GSA Technology Council

Customer Effective Inc., a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner focused on Microsoft Dynamics CRM, announces their appointment to the prestigious 2010 Inner Circle for Microsoft Dynamics and the President’s Club.  The elite Inner Circle group includes only the most strategic Microsoft Dynamics partners from across the globe whose sales achievements rank them in the highest echelon of the Microsoft Dynamics global network of partners.  Members of the Microsoft Dynamics Inner Circle have performed to a high standard of excellence by delivering valuable customer solutions that help organizations achieve increased success. The President’s Club award recognizes the top five percent of Microsoft value-added resellers worldwide.  This marks Customer Effective’s fourth Inner Circle and fifth President’s Club achievement.

“We’re excited to recognize Customer Effective as a leader in the Microsoft Dynamics global partner community for promoting and delivering solutions that drive customer success,” said Doug Kennedy, vice president of Microsoft Dynamics Partners. “By providing the highest level of sales and innovation, customers can have absolute assurance they are dealing with the ‘best of the best’ when working with Customer Effective.”

This recognition of the Microsoft Dynamics Inner Circle and President’s Club came during the annual Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference (WPC) held recently in Washington, D.C.  As Microsoft’s premier partner event, WPC provides the partner community with the opportunity to learn about Microsoft’s road map for the upcoming year, establish connections, share best practices, experience the latest product innovations and learn new skills.

“We’ve had another very good year,” said Scott Millwood, President of Customer Effective. “Not only was it a great year for our partnership with Microsoft and our customers but for us as a company. Being named to The President’s Club and Inner Circle again is a huge honor. Our entire team is grateful for the recognition and excited for what’s to come in 2011.”

About Customer Effective

Customer Effective, with headquarters in Greenville, South Carolina, is a leading innovator in relationship management solutions based on Microsoft Dynamics Customer Relationship Management (CRM). The company is a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner, CRM Consultant and Solution Implementer having completed hundreds of Microsoft CRM implementations and development projects. Recent CRM and Microsoft awards include recognition as a 2010 Partner of the Year Finalist, 2009 Microsoft Dynamics Financial Services Partner of the Year, being named to the 2010 Microsoft Dynamics President’s Club, recipient of the 2010 Microsoft Dynamics Inner Circle distinction and a member of the 2008 Inc. 500 list.

Via Customer Effective.

Significant community involvement, success in their chosen field and a commitment to improving South Carolina characterize the newest class of Liberty Fellows. Chosen from a pool of 400 candidates spread across the state, these class members represent business, government and nonprofit sectors of South Carolina.

“The class of 2012 is extremely capable of meeting the challenges and capitalizing on the opportunities in the lifetime Fellowship program,” said Hayne Hipp, founder of Liberty Fellowship. “More important to our state, not one of them is satisfied with the status quo. Each has a deep desire to take action to improve South Carolina.”

The integrity of each Liberty Fellowship class depends largely on the blend of differences and diversity of perspectives of the individual leaders. Finding the right mix is a key focus of the Liberty Fellowship.

“The members of this class span a broad and interesting spectrum. They are established leaders who represent a mosaic of backgrounds, skills and experiences,” said Jennie Johnson, Executive Director of Liberty Fellowship.

In addition to attending four seminars over the two-year period, including one Aspen Institute global seminar with leaders from around the world, each class member commits to completing a personal project that will have a positive impact on the state.

“The Fellow projects and collaborative leadership approach truly have an impact at the state level,” continued Hipp. “The vision of Liberty Fellowship is to identify leaders who are respectful of other points of view so they can work together to move the state forward.”

Following are the members of the Liberty Fellowship Class of 2012:
Pamela A. (Pam) Baker is a shareholder with the McNair Law Firm, P.A. in Columbia, where she represents clients involved in state and federal environmental enforcement and permitting actions. Prior to attending law school, she worked for the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control in the areas of environmental enforcement and regulatory compliance. Pamela was appointed by the Governor in 2009 to the South Carolina Commission on Women. She also serves on the board of Sexual Trauma Services of the Midlands and is an active member of the Columbia Chapter of The Links, Inc., an international nonprofit organization of professional women of color that is one of the nation’s largest volunteer service organizations.

Pamela is a graduate of Leadership South Carolina and a newly elected board member. She earned her Juris Doctor cum laude from the University of South Carolina School of Law and her Bachelor of Science in Biology from the University of South Carolina.

Daniel J. (Dan) Ballou is a founding member of Hamilton Martens Ballou & Sipe, LLC, a law firm in Rock Hill. A litigator focused on business and civil cases, he was previously a partner with Kennedy Covington Lobdell & Hickman, LLP.

