Dell, Microsoft unveil new products at C-Forward Covington event

Tech powerhouses Dell and Microsoft give Northern Kentuckians a sneak peak at upcoming products at the locally organized "Growing IT in Covington" showcase. C-Forward Information Technologies, a 14-year-old Covington IT firm, organized the event with support from area community sponsors and other city IT companies. Growing IT is from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 19, in Covington at the Raddison Hotel, 668 W. Fifth St. It's free, and lunch will be provided. C-Forward has 21 employees and provides IT services for small- and medium-sized businesses. Those services include networking, communications, security and desktop and mobile computing support. "People will get to see a preview of the new Windows 8, Microsoft Windows Server 2012 and Microsoft’s new Surface tablet," says C-Forward sales manager Brian Ruschman. "Dell is one of our main suppliers and they are coming out with a new line of tablets and computer as well." Windows 8 launches Oct. 26. Other featured local companies include Tier 1 Performance Solutions and 3z.net. Along with C-Forward, all have "grown up" in Covington. TiER 1 once had three employees and two desks; it’s now based at the RiverCenter in Covington and has 100 employees with multiple locations across the country. 3z.net has 10 employees and provides hosting and data center solutions. "We are going to talk about five minutes about what we do, and people can touch and see the new technologies that can help their businesses," Ruschman says. "It's sort of like an open house. There is very little organized structure as far as talking goes." Event supporters include Gateway Community and Technical College, Covington Business Council/Urban Partnership of Covington, the city of Covington and the Northern Kentucky ezone. By Feoshia H. Davis Follow Feoshia on Twitter