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Connecticut’s approach to technological development has largely been locally driven rather than statewide in recent times, and that is certainly the case when it comes to the adoption of super-fast internet. Ten municipalities have agreed to an initiative to install optic-fiber internet with speeds up to one gigabit per second, more than 100 times faster than the current average home connection. The expectation is that more towns, perhaps dozens, will join in the coming weeks.

In this case, the state is taking an active role in the project, although it will have to be the municipalities themselves that decide to participate. State Comptroller Kevin Lembo and Consumer Counsel Elin Swanson Katz both agreed that high-speed internet is no longer just a luxury but a necessity for Connecticut’s businesses to be able to compete on the national stage. Across the country, cities are striking deals with providers, with Kansas City, Missouri, and Louisville, Kentucky, these are well-known cities that probably don’t need the states in their titles among the largest ones.

As this blog reported in September, New Haven, Stamford and West Hartford were the first to drive this initiative, which now appears to be moving forward. Still, this is a costly enterprise. The biggest expense is what is known as the “last mile,” which is actually bringing the optic fiber to each individual business and residence. While this should prove easier in Connecticut than in more rural areas, the final bill could surpass $100 million.

There are several local and private initiatives underway to try to make Connecticut a leader in the STEM fields. Ultra-high speed internet would be a major boost to the state’s software developing companies and to the region’s plans of becoming an IT hub.

The Meriden Board of Education has taken a major step toward helping Connecticut develop its standing in the STEM fields. Board members this week voted to scrap plans to renovate automotive shops at the city's two high schools, Francis T. Maloney and Orville H. Platt, and convert them into labs. They stressed the importance of modernizing education in accordance with 21st century employment opportunities.

"Obviously, we'd love to have both options available in our high schools, but we just can't afford a full-blown auto shop and a STEM lab," said superintendent Mark D. Benigni to the Record-Journal. "I strongly support the board's decision. We're building schools for the next 50 years."

Maloney High School already discontinued its automotive course four years ago due to low demand and the inability to find a new teacher when the position was vacated, and had been using the shop to store music equipment, according to principal Jennifer Staub. Platt, on the other hand, has 68 students taking the course, but the principal said the labs will offer more interdisciplinary opportunities. Meriden is also home to H.C. Wilcox Technical High School.

Bill McDonough, president of the Connecticut Technology and Engineering Education Association, said that Meriden's case is typical of the state's so far. Connecticut's STEM efforts have been localized and driven by community efforts, and McDonough believes state authorities should take a more hands-on approach to give students better opportunities.

Local managed IT services software companies contribute to Connecticut's tech growth, providing businesses with the support they need to thrive in today's IT-driven corporate landscape.

Connecticut continues to be a national leader in technological innovation. The Milken Institute think tank ranked the state ninth in its latest State Tech and Science Index, a biennial evaluation of all 50 states according to their tech-driven economic development. It is the sixth straight edition in which Connecticut has been inside the top 10. The state received an average score of 65.5 out of 100.

In Connecticut's case, the high marks are a result of a steady influx of capital and a focus on research by both private and public organizations. Of the five indices that make up the average, the highest ranking was in human capital investment, where Connecticut was third nationally with a score of 75.9, followed by a tenth-place ranking in research and development inputs.

Not all the results are positive, however, as Connecticut fell in four of the five indices, and dropped out of the top 20 altogether in technology concentration and dynamism. This data should drive state leaders to continue investing heavily to ensure that the Nutmeg State remains in the top tier two years from now.

Unsurprisingly, the Northeast region has a strong presence at the top of the list, with Massachusetts, the overall leader for the fifth straight edition of the index, and New Hampshire both joining Connecticut in the top 10. New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Vermont are all ranked between 11 and 18.

Managed IT services software developers can help local companies thrive and keep Connecticut in its rightful place as a national leader in technology development.

Administrations at the federal, state and local levels are stressing the value of implementing technological solutions in schools, and the White House on Wednesday recognized Connecticut as a leader in this area. Ed Drapp, the superintendent of Connecticut's sixth school district, was one of the invitees to a summit on technology in the classroom, which Representative Elizabeth Esty (D-Conn.) also attended.