Dan is board member and secretary of Keystone Substance Abuse Services of York County and is vice chair of the York County Regional Chamber of Commerce Government Relations Task Force. He serves on the Lake Wylie Marine Commission, chaired the Rock Hill/York County Martin Luther King Task Force and is a board member of Common Cause of South Carolina. He previously served on the South Carolina Real Estate Commission and is past president and board member of Pilgrim’s Inn. He also is past president of the York County Bar Association and a member of the South Carolina Bar House of Delegates and the Bar’s Judicial Qualifications Committee.

Dan earned his Juris Doctor from the University of South Carolina School of Law and his Bachelor of Arts in History from Princeton University.

Russell W. Booker is Superintendent of Spartanburg County School District Seven. He previously served as superintendent of York School District One. He has worked as a teacher, counselor, coach, principal and district level administrator.

Russell received the Wingate University Outstanding Young Alumnus Award and the Citizen of the Year Award from the Greater York Chamber of Commerce. In 2009 he was recognized as South Carolina’s Superintendent of the Year by the Career and Technology Division. He is a graduate of the Diversity Leaders Initiative through the Riley Institute and the Spartanburg Regional Fellows program. He is a member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc., Rotary International, The Urban League, and the NAACP. He is on the boards of Wingate University, the Urban League of the Upstate, the Boy Scouts of America (Palmetto Council), the Charles Lea Center Foundation and the United Way of the Piedmont.

Russell received his Bachelor of Science in Education from Wingate University and his M.Ed., Ed.S., and Ph.D. from the University of South Carolina.

John F. Castile became City Manager of Greenville on July 1. He previously served as Deputy City Manager and Assistant City Manager. Prior to his service with the City of Greenville, John was the Executive Director for Within Reach, Inc., a non-profit agency designed to provide coordination of social service delivery in at risk communities. His experience also includes positions with BI-LO Grocery Stores, The Greenville News and Sunbelt Human Advancement Resources, Inc.

John’s community involvement includes Rotary Club of Greenville, 100 Black Men of Greenville and Greenville County Schools Shining Star Teacher Recruitment Initiative. He has served on the boards of Main Street Events, Greenville Urban League and Bridges to Augusta. He is a graduate of Leadership Greenville and has served on its Board of Regents.

John earned his Master of Public Administration from Walden University and his Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Furman University.

James S. (Jamie) Fulmer, Jr. is the Vice President of Public Affairs for Advance America, Cash Advance Centers, Inc. in Spartanburg, a NYSE traded company. Prior to joining Advance America, he served in several managerial roles with Collins & Aikman Products in Charlotte.

Jamie serves on the board of the Arts Partnership of Greater Spartanburg where he is the immediate past chair and is on the Board of Governors of the Spartanburg Chamber of Commerce and the Advisory Board of the Urban League of the Upstate. He is a graduate of Leadership Spartanburg and formerly served on the Spartanburg Methodist College Board of Trustees, Wofford College Terrier Club Board, Converse College Board of Visitors, City of Spartanburg Planning Commission, Spartanburg Little Theatre Board and The Piedmont Interstate Fair Board.

Jamie earned his Bachelor of Arts in Government from Wofford College.

Richard J. (Rich) Gaton is the Co-founder and President of BDI Pharma, Inc., a national distributor of specialty biopharmaceuticals established in 1995 and headquartered in Columbia. His business focuses on the specialty pharmaceutical class of therapies inclusive of biotherapeutics, chemotherapies, vaccines, plasma protein therapies and injectables.

Rich is on the board of HDMA, a national association representing primary, full service healthcare distributors. He also supports patient-based associations including National Hemophilia Foundation and Save One Life, both related to his line of business. He is on the board of Heathwood Hall and has previously served on the board of the Salvation Army in Columbia.

Rich earned his Bachelor of Science from the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

Tanya A. Gee is the Clerk of Court for the South Carolina Court of Appeals. She began her career as a Law Clerk for the Chief Judge of the Court of Appeals and then moved on to be the Chief Staff Attorney, supervising ten staff attorneys.

Tanya helped author the appellate guidebook for self-represented litigants and organized a project to help indigents prepare wills. Her community service also includes being a Guardian Ad Litem and tutor at a local elementary school. She also has worked on the Kids ID project. She was recently named one of the “Top 20 Under 40” by The State newspaper and is the recipient of the 2009 Silver Compleat Lawyer award.

Tanya earned her Juris Doctor from the University of South Carolina School of Law and her Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from Winthrop University.

Mary H. Hipp is a community activist. She was campaign manager for both David Childs and Hayne Hipp in their races for Greenville County Council. Her career also includes Data Quality positions with Instill Corporation, a supply chain management company, and Chef/Instructor at Tante Marie’s Cooking School in San Francisco.

