Nashville Technology Council

Nashville Tech Story (1/8/10)

poken |pōkən|
verb [trans.]
to touch two poken devices together, exchange data and make, keep and cultivate human connections.

noun (plural same) trademark
1. any poken product: pokenSPARK ™, pokenPULSE™, pokenHUB™; the poken website: www.poken.com
2. the actual company behind the whole thing. when Poken is written with a capital “P”, we’re talking about Poken S.A., all official and whatnot.

Today, it seems like there are new social media tools coming out by the second. The Poken, “your social media business card,” is making business connections even easier. Much like the iPhone’s Bump Application, you can gather your new friend’s contact information with a simple touch.  This information is then stored on a USB drive, and you can view all of your “social business cards” in one place.

The Poken also records the date and time, which you gathered your contact information.  So, if you know you met someone two weeks ago, and want to check out their LinkedIn profile, you can simply scroll back in time to the date you met them.   Your Poken can store up to fifty contacts before transferring the data onto your computer.

Check out the Poken demonstration video below, and get to poken.

Poken Explained from Poken on Vimeo.

Nashville Tech Story (11/10/09)

Now you can spam your LinkedIn profile with a cryptic 140 character messages.  Thanks to a new partnership between Twitter and LinkedIn, you can now sync your updates on both platforms.  For the business users of LinkedIn, get ready for more updates about the kids, day-dreaming, and other stream of conscience thoughts.  It should be interesting.  Before you go ranting and raving too much, you might want to think about everyone who has linked to you in your professional persona!

Click Here to read more.

Nashville Tech Story (10/30/09)

Did you miss the Nashville Technology Awards last Tuesday night?  Don’t worry, we have plenty of pictures to fill you in on everything you may have missed.  Take a look at the finalists and winners celebrating backstage in the slide show below.  In case you are wondering, yes, those are real Gibson Epiphone guitars, designed especially for the 2009 Nashville Technology Awards.

Finalists and winners weren’t the only one’s celebrating Tuesday night.  Over 375 participants walked the red carpet at this event.  See pictures from the red carpet cocktail reception below.

Special thanks to XO Communications, the Platinum Sponsor of the 2009 Nashville Technology Awards.

The Nashville Tech Story (8/19/2009)
by Jeremy Kirk, IDG News Service

Web sites such as Twitter are becoming increasingly favored by hackers as places to plant malicious software in order to infect computers, according to a new study covering Web application security vulnerabilities.

Social-networking sites were the most commonly targeted vertical market according to a study of hacking episodes in the first half of the year. The study is part of the latest Web Hacking Incidents Database (WHID) report, released on Monday. In 2008, government and law enforcement sites were the most-hit vertical markets.

Social networks are “a target-rich environment if you count the number of users there,” said Ryan Barnett, director of application security research for Breach Security, one of the report’s sponsors, which also includes the Web Application Security Consortium.

Twitter has been attacked by several worms, and other social-networking platforms such as MySpace and Facebook have also been used to distribute malware. That’s often done when an infected computer begins posting links on social-networking sites to other Web sites rigged with malicious software. Users click on the links since they trust their friends who posted the links, not knowing their friend has been hacked.

The WHID sample set is small, encompassing 44 hacking incidents. The report only looks at attacks that are publicly reported and those with which have a measurable impact on an organization. The WHID’s data set is “statistically insignificant” compared to the actually number of hacking incidents, but shows overall attacker trends, Barnett said.

Other data showed how Web sites were attacked. The most common attack was SQL injection, where hackers try to input code into Web-based forms or URLs (Uniform Resource Locators) in order to get back-end systems such as databases to execute it. If the input is not properly validated — and malicious code ignored — it can result in a data breach.

Other methods used include cross-site scripting attacks, where malicious code gets push to on a client machine, and cross-site request forgery, in which a malicious command is executed while the victim is logged into a Web site.

The WHID found that defacing Web sites is still the most common motivation for hackers. However, the WHID includes the planting of malware on a Web site as defacement, which also points to a financial motivation. Hacked computers can be used to send spam, conduct distributed denial-of-service attacks and for stealing data.

“Ultimately they [the hackers] want to make money,” Barnett said.

