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Wednesday, Sept. 15, 2004 (No. 41)
Editor Milt
Capps
For previous
issues or for the date of our next issue, visit
the news
archive. |
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Marc
Guthrie
President and
CEO
In the
Spotlight
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HCA Chairman Jack
Bovender among most influential
in shaping healthcare information
technology, per Modern
Healthcare, Aug. 23. Related NAHIT release.
FedEx Institute's Jim Phillips says
TN universities are producing intellectual
property, but more legal effort needed to
ensure that the State benefits, Times Free Press,
Sept. 15.
New York investors acquire
Nashville's EdgeNet, NashvillePost.com,
Sept. 2. Tennessean, Sept. 3.
Murfreesboro's Capital City Micro
is in Hewlett Packard's crosshairs: HP
reportedly litigating to reclaim pricing discounts
from Micro, CRN, Sept. 3. San Jose Mercury News,
Sept. 3. HP release, Sept. 2.
Local Shane
Messer's "Weapons of Mass
Destruction" interactive challenge was
solved in seven months, gaining international
exposure, e.g., Sept. 7 AP report via Jackson
(TN) Sun.
Franklin's Dialogic Communications'
emergency-response revenues up since
9/11, now surge again with hurricanes. Other local
players include CNA, Allstate, Infrastructure
Corp., Tennessean, Sept. 4.
iPayment announces acquisition of
Penna. merchant card firm,
NashvillePost.com, Sept. 15 (sub). back to top
ComFrame CEO Guthrie says
Nashville office is gathering
momentum
ComFrame Software
Corporation's President and CEO Marc
Guthrie greenlighted ComFrame's entry into the
Nashville market less than two years ago.
Today, Guthrie, 43, says
ComFrame's Nashville clientele is growing at a
faster rate than ComFrame's Birmingham or
Huntsville offices. He believes this growth stems
from the fact that "There's enormous opportunity
for companies that will just do what they say they
will and who will actually deliver the kind of
value they offer to create for their
clients."
It is, no doubt, also helpful in
healthcare-oriented Nashville that in 1997
ComFrame's first clients were health-sector
enterprises -- Blue Cross Blue Shield of Alabama,
among others -- that commissioned software
applications for payor, provider, clinical and
administrative operations. ComFrame's Nashville
effort is led by Software Architect and Area
Director Steve Kukulka and Business Development
Manager Jerry
Prosise.
The
originally Java-centric company
evolved to embrace Microsoft .Net and other
technologies essential to design, development and
implementation of "highly capable, scalable,
multitiered, robust technologies" required by a
diverse client base.
ComFrame's custom-software solutions work
is currently weighted toward .Net, Java, data
warehousing, portal development and related
assignments that fall into application
development, enterprise integrationand business
intelligence categories.
ComFrame executives also stress that a key
element in their success -- in addition to
talented employees and strong references from
current clients -- is building "the ComFrame exit
strategy" into every client engagement. This
provides clients "peace of mind" regarding
ComFrame's commitment to the kind of knowledge
transfer and mentoring of in-house staff that will
enable a client to operate post-project without
ComFrame, and even build upon ComFrame-authored
software, using enriched inhouse skills.
Guthrie says that with the company
approaching 60 employees and ontrack for $7.5
million in annualized revenues, ComFrame intends
to internally fund its continued growth. Two years
ago, ComFrame's advancement was boosted by a
venture-capital infusion from the Southeastern
Technology Fund, Huntsville.
A decade in software development and
implementation for AT&T, BellSouth and Bell
Labs in Atlanta and New Jersey primed Guthrie's
entrepreneurial charge, leading him first to join
telecom-oriented startup Bearcreek Technologies,
and later to help found claims management-oriented
Knowledgable Heathcare Solutions (KHS, later sold
to Per Se Technologies). He subsequently founded
ComFrame. Under the leadership of Tuscaloosa-born
Guthrie, ComFrame has earned numerous awards and
recognition, including ranking amid Inc.
Magazine's 500 Fastest-growing private businesses
(2003 and likely for 2004). Among numerous civic
and philanthropic activities, Guthrie is
chairman-elect of TechBirmingham. He earned his
undergraduate degree in computer sciences at the
University of Alabama.
ComFrame recently became a Tech Titan sponsor of Nashville Technology
Council.
ComFrame resources:
Management team. Technology Services
here. Values and
Beliefs. ComFrame presentation. Employment with
ComFrame.