Mary is the chair of the Friends of the Zoo board and serves on the boards of the Peace Center for the Performing Arts, Friends of Brookgreen Gardens, Greenville Women Giving and Metropolitan Arts Council (incoming chair). She is a graduate of Leadership South Carolina, the Riley Institute Diversity Leaders Initiative and Leadership Greenville. She formerly served on the boards of the Greenville Humane Society, Greenville Chamber Board of Regents and Project Host.

Mary earned a Bachelor of Arts cum laude from Washington and Lee University and a Certificate in Culinary Arts from Tante Marie’s Cooking School.

J. Blanding (Blan) Holman IV is a Senior Attorney for the Southern Environmental Law Center (SELC) and co-founder of SELC’s Charleston office. He also teaches environmental law at the Charleston School of Law. Prior to joining SELC, Blan practiced with a law firm in Washington D.C. and served as a law clerk to United States Judge Lacy Thornburg in Asheville.

Blan is a founding board member for the Conservation Voters of South Carolina. He has published articles in national and local magazines as well as law journals. He earned a Juris Doctor from the University of Virginia School of Law and a Bachelor of Arts in English and Political Science from the University of North Carolina, Phi Beta Kappa. He is a Harry S. Truman Scholar and visited Harvard Law School as a 2010 Wasserstein Public Interest Fellow.

R. Michael (Mikee) Johnson is CEO and President of Cox Industries, a privately owned business specializing in manufacturing and global distribution of pressure-treated wood. Previously, he was an Associate Vice President with Morgan Stanley Dean Witter, Inc.

Mikee is chair of the Orangeburg Chamber of Commerce and on the executive committee of the Indian Waters Council of the Boy Scouts of America. He is state membership chair for the Young Presidents’ Organization and was recently named one of the “Top 20 Under 40” by The State newspaper. He served on the Downtown Revitalization Association board, has been a volunteer for Habitat for Humanity and served as chairman for the Orangeburg County March of Dimes.

Mikee earned his Master of Business Administration from the University of South Carolina and his Bachelor of Arts in English and Political Science from Furman University. Additionally, he has a Masters in the field of Family Business from Kennesaw State and is pursuing a DBA in the same field.

Amy E. Love is Deputy Executive Director of New Carolina – South Carolina’s Council on Competitiveness. She was part of the start-up team that launched New Carolina in 2004. Before joining New Carolina, Amy worked in Europe for German telecommunications company Deutsche Telekom.

During graduate school, Amy developed and ran the public information program for USDA Rural Development in South Carolina. She has a Masters in Public Relations from the University of South Carolina and a Bachelor of Arts in English from Furman University. She studied German at Middlebury College and the Goethe Institute in Bonn, Germany.

Amy is a member of the Public Relations Society of America, the South Carolina Economic Developers Association and the Leadership South Carolina Board of Trustees. She is a Richard W. Riley Institute Diversity Leaders Initiative (DLI) graduate and serves on the DLI Emerging Leaders Advisory Committee.

Nicolas D. (Nick) Muzin is Senior Vice President of Legal & Government Affairs for The InterTech Group, a private equity conglomerate in Charleston. He also is a physician at the Barrier Islands Free Medical Clinic. Prior to joining InterTech, Nick worked at the law firm Williams & Connally in Washington D.C. He also has worked on policy issues for the Food and Drug Administration and as a physician at Westchester Medical Center in New York.

Nick worked in the Counsel’s Office of the Republican National Committee during the 2004 election, served as senior medical advisor for the McCain for President campaign and was the finance chairman for the South Carolina Republican Party Commission on Debates. He earned his Juris Doctor from Yale Law School, his MD from Albert Einstein College of Medicine and his Bachelor of Arts from Yeshiva University.

Susan D. Newman is Assistant Professor in the College of Nursing and College of Graduate Studies at the Medical University of South Carolina. She previously worked as a staff nurse at Roper Rehabilitation Hospital in Charleston. Today, her career is focused on community-based rehabilitation and health promotion intervention research with people with spinal cord injuries.

Susan volunteers with groups such as Anchors Away/Adaptive Water Sports and Achieving Wheelchair Equality. She partners with the disAbility Resource Center, a Center for Independent Living, both in helping people with disabilities and in conducting her research.

Susan earned her PhD and Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the Medical University of South Carolina College of Nursing and her Bachelor of Fine Arts from Clemson University. She is a Registered Nurse.

Scott E. Porter is Section Chief of the Division of Orthopaedic Oncology at Greenville Hospital System University Medical Center and holds an Adjunct Assistant Professorship in the Department of Bioengineering at Clemson University. He is one of only two orthopaedic oncologists in the state of South Carolina. Additionally, he has been actively engaged in understanding South Carolina’s political landscape.

