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Thursday, May
13, 2004 (No. 34) Editor Milt Capps For
previous issues or for the date of our next issue, visit
the news archive. |
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State of Tennessee OIR Bill Ezell
Chief
Information Officer
Milt Capps,
Editor News of Nashville
Technology Note to
Readers
Our recent Reader
Survey showed the Summary is popular. You
want it to continue. The majority of you, many
regularly, forward the Summary to colleagues and
friends; the news links, calendar and resources features
are most popular; and, while voluminous, 84 percent of
you think the length is "about right." We haven't said
much about it, but, in addition to NTC's commitment,
this Summary requires sponsors. Fortunately, Northpoint
Software and Oracle (twice each), plus Nashville Capital
Network and Skyline have stepped-up to this opportunity,
knowing that sponsorship supports NTC's mission and
introduces their companies to tech executives here and
statewide. To support NTC's mission and advance your
company, please write or call today, (615)
743-3168. Cheers, Milt
Capps
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Tech After Hours! Tues., May 18, 4:30-6:30 p.m., Franklin
Marriott. Nashville
Technology Council and Williamson Works. Co-sponsor: Cingular and ActiveWireless.com. Corp. exhib.
tables available. See: NTC website or call (615)
743-3151.
Cool Springs
Life Sciences Center for technology gets
financing from Cumberland Bank, City
Paper, May 12. Williamson County sees
600 jobs.
Vanderbilt Engineering Dean
Kenneth Galloway testifies on need for federal
funding of research in behalf of 60
universities in American Association of Universities, VU
release May 10.
Tenn. Tech Talent (T3)
-- 200 area execs are needed to judge
Technology Student Assn. competition, Opryland Hotel,
June 20-24. Details right here.
NTC Software
Developers Roundtable hosts
event for qualified firms,
May 18. NTC release. Nash. Bus.
Journal, April 28. For
information, (615) 743-3151.
Nashville's rankings among
cities vary wildly, depending on criteria and
evaluator, Tennessean, May 13. Tennessee has
good climate for business, but technology among lagging
sectors, Nash. Bus. Journal, May 12.
NashvillePost.com, May 12. back
to top
Bill Ezell
became the State of Tennessee's Chief Information
Officer, April 13,
following the departure of former Deputy Commissioner of
Finance & Administration Richard
Rognehaugh.
During Rognehaugh's term, Ezell served as OIR's
executive director for systems development &
support, fiscal, administrative, contracts and
procurement matters.
Ezell told NTC recently that "TennCare
is at the forefront" of his project list, followed by
such priorities as a new title and registration system.
A major request for proposals for ERP services should be
out later this calendar year or early next year.
Ezell will be selective in making changes.
OIR's IS Committee IT team "serves the state very well,"
thus he sees no changes in that group's role and
activities.
Ezell will, however, deal differently
with vendors: "If they feel like
they can help the State of Tennessee, and operate in a
competitive procurement environment, then I'm willing to
listen." (Vendors should call (615) 741-3700 with
meeting requests.)
Discussing the need to balance OIR's
twin missions of selling IT services and controlling IT
resources statewide, Ezell stressed three points: The
State's IT community must "trust one another to do the
absolutely best job that we can do as public servants";
second, they must insist on integrity and create an
atmosphere of openness; and, there must be mutual
respect among IT professionals and their state
customers. Over the years, Ezell and
his teams developed the current RFP process and OIR's IT
Methodology. Ezell earlier led the state's effort to be
Year 2000-ready, with zero downtime during the rollover.
Ezell-led teams have implemented more than 20 "large,
mission-critical systems," many of multi-agency scope.
Ezell has also chaired the IT Assessment and Budget
Committee that annually reviews about 50 agencies'
systems plans.
On May 25, Ezell, 66, will welcome
dozens of his farflung state information-systems
managers to the Government Technology Summit, at Hilton Suites Nashville Downtown. The summit
will, among other things, expose Ezell's pro's to
innovative solutions and new approaches to collaboration
across agencies' boundaries. back
to top
Private
Business weathers a tough quarter, Nash. Bus.