The Nashville Technology Council will be hosting the 8th annual InfoSec Security conference on September 17th.  The event will feature Ryan Burnett and his team from Breach Security.  For more conference details or registration information, click here

The Nashville Tech Story (8/12/2009)

LinkedIn celebrated their 45 millionth user sign up. According to comScore, LinkedIn had 16 million worldwide monthly unique visitors and 331 million page views in June 2009, up from 7.7 million and 114 million a year ago, respectively.
 
The company was valued at around one billion in its last (2008) round of financing, and says they’ve been profitable for 2+ years. The company is a strong 2010 IPO candidate. CEO Reid Hoffman stated earlier this year “we can go public any time we want to.”
 
For those who are unfamiliar with the social network known as LinkedIn, here is a brief explanation. LinkedIn is a free business social networking site that allows registered users to create a professional profile visible to others. Through the site, individuals can maintain a list of known business contacts, known as “Connections.” LinkedIn users can also invite anyone to join their list of “Connections.” 
 
The Nashville Technology Council currently has 1,283 members in their group. By being a “groupie,” you have the opportunity to connect with other professional’s in the technology world and post events and announcements.
 
Click here to join the Nashville Technology Council’s LinkedIn group and get connected today.

The Nashville Tech Story (July 13, 2009)

IBM and the Nashville Technology Council will be hosting an interactive webinar series on July 15th.  This will be the first of multiple informational discussions over the next few months within this series.  The first topic will focus on “The Convergence of Collaboration and Social Networking.”

Even though companies are facing tough economic times, this series will teach you how to take the economic “bumpy road” to create opportunities for immediate and sustainable growth.  The successes and failures of this program will depend on how each business can embrace the changes needed to make a difference.

These 60 minute discussions are idea sessions to help businesses and IT decision maker’s develop ideas for improving the application of technology to their business.  Some of the other topics in the series will include:

• Mapping out a winning business strategy
• Affordable approaches to security in a connected world
• Business Intelligence: Finding new value in old information
• Risk & Compliance: Remedies for regulatory woes
• Financing strategies, stimulus packages, and protecting cash flow
• Web 2.0: Ready or not, here it comes
• Exploring the case for Green Technology
• Business Resilience: Survival strategies
• Intro to Cloud Computing

Interested in receiving more information?  Click Here!  Looking to register for this FREE webinar?  Click Here!

Are you Linked In?

The Nashville Technology Council has 1,057 members Linked In as of today!  Going over 1,000 group members on Linked In is an awesome feat.

Hopefully by now you have heard about Linked In.  If not, it is time to get hooked up with an account.  Linked In is an amazing tool to help professionals network.  It is different than Facebook.  It is 3 degrees of separation from almost everyone in business.  If you need to contact Bill Gates, we have 8 connections to him.  Need a speaker for a big event, search for your topic and see all the professionals who are expert on the topic.  Need help networking for a new job, you guessed it, there are many connections to help.

But before you go linking to the world, you have to have permission first.  That is what I really like about Linked In.  The program uses a permission based marketing premise to connect individuals.  You have to ask and receive permission to Link to someone else.

Linked also has Groups.  Groups allow special interest groups to discuss and network around a specific topic, like Technology in Nashville.

Join the Nashville Technology Council’s Linked In Network and get Linked In.

Analytics Group Launch Luncheon
November 12, 2009
11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Nashville City Club | 201 4th Ave N |  Nashville, TN 37219
Click Here to Register Online

Sponsored by:

Are you an analytics junkie? Join the Nashville Technology Council at this luncheon as we kick off the formation of an Analytics Group.  This event is sponsored by IBM, and will feature a panel of experts who will discuss their experiences, provide useful tips and expert knowledge.

Moderator:
Jason Kelley, Director, Practice Area Leader, Business Analytics and Optimization, IBM

Jason Kelley is the Director, and Global Practice Leader for mid-market Business Analytics and Optimization (BAO). IBM’s Business Analytics & Optimization consulting team of 4000+ business professionals bring together the IBM business focused best practices, differentiated technology, and industry focused expertise, to deliver business intelligence solutions. Prior to leading the mid-market BAO team, Jason was responsible for the North American Application Services consulting practice, driving innovative application development and industry focused solutions. With a depth of experience in our global markets Jason has also led IBM’s world wide Industry Solution go to market efforts focused on service oriented technology & customer care analytics.

