Category: Uncategorized

In a recent report from industry website NerdWallet, two Connecticut cities were named as major technology hubs in the United States. While California's Silicon Valley is still the undisputed champion of the tech world in the country, other states are starting to see that field take off in their own backyards as well.

The two cities that made the cut in the NerdWallet study were Bridgeport and New Haven. In the top 50 cities across the country, these two were the only ones that represented Connecticut, as they were found to be the most progressive and forward-thinking of the other cities in terms of the technology industry.

So what sets Bridgeport and New Haven apart from other cities in the area? NerdWallet had a few different pieces of criteria that all of the top 50 cities counted needed to meet. These included number of patents per 1,000 residents, the financial support available to the industry, and how close together these tech startups are.

That last piece of information is arguably the most important, as it shows an area's ability to share inventive ideas and ability for people to collaborate. The more startups that are clustered together, the more innovators can benefit from the idea sharing and common labor pools. Connecticut has seen a steady rise in tech startups in recent years.

Whether or not you live in these two cities is not important, as you can be dedicated to your technological craft from any location. If you are looking to start your own tech company, be sure to work with KYO Logic for our custom database software. Check out the rest of our website to learn more about the products that we offer.

Gone are the days when law enforcement officials had to rely on outdated technology to aid their investigations. Thanks to some much-needed improvements in the state of Connecticut, solving crimes will be much more technologically advanced, thanks to a device known as the P-20 Leica Scan Station.

State police in Connecticut now have the ability to virtually recreate crime scenes in order to help them catch suspected killers and other wrongdoers. This kind of technology had been used sporadically throughout the state over the past few months, but will now be standard operating procedure. 

Through a combination of lasers and cameras, the virtual reality device can help detectives search through a crime scene long after they have left the physical location. The lasers take millions of measurements that could be potentially important to investigators.

The ability to step into the virtual world and see the entire space from a full 360 degrees allows law enforcement officials to recreate multiple perspectives, including that of the victim, any potential eyewitnesses or even the suspect themselves. Putting their focus into the scene of the crime can open up a new world of potential questioning.

State officials say it is essential that accounts given by eyewitnesses are backed up by facts. When and if any questions in the stories come up, investigators can look into and analyze them within this virtual world, and help them to build a case against the person or persons suspected of committing the crime.

If you are interested in custom database software, even if it isn't necessary to solve a crime, be sure to work with developer KYO Logic.

Starting your own business is a difficult process, especially if you are going into an industry that is as competitive as the technology industry. Creating your own company does not have to be impossible, however, as long as you follow a few simple guidelines.

Launching a tech startup is certainly not for the faint of heart, because you will have to deal with the mistakes and problems that come up during the creation process. All you need to do is follow the advice of those who have come before you.

Here are a few useful tips for creating your own tech startup:

• Build the right team: The secret to your success will be those you surround yourself with. You only want the best of the best employed at your business, so be sure to keep your eyes peeled for tech talent that will be sure to make a huge difference in your company.
• Get investors: Having enough money to get your business off the ground is essential to your success. Be sure to contact investors who are interested in getting in on the ground floor of a company to get cash to start successfully.
• Keep it simple: You don't want to overextend yourself too quickly, as this can spell doom for your company. As long as you keep yourself small and work to build yourself up, you won't put yourself at risk of going under too quickly.

If you work in the tech industry and need custom database software for your startup, be sure to work with developer KYO Logic. You want to get the most out of your Massachusetts technology business, and your success will be assured with our Boston Software development services.

According to a new analysis that took a look at every state in the country, the workforce in Massachusetts is the most technology-heavy in the United States. This information comes from a report released earlier this week by CompTIA, a technology industry trade association headquartered in Illinois.

In the Massachusetts labor force, according to the report, nearly one out of every 10 workers is employed in a technological field, such as software, telecom, tech manufacturing, among others. With just under 10 percent, 9.8 percent to be exact, in the technology industry, Massachusetts was able to edge Virginia out for the top spot in the country.

According to the United States Labor Department, this amount came out to nearly 300,000 employees in Massachusetts working with technology in one capacity or another. The average wage of a tech worker in Massachusetts was $121,000, the second-highest in the country and nearly double that of an average worker in any other industry.