The summit was part of the private-public ConnectED Initiative to bring broadband internet to all schools. The Federal Communications Commission has invested $2 billion to that end, and 10 companies have matched that total. Attendees took part in panel discussions about the benefits and challenges of implementing technology in education centers, and success stories, including Connecticut's, were highlighted.

In the state's sixth district, Wamogo Regional High School in Litchfield has created a so-called "makerspace" where students can experiment with technology, including a 3D printer. Esty, for her part, is a member of the United States House Committee on Science, Space and Technology, and stressed the importance of students learning to use technology that will be essential once they enter the job market.

"One of the things that we also need to do is to yank our schools into the 21st century when it comes to technology, and providing the tools and training that teachers need to use that technology to prepare all of our students for the competition that they're going to face globally," said President Barack Obama at the meeting.

Public officials nationwide are stressing the importance of providing students with the necessary tools to develop the STEM fields and keep the U.S. at the forefront of the technology world.

The United States saw a 4 percent increase in the number of startups applying for funding in the third quarter over Q2, according to investment platform Gust. Interestingly, the gap between the East and West coasts is shrinking, and much of that is due to the growth of New York's tech sector: in the Empire State, the quarterly increase was a remarkable 13 percent.

The state's IT industry has been growing for years, but 2014 has seen the launch of a number of public initiatives that are boosting the sector even more. Governor Andrew Cuomo, who was recently re-elected to a new four-year term, launched the online platform Start-Up NY to provide major tax breaks and access to college resources, along with networking opportunities to new companies.

At the local level, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio introduced a portal, Digital.NYC, with extensive databases of startups, investors, job listings, conferences and networking events. That followed the 43North initiative in Buffalo, which recently announced the 11 winners of a total of $5 million in funding.

New York is now the second most active state in startup applications for funding, behind California, whose rate decreased by 6 percent in Q3. Rounding out the top five are Florida, Texas and Washington state. Software developing companies are at the forefront of the global startup growth, with a 52 percent quarterly increase worldwide.

Gust's data shows development in both traditional IT hotbeds and emerging markets: the top countries by startup activity are the United States, India, Canada, France and Brazil. It's an exciting time for startups everywhere, and the opportunities for expansion have never been greater.

The use of mobile apps in the business world is on the rise — nearly 5 billion enterprise apps will be downloaded by the end of this year, according to one estimate. The trend is not only expected to continue, it could see a massive increase as major IT players enter the market. The highest-profile announcement for the industry has been the partnership between Apple, Inc. and IBM, which will work together to develop about 100 B2B apps, and others could follow suit.

In a recent Mobile Helix survey, more than half of respondents estimated that their organizations' productivity could grow by about 40 percent if their existing apps were mobile. Mobile apps help improve operations by boosting collaboration among teams and workers in different locations, sales and marketing by providing real-time information, and training by delivering in-context guidance.

In an article in the Harvard Business Review, Joe Panepinto, vice president of branding agency Jack Morton Worldwide, gives his "four C's" to define the ways mobile apps help businesses:

• Consistency: Virtually all mobile apps operate on either Android or iOS, which makes life easier for IT teams and users.
• Control: Mobile solutions ensure that all employees are working with the same information, regardless of their physical location.
• Creativity: Mobile devices have unique functionality that is constantly evolving, providing plenty of opportunities for developers to experiment.
• Credibility: People use mobile devices all the time, and companies that adopt them for their business project an image of modernity.

For software developing companies, the enterprise world provides countless new opportunities to expand their operations, fulfilling the needs of businesses across all industries.

New York City is attracting a growing number of IT companies, and both public and private initiatives are in place to develop a vibrant tech scene in the city. While many have talked about the potential of one day turning New York into a hub that can compete with Silicon Valley, at least one influential investor believes that the Big Apple is already finding its own unique identity with a focus on software over hardware.

Eric Hippeau has served on the boards of directors of companies including The Huffington Post and Yahoo!, and is now a partner at a New York-based angel fund that specializes in IT investment. He recently spoke with Internet forum Big Think about the similarities and differences between the two coasts, and noted that New York, despite lagging behind California in major tech companies, still has the highest demand for consumer technology.

