On Wednesday of this week, I had the opportunity to attend a Cyber Security Briefing with the FBI.  The types of attacks are not new, but the frequency and boldness of the attacks is increasing on US Companies.  You need to be prepared.  The first step of being prepared is to get to know your local FBI Office in advance of any threats.  This will help both sides tremendously down the road.

The Department of Defense relies on an enormous system of networks with 7 million computing devices and 15,000 networks in dozens of countries.  These networks support the US’s military intelligence and business operations.

As reported by William Lynn in a story carried by Mashable, the deputy secretary of defense announced this week that Cyber Crime is on the rise.  Not only is it affecting millions of private citizens, it is creeping into the Board Room as one of the major issues of the day.  The US Government has been under pressure to come up with solutions and a plan.  This can not be achieved unless we work hand in hand with our local FBI Cyber Crime division lead by Scott Augenbaum.  The reporting of data loss and theft is rising by companies each day and the FBI can help you ready your systems for an attack.

A lot of the advice given this week is common sense, but a lot of companies are not putting these practical protocols into place.  In addition, there are some consumer best practices that can used to make you less vulnerable to cyber theft.  Use a separate and dedicated Mac for online banking.  This is due to the amount of “spear fishing” and viruses that is occurring through the use of Facebook.  Create separate passwords for banking transactions than you use for iTunes, Facebook, Linkedin, etc.

Source: Department of Defense, FBI

The BizTalk Community is the next step in the evolution of the traditional User Group.  It is a fusion of in-person BizTalk User Group and modern social media—allowing broader collaboration, separated by space and time.  But throughout the process, we still want it to be a Community, somewhere where you belong.

We have been discussing all things BizTalk in our meetings thus far and will continue to do so.  Planned Topics include:

Date    Topic

8/3    How to process HIPAA and NCPDP via BTS :  In this session we’ll discuss the ins-and-outs of managing healthcare Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) with BizTalk extensions. We will highlight WPC’s approach of verbose naming in XML schemas, which improves business analyst-developer communication.

9/7    Claim splitting: Using BizTalk to route claims to different adjudication systems: In this session we’ll look at the problem of directing HL7 claims to different systems, during cutover periods.  This pattern works well in just about any situation where you need to cut over from one message processing solution to another (and want to run for a period of time in parallel).   

Our home on the web is http://www.BizTalk-Community.com.  Our meetings in the physical world happen at the Microsoft Office, in Franklin TN (near Nashville).  Directions here:  http://www.microsoft.com/about/companyinformation/usaoffices/heartland/en/us/nashville.aspx.

We meet the first Wednesday of every month at 6:00 pm Central Time.

Initial results from our Nash Hire campaign at CMA and Bonnaroo are encouraging.  If you are looking for a tech job in Nashville, visit our job board or follow us on Twitter.

CentreSource Great Web Developers and Designers

HCA .Net Developer

Emdeon Software Engineer

HealthSpring Business Analyst

Microsoft Technical Account Manager

Bank of New York Mellon announced plans to expand operations in Nashville and to compliment their Data Center presence with a 155,000 square processing center.  Big week in Nashville on the tech scene.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – May 4, 2011 – The Nashville Technology Council today announced the release of its Q2 2011 Technology Hiring Trends Report.  In partnership with Vaco Technology, the report was created to provide insights into the needs of the Middle Tennessee’s technology job sector and show the growth of what has become a pivotal portion of the local and regional economy.

Research concludes that over 1,161 technology related jobs are available in the Middle Tennessee area.  The report was generated from public job postings from large job portals (i.e. CareerBuilder, Monster, etc.), specialty technology sites (i.e. Dice), and local employer sites.  The total number of open positions was up 26% from Q1 results in Middle Tennessee.

“A 26% increase over an already robust 1st quarter highlights the strengthening of the Middle Tennessee Market.”  said Jerry Bostelman, Founding Partner for Vaco.  “The spike in the number of development positions shows our companies are committed to leveraging complete technology solutions to get stronger as the economy rebounds.”

The highest number of openings came from enterprise health care technology companies: Hospital Corporation of America (HCA), Healthcare Management Systems (HMS), Vision Consulting, and Deloitte. Core industries that are offering the majority of technical jobs in Middle Tennessee are government, healthcare, startups, and professional services.

The most prevalent technology position title advertised this quarter was for developers.  Developers saw a sudden and significant increase in demand.  Analyst positions remained constant.  In addition to job openings, the report also illustrates programming languages that are required in the today’s tech industry.  .Net is still the greatest programming need in the Middle Tennessee area, followed by SQL, JAVA and PHP.

J.Tod Fetherling, President and CEO of Nashville Technology Council, commented, “A significant number of placements occurred since the beginning of the year, while local employers throughout the state opened more high tech job positions.”

To view the full report, click here.

