Posts Tagged ‘technology’
Technology Nashville Afternoon Festivities
Join us after the conference for an afternoon of connecting and enjoying Nashville’s Summer weather.
The Bus, sponsored by Career Builder, will serve as a shuttle between Gaylord Opryland Convention Center and the Gaylord Springs Pavilion. The shuttle will be running from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. and is free to ride on. A happy hour reception will take place at the Gaylord Springs Pavilion, where those participating in the golf outing, will be warming up on the driving range.
Continue your afternoon at the Technology Nashville Golf Outing. The group will have a shotgun start of 2:00 p.m., and will compete for prizes such as closest to the pin and longest drive. Purchase a Technology Nashville Conference and Golf Outing package, and enjoy the a full day of festivities for only $135. Other options include: Team of 4 Conference & Golf Outing Package, Table of 10 Individuals & Golf Outing Package, or if you can’t make the morning conference and only want to golf, then you can purchase an Individual Golfer Spot.
Tags: conference, Golf, Nashville, party bus, technology
CBS Sports featured technological advances at the Super Bowl
Nashville Tech Story (2/8/10)
How did last night’s super bowl keep track of 74,000 fans, players and sponsors? Through high-definition security cameras, a GPS web-based tracking system, and a beefed up network of extra cell towers. According to CBS Sports, the event featured a host of technological advances this year.
CBS Sports really stepped it up this year in making sure each player got to the right place at the right time. CNN Tech states, “The Super Bowl contracted with Hunter’s US Fleet Tracking to use its real-time GPS tracking system, which uses satellite technology that can ‘ping’ a vehicle’s location every few seconds.”
In order to track the referees’ calls, CBS Sports used six high-speed, high-definition “SuperVision” cameras, which had the ability to shoot 300-400 frames per second, compared to a normal camera’s 60 frames per second. Not only could fan’s view amazing replays, but they didn’t have any trouble texting, twittering, or sending photos from the game with AT&T’s 3 extra cell towers and Sprint’s $2 million investment in extra towers.
Security was a breeze with the stadiums high-tech scanners that were used to scan each individual as well as packages and purses that entered the stadium. The stadium also provided bomb removal robots in case of a threat.
Find out more about game day technology here: http://www.cnn.com/2010/TECH/02/05/superbowl.olympic.security/?hpt=Sbin
Tags: att, cbs sports, GPS, security, Sprint, super bowl, technology, us fleet tracking
SOLD OUT!
The Nashville Tech Story (1/17/2010)
The Annual Membership Breakfast is sold out! We are excited to have Steve Ballmer, CEO of Microsoft and Abbie Lundberg, longtime Editor & Chief of CIO Magazine join us to kick off the new year. Attendees will be receiving information in the mail this week. Check back here tomorrow for more updates. Thank you from the staff at the Nashville Technology Council.
Tags: Ballmer, Lundberg, Mayor, Microsoft, MSFT, Nashville, technology
Wake Up Call – The Real Challenge in Y2KX
Nashville Tech Story (1/5/10)
In the 90’s it was Y2K and how would we respond to this potentially crippling exercise. Where would we find thousands of Cobalt programmers to fix antiquated programs? Companies spent the necessary resources to get the problem corrected; others ditched old programs and upgraded their systems and software. Now we are faced with a new, larger challenge – Technology Workforce Development for the next decade.
This problem of having a sufficient talent pool in technology is nationwide, but is exacerbated in Tennessee due to a lower tech graduation rate. In fact, it is 8% lower than the national average.
Are we prepared for 2010? No, we aren’t. Nashville’s economy is growing at an annual clip of 2 to 2.5% per year. According to Census.gov, the Nashville CBSA is estimated to be 1,585,000. We have added over 250,000 new residents in the past 10 years. In 1980, we only had a population of 912,000. My, how the city has changed. By the time the next decade rolls in, we will be over two million.
So as we prepare for 2010, we should introduce a new concept Y2KXY. Look strange? Y2K + X + Y. Year 2010 is Y2KX and Y for the Y Generation or Millennials. It is time that we take the same effort of fixing the Y2KXY problem as we did for Y2K. We have a shortage of professional technology talent and it will hurt us in our recruiting efforts, innovation, and overall productivity if we don’t solve it quickly.
