The following list is intended to help Management Information System (MIS) students and other Information Technology (IT) professionals find key resources in the local area. These groups can provide valuable face-to-face resources for technical support and general business networking.
The task of maintaining collectively exhaustive and mutually exclusive listings of where and why individuals congregate is a difficult task. The user group references listed below are loosely organized by professional interest or affinity. In cases where there are multiple groups, the group geographically closest to California State University, Northridge is usually selected. International or national groups are listed primarily in the interest of completeness. Also, some regional or national groups are listed because the group may have an annual conference that rotates through the Southern California area. Defunct groups with at least one working web page are also listed in the interest of history. Please send additions or corrections to wayne.smith@csun.edu.
Academic MIS/IT
IS Executives
IS Professionals
IS/IT Security
Application Software
Data Base Management Systems
Programming/Languages
Operating Systems Software
Telecommunications/Networking
Hardware
General/End-User
semi-Regional User Groups
Other Local Groups - New Media
Other Local Groups - Technical and Engineering
Other Local Groups - Business and Professional
Other Local Groups - Miscellaneous
Recurring Technical Presentations
Recurring Conferences
Recurring Area Events
Intermittent Area Events
Vendor Briefings
Alumni Organizations
Non-Recurring IT Professional Forums
Intermittent Focus Groups
Other User Group Listings
The following groups are generally intended for educators and others in academic-related IT areas.
The following groups are generally intended for MIS executives in the Los Angeles area. Membership is generally restricted.
| Name | Meeting Frequency | Meeting Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| IS Associates | about bi-monthly, one annual symposium (now in February) | UCLA (Westside) | senior-level IS executives; links to IS research as well. |
| Society for Information Management - Southern California chapter | December, February, May (members only meeting in September) | often Long Beach, but varies | top-level presentations and contacts; generally for CIO's and senior executives only. |
| Software Council of Southern California (SCSC) - Valley chapter | bi-monthly | varies, mostly in Woodland Hills |
The following groups are generally intended for MIS or IT professionals. Dues and membership requirements vary widely.
The following groups have a focus on cyber-security. This has always been important to IS professionals. Post- 9/11, the issue is geneeral more important to organizational executives as well.
| Name | Meeting Frequency | Meeting Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| American Society for Industrial Security - Greater Los Angeles Chapter | monthly | varies | |
| Association of Certified Fraud Examiners - Los Angeles Chapter | |||
| Information Systems Audit and Control Association - Los Angeles chapter | about monthly | varies, The San Fernando Valley Chapter usually meets in Granada Hills | excellent presentations; high-level contacts and professional atmosphere |
| Information Systems Security Association - Los Angeles chapter | monthly | varies--mostly downtown L.A. | |
| Los Angeles Electronic Crimes Task Force (United States Secret Service) | about quarterly | downtown LA | |
| Los Angeles Infragard Program (Federal Bureau of Investigation) | about quarterly | West LA | |
| Snort (Intrusion Detection) User Group (S.F. Bay area) | (none in L.A. yet) - check National Snort User Groups | ||
| Southern California (chapter) High Technology Crime Investigation Assocation | monthly | varies | |
| Southern California Security Association | (physical alarm and security companies) |
The following groups are generally focused on software from one manufacturer.
The following groups are generally focused on one specific software language or architecture.
| Name | Meeting Frequency | Meeting Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Extreme Programming in Southern California (XPSOCAl) | monthly | Fullerton | Agile Programming, etc. | Greater Los Angeles Micro Focus Users Group (GLAMUG) | monthly | Los Angeles | wide variety of meeting topics (not just COBOL), good number of SIG's too |
| Los Angeles area Zope Users Group (LAZUG) | monthly | Carson | other groups |
| Los Angeles Java Users Group (LAJUG) | monthly | varies | |
| LAJUG Westside Study Group | weekly, Tuesday (except 1st Tuesday of Month) | Santa Monica | (these folks take one Java book, read it at home, and then come to discuss it in a group) |
| Obsydian Users Group of Los Angeles (object-oriented AS/400 development tool C++/RPG) | bi-monthly | El Segundo | contact: Karen Summers, +1 818-828-5313, ksummer@earthlink.com |
| Orange County Visual Basic Users Group | monthly | varies | |
| Orange County VC++ User Group | monthly | Irvine | contact: Dave Hardin, +1-714-443-1773 x252, daveh@ni.net |
| Perl Mongers - (Los Angeles) | |||
| Perl Mongers - (Sherman Oaks) | (all of the California groups are listed here) | ||
| Southern California Cold Fusion Users Group | monthly | Torrance | |
| Southern California .NET Users Group | monthly | Long Beach | (page doesn't load properly with Netscape v4.x) |
| Synon User Group of Southern California (AS/400 development tool) | bi-monthly | El Segundo | contact: Karen Summers, +1 818-828-5313, ksummer@earthlink.com |
| Ventura County Java Users Group | monthly | Ventura |
The following groups are generally focused on database software.
