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IT - Email
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What Is FedRAMP and How Does It Help Protect Email?
When emailing federal data, your organization needs to find the right cloud security solution that is FedRAMP authorized to keep this data secure
"Do you need FedRAMP certification for your email? Normal email security solutions might be insufficient to protect your data, especially when handling federal government data. FedRAMP certification provides hardened email security to ensure FedRAMP compliance.
What Is FedRAMP and How Does It Help Protect Email?
FedRAMP is a federally mandated compliance framework that dictates the security measures that cloud service providers (CSPs) must have in place to partner with governmental agencies. Stemming from guidelines in national security and technology documents (namely NIST 800-53 and FIPS 199), FedRAMP specifies different levels of controls that CSPs must have in place to protect sensitive government data. Some of these controls include measures like:..."
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IT - Marketing
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19 Powerful B2B Marketing Strategies That Work Now (Based On New Data)
When a post tells you to know your audience. Personalize your content. Use video.
"If you perform a Google search for B2B marketing strategies, it's all too easy to land on articles that simply provide the generic list of marketing strategies we already know to be true: SEO, PPC, email, social media, referral marketing, loyalty programs, and more. And many of the themes layered on top of these strategies are repetitive: know your target audience, personalize, and use your data.
Now I'd be lying if I said I won't cover any of the above in this post. In fact, I cover all of the above. But my aim here is to break down why these strategies are important for 2021 and to provide some more specific tactics on how to carry them out-backed by new, post-COVID data..."
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The Overlooked And Undervalued Importance Of Marketing
One of the problems I'm constantly running into is inadequate staffing, funding, and marketing support
"It is particularly bad in tech companies because it seems like the entire industry is a poster child for the Dunning Kruger effect - when someone who lacks competence in a subject area believes they are an expert. This also happens often in politics.
I was reminded of this problem when Microsoft's Chief Brand Officer Kathleen Hall, one of a few highly qualified marketing executives in tech, was recognized as Creative Marketer of the Year by Cannes Lions for her effective work during the pandemic. I've held three marketing jobs over the years, ranging from marketing director and market and business analysis to product marketing..."
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3 Powerful Tips To Make Your Social Media Marketing More Effective
Social media is no longer used just for the purpose of socializing. Over the years it has evolved into a powerful marketing platform and marketers are thoroughly taking advantage of it to boost their conversions
"After all, it's one of the most effective platforms for attracting new leads and converting them into sales. According to studies, 78% of salespeople engaged in social selling are outselling their peers who aren't.
So not using social media marketing for your business would only mean leaving out money on the table. But you surely don't want that to happen.
So what do you do to make your social media marketing strategy work? Here are 3 of the most effective ways that can help you get the maximum out of your social marketing efforts. Let's find out what they are..."
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5 Benefits Of In-Person Industry Events
After a long solitary year of Zoom calls, no business travel, working remotely, and generally staying close to home, we are finally seeing a return to some of the business practices that we took for granted
"The resurgence of in-person industry events is one of the best signs that we are getting back to 'normal' when it comes to business, even if certain restrictions and safety practices are still in place. In the digital marketing industry, more and more conferences, trade shows, and other in-person events are being scheduled in 2021, with several already being held in the U.S. and around the world.
Having an entire year without any real in-person events to attend, I gained more appreciation for the value companies and attendees gain by getting together with their industry peers. After already traveling to multiple events in 2021 and with a large number on the horizon for the second half of the year, here is a list of 5 significant benefits that in-person events provide. It's not that virtual events or other marketing and sales outreach initiatives can't deliver any of these benefits, but there are elements of the face-to-face interaction dynamic that simply aren't the same when conducted remotely..."
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Digital Marketing And Omnichannel Maturity
Consumer behaviors have changed drastically this past year. The pandemic has altered how consumers shop, research for new products and engage with brands. As a result, brands have also had to pivot to meet consumers' changing expectations and shopping patterns.
"As marketers worked to evolve their strategies, one of the key areas of focus has been on digital transformation. Consumers have headed online and brands must also do so. However, this rapid digital acceleration has exposed many gaps in digital maturity. Some brands were more prepared than others to meet consumers head on via digital channels while others struggled to compete.
In a report by Smart Insights and BrightTALK, investment in digital marketing has been a cost-effective technique for many industries to mitigate the impact of the pandemic. Digital marketing activities were reported to have increased for 41% of respondents - with a further 15% reporting a significant increase...."
