GSA Technology Council

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

Verizon Wireless today announced DROID Incredible by HTC, the newest Android device on the nation’s most reliable wireless 3G network, will be available beginning April 29.

Featuring a “topographic” design that demonstrates the powerful engineering just beneath the surface, DROID Incredible by HTC is designed with craftsmanship and precision while making it easier than ever to stay connected.

DROID Incredible by HTC features the newest version of the HTC Sense experience, a seven-panel home screen with a wide selection of interactive widgets so the most important content is immediately available at a touch. Customers will enjoy seamless integration with Exchange ActiveSync®, quick and easy access to Flickr for sharing and viewing pictures, video, and Android Market™ with more than 30,000 Google applications. DROID Incredible by HTC is the first Verizon Wireless phone that takes advantage of Qualcomm’s 1GHz superfast Snapdragon processor, and it’s the first available phone from Verizon Wireless to include an 8 megapixel camera.

Shortly after the phone becomes available, customers will be able to enjoy two of the latest exclusive apps from Verizon Wireless – NFL Mobile and Skype mobile™.

Additional Key features:

· Android 2.1 with HTC Sense experience

1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon™ processor for maximum responsiveness

· Friend Stream for unified Flickr, Facebook and Twitter updates

· “Leap” view for quick access to all seven home screen panels

· 8 megapixel camera with dual LED flash for crisp, detailed images

· Razor-sharp 3.7 inch WVGA (480×800) AMOLED capacitive touch display

· Optical joystick for smooth navigation

· Dedicated, touch-sensitive Home, Menu, Back and Search keys

· Proximity sensor, light sensor and digital compass

· Integrated GPS

· Wi-Fi (802.11 b/g)

· 3.5 mm headset jack

Price and availability:

DROID Incredible will be available for pre-order online at www.verizonwireless.com beginning on April 19 and it will be in Verizon Wireless Communications Stores on April 29. Pricing will be $199.99 after a $100 mail-in rebate with a new two-year customer agreement. Customers will receive the rebate in the form of a debit card; upon receipt, customers may use the card as cash anywhere debit cards are accepted.

DROID Incredible customers will need to subscribe to a Verizon Wireless Nationwide Talk and an Email and Web for Smartphone plan. Nationwide Talk plans begin at $39.99 monthly access. Email and Web for Smartphone plans start at $29.99 for unlimited monthly access.

For additional information on Verizon Wireless products and services, visit a Verizon Wireless Communications Store, call 1-800-2 JOIN IN or go to www.verizonwireless.com.
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via: Verizon Wireless

Immedion, LLC, South Carolina’s first dedicated data center and managed services provider has named Jim Stritzinger to manage their new Columbia location. Jim will play a vital role in developing Immedion’s presence in the Midlands region of SC. He has a proven track record as a business leader in SC and was selected to the inaugural Liberty Fellowship class in 2004.

Before joining Immedion, Jim was the Director of the Carolinas for Tribridge, Inc. where he was responsible for expanding business into North and South Carolina and managed Tribridge’s national Microsoft Dynamics SL practice. Prior to joining Tribridge, Stritzinger served as Executive Vice President and General Manager of SC Public Interest Research for the South Carolina Research Authority. He was heavily involved in the creation of SC Launch!, South Carolina’s seed capital investment program and served as its’ first President. In addition, he previously worked for IBM, Schlumberger, and General Electric before becoming founder and president of ClearView Software. ClearView was eventually acquired by Solomon Software and then later became part of Great Plains Software and then ultimately Microsoft Business Solutions.

“Immedion is a well-respected, fast-growing, knowledge economy company that provides key data center infrastructure for small to enterprise-class businesses” said Stritzinger. “I’m excited to join the Immedion team and look forward to using all of my resources to make the Columbia data center a huge success. It’s a special opportunity to live and work in Columbia – especially when I get to be one of the first InnoVista partners!”

Jim has served on numerous Boards including the SC Venture Capital Investment Authority, Hilton Head-Bluffton Chamber of Commerce, SC Biotechnical Incubator, Technical College of the Lowcountry Foundation and the SC Chamber of Commerce. He is currently active on the Philanthropy Committee of the American Red Cross and serves as an Advisory Board member for several Centers of Economic Excellence (CoEE) at USC’s Arnold School of Public Health. In addition, Stritzinger is a member of the National Society of Professional Engineers (NSPE), the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) and has served as a coach, mentor and judge for the Palmetto FIRST Robotics
Competition.

“Jim is a valuable asset to our team as we expand into Columbia and the Midlands region” said Frank Mobley, CEO of Immedion. “His experience and his knowledge of the Columbia area will be important for Immedion as we prepare to open our new data center and hire more people to join our team.”

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

As we transition in another season of the year it’s always interesting to look back a bit and see the gadgets that caught our attention just a few months ago. Have you made one of the gadgets your own? Have new gadgets been introduced that have given a challenge to those shown and are you inspired to share and/or create a gadget for Gadgetfest 2010? Enjoy the video from the most recent GSATC Gadgetfest.

Video by: View Digital Media

Peter Coffee of Salesforce.com was our featured speaker at our Feb. 2010 Learning Lunch. Peter spoke on Creating Cloud Communities: Making Your Customers Your Partners. We present video from that meeting.

Video by: View Digital Media