| Name | Meeting Frequency | Meeting Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| California Data Base Management Association | monthly | Long Beach, Orange County | (mostly Pick OS) |
| Clarion Users Group | monthly | Anaheim | contact: Greg Bailey, +1 909-278-1060 |
| Los Angeles County FoxPro Developers Group (LAFOX) | monthly | El Segundo | |
| Los Angeles Area DB2 Users Group | monthly | varies | |
| Los Angeles Oracle Users Group | quarterly | Norwalk | "conferences", not really "meetings" |
| Orange County Access Users Group | monthly | Orange | |
| Pacific CICS Users Group | about monthly | Norwalk | (disbanded in 1998) |
The following groups are generally focused on one particular operating system.
| Name | Meeting Frequency | Meeting Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Linux at LAX | monthly | Torrance (at the eLinux HQ) | excellent presentations |
| Los Angeles Linux User Groups | (links to local groups) | ||
| Southern California Linux Expo | annually, November | (downtown LA) | annual conference |
| Netware Users International - LANet | monthly | West L.A. | |
| San Diego BSD User Group | monthly | ||
| San Fernando Valley Linux Group | monthly | varies | |
| Santa Clarita Valley Linux User Group | monthly | Canyon Country | |
| Simi/Conejo Linux Users Group | semi-monthly | Simi Valley | |
| Southern California OS/2 Users Group | monthly | Orange County | |
| UNIX Users Association of Southern California - Los Angeles Chapter | monthly | South Bay | (affiliated with The System Administrators' Guild (SAGE)) |
The following groups are focused on voice communications and data networking.
| Name | Meeting Frequency | Meeting Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| California Internet Service Provider Association (CISPA) | more like "conferences/workshops", rather than "meetings", per se | ||
| Internet Society - Los Angeles chapter | monthly | varies | |
| LA FreeNet | varies | varies | occasionally, this non-profit, volunteer group provides classes and workshops to new users |
| Los Angeles Area Wireless Research Network (LAAWRN) | annually | varies, war-driving! | |
| Los Angeles Windows Networking Users Group (LAWNUG) | monthly | Santa Monica | |
| Pacific Bell - Consultant Support Group | quarterly | varies, usually Pasadena | very interesting and broadly useful; latest information on PacBell's initiatives and support |
| Society for Internet Advancement - Orange County chapter | |||
| (SoftAware) Wednesday Nights | semi-monthly | Marina Del Rey | informal discussions and pizza meetings |
| Southern California CISCO Users Group | monthly | Glendale | |
| Southern California Wireless Networking Users Group (SoCalWUG) | monthly | Pasadena | |
| South Coast Telecommunications Alliance | varies | Santa Barbara | occasional meetings on telecommuting issues |
| Southern California Assocation of Governments - Transportation and Communications Committee | monthly | downtown L.A. | occasional topics of interest on telecommuting issues |
| Southern California Online Users Group | monthly | Glendale | |
| Southern California Telecommunications Networking Association (Nortel equipment) | monthly | varies |
The following groups are generally focused on hardware (and some software) from one particular manufacturer.
| Name | Meeting Frequency | Meeting Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brocade (Storage Area Network vendor) Threads Users Group - Southern California chapter | Cerritos | ||
| Conejo Valley Macintosh Users Group | monthly | Ventura | |
| The International Association of Hewlett-Packard Computing Professionals | |||
| Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual Macintosh Users Group of Los Angeles | monthly | West Hollywood | |
| Los Angeles Enterprise Server Group (LA-ESUG) | monthly | North Hollywood | (primarily for IBM mainframe system administrators...Bill Westland) |
| Los Angeles Macintosh Users Group | monthly | Santa Monica | |
| Los Angeles Palm/Portable Users Group | monthly | varies, currently in Santa Monica | |
| Los Angeles Pocket PC Users Group | monthly | Santa Monica | |
| Mac Valley Users Group | monthly | Northridge | |
| Orange County Educational Advancement Network (OCEAN) | monthly | Costa Mesa | (primarily for IBM AS/400 i-Series minicomputer system administrators |
| San Fernando Valley Midrange Users Group | monthly | Simi Valley |
The following groups are generally intended for desktop or other end-users. Most meetings are free.
