Getting technical practice

Have you ever wondered how your intrepid Test Center editors spend their weekends? No? OK, good for you — you have a life. We, on the other hand, have networks to build. I’m in Las Vegas for the next few days, along with Test Center Senior Contributing Editor Brian Chee, at Interop. We’re doing different things — I’m writing, photographing, and podcasting around the conference, while he’s helping build the network. Today, he was hard at work in the Interop Lab control center

where he was trying to figure out the intricacies of unified communications in a multi-vendor environment. It’s taken some real effort, but I’ve enjoyed seeing things come together as he’s been able to make products work together in ways the vendors suspected they could — but in most cases haven’t been able to prove for themselves. Brian did take a moment out to say hello

and I’m sure that he’s going to be blogging about the process — just as soon as everything is working as it should and the show floor is open to attendees.

I’m impressed by the number of small businesses folks who are part of the Interop network crew. They bring specific expertise to bear on different parts of the network, and get significant hands-on time with the latest technology (accompanied by top vendor technical staff) so they can take knowledge and experience back to their customer base. There’s only one Interop, but there are a lot of technology conferences out there, most of which have volunteer-based network teams that are always looking for new blood. I know it can be expensive to take the time out of “paying” work to head off to a conference volunteer opportunity, but it can be a super way to boost your skills and help your network of contacts grow. If you haven’t looked into one of the opportunities, you should — it’s the sort of experience that can make a real difference in the work you’re able to offer your customer base when there really is a paying gig on the line.