Visio Conference 2008 – Awards, Notes, Epilogue
Well the Microsoft Office Visio Conference 2008 has come and gone, and attendees enjoyed sharin’ info, gettin’ educated, and havin’ fun.
Already, two sessions from the Developer Track have been posted by two intrepid conference presenters:
– Chris Roth – Visio Solution Developer Pain Points
– David Parker – Visualizing Information the Smart (Diagram) Way
However, the rest of conference content isn’t available just yet. My guess is that it will eventually be surface at: http://www.visioconferencecontent.com So check back every once in awhile!
That site has all the presentations and materials from the last Visio conference available for download, including the Visio Guy’s Visio-XML show (see: Visio and Xml Conference Resources) So even without the new stuff, there’s still lots of goodies from the last conference!
Awards
As I hinted before, we had lots of fun and learned lots about the world of Visio. Rather than bore you with a play-by-play, we’ll summarize in the form of Visio Guy Visio Conference Awards!
Coolest Demo
Well, here we have a tie between Bill Morein and Meister Corporation:
Bill Morein’s demo of new flowcharting capabilities coming in the next version of Visio was positively inspiring, but it’s still positively Top Secret, so I’ll summarize it for you like this; W O W. Keep your eyes peeled for the next version of Office. Visio is looking good! There are a few hints in this PressPass Q&A with Visio General Manager: Richard Wolf.
For news about Visio Next, follow these links:
- Microsoft Visio Conference Previews Upcoming New Features for Visio Users
- Visio “vNext”
- CAD Integration Announcement for Visio “vNext”
Meister Corporation of Japan’s endearing Visio-based Visco baseball scoring application was both beautiful and cool. This app makes it easy to keep score, manage player statistics with just Visio, drag-and-drop, and your laptop. Additionally, it aggregates all the info for your team, league, and season on the web, so you can needle Bob next door (and shame his family’s honor) about nearing the Mendoza Line. Have a look:
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Unfortunately for many of us who wakarimasen, the product is only available in Japanese, but perhaps there’s some translators out there that will read this. [Paste Business Opportunity Here]
Coolest Give-away Toy (aka: SWAG)
Meister of Japan scores again with their sponsorship of the evening event, where they gave away nice mohitos and a Visio Stencil Hachimaki. A hachimaki is a japanese headband, and Meister provided all who attended dinner at the Boeing’s Museum of Flight
Arigato, Meister!
Here’s a picture of the actual hachimaki. Notice how it shows-off hundreds of Visio master shapes:
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Here’s a picture of the hachimaki in action, as conference revelers dine under an SR-71 Blackbird:
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Sponsors & Visio-based Products Galore!
The sponsors and exhibitors for the event were many in number and had a dizzying array of products to show-off!
They are all listed on the conference web-site, but I found that the list represented such an interesting mix of Visio knowledge and products, that I wanted to repeat that list here.
For those of you who want to see what can be done with Visio-as-a-platform, or are in the market for outstanding graphical tools, this list is a great place to start!
Note to sponsors, if we’ve made errors with any of your information, or if you would like to be removed from this article, just post a comment at the end of the article, and we’ll fix the problem.
Maguro DataAssist
maguro DataAssist GmbH, the union of DataAssist e.K. and maguro:agentur oHG, is one of Europe’s leading providers of Visio and Sharepoint consulting services. In addition, maguro DataAssist GmbH has several product lines – the NetDoc line for infrastructure and Sharepoint documentation and the new product solution, “Visual Workflow Designer”, for the modeling of Sharepoint workflows. Our commitment is to bring the power of the Visio engine to all our customers in their specific verticals. Founded in 1991, we have over 16 years of business experience in helping corporate customers all over the world with consulting and product solutions. We are also proud to have the first German Visio MVP aboard as a Managing Director.
Meister Corporation
Meister Corporation is one of Visio’s leading development partners in Japan. Meister Corporation developed the original DXF&SVG plug-in, GIS plug-in, and various SmartShapes and templates(such as Sports Score) for Visio. The company also developed a solution that generates the visualization of various business data which utilized CAD & GIS data. http://www.mster.co.jp/en/
Ascentn AgilePoint
Ascentn AgilePoint pioneered .NET-based BPMS and delivered an SOA-aligned, model-driven, meta-data framework architecture. AgilePoint enables IT to ‘process-enable’ the complete Microsoft stack in Microsoft Visio to facilitate practice of ‘explicit’ process management. This advancement empowers business users with process visibility and adaptability not only at design time but also at runtime within an IT governed ecosystem to deliver business agility. Ascentn was named by Gartner as 2007 Cool Vendor for BPM and was included in the latest Gartner BPM Magic Quadrant and Forrester BPM Wave Reports.