Scott earned his MD from the Yale University School of Medicine and his Bachelor of Science in Biology from Morehouse College. He is pursuing an MBA at the Kellogg School of Business, Northwestern University.

Patricia S. (Tricia) Ravenhorst is the Director and Immigration Attorney of the South Carolina Immigrant Victim Network, a program of the South Carolina Victim Assistance Network. She remains Of Counsel at the law firm of Wyche, Burgess, Freeman & Parham, which she joined out of law school. Her prior work experience includes internships with the South African Secretariat for Safety and Security in Pretoria, South Africa and clerkships at several law firms.

Tricia is on the boards of La Alianza para la Colaboración con la Comunidad Hispana and the Center for Developmental Services and is a former board member of Safe Harbor (chair) and Leadership Greenville Development Board. She is a graduate of Leadership Greenville.

Tricia earned her Juris Doctor and Master of Arts in Political Science with a Certification in Latin American Studies from Duke University and her Bachelor of Arts in International Affairs summa cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa from Florida State University.

Vaidehi A. Shah is a founder of Velocitas Partners, Inc., an advisory firm partnering with social investors including venture capitalists, foundations, pension funds, family offices, individuals and other socially-motivated investors. Her prior experience includes positions with Eton Park Capital Management, The Carlyle Group, The World Bank and Goldman Sachs.

Vaidehi earned her Master of Business Administration from Harvard Business School and her Bachelor of Arts summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa in Mathematics and Economics from Wellesley College.

James E. Smith, Jr. received his Juris Doctor from the University of South Carolina School of Law, began his legal career with Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough, LLP and is currently the principle of James E. Smith, Jr., P.A. Elected to the South Carolina House of Representatives in 1996, James has served as Assistant Minority Leader, Chief Minority Whip and House Minority Leader.

After serving eight years as a JAG officer in the South Carolina Army National Guard, James resigned his commission, re-enlisted and became an Infantry Officer. As a Captain, he served in Afghanistan’s Zabul and Khandahar Provinces where he earned the Combat Infantryman’s Badge, Bronze Star and Purple Heart Medals.

James serves on the boards of the Alston Wilkes Society, Central Midlands Regional Transit Authority, Congaree Riverkeepers and United Way and is a former board member of the South Carolina First Steps and Prevent Child Abuse. James was recently awarded the Outstanding Alumni Award by the University of South Carolina College of Art and Sciences.

Robin B. Stilwell is a State Circuit Court Judge for the Thirteenth Judicial Circuit. Prior to being elected judge, he was a shareholder in Hunter Tomaszek & Stilwell, P.A. He also has served as Chief Judge, Mauldin Municipal Court, and Associate Judge, Greer Municipal Court. His experience includes founding his own law firm and serving as Associate Attorney at Anderson Fayssoux & Chasteen and The Stilwell Law Firm. Additionally, he represented indigent defendants as an Indigent Defense contract attorney for the County of Greenville.

Robin served on the boards of the Greenville Literacy Association, Eastside YMCA, Mental Health Association of South Carolina and Greenville Hospital System Patewood Advisory Board. He was an Infantry Officer in the South Carolina Army National Guard for over 20 years and was deployed to Afghanistan where he was awarded the Combat Infantryman Badge and a Bronze Star.

Robin received his Juris Doctor from the University of South Carolina School of Law and his Bachelor of Arts in English from The Citadel.

Gustavo A. (Gus) Suárez is an Associate Attorney with Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart, P.C., where he practices immigration compliance law, employment law and product litigation. He also teaches Immigration Law at Greenville Technical College.

Gus serves on the boards of Pendleton Place Children’s Home and the International Center for the Upstate and on the Greenville Technical College Multicultural Advisory Council. Recently, he completed the Riley Institute’s Diversity Leadership Program.

Gus earned his Juris Doctor magna cum laude from the University of Georgia School of Law and his Bachelor of Arts magna cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa in Political Science and History from Furman University.

Laura G. Varn is Vice President of Corporate Communications and Media Relations for Santee Cooper, South Carolina’s largest provider of electricity with more than two million customers. Under her leadership, Santee Cooper was named the utility with the best communications of all utilities in the nation in 2009. Prior to joining Santee Cooper, she served in media relations and corporate communications roles with Southern Company, Delta Air Lines and Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority, all based in Atlanta.

Laura is on the Executive Committee of the Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce, leading their ThinkTEC Innovation Division. She is a graduate of Leadership South Carolina, Diversity Leadership Initiative and Leadership Berkeley County. She formerly served on the Youth Communication, Metro Atlanta board and Georgia 100 Mentoring Association as well as the Habitat for Humanity board in Atlanta.

Laura earned her Bachelor of Science summa cum laude in Journalism from Ohio University.

