Nashville Technology Council

Deadline Extended: All entries due February 15, 2011

Submit Now!

CIO magazine is now accepting applications for its 2011 CIO 100 Awards. We’re honoring all the innovative ways that IT can deliver a competitive advantage to the enterprise. Organizations need the edge that technology provides to move ahead. IT makes winners in a lot of ways: it can build better business processes, foster collaboration, get the company closer to existing customers and open up new markets, to name just a few.

If your organization implemented technology innovations that produced measurable results in enabling or leading the way to your business’s greater success, we want to know about them. Tell us about the most interesting and exciting project you’ve led in the past year. For details about the competition and to get an application, visit
http://www.cio.com/cio-awards/cio100

CIO 100 honorees will receive their awards at the annual CIO 100 Symposium & Awards Ceremony, to be held at the The Broadmoor in Colorado Springs, Colorado, Aug. 14-16, 2011.  Honorees will also be featured on CIO.com and in the August 2011 issue of CIO magazine.

If you have questions about the CIO 100 Awards or the application, please contact cio100@cio.com.

Regards,

Maryfran Johnson
Editor in Chief
CIO magazine & Events

Yesterday Verizon Wireless announced the launch of  their Long Term Evolution (LTE) 4G wireless network. The 4G LTE mobile broadband roll out is a benefit for the mobile “road warrior” business user.  The 4G LTE will give  customers speeds up to 10 times faster than Verizon Wireless’ current 3G network offering.  Data plans will start at $50 for monthly access.  Verizon Wireless expects to expand  4G LTE to reach its existing 3G coverage area by 2013.  Verizon Wireless anticipates consumer oriented handsets compatible with 4G to be available in mid 2011.

Nashville is included in the 38 metropolitan roll-out on Sunday, December 5th.  Customers can check out www.verzionwireless.com/4Glte to see if their address will be included in the initial coverage area.  Street level maps of coverage areas will be available online on Saturday.

You can find more information on this roll-out via Verizon Wireless’ official press release.

Many of you may already know that today is World AIDS Day.  Our friends at HP are using their technology in Kenya to help save lives.  In Kenya, almost 10% of women are infected with HIV.  Diagnosis response time is critical in preventing infection to unborn children and treating infants already infected with the disease.  HP has built 5 data centers in Kenya to help reduce diagnosis response time from months to days.  This technological innovation is estimated to save the lives of over 100,000 infants in Kenya each year.

You can read more about how HP is making an impact in the worldwide fight against HIV and AIDS  in today’s write-up on FastCompany.com.

Nashville Tech Story (4/6/10)

Calling all innovators…to connect, collaborate and create. The Tennessee Technology Development Corporation is hosting its annual Tennessee Innovation Conference and Venture Showcase, May 10-11, at Loews Vanderbilt Hotel in Nashville. The Tennessee Innovation Conference is designed to provide practical, useful information to innovators and entrepreneurs with the goal of creating and supporting more high-growth enterprises in Tennessee. Furthermore, the Venture Showcase will provide a glimpse into the Volunteer State’s economic future by showcasing interactions between investors, entrepreneurs, researchers and professional service providers. A special reception sponsored by the Nashville Health Care Council and the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce will be held Monday, May 10.

If you are interested in learning more about innovation in Tennessee and the fundamentals of building high-growth companies, this event is for you. Join us May 10-11 for a unique learning and networking experience.

Who Should Attend:
Venture Capitalists
Angel Investors
High-potential Entrepreneurs
Aspiring Entrepreneurs
Scientists/Researchers
Inventors
Service Providers to High-growth Firms
Government Officials

Technology Transfer Professionals

Hotel Information:

Hotel reservations can be made by calling Loews Vanderbilt Hotel at 1-800-336-3335. Please specify that you are part of the Tennessee Technology Development Corporation block to receive the special group rate of $119/night. The reservation deadline is April 17.

This strategic event to strengthen Tennessee’s economy is being underwritten by TTDC and partner organizations. As such, there is no registration fee to attend the conference, and the dress is business casual.
Tennessee Innovation Conference & Venture Showcase Agenda

For more information, and to register, click here.

