I attended the UK launch of BizTalk 2004 today.  Nearly everyone else there was in suit and tie, highlighting that BizTalk is a business focused product.  I like BizTalk and the 2004 product is a great improvement on previous versions (Darrel Norton has a great list of BizTalk resources).  Messaging and integration are two areas where I think IT can add a lot of business value.  BizTalk is making technology that had previously been very expensive available to greater number of customers and developers.  As Cameron Reilly notes, one CIO he knows says he could buy BizTalk 'out of the stationery budget'.

There were some interesting customer presentations including how Virgin Megastore were using BizTalk to spot employee theft by analyzing real time point of sale information (case study here).  Loss Prevention Agents (I'm thinking Agent Smith from The Matrix) are notified on their mobile devices as business rules are triggered. 

My favourite customer moment was the CTO Scottish and Southern Energy who revealed their unofficial mission statement was "boring but successful".  Brilliant.

Mehran was there with his assortment of Microsoft OS gadgets and even gave me a ride back to London in his very nice new BMW with Windows Automotive.   This is serious geek gadgetry.  There's 'Toy Boys' like Carl Franklin sings about and there's guys like Mehran who go out and buy the car.