GSA Technology Council

Immedion, LLC, a South Carolina based dedicated data center and managed services provider is opening a second data center in Columbia, SC. The second site further expands Immedion’s redundancy and disaster recover offerings and allows Immedion to better serve the managed hosting needs of more of South Carolina.

“Locating our second data center in the Innovation Center will better enable us to provide services to businesses in the Midlands as well as throughout the state of South Carolina. In addition, the provisioning of a second, geographically diverse location will allow Immedion to provide uptime for critical technology beyond the capabilities of any single data center location.”

Immedion’s Columbia site is located in the SCRA USC Innovation Center. The location, with easy access to the Columbia Statehouse, airport and University of South Carolina, is an ideal site. The building is adjacent to the USC Engineering School and is also within walking distance of Innovista, USC’s forward-looking campus for research and entrepreneurship.

Today’s announcement “helps expand a knowledge-based company,” SCRA chief executive Bill Mahoney said. “Immedion is the kind of company we are looking for.”

The Columbia site will offer the same services as the Greenville headquarters with the goal of helping customers meet all of their IT Space, Server Power, Disaster Recovery and Regulatory Compliance demands. Immedion’s outsourced data center services and solutions help organizations lower costs, maximize internal resources and keep valuable information technology safe 24×7x365.

via: Immedion

Immedion, LLC, South Carolina’s first dedicated data center and managed services provider has promoted Don Poinsette from Marketing Associate to Account Executive. In his new role, Don will be responsible for bringing in new customers and he will be focusing heavily on the healthcare market.

Before becoming an Account Executive, Don was responsible for lead generation for Immedion. He has been with Immedion for over a year and a half and has proven to be a valuable member of the Immedion team.

“As Immedion’s customer base continues to grow, we’ve realized some markets need more focused attention due to government regulations and compliance concerns,” says Frank Mobley, CEO of Immedion. “There are many reasons for the healthcare industry to utilize the benefits of an outsourced data center and with government mandates and regulations, the healthcare industry needs a little more attention ” adds Mobley. “With compliance, disaster recovery, and electronic medical record requirements, I think it’s very important to have an Immedion representative focused on this vertical and Don is a strong fit.”

via: Immedion

Registration will soon be closing for Verizon Wireless’ Jan. 20, 2010, webcast that will review the updated specifications for wireless devices that will run on the nationwide 4G Long Term Evolution (LTE) network the company is building on the Upper 700 MHz C-Block Spectrum.

The webcast will begin at 11 a.m. EST on Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2010. Registration for the webcast is available by visiting www.verizonwebcasts.com/vzw/10027/registration.html. Developers can access the Verizon Wireless 700 MHz LTE Specification updates from the open development Web site at www.verizonwireless-opendevelopment.com. To view which sections of the specifications have been updated, developers can check the Revision History.

By the end of the year, Verizon Wireless expects that its 4G LTE wireless network will cover a population area size of 100 million people. The company’s 4G LTE network will ultimately connect a full range of electronics devices and machines such as home appliances, automobiles and televisions.

via: Verizon Wireless

Verizon Wireless today transmitted $2,987,560 to the American Red Cross, representing dollars pledged by texting customers to the Red Cross relief effort for Haiti. This represents donations made by Verizon Wireless customers for the first two days of the campaign from 12:01 a.m. EST on Wednesday, Jan. 13 through 2 p.m. EST on Friday, Jan. 15.

As the outpouring of support continues from wireless users texting HAITI to 90999, the company said it would continue to advance funds pledged by Verizon Wireless customers and provide dollars to the Red Cross outside normal operation procedures.

Verizon Wireless president and CEO Lowell McAdam said, “President Obama and Secretary of State Clinton have challenged the American people to donate to the Red Cross relief effort, and companies like Verizon need to step up to the plate. Time is of the essence, and it makes sense for us to toss aside our normal financial processes to get money where it can do the most good, in the fastest way possible.”

