Chris Amaris

Chris Amaris, MCSE, CISSP/ISSAP, CHS III, is the chief technology officer and cofounder of Convergent Computing. He has more than 20 years experience consulting for Fortune 500 companies, leading companies in the technology selection, design, planning, and implementation of complex information technology projects. Chris has worked with Microsoft System Center products such as Operations Manager and Configuration Manager since their original releases in 2000 and 1994. He specializes in messaging, security, performance tuning, systems management, and migration. A Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) with an Information System Security Architecture Professional (ISSAP) concentration, Certified Homeland Security (CHS III), Windows 2003 MCSE, Novell CNE, Banyan CBE, and a Certified Project Manager, Chris is also an author and technical editor for a number of IT books, including Network Security for Government and Corporate Executives, Exchange 2010 Unleashed, and Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2 Unleashed. Chris presents on messaging, systems management, security, and information technology topics worldwide.

Chris Amaris

Rand Morimoto, Ph.D., MVP, MCITP, CISSP, has been in the computer industry for more than 30 years and has authored, coauthored, or been a contributing writer for dozens of books on Windows, Security, Exchange, BizTalk, and Remote and Mobile Computing. Rand is the president of Convergent Computing, an IT-consulting firm in the San Francisco Bay area that has been one of the key early adopter program partners with Microsoft, implementing the latest Microsoft technologies, including Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2, System Center 2012, Windows 7, Exchange Server 2013, Windows Server 2012, and SharePoint 2010 in production environments more than 18 months before the initial product releases.

 

Michael Noel, MCITP, MVP, is an internationally recognized technology expert, bestselling author, and well-known public speaker on a broad range of IT topics. He authored multiple major industry books that have been translated into more than a dozen languages worldwide. Michael has presented at over one hundred technical and business conferences in more than fifty countries around the world and on all seven continents, including the first ever IT conference in Antarctica. Currently a partner at Convergent Computing (www.cco.com) in the San Francisco Bay area, Michael’s writing and extensive public-speaking experience across all seven continents leverage his real-world expertise in helping organizations realize business value from Information Technology infrastructure.

 

Guy Yardeni, MCITP, CISSP, MVP, is an accomplished infrastructure architect, author, and overall geek-for-hire. Guy has been working in the IT industry for more than 15 years and has extensive experience designing, implementing, and supporting enterprise technology solutions. Guy is an expert at connecting business requirements to technology solutions and driving to successful completion the technical details of the effort while maintaining overall goals and vision. Guy maintains a widely read technical blog at www.rdpfiles.com and is a Windows MVP.

 

Omar Droubi, MCSE, MCTS, has maintained a successful career and delivered quality work as a senior Information Technology professional for more than 20 years by keeping current with the latest technological developments and trends. As a writer, he has coauthored several Sams Publishing best-selling books, including Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Unleashed, Windows Server 2008 Unleashed, and Windows Server 2008 R2 Unleashed. Omar has also been a contributing writer and technical reviewer on several Microsoft Exchange Server books and publications. He has been deeply involved in testing, designing, and prototyping Windows 8 and Windows Server 2012 for the past several years and plans to assist organizations in getting the most out of the latest features included in the products.

 

Andrew Abbate enjoys the position of principal consultant and partner at Convergent Computing. With nearly 20 years of experience in IT, Andrew’s area of expertise is understanding a business’s needs and translating that to process and technologies to solve real problems. Having worked with companies from the Fortune Ten to companies of 10, Andrew has a unique perspective on IT and a grasp on “big picture” consulting. Andrew has also written eight industry books on varying technologies ranging from Windows to Security to Unified Communications.

 

Chris Amaris, MCITP, MCTS, CISSP/ISSAP, CHS III, is the chief technology officer and cofounder of Convergent Computing. He has more than 20 years experience consulting for Fortune 500 companies, leading companies in the technology selection, design, planning, and implementation of complex information technology projects. Chris has worked with Microsoft System Center products such as Operations Manager and Configuration Manager since their original releases in 2000 and 1994. He specializes in messaging, security, performance tuning, systems management, and migration. Receiving his first Microsoft technologies certification in 1993, Chris is a current Microsoft Certified IT Professional (MCITP) with multiple Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist (MCTS) certifications in System Center technologies, a Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) with an Information System Security Architecture Professional (ISSAP) concentration, Certified Homeland Security (CHS III), a Novell CNE, a Banyan CBE, and a Certified Project Manager. Chris is also an author, writer, and technical editor for a number of IT books, including System Center 2012 Unleashed, Network Security for Government and Corporate Executives, Exchange 2010 Unleashed , and Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2 Unleashed.