Peter B. Waldschmidt is Founder and CEO of Gnoso, Inc., a software product design and development company. Prior to founding Gnoso, he co-founded TetraData which built the market-leading data warehousing and analysis solution for U.S. school districts and state education departments. In 2006 this company was acquired by Follett Software.

Peter is Co-Chair of the NEXT Innovation Center Initiative and was a driving force behind this successful incubator for entrepreneurs. He also serves on the board of the Greenville Local Development Corporation and was chairman of the TEDxGreenville Conference held for the first time this spring. He is a founding member of the Upstate Carolina Angel Network.

Peter is pursuing his Master of Business Administration from Clemson University and earned a Bachelor of Science magna cum laude in Electrical Engineering from Bob Jones University.

Thad H. Westbrook is a Partner with Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough, LLP, where his practice is focused on business litigation, class action defense, and consumer finance litigation. Previously he was as law clerk to U.S. District Judge G. Ross Anderson, Jr.

Thad is on the Board of Trustees and is former vice chair of the Board of Visitors at the University of South Carolina. He is immediate past board chair for Lexington Medical Center and now serves on the Lexington Medical Center Foundation Board. He is a former member of the Board of Visitors for the Medical University of South Carolina and is on the South Carolina Supreme Court’s Committee on Character and Fitness. He was named one of the “top 20 under 40” by The State newspaper in 2009.

Thad earned his Juris Doctor from the University of South Carolina School of Law and his Bachelor of Arts cum laude in Political Science from the South Carolina Honors College at the University of South Carolina.

About Liberty Fellowship
Liberty Fellowship is a statewide leadership initiative founded by Hayne Hipp, Wofford College and The Aspen Institute. The program seeks to inspire outstanding leadership in South Carolina, empowering the state’s leaders to realize their full potential. Fostering a values-based approach, Liberty Fellowship exposes rising leaders, ages 30-45, to diverse perspectives, critical thinking, and intellectual and personal development through an intense two-year program.

Via the Liberty Fellowship

Xiotech Corporation, the leader in Intelligent Application Storage, today announced a set of new products that take the power of the company’s Intelligent Storage Element (ISE™) storage systems and tailor it for the internal enterprise service provider. The solution set includes the Emprise™ 9000 storage system, built on ISE technology, as well as ISE Manager software and ISE Analyzer software. Together, these solutions optimize performance-starved applications like VDI and offer service-level functionality, from service assurance to chargeback, across a fully shared data center infrastructure.

Many specialized applications today have their own dedicated storage infrastructures to reduce conflict, increase reliability and provide clear, line-of-sight management. This separation results in higher costs, lower efficiency and increased management complexity. Xiotech’s ISE-based approach drastically changes the planning, deployment, and management equation, including:

Scale out storage – Emprise 9000 storage and controllers can be added anywhere, whether in a rack or distributed across campus. This enables cost-effective, linear scaling from two to 12 controllers and up to 1.8 PB with the reliability and performance that are the hallmarks of ISE-based storage.
Service level management – ISE Manager and ISE Analyzer provide the ability to forecast, provision, manage and measure all aspects of storage performance and utilization across any number of ISE units. ISE Manager enables users to deploy and provision storage as part of an internal storage cloud instead of individual devices, while ISE Analyzer reports, analyzes, streamlines and predicts storage performance and capacity.

Application-centric storage control – Emprise 9000 offers flexible control, delivering powerful, controller-based access or direct ISE management access via the CorteX API.

“These new announcements from Xiotech extend the applicability of its underlying ISE architecture as well as improve overall storage management for users,” said Mark Peters, senior analyst at the Enterprise Strategy Group. “Making the advantages of ISE available in this way is perfect for extending Xiotech’s Intelligent Application Storage approach to support the demands of internal enterprise service providers, especially for applications – such as VDI – where consistent performance and top-notch reliability are crucial.

VDI Unleashed

The extension of virtualization from servers to desktops holds great promise for IT businesses, yet storage costs are holding back broader adoption due largely to existing performance and reliability inefficiencies. The unique characteristics of ISE-based storage – augmented by the flexibility and granular visibility delivered in the products announced today – make ISE the ideal platform for VDI. Predictable, linear scalability of performance and capacity, 100x reliability with a five-year, zero-touch warranty and the industry’s broadest integration with major virtualization solutions from VMware, Microsoft and Citrix drive tremendous performance and efficiency. Xiotech’s own lab tests and a published report from the Enterprise Strategy Group underscore the gains in comparison to HP LeftHand, including:

• 200 percent increase in storage utilization
• 350 percent more VDI users supported
• 31 percent fewer watts consumed
• 37 percent fewer drives used

Xiotech is seeing similar gains in customer deployments. “VDI is a critical application platform for Campbell Union High School District, and it delivers significant benefits to our community, particularly as we drive new modes of education services,” said Charles Kanavel, Director of Technology at Campbell Union High School District. “Since we deployed, we’ve cut our desktop and server refresh expenses significantly, which saves precious educational dollars in this tough budgetary climate. Our partnership with Xiotech has played a big role in that virtualization journey, as their ISE-based storage solutions are unmatched in their ability to cost-effectively power our applications.”

