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Columbia-based iTs|SC Receives Top Award at International Conference

October 5th, 2012 | Posted by Whitney Williams in Grow IT - (0 Comments)

Association recognized as leading technology-based economic development initiative

Columbia, S.C. – iTs|SC: Columbia’s Insurance Technology & Services Cluster, an initiative managed by New Carolina – South Carolina’s Council on Competitiveness, was selected by the International Economic Development Council to receive the Gold Award for Technology-Based Economic Development programs serving populations of 200,000-500,000. The top honor in the category, the award focuses on economic development efforts that stimulate and support the growth of technology-intensive firms and sectors as the key drivers of prosperity in their communities. The award was accepted today by Tiffany Davis, senior project manager for New Carolina, on behalf of iTs|SC at the IEDC 2012 Annual Conference in Houston.

“This award further solidifies our region’s reputation as an industry leader focused on cultivating high-wage, high-growth insurance technology and services careers and companies here in Columbia and throughout the Midlands,” said City of Columbia Mayor Steve Benjamin. “I’m excited to see our city receive this international recognition as a world-class destination for new technology and innovation.”

The announcement comes on the heels of iTs|SC partnering last month with IT-oLogy and Gartner Inc. to host more than 125 information technology, insurance technology, and insurance services professionals for the Big Data Conference. This was the second year of a locally hosted Gartner event tailored towards bringing key leaders and executives together to network, build intellectual capacity and connect to emerging technology topics. This year’s event was again held at the IT-oLogy facility in downtown Columbia, with leading Gartner analysts discussing trends in information technology, including those specific to the insurance industry.

During the morning, premiere Gartner analyst Doug Laney discussed the future of analytics and the economics of information. The afternoon session, led by iTs|SC, featured case studies highlighting Columbia’s competitive advantages in Big Data as applied to the insurance technology and services industry as well as an executive panel on growth and opportunity both in the region and industry. The day included a networking lunch, sponsored by IBM, and a networking reception hosted in partnership with Tech After Five and sponsored by Advanced Automation Consulting, a member of both iTs|SC and IT-oLogy.

The Columbia region is home to one of the nation’s leading insurance technology and services clusters, employing approximately 15,000 insurance technology and services professionals at an average annual salary of $62,000, nearly twice the state average. The industry generates more than $4.9 billion in annual sales with a nearly $6.7 billion total annual economic impact for the state of South Carolina.

iTs|SC will host iTs|Social, the group’s signature quarterly networking event, from 5:30-7:00 p.m. Oct 23. The group will confirm the location at the end of the week on its website and through its mailing list. All professionals in insurance technology and services in the Columbia region are welcome to attend the social. RSVP atwww.its-sc.com/itssocial for the no-cost event.

 

About iTs|SC

iTs|SC: Columbia’s Insurance Technology & Services Cluster, is a New Carolina cluster dedicated to promoting the Greater Columbia area’s wealth of opportunities within the insurance technology and services sector. Representing 10 private sector companies and 5 public partners, its mission is to foster a collaborative environment where the private sector, government, and higher education work to strengthen industry competitiveness, develop a world class talent pool, and enhance Columbia, South Carolina’s reputation as a premier destination for insurance technology and services. Membership is open to any company or organization connected to insurance technology and services. News, events, and information can be found online atwww.its-sc.com.

About New Carolina

New Carolina – South Carolina’s Council on Competitiveness – is a public/private partnership working to increase per capita income and enhance South Carolina’s economic competitiveness through cluster economic development strategy. New Carolina has a proven track record for streamlining and coordinating statewide industry efforts and brings valuable insights to the table for connecting the dots and achieving lasting collaborative economic development solutions. For more information, visit www.newcarolina.org.

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IT-oLogy Hosts Gartner for Big Data Conference

August 14th, 2012 | Posted by Whitney Williams in IT-oLogy Defined - (0 Comments)

Big Data Conference

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

August 7, 2012

Contact: Powers Strickland, Communications Manager – 803.354.5735 or powers.strickland@it-ology.org or Frank Avery, Project Manager, iTs|SC – 803.692.1141 or fjavery@newcarolina.org

IT-oLogy hosts Gartner for Big Data Conference

 Columbia, SC – For the second year in a row, IT-oLogy is excited to host Gartner, one of the world’s leading information technology research and advisory companies, for a Big Data Conference on Wednesday, Sept. 12. The conference will center around big data and analytics, with Doug Laney, Gartner analyst presenting during the morning session. There will also be a panel talking about predictive analytics in various industries around the country. The afternoon session, led by iTs|SC, will focus on insurance technology and services. The event is tailored towards bringing key leaders and executives together to network, build intellectual capacity and connect to emerging technology topics.

