IT + High Tech

ConnectKentucky names TiER 1 Performance Solutions Small Tech Business of the Year

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March 3, 2009

Covington, Kentucky-based TiER 1 Performance Solutions embraces technology, and teaches others to embrace it too. Recognizing their contribution to the region, Connect Kentucky has named TiER 1 Small Tech Business of the Year at the 2009 Tech Day, held February 24, 2009, in Frankfurt, Kentucky. For years TiER 1, a leading provider of end-to-end online learning and knowledge management solutions, has been helping commercial, non-profit and government organizations implement effective, efficient knowledge management solutions. Some of their clients, numbering 120, include Federal Express, Luxottica, Kroger and US Air Force. “We are excited to honor TiER1 Performance Solutions with the 2009 Small Technology Business of the Year award,” said Mr. Rene True, Executive Director of ConnectKentucky. "TiER1 is an exemplary partner in fostering education and technology throughout Kentucky.” ConnectKentucky is at the forefront of a charge to revolutionize Kentucky's economy, fostering a move toward deeper involvement with technology-based economic development, through a joint-effort between private and public organizations, explains True.This is not the first time TiER 1 has received accolades. In 2007 and 2008, the small tech powerhouse was also included in the Inc. 5000 list, as one of the nation's fastest growing companies.“TiER 1 exemplifies the growth and assistance entrepreneurs and start-up companies can receive in Northern Kentucky,” says Casey Barach, Vice President, Entrepreneurship, Northern Kentucky Tri-County Economic Development Corporation. “The high-tech jobs created by companies like TiER1 are important for our community’s growth and long-term success.”For TiER 1, the mission is clear: help the region fully integrate the latest knowledge management technologies into businesses, the government and households. Ultimately, this keeps the economy durable in the midst of economic turbulence.“We take great pride in the development of our cutting edge technology solutions and the high tech jobs generated for Northern Kentucky through our success,” says Normand Desmarais, Founding Partner & Chairman. “Northern Kentucky and the ezone have surrounded us with the support we need to succeed.”Writer: Jonathan DeHartSource: Nicole King, ConnectKentucky, TiER 1 Performance Solutions, Northern Kentucky Tri-ED

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NKU’s $50.8M Center for Informatics will allow study to spread to multiple disciplines

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Development News

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March 3, 2009

Drawings for Northern Kentucky University's new $50.8 million Center for Informatics show a state-of-the-art facility that the university that will serve as both a new home for the College of Informatics and as a gateway to the campus' West Quad.The 110,000-square-foot facility, designed by lead architect Goody Clancy and local architecture firm McGill Smith Punshon Inc., is made up of a central Informatics Common and "digitorium", flanked on two sides by four-story loft-style academic buildings.One enters through the Informatics Common, designed to serve as an intersection between the social and digital worlds contained within the center.This space will house a "genius bar", complete with a multi-discipline technology help desk, research flex space, and a café.Within the common is the two-story glass digitorium, the fully reconfigurable technological heart equipped with audio/visual technology using high-quality LED, digital projection, and intelligent digital displays that allow users to watch, interact with, create and share information.The digitorium's transparent skin is designed to reflect the center's purpose by allowing those outside to witness human interaction, the most basic – yet most complex – of information sharing systems.Lining these spaces is a pair of glass and metal lofts, with classrooms and labs arranged on the lower two floors, administrative functions housed on the third floor, and faculty offices on the fourth floor.Construction of the Center for Informatics is expected to begin within the next two months, with completion occurring by July 2010.The Kentucky legislature has approved $35.5 million for the new center, with the remainder being funded by a mix of grants and private, government, and corporate funding.NKU's College of Informatics is one of less than a dozen nationally devoted to the study of informatics, and the university hopes that the new facility will help supply the skilled workforce needed for the region's information economy by attracting and retaining artists, musicians, entrepreneurs, and scientists.Currently a leader in Kentucky's e-health network through the modernization of the delivery of health care through technology, the college is looking to expand its study of electronic information to other disciplines.Writer: Kevin LeMasterSource: Northern Kentucky University College of Informatics Rendering provided

Social Media giants to meet in Cincinnati

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Cincy In The News

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March 3, 2009

Cincinnati will be the next Silicon Valley - well at least for one night as Procter & Gamble hosts the top executives from Google, Facebook, MySpace and Twitter at its headquarters next week according to Advertising Age. The meeting is by strict invitation only, so don't feel bad if this is the first time you're hearing about it. Read the full article here.