“Xiotech continues to advance our ISE-based storage solutions, making them accessible to a broader range of customers and partners,” said Xiotech President and CEO Alan Atkinson. “With today’s announcement, we’ve unlocked even greater value from our ISE technology, especially for VDI. Applications simply run better on ISE because of its industry-best balance of performance, capacity, reliability and cost.”

The Next Step in ISE Evolution and Storage Migration

With the introduction of Emprise 9000, ISE Manager and ISE Analyzer, Xiotech has delivered more components and value within its Intelligent Application Storage architecture and provided for greater ease of migration from legacy storage concepts.

The Emprise 9000 is Xiotech’s next generation, scale-out storage controller, delivering to IT a unifying data center platform that offers the highest levels of advanced functionality, deployment/management flexibility and investment protection along with scale-out flexibility up to 12 controllers and 1.8PB. Representing an entirely new control architecture, Emprise 9000 offers the ability to:

• Control the Future – Unlike traditional arrays,Emprise 9000 allows advanced applications like VDI direct, high performance control of ISE storage resources – and development of additional apps and automated controls through CorteX. It also allows customers to leverage the functionality they have come to expect in traditional storage array control – snapshots, thin provisioning, replication, cloning, etc. – to keep current applications running optimally.
• Protect the Past – Because it is an ISE-based platform, Emprise 9000 can be dropped into an environment with no changes required. Because it can manage and control all ISE within the platform as well as integrate third-party storage, it can optimize data across service-oriented storage tiers and enable seamless, heterogeneous migration when the time is right. Adding further value, Emprise 9000 offers two DataPacs within each ISE that can be mixed and matched.

ISE Manager, the next generation of Xiotech ICON Manager, provides a powerful yet simple management interface for simple, user-friendly storage and server administration that yields efficiencies and cost savings. ISE Manager enables complete storage management in a single internal storage cloud and greatly simplifies provisioning and capacity deployment. Whereas traditional storage provisioning requires a dozen or more steps across the storage system, the server and the virtual or physical machine, ISE Manager allows you to create new volumes with a simple three-click process via Virtual View and extensive support for third-party hypervisors.

Deployed as an appliance, ISE Analyzer provides an intuitive, graphical, browser-based resource manager for analyzing, streamlining and predicting storage capacity. With real-time, granular ISE telemetry data from ISE Manager, ISE Analyzer:

• Identifies usage patterns for more efficient storage allocation, leading to greater storage infrastructure yields and efficiencies.
• Maps performance to applications, allowing chargeback capabilities and better insight.
• Triggers informational alerts when intended changes are predicted to have adverse effects, ensuring stronger and more consistent storage performance.
• Tracks historical data, enabling better storage usage analysis and budget forecasts.
• Reclaims storage orphaned by dormant virtual machines, saving users more money.

via Xiotech Corporation

As part of the year-long effort to Create a Shared Upstate Growth Vision, Ten at the Top will be hosting a Regional Vision Summit on Tuesday, September 28, 2010 at the Carolina First Center. This event is free and open to the general public, but you are asked to register in advance beginning in mid-August.

The Regional Vision Summit will serve as an opportunity to receive an update on the feedback gathered from more than 6,000 residents during the recent Shared Growth Vision Survey. But, the primary purpose of the event is not to have participants listen to a series of presentations and speakers. Instead, much of the meeting will be spent receiving feedback from participants and having dialogue between residents, business leaders and elected officials about how they envision the future of South Carolina’s Upstate.

This meeting will serve as the kickoff to the second major community outreach element of the year-long regional visioning effort. Following the Summit, 12 Community Forums will be held across the region during October and November to solicit additional input and feedback from residents about “What Matters Most” as we look toward the future of the Upstate. The full Community Forum schedule will be announced in early August.

REGIONAL VISION SUMMIT
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
9 a.m. – 12 p.m.
Carolina First Center

via Ten at the Top

IRWIN® Tools, a manufacturer and marketer of a broad line of professional hand tools and power tool accessories, has selected Jeff Dezen Public Relations (JDPR) to assist in the launch of several new lines of hand tools and power tool accessories and to advance IRWIN’s programs for America’s tradesmen. JDPR will be providing strategic planning and brand support for IRWIN in areas including national trade and consumer media relations, as well as promotional efforts for The Ultimate Tradesman Challenge.