(##) back to top
Technology
2020: Tenn. Valley Venture Forum,
Sept. 23-24, Chattanooga. Register asap,
via www.tvvf.biz.
PureSafety Introduces
Health & Wellness Course Suite to
Help Companies Combat Increasing Employee
Healthcare Costs, release Sept. 1.
Nashville Capital
Network supports Tricycle deal, Nash.
Bus. Journal, Sept. 3. Tennessean, Sept. 4. NashvillePost.com, Sept. 3. Tricycle-NCN release,
Sept. 3, here. Chattanoogan.com, Sept. 3.
Southern Appalachian
Fund issues summary of investments in
NuMarkets, Tricycle, SmartFurniture, Sept. 7.
Nashville's Perle
Systems unveils Software-Configurable
Multi-Interface Multi-Port Serial PCI
Cards, release Sept. 9.
Mountain Group
Capital LLC buys stake in JIT Services
Inc. of Huntsville, Tennessean, Sept. 2.
Resurgence of venture
capital, NY Times, Sept. 2.
back
to top
Corrections to Aug.
31 edition: Paul
Cleckner, who moved from Deloitte to Investment
Scorecard, is President and COO. Meanwhile, at
BBX, the correct spelling of the President/Founder
is Bob Terry.
Nashville's First Data is among users of
CSR View from Payment Data Systems, Sept. 8.
Marlow of Smart Data Strategies is profiled
by NBJ Bizwomen.com, here.
Inflow will undergo SAS-70 Type II
Audit of its Internet Data Center (IDC) facility
by LBMC, in order to meet compliancy
requirements of several Inflow customers, release
Sept. 14. Inflow touts
disaster-recovery services for enterprises in path
of hurricanes, Sept. 7.
Austin-based Nashville player Perficient is
among Texas Fast 50 tech firms designated by
Deloitte, release Sept. 8.
Equinox IS signs XO for
fraud-management software, Nash. Bus.
Journal, Sept. 13.
Eddie Pearson of DigiScript Inc.
answers the Business Journal's Q&A,
says merging empact Health with Medibuy was his
"worst" career decision, p. 17, Nash. Bus.
Journal, Sept. 10.
Ciber wins NES contract in
partnership with Zycron, Nash. Bus.
Journal, Sept. 9. NashvillePost.com,
Sept. 8. Tennesean, Sept. 13. Ciber board approves
share buyback, Memphis Bus. Journal, Sept. 13.
ClientLogic chief gets CRM leadership
award, Nash. Bus. Journal, Sept. 7. Release, Sept. 7.
Former EDS manager Karen Thomas
joins Pinnacle Financial Partners as IS project
manager and business analyst, Tennessean,
Sept.
12.
LBMC's Leisa Gill named 2004
Marketer of the Year by CPA Marketing Report,
Tennessean, Sept. 12.
Jason Grant joins North Highland as
IT principal, after stint with Infinis
office, Tennessean, Sept. 12.
(Sept. 28) Music City Future 50 includes
technology entries, Tennessean,
Aug. 8.
Event background here. back to top
Vanderbilt Med. Center KnowledgeMap
database makes medical searches more
productive, VUMC Reporter, Sept. 3.
Patel brings physician perspective
to IT implementation at Vanderbilt Children's
Hospital, Nashville Medical News, Sept. 04.
Patient EDU's Nashville office is
making headway with widely variable
digital patient-education offerings, Nash. Medical
News, Sept. 04.
Healthcare Management Systems
profiled in Nashville Medical News, Sept. 04. HMS signs Associated
Healthcare, Nash. Bus. Journal, Sept. 8.
HealthTrio signs Colorado
Access, state's largest Medicaid plan,
Nash. Bus. Journal, Sept. 14. Release here.
Mountain States Health Alliance
installs wireless infrastructure from
Johnson Controls , Sept. 13.
Ardent pix Zix Corp. for
e-messaging security, Nash. Bus. Journal,
Sept. 8. Ardent
appointments, Tennessean, Sept. 12: Bill
Henry to IT/System controller; Thomas Holland to
crystal reporting app specialist; Brad Jennings to
manager-IT/continuous audit; Roseann Scully,
senior Lawson app specialist; Bill Timmis as
Lawson specialist; and, Robert Towson, formerly of
Pomeroy Computer Resources, as director-technical
services.