Journal, May 13.
Area venture
capitalists discuss second-generation
transfers, other trends in local VC market,
Nash. Bus. Journal, May 7. Related: Tennessee
VC stats dropped in 2003, p. 27, Nash. Bus.
Journal, May 7.
Kyzen, which markets
precision-cleaning products for high-tech
sector, announces quarter ends with revenues
and earnings up, statement May 5. Nash.
Bus. Journal, May 5.
Brentwood-based ICG Link
releases SPAM111 proprietary spam/virus-removal technology, April
26 release, not on web.
(more) Power
By Hand leaving Nashville, Nash. Bus. Journal and Triangle Business Journal, May 7. Tennessean, May 7.
Regional powerhouse Pomeroy IT
will acquire Alternative Resources, May 12.
Knoxville-based IPIX's stock has
been on a roller-coaster, up from year-earlier,
but company will need to start selling product and
making money, rather than relying on sales of shares,
Knox. News Sentinel, May 10. IPIX will
participate in May 17 AeA Microcap Financial Conference
presentation, available via web. Technology 2020 is
accepting apps from VC-seeking companies
for Tenn. Valley Venture Forum, Sept.
23-24, Chattanooga. App. deadline, June 11. Accepted
companies present to 300 institutional, individual
investors. Details www.tvvf.biz or
via Tom Rogers (865)
220-2020. Related, Knox. News Sentinel, April 19.
back
to top
Asurion CEO Bret Comolli is
scheduled to appear in Sunday's (May 16)
Tennessean Business-section interview about the
cellphone insurer's next steps. Noted in Tennessean, p.
E1, May 13.
BellSouth selects Nortel Networks for packet
voice tandem switches for core network, Nortel
release May
13.
Bax Logistics, third-party logistics provider
for Dell Inc., establishes large presence in
Eastgate, Nash. Bus. Journal, May
7.
Nashville-based Avankia is
providing onsite staffing for McGraw Hill Digital Learning, also
located here, for full lifecycle development of Yearly
Progress Pro. Avankia Founder Reena Gupta notes that
First Lady Laura Bush referred to Yearly Progress Pro in
March, here.
Yearly Progress Pro supports attempts by K-12 educators
to meet the federal No Child Left Behind mandate. Gupta
tells NTC she expects 2004 Avankia revenue to be up 30%
over 2003, to about $500K.
Union Planters (soon Regions) adopts
CashStream technology for small business, May
12, Memphis Bus. Journal.
First Tennessee goes with VECTORsgi
technology, release May 12. Vector joins
financial-transactions consortium, May
10. Memphis Bus Journal, May
12.
Profile of legendary Nashville salesman "Big
George" Armistead mentions Beacon Technologies
as an Armistead business-development client, Nash. Bus.
Journal, p. 13, May
7. back
to top
Passport Health Communications
offers Nashville jobs to United Wisconsin software
developers, following acquisition, May
11, NashvillePost.com. Passport statement, April
1.
HealthStream Learning System adopted by Tenet
Healthcare, courseware maintenance covered in
second contract, release, May
10. Nash. Bus. Journal, May
10. Nashvillepost.com, May
10.
Brentwood-based Clinix Medical Information
Services, which relocated here from Paducah
recently, signs Diagnostic Support Services of Indiana
for billing software, May
11, Nash. Bus. Journal. Other ClinixMIS news.
Health Management Directions vows to continue
push for Brentwood "Smart Hospital,"
Tennessean, May
12. Related story, Brentwood community supporters
vow to continue to seek approval, Tennessean Williamson
AM, May
12. See also May
4 summary.
HealthTrio signs Rocky Mountain health group
for internet-based health-management system, release
May 11. Nash. Bus. Journal, May
11.
Healthcare Management Systems signs
24-bed Idaho hospital, Nash. Bus. Journal, May
5.
Memphis Baptist Memorial Hospital offical
endorses Zoll Medical's CodeNet for cardiac
event and resuscitation, release May
11.
Birmingham's debt-ridden Baptist Hospital
system pulls the plug on Siemens IT upgrade,
Birmingham Bus. Journal, April
30.