"The big difference is that New York focuses more on the software layer, on the application and the services layer so that we're really good at software in New York," he said. "We're good at platforms. We're good at consumer facing applications. We're good at enterprise software, software as a service. We're good at a variety of different domains."

Software developing companies can serve myriad other industries where New York is second to none. Although Hippeau believes that technology has evolved to the point that a company's physical location does not determine success, he notes that New York, because of its abundant and diverse population, is a natural target for venture capitalists.

New York may never match Silicon Valley in the hardware design sector, but its software potential is unlimited.

New York City is home to a growing number of tech and media startups, and local authorities and business leaders came together last week to discuss how they can ensure that situation continues. At the first-ever TAMI Talks event, organized by Politico subsidiary Capital New York and real estate services firm Cushman & Wakefield, topics of conversation included how to attract new talent to the city while tapping into the existing pool.

Speakers highlighted the diversity of America's largest city as a strong point, but acknowledged that they should look to Silicon Valley for tips on how best to take full advantage of that diversity. It was noted that non-tech workers in tech companies have salaries that are 45 percent higher than the city's average, but unemployment is very high among black and Latino college graduates.

Another area of concern as the industry welcomes more startups and small businesses is the price and availability of real estate.

"New York is tricky, New York is not easy to grow in," said BuzzFeed CFO Mark Frackt. "When you are American Express or Sony, and you are growing at a rate that is fairly predictable on an annual basis, you can plan your real estate more practically. When you are a high-growth company, it is frankly harder to do."

Some cities have helped their software developing companies by laying down optic fiber networks. A representative from the mayor's office said that possibility has not been ruled out, but that in the meantime authorities are working to ensure that broadband internet is widely available. They hope to encourage competition among providers that will improve service throughout the city.

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is one of the largest tech hubs on the East Coast but, despite the presence of IT companies of all sizes and leading educational institutions, the state is still not producing enough computer scientists to meet the ever-growing demand. The Bay State houses offices of tech giants like Google, Microsoft and the Oracle Corporation, not to mention thousands of startups, and the sector now makes up more than one fifth of the gross domestic product.

According to non-profit Code.org, only 2.4 percent of American college graduates are majoring in computer science these days, and the sector is rife with employment opportunities. Now, business and political leaders in Massachusetts are teaming up to raise that percentage.

Governor Deval Patrick launched the Innovation Schools program in 2012 to create special centers with a focus on IT where students in the eighth grade and up have access to cutting-edge technology. The Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education is also in talks with groups to expand tech solutions to all levels of education.

"In the past few years we have introduced an introductory course for non-majors that enrolls over 200 students," said Worcester Polytechnic Institute computer science head Craig Wills to Boston.com. "We're seeing students recognize the value and importance of learning the material, but it's certainly not required. Courses should be so good that students see the value in taking them."

Software developing companies and other businesses with IT needs are hiring at a record pace, buoyed by the recovering economy and constant technological evolution. Politicians can help their regions become IT leaders by promoting tech education among the younger generations.

A growing number of cities and states across the country are realizing the importance of expanding schools' information technology education programs. The number of businesses that don't depend to a very high degree on technology is small and shrinking fast, and in-depth IT is no longer an area that can reasonably be limited to higher education.

The latest public figure to call for expanded IT training programs is Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer, who said this week that she has requested a meeting with New York City Schools Chancellor Carmen Fariña to discuss the creation of a specific tech high school diploma and an increase in investment for computer science classes.

Brewer estimates that the New York City Department of Education (NYCDOE) should invest $25 million over the next five years to purchase the necessary hardware and software to expand training programs throughout the city. She added that Fariña has already expressed willingness to take action.

"We are committed to using technology in our classrooms to foster and facilitate student learning and growth and provide our students with the skills for college and beyond," said NYCDOE spokeswoman Devora Kaye in a statement. "We look forward to working with Borough President Brewer and communities across the city to address the urgency of technology education, to better understand and address our schools' technology needs, and to ensure that all our students have access to quality technology curricula and supplies."

On Tuesday, voters throughout the state will decide whether to approve the Smart Schools Bond Act, another public initiative to equip schools with state-of-the-art technology. Authorities hope that computer science education today will make New York a top destination for IT and software developing companies down the road.