Smart design for hospitals goes
beyond technology; Nashville's Centennial
Medical Center mentioned among healing-design
leaders, NY Times, Sept. 7.
Changes continue at CTI Molecular
Imaging, Knox. News Sentinel, Sept. 13.
Memphis Baptist Memorial Health
Care's Mississippi hospitals offer
E-patient Registration, release Aug. 30.
SyMed software signs eight more
physicians groups, Nash. Bus. Journal, Sept. 10.
Natural-language processing is big
issue in mining medical notes, Healthcare
Informatics, Sept. 2004. Related,
HealthcareIT-World, July 04, the concept of
problem-oriented medical reporting.
National Alliance for Health
Information Technology appoints Policy
Committee, Aug. 17.
VCs favor IT over healthcare, for
now, Boston Business Journal, Aug. 30
.
back to top
Link to key
in-state government bid-tracking
resources, here.
Congressional delegation touts U.S.
Dept. of Commerce grants to Tennessee cities and
institutions, including East TN State
Univ., Nashville, others. Chattanoogan.com, Sept. 9. John City Press, Sept. 9.
State RFP 349-03.404 seeks support of computer-aided
dispatch system (CAD); proposals were
recently submitted by InterAct Public Safety
Systems (Asheville); Public Safety Intergraph
Corporation (Huntsville); Public Safety Systems
Inc. (Lanham, Md.); Motorola (Boulder); SmartCOP
(Pensacola); VisionAIR (Castle Hayne, NC).
Zero bidders responded to the
State's RFP Ref: 321.15-01 for technical upgrade
and support services for the POST Asset Management
Application (Walker). The client is
General Services and incumbent vendor is SSA
Global (Chicago). RFP Coordinator Terry Hill told
NTC yesterday that the RFP has been cancelled, and
there's no contract in force with SSA. General
Services contact Tony Earp did not respond to
queries about all this.
State vital records document ordering
system would be supported via RFP 343.20-002, proposals due Oct.
13.
State RFP 331.01-002 for teacher
recruitment includes subordinate requirements for
database and web applications, proposals due Oct.
11.
Professor questions medical effects
of TASER stun guns, City Paper, Sept. 7.
CIBER and ZYCRON team to win $12
million NES contract, City Paper, Sept. 2. Related release, Sept. 8. Commercial Appeal, Sept. 9. CIBER announces
share-purchase program, release Sept. 13.
Court ruling quashes tax incentives
for corporate expansions, Nashvillepost.com,
Sept.
2.
City of Brentwood uses Internet
to tell voters about road, greenway
proposals, Tennessean, 3B, Sept. 2, not
on web.
State issues for enhanced Case
Management and Activity Tracking System,
337.01-025.
Final deadline Sept. 23. See full timeline in
RFP.
State project management GIS RFP 317.30-108,
Sept. 16
deadline. For creation
of digital statewide basemap suitable for use in
GIS. 20 firms signed in for preproposal
conference. back to top
Memphis' Remote Backup Systems Inc.
readied infrastructure for series of
hurricanes, release Sept. 10.
Knoxville's
one-button consumer Procon satellite/GPS
products gain national distribution, as
offshore manufacturing of technology expands,
Knox. News Sentinel, Sept. 13.
Publix groceries will receive more
than 16,000 HP rp5000 point-of-sale
devices and 2,000 HP ProLiant servers, release Sept. 3.
DeltaComm merges with two Florida
telecom firms, Knox News Sentinel, Sept. 9.
King Technologies (Trenton, TN) is
now national, international distributor
for Comdial, release Sept. 9.
NewRoads fulfillment center plans
Chattanooga expansion, release Sept. 10.
Chattanooga
couple video-documents political
protests and disseminates via Web,
aided by independent media center in NYC, Times
Free Press, Sept. 11.
Erlanger and FedEx Institute of
Technology are among Nortel virtualization
adopters, release Sept. 13.
In Smyrna, GM announces Toyota's
Doug Betts is Product Quality VP, release
Sept. 13. Nash. Bus. Journal,
Sept. 13.
Memphis-based AMDS begins boarding
new merchant portfolio, release Sept. 13.
UT CIO endorses SSPS statistical
package, release Sept. 14.
Memphis' Rothman Company
illustrates how IT consultants support smaller
businesses, Commercial Appeal, Sept. 13.
Nucsafe radiation detection: right
product, right time, Column by Lee
Martin, Knox. News Sentinel, Sept. 6.