Nashville Tech Story (2/23/10)

Computer vision, cloud computing, facial recognition, social networking, and augmented reality are just a few of buzz words surrounding today’s mobile application industry.  New applications are coming out by the second, and each one seems to push innovation to the next level.  Take a look at our top picks for phone applications below:

Augmented Identity: Whoever thought you could point your phone at a complete stranger, and instantly know about them?  The Astonishing Tribe, a phone application shop out of Sweden, released this application last week.  Augmented ID is a TAT concept that visualizes the digital identities of people you meet in real life. This application uses a combination of facial recognition software and a 5 megapixel camera to detect the subjects identity.  If the person has chosen to opt-in, you instantly have access to their facebook and twitter profile.  Find out more here: http://www.technologyreview.com/computing/24639/?a=f

Guitar Toolkit: Created by Agile Partners, this application is perfect for the aspiring musician.  It features a chromatic tuner, scales, a cord library, metronome, and custom tuning system.  Take a look at the demo below to find out more:

Ocarina: Smule turns the world into your stage with this application, which basically turns your phone into a musical instrument.  Ocarina recognizes your breath, touch, and movements, and it has the ability to connect with other users around the world.  Find out more about this application here: http://ocarina.smule.com/

As the innovation in mobile applications continues to grow, we hope to discuss what’s going on in the Nashville arena this April.  Join us at Rocketown, as we discuss mobile application and development options, mobile operating systems and the variations of the most popular mobile platforms. View a panel of application developers discussing the innovation and creativity that is necessary to keep up with today’s fast-changing mobile technology, while making applications accessible across multiple platforms. This event will include demonstrations from Nashville grown applications such as Local Eats and GPS Assassins, as well as displays from out most popular wireless providers including Sprint, Verizon, and AT&T. Ticket price includes breakfast and lunch. Click here to find out more.

Nashville Tech Story (12/2/09)

Are you an entrepreneur and would like to receive $500 cash in addition to a $2,000 professional marketing package, and statewide recognition?  You can do so, by entering the statewide Entrepreneur Video Competition, hosted by the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development.  

In continuation of Global Entrepreneur Week, which was held November 16-22, 2009, Tennessee wants to continue to celebrate the vital role entrepreneurs play in the state’s economy.  According to the Business Enterprise Resource Offices, during Global Entrepreneur Week, Tennessee hosted more than 60 events, leading all other states in the nation by 19 activities. Tennessee also ranks in the top ten for partners, with more than 50 organizations across the state joining in to make celebration a success.  For a full list of events hosted during Global Entrepreneur Week, click here.

Finalists in the Entrepreneur Video Competition will be chosen from five categories:
1.    Main Street/Downtown
2.    Home-based
3.    Agri-business
4.    Arts & Entertainment
5.    Innovation

The video, which must be no more than five minutes and length, should ultimately answer the question, “What makes you an Entrepreneur?” The video should describe the business using exterior, interior of business and highlight products, services or marketing strategies which make the business and entrepreneur successful.

The Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development will use the winning entries in a department-produced video and print piece intended to identify and promote innovative entrepreneurs in Tennessee communities and encourage others to join them as small business owners.  In addition, your business will be included in a statewide press release.

Entering the Contest is easy. Simply, click here to register online, then upload your YouTube Video.  

For more details on the contest visit: http://www.tnecd.gov/tnopenforbusiness/index.html.

Nashville Tech Story (11/4/09)

The business of analytics is growing dramatically as we expand our informational needs for an organization.  Analytics can be thought with regard to intelligence for the business, information, content management (structure and unstructured), and predictive (statistical).  There are a plethora of products in each of these four quadrants of analytical tools.

A new global study of more than 2,500 Chief Information Officers (CIOs), released by IBM in September, reveals that leveraging analytics to gain a competitive advantage and improve business decision-making is now the top priority for CIOs. More than four out of five (83 percent) survey respondents identified business intelligence and analytics – the ability to see patterns in vast amounts of data and extract actionable insights – as the way they will enhance their organizations’ competitiveness.

These results and other insights are detailed in the just-released Global CIO Study 2009, which is the largest face-to-face survey of CIOs ever conducted. The study, titled “The New Voice of the CIO,” represents the insights and vision of CIOs from 78 countries, 19 industries, and organizations of every size. The study reinforces the increasingly strategic role that CIOs are playing as visionary leaders and as drivers of innovation and financial growth.