In less than three days since the earthquake devastated Haiti, more than 300,000 Verizon Wireless customers have texted HAITI to 90999, nearing $3 million in donations to the Red Cross relief effort. From the start of the campaign, as of 2 p.m. EST on Friday, the customers of all U.S. wireless companies had pledged more than $9 million to this one relief fund.

Hundreds of American charities have registered text messaging short-codes, whereby consumers can text donations. The mobile giving process can take between 60 and 90 days from the time a wireless user texts a donation and when a charity receives the donation. Verizon Wireless’ action today bypasses the normal process used to get donations paid to charities, which helps to ensure that the payments are complete and accurate. Donations will get to the Red Cross quickly, given the humanitarian crisis at hand. To ensure fiscal accountability and responsibility, these operational processes will remain in place for all mobile giving efforts, with the exception of the Red Cross’ HAITI on 90999 effort.

The company noted the work of valued and trusted partners in implementing mobile giving, all of which agreed to bend rules and bypass regular procedures to move the money to the Red Cross quickly: Mobile Messenger, mGive Foundation and Mobile Accord. CEO McAdam singled out The Mobile Giving Foundation and its founder Jim Manis for support of the effort. “Jim Manis is a visionary who has fought to unharness the incredible power of mobile technology with our better instincts. Though many deserve credit for the success of this effort to help in the Haiti relief, it all started with Jim’s vision.”

via: Verizon Wireless

Jennifer Cunningham, of Tech Enablers, will present “Guaranteeing ROI for your technology investment” at an upcoming seminar at Immedion. At the event she will review some key business analysis approaches for determining whether the benefits of an initiative are worth the associated costs. Also, she will cover some approaches to better managing in-process initiatives.

Event Details
Date: January 5
Time: 11:30 – 1:00 pm
Location: Immedion (map)

RSVP to Natalia Muska at 864.908.3000 or natalia.muska@immedion.com.

via: Immedion

Russ Davis of Sandler Sales is running a workshop on Thursday for Business Owners and Sales Managers looking to grow their sales.

The session will be about sales management issues and strategies for effectively leading the sales team. While other programs are directed at sales people, this one is for owners and managers looking to build a winning sales force.

There are two types of owners/managers. The first is hunkered down and hoping these difficult business times pass quickly. The second is looking for things that can have an immediate impact on their business over the next 30, 60, or 90 days.

Executive Briefing for Sales Managers
Thursday December 10
8:15 AM – 10:15 AM
Commerce Club

via: Sandler Sales

Verizon Wireless and Google™ today announced a strategic partnership that will leverage the Verizon Wireless network and the best of the Android™ open platform to deliver leading-edge mobile applications, services and devices. Both companies view this agreement as an opportunity to offer consumers an array of products that combine the speed of the nation’s largest and most reliable 3G network with the flexibility of the Android mobile platform.

Integral to this agreement is a commitment by the companies to devote substantial resources to accelerate delivery of leading-edge innovation that will put unique applications in the hands of consumers quickly. The two industry leaders will create, market and distribute products and services, with Verizon Wireless also contributing the breadth of its nationwide distribution channels. Consumers will be able to purchase products resulting from the collaboration in Verizon Wireless retail and online stores.

Verizon Wireless and Google plan to co-develop several Android-based devices that will be pre-loaded with innovative applications from both parties as well as third-party developers. The family of Android phones on the Verizon Wireless network will come from leading handset manufacturers.

“The nation’s best wireless broadband network is a perfect complement to the innovation of Android-powered services and devices,” said Lowell McAdam, chief executive officer of Verizon Wireless. “Together, we’ll work to deliver a compelling new experience to our customers.”

“The Android platform allows Verizon Wireless customers to experience faster and easier access to the web from any location,” said Eric Schmidt, chairman and chief executive officer for Google. “Through this partnership, we hope to deliver greater innovation in the mobile space to consumers across the U.S.”

