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Guest Post: A Look Back at POSSCON 2013

April 8th, 2013 | Posted by Whitney Williams in Careers | Grow IT | IT-oLogy Defined | World of IT - (0 Comments)

Beginning Wednesday, March 27 at 7:30 am IT-oLogy was a buzz with the energy of hundreds to begin the annual open source conference in Columbia, SC. Professionals itching to get a good seat for the first keynote address filled up on coffee and networked until it was time to take a seat.

Below is a guest post from POSSCON attendee and active IT-oLogy Volunteer, Traci Carnes.

Paddling POSSCON

I’m a duck. After years of searching for my identity, I am relieved to realize this. I reached this conclusion at the 2013 Palmetto Open Source Conference (POSSCON). In case you aren’t aware of POSSCON or even open source software let me give you quick overview. Open Source champions collaboration and transparency in the creation of IT projects for the use of many and design by and for many more. As one POSSCON speaker explained so eloquently, it’s like sharing cookies and the recipe for making and modifying more cookies. And who doesn’t love cookies?

I have worked in business environments for years. And by business environments I mean the most businessy type of industries such as insurance and corporate finance. I also put in my fair share of time in non-profit and small business development. Yet, no matter what type of conference room I found myself or what type of project needed a solution; I always talked tech. My innate desire to bring digital solutions to enterprise growth always sneaks out.

Yet, I noticed that in tech environments I tend to talk about business application. I talk business at tech meetings and tech at business meetings. So, there is always this moment when I move from one environment to the other that I seem to flounder.

Instead of a fish out of water, I concluded that I feel like a bird in water. I flap around, taking deep gulps of new information, trying to fly, trying to swim, all while getting my feet wet. I felt this moment at POSSCON. There I was wearing my name badge with “Insurance” clearly labeling me, yet reveling in all the tech talk. I felt simultaneously at home and lost. At least in those first few hours. Then something began to happen as it usually does. I began connecting with others.

The whole conference pulsated with an energy of creativity and brilliance. Speakers and attendees overflowed with knowledge. I spent most of the first day meeting new people. Developers, programmers, engineers and project managers from all types of industry spilled over with a passion for IT. We were the embodiment of Information Technology, retrieving, transmitting and storing bits of information between us.

The real magic happened for me on day two when my tongue stuck to the roof of my mouth while meeting Christian Heilmann, Principal Developer Evangelist for Mozilla Firefox. I finally got the meaning of the phrase, “geeking out.” I totally geeked out. Not one to experience being star struck I am still marveling over it. Then to quickly follow that by meeting the Director of New Media Technologies for the White House, Leigh Heyman. Well, let’s just say that I am still tingling with excitement.

Later, during his keynote speech, when Leigh Heyman referenced his time as one of the “black t-shirt crowd” and the contrast to his current suit wearing position, I realized there are many ducks out there. We need these people willing to wade between business and IT to keep all of us afloat.

You only have two options in enterprise development; stagnate or grow. We can equate this to being a bird in water. You only have two choices there; drown or evolve. Without doubt, digital solutions will continue to grow. How we apply those to economic growth will take a lot of people and organizations, like IT-oLogy, promoting this cross-germination between industry and IT. In that moment of seeking solutions when you realize you can’t swim and you can’t fly, let’s paddle.

POSSCON 2013 Tickets Almost Gone!

February 6th, 2013 | Posted by Whitney Williams in World of IT - (0 Comments)

Tickets for the Palmetto Open Source Software Conference  are going quickly! POSSCON will take place at IT-oLogy, 1301 Gervais Street, Columbia, SC from March 27-28th. If you’re a Developer, Sys Admin, Engineer or IT Manager of any type and you’re interested in open source, this is a can’t miss event!

If you’re a high school or college student please register right away.  Because student tickets are limited, and we have almost sold out,  we will send you special code if you are chosen to attend.  Please hurry as we are taking people on first-come-first served basis.  A special thanks to Google for making student tickets available for only $10 per day.

