This year's Intel Developer Forum kicked off with a punch when Paul Otellini took the stage to discuss and reveal Intel roadmap leaps. With an unyielding commitment to Moore's Law, Otellini discussed Intel's tick-tock strategy and the path from 45nm to 32nm while offering a first-time glimpse at their latest feat--22nm process technology housing 2.9 billion transistors. Due to hit production in 2011, Intel has got an actual working prototype–another world's first. Check out the press release here: http://download.intel.com/pressroom/kits/events/idffall_2009/pdfs/22nm_factsheet.pdf

What makes this continuing tick-tock model so incredible is how it affects IT at every level. Intel continues to integrate more technologies on the chip that help enable IT to manage smarter. Showcasing this, Otellini talked about "building a continuum," a new concept that, in the future, can enable IT to have each and every system in their fleet–from handhelds, to smart phones, to mobile and desktop workstations, to servers, and more–seamlessly integrate, for greater ease of deployment, manageability, and security.

With growing data requirements penetrating every aspect of business along with shrinking budgets, new technologies like Intel's upcoming Westmere–Intel's family of next-generation high-k metal gate 32nm processors–are building the continuum through desktop, mobile, and server, all based on a single architecture. Take a look at YouTube for more from Sanjay Natarajan: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R4XyLRROZmQ&feature=player_embedded 

IDF has just kicked off and there's more to come. Follow @IntelPremierIT and @sylviaflores for breaking tweets.

Thanks to everyone who shared their IT best practices through the Intel Premier IT Knowledge Award program.  Judges from Intel and CXO Media poured over the very qualified submissions and had the hard job of narrowing to a handful of finalists.  Two awards (one for management of client fleet, one for data center) will be chosen by a panel of judges from Intel and CXO Media.  One additional award winner will be chosen by the IT community members of Intel Premier IT Professional via online voting.

So it's your turn. 

Users can find the link to vote on http://ipip.intel.com. 

For those who are not program members, membership is free and takes just a few minutes. You'll also stay up-to-date with best practices and technology insights online, in publications and local events.

The Intel Premier IT Knowledge Awards program was designed to recognize and reward North American IT managers/groups who have generated best practices, driving business value and innovation.   

The finalists represent diversity of business size, type, and solutions deployed using Intel architecture.

Data Center Management

Applied Materials

HD Supply

RichRelevance

Toyota Motor Sales, Inc.

Client Fleet Management

Hay Group

Our Kids of Miami-Dade/Monroe, Inc. 

Polycom, Inc.

Raleigh Pediatrics Associates

Award winners will receive industry recognition in an upcoming issue of CIO magazine as well as invited guest at either the CIO 100 Symposium and Awards or the CIO: The Year Ahead event. 

Let us know who your favorite IT hero is. 

CIO magazine has received some great submissions from IT organizations for the Intel Premier IT Awards.  Stellar examples of best practices in client fleet and data center management.  But some of you, literally dozens, have incomplete drafts waiting to be submitted for award consideration. 

With the deadline for submission May 29, 2009 getting closer, I ask you: If you've come this far, what's keeping you from getting your submission to the finish line? And if you haven't considered submitting for the award ... why not?

Winning submissions for client fleet management and data center management as well as a "people's choice" winner will be profiled in CIO magazine.  Plus, a winner in each category will also be CIO magazine's guest at the CIO 100 Symposium & Awards or CIO: The Year Ahead events.  And a recogntion plaque for your company or office.  Eligible nominees are North American IT end-user organizations.

At our Intel Premier IT events, on Open Port, and elsewhere, we hear loud and clear from you that these are challenging times for IT.  And, in conjunction with CIO magazine, we'd love to provide some honor and recognition for the work you've done.

If you have a question about eligiblity or other critera, ask away.  To paraphrase a TV doctor: "Hello, IT.  We're listening."  And we hope to hear from you, here or through the official award website: http://www.premieritawards.com

This week, we'll have guest Intel blogger Enrique Castro-Leon, Enterprise and Data Center Architect and Technology Strategist. As a preface I'd like to share the preface from the forthcoming Intel Press book Enrique has co-authored, "The Business Value of Service Oriented Grids." The preface (also in our resources area) tees up the history that brought us to service oriented grids and an industry example of how using virtualization and service orientation can help a mature business. If you'd like more, let us know you're reading and give us a shout.

And don't forget our other guest blogging by the Intel Business Exchange managers this week.

I'm sorry I wasn't there.

Though I thought our Pittsburgh event was a fantastic 'first event' for the year, I heard from my associates that the Columbus event rocked. Full house with over 200 attendees, our new emcee was so good, noone knew she was new, many audience members commented on the value of this event for them. I was unable to attend due to other work committments, but I did have my partner-in-crime capture some new videos of two additional presenters.

Overview of presentation given at the Intel Premier IT event in Pittsburgh titled "Security 101" Presented By: Jonathan Clemens, Intel IT

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h4jWmHLiHQY

Overview of presentation given at the Intel Premier IT event in Columbus titled "A Peek at the Future: Intel Product and Technology Roadmap". Presented By: Jim Fister, Intel

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=glADjTRiGIE

Here's a couple photos from the event:

Mike Breton, IT @ Intel speaker

Seminar in Session

The Intel Premier IT Professional program provides members with access to up-to-date best practices from IT leaders. One way we deliver that is through events in the US and Canada. Among the questions we ask attendees after each event is: How would you like to receive this type of information in the future?

With a growing array of media for you to choose from, F2F (face to face) events continue to be important to IT professionals. And I see other data points making the case for F2F in a digital world, like Tim Harford's column in the January issue of Wired (16.02). http://www.wired.com/culture/lifestyle/magazine/16-02/st_essay

Of course, we can't deliver F2F events in every city, or dive as deeply on a hot topic as we might like. So we offer a 2x/year magazine called Intel Premier IT, webinars, online videos, an eNewsletter and more.

IT events are just one form of communication, but how are they holding up with you? Are you attending them more or less frequently than you did a year ago? What events, if any, have you attended this year that mattered ... and why? And if you have specific feedback for the Intel Premier IT Professional events or program we'd love to hear that too.