Many of the people I spoke to at the ITEC conference in Kansas City referenced the massive layoffs done by Sprint over the last few years. Some of the news was good, some not. One executive has had one interview in 17 months. Several one-person consultants slash resellers were busy providing support to all the small businesses started by former Sprint employees. Many asked me what the hot topics are for getting jobs today. I said security experience always helps, and wireless remains hot. Let me know if you agree.
The exhibitor mix was similar to that of Chicago, with some interesting differences. There were fewer CD duplication product companies, but more education companies. Beside DeVry, a local junior college (Johnson County) had a booth. That's to be expected when a large number of people are forced to change.
A reseller of Microsoft's Small Business Server 2003 agreed with my review comments that upgrading to the R2 version just out wasn't worth the money. None of his customers have upgraded, but new installs automatically get R2 for the same prices as the original SBS 2003.
All in all, the local business market seems to be in decent shape, and the people were certainly nice. Since the Dallas area is slowly entering fall, seeing the leaf colors changing in Kansas City gave me hope for our fall. And the continued vitality of the small business market in Kansas City in spite of big job losses by major employers is probably the best news of all.
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