POSSCON is considerably more technical this year and will once again feature some of the best speakers and biggest open source companies in the world.  If you’re looking for a world-class educational opportunity, and an opportunity to meet the people you would otherwise read about, register now! http://posscon.org/get-registered/ 

Just a few of the technologies covered will include:

Drupal, Linux, Cloud Computing, MySQL, FreeNAS 8.3, Javascript, KVM (Virtulaization), Node.js, Configuration Management, Licensing, PHP, Open Identity, Version Control/Git/GitHub, backbone.js, CSS3, Riak, Debugging, Django/Python, Caching & Tuning, LibreOffice, MongoDB, Filesystems (ext4, etc.), Clojure, Ruby, Debian, OpenShift, mobile development with backbone.js and Grunt, Security, Groovy 2.0, and many more.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our speakers will again be among the best in the world.  Speakers from 6 countries will attend and participate – Italy, Japan, Belgium, England, Australia and the U.S.

 

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Raspberry Pi Creator to Visit the Open IT Lab

September 26th, 2012 | Posted by Jeremy in Education | Teach IT | World of IT - (0 Comments)
raspberry-pi-hand

Dr. Eben Upton, the creator of the Raspberry Pi, will be visiting South Carolina next week as part of a hackerspace tour. Eben, who lives in Cambridge, England, is in the United States this week to speak at World Maker Faire New York about the first six months after launching the Raspberry Pi.

The Raspberry Pi is a $35 credit-card-sized microcomputer that Eben created to stimulate the teaching of basic computer science in schools. The Raspberry Pi’s launch was so hotly anticipated by open hardware enthusiasts that the websites of the two licensed UK vendors crashed due to extremely high traffic. Over 500,000 of these computers have already been sold.

Eben will tour IT-oLogy and the Open IT Lab at 1 pm on Thursday, October 4. He will then speak in Dr. Karen Patten’s ITEC 564 “Project Management for Information Systems” course at 2 pm at IT-oLogy. ITEC 564 is one of several University of South Carolina courses being taught at IT-oLogy this semester. The public is welcome to attend the free 2 pm lecture; please register on our website if you plan to attend.

If you are not able to be here for this special event, we encourage you to contact us to arrange a tour to see our Lab and our copy of the Raspberry Pi.

More Than 20 Attend Drupal 101 and 102 Workshop

September 24th, 2012 | Posted by ToddLewis in Grow IT | World of IT - (0 Comments)

More than twenty people are attending the Drupal 101 & 102 workshop being held today at IT-oLogy.  The class is comprised of a mix of students and IT professionals from local companies, government organizations and universities.

The event intends to introduce the open source Drupal content management system and framework, which is in use by about 2% of the world’s websites.  SC Drupal User Group leader Tom Sliker is leading the workshop and getting people up and going using the system.

Drupal has both a point and click interface to allow tech-savvy people to put together websites with no programming experience and it also has an API and framework for programmers to develop unique applications.

 

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The Open IT Lab Celebrates Software Freedom Day 2012

September 20th, 2012 | Posted by ToddLewis in Education | Grow IT | Teach IT | World of IT - (1 Comments)

Cross-posted from the Open IT Lab News

The Open IT Lab joined nearly 300 other teams from over 60 countries around the world in celebrating this year’s Software Freedom Day last Saturday. Software Freedom Day is a worldwide celebration of Free and Open Source Software that takes place on the third Saturday in September.

The Open IT Lab offered our flagship “Open Source 101″ workshop. Jarrell Waggoner led our guests on an engaging overview of what it means for software, hardware, and content to be open. Attendees learned how open source has already changed our world and some everyday examples of this “innovation based on sharing” development strategy. We saw how open source software is becoming more and more important to how businesses operate. Finally, attendees were encouraged to participate by either contributing to open projects or starting their own.

After the lecture, we did a drawing and three lucky participants won commemorative t-shirts. The t-shirts, stickers, and balloons were generously supplied by sponsors of Software Freedom Day.

Attendees then were led on a tour of our state- of-the-art Open IT Lab, featuring open software, open content, and open hardware.

Come join us next year for Software Freedom Day! We plan to offer our Open Source 101 workshop again in January.