FusionStorm selects Contigent for its North American Field Support Services provider

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Innovation News

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February 17, 2009

Contingent Network Services has signed another field support services deal; this one with FusionStorm.But first Contingent had to prove their capabilities during a 2008 trial period, a test they passed with flying colors.Under this new contract, Contingent will support FusionStorm's expanding customer base with on-site field service throughout North America.Combined with FusionStorm's already diverse offering of IT support, Contingent's service expertise helps create a particularly well-rounded range of capabilities for FusionStorm.This service includes Contingent's NetMedX emergency field support, twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, and MACWorX installation on a per project basis."This allows us to offer on-site support and deployment services to every location in the U.S. and many locations globally, all with a custom service level agreement so we can meet the demanding requirements of our customers,” says Vince Conroy, FusionStorm's Chief Technology Officer.With the agreement signed, Contingent's work proven, and FusionStorm hungry to continue growing, delivery of the services is presently underway.“We are extremely proud of our association with FusionStorm,” said Mark Stuhlreyer, Contingent’s Managing Partner, who calls FusionStorm "the ideal client."To learn more information about Contingent's range of IT services and its current client list, visit here. Writer: Jonathan DeHartSource: Contingent Network Services

Social Media Breakfast brings together Cincinnati’s passionate community of tech savvy networkers

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Innovation News

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February 10, 2009

Cincinnati has again proven itself a digital media hotspot with a full house in attendance at the fifth Social Media Breakfast, held at LUCRUM Incorporated's downtown office on February 2.This time around Tim Westergren, founder and Chief Strategy Officer of the widely beloved Pandora Internet Radio, addressed the throng of new media professionals in attendance.Westergren stressed the importance of customers, illustrating this point with the engaging tale of Pandora's listeners literally saving the company from oblivion. This salvation came just as politicians were toying with policies that would triple music royalty costs; a blow that may have made Pandora too costly to run. This is where Pandora's listeners – who increase by 40,000 every day – came to the rescue, flooding Washington with a flurry of faxes and passionate feedback. Westergren said that the response of Pandora's listeners was so great that their outpouring of objections toward the potential increase in music royalties far outnumbered the number of citizens who have protested the Iraq war.People love Pandora.This vivid example of democratic action illustrates the increasingly personalized nature of the company-customer relationship. It further shows the hand-in-glove-like fit social media provides for progressive companies ready to do business in this new media landscape.And Cincinnati is full of tuned-in firms and individuals."Cincinnati has a vibrant community tuned into social media," says Kevin Dugan, Social Media Breakfast organizer and Director of Marketing Communications, FRCH Design Worldwide. This community is the foundation for the Social Media Breakfast's sell-out crowds."The first one was held in April of 2008 by a colleague in town on business," Dugan says. "I learned about it the night before, appropriately enough via Twitter. Each one has sold out exponentially faster than the last. We’ve found everyone through word of mouth via social media, using Twitter and Facebook."Dugan adds that it's not just hip internet start-ups that are employing these technologies. Branches of the local government, such as Hamilton County Job & Family Services, and the Cincinnati Chamber, are among many more traditional organizations reaching out to members and clients via social media apps like Twitter and Facebook.And this is only the beginning.To learn more about the Social Media Breakfast, visit here. Writer: Jonathan DeHartSource: Kevin Dugan

Unitask Software expands revenues, product offerings in 2008

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Cincy In The News

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February 10, 2009

Unitask Software announced one-year revenue growth of 44 percent for 2008, thanks to new product offerings and increased customer engagement.Unitask, the leading provider of Oracle E-Business Suite Application solutions, introduced two new releases from its Output Management Suite as well as its Migration Director suite.The company's core philosophy of "Do More – Pay Less" has resonated with the IT market."Worldwide, customers are demanding new solutions that help maintain and enhance the enterprise with fewer resources and smaller operating budgets," CEO Dale D. Royal tells Business Wire. "Those are exactly the kinds of challenges Unitask is focused on. We are a proven provider that delivers value with an ROI that is measured in months, not quarters or years."Read the full release here.

