GSA Technology Council

Recent attacks at the SCDOR have introduced the need for IT professionals to be trained in Systems Security. The CISSP is the top certification for the security field and the CEH is needed for every IT professional. The classes are being taught by West Goewey, a national trainer . Classes have included White House and DoD IT professionals and managers .

NetWest Consulting knows the importance of security in the IT fields. During the five day EC-Council Certified Ethical Hacker Certification training course students will learn to look for the vulnerabilities and weaknesses in different target systems using the same knowledge and tools as a hacker. The five day CISSP course prepares you to pass the premier security certification, Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP). This course focuses on ten areas of discipline determined by (ISC)². Professionals who complete this course will have a good working knowledge of the ten domains of knowledge of CISSP. For more information, contact NetWest Consulting

via NetWest Consulting

The University of South Carolina Upstate will offer a Masters of Science in Informatics beginning Fall 2013. Two tracks of study will be available to students: Health Information Management and Information Resource Management. Students who complete this program will be able to envision and plan information management systems, solutions, structures, and processes, insure legal and regulatory compliance, and utilize information management resources to analyze and transform information into knowledge creating competitive advantage for the business or organization.

“Offering this master’s degree is in direct response to industry demand based in the Carolinas and Georgia,” said Dr. Ron Fulbright, chair of the department of informatics at USC Upstate. “Hundreds to thousands of new jobs will become available over the next five years, all requiring advanced degrees such as the Masters of Science degree in Informatics.”

Informatics is the study of information systems and information processing, including the social impacts of information technology in a particular domain. All aspects of business and life in general, have become increasingly dependent on information technology (IT) and electronic processing of information during the past 30 years.

“IT and information management have become the lifeblood of organizations and affect almost every job. Many employees today are information workers (even if their job title does not officially reflect the role) whose daily job duties require the usage of an array of information and communication technologies as well as information management and processing practices, procedures, and methodologies. The design, procurement, implementation, maintenance, and evolution of information-based resources are collectively known as information resource management.”

The Masters of Science degree in Informatics program is designed to appeal to the working professional with most classes being offered online or taught in the evening. For more infomation visit USC Upstate.

via USC Upstate

Clemson University trustees approved a center for excellence in next-generation computing at its recent quarterly meeting in Columbia. The center will establish and nurture public-private partnerships in high-performance computing cloud service delivery, software-defined networking and evaluation of new cloud technologies.

The board also approved a new Social Technologies and Analytics Research Institute, or STARI. It will engage academic and industry partners in funded research to understand social media for organizations. Faculty, students and technology staff across four colleges will collect and analyze data to evaluate the impact of increasing social media messages and improve organizational performance.

The board also gave concept approval for renovating laboratory space and upgrading mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems at the John B. Pitner Center at the Pee Dee Research and Education Center in Florence. This center houses the advanced plant technology program, which provides research for the agriculture-based biotechnology industry in South Carolina.

via Clemson University

The 2013 Innoventure Conference has been scheduled for May 8 and 9 at the TD Convention Center in Greenville, SC. Innoventure connects that people with big ideas to the customers, capitol, talent, and technology needed for success. Innoventure is seeking passionate individuals from inside industry, academic centers, entrepreneurial companies, and not-for-profits to feature both onstage and remotely at the event. Presenters make an 8 minute, 10 slide presentation of their big idea and what they are looking for to an audience of approximately 500 business and academic leaders.

Focus areas for the conference include:

• Sustainable materials, systems, and energy
• Intelligent transportation and mobile services
• Manufacturing and supply chain innovations
• Healthcare innovation and technology

To be considered at the conference, visit Innoventure and upload your idea.

via Innoventure

Once again, Verizon Wireless is being recognized as one of the top workplaces for information technology (I.T.) professionals. This year, Verizon Wireless ranked eighth on Computerworld’s “Best Places to Work in I.T.” list and was once again the highest ranked wireless company.

Computerworld’s annual ranking of the top work environments for technology professionals is based on a comprehensive questionnaire regarding company offerings in categories such as benefits, diversity, career development, training and retention as well as extensive surveys of I.T. workers. This is the eighth straight year Verizon Wireless has made the list and the second straight year the company has ranked in the top 10.