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Email Marketing Trends For 2021
It will be no surprise that customer behaviour has changed over the last year due to the pandemic and this is no different for email marketing
"The way in which customers now receive, view and interact with emails has shuffled due to customers having more time at home, and a bigger perspective of what they want to be spending their valuable time on. Companies must therefore play close attention to their customers, analyse their email behaviour and observe their natural buying behaviour for which they can then use email to generate conversions.
The increase in internet traffic over the past year saw a significant increase in email open rates but a fall in click-through rates due to the sensitivity of emails with no CTAs, however, email continued to act as a source of communication and connection between brands and consumers throughout the continuous pandemic..."
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How Should Data Drive Your Email Marketing Strategy In 2021?
Data-driven email marketing can be very effective, but you need to use the right strategy.
"A data-driven email marketing strategy is paramount for businesses to survive in such a competitive landscape. After all, all this information helps you drive sales and ensure that you are targeting the right products/services to the right people.
Surveys have shown that 73% of marketing professionals believe email marketing is essential to their organization's success. However, in order to achieve that success and increase your emails' effectiveness, it is imperative to create more targeted, specific, and data-driven emails to boost sales and traffic simultaneously..."
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Marketing Isn't About Being Brave: It's About Being Effective
There's a danger in remaining overly confined within your own industry's thought bubble. Reading and listening to peers too much can cloud your view of your job, as well as the industry as a whole. It pulls you in a direction that ultimately does more harm than good
"For example, much is being written at the moment about how the majority of marketing produced isn't fit for purpose because it's so bad. I see articles like this all the time, and I'm as guilty as anyone in writing them.
I can only speak for myself, but stating my case that creativity is being exorcized from marketing is my genuine effort to stem the tide. It is meant to be a clarion call to marketers to rethink their over-reliance of data-driven marketing, to the detriment of creative execution. To deliver better fit-for-purpose campaigns that resonate as much with the heart as with the head..."
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The 3 Foundations Of A Successful Marketing Campaign
While it can be tempting to jump right in and launch your marketing campaign to the world without much in the way of planning (and let's face it, so many do!), to get the best results, you need to take a more strategic approach
1. Who
Your customer should always be the hero of your story, so everything must start and end with them. We recommend you ask yourself these questions first before thinking about anything else.
- Who are the people that our product/service serves?
- Who in this audience do we want to specifically target through this campaign?
Chances are, you, like so many other businesses, have multiple audiences, so just answering the first question may not be enough. Marketing campaigns that get the best results are targeted and specific..."
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IT - Sales
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5 Ways To Retain Your Existing Customers
It's well known that acquiring new customers is more expensive than retaining your existing ones
"But what makes a customer choose to stay with a brand? Knowing the answer to this question can help you create a strategy that keeps customers happy and creates a source of income that spans the customer's lifetime.
Let's look at some ways you can retain your customers so that you have a long-term relationship with them and grow your business..."
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Targeting People Who 'Do The Work'
I grew up in sales always being told, 'Call at the top!' We always want to reach the highest levels possible
"Often, we mistakenly believe that if we can convince them, our job will be easier. Sometimes, we go to the top, knowing we will be referred to lower levels, but us this referral as an 'implied sponsorship.' Sometimes we are successful in engaging executives, and we focus all our attention on them, ignoring people who do the work.
The reality, as we've known for years, is that buying is a 'team sport.' Increasing numbers of people are involved in the buying process, fewer people can say 'Yes,' providing us an order, yet only one has to say 'No' to stop everything. Buying has become a consensus process, we have to work with everyone involved..."
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The Future Of B2B Selling Is Collaborative
I recently participated in a fascinating panel discussion facilitated by Jonathan Farrington of Top Sales World on 'Identifying the New Post-Covid Frontline Sales Professional' with Dave Mattson of Sandler Training and Lisa Leitch of Teneo Results. I've included a link to the recording at the bottom of this article
"Needless to say, there was a lot of discussion about what the future of B2B buying was going to look like, and what the implications are going to be for the B2B sales profession.
Of course, none of us knows for sure that the future balance is going to be between virtual, face-to-face and automated selling, but it's probably safe to assume that it won't involve a complete reversion to the world as it was in 2019..."
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What Post-Pandemic Recovery Means To Sales Pros
What can you do to improve your digital commerce game? The first rule of the digital shelf is to make sure your products can be found. Some might say it's mission impossible. Unless, of course, you use digital shelf analytics (DSA).
