Archive for the ‘Adnan Farooq’ tag
Meet Abdul Rafay – BizTalk Server MVP from Pakistan
Tell us who you are?
I am a BizTalk Server MVP recently awarded by Microsoft. I am an active blogger and a participant on the MSDN BizTalk Server Forums. I am currently working as a SharePoint consultant in a Health Services company in Abu Dhabi, UAE. Before this position I worked as a BizTalk Architect in Bank Saudi Fransi in Saudi Arabia. I have a deep interest in SOA, EAI and B2B solutions using BizTalk Server and WCF. I started working on BizTalk at United Bank Ltd. in January 2008 in which the Bank was using BizTalk as a primary technology for SOA and EAI. During this period also worked as a part time freelance developer for WSI which is one of the largest outsourcing companies in USA.
Besides BizTalk I have also worked as a web developer for 1 year in an outsourcing company in Pakistan and have been working on ASP, ASP.NET, PHP and customizing Open Source solutions since 2006.
Tell us about your MVP history, when were you first awarded?
I was awarded recently for the first time on 1st January 2010.
What do you do in order to keep up with latest tools and technologies?
My primary interests are in BizTalk but besides that I like to keep up with the latest Microsoft tools. I try to follow blogs, forums and visit Microsoft site to follow up what is coming up.
What does being an MVP mean to you?
First of all it means responsibility and commitment to the community and providing them with the correct information and guidance. I try to put my best to be keep up with the latest information so that I can provide feedback to the community and that is what they expect from me.
What do you do when you are not building software’s?
I love spending time with my family and wife, watch movies and go to my favorite cuisines.
If you could ask Steve Ballmer one question about Microsoft, what would it be?
I would like to request him and Microsoft to market the BizTalk Server product in the Asian and Middle East region as the structure of industries are in serious need of integration and if the product is seriously marketed it can be a BizTalk Heaven.
Had a chance to attend “MVP Global Summit”? When and how was your experience?
Not yet, looking forward to attend the summit this year, InshaAllah.
Meet Hammad Rajjoub – Connected System MVP from Pakistan
Tell us who you are?
I am a Connected System Developer MVP for last 5 years and I am currently working as a CTO at a financial services company in Dubai, UAE. I am also privileged to be a member of Microsoft Connected System Advisory board. In the recent past I was working as an Assistant Vice President with Merrill Lynch Global Services, Singapore. My areas of interest include Enterprise Architecture, Distributed Computing, SOA, .NET, Design Patterns and Quantum Computation. I have presented at various international conferences on Architecture, Design and Software Development. I am a published author, a geek, father of beautiful twin girls and a husband. I have been involved with various technical communities in Pakistan, UAE and Singapore. I have also conducted courses at Dept. Of Computer Science, University of Karachi and PAF KIET as a visiting faculty member.
Tell us about your MVP history, when were you first awarded?
As I said, I have been MVP for past 5 years. I was first awarded MVP title in 2005 on Xml Web Services.
What do you do in order to keep up with latest tools and technologies?
Like every other serious technology professional, I make sure that keep learning new things. That learning comes from traditional mediums like books, discussion forums, conferences etc as well from blogs and podcast. Also being part of Advisory Group and access to Product Teams in Microsoft helps a lot.
What does being an MVP mean to you?
It means a lot to me. First and the foremost is being the face of Microsoft to the community. It’s all about sharing the knowledge of your competency with the community. Bringing people together and helping them excel in their careers. It also means providing honest and critical feedback to the product groups you are associated with. MVP title adds a lot of responsibilities and makes me put in extra efforts in making sure that I stay ahead of the curve in my competency so that I can contribute the community in a best possible way.