Intellithought picks up where
New Horizons left off in Tri-Cities area,
with Tom Deaderick, president of Kingsport
facility, release Aug. 30.
Harrah's recognized for IT
excellence by CIO Magazine, Commercial
Appeal, Sept. 4.
Memphis Tech job shifts: National
Commercial Financial merger with SunTrust
could create more technology jobs in Nashville,
Commercial Appeal, Sept. 2.
Knoxville's MediaPulse wins
web-design award in D.C. for Washington Post
site, Knox. News Sentinel, Sept. 6.
back
to top
Vanderbilt University rose to 25th
in nation in federally funded R&D,
according to NSF ranking, VU release Sept. 2.
ISSA Middle Tennessee donated a
$2,300 scholarship for award to a
fulltime computer-networking student at Nashville
State Community College, release here, Sept. 1. Related NSCC
Foundation site.
California-born, Memphis-bound
CRAM101 artificial-intelligence software gives
students shortcuts, Memphis Bus. Journal,
Sept. 10.
TN Board of Regents executive St. Clair
endorsed Web CT certified trainer program, release
Sept. 7.
High-Tech Institute prepares to move campus
closer to airport, Nash. Bus. Journal, p. 3, Sept. 10.
Knox County students win national
Technology Student Association Awards,
Knox. News Sentinel, Sept. 1.
Tablet PCs take their place in the
classroom, NY Times, Sept.
9. back to top
BusinessTN
magazine invites nominees for
fastest-growing, privately held TN firms
by Sept. 30, details
here.
UT Prof. Glenn
Reynold's Instapundit having huge political
impact, MetroPulse
Knoxville.
Among Tennessee
workers, software engineers have brighter
prospects, Tennessean, Sept. 6. As elsewhere, Memphis
jobs and purchasing power are hard to gain,
Commercial Appeal, Sept. 5.
CIO Magazine staffing trends at
mid-year, CIO, Sept. 1.
IT sector's job loss dramatic, AP
via Wash. Post, Sept. 14, here. Recovery slight for the IT job
market, ITAA Sept. 8. Economist
Samuelson says globalization is not the unalloyed
good some crack it up to be, NY Times, Sept. 9. Offshoring America's
IT projects may encourage further IT initiatives
in U.S. organizations, InformationWeek, Sept. 6.
Unskilled workers, (Greenspan),
Washington Post, Sept. 6. The plight of middle
managers, Washington Post, Sept. 5.
Washington's limited influence on jobs-creation,
NY Times, Sept. 5.
Lower Intel forecast perturbs
investors fearing erosion in IT sector,
WashingtonPost, Sept. 3. VCs see bright
prospects in IT, over healthcare, Boston Bus.
Journal via Nash. Bus. Jrnl., Sept. 3.
Belmont's Cornwall comments on
outsourcing, Nash. Bus. Journal, Sept. 10.
Microsoft Homeland Security exec
Tom Richey interviewed by Cindy
Webb, transcript
(8/31/04), Washington Post,
details
here.
'Unsexy' BellSouth may be rewarded
for its perseverance as it targets TV
services, possibly takes fresh look at
AT&T, NY Times, Sept. 13.
Single-vendor (in this case, Dell)
sourcing streamlines planning and procurement for
healthcare. HealthLeaders, Sept. 2004.
India software sector will see
rampant growth, on top of
business-process outsourcing business, CNN, Sept. 13.
Hyperactive Bob
technology inplace in Memphis could change
fast-food operations, Commercial
Appeal, Sept. 14.
Xerox repositions, lets brand
'speak for itself', NY Times, Sept. 13.
Siebel Systems consolidating
vendors, taking other steps to restore
business, NY Times, Sept. 13.
Casino buyouts reshaping industry's
IT strategy, Information Week, here.
Wikipedia, Washington
Post, Sept. 9.
DCML language to be spread via
Oasis, release Aug. 30.
RFID and Privacy,
InformationWeek, Sept. 6.
Microsoft acknowledges Linux is
growing threat to current business,
Washington Post, Sept. 7. Related, eWeek, Sept. 5. Australian IT, Sept. 7.
Craigslist founder sticks to
customer-service values, NY Times, Sept. 6.
VOIP Skype, NY Times, Sept. 5. back
to top
CALENDAR
( * indicates new or revised
item)
(Sept. 15) Chattanooga Tech Council
luncheon re: TN Valley Venture
Forum. Details here.
