FOR LOTUS AND IBM IT PROFESSIONALS
Professional Development Special Issue

Welcome to our Spring 2003 Special Issue on Professional Development. As IBM's strategies for Domino, Notes, and WebSphere become more clear, IT professionals like you will need the tools to keep competitive and get the job done. This special issue will give you many of those tools.

This issue is also our public announcement of DominoPower's new sister publication, WebSpherePower, which will be unveiled in April. The editorial staff of both publications worked together to bring you the great resource center presented below.
 

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
12 important tips to boost your competitive advantage
By David Gewirtz

Two of the most powerful books I ever read were Competitive Advantage and Competitive Strategy by Harvard professor Micheal Porter. If you're planning a business or even growing your career, I recommend these books. As you move forward in these uncertain times, sustaining your competitive advantage becomes key to success.

In my travels as ZATZ Editor-in-Chief, I've talked to hundreds of folks, some convinced we were all doomed and some as equally convinced that this was a time of unparalleled growth. While there's certainly a middle ground, the lesson I take away is that you make your own reality. And if you want your reality to be successful, you have to expect success.

In this special issue, we provide you with some fabulous tips that will help you on your way. Read on, and remember that your world is what you make it.

1. THERE'S GOLD IN THEM THAR HILLS
We recently interviewed many of the leading Lotus business partners on their view of the state of the market. In-depth details from those interviews will be in future issues of DominoPower and WebSpherePower Magazines.

Here's what's interesting: About half of those interviewed were convinced Domino was doomed, while the others were convinced there were strong opportunities. About half were convinced WebSphere is going to eclipse Domino, while the other half weren't.

I like how Sam Bridegroom of Eclipse Education (at http://www.eclipse-education.com) tells it, "There are some 80 million seats of the Notes client out there, many of which incorporate the use of mission-critical, client-based applications as their way of doing business."

Bottom line: there's business and jobs out there. Someone's getting them. Make that someone be you.

2. GET TO KNOW ND6
There are some real advantages to ND6 and companies will be migrating, probably for a period of nearly two years. Become an expert in this new release and you'll have an open opportunity for growth.

3. GET CERTIFIED...FAST
DominoPower Contributing Editor Dan Simmons is one of the country's leading IT recruiters (he's at http://www.consearch.com) and is also the author of the ZATZ Solutions Guide Finding IT Jobs in a Challenging Economy. He suggests something very powerful: get certified before everyone else. There will, undoubtedly, be migration projects from Release 4 or Release 5 to ND6. If you're one of the first 1,000 or so certified professionals, you'll have a much better chance of scoring that gig.

Look through this Special Issue carefully. There are a number of excellent training companies listed who can get you certified quickly and with the knowledge you'll need.

4. GET TO KNOW WEBSPHERE
If you're planning on working in the IBM community, we recommend you learn WebSphere as well as Notes and Domino. IBM has shown how Lotus Notes and Domino can coexist with WebSphere, but the professional or team that can integrate both disciplines will have a better chance in a competitive market.

5. CONSTANT TRAINING
Don't rest. Keep your chops up. There are powerful opportunities out there, but you're going to need to move with the technology curve. Read magazines like DominoPower and WebSpherePower (and The View, and Advisor, and ePro, and all the others). Take courses. Build apps and systems -- even if you don't have the clients now.

There's no substitute for hands-on learning and the more experience and expertise you have, whether from paying jobs or your own projects the more credible and the more confident you'll be.

Keep reading...Tips 6-12 are further down in this Special Issue...

MORE TIPS FOR SUCCESS
Yet more tips for professional success
By David Gewirtz

Here are more great tips that will help you stand out.

6. TARGET UPGRADERS
We've already talked about the opportunity in helping folks migrate to ND6. But you can also help clients integrate Domino and WebSphere and even migrate to Notes and Domino from Exchange.

Cassandra Hernandez of Advanced Systems Group (at http://www.advancedsystems.com) has a really great tip: "There is great opportunity in the segment of MS 5.5 users who have not upgraded to Exchange 2000."

