IT News and Events
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Aug 30th, 2021 — Sep 5th, 2021 Generate the Custom HTML Email for this Issue
IT News and Events IT News and Events
Volume 282, Issue 1 << Previous Issue | Next Issue >>
IT - Marketing
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3 Top Strategies For Taking Your Promos To The Next Level
There are many ways that businesses can go about attracting new customers and boosting the loyalty of existing ones. One tried and true strategy is the use of a promos
"Quite simply, people love promo deals as, after all, there are few things as satisfying as getting good value. These marketing tools are also known to have a significant influence on spending habits, bringing in new customers while strengthening brand loyalty.

Promotional Power

Back in 2018, Inc. magazine featured findings from a RetailMeNot survey. It found that two-thirds of people made an unplanned purchase because of a coupon or special discount..."

Business 2 Community, August 30th, 2021
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Gartner Keynote: Why Marketers Are Vital For Connected, Successful Organizations
Marketers must (re)commit to driving strong connections between their organization and customers, business partners and employees during challenging times
"In nature, plants transfer nutrients and information via a vast network of roots and a microscopic fungal superhighway called mycelium. These symbioses allow ecosystems to flourish in even the harshest conditions. Marketing plays a similarly vital role connecting stakeholders - customers, business partners and employees - to the brand. This is especially the case during times of heightened uncertainty and pressure, when the ability of marketing to form and nurture vital connections can make or break a brand's success..."

'Now is the moment for marketing leaders to recognize and assert their role as the chief stewards of these vital stakeholder connections'

Gartner, August 31st, 2021
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How To Build A B2B Marketing Funnel
Did you know that 44% of marketers say 'better measure the ROI of our demand generation initiatives' is their top priority for 2021?
"Great advertising attracts customers, improves brand awareness, and generates business leads & sales revenue. A sales cycle is defined as a series of events or steps that occur during the selling of a product or service. Unlike some Business-to-Consumer (B2C) industries, that can often have rather immediate and short sales cycles, Business-to-Business (B2B) industry sales cycles are often quite longer in nature, and can often require the nurturing of potential customers for many months, if not years, before they may turn into a sales opportunity and/or a paying customer..."
Business 2 Community, September 2nd, 2021
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This Simple Trick Turns Boring Content Into Actionable Information
Let's face it: 80% of the content on the internet sucks. How often do we research a topic and find articles full of useless and generic advice that we already know?
"Too often.

The truth is, this is partly because sometimes we have the answers - but are looking for some magic push-button solution to our problems. We all do it.

But the generic content that tells us things we already know isn't exactly helpful.

As a content writer, you can use really specific examples (or success stories) to take generic advice and turn it into actionable information.

In this article, I'm going to show you how you can do EXACTLY that..."

Business 2 Community, August 31st, 2021
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Why The Sales Funnel Is The Cockroach Of Marketing Concepts
It doesn't seem right that most of the industry uses a template built on three layers which are each mostly wrong and not strongly supported by marketing science
"The sales funnel is nearly a hundred years old, but despite frequent reports of its death and surprisingly little evidence that it reflects how advertising actually works, it's never been more alive. The cockroach of marketing concepts, it just seems to keep going and going, adapting to the environment it finds itself in.

This is not one of those 'X is dead! Long live Y!' articles deploying the 'kill and switch' tactic to launch a totally new thing like, for example, The Roach Rhombus. But the sales funnel needs to be adapted to today's media environment, to fit more of the actual evidence from marketing science on how advertising works, so maybe marketing's workhorse can keep going a few decades more..."

Marketing Week, September 1st, 2021
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Using Linkedin For B2B Marketing
LinkedIn is without a doubt one of the most powerful social media lead generators for B2B marketers, allowing companies to express their brand story in a unique and relevant way
In fact, the social media site encourages people to share material and interact with experts. This makes it perfect for lead generation and brand exposure. Let's look at how you can use LinkedIn for B2B marketing for both inbound and outbound marketing.

Why should you use LinkedIn for B2B marketing?

  • LinkedIn has 87 million millennials out of a total of 2 billion users worldwide. Out of these millennials, 11 million are in a position to make a business decision.
  • LinkedIn accounts for more than half of all social traffic to B2B websites.
  • LinkedIn generates 3 times more conversions than Twitter and Facebook in B2B.

That's why 40% of B2B marketers believe LinkedIn is the most successful medium for generating leads.

