Dear Colleagues and Friends,

The Help Desk Professionals conference is only 7 weeks away.  If you haven't registered yet, we encourage you to sign up now.  This may be the only chance you will ever get to hear these renowned industry leaders at one event in such a comprehensive program delivering in-depth content.

Ernie Hayden, the Chief Security Officer from the Port of Seattle, one of our expert speakers will be talking about some very important issues on the topic of security.  You will learn:

• What is Information Security and what are Phishing, Worms, and other security terms?

• What does the CIA have to do with security and the Help Desk?

• What are the key security considerations for the Help Desk Professional?

• Why is a Help Desk Professional just as important as a Police Officer or Fire Fighter during emergencies? What’s that got to do with security?

One look at this program will motivate you to invest the time to attend.  Check out the detailed program now.

So we ask you, do you have budget constraints, difficulty getting away away from the office, are too short staffed or have too many projects on the schedule and feel you can't take the time to attend a conference?  Your time investment will be justified by the teachings from our expert speakers. We guarantee your investment will be worth your time to attend, so what have you got to lose?

Our repeat attendees, many on their 3rd, 4th and even 5th year validate it is worth the time to attend HDP.  We have a number of people coming back this year who have attended all 6 HDP conferences - an incredible testimonial to the value of our event.

We welcome our attendees to get involved in the conference and volunteer to help, getting an even better opportunity to meet many of the other people at the conference.  Just let us know if you would like to get invovled.

If you have any questions, would like help with making your reservations, registrations, or just want to reach out and say hello, email us at HDP@hthts.com. 

See you in San Diego!

P.S. Hotel del rooms at the special rate are almost all sold out, so make your reservations soon.

Three Bonuses for ordering between September 8th and Midnight Friday, September 16th, 2005:

• An online copy of Ivy's Favorites (bookmarks) from years of research (value $179) www.hthts.com  This isn't your typical list of vendors and easily found websites.  These links touch every aspect of service and support from the questions to ask in interviews to motivational and behavioral considerations, technology solutions, industry best practices, workforce management and much much more. Loads of ITIL information as well.  There are over 500+ links included.

• 15% discount off HDP's 2006 Conference and Expo (worth up to $240)

• Coupon to attend one half-day pre-con at HDP 2006 (worth up to $350)

With these bonuses your investment in the conference is only $826.00.

Don’t miss a single copy of the weekly “HDP Previews”:  In each Preview we will feature a speaker and a vendor who will share valuable content to whet your appetite to attend one of the most significant Help Desk & Service Desks event ever.  Please pass these on to a friend.

Stay in touch by joining our mailing list. 

If you missed any previous issues, visit our website at http://www.hthts.com/hdppreviews2005.htm

TIPS FROM THIS WEEK’S FEATURED SPEAKER:
Malcolm Fry, BMC, http://bmc.com/

Meet the Speaker:

Malcolm Fry, a recognized IT industry luminary with over 35 years experience in Information Technology, serves as an Independent Executive Advisor to BMC Software, and Remedy, a BMC Software Company. Malcolm offers an unparalleled breadth of knowledge and experience in IT business and technical issues. Malcolm is the author of four best selling books on IT service and support, he has had many other articles and papers published, and is regularly used as a source of information by technology journalists. He is also the solo performer in a highly successful best selling video series made for the Help Desk Institute. He has Masters level ITIL certification.

Malcolm Shares with the Industry:

The Advanced ITIL website http://www.nextslm.org/itil/ features E-Books and short webcasts on the subject of ITIL.  Malcolm Fry discusses and writes about the many aspects of these best practices.  The recent question and answer posted is "What is the best way to start identifying and adding assets to the CMDB when starting with an unreliable inventory database that requires a manual check of asset information in the field?"

Malcolm Answers....."I want to encourage you on this great journey. It’s a tough road, but in the end, a rewarding trip.  Before you add more assets, make sure you have a good Change Management tool in place.   Without it, you may see your good work undone by poorly planned, badly managed, or unauthorized change."

"Now for the journey.  Avoid the pitfall of trying to do too much too soon.  This is a long journey and you only get one go at it, so plan carefully.  Create a plan that allows you to add assets in a structured manner, so you can grow your CMDB with confidence.  There are four main points to consider: scope, depth, attributes, and relationships."

Read the rest of Malcolm's response....

Malcolm offers his in-depth expertise to questions on different topics including service level management, change management, asset and more on this website.  Read more now....

There are other valuable topics discussed on the Advanced ITIL website with content provided by other industry experts.  Check out the article titled ITIL and Six Sigma. http://www.nextslm.org/itil/itil_sigma.htm.