Reza Alirezaei, International Authority in Knowledge and Business Process Management and Collaboration Technologies, Microsoft Office SharePoint Server MVP

This week, Stephen Ibaraki has an exclusive interview with Reza Alirezaei.

Reza Alirezaei is a Microsoft Office SharePoint Server MVP and MCTS. As a technical leader with over 8 years of experience, he has helped many development teams architect and build large-scale and mission critical applications. Reza has been focused on Collaboration, Knowledge Management, Business Process Management and SharePoint since its Tahoe days (2001).

In addition to consulting, Reza is a speaker, author and instructor. He frequently speaks on a variety of SharePoint related topics at local user group meetings and industry events. A former SQL Server Reporting Services MVP, Reza was also appointed as a Microsoft Office SharePoint Server MVP due to his commitment to the technical community. Reza has been awarded three times as one of the Top 20 community contributors to the Microsoft Developer Network (MSDN). More information about Reza can be found at his blog.

To listen to the interview, click on this MP3 file link

The latest blog on the interview can be found in the IT Managers Connection (IMC) forum where you can provide your comments in an interactive dialogue.
http://blogs.technet.com/cdnitmanagers/

DISCUSSION:

Interview Time Index (MM:SS) and Topic
:00:48:		Reza shares what triggered his initial interest in computing science.
:02:36:		What does it mean to be a Microsoft Most Valuable Professional (MVP)? "....The MVP program has opened a whole new world of interests for me....It has given me the opportunity to associate with a group of talented people across the globe who, just for the love of the technology....are ready to lend a hand to others and share information...."
:04:29:		You have been awarded 3 times as a top 20 contributor to MSDN wiki. What is the MSDN wiki? "....The great thing about the MSDN wiki is that it allows the community to add comments and their views to the end of the many articles published at MSDN...."
:06:04:		How would you define collaboration today and how does collaboration benefit the various organizations? What is SharePoint's role in all of this? "....I think collaboration is just a strategy capability....It requires a strategy vision that is backed up by an infrastructure of software and services that deliver it. It's an inevitable part of what people want and expect in today's world...In short, collaboration helps an organization maximize their unique business value by enabling their employees to focus on expressing their unique talents in their work...."
:09:52:		I hear you talking about all the integration between a whole series of technologies - why do you think this is part of the collaboration vision at Microsoft? "....The integration is not limited to just the collaboration vision....It's wonderful how Microsoft brings different technologies together under one umbrella to accomplish something. The end goal here is to make the end user's life a lot easier...."
:13:23:		Reza adds his thoughts and experiences in regards to SharePoint as an application development platform debate.
:19:28:		You have the Windows Sharepoint Services which is now offered as a free download since Windows Server 2003. This is the foundation of SharePoint and integrates with IIS 7, SQL Server, .Net frameworks, and builds on this rich development environment or offers that capability, thus leveraging the ASP.NET expertise that you have developed over the years. Do you see that as well? "....Whatever you have developed so far in your ASP.NET expertise will be transferred but you also need to adjust in some areas because not everything that you could do easily in ASP.NET is doable (in the same way) in SharePoint....It's doable, but in another form...."
:23:18:		What recommendations would you have for anyone considering a career in IT? "....First and foremost, IT is a lifestyle. Other requirements are passion, inspiration and dedication....You must be absolutely comfortable with how your employer does business, their morals, how they like to invest in you and the working environment they provide.....Your network is super important....There's opportunity in every challenge....A very important thing in IT is that you always have to have hands on experience....Stay focused. I have this motto: in IT there is no Jack-of-all-trades. Gain expertise in one field instead of trying to learn a little bit of everything...."
:26:43:		If our audience want to connect with you what is the address of your blog? ....http://blogs.devhorizon.com/reza....
:27:44:		The UN-founded International Federation for Information Processing or IFIP has their Professional Practice Partnership Program which received full ratification at the world general assembly in August 2007 with their first implementation meeting in Montreal hosted by CIPS in October. This marks an historical inflection point and speaks to IT as a recognized profession with global standards, profession-based code of ethics, and widely adopted professional certification-all happening in 2009. Can you provide your comments? "...The vote created a unified language for technology. As long as you speak that language you can be recognized as an accepted voice on any international stage. I think it is a great program...."