ITCND would like to congratulate the winners of the 2010 North Dakota IT Awards:

• Premier IT Business to Intelligent InSites of Fargo
• Technology Innovator to TMI Systems Design Corporation of Dickinson
• North Dakota IT Champion to Catherine Dalzell, Center for Technology and Business, of Bismarck

"This year's winners have made significant contributions to North Dakota's IT industry through their development of IT solutions, use of innovative technology and delivery of technology to North Dakota citizens," says Gary Inman, ITCND president. "ITCND looks forward to recognizing them for their achievements."

The winners will be recognized at the IT Awards Program held in conjunction with the North Dakota IT Symposium on May 12 at Hilton Garden Inn in Fargo. To register for the Symposium, click here.

ND IT Symposium co-hosts, ITCND and the Fargo CIO Exchange, encourage IT executives and their management teams to attend the 2nd Annual ND IT Symposium to be held May 12 at the Hilton Garden Inn, Fargo. Seating is limited, so be sure to register today!

A full agenda and additional details on keynote speakers, breakout sessions and attendees is available here.

ITCND Discount

ITCND members receive a $50 discount by entering Promo Code: ITCND when registering online. Membership will be verified upon registration. If you are not a member and are interested in joining, visit our website or contact Deana Wiese, executive director, at 701-355-4458.

Hope to see you there!

Valley City State University and the Sheyenne Valley Area Career and Technology Center are looking for youth sponsors for the first-ever Business and Information Technology (BAIT) summer camp to be held June 15-18, 2010, in Valley City. 

The camp will give high school students the opportunity to experience multiple hands-on activities in the areas of business and information technology, such as business enterprise systems, computer networking, robotics, graphics and Global Positioning Systems. Students also will be assisted in developing personal career plans. 

Student sponsorships are available at $200 each. Sponsorships will be recognized through:

• Inclusion on all promotional materials and announcements,
• Signage recognizing your contribution at the various events, and
• Recognition at the award ceremony.

For more information on sponsorships and the camp, visit here or contact Kerry Gregoryk at 701-845-7519.

Valley City State University (VCSU) has a ND Center of Excellence grant from the Department of Commerce to provide customized training in IT areas and to create new IT jobs in ND. The business unit is called Enterprise University, and it is looking to define a narrower direction to continue operations while staying aligned with the original goals of the grant.

On the academic side, the Division of Business and Information Technology has been integrating SAP into several of its courses in the Computer Information Systems and Business Administration majors over the past three years. Faculty has had extensive training in several areas and has participated in multiple meetings of the SAP University Alliance and America's SAP Users Group (ASUG).

In order to utilize this experience and expertise, faculty from VCSU are conducting a study to determine feasibility and demand for SAP based training and services, as well as general information regarding hiring and training employees. They have requested participation from ITCND members in a survey to gather this data. Responses will be compiled and analyzed to ascertain needs in the region that can be served through VCSU's Enterprise University.

Your completion of the 10-minute survey would be greatly appreciated. For additional information, contact Kerry Gregoryk at 701-845-7519.

Praxis Strategy Group - Grand Forks and Fargo, ND

Praxis Strategy Group is a growth strategy company that works on economic and workforce development and regional prosperity initiatives for clients across the United States. Core services include economic research, competitive assessments, strategic planning and management of initiatives and projects, e.g. the Red River Valley Research Corridor. 

Praxis Strategy Group and Joel Kotkin publish newgeography.com, a public policy news and information website that provides analysis and commentary on economic development, demographics, economics, politics and other public policy issues. It features writing and research from authors across the United States, Europe, China and New Zealand and publishes an annual "Best Cities for Job Growth" in partnership with Forbes.com. Planetizen, recognized as one of the world's most popular urban planning websites, included newgeography.com on its 2010 list of the best planning, design and development websites for 2010. The sites named to the annual list are said to represent some of the top online resources for those interested in planning, design and development.

Praxis Strategy Group is located in Grand Forks and Fargo with affiliate offices in Los Angeles and Sacramento, California, and Accra, Ghana, West Africa, making fast, reliable connectivity vital for business operations and project work.

Future opportunities for Praxis Strategy Group and the IT industry in the state: Our goal is to sustain and continue to grow newgeography.com as one of the premier public policy news and information sources on the Internet. This enables us to reach out to researchers, development professionals and leaders on a global basis and, thereby, impact policies and practices related to economic growth and development. 

Current challenges facing Praxis Strategy Group and the IT industry in the state: Our state benefits from excellent broadband connectivity, which enables users at virtually every level of technological sophistication to do what they need to do to stay competitive. The challenge will be to continually increase the skill level of users at a scale that is sufficient to warrant future upgrades of the technology.

Learn more about Praxis Strategy Group here or by contacting Delore Zimmerman at 701-775-3354.  

If you are interested in having your business featured in an upcoming "Member Bits & Bytes," email ITCND.  Requests will be honored on a first-come, first-served basis.