Resource: IT reduces healthcare
errors, Healthcare Informatics magazine, May
2004. back
to top
Link to key
in-state government bid-tracking
resources, here.
Also, see May 4 summary RFP
highlights.
The region's Annual Economic Outlook
Conference, sponsored by the Jennings A. Jones
College of Business at Middle Tennessee University, will
be Sept. 24, 2004. Details not yet available. Related:
2003 conference program here.
TN Lottery support of technical education
could help offset manufacturing losses, AP via
Knox. News Sentinel, May
10. Tech skills scholarships available as a result
of Lottery proceeds, Chattanoogan.com, April
29.
Tennessee OIR and GovTech
collaborate to produce the May 25 Tennessee Government
Technology Summit, May 25, Hilton
Suites Nashville Downtown. Topics: from security,
network convergence, web content management and XML; to
mobile computing, Linux, project management and the
culture of the enterprise.
Study says U.S. should reopen some web sites,
databases closed after 9/11, AP via Washington
Post, May
11.
Congress takes aim at 'video voyeurism' among
cell-phone users, AP via Washington Post, May
11.
Government need for complex computer systems
spurs IT contracting, Washington Post, May
10.
Rising concern about e-voting,
column by Cindy Webb, Washington Post, May
7. back
to top
Homeland Security Director Tom
Ridge to address Tennessee Valley Corridor
Summit, Knox. News Sentinel, May
8.
Oak Ridge National Laboratory
wins "historic" 100-teraflop supercomputing
contract for $25 million, Knox. News Sentinel,
May
13. Related fact sheet, May
13. Related, AP via Knox News Sentinel, May
12. Related release from Cray Inc., May
12. Oak Ridge release, May
12.
Tennessee Valley Corridor
economic development wins U.S. Commerce
recognition, May
10, Times Free Press.
Nortel donates
$250,000 Multimedia Communications Server 5100 to FedEx
Institute, Commercial Appeal, May
6.Chattanooga
business survey reveals inadequate skills in
workforce, Times Free Press, May
10.
From Etowah, NuMarkets eBay
reseller comments on franchise push, release May
10.
Chattanooga Voice & Data and
Signal Voice and Data now one, Times Free
Press, May
13.
Midstate manufacturing jobs rise
after four-year lull, Tennessean, May
10.
$250 million uranium-storage
fortress with unprecedented security to arise
at Oak Ridge NL, Knox. News Sentinel, May
8.
NASA Marshall Space Flight
Center executive praises mid-South reliability
in support of Space mission, advocates pressing on,
Commercial Appeal, May
7.
Hamilton County 21st Century
Academy, a magnet school with tech and
global emphases, wins Beaumont Foundation technology
grant, Chattanoogan.com, April
28. back
to top
Supply
Chain -- Dr. Festus
Olorunniwo, Tenn. State University chair of
the department of business
administration, told NTC yesterday that he'll soon make
a proposal to the TSU grad council to make Supply Chain
a concentration in the TSU MBA program. Related SC brochure.
E-Biz here.
Related IBM items 1
and 2.
NASA grant fuels establishment
of Tenn. State University's Science,
Engineering, Mathematics and Aerospace Academy, release
May
6. Nashville City Paper, p. 7, May 10, not on
web.
Tenn. Board of Regents' online
degree program profiled, Syllabus.
Update on two EPSCoR grants that
may be available for Tennessee research
universities, May
12.
VU Engineering professor Bridget
R. Rogers has received the Presidential Early Career
Award for Scientists and Engineers, the highest
honor bestowed by the U.S. government on outstanding
scientists and engineers, early in their
careers.
National IT
education confab supported by Nashville's Center
for IT Education, here in August, Nash. Bus.
Journal, p. 2, May
7.
Memphis headmaster will lead
Peabody College educational leadership program funded by
Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Memphis Bus.
Journal, May
11.
Antioch High School students win
Dell Technology Leadership competition,
Tennessean, p. 2B, May 13, scroll here.