JDPR will be assisting IRWIN with its introduction of new lines of products for its VISE-GRIP® brand, including a wide range of locking pliers and GrooveLock pliers. In addition, JDPR will support the 2010 IRWIN Tools Ultimate Tradesman Challenge, which kicked off on Speed Channel’s NASCAR Trackside on March 19th at Bristol Motor Speedway. The Ultimate Tradesman Challenge is a global competition where skilled tradesmen perform a series of precise tasks in a race against the clock. Twenty-four winners of locally-sponsored events throughout the US and Canada will advance to the North American Finals on Friday, August 20th 2010 at Bristol Motor Speedway. There, top tradesmen will compete for the North American title. The North American winner will advance to the World Finals in March 2011, where the World’s Ultimate Tradesman will have a chance to win $1 million.

“JDPR is a welcome addition to the IRWIN team,” stated Curt Rahilly, IRWIN’s Vice President of Marketing. “After a rigorous competitive search, we selected JDPR because of their strategic insights and their demonstrated capabilities in our channels of business. They know our industry, and we are confident they will help us elevate our brand among tradesmen.”

via JDPR

Architecture and interior design firm, McMillan Pazdan Smith, has retained Merge to create and deliver a high-impact email marketing campaign. The campaign will highlight the national firm’s recent awards and case studies, as well as their broad range of expertise.

“From their comprehensive and collaborative strategies, to their steadfast belief that functional and beautiful are not mutually exclusive, McMillan Pazdan Smith’s unique approach to design has resulted in several awards over the past decade,” said Matt McFadden, Business Development Manager of Merge. “It is an honor to help highlight these awards, as well as the firm’s tremendous body of work.”

McMillan Pazdan Smith has established a reputation for strong fiscal stewardship, effective project management, and creative and imaginative design solutions for both public and private clients.  The firm has been published nationally and is a frequent award winner on local, regional and national levels.  Their areas of expertise include planning and design for campus, community, healthcare, K-12, urban and retail buildings, along with specialized services for historic preservation, and sustainable design initiatives.

via Merge

The Carolina First South Carolina Room of the Greenville County Library System has published the second edition of its Greenville County Driving Tour of Historic Sites. The full color, 48-page booklet offers residents and visitors alike a journey through time into Greenville County history. The publication presents three leisurely routes through the county: Northern Tour, Downtown Tour and Southern Tour along with images and historical background about each of the 53 locations from the Carolina First South Carolina Room’s archives.

The Greenville County Driving Tour of Historic Sites can be purchased for $4.00 at any library location, the Carolina First South Carolina Room, the Friends Shop at the Hughes Main Library and select retailers in the area. The Greenville County Driving Tour of Historic Sites was produced through the generous support of the Friends of the Greenville County Library System.

The Carolina First South Carolina Room is located at the Hughes Main Library at 25 Heritage Green Place, Greenville, SC 29601.
via: Greenville County Library

Verizon Wireless and Samsung Electronics Corporation announced that the Samsung N150™ netbook is available for order today. The Samsung N150 combines a sleek design with up to seven hours of battery life and built-in Verizon Wireless Mobile Broadband network connectivity.

Lifestyle features

Powerful Intel® Atom™ N450 1.66 GHz processor and Windows® 7 Starter that run multiple applications and deliver great performance

· Built-in connectivity to the nation’s largest and most reliable 3G network

· Global Ready with a pre-installed SIM Card for access in more than 200 countries, more than 110 with 3G speeds

· Built-in chargeable USB port that serves as a charger for mobile devices even when the Samsung N150 is turned off

· Samsung Support Center provides a single hub for Samsung performance applications such as online customer support, recovery and backup, and troubleshooting

Additional specifications:

Weight: 2.73 pounds

· Size: 10.4” x 7.4” x 1.05”

· Stylish, glossy black finish with rounded edges for user comfort

· 93 percent full-size keyboard for easy typing

· Memory: up to 1 GB DDR2

· Screen: 10.1” non-glare LCD WSVGA LED backlight

· Resolution: 1024 x 600

· Graphics: Intel GMA 3150

· Webcam

· External VGA (15-pin) port

· Stereo speakers

· Memory card slot: 3-in-1 Multi Memory Card (SD/SDHC/MMC)

· Hard drive: 160 GB 5400 RPM (max)

· Mobile Broadband radio/frequency bands: CDMA/1X/EV-DO Rev. A: 800/1900 MHz; UMTS/HSPA: 850/1900/2100 MHz; GSM/GPRS/EDGE: 850/900/1800/1900 MHz

· Wi-Fi®: 802.11 b/g/n

· LAN: 10/100 Ethernet

· Battery: 6 cell (4,4000mAh) that delivers up to seven hours of battery life on a single charge

· Bluetooth® connectivity: Bluetooth V2.1 + EDR

Pricing and availability:

· The Samsung N150 is available for order today in Verizon Wireless Communications Stores for $49.99 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. A promotional price of $29.99 with a new two-year customer agreement is available at www.verizonwireless.com/netbooks.