Other industries like engineering, nursing, and accounting have already experienced this issue, so we need to look to other industries and see what has worked for them.
Solutions
There are several solutions. First, let’s start with recognition by the C-Suite. Mr. CEO, we are going to have to pay more for Tech Talent in the future, including this year. There is less talent to go around and we need to pay for more training. The alternative is to get involved with organizations like the Nashville Technology Council to help grow the talent pool. Technology should be a strategic advantage for the business. If it is not a strategic advantage in your company, then ignore the rest of this post. You should be fine crushing stones.
Second, we have to understand the needs of the next generation. In their 2007 book, Junco and Mastrodicasa expanded on the work of Howe and Strauss to include research-based information about the personality profiles of Millennials, especially as it relates to higher education. This generation is using more technology, but they aren’t pursuing technology degrees in Tennessee (source: Wikipedia). They have very different expectations than Gen X or the Baby Boomers.
Third, we need to continue to attract outside companies to the region. Tennessee, Nashville in particular, has a very strategic advantage as it relates to quality of life, cost of living, and a diversified economy. We need to leverage this advantage to attract younger technology workers in our key industry areas: healthcare IT, digital content, publishing, transactions, software development, and logistics.
Fourth, we need to transform our existing workforce. This has two elements: professional development and re-engineering. The area of professional development is easier to tackle. Unfortunately, a lot of the best training for advanced software occurs on the Coasts. We are working to bring more of these trainers and highly specialized organizations to the Nashville region and allow our member companies to share the costs, thus lowering travel costs and improving the existing workforce.
The area of re-engineering is much tougher to address, but is every bit as critical. With the Saturn plant closing, we have a flood of potential new technology workers. They will require training, but they are eager and have a basic process engineering understanding. There are other pools of employees that can be retrained, retooled to be the next generation of technologist in Middle Tennessee.
Fifth, we need to encourage students in high school and college to pursue technology degrees. Our state is falling behind in this area, with Tennessee being 8% behind the national average in producing technology graduates. The root of the problem is the lack of introductory technology programs and parental encouragement at the middle and high school levels. Technology and healthcare are two of the fastest growing occupations and both pay very well. We need help at all levels if we are going to reverse this trend and get back to average.
Conclusion
Y2KXY is here. You may already be feeling the effects of this new paradigm shift. As a community, we can mitigate these trends through three ways: 1. Attract more technology companies to the region from other states, 2. Transform our existing workforce into technology workers through professional development and re-engineering, and 3. Encourage students to pursue technology degrees.
Tags: Economic Development, Education, Generation Y, higher education, Millennial, recruitment, T3, technology, technology degrees, technology students, technology training, Tennessee, workforce, Y2K
Top Tech Gifts for 2009
Nashville Tech Story (12/9/09)
Whether you are male or female, who doesn’t get a rush of excitement when opening a new tech gadget? Check out our picks for the top technology gifts for 2009.
- Apple Magic Mouse: At only $69, this is the “world’s first multi-touch mouse.” You can scroll with one finger, swipe through pictures with two, click and double-click, anywhere on its shell-like surface. With its unique laser tracking system, you can use the mouse anywhere, with absolutely no need for a mouse pad. In addition, the mouse connects wirelessly through Bluetooth technology, and can be used with an iMac up to 33 feet away.
- CoolPix S70: This 12.1 megapixel camera comes with a high-impact 3.5 inch OLED display, encompassing the entire back side of the camera. In addition, its touch screen technology allows you to zoom, set focus, change scene effects, adjust brightness, and scroll through pictures with the simple touch of your fingertips. You can even make yourself look better with this cameras skin softener and retouch system. This gift comes at a hefty $349.95.
- Kindle: Reading a book has never been so easy. With more than 360,000 books, newspapers, magazines, and blogs to choose from, you can shop wirelessly from the comfort of your own pajamas. It’s revolutionary electronic-paper display provides a sharp, high-resolution screen that looks and reads like real paper. It holds 200 titles and weighs only 10.3 ounces, at a price of $259.00. Click Here to watch a demonstration video.
- Iosafe: Some gifts can be practical, especially for a small business owner or someone who works from a home office. This disaster proof external hard drive has capacities from 500GB to 1.5TB. Both fireproof and waterproof, this device has a USB 2.0 Interface, making data protection that much easier. Prices start at only $149.