| Name | Meeting Frequency | Meeting Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Antelope Valley Microcomputer Users Group | monthly | Lancaster | |
| AVACE (Atari support) | Palmdale | contact: Marlene Brandom, +1 805-943-1559 | |
| Channel Islands PC Users Group | monthly | Camarillo | |
| Claremont Senior Computer Club | weekly | Claremont | |
| Classic Computer Society | Santa Barbara | contact: Andy Shapiro, +1 805-684-8838 | |
| Los Angeles Computer Society | monthly | West L.A. | |
| Mid-Valley PC Users Group | Van Nuys | contact: +1 818-781-5104 | |
| Pasadena IBM Users Group | monthly | Altadena | (after 22 years, will be defunct in early Spring, 2004) |
| Santa Barbara PC Users Group | monthly | Santa Barbara | |
| Simi Valley Computer Users Group | monthly | Simi Valley | (now defunct?) |
| Technical and User Groups Network | monthly | Granada Hills, Canoga Park | |
| Thousand Oaks Personal Computer Club | monthly | Thousand Oaks | |
| Valley Computer Club | monthly | Burbank | this group has been around for about 20 years |
The following groups do not have local chapters, but rather are state-wide, national, or international in scope. These groups communicate electronically and may host one or more national conferences.
The following groups may be of some tangential interest to IT professionals. In the LA area, e-"anything", venture capital, and new media are often indistinguishable.
| Name | Meeting Frequency | Meeting Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Central Coast Venture Forum | annual conference | Santa Barbara | |
| Digital Coast Roundtable | bi-monthly | (membership is by nomination) | |
| Digital Designers Users Group | monthly | Pasadena | contact: Myron Grossman, +1-626-797-8422, email |
| eCommerce Networking Group (eCNG "eBrew") | bi-monthly | varies | |
| International Interactive Communications Society - Los Angeles | (now defunct? - what happened to the national web page as well?) | ||
| LAWNMOWER - The New Media Roundtable | about monthly | mostly at the major LA studios; some in San Francisco | (now defunct?) |
| Los Angeles Final Cut Pro User Group (LAFCPUG) | monthly | Hollywood | |
| Los Angeles Lightwave Users Group | monthly | just north of downtown Los Angeles | |
| Los Angeles Regional Technology Alliance | varies | varies | |
| Los Angeles Virtual Reality Users Group | about monthly | Santa Monica | (now defunct?) |
| Motion Graphics Los Angeles | monthly | Hollywood | |
| Orange County Multimedia Association | monthly | Orange County | |
| Power Graphics User Network | almost monthly | Glendale | |
| Rocktails | varies | various | (new media, technology and VC social networking) |
| Salons@Annenberg | monthly | at USC | |
| socaltech: Incubators | varies | varies | (a list of business/technology incubators) |
| Southern California Technology Venture Forum | annual | varies | |
| Southern California Venture Network | various | varies | |
| Tech Coast Angels | semi-monthly | UCLA, USC, CalTech | (and monthly dinner meetings at the Skirball Center) |
| Tech Valley Network | monthly | Thousand Oaks (mostly for Venture Capitalists and E-Entrepreneurs) | (now defunct) |
| Tier One Network | monthly | West L.A. | |
| The Zone | various | (mostly for Venture Capitalists and E-Entrepreneurs) | |
| Venice Interactive Community (VIC) | varies | various | (now defunct) |
| VOJO | varies | various | (new media and VC social networking) |
| Webgrrls - Los Angeles Chapter | monthly | varies | (the national organization is still alive, but the local web page seems to have disappeared) |
| Women In Animation - Los Angeles chapter | varies | varies | |
| Women In New Media Alliance (WNMA) | weekly | Hollywood | (their web page is filled with straight-forward, practical tips) |
The following groups may be of some tangential interest to IT professionals.
The following groups may be of some tangential interest to IT professionals.
