We just posted all the activities that will be going on in the GWC Community Room at Impact 2012.  Keep an eye out on the GWC Impact Zone for everything you need to know about the GWC and Impact 2012.

This year features a really fun virtual game that pits you against your fellow Webspherians. Whether your an gaming expert or a n00b, you can win! We have daily prize drawings for everyone who played (regardless of your score) and a prize for our high scorer at the end of the week.

Take a break from the sessions and stop by for some fun, networking, and those buttons we're famous for!

Even if you're not going to Impact, you'll have a chance to win some prizes. We're giving away gift cards in our new member drawings and daily Chirp Challenge.

I'll be blogging more details as we get closer to Impact!

Congratulations to the following GWC members on winning the GWC Member Rewards contest for the final quarter of 2011:

• Charanjeet Singh
• Gabriel Aberasturi
• Pankaj Narkhede

These members provided quality technical information in numerous blog posts as well as the GWC forums. They will each receive one no-charge online IBM WebSphere Education course of their choice.  Thank you for your contributions Charanjeet, Gabriel, and Pankaj!

You too can earn valuable WebSphere Rewards.  The GWC is giving away two Impact 2012 passes to the GWC members who contribute the most in the month of January.  Take advantage of our January bonus points: Now through January 31, we’re offering double points for answering a forum post. Start sharing your knowledge with your fellow WebSpherians and be rewarded!  

For more details and a listing of activities and points you can earn when contributing to the Global WebSphere Community, please visit our GWC Member Rewards Program page.

We know WebSphere MQ is a huge topic, not only in scope, but also in importance to our GWC members.  We hosted a webcast recently with security expert T.Rob called "What's New in WebSphere MQ v7.1 Security?"  If you have any security concerns, you should watch the on-demand replay, now available on the site:

Watch the video
Download the presentation

Abstract:
Wondering whether to upgrade to WebSphere MQ v7.1?  Concerned about security?  If the answer to these questions is "yes", then this webinar is for you!  The theme of the v7.1 release can be summed up in one word: Simplify. Learn how WMQ v7.1 features can replace channel security exits, reduce complexity, and consolidate security configurations into a single MQSC script.  See how WMQ v7.1 enables security by default to block remote attacks.  Find out how to streamline administrative tasks while improving security granularity.  The presentation will also discuss how the new features interact with WebSphere MQ File Transfer Edition and WebSphere MQ Advanced Message Security to provide a single secure environment for messages, files and applications end-to-end.

If you missed the "What's New in BPM and Decision Management on z?" webcast we ran at the beginning of the month, you can watch the video replay at your convenience here on the site:

Watch the video
Download the presentation

Abstract:
Are you looking to improve the maintainability of your mainframe applications?   IBM’s Business Process and Decision Management technologies for z/OS provide the perfect solution, increasing the flexibility of mission-critical applications running on System z, bringing visibility across your organization of how these applications work, and aligning them with applications running on distributed platforms.

At this session, you will learn:

• Why you should be thinking about Business Process and Decision Management for application modernization.
• What are the specific mainframe deployment options for IBM Business Process Manager and WebSphere Operational Decision Management
• How these products meet the specific architectural needs of z/OS applications
• How these products provide the ability to unify mainframe and distributed systems

The North Texas WebSphere User Group meets Friday, Dec. 16 to discuss IBM Business Process Manager v7.5.  The meeting includes a product demo, so don't miss out on this valuable opportunity!  Please RSVP if you are attending. Log in to your GWC account and click here to RSVP.

Starting today through January 31, the GWC is offering double GWC Member Reward Program points for answering a forum post. Member knowledge is our best resource, so help out one of your colleagues by visiting the GWC forums and providing an answer to a burning question.  And, with all of this focus on the forums, what better time to ask a question?  Here are a few forum posts to answer to get you started:

• Anyone had a chance to use WAS v8.5 Alpha? 
• What are the best practices and trade secrets for designing Message Affinity in WebSphere Message Broker? 
• Do you have any experiences with Rogue Web Services in SOA? 

Or, feel free to peruse the GWC Forums at large.

Remember, you must be logged in to your GWC account to ask or answer a question.  For full GWC Member Rewards Program details, please click here.

If you've been wondering where you can download the new version of IBM WebSphere Application Server v8.5 Alpha, look no further!  You can get it at IBM's new development community WASdev. 

Here's what you have to look forward to in the new version:

IBM® WebSphere® Application Server V8.5 Alpha
IBM® WebSphere® Application Server V8.5 Alpha offers an initial glimpse into the future of the industry’s leading standards-based, high performance, proven and trusted application foundation optimized for developer and operational productivity. This Alpha release is focused on a new, lightweight profile of the application server for web applications, along with a simplified configuration approach for the development environment.

Highlights of the WebSphere Application Server V8.5 Alpha include:
•    Free and frictionless download for development purposes
•    Ultra lightweight modular runtime with an install size of under 50 MB
•    Incredibly fast startup times of under 5 seconds
•    Simplified configuration for quick time to productivity
•    WebSphere Developer Tools available as Eclipse plug-ins
•    Option to participate in Community Forum and requirements input

Want to know more?  Check out IBM's new development community, WASdev, where you can download the alpha tooling.

The Kansas City WebSphere User Group meets December 14 to discuss WebSphere Mobile technolgies. After the update on WebSphere mobile technologies, the group is also providing a Lab Jam session, where participants can get hands-on experience with WebSphere software through self-paced labs and tutorials.

To join the meeting in Leawood, please sign in to your GWC account and click here to RSVP.

Join us December 15 for a webcast on the SOA Policy actionable pattern implemented at IBM and how WebSphere Service Registry and Repository (WSRR), WebSphere DataPower, and Tivoli ITCAM are all involved.

Here are the details:

Date: December 15, 2011
Title: IBM Policy & SLA Management and Monitoring at the Edge
Time: 11 am EST (GMT -5)

Register Now!

Policy is a standard or guideline that can help your organization manage its service availability and performance management in a repeatable and best practices manner.  An SOA Policy actionable pattern has been implemented at IBM with WSRR for policy administration, WebSphere DataPower for policy enforcement, and Tivoli ITCAM for SOA for policy monitoring.  The speakers will explain the basics of the pattern including the automated integration between products.  They will also provide details around the policy implementation, and examples of policy usage for Service Availability and Performance Management.

Marie Wieck, General Manager, Application Integration Middleware at IBM, wrote a really fascinating article on the Huffington Post recently called "The Only Constant In Life Is Change: How Will Your Business Stay One Step Ahead?"

In the article, Marie discusses how to tell if your organization is prepared for the way technology is reshaping what it means to do business.  Find out the one crucial area business aren't focusing on and how changing the way companies think can provide huge opportunities for increasing productivity and identifying growth opportunities.  Click here to read the full article.