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13th Annual UNC Charlotte Cyber Security Symposium October 10, 2012

August 28th, 2012 | Posted by Whitney Williams in Grow IT | Teach IT | World of IT - (1 Comments)

Don’t miss out on your opportunity to attend the 13th Annual UNC Charlotte Cyber Security Symposium being hosted by UNC Charlotte’s College of Computing and Informatics.

UNC Charlotte’s College of Computing and Informatics will host its 13th Annual UNC Charlotte Cyber Security Symposium on the UNC Charlotte campus on Wednesday, October 10, 2012.  The premier security conference in the region will again feature expert guest speakers from around the country who will address the latest issues surrounding cyber crime and what is being done to combat this ever-increasing global threat.

“The Cyber Security Symposium continues to draw attention to the urgency of dealing with cyber terrorism,” said Yi Deng, Dean of the College of Computing and Informatics.  “It’s quite clear that we have entered a new era when it comes to cyber crime and cyber war as evidenced by ongoing world events and weekly reports in the media. Our distinguished list of speakers will address these complex issues that impact our daily lives.”

Rapid advancements in communication and information technology have increased interdependence among diverse groups including businesses and government agencies. The spread of such technologies, and the consequential reliance on them, require participants to understand and take action to minimize security threats. As we enter this age of cyber war it is also important to understand how governments and countries will work to secure their complex infrastructures from attack.

The conference is a must for business continuity professionals, information technology managers, software developers, systems administrators, information security professionals, information security consultants and government leaders.  Each year the City of Charlotte has proclaimed October Cyber Security Awareness Month in recognition of the conference.

The symposium will be held from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. at the Cone University Center on the UNC Charlotte campus.

Our distinguished list of speakers include:

Jim Manico, White Hat

Theresa Payton, Fortalice, LLC.

Ron Richie, Bank of America

Will Stranathan, CyberDNA

Will Thornhill, TIAA-CREF

To register go to cci.uncc.edu/security2012 or on your mobile device at cci.uncc.edu/security2012mobile.  And don’t forget to share with your social networks.

Contact Marjorie Bray (Marjorie.Bray@uncc.edu) if you are interested in more information on sponsorship opportunities.

The Department of Software and Information Systems’ Information Assurance program was one of the first in the country to be designated by the National Security Agency (NSA) as a National Center of Academic Excellence (NCAE) in Information Assurance “Research” for academic years 2008-2013.   The Information Assurance program has also been designated by the NSA as a National Center of Academic Excellence in Information Assurance “Education” since 2001.  A designation that has been extended through 2017.  In 2006 a team of students from SIS won the National Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition, which is sponsored by the Department of Homeland Security.

About The College of Computing and Informatics 

The College of Computing and Informatics provides academic programs in computer science, software and information systems, information technology and bioinformatics.  It is also the home to leading research centers and institutes, including the Cyber Defense and Network Assurability (CyberDNA) Center, the Bioinformatics Research Center, the Charlotte Visualization Center, the Complex Systems Institute and the Diversity in Information Technology Institute.  Active research awards currently total $35 Million.  cci.uncc.edu 

 About the University of North Carolina at Charlotte

UNC Charlotte is North Carolina’s urban research university. It is the fourth largest campus among the 17 institutions of the University of North Carolina system and the largest institution of higher education in the Charlotte region. Fall 2011 enrollment exceeded 25,300 students, including 5,000 graduate students.

 

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Media Contact:  Clark G. Curtis, 704-687-7983, clarkcurtis@uncc.edu

 

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IT-oLogy @ Innovista – a new look comes to the Tower at 1301 Gervais Street

March 8th, 2012 | Posted by Whitney Williams in IT-oLogy Defined | World of IT - (1 Comments)

IT-oLogy @ Innovista

 

 

 

 

 

It’s a sign of progress. Friday, the Tower at 1301 Gervais — a landmark in the Columbia skyline – gets a new look with IT-oLogy @ Innovista.

SignThe installation of the IT-oLogy @ Innovista signage exemplifies the already successful partnership between IT-oLogy and Innovista to foster the development, growth and relocation of information technology (IT) companies, small and large.