- Flip Ultra HD: An HD Video Camera you can fit in your pocket? This Camera can hold up to 120 of record time, and simply plugs into your computers USB port for extraction. This camera even comes with an underwater case for videotaping on your summer vacation. This device starts at $149
- Epson PowerLite Home Cinema 8100 Home Theater Projector: Super Bowl Sunday has never been so much fun. This projector comes with 4 modes: Dynamic, Living Room, Theater and Theater Black. It features 1080p resolution and uses 3LCD technology. The PowerLite Home Cinema 8100 projector has a contrast ratio of up to 36,000 to 1, brightness up to 1,800 lumens, and 2.1x optical zoom. Starting at about $1599.99, this is a device that should not be missed if you are looking to set up your first front projection system and don’t want to spend much money doing it.
- Dell M109S DLP Micro Projector: There’s not only an affordable projector for the home theater enthusiast, but also for the traveling businessman. This projector, which is only $399, fits in the palm of your hand. Using Texas Instruments’ Pico technology, this is one of the first ever Micro Projectors.
- DROID Smartphone: The new DROID Smartphone is only $199, which comes with over 16 gigs of storage space, a 3.7” display with over 400,000 pixels, and both a touch screen and slide out full QWERTY keyboard.
- DJ Hero: From the makers of Guitar Hero, this is the new way to experience music across a variety of genres. You can scratch, cross-fade, and match the beat of today’s hit music.
- iPod Nano: The new iPod Nano’s larger screen now acts as a video camera. In addition, you can also leave yourself a voice note, record a business meeting or a class lecture with its built in microphone. For $149, with the iPod Nano, you also now have the ability to listen to FM Radio as well as your favorite MP3s.
Whether big or small, it’s hard to go wrong with a tech gift. Find more tech gift ideas at http://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/upgrade/4292834.html.
Tags: 2009 technology gift, gadgets, gifts, hi-tech gifts, holiday gift, technology
Social Media 101 – It’s all About Strategy
Nashville Tech Story (11/23/09)
[meta]marketer’s Kate O’Neill led the audience through key points to a strategic social media plan last week, as she introduced the group to a number of tools including Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. As the workshop began, the audience emphasized their need for understanding Social Media as a business promoter, the safety and privacy of these tools, and the proper etiquette for the use of these tools.
Kate began the workshop by emphasizing the importance of adapting to this form of marketing, and embracing these tools as the “new normal.” An interesting statistic she pointed out is that Facebook is beginning to encroach Google in quantity of web traffic, and very soon might surpass it completely. Another interesting point, thanks to @Bazaarvoice, is that 64% of consumers connected to brands on social media made their first purchase from that brand due to a digital experience. This really laid down the ground rules of the importance of getting to know and understand this type of marketing.
Although it is extremely tempting just to dive in and start using these tools, Kate illustrated the importance of creating a strategy for your marketing efforts. You should ask yourself:
-Who are you trying to reach?
-Who are the audiences you are trying to connect?
-What channel is appropriate to communicate with your audience?
-What are the key concepts that you want to get across?
-What are the key terms you would use to describe that concept?
-Who are your content contributors?
After defining your strategy, it is important to participate, but in the proper way. So, what is the etiquette for Social Media use? Kate referred to this as, “Think of it like a cocktail party…. light and interesting.” She also emphasized the importance of not only talking about what you think is interesting, but make sure it will be interesting to your target audience as well. In addition, she stated that it is essential to think about everything and make sure it is always back on a strategic level.
If you missed Kate’ presentation, and want to find out more, take a look at her slideshow below:
Tags: Digital nashville, facebook, kate o'neill, linkedin, metamarketer, Nashville Technology Council, social media, technology, twitter, workshop, YouTube
Tennessee back on top in Supercomputer Race
Nashville Tech Story (11/17/09)
A Cray supercomputer at Oak Ridge National Laboratory has regained the title of the world’s most powerful supercomputer, overtaking the installation that was ranked at the top in June, while China entered the Top 10 with a hybrid Intel-AMD system.
The upgraded Jaguar supercomputer at Oak Ridge, in Tennessee, now boasts a speed of 1.759 petaflops per second from its 224,162 cores, while the IBM Roadrunner system at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico slowed slightly to 1.042 petaflops per second after it was repartitioned. A petaflop is one thousand trillion calculations per second.