GE redesigns Cincinnati data center for efficiency

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Cincy In The News

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February 10, 2009

General Electric has completed an energy efficiency renovation of its Cincinnati data center, a move that can help the facility expand without taxing already burdened infrastructure.While the center's computers remained untouched, improvements to the building's mechanical systems are expected to cut energy use at the facility by 40 percent.These cost savings come at a time when data center construction is beginning to ramp up following the dot-com bubble burst, with more than $15 billion in new construction just last year.This means that not only can General Electric capitalize on the success of their own data center, but is in a unique position to help other data centers expand through their uninterruptable power supply switching equipment and battery business.Read the full article here.

NKU plays a key role in Kentucky’s ambitious ehealth agenda

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General

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January 20, 2009

Kentucky doctors will soon have access to the cutting edge of health information technology at their fingertips.Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear and Lt. Gov. Daniel Mongiardo have just announced that Kentucky is launching the state of the art Kentucky Health Information Exchange, which will allow doctors to obtain instantaneous, complete medical histories of their patients when making critical decisions. And Northern Kentucky University (NKU), alongside the University of Louisville and the University of Kentucky, is playing a significant role in developing this information infrastructure.“E-health is the next major frontier in healthcare delivery,” says NKU President, Dr. James C. Votruba. “With this in mind, NKU is making a major investment in e-health and we’re excited about working with partners across the commonwealth on behalf of a brighter future for all Kentuckians."This statewide health information web network will save time and lives by eliminating duplicate procedures and improper drug treatments, as indicated by patients' health records, which will also boost privacy in their improved digital format.“This initiative – to create a statewide information exchange – is an important first step in making Kentucky a national leader in the emerging e-health movement,” Gov. Beshear says.Lt. Gov. Mongiardo cites the health industry's sluggish adoption of information technology as one factor contributing to its often exorbitant cost in the US.“The banking industry is 20 years ahead of health care in implementing information technology,” Lt. Gov. Mongiardo says.President Obama has responded by pitching a plan to invest $50 billion in health information technology over the next five years. Estimates suggest that a $10 billion stimulus investment in the health industry would create up to 212,000 jobs, half of which would fall into the small business and high-paying, high-tech industries. Writer: Jonathan DeHartSource: Commonwealth of Kentucky, Office of the Governor

NKU receives part of $12.5M grant for high-tech research

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Cincy In The News

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January 20, 2009

Kentucky has been awarded $12.5 million from the National Science Foundation, and Northern Kentucky University will get a cut.The funding, made through Kentucky's Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR), will be used to fund research in biotechnology, nanotechnology, and cybertechnologies.The five-year award is expected to be matched with an additional $5 million from the state over the life of the grant.In terms of federal academic research and development dollars secured, Kentucky ranks in the top five out of 25 states eligible to compete for EPSCoR funding.Read the full article here.

NKU informatics college one of handful nationally

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Cincy In The News

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January 13, 2009

Northern Kentucky University's new College of Informatics has a mission of modernizing the delivery of health care through technology, one of only a handful of programs nationally taking on this challenge.While most health care transactions still take place on paper, informatics seeks to make all of this medical history information electronic -- much like personal banking records.The college has allowed NKU to become a leader in Kentucky's e-health network, and many states are following the Kentucky model in forming their own e-health boards.A new $50 million Center for Informatics is scheduled to open in 2010, which will help the university expand the study of informatics beyond health care and into other disciplines.Read the full article here.