Information Technology (IT) – it’s a broad term that encompasses everything from server warehouses to healthcare diagnostics. In fact, any time technology merges with vital information that needs to be stored, maintained and recalled, IT is at the forefront. Taking IT’s responsibility one step further, all this information must be kept safe and secure from fraudulent activity and IT companies today are expected to provide the utmost reliability to their customers.
One way IT industry leaders can stay competitive is by having a business location that includes a supportive tech ecosystem as well as high quality infrastructure/connectivity that runs throughout the business area. IT companies like Orion Technology Services, MDSL, Neosystems and ITyXwho have recently announced locating in Orlando, have discovered that the region has a robust supportive tech community and a high quality infrastructure/connectivity in place.
A supportive ecosystem
Naturally, IT companies will rise with emerging tech hubs in order to maintain the new technology advances being accessed and utilized. And with the recent announcement of several IT companies expanding and locating in the region Orlando’s tech scene is solidified as an up-and-coming tech hub.
Orlando’s tech evolution in recent years is evident. A legitimate tech startup culture has been fueled by groups such as the Orlando Tech Association, the Florida High Tech Corridor Council and IQ Orlando, and is showcased by events like the Orlando Tech Meetup (the Southeast’s largest startup and tech monthly meetup) and Orlando iX. In fact, Orlando’s tech scene has gained the attention of national media like Bloomberg West (“Why Orlando may be the next Silicon Valley”) and Fox Business (“Orlando Mayor on city’s growing tech scene”).
The region’s tech economy actually predates Orlando’s world-renowned tourism industry when Lockheed Martin and other major defense contractors established a presence in the region to support the space race in the mid-1950’s. Today, approximately 80,000 jobs in Orlando, or seven percent of the 1.2 million people working in the region, are enabled by, produce or facilitate technology in some way – truly establishing the region as an emerging tech hub.
Infrastructure of connectivity
Orlando has the most advanced telecommunications assets in the southeast with gigabit service continuously spreading across Central Florida, building strong connectivity. Broadband giants like AT+T and CenturyLink are expanding service, allowing daily users and IT experts alike the opportunity to experience instantaneous service when connecting to the cloud, hosting a video conference, and interacting with real-time online support, data maintenance and more.
The gigabit service is not entirely new to Orlando. Lake Nona Medical City became one of the nation’s first gigabit communities in 2012, even gaining the attention of the White House who stated the area was “an example of a forward-looking community” and causing John Chambers, CEO of Cisco to designate Lake Nona as its first ‘iconic’ Smart + Connected™ community in the United States. Cisco plans to work with Lake Nona over the next 15 years to build out Smart+Connected™ community solutions, including Smart Work Centers, and Innovation and Incubation Centers.
Orlando’s advanced utility services are also key in the region’s innate ability to stay connected. Landlocked Orlando is protected from hurricane devastation – vital to IT storehouses. In 2004, a record-setting hurricane season, Orlando’s downtown corridor never lost power and major technological centers never experienced an interruption in utility service.
Orlando’s high-quality infrastructure has earned recognition as a top 10 “American Cities of the Future” by fDi Magazine (Foreign Direct Investment), proving the region is fully equipped to meet and exceed the needs of any industry – you can depend on it.