"The economic implications of Covid-19 have been devastating for many sectors and individuals. As we head into the summer of 2021 anticipating that most places in the U.S. will be fully open for business, many industries are looking at what the post-Covid recovery will mean for them. For sales professionals, the comeback might certainly bring a windfall but also presents challenges.
The post-recovery period shows a major change in the buying and selling landscape. Sales teams need to acquire new skillsets and approach their old CRM tools with a new attitude as they maneuver out of isolation and hit the road again. While the outlook is starting to become more positive, many customers may still be hesitant to purchase..."
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IT - CRM
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Leveraging Integration Projects: How To Keep Your CRM Data Clean
Before diving into a customer relationship management (CRM) platform integration project, one step to take is the always important but somewhat dreaded task of data cleaning
"Although many times this to-do is skipped, ignored, or even rushed-and therefore done poorly-it's a must-do if you want your integration project to go through without a hitch (or if you simply want to keep your CRM data clean for better use in general). The good news is that data cleanup is never as bad as it seems, and the benefits far outweigh the temptation to move the integration project or any data analysis task along a little faster by skipping this crucial step..."
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SF IT Sales
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Virtual Monthly Meetup of IT Sales and Marketing Professionals - South Florida
online
This is a group for IT Sales and Marketing Professionals to meet with their peers, learn from each other and share referrals.
I will run the June session via Zoom and in July we will switch to in-person at the hotel LeMeridien.
I will ask each participant to introduce themselves - who are you, what do you do, what does your company do, etc.
That will be followed by an open discussion.
Hosted by John J. McLaughlin From IT Sales and Marketing Professionals - South Florida
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SF IT vBeers Broward
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In Person: vBeers South Florida (Biergarten Boca) June 16th
Online - Zoom
vBeers meetups are informal networking events for South Florida Tech professionals.
In-person, after work vBeers resumed in June!
June
- June 16th - Biergarten Boca, Boca Raton
- June 23rd - Mike's at Venetia, Miami
July
- July 7th - Zoom
- July 14th - Funky Buddha, Oakland Park
- July 21st - Biergarten Boca, Boca Raton
- July 28th - Mike's at Venetia, Miami
Hang out with IT colleagues after work!
Don't forget to have a look at my weekly newsletters:
IT News And Events
IT Vendor News
IT Sales and Marketing News
South Florida IT Events
Please join the live meeting at 6:00PM EST with this Zoom link:
You can also join by phone:
- Meeting ID: 792 850 274
- 646 558 8656 US
- +16465588656,,792850274# US (New York)
vBeers@Boca is sponsored by TechLauderdale:
- "TechLauderdale promotes the growth, connectivity, and awareness of the thriving technology ecosystem in Greater Fort Lauderdale"
Hosted by John J. McLaughlin
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vBeers South Florida - In Person @ Mike's at Venetia, Miami
Online - Zoom
vBeers meetups are informal networking events for South Florida Tech professionals.
In-person, after work vBeers resumed in June!
June
- June 16th - Biergarten Boca, Boca Raton
- June 23rd - Mike's at Venetia, Miami
July
- July 7th - Zoom
- July 14th - Funky Buddha, Oakland Park
- July 21st - Biergarten Boca, Boca Raton
- July 28th - Mike's at Venetia, Miami
Hang out with IT colleagues after work!
Don't forget to have a look at my weekly newsletters:
IT News And Events
IT Vendor News
IT Sales and Marketing News
South Florida IT Events
Please join the live meeting at 6:00PM EST with this Zoom link:
You can also join by phone:
- Meeting ID: 792 850 274
- 646 558 8656 US
- +16465588656,,792850274# US (New York)
vBeers@Boca is sponsored by TechLauderdale:
- "TechLauderdale promotes the growth, connectivity, and awareness of the thriving technology ecosystem in Greater Fort Lauderdale"
Hosted by John J. McLaughlin
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PeopleTek News
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Remote Leadership Tips
Leadership has taken on new challenges with the need to lead not only those that are in the same location, but to effective manage time zone differences, have an understanding (and appreciation) of cultural differences, and keep onsite and remote team members engaged, informed, and productive
Global Workplace Analytics conducted a survey and summarized the following trends for working remotely:
- The non self-employed working population has grown by 103% since 2005 and 6.5% in 2014.
- 3.7 million employees (2.5% of the workforce) now work from home at least half the time.
- 50% of the US workforce holds a job that is compatible with at least partial telework and approximately 20-
- 25% of the workforce teleworks at some frequency.