 

Omar Droubi

Rand Morimoto, Ph.D., MCSE, CISSP, has been in the computer industry for more than 30 years and has authored, coauthored, or been a contributing writer for dozens of books on Windows, Security, Exchange, Office 365, and Microsoft Azure. Rand is the president of Convergent Computing, an IT-consulting firm in the San Francisco Bay area that has been one of the key early adopter program partners with Microsoft. Convergent Computing implements the latest Microsoft technologies, including Microsoft Windows Server 2016, System Center 2016, Windows 10, Azure Stack, Office 365, and Azure (public) in production environments months before the initial product releases to the general public.

Jeffrey Shapiro, MCSE, MCT, leads MISIQ, a technical consulting company specializing in all areas of Microsoft systems, including Windows Server, SQL Server, IIS, PKI, all aspects of .NET software development, and Microsoft’s Azure cloud services. He helps CIOs and CTOs plan, architect, and manage their network and IT operations assets. He has nearly 30 years’ experience in all aspects of information technology and has authored and co-authored more than 20 books from software engineering to IT infrastructure and computer and network systems. He began architecting Windows Client-Server systems as early as 1993 and supported numerous Windows NT networks for most of the 1990s. A prolific IT writer, he was one of the first authors to cover the advent of Active Directory in 1999, and has written extensively on Windows Server technology. His books cover Windows Server NT, and Windows Server 2000 through Windows Server 2016.

Jeffrey is also a high-availability expert and has architected some of the world’s largest Windows Server networks, some of them consisting of 100s of servers and server clusters all over the world. He has consulted for some of the United States’ largest corporations, such as Blue Cross Blue Shield, Con Edison, Disney, Universal Studios, and several counties and cities across North America. He is an expert SQL Server DBA and .NET Programmer.

Guy Yardeni, MCITP, CISSP, MVP, is an accomplished infrastructure architect, author, and overall geek-for-hire. Guy has been working in the IT industry for more than 16 years and has extensive experience designing, implementing, and supporting enterprise technology solutions. Guy is an expert at connecting business requirements to technology solutions and driving to successful completion the technical details of the effort while maintaining overall goals and vision. Guy maintains a widely read technical blog at www.rdpfiles.com and is a Windows MVP.

Omar Droubi, MCTS, has maintained a successful career and delivered quality work as a senior Information Technology professional for more than 20 years by keeping current with the latest technological developments and trends. As a writer, he has co-authored several Sams Publishing best-selling books, including Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Unleashed through Windows Server 2012 Unleashed. Omar has also been a contributing writer and technical reviewer on several Microsoft Exchange Server books and publications. He has been deeply involved in testing, designing, and prototyping Windows 10 and Windows Server 2016 for the past few years, and has assisted organizations in getting the most out of the latest features included in these products.

Michael Noel, MVP, is an internationally recognized technology expert, bestselling author, and well-known public speaker on a broad range of IT topics. He has authored more than 20 major industry books that have been translated into more than a dozen languages worldwide. In addition, Michael has presented at more than 200 technical and business conferences in more than 70 countries around the world. Currently a partner at Convergent Computing (cco.com) in the San Francisco Bay area, Michael’s writing and extensive public-speaking experience across all seven continents leverage his real-world expertise in helping organizations realize business value from Information Technology infrastructure.

Andrew Abbate, MCITP, enjoys the position of principal consultant and partner at Convergent Computing. With more than 20 years of experience in IT, Andrew’s area of expertise is understanding a business’s needs and translating that to process and technologies to solve real problems. Having worked with companies from the Fortune Ten to companies of 10, Andrew has a unique perspective on IT and a grasp on “big picture” consulting. Andrew has also written eight industry books on varying technologies ranging from Windows to Security to Unified Communications.

