Joe Corella to headline at San Antonio Innotech

Joe Corella, Microsoft's national technology director, has agreed to serve as one of our keynote speakers for the San Antonio Innotech, March 4.
Corella also spoke at the Austin Innotech trade show, where he had a packed crowd of IT professionals. During that presentation, he talked about the changes in the technical infrastructure at his company.
Here's a recap of an interview that Matt Scherer, our public relations director, did with him prior to the Oct. 29, 2009 Innotech conference.

Q: How can Windows 7 improve security for my business?

A: Viruses, phishing scams and other security threats pose a constant
risk to businesses. Windows 7 builds upon the security advancements
introduced in Windows Vista, improving data security for businesses.
Windows Vista contained layers of defense retained in Windows 7 to
make it the safest Windows product to date. In Windows 7, you can find simpler notifications, more scanning options and less impact on computer performance. Windows 7 offers new security features, including BitLocker To Go, which prevents
unauthorized users from accessing data saved on USB drives through the
use of a passphrase.



Q: How can Windows 7 make my business more productive?

A: Windows 7 helps your business’ productivity in a number of ways.
For example, navigation is simplified with Aero Enhancements (Snap,
Peek, Shake),helping you work faster. Jump lists offered in Windows 7
also help you access documents, applications and tasks quickly and
easily. Windows 7 connects mobile workers using new features like
Location-Aware Printing. This new feature automatically connects you
to the printer in that network, whether you are at home or at work. So
if you return to the office after working from home, Windows 7
automatically connects you to your work printer. New power management
settings in Windows 7 also provide extended battery life to help
mobile workers stay connected longer.



Q: How can Windows 7 help businesses that may not have full IT
departments in-house?

A: Not all small and mid market businesses have the funds to support
large IT departments. Windows 7 is designed to deliver a reliable
computing experience and makes it easier to solve issues if they do
arise. For instance, Microsoft Customer Service and Support has more
than 20 built-in Windows Troubleshooters to diagnose and resolve
common issues such as audio, video and networking, among others.
Windows 7 also offers a new feature called the Problem Steps Recorder
for less common issues that don’t have built-in troubleshooters. This
feature allows users to record the steps they are taking when the
problem occurs. Then, users can send the information into customer
service and support to further diagnose the problem.

Duncan, Dinger and Goldsmith to address future of technology at Innotech

York Duncan, Fred Dinger and Randy Goldsmith will be featured in our Emerging Medical Technology panel March 3 at the Norris Conference Center. Their "The Future of Innovation and Entrepreneurship in San Antonio" will follow a presentation by Jim Brazell on the "History of Innovation in San Antonio."

Brazell's talk begins at 4:30 p.m. with the Duncan, Dinger and Goldsmith panel to follow afterwards. Following that event, the Technology Conexus "Connections" social mixer will be held. Duncan currently serves as the president of the Texas Research Foundation. Dinger is currently serving as president of ENTrigue while Goldsmith is the president and chief executive officer for the Mississippi Technology Alliance.

Kudos to Matt Reedy, one of the founding fathers of the San Antonio Technology Accelerator Iniative and one of Innotech's board members, for leading a group effort to set up the two panels.

Emerging medical device chief executive to speak at keynote for Emerging Medical Technology track

Paul K. Nichols, the president of Trinity Orthopedics has agreed to serve as the Emerging Medical Technology keynote speaker on March 3. He will speak at a luncheon from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Nichols has founded three medical device companies focusing on technology for reconstructive surgery for extremities. These three firms have generated more than one billion in sales since 1995.

In addition to his role as the president of Trinity Orthopedics, Nichols, a San Diego, CA., native, is currently a director of BIO2 and ITS-USA.

We're excited about the speakers that are now finalizing their plans to take part in the Emerging Medical Technology track, a half-day symposium at the Norris Conference Center. Tickets for the event are $39 per person. As we finalize the computer and payment process for this event, we'll release this on our web site and also update this blog with more information.

Senior NASA IT exec to speak at Innotech

Jean E. Engle, the chief knowledge officer, the Johnson Space Center, in Houston is confirmed as a speaker for Innotech San Antonio on March 4. Ms. Engle has served in a variety of chief information officer positions with the space program.
Chief Knowledge Officer, Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX. Over the last several years, she has led JSC's involvement in a number of agencywide and centerwide information technology standards and security efforts. .

When you read her bio on the Innotech web site, you'll see an impressive background of technology management and innovation. We at Innotech are proud to have her as a featured speaker at this year's event.

Innotech San Antonio announces emerging medical technology symposium

This year, we're excited to announce that Innotech San Antonio has added a second day of activities with our first Emerging Medical Technology Symposium on March 3.
Last year, we hosted a panel on the emerging medical technology in San Antonio. The response was so excellent that we expanded the program to a half day. Thanks to folks like Gabriele Niederauer, vice president of research at ENTrigue, Don Taylor, president, TEAM Integrated Engineering, Diana Faulkner, Faulkner Management Group, and DeEnna Jensen,TEAM Integrated Engineering, the program is almost complete.
More details about this program will be forthcoming in this blog and through other media channels. As Charley the Tuna would say: "Stayed Tuna-ed."

Claus Mikkelson, chief scientist of Hitachi, to speak at Innotech

Claus Mikkelson, the chief scientist of Hitachi Data Systems, has agreed to serve as one of our speakers for San Antonio Innotech, March 4. Since joining HDS in 1998, Mikkelsen has been instrumental in defining the research and development strategy of the company's data storage technologies, including the industry-leading storage virtualization capabilities of the Universal Storage Platform. During his tenure at HDS, he was recognized for the design and patents of the NanoCopy technology and other related storage products.

Prior to joining HDS, Mikkelsen spent 15 years at IBM as a chief architect for designing the company's storage replication and disaster recovery products, and was responsible for introducing the industry's first intelligent functions embedded in storage arrays. These capabilities, initially licensed to other storage vendors, have become standard capabilities in all intelligent storage arrays in the industry.

A 30-year veteran of the storage industry, Mikkelsen holds 16 patents for storage subsystem architectures (with an additional one pending), and is on the Technical Advisory Board for a Silicon Valley company. He has also co-authored a book on disaster recovery called "The Resilient Enterprise" and has penned numerous news articles on storage availability and data center resiliency.

Rackspace named as title sponsor of Beta Summit

With the sponsorship of the San Antonio Innotech Beta Summit by Rackspace, we're excited about their role in this second event.
Last year, the event drew 10 applications. And, we know that with the help of folks like Rob LaGeese and others at Rackspace, that we can increase the number of quality applications.
Note: if you want to submit an application for the Beta Summit, please download the application at this site.

Second Beta Summit deadlines are fast approaching

Applications for the Second Annual Beta Summit at Innotech are fast approaching a Feb. 3 deadline.
If you know of a promising San Antonio-based company with a technology that needs mentoring or financial capital, please have them submit their application as soon as possible.
Applications are available at this site.
Those firms who meet the Feb. 3 deadline will present their ideas and concepts before San Antonio technology leaders on Feb. 19. From this group, six companies will be given the opportunity to present at the Beta Summit on March 4.
Thanks again to Marcel Johnson, vice-president of economic development, the Greater San Antonio Chamber of Commerce and his technology committee for their support in sponsoring this event.