Not only is the workforce becoming more technologically-savvy, but the tech industry in the Bay State is also continuing to grow steadily each year. In 2014 alone, nearly 9,000 jobs were added to the technology field, making Massachusetts the fourth-largest in terms of job growth. There was also a growth in the number of positions advertised, with 16 percent more openings in late 2014 than there were a year before.

If you work with technology and need custom database software for your job, be sure to work with developer KYO Logic. Be sure to make the most out of your Massachusetts technology job, whether you are part of a larger company or launching your own startup.

Civic technology, aimed at developing solutions to benefit a community's population, is an area that is attracting widespread interest in recent times. In New York City, a new private initiative is seeking to encourage its development through collaboration between academics, engineers and data scientists, to name a few. The founders of the Personal Democracy Forum, an annual event on the influence of the Internet on politics and advocacy, have recently opened Civic Hall in Manhattan's Flatiron District.

Civic Hall has 18,500 square feet of work, conference and event space. Here, private companies are coming together to develop innovative solutions like air conditioners with low carbon emissions. Public organizations, including the New York Public Library, are collaborating with programming events at the Hall.

Throughout the city, tech companies are growing at an unprecedented pace, as Mayor Bill de Blasio has followed in the footsteps of his predecessor, Michael Bloomberg, in fostering IT development with tax breaks, imitating San Francisco's model. Major companies like BuzzFeed and Etsy have million-dollar tax credits, and much smaller companies are feeling the benefits as well.

According to Jones Lang LaSalle, employment in the tech sector is up 40 percent since 2008 in New York City, with the yearly rate at 8.4 percent, compared to 5.2 percent in Silicon Valley. Venture capital investment is up 138 percent in the past year. Digital media, online retail and software developing companies are leading the charge.

In the case of app and other software developers, New York companies are often thriving by gearing their products specifically to city dwellers. By understanding and targeting a specific audience, the city's tech sector is cementing its place as a national leader.

The great thing about Massachusetts is that it is currently in the middle of major growth in its technology industry. In fact, a recent report from the research firm CB Insights found that the Bay State is currently third in the country for tech startups. Now is the perfect opportunity to be a part of the creative innovations being done in this field.

But what do some of the best startups in the state look like? Finding the best of the best to invest in or be a part of in other ways can be tricky, especially with so many new companies popping up all over the place.

Here are a few tech startups to keep an eye on:

• "Now is the perfect opportunity to be a part of the creative innovations being done in this field."

  ClearSky Data: While the digital world continues to grow, we all need places in which to store our data. ClearSky will aim to help businesses with their data storage needs through various products and services it develops.

• Drafted: While little is known about this startup currently, according to state filing papers it will revolve around technology-enabled human resources services. This is great news for a part of the corporate world that can often lag behind others when it comes to being updated and technologically efficient.
• nToggle: This is a startup that is all about digital advertising. The main goal of this new company, which was incorporated in September of last year, is to help both buyers and sellers trade with both greater efficiency and transparency.

If you are looking to have your Massachusetts tech startup make the most of your custom database software, be sure to work with developer Kyo Logic.

Venture capital database CB Insights has published its 2014 Global Tech Exits Report, which documents the number of startups that exited, that is, went public or were acquired, last year. As it did in 2013, New York came in second among U.S. states with 158 exits, behind only perennial leader California, which recorded 523. The Empire State warded off third-place Massachusetts, with 113.

New York's biggest exit was loan financing platform OnDeck, which went public on December 17 and raised $200 million, being valued at approximately $1.3 billion. Other significant deals were the acquisition of mobile and tablet retargeting company TapCommerce by Twitter and the IPO of digital media company Everyday Health, each worth about $100 million.

Prospects are good for the market to stay active in 2015, starting with the IPO of popular crafts e-commerce site Etsy, which is expected to raise about $300 million sometime during the first quarter. Funding has been increasing for established companies and the number of startups that are being valued at or above $1 billion is also on the rise.

"There are a lot more high-value startups now, and with that we could see an increasing number of venture-capital-backed exits, and bigger exits than we've seen before," said CB Insights analyst Michael Dempsey. "Two years ago, [the $1.1 billion sale of ] Tumblr was a big moment for New York. I think you're going to be seeing that a lot more frequently moving forward."