Business 2 Community, September 1st, 2021
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3 Ways Artificial Intelligence Will Change Marketing Forever
AI streamlines workflows, improves predictive capabilities and better accommodates customer demands
"Marketers are no exception to the relentless pace of organizational digital transformation and automation-especially by leveraging artificial intelligence. AI-powered automation doesn't just make a firm's marketing department faster, it also becomes smarter by leveraging data far more efficiently than through manual methods. It's no surprise that many companies have already begun to adopt marketing intelligence in their digital marketing strategies, which can generally be broken down into three main areas: smarter customer interactions, personalization and risk assessment..."
AdAge, September 3rd, 2021
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Average Cost-Per-Click Rates By Industry
As a small or medium business owner, we know that your marketing budget is precious.
"Understanding how to best allocate your ad spend to get the most out of your ads can be one of the most intimidating aspects of digital marketing and pay-per-click advertising. Every business owner and entrepreneur wants to create the best ads with the highest click-through rates (CTR) and best conversion rates. However, it can be difficult to understand what average cost-per-click to aim for to beat out the competition in your industry. We've compiled a list of industry benchmarks, including average cost-per-click (CPC), click-through rate (CTR), cost-per-action (CPA), and conversion rate (CVR) for both search and display ads..."
Business 2 Community, September 2nd, 2021
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IT - Sales
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How To Recover Lost Sales (5 Expert Tips)
Are you looking for a way to increase your online store's sales and engagement? If so, you may instinctively want to start generating new leads.
"While you should continuously strive to find new customers, don't forget about the people that visit your website and then leave without placing an order.

Shopping cart abandonment is a massive problem in the eCommerce world. On average, 69% of people that add an item to their cart leave before checking out. As you can imagine, losing out on over half of your potential sales can quickly lead to lackluster engagement and performance..."

Business 2 Community, August 30th, 2021
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Top 5 Sales Tools For Prospecting And Insights
Even for organizations that have inbound marketing fully ramped up and are getting boatloads of leads coming in, many sales teams also have members who execute outbound sales campaigns to supplement inbound leads
"And from my experience coaching sales teams, calling a company's headquarters and asking for the person 'who is responsible for buying decisions' has a low success rate (if any success at all).

In this article, I will lay out tools to help your outbound sales efforts for prospecting and collecting insights.

HubSpot

As an inbound marketer, it's no surprise that I placed HubSpot on this list first. There are several tools and techniques you can use within HubSpot to help prospecting activities..."

Business 2 Community, September 2nd, 2021
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Your Customers Know More About Buying Than You Know About Selling
I've mentioned elsewhere that I am continually interviewing customers for our clients. And I always learn something constructive when I do.
"In a recent interview for a client who sells office furniture, I interviewed a woman who ended up buying a chair for her son, who was going to college. As she described her decision-making process, I was reminded again how buyers have complete control over the process, unlimited resources, and a massive advantage over those selling, because they know everything about what they want.

She wanted a comfortable chair for her son, within a particular price range. She wanted him to be able to sit in it, pleasantly, for long periods. She looked at other chairs on other sites, but the chairs, while stylish, just didn't look comfortable. And our client's site language appealed to her, classifying certain types of chairs as 'task' chairs. This word really appealed to her, because she imagined her son working hard on his studies in that chair. (A mother's desire for her college-bound son.)..."

Business 2 Community, August 31st, 2021
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IT - CRM
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CRM System: Important Benefits Of Getting One For Your Business
A customer relationship management or CRM system is one of the most important ingredients in the recipe for sustainable business growth
"After all, you need to stay focused on your customers (and prospective customers) at all times. This is in order to provide them with relevant messaging, informative content, and exceptional experiences.

That being said, what are some of the specific benefits that a CRM system can offer? Let's dig into that question and see how many key benefits we can unearth..."

Business 2 Community, September 2nd, 2021
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Hubspot CRM: What Is It And How Can It Benefit Your Business?
Most businesses in today's marketplace use a CRM as a powerful multi-purpose tool. One that results in increased customer retention, higher conversion rates, and sustainable growth.
"CRM stands for customer relationship management. And as its name implies, a CRM system is designed for managing most (if not all) aspects of your relationships with your customers. Of course, there is a lot of different CRM options on the market today. One of the most popular ones is the HubSpot CRM system. Why should you seriously consider investing in it? Let's discuss just a few reasons why in the information below.

The advantages of using a CRM platform as a 'single source of truth' are plainly evident, especially when you think about how companies used to keep track of customer data. Perhaps the marketing team would have a 'buyer's journey' in place to inform their ad creative. Sales reps would have their own tools designed to nurture leads and close deals. Senior management would have a high-level strategy for expanding brand awareness via multiple channels that their consumers preferred. However, all of this information was fragmented at best, and often led to mixed results..."