Over the years, Jason has had the opportunity to work across the IBM organization Industry Solutions space in the Software Group, Global Technology Services, and now in GBS.  Developing a depth of skill across industries has been consistent in Jason’s career as he has held executive roles in the Public, Industrial, and Services sectors, as well as founding and leading a successful marketing services firm prior to joining the global team at IBM.

Mr. Kelley is a Graduate of West Point, the United States Military Academy, with graduate work at the University of Tennessee, UCLA Anderson School of Business, and a MBA from the Cox School of Business at SMU.  He is currently on the Board of Directors of the Central Texas Better Business Bureau and also enjoys any volunteer opportunities to mentor inner city or at risk youth.  With a passion for invention, Jason contributes to IBM’s ongoing leadership in innovation and technology patents as the holder of two U.S. Patents with others pending.

Panelists Include:

Adam A. Hameed
Senior Vice President – Data and Analytics Solutions
Emdeon

Mr. Hameed is our Senior Vice President of Data and Analytics Solutions. Mr. Hameed has extensive experience in data and analytics and the healthcare industry after spending numerous years successfully leading UnitedHealth Group’s sales and account management operations for its Ingenix and OptumHealth payer markets. Prior to joining UnitedHealth Group in 2004, Mr. Hameed held many sales, marketing, and business development positions with several leading consulting and software companies, including FICO, Deloitte Consulting, and Accenture. Mr. Hameed also assisted in building a national customer relationship management consulting and systems integration company. Mr. Hameed earned a Master of Business Administration degree in Finance and General Management and a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Michigan.

Barry Ralston
Chief Architect and Director of Business Intelligence
ComFrame Software

With a career in Business Intelligence spanning 16 years, Barry is a featured speaker for many nationally recognized events including recent Microsoft SQL Server Launches, the Oracle Development Tools User Group, International Oracle User Group – Americas and JavaOne. Since joining ComFrame in 2001, his client successes include Aflac, Georgia Tech Research Institute, Honda, and UPS . A member of the Microsoft National VTS Program, Barry also maintains sqlbipro.com, a blog focused on promoting business intelligence education and software craftsmanship.

Here to Register Online

Nashville Technology Council & Digital Nashville present
Social Media 101

From Facebook to Twitter to Yelp and many more, social tools are dominating the way people communicate about all aspects of life, especially brands they like or dislike. In this session, Kate O’Neill covers the philosophy behind social media, why social marketing is taking over as the quickest way to reach an audience, rules for engaging a social audience and the many tools that are available.

Venue: Cumberland University
Labry Hall – Computer Lab 014
Lebanon , TN 37087

7:30 a.m. – 8:00 a.m. – Breakfast & Networking
8:00 a.m. – 9:00 a.m. – Social Media 101

Cost: $25 per person
*cost covers breakfast, refreshments, and the program

Click Here to Register Online

Kate O’Neill has earned a reputation as a passionate advocate for innovative, interactive online experiences in business. Working in online content in Silicon Valley during the 1990s heyday, she introduced the techniques of blogging (before it was called blogging and before there were fantastic tools like Wordpress) to many companies as an employee and later as a consultant. As social networks and social media have sprung up, Kate has been a vocal advocate for their inclusion in savvy business and marketing strategy, as well, both for the SEO boost they often imply and for the way they can strengthen a business’s relationship with its customers and enhance the customer experience.

Kate currently runs [meta]marketer, a web marketing un-agency and freelance consultancy she founded this year. She also maintains four blogs, three Twitter accounts, and dozens of other semi-neglected social media accounts.

Directions:
• Take I-40 East (toward Knoxville) to exit 238 (Lebanon)
• Left at traffic light at top of ramp,
• Travel straight through four traffic lights,
• Left at the next light, Leeville Pike (West) TN Blvd.(East), Ryan’s Steakhouse is on your right.
• Straight at the 4-way stop,
• Right on South Greenwood,
• Left at the 2nd road on left, Martin Ave.
• Park in the parking lot along Martin Ave. Labry Hall is half way up the block adjunct to the gymnasium.