7. DON'T FORGET THE "OTHER" LOTUS PRODUCTS
Although we're seeing product name changes, the products we've grown to know as SameTime and QuickPlace still have powerful advantages. Get to know these products, learn how to integrate them into your solutions, and learn about some of the more interesting ways to leverage their abilities.

For example, John Dellerba at Cobra Technologies (at http://www.cobratech.com) has shown us here at DominoPower how "bots" can make SameTime integrate with IM clients, providing some wildly productive and innovative solutions. Sherri Taylor of Computer Training & Consulting (at http://www.ctcfl.com) confirms this thinking: "We are seeing growth in the collaboration pieces, specifically SameTime integration."

8. COLLECT TOOLS AND TOOLKITS
Build tools that will make you more productive. Find those resources that can give you a competitive advantage, whether it's a simple tool for cranking out thumbnails quickly or a resource kit of reusable code modules, tools can make you more productive.

While time can often be money, time is also sanity. Having the right set of tools can mean the difference between a weekend with your family or a weekend digging through code.

9. TAKE ADVANTAGE OF SERVICE REVENUE
Jürgen Wege, CEO and founder of GROUP Technologies (at http://www.group-technologies.com) tells us, "While the Domino market is well established, there is great opportunity for growth of new products and services within the established customer base."

Steven Birchfield of Automation Center (at http://www.acentre.com) echoes this theme. "Services! At the end of the day we believe that even software companies like Automation Centre deliver a service," says Birchfield. "The initial service is delivered through research, testing and training, in the collaboration space most of this work has been done. Future service opportunities will likely be maintenance (fixing stuff) and upgrades that make a difference in the day to day life of customers. There may be a growing outsourcing opportunity for hosting or maintaining Domino infrastructure as our market matures. The good news for Domino and Domino partners is that very few customers today make great use of the capabilities of Domino."

10. GO INTERNATIONAL
No matter where you are, you should consider expanding your marketing coverage to more nations. Many of our readers (and our advertisers) are located outside the United States. We're seeing amazing technical skills in many far away places. Given the power of the Internet, the world truly is a global community.

We can do amazing things for international relations by simply continuing to do business globally. There are some wonderful people all over the world, people I've come to know through the power of email and collaboration. The Internet connects us all.

11. WRITE FOR US
Over and over, we've heard how ZATZ authors have gotten better jobs, beaten out their competition, or gotten access at higher levels because they'd been published in DominoPower. Writing for us provides a number of powerful benefits. First, it gets your name out there. Second, you'll improve your writing skills and gain practice. Third, because we're extremely selective in the articles we choose to publish, if you're in the magazine, you're already gaining some extra cred. And, finally, your mom would be so proud. My son, the writer...

Seriously, though, writing credentials have been proven over and over again to improve the ability to get a job, boost starting salaries, and increase influence. If you'd like to learn more about writing for DominoPower, visit http://www.AuthorPower.com, our global online community for ZATZ authors and editors.

12. FIND YOUR STRENGTHS AND LEVERAGE THEM
Here's  hint straight out of The Flexible Enterprise, How to Reinvent Your Company, Unlock Your Strengths, and Prosper in a Changing World, by yours truly. Make a list of all your strengths, resources, and assets. Divide them into groups and categories, and see if you can recombine them in new and exciting ways. You may find you've got a unique ability, resource, or skill that can help you compete. Expand on that, leverage those skills, and you may find entirely new opportunities.

Well, that's a lot of material. If you follow the tips above, and take advantage of the resources we provide in this Special Issue, you're sure to stand out in any crowd. Feel free to share with us your success stories. Send your news to news@dominopower.com. And, stay tuned next month, for our launch of the exciting new WebSpherePower Magazine!

As Managing Editor Denise Amrich (who lives in Honolulu) would say, Aloha!

THE ZATZ ONLINE STORE
No worries, mate! From integrating Outlook with your Palm handheld to creating flashy presentations on the road to getting that dream job, ZATZ has the Solutions Guide for whatever makes you tick. Click on any of the covers below to get all the support you need.

This week's featured guides:  

Visit the ZATZ Online Store for our complete collection of helpful Solutions Guides.

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