While California will continue to dominate the tech landscape in the near future, states like Massachusetts and New York have developed environments in which software developing companies can thrive and find major financial success.

The Massachusetts Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development has published its latest report on the state's employment data. In December, Massachusetts added nearly 11,000 jobs, making a total of 60,900 new jobs in 2014, the fifth straight year of job growth, and about 200,000 since the end of the Great Recession. Over the course of last year, the unemployment rate fell from 7.1 percent to 5.5 percent, the lowest since August 2008.

As The Boston Globe notes, the tech industry, along with biotechnology and life sciences, helped Massachusetts emerge from the recession before many other states. According to the Office of Labor, the professional, scientific and business services industry added almost 13,000 jobs in 2014, behind only education and health services.

"Today's jobs report shows progress as the Commonwealth continues to reduce unemployment, but there is still much work to be done," said Governor Charlie Baker, who will be looking to build on these strong numbers after taking office this month. "Our Administration is committed to closing our state's deficit and focusing on meaningful steps to improve employment opportunities for everyone everywhere, especially veterans returning home, students entering the workforce, and those living in regions of our state still waiting for economic recovery."

Recent developments show that state officials are relying on the IT sector to provide a further boost to the regional economy. So far in 2015, Boston Mayor Marty Walsh has announced the creation of a startup portal for the city and a bill has been introduced in the General Court to promote collaboration between companies and municipalities. Massachusetts software developing companies should see their prospects improve in the coming months.

Cambridge, Massachusetts-based cloud services provider Akamai Technologies has released its latest State of the Internet report for the third quarter of 2014. The report provides valuable data on global and national broadband speeds, and this most recent edition brings very good news for the state of Connecticut.

According to Akamai's study, Connecticut's peak speeds jumped 25 percent in Q3, more than those of any other state, to 71 megabits per second. That puts it in second place in the United States, behind only Delaware at 75.7. The U.S. average is just 48.8 Mbps, dragged down by many rural states. Connecticut's 71 Mbps make it slower than just three countries: Hong Kong, Singapore and South Korea.

Rounding out the top five states are Massachusetts (63.7 Mbps), Washington (62.6) and Virginia (61.8), with the District of Columbia at 63.1. Forty-seven states increased their speed in Q3, the exceptions being Kentucky, tied for slowest in the nation, and New Hampshire and Oregon, which are in the middle of the pack. Akamai says that average peak speeds reflect a territory's capacity better than simply average speeds.

"This is yet another measure in which Connecticut doesn't just compete with our fellow states when it comes to internet speed — it blows away the competition," said Connecticut Senate majority leader Bob Duff to The Daily Voice. "This is a home run for Connecticut, and the kind of news that both individuals and small businesses can really get excited about."

A growing number of state and local governments are realizing that fast internet speeds are a necessity for their businesses to thrive. Connecticut FileMaker developer Kyo Logic can help local companies grow through the development of customized databases and business apps.

The Massachusetts Legislative Tech Hub Caucus has finalized plans to introduce a so-called "Innovative Communities" bill to the Massachusetts General Court. The Caucus is co-chaired by State Senator Karen Spilka and Representative Ann-Margaret Ferrante. The bill, which Spilka introduced in the Senate on Friday, aims to connect the state's cities and towns with emerging technologies developed by Massachusetts companies.

Spilka met with members of the tech community following her re-election last November. At the meeting, a panel of judges that included iRobot CEO Colin Angle picked the idea for the bill in a contest modeled after startup pitch competitions. Industry insiders complained that startups often struggle to secure contracts with local councils.

"The process is lengthy and hard for them to understand," agreed Spilka. "We're trying to be innovative and creative. We're sending a message to the startup and tech community that Massachusetts is a welcoming place to do business."

This has turned out to be something of a momentous week for the Massachusetts IT community. During Tuesday's state of the city address, Boston Mayor Marty Walsh announced the creation of StartHub, a startup portal to help entrepreneurs connect with the city and with each other. The city will soon begin the search for its "startup czar," who will be in charge of city-community relations, according to Mayor Walsh's chief of staff.

With the Innovative Communities bill, the Tech Hub Caucus hopes to boost both technological adoption among municipalities and growth opportunities for the state's software developing companies. By bringing private initiatives and public funding together, the Massachusetts tech scene can remain a leader on the national stage.