K2
K2 gives you the tools to design and create dynamic business applications. And when the business needs shift, modifying those applications is simple. K2-based solutions are deployed by a growing number of the global Fortune 100. K2 is a business unit of SourceCode Technology Holdings, Inc. and has offices all over the world.
SourceCode, K2, the K2 logo and logotype are registered trademarks or trademarks of SourceCode Technology Holdings, Inc. in the United States and/or other countries.
Orbus Software
Orbus Software provide Enterprise Architecture and Business Process Modeling software solutions for Microsoft Visio, Office and SharePoint users. The iServer product range includes a multi-user modeling environment, a Repository for the storage of Microsoft Visio and Office documents and a web portal for online model review and collaboration. Orbus also provide Microsoft Visio and SharePoint consultancy and development services.
To download the free Visio BPMN stencil, an iServer brochure or the Butler Group Technology audit 2007, please visit our website: http://www.orbussoftware.com/
Promodel
ProModel is a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner and a leading provider of simulation-based, decision making tools and techniques for improving performance throughout the enterprise. Whether you engage in process improvement, need to build “what if” capability into your value stream maps, or implement Lean/Six Sigma, ProModel’s predictive technology and expert consulting services will help improve key performance indicators related to critical business operations. Process Simulator quickly and easily adds simulation functionality and analysis to Microsoft® Visio® flowcharts, Value Stream Maps and workflow diagrams. Process Simulator installs as a plug-in to Microsoft Visio, allowing you to seamlessly create and run simulation models inside Visio so you can make better decision faster. Please ask us about our exciting new partner program or visit www.promodel.com/aboutus/channelsales/.
Visimation
Visimation is a quality provider of visual software solutions that help organizations improve productivity, enhance communications, and grow revenue. Visimation focuses on Microsoft Visio as a platform for developing powerful and dynamic visual programs that make it possible to conceptualize and interact with critical data. Founded in 1997, Visimation has attained industry-wide recognition for their ability to solve complex business and technical problems through the integration of Microsoft Visio, Office, and databases with enterprise systems. Our clients range from large organizations such as Fortune 1000 companies and government agencies to a variety of smaller businesses, located throughout the US, Europe, and Asia.
Please visit www.visimation.com for information about our professional services and www.ShapeSource.com for pre-built Visio shapes, templates, and add-on products available for free and for sale.
Exhibitors
Altima Technologies
Altima Technologies is a leading provider of network design and management software. Our NetZoomTM Visio Stencils library is “The Complete Hub” of manufacturer-specific equipment shapes for professional network documentation. Leveraging partnerships with IT and AV companies, NetZoom’s library offers 120,000+ shapes from more than 3,500 hardware manufacturers.
NetZoomTM 6 combines Altima’s equipment library with innovative, time-saving features for creating detailed data center floor diagrams and front and rear rack elevations automatically in Microsoft Visio. We invite you to visit www.NetZoom.net to learn more, download demos and see why over a quarter million users have made NetZoomTM a preferred solution.
BPM-X Change
BPM-X GmbH develop and deliver VISIO®-based solutions for Business Process Management. Our BPM-XchangeTM platform enables VISIO® to:
- Establish company standards consistently across the organization. Our BPM-Designer Visio add-on provides templates and method checks to ensure quality and integrity of the process model.
- Support SAP project teams and business users by directly accessing (SAP Solution Manager) reference content.
- Fully integrate with the world-leading process modeling tools such as ARIS, Casewise and Mega.
bVisual
bVisual, established in 1998, provide visual data solutions and knowledge transfer to a wide range of business sectors and situations. Recent clients include Citigroup (facilities management), Network Rail (organization charts), Nexans (network equipment and cabling), Telelogic (process modelling) and Microsoft (WBS Modeler).
David J Parker, MD of bVisual, has been regularly awarded Most Valued Professional status by Microsoft for his Visio community work, and is author of “Visualizing Information with Microsoft Office Visio 2007″ (McGraw-Hill 2007).
bVisual are Microsoft Certified Partners, specializing in Microsoft Office Visio and Microsoft MapPoint solutions, usually link to Microsoft Excel, Project, Access or SQL Server.
Codima Technologies
Codima Technologies takes network visualization to the next level. Easy to use and deploy in VoIP and data networks, Codima autoMapTM automatically creates topology maps directly with Visio®. The multi-vendor tool seamlessly integrates with MBSA, shows VLAN links, runs discoveries across multiple networks, visualizes maps and asset reports on a webpage – and more. Codima Toolbox delivers easy to use, cost-efficient, highly visual and modular tools for network inventory, VoIP pre-assessment and post-deployment. Learn why organizations worldwide trust autoMapTM to help them reduce costs and save time – download a free trial from Microsoft® VisioTM IT Pro Toolbox or www.codimatech.com
Harvard Computing Group
Harvard Computing Group (HCG) was founded in 1994 to provide consulting services to organizations looking to leverage IT solutions in solving business and work process problems. HCG consultants have provided effective results for hundreds of commercial, not-for-profit and government clients worldwide. Harvard Computing Group developed TaskMap® based on real-world process experience and the need for an easy-to-use, yet powerful process mapping solution. Since its release in 2004, more than 400 organizations have successfully used TaskMap to meet their process and procedure requirements. TaskMap Professional extends the already powerful TaskMap product by integrating with, and building upon, the capabilities of Visio 2007 Professional.