“This marks the fruition of one of our original visions: a district with the strategic clustering of IT companies in one locality,” said Don Herriott, Director of Innovista Partnerships. “More companies are seeing the advantages of co-location, and IT-oLogy @ Innovista now houses 9 IT companies and counting.”

IT-oLogy’s mission is to promote, teach and grow the IT talent pipeline and profession. With Innovista’s mission of creating, attracting and growing knowledge-based companies in the Midlands of South Carolina, the two constitute a perfect partnership for recruiting to the new IT-oLogy @ Innovista building.  Clustering IT companies in a single location, such as the Tower at 1301 Gervais Street, can open the door for new opportunities for partnership and business development, stimulate new ideas and industry innovation and help in the recruitment of new companies to the region.

“Our goal is to bring the IT community together in a collaborative environment to develop the IT pipeline through programs at all levels,” said Lonnie Emard, Executive Director of IT-oLogy. “The partnership with Innovista is a perfect example of this collaborative effort because we are bringing together people and companies that are dedicated to both of our missions.”

The establishment of an IT district is not about a sign at the top of the Tower at 1301 Gervais Street. While that is a visible representation of the partnership, the real story is about what happens both in and out of the building. The uniqueness of IT-oLogy is that it is not a single company or entity; instead, it is a non-profit collaboration of companies, academic institutions and organizations uniting to address the nationwide shortage of skilled IT professionals. To address this challenge, IT-oLogy offers K-12 programs where students explore numerous IT career options, the internships for undergraduate students and the continuing education opportunities that keep professionals constantly learning and up-to-date. When all this happens, the result is a vibrant economic picture, which is the goal of Innovista.

The confluence of opportunities in IT-oLogy @ Innovista will provide a home in the community for local talent as well. “At the University of South Carolina, our responsibility to students and alumni extends beyond education. It includes a commitment to helping them find jobs, good jobs, when they graduate,” said Dr. Harris Pastides, President of the University of South Carolina. “The pairing of IT-oLogy and Innovista is perfect because of their complementary missions, each focused on growing our innovation economy in this region and across South Carolina.”

“From the outset, the vision of IT-oLogy has been to have business and academic partners collaborate to advance IT talent,” Emard said. “The lack of IT talent is a national epidemic that is solved in a local manner. The establishment of IT-oLogy @ Innovista is a visible representation of bringing companies together to collaborate and partner, fostering new ideas and technologies.”

Recently, IT-oLogy announced the establishment of the branch IT-oLogy @ University Center of Greenville, located in Greenville, South Carolina. This is yet another way IT-oLogy is working locally to address a national issue. In the future, IT-oLogy will continue to open branches across the nation as a way to advance IT talent in a grassroots manner.

Innovista is a strategic economic development effort that is connecting the University of South Carolina and university-spawned innovations with entrepreneurs, businesses and stakeholders. Its purpose is to help attract and create technology-intensive, knowledge-based companies, which result in higher-paying jobs and raise the standard of living in South Carolina.

For more information about Innovista, visit www.innovista.sc.edu or contact Lauren Edwards at 803.777.8786 or Laurene@mailbox.sc.edu.

IT-oLogy is a non-profit collaboration of businesses, academic institutions and other organizations dedicated to growing the IT talent pipeline and advancing the IT profession. IT-oLogy does this through three major initiatives: Promote IT (K-12 schools), Teach IT (Higher Education) and Grow IT (Professionals and Businesses).

For more information about IT-oLogy, visit www.it-ology.org or contact Powers Strickland at 803.354.5735 or powers.strickland@it-ology.org.

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Technology Makes Things Happen

January 24th, 2012 | Posted by Whitney Williams in IT-oLogy Defined | World of IT - (0 Comments)

Yesterday, IT-oLogy and the Southeastern Institute for Women in Politics announced a really cool high-tech effort to encourage women in South Carolina to seek elected office at a press conference held in the Theater at IT-oLogy. With our technology expertise and funding by BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina, the Institute was able to work with Period Three and Palmetto Computer Labs, partners in IT-oLogy, to create a web-based training series to educate women on how to run for office.