Tennessee schools among Hewlett Packard
Technology Grant Winners, May
11.
Vanderbilt
School of Engineering announces School of
Engineering Award for Excellence in
Teaching to Cynthia Paschal in biomedical engineering;
Edw. J. White Engineering Faculty Award for Excellence
in Service to Knowles Overholser, senior associate dean;
and, Philip Davis for the school's Award for
Professionalism in Staff Service. Release May
11.
Tennessee scores low for higher
education, Memphis Bus. Journal, May
12.
University of Tennessee research
team in GM competition, May
11.
MTSU Business and Economic
Research Center, recent publications. back
to top
During Tech After Hours,
Tuesday, May 18, you could win free job postings & free
resume access for a year from event co-sponsor ActiveWireless.com. Up to 10 job
postings per month, valued at $7,500! Register
for TAH here!
Speaker Bluestone at Tennessee
State University describes threats and
opportunities for Nashville in context of
globalization, Tennessean, May 8. Related TSU
release here.
Eastman Chemical Company sets up
pro-innovation website, release, May 11. Related site.
Dell Inc.'s Next CEO Kevin
Rollins calls for corporate transparency, higher
standards in governance, May 5, here.
Cisco confident: Announces plans
to hire 1,000, creating hiring boomlet in Silicon
Valley, Washington Post, May 12. USA Today,
May 11. San Jose Merc.
News, May 12. Cisco reports
shipment to Adobe Systems represents its 3-millionth
Cisco Internet Protocol phone sale, release, May 12.
DCML coalition
establishes working groups for
data-center markup standards, networks and systems, applications and
services, 3/04.
Open Source risk-mitigation
website, here.
RSS gets boost from Reuters
adoption of technology, CNET, May 11.
IBM takes aim at Microsoft with
server software, NY Times, May 10.
Font of intelligence: New
software pretty reliable at educated guessing at words
blacked-out of documents to protect secrecy,
partly because secrecy enforcers chose to update their
typeface to one with variable letter-spacing, NY
Times, May 10.
Education Arcade to offer 'seal
of approval' for games that teach, Washington
Post, May 10.
Tennessee Tech Talent (T3)
-- 200 executives are needed to help judge
Technology Student Association competition in June, at
Opryland Hotel. Any time you or colleagues can
contribute will be welcomed during the group's national
event here in Music City, June 20-24. Technology
background not required. Judges coordinator Dorothy
Gribble says they'll work around your schedule.
Interested? For more information write dgribble@cr4u.com.
Judge-recruitment flyer here. Conference
agenda here.
Microsoft adopts IronPort
anti-spam whitelist, Washington Post, May 5.
MTSU Business and Economic
Research Center, recent publications.
How North Carolina advances its
high-tech economy, InformationWeek, May 10.
Vanderbilt School of Engineering
technical lectures and presentations, schedule
update, here. back
to top
And, visit Tennessee's technology
councils' sites:
_____________
(May 13)
AITP Nash., Starting Your IT Business,
Bob Chaput -American Tech'y Grp, details here.
(May 13) Building Excellence in
Healthcare Project Management, Nashville Healthcare Council.
(May 14)
Econocom USA free briefing on Sarbanes-Oxley,
with Matthew Heiter, chair, Securities Practice
Group at Baker, Donelson; and, Michael Drake of Econocom
on IT best practices for compliance. 8 a.m.-11 a.m.,
Hilton Suites. Register here, or phone (901)
507-2151.
(May 17)
Best Practices for Loss Prevention in the Age of
Terrorism, Williamson Works, Nashville
Healthcare Council, Nashville Bus. Journal, First Tenn.
Bank. Details here.
(May 19) Chattanooga Technology
Councilluncheon, details (423)
755-7481.
(May 19-21)
Management skills for IT professionals,
with Jay Ress, Tenn. Economic Development Center
(BellSouth Tower). Details here.
(May 20) Infragard of Middle
Tennessee, FBI Supervisory Special Agent Doug
Riggin discusses Joint Terrorism Task Force,
2:30 p.m. Belmont Univ., details here.