The list of the Top 500 supercomputers, set to be released on Monday during the SC09 supercomputing conference in Portland, Oregon, is compiled twice a year and is now in its 34th installment. The total capacity of the systems on the new list is 27.6 petaflops, up from 22.6 petaflops on the previous list in June.
Jaguar has been upgraded since June with new processors and surged ahead to take the lead. It is based on the Cray XT5 Linux supercomputer platform, which uses Advanced Micro Devices Opteron (AMD) processors. Its total peak capability is 2.3 petaflops per second.
The No. 3 system is Kraken, at the National Institute for Computational Sciences at the University of Tennessee, which performs at 832 teraflops per second. This Cray XT5 supercomputer was ranked No. 6 in June, when it was rated at just 463 teraflops per second.
Intel processors power 402 of the systems on the list, or 80.4 percent, up slightly from 399 in June. The IBM Power architecture is the second most commonly used, with 52 systems, down from 55. AMD’s Opteron family appears in 42 of the systems.
Most of the Top 500 supercomputers — 426 systems — now use quad-core processors. Only 59 use dual-core chips, and just four systems are based on single-core architectures. There were six systems on the latest list using IBM’s nine-core Cell Broadband Engine processor, also used in the PlayStation 3. Gigabit Ethernet is the internal interconnect technology in 259 installations, compared with 181 using InfiniBand.
Hewlett-Packard led in the number of systems on the list, with 210 supercomputers or 42 percent, compared with 185 for IBM. However, the IBM systems accounted for the most computing power, with 34.8 percent of total performance, down from 39.8 percent. HP held 22.8 percent.
The Top 500 list is compiled by Hans Meuer of the University of Mannheim in Germany, Jack Dongarra of the University of Tennessee at Knoxville, and Erich Strohmaier and Horst Simon of the National Energy Research Scientific Computing Center at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in California.
Tags: hp, ibm, intel, jaguar, Nashville, oak ridge, supercomputer, technology, Tennessee, university of tennessee
Global Entrepreneur Week Kicks Off
Editor’s note: this is the first of five daily features during Global Entrepreneurship Week.
Guest blogger Mark Montgomery is a serial entrepreneur and strategic consultant. He was the co-founder and former CEO of echo, a digital music innovator which was acquired by IAC in 2007. Along with his other pursuits, Mark chairs the Advisory Board of the Nashville Entrepreneur Center.
Mark Montgomery from Nashville Entrepreneur Center on Vimeo.
Global Entrepreneurship Week (GEW) runs from today, November 16, through November 22. Global Entrepreneurship Week is a worldwide event intended to inspire, connect, mentor and engage young people with the desire to change the world. Partners include universities, high schools, non-profit organizations, successful entrepreneurs and government agencies. Tennessee has more events going on during GEW than any other state—and is a great reflection on the capabilities and opportunities for Nashville and Middle Tennessee.
While measuring the exact impact of entrepreneurs in a market can be a difficult task, it is clear that where entrepreneurship flourishes, wealth and value are created in that city. Our fair city has always been home to risk-takers and great thinkers (offer to buy Chamber CEO Ralph Schultz a beer and he’ll fill you in from the 1850’s forward…), and today they make up 21.6% of our economic ecosystem. Because of the high concentration of the creative class here in Nashville, we not only have a more traditional group of small businesses and sole proprietorships, we also have Keith Urban and the Kings of Leon, among many other great artists. Along with our rich musical history, we also have a more than few small healthcare companies…a strong foundation to build upon.
The short version of my story is that I moved to Nashville in 1990 with $800.00 and a guitar in hopes of becoming a big fish in a big pond. I managed to become a decent-sized fish, but not as the next George Lynch. My grandfather had one of the first personal computers, and I had always been a bit of a curious computer nerd. I became interested in the web in the early nineties, and began building websites in 1994. On April 20th, 1996, I helped launch an ecommerce platform selling music directly to consumers. That moment defined the next 10+ years of my life. In 1999, I co-founded echomusic with Neil Einstman, and off to the races we went. Grown organically out of cash, we moved the company through many phases; and in 2007, we sold the company to the Interactive Corporation (IAC). The sale gave me something I had not had in a long time: a boss. After a couple of years, I recognized that while I was certainly capable of running an operational business unit of a major multinational corporation, at my core I am a builder. So back into the sea of entrepreneurship I threw myself.
