Voices for Innovation … Is your voice being heard?

Is your data protected?

Are you sure?

What state, local and federal government activities are going on that could impact the access and sovereignty of your information?

Whether it’s your personal information or your professional data streams. Microsoft is working to insure your data is safe, to make sure you are aware of and able to take action on activities at all levels of government.

Microsoft is working with and through the Voices for Innovation (VFI) organization to Educate, Advocate, and Network on behalf of citizens and businesses.

From the VFI website:
Voices for Innovation (VFI) is a Microsoft supported community of technology professionals and everyday Americans who help advance technology, IT job growth, and businesses of all sizes. As empowered citizen advocates, we work together to shape public policies for our 21st century digital economy and society.

Webinar on Feb 11

Microsoft VP of US Education, Margo Day, will be delivering a webinar on Feb 11th. The topic is Policy Challenges and Partner Opportunities in U.S. Education

Sign up here and tune in on the 11th at 10am PST

My Notes from the Trails video inviting you to join VFI and IAMCP:

Notes from the Trails - Voices for Innovation from Jeff Shuey on Vimeo.

Take Action

• Tell Congress: Support Email Privacy, Pass the LEADS Act
• Tell Congress: Pass the Defend Trade Secrets Act
• Tell Congress to Fix the Talent Gap!
• We need more STEM / STEAM and STEMWIT’s
• Congressional Breaks
• Your Congressional Leaders will likely be taking breaks in the coming days and weeks (President’s Day and other holidays).
• Make sure you schedule time with them while they are in state.

Don’t forget to follow the leaders of VFI

• Jonathan Friebert - @Friebs
• Voices for Innovation -
• Twitter: @vfiorg
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/VoicesForInnovation
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/51571/profile
• Voices for Innovation Blog - http://www.voicesforinnovation.org/blog
  
• Also, the International Association of Microsoft Channel Partners is actively working with Microsoft and the VFI teams
• More information on IAMCP can be found here - http://www.iamcp.org/?
• Consider visiting and then joining a local chapter
• All Microsoft partners and employees are welcome.

Getting Started

If you are active with the Voices for Innovation team … fantastic.

If you aren’t yet … there is no better time to get involved.

Go to the VFI website and sign up for the newsletter. Jonathan Friebert - @Friebs on Twitter – and his team put out a weekly newsletter that helps insure you know what’s going on and what you can do about it.

What other ways are you involved?

• Are there other areas that VFI should be involved with today?
• What are the hot issues for your business?
• What challenges does you industry face related to data access, data sovereignty, fixing the talent gap, and Cybersecurity overall?

Drop a comment here and we’ll see what we can do. I can’t make any promises, but together we can bring ideas, issues and concerns to the forefront.

Image Credits: Voices for Innovation, Microsoft

Jeff is an expert in the Enterprise Content Management industry. He brings over 20 years of Channel Sales, Partner Marketing and Alliance expertise to audiences around the world in speaking engagements and via his writing. He has worked for Microsoft, Kodak, and K2. He is currently the consulting with Microsoft and partners to drive Community Engagement and Alliances.

Tweet him @jshuey or connect on LinkedIn, Facebook, or Google+ He is active in the Microsoft Partner Community and is the co-founder and President of the IAMCP Seattle chapter.

He is a contributing author to Entrepreneur, Elite Daily, Yahoo, US News and to the Personal Branding Blog