Chris Amaris, MCITP, MCTS, CISSP/ISSAP, CHS III, is the chief technology officer and cofounder of Convergent Computing. He has more than 30 years’ experience consulting for Fortune 500 companies, leading companies in the technology selection, architecture, design, and deployment of complex enterprise and hosted cloud integration projects. Chris specializes in leveraging Microsoft Azure, Windows 2016, and System Center to achieve a high degree of on-premise to cloud integration, automation, and self-service, reducing the level of effort and time-to-market for organizations while providing high levels of fault tolerance and availability. Chris is also an author, writer, and technical editor for a number of IT books, including System Center 2012 Unleashed, and conducts trainings and seminars on Azure, Windows, and System Center technologies worldwide.

Omar Droubi

Omar Droubi has been in the computer and networking industry for more than 9 years and has worked as a consultant assisting small, medium and large organizations introduce and manage Microsoft Technologies ranging from directory services, messaging systems, databases, Virtual Private Networks and Firewalls. Omar's specialties include designing scalable Windows based networks that are focused on meeting clients' computing and networking requirements. Omar is an expert at integrating Windows systems or migrating to Windows 2003 Active Directory from Novell NetWare, Unix, and Banyan Vines. Omar is not only a skilled designer and implementer of the Windows Server 2003 family of products, but he is also a qualified and certified Microsoft trainer (MCT). Omar is an MSCE and has been a contributing writer on a Microsoft Exchange 2000 book and on occasion has written material for Microsoft focused on Windows 2000 server integration and optimization.

Ross Mistry

Ross Mistry is a Principal Consultant with Convergent Comupting (CCO), and has been working with SQL Server 2005 since the first alpha versions.

Ross Mistry

Rand H. Morimoto, Ph.D., MVP, MCITP, CISSP, has been in the computer industry for over 30 years and has authored, coauthored, or been a contributing writer for dozens of books on Windows, Security, Exchange, BizTalk, and Remote and Mobile Computing. Rand is the president of Convergent Computing, an IT-consulting firm in the San Francisco Bay area that has been one of the key early adopter program partners with Microsoft, implementing beta versions of Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows 7, Exchange Server 2010, and SharePoint 2010 in production environments over 18 months before the initial product releases.

 

Michael Noel, MCITP, CISSP, MVP, is an internationally recognized technology expert, best-selling author, and well-known public speaker on a broad range of IT topics. He authored multiple major industry books that have been translated into more than a dozen languages worldwide. Significant titles include SharePoint 2010 Unleashed, Microsoft Exchange Server 2010 Unleashed, SharePoint 2007 Unleashed, Exchange Server 2007 Unleashed, ISA Server 2006 Unleashed, and many more. Currently a partner at Convergent Computing (www.cco.com) in the San Francisco Bay area, Michael’s writing and extensive public speaking experience across six continents leverage his real-world expertise in helping organizations realize business value from Information Technology infrastructure.

 

Omar Droubi, MCSE, has been in the computer industry since 1992 and during this time has coauthored several of Sams Publishing best-selling books, including Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Unleashed and Windows Server 2008 Unleashed, and Omar has been a contributing writer and technical reviewer on several other books on Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2008, and Exchange Server 2000, 2003, and 2007. Omar has been involved in testing, designing, and prototyping Windows Server 2008 and Windows Server 2008 R2 infrastructures for the past four years, and has primarily focused on upgrading existing networks and utilizing many of the new roles and features included in the product. Also during this time, Omar has assisted several organizations with the development of technical road maps, planning and executing domain and server consolidation and virtualization projects, and deploying Exchange Server 2007 for organizations of all sizes.

 

Ross Mistry, MVP, MCITP, is a principal consultant and partner at Convergent Computing, an author, and a Microsoft MVP. With over a decade of experience, Ross focuses on designing and implementing Windows, Active Directory, Hyper-V, Exchange Server, and SQL Server solutions for Fortune 500 organizations located in the Silicon Valley. His specialties include upgrades, migrations, high availability, security, and virtualization. Ross has also taken on the roles of lead author, contributing writer, and technical editor for many best-selling books published by Sams. His recent works include SQL Server 2008 Management and Administration, Exchange Server 2010 Unleashed, and Windows Server 2008 Unleashed. Ross writes technical articles for many sites including TechTarget.com and frequently speaks at international conferences around the world.