“To be among the Best Places to Work in I.T., it’s not enough just to seek out and hire the most talented I.T. people, offer them competitive pay and provide great benefits,” said Scot Finnie, editor in chief of Computerworld. “The organizations that made this year’s Best Places to Work list sustain a dynamic work environment in which I.T. professionals keep their hands on the latest technologies and work on projects that are business critical.”

Verizon Wireless currently employs more than 81,000 employees nationwide. In addition to being an industry leader in network reliability and customer loyalty, Verizon Wireless is consistently ranked as one of the best places to work and a leader in I.T. For more information, visi twww.verizonwireless.com.

The “Best Places to Work in I.T.” 2010 survey results are published in the June 21 issue of Computerworld and online at www.computerworld.com.

via: Verizon Wireless

Our April 2010 learning lunch featured IBM Distinguished Engineer and security expert Jeff Crume. He is the author of “What Hackers Don’t Want You To Know” published by Addison Wesley and gave us an update on current IT security vulnerabilities and what we can do about them.

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With the start of hurricane season just one month away, Verizon Wireless announced today that it invested more than $1 billion over the past 18 months to expand and enhance its wireless network in Gulf Coast and Eastern Seaboard states historically prone to severe hurricanes.

To ensure customers have comprehensive, reliable coverage every day as well as in the event of severe weather, Verizon Wireless has updated and optimized technology at many regional network switching facilities. In Florida, the company operates five super switches, each with the capacity to handle tens of millions of voice calls and wireless data transmissions each day. Designed to withstand Category 5 hurricanes, these facilities feature fully redundant back-up power generation and serve as emergency operation centers in the event of a hurricane or other crisis in the Sunshine State. (Learn more at http://news.vzw.com/news/2010/03/pr2010-03-26.html.) A video tour of one of Verizon Wireless’ Florida super switches is available on the company’s YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/VerizonWirelessTV.

The company’s commitment to its network and advance preparations have proven critical in many previous storms. Most recently in March, when a Nor’easter pounded the Northeast causing serious flooding, numerous downed trees and widespread power outages, the Verizon Wireless network remained strong. To learn more, visit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yPy4w3cgZvk.

via: Verizon Wireless

Immedion, LLC, South Carolina’s first dedicated data center and managed services provider, announces they have successfully completed their second SAS 70 Type II certification audit. This third-party certification by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) demonstrates Immedion’s commitment to security and industry standards. With this certification, clients get greater assurance Immedion’s policies and processes associated with physical security, logical security and change control are on par with the best in the industry.

SAS 70 is the authoritative guidance that allows service organizations to disclose their control activities and processes to their customers and their customers’ auditors in a uniform reporting format. The SAS 70 Type II audit included comprehensive reviews and tests of Immedion’s infrastructure, including power, physical and electronic security measures, backup and recovery procedures, customer setup, network security, maintenance procedures, infrastructure change management, environmental safeguards, communications, customer service, management and user controls and insurance coverage.

“SAS 70 Type II certification further validates the level of service Immedion provides our clients,” shares Immedion CEO, Frank Mobley. “Our customers outsource their data center needs with us because we provide them with an enterprise-class data center at a fraction of what it would cost to build their own.”

“This audit requires a dedicated focus to ensure our processes and services are reliable, repeatable and deliverable,” said Immedion COO, Rob Moser. “SAS 70 Type II certification is further validation of Immedion’s longevity and authority as a managed hosting data center service provider.”

via: http://www.immedion.com/

HP and Palm, Inc. (NASDAQ: PALM) today announced that they have entered into a definitive agreement under which HP will purchase Palm, a provider of smartphones powered by the Palm webOS mobile operating system, at a price of $5.70 per share of Palm common stock in cash or an enterprise value of approximately $1.2 billion. The transaction has been approved by the HP and Palm boards of directors.