- Fortune 1000 companies around the globe are entirely revamping their space around the fact that employees are already mobile. Studies repeatedly show they are not at their desk 50-60% of the time.
Leadership has challenges, and it becomes even more challenging when leading from a distance
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Sponsor - TechLauderdale
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TechLauderdale
Become a Member of the Ecosystem, Join TechLauderdale Today
Membership benefits for TechLauderdale were designed to provide individuals and organizations with the choice on how to best utilize member benefits, with a great deal of flexibility and exclusivity. Key benefits of this structure include new ways for members to support the Greater Fort Lauderdale tech ecosystem, while at the same time taking advantage of ongoing tech education and training, exclusive networking and learning opportunities, and making valuable connections.
Corporate Membership Levels
- Bronze - $500 (1 to 3 Employees)
- Silver - $1,500 - (4 to 25 Employees)
- Gold - $2,500 - (25 to 50 Employees)
- Platinum - $3,500 - (over 50 Employees)
Individual Memberships
- Individual - $100/year or $10/month
TechLauderdale has recently updated its membership levels with increased benefits for each level to better align the value we have to offer with the mission of the organization and our value pillars of: Learn, Connect, and Grow. Read the full membership letter here that explains the changes to the program in greater detail.
Promoting the Growth, Connectivity, and Awareness of the Thriving technology ecosystem in Greater Fort Lauderdale
(Get More Information . .)
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Sponsor - SIM
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Society for Information Management (SIM) - South Florida Chapter
Joining SIM connects you with top IT leaders in the industry, including: CIOs, senior IT executives, prominent academicians, consultants, and other top IT professionals
The Chapter strives to strengthen professional communications among members who direct the application of information technology in private and public organizations. Chapter activities include:
- Meeting to share innovative ideas and real-world experiences which address enterprise information needs. We have excellent speakers from our membership and bring in industry executives or subject matter experts from many sources.
- Providing presentations by leading national information-management professionals and executives who benefit from management-information systems.
- Challenging our comfort levels by exchanging ideas with peers and business counterparts.
- Being a resource for each other, and personal networking.
The geographical scope of the South Florida Chapter is Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach County. Subscribe to receive emails from the chapter to get notified of all relevant events in the area. If you are already subscribed, you will be sent a link to update your preferences.
Connects the Area's Premier IT leaders - for Business Solution Exchange, Professional Development, and Timely Education
(Get More Information . .)
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Sponsor - ISACA
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ISACA South Florida Chapter
A diverse group of innovative thought leaders partnering with the community to serve as the first choice for professional development and a global role model for ISACA Chapters by 2024
SPONSORSHIP PROGRAM
- ISACA South Florida Chapter outreach to more than 1,000 professionals, and partner organizations which represent a range of Corporate IT Audit, IT Compliance, IT Governance & IT Security responsibilities in a cross section of industries and business sizes
- Extensive networking opportunities, face-to-face contact and one-on-one meetings
- Display of your latest products and services to all attendees
- Traffic flow throughout the exhibition area
- Display of your logo and link to your home page on our ISACA South Florida Chapter web site
Find out more! Contact us at president@isacasfl.org
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Sponsor - ISSA
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South Florida Chapter of the ISSA
The ISSA South Florida Chapter (SFISSA) is a not-for-profit organization of information security professionals and practitioners
ISSA provides educational forums and peer interaction opportunities that enhance the knowledge, skill and professional growth of its members. Members include practitioners at all levels of the security field in a broad range of industries, such as communications, education, healthcare, manufacturing, financial and government. SFISSA is an excellent vehicle for those who need to acquire CPE credits for certification needs. We need your support, so we hope that you will consider becoming a sponsor to support our chapter.
Sponsorship Options: Chapter sponsorship
Platinum sponsors $1,500/meeting benefits include:
- Non-marketing presentation at one SFISSA meeting (including attendee/sign-in list)
- Higher priority in speaker selection for SFISSA Annual Conference
- Logo signage displayed at meetings*
- Logo, name and company URL on SFISSA website for event
- Materials distributed at SFISSA meetings*
- 5 minute presentation at 1 SFISSA meetings per year
Program sponsors $1,000/meeting benefits include:
- Non-marketing presentation at one SFISSA meeting
- Logo signage displayed at meetings*
- Logo, name and company URL on SFISSA website for event
- Materials distributed at SFISSA meetings*
- 5 minute presentation at 1 SFISSA meetings per year
Conference sponsorship opportunities coming soon.