Microsoft Office PerformancePoint Server 2007
Microsoft Office PerformancePoint Server 2007 is an integrated performance management application that enables you to monitor, analyze, and plan your business.
By providing flexible, easy-to-use tools for building dashboards, plans, and budgets, Office PerformancePoint Server 2007 can help everyone across your organization make informed business decisions that align with companywide objectives.
Microsoft Office Visio 2007 – Ask the Experts
Microsoft Office Visio 2007 – Ask the Experts: Visio the Office Visio stand to meet members of the Visio Product Development teams and Visio’s Most Valuable Professional (MVP) Community from around the globe. If you have questions concerning Visio 2007 this is the place to find the answers. Don’t miss this unique opportunity to meet the Visio Experts.
Microsoft Partner Team
Capitalize on the partner opportunity around creating and deploying data visualization solutions that enable customers to explore rich sets of complex information visually. Microsoft technologies such as Microsoft Office Visio 2007, MapPoint, and the Virtual Earth platform-along with the Data Visualization specialization in the Information Worker Competency-can help you realize your share of this dynamic market.
Rackwise
RACKWISETM is the leader in the enterprise Data Center Management software. The RACKWISETM Data Center Management (DCM) product provides enterprise class solutions for data center Visualization, Documentation, Modeling, Analysis, and Management.
Rising energy costs has created great demand for visibility into data center consumption of resources. RACKWISE a Green Grid Member is the ideal tool for determining the value of any contemplated project. With RACKWISE DCM you can quickly create a cost value benefit analysis of green projects or any potential purchase of upgrade to the data center.
RACKWISETM software is used worldwide, and serves a significant number of Fortune 100 companies and large enterprises.
Semtation
Semtation is a German company, founded in 2001 with experience in enterprise modelling since 1989. We provide SemTalk®, a modelling tool that supports modelling of processes and other complex structures, based on Microsoft Visio. We support different kinds of notations, among others EPC and BPMN. Other modelling subjects can be interpreted individually, ontologies can be modelled in OWL. As SemTalk has an open graphically configurable meta model, all notations can be adapted easily to customer needs. Models can be stored in Sharepoint, a database or in your file system. www.semtalk.com
SIMUL8
At the Microsoft Office Visio Conference 2008, SIMUL8 Corporation will be launching their new integrated SIMUL8 add-on for Visio. In the past, Visio diagrams could be exported to SIMUL8, where the simulation would then be automatically built with Visio users working inside SIMUL8. Now, SIMUL8 are delighted to announce the SIMUL8 add-on that operates entirely inside Visio. Users can create a Visio diagram, simply click ‘run’ within Visio and the diagram is animated while SIMUL8 runs in the background. Visio users can also quickly and easily right click on Visio diagram objects to add more detailed simulation properties and more importantly, view powerful and accurate results.
SolarWinds
SolarWinds is rewriting the rules for how companies manage their networks. Guided by a global community of network engineers, SolarWinds develops simple and powerful software for managing networks, small or large. Our highly affordable and scalable products can be downloaded over the web and installed in minutes, immediately providing the visibility and control network engineers need most. Discover why more than 45,000 customers trust our fault and performance management products, configuration management solutions, and monitoring tools to manage their networks. Download free evaluation software today from http://www.solarwinds.com.
Visi3D
Visi3DTM provides exciting ways to present Visio drawings in first person, interactive, 3D game like environments. Users walk or fly around 3D scaled models of the 2D drawings and virtually experience the created 2D Visio spaces and shapes. Solutions have been modeled for construction jobs, www.pooldraw.com, and facility management projects, www.faciplan3d.com.
We are ISV Microsoft Gold Certified Partners and Charter Visio Business Partners. At the show, we will debut our newly created XNA 3D engine that sets new standards for data visualizations. Stop by our booth to see how 3D can benefit your solutions and customers.
Wipro Technologies
Wipro Technologies, a division of Wipro Limited (NYSE:WIT), is the first PCMM Level 5 and SEI CMM Level 5 certified IT Services organization globally. Wipro Technologies was recently assessed at Level 5 for CMMI V 1.2 across offshore and onsite development centers. Wipro is one of the largest product engineering and support service providers worldwide. Wipro provides comprehensive research and development services, IT solutions and services, including systems integration, Information Systems outsourcing, package implementation, software application development and maintenance services to corporations globally.