The combination of HP’s global scale and financial strength with Palm’s unparalleled webOS platform will enhance HP’s ability to participate more aggressively in the fast-growing, highly profitable smartphone and connected mobile device markets. Palm’s unique webOS will allow HP to take advantage of features such as true multitasking and always up-to-date information sharing across applications.

“Palm’s innovative operating system provides an ideal platform to expand HP’s mobility strategy and create a unique HP experience spanning multiple mobile connected devices,” said Todd Bradley, executive vice president, Personal Systems Group, HP. “And, Palm possesses significant IP assets and has a highly skilled team. The smartphone market is large, profitable and rapidly growing, and companies that can provide an integrated device and experience command a higher share. Advances in mobility are offering significant opportunities, and HP intends to be a leader in this market.”

“We’re thrilled by HP’s vote of confidence in Palm’s technological leadership, which delivered Palm webOS and iconic products such as the Palm Pre. HP’s longstanding culture of innovation, scale and global operating resources make it the perfect partner to rapidly accelerate the growth of webOS,” said Jon Rubinstein, chairman and chief executive officer, Palm. ”We look forward to working with HP to continue to deliver industry-leading mobile experiences to our customers and business partners.”

Under the terms of the merger agreement, Palm stockholders will receive $5.70 in cash for each share of Palm common stock that they hold at the closing of the merger. The merger consideration takes into account the updated guidance and other financial information being released by Palm this afternoon. The acquisition is subject to customary closing conditions, including the receipt of domestic and foreign regulatory approvals and the approval of Palm’s stockholders. The transaction is expected to close during HP’s third fiscal quarter ending July 31, 2010.

Palm’s current chairman and CEO, Jon Rubinstein, is expected to remain with the company.

via: HP

InnoVenture Southeast 2010 will be held May 11 and 12, 2010, at the Carolina First Center in Greenville, SC. The theme of this year’s conference is “Creating the Future”.

“InnoVenture Southeast is all about making connections with people in our region who are among the world’s best at what they do. The conference is a unique opportunity to connect with people in and around each of the major anchors led by our keynote speakers,” said John Warner, founder and principal of InnoVenture LLC. “Understanding where these major drivers of our economy are heading creates business opportunities for all of us to help them and the organizations around them be successful.”

InnoVenture Southeast announces that seven senior leaders of major organizations will be keynote speakers this year.

– Harris Pastides, President of the University of South Carolina

– Don Herriott, Director of Innovista Partnerships, University of South Carolina

– John Kelly , VP for Public Service and Economic Development of Clemson University

– David Stafford, COO of the Michelin Americas Research Company

– Chris Desoiza, VP of the Milliken Research Corporation

– Ed Sellers, CEO of BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina

– Bill Mahoney, CEO of SCRA

In addition to the keynote speakers, InnoVenture Southeast will also have 60 champions from across academic, industry and entrepreneurs making eight minute elevator pitch presentations of the future they are creating and the expertise and resources they need to get there. Like the senior leaders presenting, these champions are also among the world’s best at what they do. A sample of champions presenting include:

Academic Leaders:

– John Ballato – Clemson University Advanced Materials Center

– Tom Vogt – NanoCenter at the University of South Carolina

– Hildy Teegen – Moore School of Business at the University of South Carolina

– Paul Venhovens – Clemson University International Center for Automotive Research

Industry Leaders:

– Philip Wilson – Milliken & Company

– Bill Roberts – Sealed Air Corporation

– Jeff Archie – South Carolina Electric and Gas Nuclear Division

– Lonnie Emard – Consortium for Enterprise Systems Management

Entrepreneurial Leaders:

– Ralph Heredia – Zipit Wireless

– Jeff Granato – Proterra

– Michael Bolick – Lab21

– Chad Sands – NextGenEn

About InnoVenture Southeast

InnoVenture Southeast 2010 will be held May 11 and 12, 2010, at the Carolina First Center in Greenville, SC. The theme of this year’s conference is “Creating the Future”. In its seventh year, the conference is a show case of innovation, which connects innovation champions with the customers, capital, talent and technology they need to succeed.

Registration details and more information can be found at InnoVentureSoutheast.com

via: Innoventure Southeast