 

Chris Amaris, MCSE, CISSP/ISSAP, CHS III, is the chief technology officer and cofounder of Convergent Computing. He has more than 20 years experience consulting for Fortune 500 companies, leading companies in the technology selection, design, planning, and implementation of complex Information Technology projects. Chris has worked with Microsoft Windows since version 1.0 in 1985. He specializes in messaging, security, performance tuning, systems management, and migration. A Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) with an Information System Security Architecture Professional (ISSAP) concentration, Certified Homeland Security (CHS III), Windows 2003 MCSE, Novell CNE, Banyan CBE, and a Certified Project Manager, Chris is also an author, writer, and technical editor for a number of IT books, including Network Security for Government and Corporate Executives, Microsoft Exchange Server 2010 Unleashed, and Microsoft Operations Manager 2005 Unleashed. Chris presents on messaging, operations management, security, and Information Technology topics worldwide.

Rand Morimoto

Chris Amaris, MCSE, CISSP/ISSAP, CHS III, is the chief technology officer and cofounder of Convergent Computing. He has more than 20 years experience consulting for Fortune 500 companies, leading companies in the technology selection, design, planning, and implementation of complex information technology projects. Chris has worked with Microsoft System Center products such as Operations Manager and Configuration Manager since their original releases in 2000 and 1994. He specializes in messaging, security, performance tuning, systems management, and migration. A Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) with an Information System Security Architecture Professional (ISSAP) concentration, Certified Homeland Security (CHS III), Windows 2003 MCSE, Novell CNE, Banyan CBE, and a Certified Project Manager, Chris is also an author and technical editor for a number of IT books, including Network Security for Government and Corporate Executives, Exchange 2010 Unleashed, and Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2 Unleashed. Chris presents on messaging, systems management, security, and information technology topics worldwide.

 

Tyson Kopczynski, CISSP, GCIH, with more than ten years of experience in IT, has become a specialist in Active Directory, information assurance, Windows automation, PKI, and IT security practices. Tyson is also the founding author of the Windows PowerShell Unleashed series and has been a contributing author for such books as Microsoft Internet Security and Acceleration (ISA) Server 2006 Unleashed and Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2 Unleashed. He has also written many detailed technical papers and guides covering various technologies. As a consultant at Convergent Computing, Tyson works with and has provided feedback for next generation Microsoft technologies since their inception and has also played a key role in expanding the automation and security practices at Convergent Computing. Tyson also holds such certifications as the Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP), the SANS Security Essentials Certification (GSEC), SANS Certified Incident Handler (GCIH), and the Application Platform, Active Directory, and Network Infrastructure (MCTS).

 

Alec Minty, MCSE, is a senior engineer for a large Internet company in the San Francisco Bay area. He has more than 10 years’ industry experience with extensive knowledge designing and implementing enterprise-class solutions for a diverse array of organizations. Alec has been an early adopter of database technologies, operations management, systems management, and security technologies. He specializes in designing, implementing, migrating, and supporting complex infrastructures for a variety of large utility, telecommunications, and engineering organizations. Alec’s experience spans the business and technology areas; he has in-depth experience in the deployment, migration, and integration of key business technologies such as SQL Server, Windows, Exchange Server, Active Directory, ISA, and Identity Management. Alec is coauthor of SQL Server 2005 Management and Administration and MOM 2005 Unleashed and is a contributing author on Exchange Server 2007 Unleashed and ISA 2004 Unleashed, all published by Sams Publishing.

 

Rand H. Morimoto, Ph.D., MVP, MCITP, CISSP, has been in the computer industry for more than 30 years and has authored, coauthored, or been a contributing writer for dozens of books on Windows, Security, Exchange Server, BizTalk, and Remote and Mobile Computing. Rand is the president of Convergent Computing, an IT-consulting firm in the San Francisco Bay area that has been one of the key early adopter program partners with Microsoft, implementing the latest Microsoft technologies including Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2, System Center Service Manager 2010, Windows 7, Exchange Server 2010, and SharePoint 2010 in production environments more than 18 months before the initial product releases.

