BICSI (www.bicsi.org) has lined up 42 presentations for its first-ever BICSI Link Workshops at the Sheraton Chicago Hotel and Towers (June 25-28), where the predominant topics will be data-center infrastructure administration, security, and wireless networking.
Unlike the association’s winter and fall conferences, which comprise several days of plenary sessions, the Link Workshops will be divided into four separate tracks on Monday and Tuesday. Data centers, security, and wireless each have a dedicated track, while a fourth track, "Diverse business management discussions," covers a wide range of topics.
"A recent survey shows that BICSI conference attendees design and install ITS [information-transport system] infrastructure for multiple building systems: 92% for voice and data, 61% for wireless, and 47% for security and surveillance," says Georgette Palmer Smith, CMM, BICSI's director of meetings and conferences.
The data-center track includes topics ranging from "Formulating user expectations into design documents" to "Data center design for this millennium." Similarly, the security track offers a host of topics and issues, including "Security management," "Analog vs. IP security," and "Protecting your IT infrastructure."
In the wireless networking track, topics range from "The right wireless selection" and "Wired in the wireless network" to "Wireless network site analysis" and "Pulling security out of thin air."
Among the diverse business management issues are "Understanding how to apply the National Electrical Code," "Premises cabling in K-12," "ANSI/TIA/EIA-606-A," "Anything OSP," "Project management," and "VoIP start to finish."
Attendees can follow a single track or create their own curriculum from different tracks. Attendance earns 15 continuing education credits toward BICSI's Registered Communications Distribution Designer (RCDD) designation, and 8 credits toward NTS Specialty, OSP Specialty, WD Specialty, ITS Installer 2, and ITS Technician.
-Brian Milligan