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Sponsor - Refresh Miami
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Refresh Miami: Educate, Inspire, Connect and Grow South Florida's Tech and Startup Ecosystem
Be front and center at all our monthly speaker events, get training on the latest technologies, break bread with our distinguished speakers, and find qualified candidates via our sponsored job listings
Be front and center at all our monthly speaker events, get training on the latest technologies, break bread with our distinguished speakers, and find qualified candidates via our sponsored job listings.
Refresh Corporate: $2000/Year
- Guaranteed ticket to all speaker events
- Complimentary ticket to three (3) Refresh Miami workshops ($150 value!)
- 40% discount on all other Refresh Miami workshops ($160 value!)
- Preferred Access to VIP/Speaker Dinners
- Discounts on Community Events
- Partner Discounts
- Refresh Miami T-Shirt
- Ability to post relevant events to Community Calendar
- Ability to post jobs to Refresh Job Board
- Ability to post business to Refresh Miami Tech Map
$2000/Year
Join today and experience some great benefits, like guaranteed tickets to all Refresh Miami speaker events, access to VIP / Speaker dinners, discounts on Refresh Miami workshops and more!
(Get More Information . .)
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Sponsor - Palm Beach Tech
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Tech Hub South Florida
Check our Membership options and help build the Palm Beaches into a Tech Hub!
Our Memberships are based on Exposure, Talent, & Business
- STARTUP - $500/year
- Tier 3 - $1,000/year
- Tier 2 - $2,500/year
- Tier 1 - $5,000/year
Palm Beach Tech is a nonprofit membership association Building the Palm Beaches into a Tech Hub.
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Sponsor - SFHIMA
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South Florida Health Information Management Association (SFHIMA)
We are the SMEs in health information! So whether you are a student, a recent graduate, seasoned professional or profession partner, your local chapter is here for you.
South Florida Health Information Management Association.
The theme from FHIMA for this year is 'Smooth Sailing Ahead'.
SFHIMA is ready to set sail with more great informational sessions, networking and continuing education opportunities. Sessions this year will be offered in person and via remote web connections.
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Sponsor - PMI
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PMI: Advance the PM Profession Through the Promotion of Certification Training
To be a conduit of innovation, networking and support for the next evolution of Project Managers through strategic focus, customer centricity and operation agility
Mission
- Advance the PM profession through the promotion of PMI certification training and project excellence acknowledgement.
- Provide members and volunteers with networking, leadership roles and superior development and education events and activities,
- Ensure alignment with PMIs talent triangle, compliance with PMIs core values and contribution to the improvement of the PM body of knowledge.
We are only one of over 270 Chapters serving Project Management Institute (PMI) members and
communities in more than 70 countries around the world. These local communities help spread awareness of the profession and PMI by reaching out to local governments and organizations, hosting events or seminars for local practitioners and providing opportunities to learn, network and earn Professional Development Units (PDUs) toward maintaining credentials.
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Sponsor - IIBA
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IIBA: Premier World-Wide Professional Association for Business Analysts
We are the local representative of the International Institution of Business Analysis (IIBA), the premier world-wide professional association for business analyst
Sponsorships are available.
The objectives of the Chapter are to:
- Promote and advance the profession of Business Analysis
- Provide opportunities to our members to gain knowledge and network with experienced professionals across various industries and government agencies
- Provide access for members to a formal "knowledge base" as well as forums for sharing expertise, expressing professional opinions and building a reputation within the industry
- Provide pathways to learn about business analysis best practices
- Create corporate support for the IIBA within the local market by superior marketing/awareness programs that demonstrate the value of business analysis and the IIBA
- Liaise with industry and association partners to increase awareness and benefit of IIBA Chapter members
- Encourage and provide opportunities for our members to become Business Analysis certified professionals
As our events calendar and past events reflect, we have a mix of day time symposiums for professional development, after work meetings focused on a topic of particular concern to business analysts, and online meetings and webinars to develop your technical skills and analytical competencies, as well as one to two premiere dinner events per year with at least one distinguished guest speaker.
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Sections in this issue:
IT - Email, IT - Marketing, IT - Sales, IT - CRM, SF IT Sales, SF IT vBeers Broward, PeopleTek News, Sponsor - TechLauderdale, Sponsor - SIM, Sponsor - ISACA, Sponsor - ISSA, Sponsor - Refresh Miami, Sponsor - Palm Beach Tech, Sponsor - SFHIMA, Sponsor - PMI, Sponsor - IIBA
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