Several new Information Technology related initiatives were announced during the recent Montana Economic Summit. The Summit, organized by Montana Senator Max Baucus featured an impressive line-up of speaker CEO/COO/CIOs from the technical industry including: Google, Facebook, Tesla, Conoco-Phillips, Boeing, Oracle, Ford, and HP. These industry leaders spoke on topics covering economic growth, job creation, innovation, and entrepreneurship.
In a related development, the University of Montana announced a new facility that will allow students to
learn about cybersecurity and use “big data” to solve real-world
problems. The Cyber Innovation
Laboratory is a collaboration with state technology companies. The lab is
an outgrowth of UM’s programs, research and technology, and it will be
funded initially through donations from private tech companies. “The
Cyber Innovation Laboratory at UM will be a place where students are
given real-world experience and learn the technical skills that
employees require in this dynamic and growing industry,” stated UM president
Royce Engstrom. Cybersecurity is a proposed new plan of study offered at Missoula College.
Missoula Economic Partnership (MEP) President James Grunke’s focus at the summit was spreading the word and making connections
to help boost the organization’s Big Data Alliance, focused on creating
educational and business opportunities in the big data and
cybersecurity industries in Missoula.
Complete details are available from the Missoula and Summit Websites: Gruenke | Cyber Innovation Lab | Montana Economic Summit