 

 

Rand Morimoto

Rand H. Morimoto, Ph.D., MVP, MCITP, CISSP, has been in the computer industry for more than 30 years and has authored, coauthored, or been a contributing writer for dozens of books on Windows, Security, Exchange Server, BizTalk, and Remote and Mobile Computing. Rand is the president of Convergent Computing, an IT-consulting firm in the San Francisco Bay area that has been one of the key early adopter program partners with Microsoft, implementing the latest Microsoft technologies including Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2, System Center Service Manager 2010, Windows 7, Exchange Server 2010, and SharePoint 2010 in production environments more than 18 months before the initial product releases.

Read Rand's blog on the NetworkWorld.com Microsoft Subnet site.

Michael Noel

Rand Morimoto, Ph.D., MVP, MCITP, CISSP, has been in the computer industry for more than 30 years and has authored, coauthored, or been a contributing writer for dozens of books on Windows, Security, Exchange, BizTalk, and Remote and Mobile Computing. Rand is the president of Convergent Computing, an IT-consulting firm in the San Francisco Bay area that has been one of the key early adopter program partners with Microsoft, implementing the latest Microsoft technologies, including Microsoft Windows Server 2012, System Center 2012, Windows 8, Exchange Server 2013, SharePoint 2013, Office 365, and Azure cloud services in production environments more than 18 months before the initial product releases.

Michael Noel, MCITP, MVP, is an internationally recognized technology expert, bestselling author, and well-known public speaker on a broad range of IT topics. He authored multiple major industry books that have been translated into more than a dozen languages worldwide. Michael has presented at over 100 technical and business conferences in more than 50 countries around the world and on all seven continents, including the first ever IT conference in Antarctica. Currently a partner at Convergent Computing (www.cco.com) in the San Francisco Bay area, Michael’s writing and extensive public-speaking experience across all seven continents leverage his real-world expertise in helping organizations realize business value from the information technology infrastructure.

Guy Yardeni, MCITP, CISSP, MVP, is an accomplished infrastructure architect, author, and overall geek-for-hire. Guy has been working in the IT industry for more than 15 years and has extensive experience designing, implementing, and supporting enterprise technology solutions. Guy is an expert at connecting business requirements to technology solutions and driving to successful completion the technical details of the effort while maintaining overall goals and vision. Guy maintains a widely read technical blog at www.rdpfiles.com and is a Windows MVP.

Chris Amaris, MCITP, MCTS, CISSP/ISSAP, CHS III, is the chief technology officer and cofounder of Convergent Computing. He has more than 20 years experience consulting for Fortune 500 companies, leading companies in the technology selection, design, planning, and implementation of complex information technology projects. Chris has worked with Microsoft Exchange Server since its original release in 1995. He specializes in messaging, security, performance tuning, systems management, and migration. Receiving his first Microsoft technologies certification in 1993, Chris is a current Microsoft Certified IT Professional (MCITP) with multiple Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist (MCTS) certifications in Microsoft technologies, a Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) with an Information System Security Architecture Professional (ISSAP) concentration, Certified Homeland Security (CHS III), a Novell CNE, a Banyan CBE, and a Certified Project Manager. Chris is also an author, writer, and technical editor for a number of IT books, including Microsoft System Center 2012 Unleashed, Network Security for Government and Corporate Executives, Microsoft Exchange Server 2010 Unleashed, and Microsoft Windows Server 2012 Unleashed.

Andrew Abbate enjoys the position of principal consultant and partner at Convergent Computing. With nearly 20 years of experience in IT, Andrew’s area of expertise is understanding a business’s needs and translating that to process and technologies to solve real problems. Having worked with companies from the Fortune Ten to companies of 10, Andrew has a unique perspective on IT and a grasp on “big picture” consulting. Andrew has also written nine industry books on varying technologies ranging from Windows to Security to Unified Communications and contributed to several others.

Michael Noel

Michael Noel is an internationally recognized technology expert, bestselling author, and well known public speaker on a broad range of IT topics. He has authored several major best-selling industry books that have been translated into over a dozen languages. Significant titles include SharePoint 2007 Unleashed, Teach Yourself SharePoint 2007 in 10 Minutes, Windows Server 2008 Unleashed, ISA Server 2006 Unleashed, Exchange Server 2007 Unleashed, and many more. Currently a partner at Convergent Computing in the San Francisco Bay Area, Michael's writings and extensive public speaking experience across six continents leverage his real-world expertise helping organizations realize business value from Information Technology infrastructure.