The following groups may be of some interest to IT professionals.
| Name | Meeting Frequency | Meeting Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles Repetitive Strain Injury Support Group | monthly | Eagle Rock | |
| Western Association of Colleges and Employers (WACE) - Southern California Technical Personnel Committee |
The following seminars may be of some interest to IT professionals.
| Name | Meeting Frequency | Meeting Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| HRL Laboratories - Information Sciences | Malibu | occasional lectures | |
| JPL - Machine Learning Systems Group | Pasadena | ||
| JPL - Planning and Scheduling, Artificial Intelligence Group | about weekly | Pasadena | |
| LA SPIN (Software Engineering) | monthly | usually USC/ISI in Marina Del Rey; sometimes USC campus in downtown LA | |
| Southern California Coalition Technology Conference (SCCTC) | annual | Long Beach | |
| Southern California SPIN (Software Engineering) | monthly | Long Beach (CSULB) | |
| The Streaming Culture Lecture Series (UCLA) | mostly monthly | UCLA - Center for Design Arts (also, everything from this room is streamed 24x7) | |
| UCI's Center for Research on Information Technology and Organizations (CRITO) - misc. presentations | monthly | Irvine | |
| UCI's Institute for Software Research (ISR) Distinguished Speaker Series | monthly | Irvine | |
| UCLA's list of LA Statistics Seminars | mostly monthly | various | |
| UCSD's Research Review | annual | San Diego |
The following conferences may also be of some interest to IT professionals.
| Name | Meeting Frequency | Meeting Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| California Software Symposium | annually, October | UC Irvine | |
| California Technology Forum | annually, August | Santa Barbara | |
| Center for Software Engineering (USC) | annually | USC | |
| COCOMO Software Cost Modeling | annually | USC | |
| Software Management (and Software Measurement) | annual conference | Anaheim | |
| Technology and Persons with Disabilities Conference" | annually, Spring | Los Angeles Airport |
The following major events may be useful to IT professionals.
| Name | Meeting Frequency | Meeting Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| CalTech/MIT Enterprise Forum | monthly | Pasadena | |
| COMDEX - Winter Conference | annually, November | Las Vegas | |
| EC2 Roundtable | monthly | USC (downtown) | (defunct as of June 30, 2002) |
| Government, Business, and Education Tech Expo | annually, Spring | downtown L.A. | |
| Government Technology magazine- Southern California Executive Leadership Forum | annually, Winter | varies | |
| International Association for Cryptographic Research | annually, August | Santa Barbara | |
| Internet World | annually, Spring | downtown L.A. | |
| Online Learning | annually, October | downtown L.A. | |
| Southern California Tech Calender | excellent resource for local events | ||
| Technolink Assocation | about monthly | varies | |
| The 21st International Conference of Software Engineering | May | Los Angeles | |
| The Knowledge Series | annually, Spring | Santa Monica | (sponsored by the Annenberg Center for Communication at USC) |
| Windows NT Magazine - Professional Conference | December, 1998 | Los Angeles |
The following major events may be useful to IT professionals.
| Name | Meeting Frequency | Meeting Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coast Open Source Software Technology (COSST) | Newport Beach | Co-sponsored by the IEEE Computer Society of Orange County | |
| The Getty Information Institute | The Millenium Lecture Series was very interesting; Nicholas Negroponte's lecture in 1997 was excellent. | ||
| The Milken Institute | Santa Monica | varies | Milken holds seminars on various topics including technology. |
| The Peter F. Drucker Graduate School of Management (Claremont) | Claremont | about monthly | Mostly on management issues, but some IS issues (such as Knowledge Management). |
| KForce - Sherman Oaks office | about semi-annually | usually University City | (formerly Source Consulting - by invitation only) |
Briefings from the major vendors can be useful as well.
| Name | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Apple | Santa Monica | varies |
| Microsoft | usually Santa Monica | free lunch for Open Door Days, second Friday of each month |
| Novell | usually West L.A. |
Some of the more prestigous business and technology universities maintain active alumni networks in Southern California.
| Name | Meeting Frequency | Meeting Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Claremont Graduate University - School of Information Science | graduates largest number of IS Ph.D.'s in the nation | ||
| CSUN - Accounting and MIS Alumni Chapter | varies | Northridge | They sponsor scholarships and assist with various student-related events (and, by the way, these are energetic, motivated, and talented business students!). |
| MIT Club of Southern California | varies | varies | The recurring Enterprise Forums sponsored with CalTech are superb; great speakers also. |
| UCLA - Anderson School Alumni | varies | varies | |
| USC - Marshall School Alumni | varies | varies |
I have attended several ad-hoc forums and roundtables in the past. These are generally sponsored by a major vendor or an industry trade magazine, such as CIO, InformationWeek, or eWeek (ex-PCWeek). These are by invitation only. Contact each magazine for details.
Some local marketing specialize in various surveys and focus groups for IT professionals. These are usually managed by a specialized firm on behalf of a vendor or a significant client. QuickTest in Sherman Oaks (+1 818 995-1400) and Davis Market Research in Calabasas (+1 818 591-2408) are two examples of companies that provide this type of function.
Some of the more prestigous business and technology universities maintain active alumni networks in Southern California.