I set out for Cleveland tomorrow. Looking forward to returning to my local consulting business in the midwest, and armed with lots of useful new knowledge, I have a few last-minute thoughts about my experience here in Boston. First off, this is a great town. Lots of humbling history, and lots of beauty. And this is a great place for a voice event. I met some folks that are so far along in their knowledge (like the CTO of Bridgeport Networks, among others) of our industry, its history, and its future, that my little piece of the knowledge pie seems very little indeed.

But this is fitting. When I go back to Cleveland, I’ll return to a non-profit, closed access fiber network instead of a private, commercialized network like the one described to me by an attendee from rural North Carolina. I’ll return to a local market that is frankly quite stunted, filled with large swaths of monopolistic regulated ILEC coverage, rather than an area where unbundling is commonplace.

I’ll also be returning to my main purpose in my professional life: helping Cleveland-area firms achieve more through the application of best I.T. practices and business technology strategies. But I’ll be returning home armed with new relationships, new tidbits of practical knowledge, and a set of new resources that I can call on for my clients.

Oh, and the Border’s in downtown Boston’s financial district carries both of my VoIP books. W00t. Now, if the Border’s back home would just stock them…