I signed up to help launch our Entrepreneur Center for two simple reasons. First, a healthy entrepreneurial ecosystem requires connection and community. The EC gathers all of that energy and focuses it in one place. Focus and execution are the key to success; and while I am glad that to date we have succeeded without this level of focus, I am extraordinarily excited to watch as the EC’s impact begins to be felt in Nashville and Middle Tennessee. This focus will bring mentorship, tools, business plan advice, educational and networking opportunities, directories and pathways to capital to our community of entrepreneurs, providing real value and support at a key time in the life of a business.
Second, Nashville has become my permanent home, and I believe that we all have a responsibility to give back. It gives me great pride to know that as new people arrive here with their dreams in tow, they will have a place that will provide focused resources for those dreams. And by committing to my community, I will have the opportunity to watch many of those dreams come true.
echo was a pioneer in the digital music space, and I will always say with pride, “yes, sir, we built our technology business in NASHVILLE.” Our city and state has many other pioneers, companies that have the ability to be truly transformational in music, healthcare, publishing, logistics, payments, and more. As my next big dream unfolds, as exciting as that is for me, I am even more excited to watch Nashville’s community move to the next level in its support of ALL its entrepreneurs.
If you are an entrepreneur, this is your week! Take a moment and be grateful for what you are doing. If you work for one of us, how about a pat on the back (or better yet a hug…) and if you enjoy one of the products as a consumer, take a moment to say thanks…it means so much…
Be well!
Tags: Digital Music, Entrepreneur Center, Mark Montgomery, Nashville, technology
PureSafety Continues Aggressive Growth Strategy
PureSafety Continues Aggressive Growth Strategy
Taps Avondale Partners to identify acquisition opportunities
FRANKLIN, Tenn. — Nov. 10, 2009 — PureSafety, a leading provider of results-driven software and information solutions for workforce safety and health, is ramping up its acquisition strategy and has engaged Avondale Partners, a full-service investment banking firm, to assist in identifying potential opportunities.
PureSafety’s scale, market leadership and momentum make it well positioned for additional growth and a prime candidate to further consolidate the industry. The company is seeking highly capable and committed teams as well as complementary software solutions and service partners within the workforce safety, health, environmental and risk management sectors.
This heightened focus on acquisition growth is in support of PureSafety’s vision to create the industry’s most comprehensive suite of web-based software and information solutions to address compliance, risk management, governance and culture needs.
“Our ability to help our customers protect their most important assets and drive meaningful business results has never been stronger,” said PureSafety President and CEO Bill Grana. “We are looking for like-minded people and companies that share this vision.”
The company’s successful acquisitions to date include the December 2008 acquisition of Unique Software Solutions, Inc. (USSI) and its Occupational Health Manager® (OHM) software suite and PerDatum’s Prognos® software application in November 2006.
“We are excited to partner with PureSafety on this engagement, and already have multiple indications of interest outstanding to acquire complementary firms,” said Chris Calton, director, Investment Banking at Avondale Partners.
About PureSafety
Born out of a workplace tragedy in 1999, PureSafety empowers its customers to protect their organization’s most valuable assets: their people and profits. PureSafety provides comprehensive, web-based software and information solutions that support compliance requirements, overall risk management needs, and the enhancement of governance and company culture through improved programs, processes, awareness, understanding, visibility, and accountability within workforce safety and health. The company’s growing team of 160 employees serves more than 2,000 companies operating in more than 20 major industries including manufacturing, construction, distribution, energy, and healthcare, and encompasses 34 percent of the Fortune 500. Headquartered in the Nashville-area, PureSafety has an additional location in Colorado Springs, Col. To learn more, visit www.puresafety.com or call 888.202.3016.
MEDIA CONTACT:
Amy Gray, APR
Gray Public Relations
615.497.1799
agray@graypr.com
Tags: avondale, Franklin, government, Health Care, Nashville, puresafety, risk management, software solutions, technology, Tennessee, tn
Twitter and LinkedIn Synced
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.
Tags: characters, linkedin, social media, social networking, Social Networks, spam, status, technology, twitter