(May 20) Chattanooga
Technology Council luncheon presentation on Good
Link Technologies, enabling remote users to
access E-mail, calendar and applications on their own
networks in a secure manner from the Palm and PocketPC
phone devices using existing carriers.
(May 20)
41st Annual State of Metro Address by Mayor Bill
Purcell, Mayor of Nashville, Convention Center,
7 a.m. registration and networking, 7:30 - 9 breakfast
and program, info and registration here.
(May 25)
GovTech Tennessee Government Technology
Summit, details, here.
(May 25) CIO
and CFO: Corporate IT and Finance Relationship,
panelists Joe Degati, CIO, Progeny; Irv Lingo, CFO,
Corrections Corp.; Kevin Trentham, VP-IT, Univ.
Lighting; Steve Tisdell, Compliance Partners; Gary
Meisner, La-Z Boy; moderator, Mark Schmadtke. 4:30-6:30
p.m., Details and registration here or write Colleen Grissom.
(May 27) Chattanooga Technology Council entrepreneur's breakfast, technology licensing
presentation. For information, (423)
755-7481.
(June 2)
Protecting proprietary information,
seminar, 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., Fogelman Exec.
Center, Univ. of Memphis. Speakers include NTC member
Michael D. Moberly, president, Knowledge Protection
Strategies; Craig Grossman, associate director of the
FedEx Institute of Technology; Robert F. Wallace, CPA;
and Kirk Baird, FBI supervisory special agent. Details.
(June 3) NTC
Tech Roundtable - Loren Chumley, Commissioner - Revenue,
State of Tennessee - The Streamlined
Sales Tax Project, electronic
commerce.
(June 4)
Chamber Behind the Business, Robert Henry, CEO,
American Endoscopy Services, details here.
(June 10)
AITP Nashville - New Dawn of IT, Chris
Young, CIO, St. Thomas Health, Sheraton Music City,
details here.
(June 16) Chattanooga Technology
Council
luncheon, details (423)
755-7481.
(June 24) Chattanooga Technology Council luncheon, details (423) 755-7481.
(July 8) AITP Nashville - IT
Strategies at Thomas Nelson, Rick Proctor, CIO,
Sheraton Music City, 5:30 p.m., details here.
(Aug. 2-5)
Synergy 2004: IT education-program reform
conference in Nashville, led by Center for IT
Education at Nashville State Community College, covering
improvement of teaching and learning, and alignment of
IT education with changing workforce and workplace
demands. For more information, write David
McNeel, director,
CITE.
(Aug. 5) NTC Tech
Roundtable, Tim Stafford, CIO, EdgeNet,
University Club, Vanderbilt.
(Aug. 12)
AITP Nashville - IT at Direct General
Corporation, Suzanne Lattimore, CIO, Sheraton
Music City, 5:30 p.m., details here.
(Aug. 24) 3rd Annual Nashville
Technology Council - ISSA "Information Security
Conference," Nashville Convention Center.
Details here.
(Sept. 23-24) 8th
Ann' Tenn. Venture
Forum - hosts: Tech2020, City of
Chattanooga. American Venture magazine
touts success of Tennessee Venture Forum, page 11,
Jan/Feb. 04, not on web.
(Sept. 24) Annual Economic Outlook
Conference, sponsored by the
Jennings A. Jones College of Business at Middle
Tennessee University. Details not yet
available.
(Sept. 28-30) 2004
Governor's Conference, Nashville Convention
Center.
(Sept. 28) Music City Future 50
recognition at Franklin Marriott Cool Springs.
Nominations open in June for this annual recognition,
with nominations deadline of July 2. Event site, criteria here.
(Oct. 5-7)
Memphis Musculoskeletal New Ventures
Conference, Memphis Biotech. Fdn, here. (July 1) NTC Tech Roundtable - "Open
Source" panel discussion, University Club,
Vanderbilt.(May
31-June 2) TN Corridor Knoxville/Oak Ridge
Summit, Tennessee Valley Corridor, here.(May 18) "NTC Tech
After Hours," Marriott Franklin Cool Springs,
4:30 p.m., details here.
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