The morning session will kick off with a presentation by Laney, a premiere Gartner analyst around big data, the future of analytics and the economics of information. The afternoon is being led by iTs|SC: Columbia’s Insurance Technology and Services Cluster. It will feature case studies highlighting Columbia’s competitive advantages in Big Data as applied to the insurance technology and services industry, as well as an executive panel discussing growth and opportunities both in the region and industry. The day will include a networking lunch, sponsored by IBM, and a networking reception following the afternoon sessions.

The Big Data Conference program begins at 9 a.m. and goes until 5 p.m. and has limited seating. Attendees will have the opportunity to request one-on-one sessions with Laney, network with colleagues and executives from the Midlands region and learn how to handle big data and analytics.

The event will be held at IT-oLogy, located at 1301 Gervais Street in downtown Columbia. Registration is free with limited seating. To register, please visit www.bigdataconference.eventbrite.com.

About IT-oLogy

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 has 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.

About iTs|SC

The Columbia Insurance Technology & Services Cluster (iTs|SC) is a NewCarolina cluster dedicated to promoting the Greater Columbia area’s wealth of opportunities within the insurance technology and services sector. Representing 10 private sector companies and 5 public partners, its mission is to foster a collaborative environment where the private sector, government, and higher education work to strengthen industry competitiveness, develop a world class talent pool, and enhance Columbia, South Carolina’s reputation as a premier destination for insurance technology and services. News, events, and information can be found online at www.its-sc.com or contact Frank Avery at fjavery@newcarolina.org.

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Gartner brings IT Modernization to Columbia

September 14th, 2011 | Posted by Whitney Williams in Grow IT - (0 Comments)

GartnerLast week, internationally recognized IT analyst and research group Gartner brought it’s IT Modernization Local Briefing to Columbia, SC for the first time. This event drew well over 100 executives from the healthcare, banking and finance and insurance technologies industries to IT-oLogy for a day-long conference on how IT modernization will affect industry. The morning consisted of presentations from two Gartner analysts. Dale Vecchio, Gartner analyst, opened with “IT Modernization: The Evolution of IT – Whether You Like it or Not.” Dave Capuccio followed with “Top 10 Trends and How They Will Impact Data Centers and IT.”

The afternoon sessions were centered around specific industry clusters. Insurance Technology and Services, Banking and Financial and Healthcare all brought local leaders to the table to discuss real-world case studies, examples and why IT modernization is important. The Insurance Technology and Services cluster also had the opportunity to hear from Gartner analyst Kimberly Harris-Ferrante on “Future Proofing Insurance IT: Make the Right Decisions Now.”

Below are links to the presentations by local leaders:

Rizwan Khalfan – TD Bank Gartner Conference

Colonial Life IT Modernization Overview

BCBSSC_Modernization_Presentation

Questions or more information? Contact us at info@it-ology.org.

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Gartner Brings IT Modernization Briefing to Columbia

September 1st, 2011 | Posted by Whitney Williams in Grow IT - (0 Comments)

GartnerIT-oLogy is excited to announce that Gartner will be holding its first local briefing in Columbia on Wednesday, September 7th. Gartner, one of the world’s leading information technology research and advisory company, will be introducing IT Modernization and how it will affect industries during this full-day briefing at IT-oLogy, located at 1301 Gervais Street in downtown Columbia. The event is tailored towards educating top leaders and executives on how to best leverage the latest advances in IT, including improving efficiency and reducing overhead.

The morning session will kick off with presentations by two Gartner analysts discussing the broader effects of IT in business. The afternoon session will feature three separate tracks for healthcare, banking and financial and insurance technology. These sessions will include presentations, panel discussions and executive roundtable talks.

The briefing, which begins at 8 a.m. and closes at 5 p.m., has limited seating. A networking reception at IT-oLogy will follow the event sponsored by TD Bank. Attendees will have the opportunity to request one-on-one sessions with Gartner’s leading analysts, network with colleagues and executives from the Midlands region and learn why IT modernization is central to the success of business.

Registration is free with limited seating. To register, please visit Gartner’s registration page.

IT-oLogy is a non-profit collaboration of businesses, academic institutions and other organizations dedicated to growing the IT talent pipeline, fostering economic development and advancing the IT profession. IT-oLogy is doing 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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