The agreement will come to fruition within the next few weeks as Verizon Wireless introduces Android-based handsets.

via: Verizon Wireless

Mediasation, a leading web development company in Greenville, SC, is hosting free workshops, Making the Web Work for You, on August 6 at 2pm , August 13 at 10am, August 20th and 10am and August 27th at 2pm at their offices on Pelham Road. These seminars will provide tips of the trade to help local businesses improve their web presence and increase online return on investment. Topics will include the importance of search engine optimization, benefits of e-commerce, using a content management system, and more. Web designers and programmers will be on-hand to answer questions.

The seminar will be offered twice on each day, at 10:00 and at 2:00. There is no charge to attend, although registration is requested. For more information or to register for the seminar, please contact Robbie Randolph at robbie@mediasation.com, call (864) 627-1676, or register online at http://www.mediasation.com/register.php

via: Mediasation

Mediasation, a leading web development company in Greenville, SC, is hosting free workshops, Making the Web Work for You, on July 16 and July 23 at their offices on Pelham Road. These seminars will provide tips of the trade to help local businesses improve their web presence and increase online return on investment. Topics will include the importance of search engine optimization, benefits of e-commerce, using a content management system, and more. Web designers and programmers will be on-hand to answer questions.

The seminar will be offered twice on each day, at 10:00 and at 2:00. There is no charge to attend, although registration is requested. For more information or to register for the seminar, please contact Robbie Randolph at robbie@mediasation.com, call (864) 627-1676, or register online at www.mediasation.com/register.php.

via: mediasation

IBM and InterContinental Hotels Group today announced the first deployment of its “Hotel-in-a-Box” solution at Holiday Inn Express properties in Spartanburg, South Carolina. As a result, Holiday Inn Express was able to slash technology and property support systems implementation time in half.

Designed in conjunction with IHG, Hotel-in-a-Box (HIB) is an integrated technology package that provides hotel owners who are building properties from the ground up with a fully managed, cost saving solution. HIB includes the design, development and management of the core systems needed to support a property, including property management, cabling & wiring, network design, guest high speed Internet access, door locking, telephone switch (PBX) & phones, video surveillance, voicemail, business center, HDTV and in-room entertainment.

Customer service is paramount in the hospitality industry, and HIB enables hotel owners to offer guests services they have come to expect through user-friendly platforms, including high definition content, Internet access, business productivity tools, Web TV, music, games and more.

“IBM did a fantastic installation, and in our first month since we opened, all systems are working without a hitch,” said Suresh Desai, Director of Administration for Pinnacle Hospitality, a full service hotel, restaurant and conference center Management Company that oversees the new Holiday Inn Express properties in Spartanburg. “We selected IBM because it is a single, trusted point of contact with buying power and installation expertise. You wouldn’t buy a car by going to different vendors and selecting the tires, engine or auto body — you want the package, and that’s what we got.”

Holiday Inn’s HIB is built on the IBM System x and was implemented by IBM Global Technology Services. The system can be tailored to any owner’s needs and includes IBM support for designing, building and installation, and ongoing assistance.

“In the very competitive hospitality industry, a positive customer experience is paramount,” said Gustaaf Schrils, Vice President of Hotel Technology and Services, IHG. “This means every guest touch point, from check-in to all services offered, has to be anticipated and working smoothly. IBM’s Hotel-in-a-Box provides consistent, high-quality deployment and a tremendous value for our owners when dealing with the complexity of today’s hotel technology ecosystem. Another advantage is IBM’s full 24/7/365 support for all systems, eliminating the need to deal with multiple vendors and increasing the efficiency of the hotel staff.”

InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) [LON: IHG, NYSE: IHG (ADRs)] is the world’s largest hotel group. IHG owns, manages, leases or franchises, through various subsidiaries, more than 4,200 hotels and more than 620,000 guest rooms in nearly 100 countries and territories around the world.

via: IBM