About the Nashville Technology Council

The Nashville Technology Council, an affiliate of the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce, is an exclusive, 501 C(6) nonprofit organization devoted to helping the Middle Tennessee technology community succeed.  Membership is open to technology companies, technology employers, service providers, educational institutions, and non-profit companies interested in supporting the growth of technology businesses in Middle Tennessee. Since its formation in 1999, the Nashville Technology Council’s membership has grown to more than 400 organizations throughout Middle Tennessee. New program initiatives, annual technology conferences, a technology job bank and other activities are designed to foster Nashville’s technology industry. For more information, visitwww.technologycouncil.com

POSITION TITLE: President/CEO

REPORTING TO: Board of Directors, Nashville Technology Council

LOCATION: Nashville, TN

THE ORGANIZATION: Nashville Technology Council www.TechnologyCouncil.com

POSITION SUMMARY:

The President of the Nashville Technology Council is responsible for providing strategic leadership and overseeing all aspects of the association, including:  Board Relationships, Administration, Membership Development & Retention, Program Development, Communications, Economic Development, and Advocacy.  The Council has grown by 89% over the past two years and the position is responsible for managing a $1M budget, four full-time staff members, and a 40 person Board of Directors.  We are looking a leader to accelerate this growth curve and expand our programs.

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES:

REQUIREMENTS / QUALIFICATIONS / COMPETENCIES FOR SUCCESS:

The ideal candidate will have a minimum of 10 years of progressive management & leadership experience in a technology related role or business.  He/She will be recognized as a leader and influencer/connector within their community with the proven ability to develop, implement, market & sell business strategies, plans and processes.  A strong knowledge of customer service processes, project management, tools & technologies are also important.

KEY QUALIFICATIONS FOR SUCCESS:

• Solid understanding of the technology industry’s, key leaders, trends, and issues.
• Proven ability to work effectively with industry leaders, senior executives, government officials, community leaders, and the media.
• Ability to generate respect and support from, and to build consensus among, a wide range of constituencies.
• Successful track record as an entrepreneur.
• Strong political and business acumen, with the strategic ability to leverage relationships and opportunities to achieve Council goals.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills, so as to deliver Council messages in an effective manner.
• A passion to teach, nurture and develop future leaders. Energized by “connecting” technology leaders within the community.
• Confident and capable of dealing in a highly collaborative, results-oriented and matrix-type environment
• Active, engaged and influential within the Middle Tennessee business community is a bonus
• Comfortable & successful with engaging relationships at senior levels
• Energized by selling, marketing and sharing the vision / benefits of the NTC with others to gain support.
• Exceptional commitment to integrity, ethics and leading by the “Golden Rule”
• Confident, mature and humble.
• Bachelor’s degree required, Masters preferred
• Be an active leader in education, innovation, exposure, and connections to the technology community.
• Connect and partner with other Technology Councils, Communities and Associations nationwide to share best practices and drive continuous improvement, resulting in a strong ROI for all members.
• Continue to build and develop the team to achieve this commitment.
• Develop and grow the membership base — continuously selling the Council’s offerings to the business community.
• Expand and aggressively market Sponsorship and Program offerings in support of customer and community needs.
• Take full responsibility for the P&L of the Council – run it like a business!
• Partner with the Board of Directors to establish, set, and measure the three primary management objectives and targets for the association.
• Embrace the “Servant Leader” mentality.
• Create a strong volunteer community in support of the Council

COMPENSATION:

In this role, you will be rewarded with leaving a sustainable and lasting legacy by ensuring that Tennessee becomes recognized nationally as a center for technology & innovation with a talented labor pool and a diversified technology community. In addition, depending on the skills & experiences of the individual hired, we are anticipating a base salary of up to $125K, a performance-based bonus of 20+%, as well as medical/dental benefits.

ABOUT THE TECHNOLOGY COUNCIL:

The Nashville Technology Council, is a 501(c)(6) nonprofit association of technology leaders working together to further promote, strengthen and grow the technology sector in Middle Tennessee.  Membership is open to technology companies, employers, service providers, educational institutions, and non-profit companies interested in supporting the growth of technology businesses throughout Middle Tennessee

CONTACT INFORMATION:

If you are qualified and interested in being considered as a candidate for this great opportunity, please submit your resume (in WORD format), along with your most recent compensation information to:      ceosearch@technologycouncil.com.  In the subject line, please indicate President – Nashville Technology Council.

Nashville is hiring.

Include the jobs report, link to open jobs, employers who are hiring and sponsored.

Nashville, TN—May 23, 2011 –The Nashville Technology Council Board of Directors announced today the resignation of J. Tod Fetherling as President/CEO of the Nashville Technology Council, a position he held for two and a half years. Fetherling will be leaving to pursue a new entrepreneurial venture. He will remain with the organization through June 30, 2011 and will continue to be involved with the Technology Council. The Board of Directors has initiated a search to secure Fetherling’s replacement and will work closely with the staff to ensure a smooth transition.

During his tenure, Fetherling built upon previous efforts to create many new programs and take the organization to higher levels of achievement and expand the council’s involvement and reach. “I want to personally thank Tod for his hard work over the past two and a half years. We are approaching $1million in annual revenues and serve a membership base of around 400 companies across a wide spectrum of industries and company sizes in Middle Tennessee with a goal of reaching 500 companies soon”, said Andy Flatt, Board Chair. Flatt added, “The NTC is on solid footing as a result of Tod’s leadership and strategic vision. We wish him every success in his new venture.”

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Nashville is home to three of the fastest growing companies in the United States, according to Fortune Magazine. Emma led the way in Nashville ranking 10th on the list. Centresource Interactive Agency came in on the list at 46th, and Concept Technology is on the list at 55th. The list ranked U.S. companies by their annual growth between 2005 and 2009.

Comcast Business Services provides a range of advanced data, Internet and voice services to businesses of all sizes, including Business Class Dedicated Ethernet, Business Class Internet and Teleworker services.