5:00 PM     price: $395

Slightly Technical
1 day

Web site accessibility for all is more important than ever. In this focused class you will learn about the latest policies in Web site accessibility and some important considerations and tips for making your site available to constituents with physical disabilities.

Instructor: Lorenzo Cuesta, Staff Programmer Analyst, Office of Technology Resources, Information Technology Services Division, California Department of General Services

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Track: Security

C23 - Security's Top 10 - The Newest Threats and How to Protect Against Them     Monday Jan 26 9:00 AM - 4:30 PM     price: $395

Slightly Technical
1 day

Today's systems are more connected than ever. Desktops, laptops, web apps, mobile apps, virtual machines, networked printers, and other devices all play a significant part in technology infrastructures. This connectivity gives hackers and members of the DarkWeb more opportunities to do harm. What are the threats and risks that you should focus on and make a priority? What are the latest threats and what do you need to do to protect against them? In this fast-paced class, you will learn about the top 10 biggest threats that you should focus on. You will also learn how to apply proven, standards-based techniques and new protection strategies to protect systems and data from the latest threats

Instructor: Ira Victor, GIAC G17799 GCFA GPCI GSEC, Director, Compliance Practice, Data Clone Labs; Co-Host, Data Security Podcast

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C24 - Securing the Virtual Environment     Tuesday Jan 27 9:00 AM - 4:30 PM     price: $395

Slightly Technical

Virtual and remote environments are becoming a significant part of organizations' technology infrastructure. These environments bring with them some unique security requirements. This class will highlight the different security needs of virtual and remote environments, and explain the important security concerns for each of them, including:
• E-mail
• Antivirus management
• Legal issues
• Managing and securing remote desktops
• Firewalls
• Virtual Private Networks ( VPNs )
• Authentication
• Intrusion detection, logging and auditing

Instructor: Scott Greene, CEO, Evidence Solutions, Inc

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C25 - Cyber CSI - Computer Forensics     Wednesday Jan 28 10:30 AM - 5:00 PM     price: $395

Slightly Technical

The term "computer forensics" conjures up images of popular television stars hacking their way into top secret computer systems or recovering vital information from a crushed laptop. In reality, forensic techniques are not just for law enforcement. These tools and techniques can be used for everything from data from an intrusion, to diagnosing system failures to understanding how to better protect systems and data. In this class you will learn:
• Taxonomy of computer hackers
• Types of data
• Forensic considerations for systems, servers, and desktops, portable and other devices
• Forensics hardware and software
The class will also cover the types of investigations, what to do in response to an incident, and perhaps more importantly, what not to do. The class will conclude with a look at the future of computer forensics.

Instructor: Scott Greene, CEO, Great Scott Enterprises, Inc.

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