Have an idea for a new way to use Intel® technologies? Stumped in your development work with deadlines breathing down your neck? Eager to find out how others are solving the same challenges? Love to collar an Intel expert for a technical discussion?

Join an Intel® Software Network (ISN) community forum or blog, and get the answers and insights you need to succeed. As a member of the Intel® Software Partner Program, you have free access to ISN blogs and forums. Read existing discussion community topics about Intel® architecture.

Blogs are opinion pieces, authored by Intel experts and community participants, that focus on specific technologies or applications—the latest developments, best-known-methods (BKMs), upcoming patches and releases—as well as on thoughts about the direction that specific areas of the industry is taking. You can comment on blog entries or take the dialog in new directions.

Forums are open discussions between members of a specific topical community such as manageability. These discussions address common issues, tips and tricks, and ideas for applying the latest Intel technologies and implementing industry standards. Participants post a question, and a discussion thread follows.

Participating in ISN blogs and forums is a great way to get expert advice on current development challenges you may face, speed development and reduce project costs, and contribute to Intel’s future product directions. “ISN communities are places for members to communicate and interact with one another and with Intel experts,” says Ajay Mungara of Intel and manager of the ISN Manageability Community. “Everyone benefits by building sustainable relationships. Developers typically learn things that help them in their immediate work, which speeds development. But participants can also have lasting impact on Intel product roadmaps by interacting with Intel experts. Blogs and forums help build valuable connections that can have immediate and long-range impact.”

• Fifty heads are better than one. The most palpable impact of blog and forum participation is faster problem-solving and development work. In these discussion venues, you can ask questions of Intel experts and your peers at other companies and read what others have written. You’ll learn of technical development kits (TDKs), technical articles, and how others are using them. “Blogs provide a river of easy-to-read information that developers can use to manage information overload and find answers faster,” says Aaron Tersteeg, Threading and Multi-Core Community Manager.
• Aranda Software of Miami, Florida, joined the Intel Software Partner Program to get a jump on competitors in integrating Intel® Active Management Technology (Intel® AMT) into its asset management software. “We used the Intel Manageability Developer Community extensively,” says Maria Camila Gomez, project manager for Aranda Software. “The blogs were really helpful. They’re written by Intel engineers who are working with Intel AMT every day. We submitted questions to the development community forum and got fast answers—always within a day.” Gomez has since started her own ISN blog, sharing Aranda’s experience in integrating Intel AMT into its product suite.
• Reduce development costs. HSBSoft Technologies of Bangalore, India, had much the same experience. Eager to add desktop management capabilities to its management software, HSBSoft joined the Intel Software Partner Program, and its engineers dove into the ISN Manageability Community. “We had a couple of queries that would not perform correctly, and the developer community helped us troubleshoot them,” says Satish Kumar V, technical director for HSBSoft Technologies. “We had daily online access to Intel architectural engineers, which was just as useful as having those resources locally, in person.” HSBSoft estimates that development timesavings were worth USD 30 thousand, which is the value of two engineers working just three months instead of eight months.
• Impact Intel roadmaps. A longer-range but still valuable benefit of participating in ISN blogs and forums is the opportunity to have an impact on Intel directions in areas that are important to you. “Intel takes blog and forum feedback very seriously,” Tersteeg says. “Intel product groups pay close attention to ISV input, to the point where ISVs have influenced our product strategies and roadmaps.”

Blogs and forums are important to developers, but ISV planners and executives can benefit, too. Beyond solving tactical technical issues, community discussions shed light on Intel’s direction and Intel’s view of where the industry is going.

“Some of our Intel-expert bloggers are important voices on standards bodies and other groups that are shaping industries,” Mungara says. “Keeping an eye on and participating in ISN blogs can keep you informed of what is going on in the industry and even provide insight into the direction an industry is heading—which can be an important tool as you strategize your plans for moving forward.”

If you’re not already participating in ISN blogs and forums, have a look at the topics and discussions underway, and jump in! Participation can help accelerate your current development efforts, save you money, get your products to market sooner, and jump-start ideas for new projects. There are several ways you can participate:

• Leave a comment. What’s your reaction to someone else’s posting? Let us know! Add a comment. Ask a question. Start a discussion.
• Ask a question. Stumped by a technical issue? Curious how others are approaching a thorny problem? Participate in a forum and start a new thread. Interact with developers and other ISVs from around the world.
• Share your ideas. Does your new product include an elegant solution to a problem you’d like to share? Tell the community about it in a forum, and get others’ reaction.
• Become a blogger. Do you have a lot to say about a certain technology or standard or something else of interest to the community? Start your own blog and get people talking! Contact Ajay Mungara at ajay.mungara@intel.com to get started.
• Contribute a technical article. If you have written a technical article that you’d like to share, send it to Intel (Ajay Mungara at ajay.mungara@intel.com), and we’ll post it for others to use.

ISN communities only exist because members like you contribute ideas, questions, and comments, so add your voice today. How to get started? Visit the Intel Software Network and select a community from the list at the top of the page, then look for blog entries that pique your interest. Or jump into an existing discussion by choosing a blog or a forum from our master list. If you have something to say, we want to hear it!