· Customers will need to choose one of the following Mobile Broadband plan options:

o $39.99 monthly access for 250 MB monthly allowance and $0.10/MB overage

o $59.99 monthly access for 5 GB monthly allowance and $0.05/MB overage

o Prepaid Mobile Broadband plans are also available:

§ $15 for 75 MB (one day of use)

§ $30 for 250 MB (one week of use)

§ $50 for 500 MB (one month of use)

· Customers traveling abroad can sign up for one of the following GlobalAccess plans:

o GlobalAccess Monthly Plan, which starts at $129.99 for monthly access (5 GB allowance for the United States and Canada, $0.05/MB overage) with 100 MB allowance in select destinations ($0.005/KB after allowance). Customers who require higher usage when traveling abroad can take advantage of the $219.99 monthly access plan that offers 200 MB allowance with the same rates for overage as the $129.99 plan.

o GlobalAccess Pay Per Use for occasional use must be purchased with a $59.99 Mobile Broadband service plan in the United States. The Pay Per Use rate is $0.002/KB in Canada, $0.005/KB in Mexico, and $0.02/KB in more than 200 other destinations.

· 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.
via: Verizon Wireless

EDTS, LLC, a full-service technology consulting firm, specializing in networking, security, and managed services support solutions for business, has announced the addition of Shea Blackston as a Strategic Account Manager to its rapidly growing team. Ms. Blackston is a native of North Augusta, South Carolina and holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Integrated Marketing Communications from Winthrop University. She has over nine years of experience in marketing and media production and previously owned her own company specializing in event marketing and production, copywriting, and small business consulting. Ms. Blackston will serve EDTS clients across Upstate South Carolina and Western North Carolina from EDTS’s Greenville, SC office. “Increasing the EDTS sales and service staff is key to developing our regional presence and expanding into new markets,” said Charles Johnson, EDTS President and CEO. “Shea is an experienced professional with a strong focus on client satisfaction and needs analysis, and will be instrumental in growing our client base in the Greenville and Augusta regions.”
via: EDTS

SC Launch, an SCRA collaboration, was recently recognized by Forbes magazine in May as one of five top programs in the nation that support entrepreneurism. The “States that Truly Bet on Small Business” also recognized the SC Launch program as one of eleven “Serious State Small Biz Programs.”

The SC Launch program has garnered a number of awards and recognition since its 2006 inception. The program offers qualifying companies commercialization support, guidance, and seed funding.
As a joint venture between SCRA and the research foundations of the Medical University of South Carolina, the University of South Carolina, and Clemson University, SC Launch’s mission is to support the commercialization of research, to finance start-up and spin-out companies, and to provide formation support and other business services to companies as prescribed by the mandates in the SC Innovation Centers Act and the SC Industry Partners Act. The program’s ultimate objective is to help develop South Carolina’s growing Knowledge Economy.

The Forbes list was prepared with the assistance of CB Insights, a Manhattan firm that tracks private-company funding trends, including venture capital, private equity, and government-supported deals.
According to Anand Sanwal, a CB Insights founding partner, “These programs take different forms but generally represent a great way to spur local economic development and bring and retain high-tech jobs to the area. Over time, their efforts will likely attract angel and venture investment which serves to strengthen their area’s entrepreneurial ecosystem further.”

Since the start of the SC Launch Program four years ago, SC Launch has assisted, helped form and/or land more than 230 knowledge-based entities in South Carolina, providing both funding and services to more than 178. The Program has attracted more than $104 million in add-on, private equity investment in South Carolina companies. SC Launch is one of over 100 programs in SCRA’s overall operations, which have made a cumulative economic contribution of more than $13.7B to South Carolina since 1983.

“The SC Launch program was formed to help move promising technologies into the market place, and to advance technology-based companies in South Carolina,” said SCRA CEO Bill Mahoney. “We have enjoyed partnering with some of South Carolina’s best talent to bring tangible growth to our Knowledge Economy. Our portfolio companies continue to both improve our lives and expand our knowledge-based economy through their innovations, their growth of high-quality jobs, and private investment. We are humbled to accept recognition on behalf of these efforts.”

Added SC Launch Executive Director Dave McNamara, “We are honored to be listed among such other successful programs throughout the nation. The SC Launch team works to be a catalyst and advocate for developing technology start-up companies in our state. In four short years, we have been able to achieve many successes, and we look forward to the continued growth of the SC Launch program and its legacy for South Carolina.”
via: SC Launch