A few months ago, Barbara Rackes, the Executive Director of the Institute, approached us for some help. She had been given funding by BCBSSC to make this incredible web-training series a possibility, but needed some direction on how to make it actually happen. That’s where IT-oLogy came to the table. Because we’re made up of over 70 corporate partners that specialize in all types of technology, we knew exactly where to send Barbara and her team.

We brought together the Institute, Palmetto Computer Labs and Period Three and immediately saw creativity and ideas begin to fly. Out of the initial session came a cool series of web-based training for women in SC to learn more about running for office.

Isn’t technology cool? In this case, it allowed the Institute to reach a number of women who may be interested in running for office, but don’t have access to the resources they need. Now, interested parties can participate in the webinar series at their own pace in the comfort of their own home – all with resources one click away.

Technology has endless possibilities, and allows us to take our business and personal goals to the next level.

“IT-oLogy has the mission of advancing IT talent. When more technology possibilities are created, more people are in place with the skills to apply to business needs,” said Lonnie Emard, Executive Director of IT-oLogy. “In this case, three partners in IT-oLogy (BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina, Palmetto Computer Labs and Period Three) delivered financial support and IT capability to enable the Southeastern Institute for Women in Politics to become more efficient in reaching a large target audience.

Want to see these cool webinars? Visit www.scelectswomen.com.

Check out the pictures from the press conference!

Lonnie Emard and Mary Anne Jacobs

Lonnie Emard, Executive Director of IT-oLogy, and Mary Anne Jacobs, President of the Southeastern Institute for Women in Politics

Lonnie Emard

Lonnie Emard discusses IT-oLogy's role in the new high-tech effort

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CyberIQ Road Show

December 15th, 2011 | Posted by Whitney Williams in Promote IT | World of IT - (0 Comments)

CyberIQSome of you may remember the launch of CyberIQ, an event for middle school girls and their parents devoted to cyber safety and awareness. Over the past few years, cyber safety has become a huge issue among children and teenagers. With the introduction of new forms of social communication, including Facebook and Twitter, and new ways to share information, children and teens are running into new dangers. From sexting to cyber bullying, the online world can be a scary place – unless children are given the power to be responsible.

Diedre Murphy, Venue Manager, and I had the unique opportunity to take CyberIQ on the road recently. Last month, we talked with 22 middle school girls from the STEM Girls Club at Chapin Middle. We covered everything from cyber bullying to texting to social netiquette. After that afternoon, we decided more students needed to know how to be in control online. Hence, the CyberIQ Road Show!

This morning, Diedre and I talked to the 5th graders at Satchel Ford Elementary. First, can I say what a COOL school Satchel Ford is?!? The vibe around the school is one of happy children who are excited and eager to learn. We walked in and were greeted by the 1st graders parading through the hall in their holiday-themed pajamas singing “Jingle Bells” on their way to their Polar Express Pajama Party. How much fun! (And I am still waiting for my invitation!) Diedre was thrilled to be back at Satchel Ford – for the first time in a number of years (my lips are sealed). Diedre informed the children there that Satchel Ford is her alma mater, but that she was “old as dirt” and that was forever and a day ago (again, her words, not mine).

We were taken to the library, which is filled with bright colors and sea creatures. There, we met over 100 bright and eager 5th graders. Cyber bullying is an issue that begins at an age that gets younger and younger, and does not stop, no matter how old you get. Cyber bullying is a real issue that affects not only the child being bullied, but can have an impact on his/her family, friends, school life and more. We were there to educate these young children on cyber bullying and give them the power to stop it. We spent an hour talking openly as a group about examples of cyber bullying, how to handle a cyber bully, what to do if you see someone else being cyber bullied and other topics related to social networking.

One video we watched (produced by Wired Safety – see link below) gave a very startling fact: 90% of the middle school students they polled say they have had their feelings hurt online, and only 15% of their parents knew about cyber bullying.

Cyber bullying is a real issue today. It’s not in a school in a different town or a different state. It happens here – in your hometown, in your child’s school. How do we stop it? We need to give children the power to stop it – and that power is knowledge. Parents and children need to know about cyber bullying, its dangers and how to stop it. Here’s a brief look at cyber bullying, and how you can learn more.