Business 2 Community, August 30th, 2021
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The Impact Of Using A CRM On Business Activities
A CRM system is a tool used to organize and store all data related customer information. It allows you track sales leads, phone calls, emails, meetings in one central hub for improved efficiency of operations with your customers
"Because we have all the customer data in one hub, it greatly improves operational efficiency. Lending a helping hand in improved customer service and sales is beneficial for everyone involved.

A CRM system allows for personalized messages and offers as well as tracking data to extract insights. This leads to a more effective sales strategy, which is essential in today's business environment.

Marketing and sales processes run more smoothly with a CRM system. The sales department can work independently while collaborating seamlessly with other departments like marketing. Questions like, 'Who spoke to the client last?' or 'What did they talk about?', become obsolete..."

Business 2 Community, September 3rd, 2021
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SF IT Sales
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Come join us for the inaugural Fortinet PGA Championship Watch Party.
Come join us for the inaugural Fortinet PGA Championship Watch Party at the Hard Rock
Fortinet account managers, sales engineers and partners are looking forward to networking with you.

There will be door prizes, camaraderie, and a live look into The Fortinet PGA Championship from Napa Valley. Play in the 19th Hole Watch Party game and get a chance to win some Fortinet Championship gear.

Come out and grab a bite to eat and toast the start of something special. You may even leave with an engraved wine tumbler or pint glass.

Check out the web pages for cities, locations and times.

The Miami events will be at the Hard Rock - PLA Sports Bar (5 to 8 PM EST)

Hosted by Fortinet

Thursday, September 16th, 2021: 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM EST
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SF IT vBeers Broward
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vBeers South Florida - In Person @ Funky Buddha (September 8th)
Online - Zoom
vBeers meetups are informal networking events for South Florida Tech professionals.

In-person, after work vBeers resumed in June!

September

  • Wednesday 8th - Funky Buddha, Oakland Park
  • Wednesday 15th - Biergarten Boca, Boca Raton
  • Wednesday 22nd - Mike's at Venetia, Miami

October

  • Wednesday 6th - Zoom
  • Wednesday 13th - Funky Buddha, Oakland Park
  • Wednesday 20th - Biergarten Boca, Boca Raton
  • Wednesday 27th - Mike's at Venetia, Miami

Hang out with IT colleagues after work!

vBeers 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

Wednesday, September 8th, 2021: 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM
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PeopleTek News
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Leading From A Distance
The Challenge of Leading From a Distance
"As virtual teams become more and more a reality for growing numbers of people, leading them effectively is critica..." - Carl Eidson

"Gone are the days when a leader and team members are all in one location. Leadership has taken on new challenges with the need to be effective across time zones, understand cultural differences, and keep telecommuters engaged and productive.

The number of remote workers is staggering. Reports show:

  • 64 million U.S employees hold a job that allows some telework
  • 50 million workers both could and want to telework
  • Roughly 4.5 million people telework daily
  • 20 - 30 million work from home at least one day per week

A primary reason for NOT exercising the telework option is 'job security.'

PeopleTek News, August 30th, 2021
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SF IT vBeers Boca
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In Person: vBeers South Florida (Biergarten Boca) (September 15th)
Online - Zoom
vBeers meetups are informal networking events for South Florida Tech professionals.

In-person, after work vBeers resumed in June!

September

  • Wednesday 8th - Funky Buddha, Oakland Park
  • Wednesday 15th - Biergarten Boca, Boca Raton
  • Wednesday 22nd - Mike's at Venetia, Miami

October

  • Wednesday 6th - Zoom
  • Wednesday 13th - Funky Buddha, Oakland Park
  • Wednesday 20th - Biergarten Boca, Boca Raton
  • Wednesday 27th - Mike's at Venetia, Miami

Hang out with IT colleagues after work!

vBeers 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

Wednesday, September 15th, 2021: 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM
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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
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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
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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

Corporate IT Audit, IT Compliance, IT Governance & IT Security Professionals
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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.

Not-for-profit Organization of Information Security Professionals and Practitioners
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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!
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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 and nonprofit - $,1000/year
  • Ambassador - $2,500/year
  • Premier - $5,000/year
  • Executive - $10,000/year

Palm Beach Tech is a nonprofit membership association Building the Palm Beaches into a Tech Hub.

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.

Create and Encourage an Environment Conducive to Promoting HIM Practices and Emerging HIM Occupations
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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.

PMI South Florida Chapter
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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.

International Institution of Business Analysis (IIBA)
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