(Ends Sept. 16) Conference:
Detector/Sensor Research and Technology for
Homeland and National Security: Chemical,
Biological, Nuclear and Radiological Weapons, and
Toxic Industrial Chemicals, River Terrace
Resort, Gatlinburg. Hosted by Chemical
Sciences Division and National Security
Directorate, Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
Details here.
* (Sept. 20) NE TN Technology
Council, 11:30 a.m., Centre at Millennium Park,
Johnson City, "Desktop and Mobile
Computing Strategy," with Damon
Silvestry, senior engineering manager of Dell's
New Product Introduction organization for Client
Products. Details, registration, write
vcrymble@netntech.org
or call (423) 279-9000.
* (Sept. 21) PMI Nashville on
"Fearless Leadership System," 11:30
a.m., Holiday Inn Select, 2613 West End
Ave. , with Dr. John Hoover, Dr. Angelo
Valenti, and John Bracewell from ComposiTeam will
present "Fearless Leadership
System," related
to "ideally balanced Project Management
Teams." Details here.
* (Sept. 22) UT deans of
Engineering and Business discuss joint graduate
program leading to MBA/MS, East TN Tech.
Council (Tech2020), 11:30 a.m. RSVP by Sept.
20 via RSVP@tech2020.org
or (865) 220-2020.
(Sept. 23-24) 8th Annual Tenn. Venture
Forum - hosts: Tech2020, City of
Chattanooga.
(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) WiTT Topic: Managing
IT in a Fast Changing Environment Speaker: Eddie
Gadsey, Director of IT Iasis
Healthcare, 4:30 p.m., Iasis
Healthcare, 113 Seaboard Lane, Suite A200
Franklin, details amyehancock@comcast.net.
*
(Sept. 28-30) 2004 Governor's
Economic-Development Conference,
Nashville Convention Center. Agenda here.
(Sept. 28) Music City Future 50
recognition at Franklin Marriott Cool
Springs. Registration here.
(Sept. 29) Healthcare IT: Local
chapters of HiMSS and HIMA, in conjunction
with Tennessee Hospital Association,
convene program with emphasis on emerging
technologies. Keynote speaker for the HiMSS/THIMA
one-day event will be Pam Arlotto, managing
director, Maestro. She's responsible for Maestro
strategy and is a former HiMSS national chair. The
day will also feature CIOs from Lifepoint
Health, Baptist/St. Thomas (Ascension), Maury
Regional Hosp., and Community Health Systems.
Also, execs from American HIMA, HCA ITS, UT Med
Center, RHIA, Sumner Regional MC. Details here.
(Sept. 30) Nashville
Technology Council Network Managers
Roundtable. See NMRT site.
For details write kcooksey@technologycouncil.com
.
(Sept. 30) Tennessee Valley
Conference on the Science and Business of
Nanotechnology, 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Speakers and panelists will address
science/research overview, applications, and
business and investment issues. Details
forthcoming. This program is a cooperative effort
of the Owen Graduate School of Management at
Vanderbilt University, Vanderbilt School of
Engineering, Vanderbilt Institute of Nanoscale
Science and Engineering, and Nashville Technology
Council. Venue: Caterpillar Financial Center.
Related Nanostory, City Paper, Sept. 3.
(Oct. 4) NTC Tech Roundtable - Mike
Dunne, President, Quanta
Nashville.
(Oct. 5-7) Memphis Musculoskeletal
New Ventures Conference, Memphis Biotech.
Fdn, here and here.
(Oct. 22) NE TN Tech Council
TechStar Awards Luncheon, 11:30 a.m.,
MeadowView Conf. Ctr. Program with Anne Pope, Alex
Fischer, Eric Cromwell, others. Info:
vcrymble@netntech.org or calling
423.279.9000
* (Oct. 28) Nashville Technology
Council, Tech After Hours,
details.
(Nov. 4) NTC Tech Roundtable,
representatives of ConduIT Corporation and
Digiscript discuss eDoc4U.
(Nov. 4-5) TN Valley Corridor
Fall
Summit, Somerset, KY. Linking
homeland security and homeland prosperity.Related
story, Knox News Sentinel, Sept. 13.
*
(Nov. 9) Justice Department holds technology-export security
town hall meeting at BellSouth Tower.
Register here. Related NashvillePost.com story,
Sept. 1.
(Dec. 1-3) Tennessee Education Technology
Conference, link here. back to top
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