So, what is cyber bullying?
“Cyber bullying is bullying that happens online. It can happen in an email, a text message, an online game or on a social networking site. It might involve rumors or images posted on someone’s profile or passed around for other people to see.” (Source: OnGuard Online)

What are some examples of cyber bullying?

  • posting pictures/videos that are mean or make funny of someone
  • writing mean or hurtful things
  • spreading rumors
  • sending or forwarding mean text messages
  • posting pictures/videos WITHOUT someone’s permission

What makes cyber bullying different from regular bullying?
In a way, cyber bullying can be worse than regular bullying. A bully can be escaped when leaving school (or wherever the incident is taking place). A cyber bully is always there – on social networking sites, through text messages or emails, on YouTube. Cyber bullies are not left behind when the bell rings at the end of the school day. They follow you.

Cyber bullying also spreads quicker than regular bullying. A picture or video is posted that hurts someone’s feelings, and within minutes an entire community is reached through social networking sites. The incident no longer involves just a bully and a victim, but involves the entire community.

What should you/your child do if someone is cyber bullying?

  • Don’t respond or react – bullies are looking for a reaction from their victim.
  • Block or delete the bully.
  • Report abuse to the website where it is taking place.
  • Contact a parent, trusted adult, school official or law enforcement.
  • Be sure to save the evidence!

Often, children are not the cyber bullies themselves, but they witness the bullying taking place. What should a child do in this case? Or a parent? Please, please, please encourage children to tell the bully to stop. If that does not work, tell an adult!

Where are the places most of the cyber bullying is taking place?

  • Social Networking Sites – Sites like Facebook are the most common place for cyber bullies to take control.
  • Video Game Chat Capabilities
  • YouTube – YouTube, a video posting channel, has become a cruel outlet for cyber bullies. Videos are made and posted often making fun of someone or spreading false rumors about the victim.
  • Texting
  • Emails

How can you help? Spread the word about the CyberIQ Road Show! We are here to talk to children and teenagers, as well as parents. We want to take the power away from the bullies. We also emphasize that the child is responsible for their actions – they know there are consequences to what they post online, and they are responsible for those. For more information on the CyberIQ Road Show, contact me at powers.strickland@it-ology.org.

Here are some great resources that you can share with your child, your child’s teacher and other parents on cyber bullying:

  • OnGuard Online: OnGuard Online is a government website providing information on cybersafety. They have a great section dedicated to protecting kids online. You can also order free materials for classes and workshops.
  • stopcyberbullying.org
  • Wired Safety Video: This is a great video with real interviews with real teenagers who have been cyber bullied.

Join us in the mission to promote cyber safety!

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Initial Ubuntu 101 Workshop Filled to Capacity

December 8th, 2011 | Posted by ToddLewis in Education | Grow IT | IT-oLogy Defined | Teach IT | World of IT - (0 Comments)
Ubuntu 101 Picture

Jeremy Bicha talks about the Unity Interface

The first Ubuntu 101 workshop was held this past Saturday, December 3 at IT-oLogy. To say it was a success would be an understatement. An initial seating limit of 20 had to be expanded, additional computers had to be brought in and 24 people eventually learned a lot more about the world’s third most popular operating system.

Jeremy Bicha led a very diverse group of attendees through an overview of the history of Ubuntu and the installation process. In addition, the feature set and distinctives of Ubuntu 11.10, the latest version of the free and open alternative to Windows and Mac OS X, were identified and discussed. Finally, Ubuntu 11.10 discs were given to anyone wanting a copy.

Ubuntu 101 Picture

Jeremy Bicha discusses applications available in Ubuntu

The Open IT Lab will present Part Two of this workshop over the next few weeks, which will target the advanced Ubuntu user. In addition, the Lab will continue to present workshops on the Open/Open Source topic in the weeks and months ahead.

For more information on ways to get involved with the Open IT Lab, contact Diedre Murphy at diedre.murphy@it-ology.org. For more information about the Lab itself, go to www.Open-IT-Lab.com.

Todd Lewis is the Founder of the Open IT Lab at IT-oLogy. He also serves as Chair of POSSCON, one of the largest open source conferences on the east coast, and managing partner of Palmetto Computer Labs, an open source consulting company.

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