Next Stop - Chicago and ShoreTel

Second week in a row of travel - tomorrow I'm attending ShoreTel's analyst and partner event, titled Mobilize for Growth. The event is in Chicago, and it's a safe bet it won't be as hot weather-wise as Cisco's event last week in Las Vegas - phew.

Catchy title - this year's ShoreTel conference continues the momentum from last year's breakout developments that have put the company on a strong growth track. And of course, mobility itself is another big theme, and I'm sure we'll be hearing all about that in Chicago.

ShoreTel may not do things as big or fancy as Cisco, but they put on a solid event, and with a strong core of happy channel partners, they look to have a defendable niche in this crowded and messy market space. Also, now that their new CEO - Peter Blackmore - has a year under his belt, it will be interesting to see his roadmap for 2012. I'll share the highlights and Twitter away as time and WiFi allows!