IT/Dev Connections 2016 Speaker Highlight: Jeffrey Hicks

Part of an ongoing series, we're highlighting the excellent speakers we have handpicked to present phenomenal and extremely valuable content at the IT/Dev Connections conference. Want more? Get the Insider’s Scoop About IT/Dev Connections 2016 on September 8!

This speaker highlight is Jeffery Hicks.

Jeffrey's IT/Dev Connection sessions:

Recently, we asked Jeffrey to give us a little information about himself. Here's what he shared:

ITDC: Give us a brief introduction to you.

Jeffrey: I am a grizzled IT Pro veteran who first got a taste of automation power with DOS 3.3 batch files.

ITDC: Describe the sessions you are presenting and why you feel the topic is important.

Jeffrey: I am doing a full day workshop with Mark Minasi where we will explore all of the practical aspects of Desired State Configuration (DSC). This is a topic that more IT Pros need to learn about and find ways to integrate into their organizations. Hopefully our presentation will take some of the mystery out of it and demonstrate why you should be using DSC today.

I'm also doing a session on PowerShell remoting. Specifically, next steps for leveraging PowerShell remoting in your work. Many IT Pros know how to run a command in a PSSession but I don't think the consider the concept of "managing at scale". So in this session I want to demonstrate how to use PowerShell remoting at bigger scales and securely.

ITDC: What should attendees expect to be able to take away from your sessions?

Jeffrey: I always want attendees to be able to go back to their desk and immediately apply what they learned in my sessions. I tend to do a lot of demonstrations so attendees should be able to return to work with code samples to get them jump started.

ITDC: What is your primary reason to be excited about IT/Dev Connections?

Jeffrey: The attendees are very enthusiastic and eager. It seems many people come with problems to solve and I try very hard to solve them or at least get them started down the right path.

ITDC: What is the one key technology you believe is changing the technology industry right now?

Jeffrey: I think cloud and virtualization technologies continue to play a critical role in shaping an organization's IT strategy which of course affects the IT Pro. Being able to manage all of this becomes more of a critical challenge which is where tools like PowerShell and DSC come into play.

ITDC: Assuming attendees want to know, what’s your favorite, non-technical hobby or pastime? What’s one thing that totally irks you.

Jeffrey: I love to read and do crosswords. I keep a folder of crossword puzzles saved from the newspaper so I always have something to do on long flights and vacation.

IT/Dev Connections runs from October 10 – October 13, at the ARIA Resort in Las Vegas. IT/Dev Connections has been designed specifically for IT, DevOps, and Developers. You can read all about what IT/Dev Connections offers you HERE.

And, there's still time to register!  Here's some important resources to check out:

Registration

Topic Tracks

Full Sessions Catalog

Pre-conference Workshops

Travel and Lodging Information

FAQ