Ed Tittel

Ed Tittel Email: etittel@lanw.com
Address: 2207 Klattenhoff Dr., Austin, TX 78728
Phone: 512-252-7497
Fax: 512-252-8439
List of publications available in: MS Word
Resume available in: MS Word

Ed Tittel is a 20-year computer industry veteran with an interesting background. A Princeton and multiple University of Texas graduate, Ed started his academic career with undergraduate and graduate degrees in anthropology. Then, realizing the need for gainful employment, he moved into computer science, and has never looked back.

Ed spent his first six years in the industry writing code, primarily for database-related systems and applications, at companies such as Information Research Associates (now known as Scientific and Engineering Software, Inc.), Michael Leesley Consulting, and at Schlumberger's Austin Research Center.

In 1986, Ed switched from staring at a CRT to the softer side of the business, moving into management and marketing. From 1988 to 1994, he was employed in a variety of positions at Novell, initially at Excelan (acquired by Novell in June 1989). Starting as a Networking Consultant for Excelan, he became a "talking head" for Novell as a National Marketing Manager, in early 1990. During that job, he averaged over 250,000 air miles per year, briefing top Novell clients around the country on planned technologies and products. His final position at Novell, as Director of Technical Marketing, commenced in early 1993. In that position, Ed oversaw technical content for corporate strategies, publications, trade shows, and developer conferences, including curriculum planning for BrainShare in 1993 and 1994.

In May, 1994, Ed left Novell to work full-time in his own business, LANWrights, Inc. Late that year, Ed had already established working relationships with Dawn Rader and Michael Stewart. These three became LANWrights first full-time employees when the company incorporated in 1997. Starting with a dozen books completed in 1994, the company has routinely completed 45 to 50-plus books per year since 1998, along with numerous other projects that have included online and classroom classes, magazine and Web articles, and various software tools. Ed continues to play an active role in analyzing the marketplace, acquiring new work, and promoting LANWrights expertise to publishers and training companies.

In January, 2000, LANWrights was acquired by iLearning Inc., an online certification, training, and placement resource based in Baltimore, MD, and the former flagship company in the Sylvan Incubator of Internet-focused educational companies. In mid-2003, iLearning was acquired by Capstar LLC, a company composed of various components that includes several former elements of Princeton, NJ-based ETS (where Capstar also maintains its headquarters). Today, LANWrights operates as a division of Capstar; Ed remains at the helm of this division in Austin, TX.

Ed stays busy writing books, Web and magazine articles, teaching, and consulting. Ed currently teaches online classes at the HP Learning Center on firewall basics, and at the e-Machines learning center on anti-virus software and personal security practices. Ed's also a contributing editor for Certification magazine, active on numerous Techtarget Web sites, certification guru at InformIT.com, and writes regularly for various CMP Web sites and publications as well.

Since 1987, Ed has been an active writer for the computer trade press. He has over 120 books to his credit, ranging from the best-selling HTML 4 For Dummies, 4rd Edition; co-authored with Natanya Pitts and Chelsea Valentine (IDG Books Worldwide, 2003) to the Exam Cram 2 series, which he originated for The Coriolis Group (over 20 titles from LANWrights in this series are available); he now edits this series for Que Certification (a Pearson publishing imprint). Ed has written a variety of texts on Web topics--especially XML.

When Ed is not writing, editing, teaching, consulting, or holding the reins at LANWrights, he is often holding the leash of Blackie, his 80 pound Labrador Retriever (and it's much harder to control that exuberant pup than it is to control the other stuff). Ed also likes to shoot pool, cook, and savor the occasional bottle of good red wine. He and his lovely wife, Dina (a recent arrival from the former Soviet republic of Kyrgyzstan) are expecting their first baby in late February, 2004.