With an increased focus on data analytics, the survey also revealed that data reliability and security have emerged as increasingly urgent concerns, with 71 percent of CIOs planning to make additional investments in risk management and compliance.

As a result of analytics, the CIO’s role is changing to include the following:

• Making innovation real
• Raising the ROI on IT
• Expanding the business impact.

Sign up today to join us for lunch on November 12, 2009, for the launch of the Analytics Group.

The Nashville Tech Story (7/27/09)

Dictionary.com defines innovation as something new or different introduced.  I have always been intrigued by innovation and it still gets me dreaming when I hear the word.  What can we do better?  That is really the key question in innovation. 

Product Innovation
Guy Kawasaki is one of my favorite thought leaders.  I watched a video this morning and thought he nailed the concept.  His innovation theory is based on four principles: 1. Deep, 2. Intelligent, 3. Complete, and 4. Elegant.  I think all four of these lead to simple.  We want and need simple product interfaces to buy.  Look at the line of products coming out of Apple today.  They are simple to use and we buy them.  Pandora is making Internet Radio easy.  HCA is making it easier for patients to pay bills online.  HealthSpring provides an online member services portal.

Individual Innovation
Innovation is not just about products.  People need to innovate themselves as well.  Professional development is critical to your success.  Where do you get started?  Nashville Start Up Weekend is slotted for October 9-11 and this is a great way for individuals to innovate themselves.  I was very impressed last year at NSW by the quality of talent in Nashville and the entrepreneurial drive in our community.  One of the innovations from the weekend was GPS Assassins.  This is an iPhone based game (additional platforms on the way) that is GPS based.  It is very cool and it came from Nashville.

Corporate Innovation
Sometimes, entire companies get stale and need to innovate.  Sometimes, it is hard to say we can do better at work, but this is when the best innovation occurs.  A lot of corporate cultures stifle innovation because risk taking is not embraced and rarely do people celebrate failures.  If you are going to innovate, some ideas will fail and that is ok.  Apple throws away about 95% of their designs.  Then they go at it again, and again, until they get it right.  Are you willing to throw 95% of product development away?

Are you ready to innovate?  The Nashville Technology Council has a program to help companies begin innovating.  Click here to learn more about Innovation Weekend.

Nashville Tech Story (6/18/2009)

Working in your own organization or doing business with certain folks can sometimes make the word “ethics” seem like a bad case of food poisoning.  Well, just think if robots became more ethical than your fellow man. 

The United States government is currently working on drone technology that will allow attack drones to think ethically.  A Georgia Institute of Technology scientist is working on this new application to help guide the military even further into the future of robots taking over the battle fields. 

In an attempt to reduce the amount of non-combatant casualties, the military ran a test back in 2002 showing an attack drone targeting a group of Taliban rebels.  However, the drone decided not to attack because the group was located inside of a cemetery and the attack would have been a major breach of international law.  While this technology seems like a “slam dunk” on the battle field, there have been skeptics.

Robots thinking ethically is a great concept, but how do we instill this into the human way of thinking.  A technology that could soon hit the market would help humans think more ethically.  In relation to healthcare, a group from Georgia Tech has created a system that could help doctors make ethical decisions based on treatment when in certain situations.  This application is more likely to arise faster than the use of ethical drone technology in warfare. Based on the opinion of skeptics, even though robots can be taught to be ethical, they cannot be taught how to be sympathetic or feel empathy.

Is there a National Technology Agenda?

With one of the most technology savvy Presidents in office, you would think that Washington would be openly embracing the Technology Industry.  Unfortunately, the technology industry is not as experienced at lobbying as hospitals, physicians, farmers, and unions.  As a result, it is important that we first define our agenda as an industry and then second to spread the word by meeting with our local, state, and national representatives.

We were fortunate to participate in the TECNA FLY-In in in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday, March 18, 2009.  TECNA is the Technology Councils of North America.  Technology business leaders addressed some of the key issues facing the technology industry and brought the cause to legislators.

TECNA members were in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday, March 18, 2009. Technology business leaders addressed some of the key issues facing the technology industry and brought the cause to legislators.

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