SAO Releases "Move" DVD
By John Tortorici, president, SAO
We know from feedback that our member companies are highly supportive of activities that attract and retain technology companies to Oregon. The SAO, in conjunction with OECDD, PDC and OEDA as well as several industry partners, has created
a promotional "Move to Oregon" DVD, which reflects the infrastructure support a software/technology company can expect to draw upon from the state's software industry cluster. Through an easy-to-use interactive presentation with embedded
video clips, the DVD captures the benefits of moving to Oregon on both a business and personal level. All regions in the state are represented, and links to agencies such as OECDD, PDC and Regional Economic Development agencies round out
the research resources rthat are outinely used by software companies planning a move. The DVD contains content supplied by the many stakeholders represented and this content will be maintained by these supporting agencies via the SAO
website. Periodically, a new master DVD will be burned for duplication and distribution. We intend to have the DVD content on the SAO website shortly, so stay tuned. If you would like to order hard copies of the DVD for use in your
recruitment or retention activities please send an email to
info@sao.org with the subject "Move DVD".
Table of Contents
Industry News
Rising to the Workforce Development Challenge
by Stephanie Lambert, manager of Student & Educator Services, BEC
Proactively developing a future workforce is a challenge for many organizations. It is a challenge that needs to be met head-on in order to remain competitive in the changing global economy. Some SAO members have met this challenge by
joining the SAO initiative "SEED: Seeding a Future Workforce" by opening their doors to interns, their future employees. Read on to find out which companies are leading the charge and how they are benefiting from their involvement. 
Oregon's Defense and Security Hub
by Jim Thayer, senior economic development manager, Portland Development Commission
The events of 9/11 altered our nation's defensive needs from large armament systems to more flexible and responsive military and homeland security solutions. See how Portland has evolved a significant competence in the development of
security oriented solutions – both in hardware and software – as the basis for a security cluster.
Quick Survey
This month the SAO is conducting a survey to gather intelligence about international sales and the support currently available for a company looking to sell internationally. Please take a moment to answer these eight "Yes" or "No"
survey questions.
Click here to begin.
Resource Center News
Cyber Awareness, Responsibility and Ethics: CARE Comes to Town
by George Heuston, FBI (Ret.), Hillsboro Police Department
A group called CARE (Cyber Awareness, Responsibility, and Ethics) has a mission to "To help kids become safe and responsible citizens of the cyber community."
Find out what they're doing and how you can help.
Writing Effective Use Cases: Agile Requirements for Large Projects
by Ed Carroll, executive, Agilis Solutions
Complex products tend to be more dynamic than simple ones, increasing the likelihood that changes will be needed. Products developed under the Agile development methods (XP, SCRUM, etc.) are demonstrating significant advantages to
traditional methods in responding to dynamic requirements. However, Agile methods have typically been applied to small projects. This article will provide some practical examples of how to apply lessons from Agile development methods
through Use Case creation on large complex projects.
Avoid Costly Hiring Mistakes by Improving Selection Performance
by Roy Notowitz, partner, Generator Group
Hiring mistakes can cost your software company dearly in employee morale, productivity and even customers. Learn how to avoid hiring mistakes by applying time-tested interviewing techniques described in this article.
Open Source Conference Returns to Portland
by Linda Barney, Barney and Associates
In August,
OSCON, the international open source conference sponsored by O'Reilly Media, returned to Portland for the fourth year. OSCON 2006 included keynote speeches and an executive-briefing session that summarized open source trends, changes
in the software industry and interviews with executives from Yahoo, Google, Amazon, Craigslist, Microsoft and a wide variety of open source companies. OSCON featured technical sessions; discussions of the GPL; tutorials for Apache,
Emerging Topics, Java, Linux, MySQL, Perl, PHP, PostgreSQL, Phython, Ruby, Security, and XML; and products and services. The Exhibit Hall contained booths showcasing open source products, applications, services and associations.
Protect Your Rights by Marking Your Web Site
by Ariel Rogson, attorney, Marger Johnson & McCollom
Does your website offer products or services? Are those products or services covered by patents? And do you make that known on your website? A recent high-profile court ruling may impact your approach.
Global Markets Represent New Frontier for Oregon
by Ryan McKinstry, intern, and Scott Goddin, director, Portland U.S. Export Assistance Center
As Oregon firms review their global opportunities, a key factor in developing an international marketing strategy should be an assessment of the level of protection afforded intellectual property (IP) rights for software in potential
markets. In May 2006, the Business Software Alliance (BSA) released its third annual survey of global piracy in the software industry. This analysis will review some of their findings and recommend additional resources for building an
international IP strategy.
Company Profile
Company Profile: Digimarc
by Kate McPherron, technology evangelist
Digimarc Corporation has been through many changes in its first 10 years, including a quick rise to fame in the Internet era, acquisition of a company seven times its size, an overnight market shift after September 11, 2001, and numerous
regulatory and business challenges. Now, in 2006, after passing the $100 million mark in revenues, the company appears to be settling into a stable strategy, ready to exploit all that it has learned, and prosper. In this article, Kate
McPherron learns all about Digimarc's first 10 years through a Q&A with Bruce Davis, the company's CEO.
SAO News
SAO Announces New Partnership with AmeriBen/IEC for HR Services
In order to continue to serve the needs of our members, the SAO has reached an agreement with AmeriBen/IEC Group to provide outsourced HR Management Services. AmeriBen/IEC Group provides knowledge and expertise for organizations of all
sizes to respond to and comply with complex and challenging Human Resource issues. They can help you to support your infrastructure and manage Human Resource staffing to impact your bottom line.
Click here to learn more information about the services that AmeriBen/IEC Group can provide you.
Click here to learn more about the SAO Member Services, leveraging the buying power of a 600-member organization in order to say you money!
Oregon Training Network Forms New Partnership to Deliver Local ITIL Training
The
Oregon Training Network (OTN) is proud to announce a partnership with
AmerIT Learning to deliver local ITIL training and certification. AmerIT Learning is a dynamic resource in the growing ITIL landscape, whose instructors have unparalleled real world experience in IT service management and customer
service as well as consulting and training know-how. EVERY instructor (not just those leading advanced courses) is fully ITIL Service Manager trained leading a class. This is a standard matched by few, if any, in the industry. This
partnership will allow the OTN to provide cost-effective ITIL training ranging from awareness-level, half-day programs to in-depth, practitioner-level training and certification.
Please see the OTN
course calendar for class information.
SAO Brings Open Source Training to Oregon
The
Oregon Training Network is joining forces with the
OpenNMS Group to offer a new, local, open source training opportunity! OpenNMS is the first open source network management solution to be designed from the ground up to monitor a large enterprise. OpenNMS is truly open source. All
code associated with the project is available under the GNU General Public License. At the end of the three-day, hands-on training, students will be able to install OpenNMS, perform basic administration, and then discover and manage their
network via the web-based user interface.
Please see the OTN
course calendar for class information.
Sponsor Spotlight: Ant Hill Marketing
SAO's sponsors enable the association to fulfill its purpose: "To foster and promote the quality and growth of Oregon's software industry by serving its key needs." We now recognize our newest sponsor, Ant Hill Marketing.
Who's New
If this newsletter should go to others in your organization, please contact
Judy Cumby-Law.
Member Headlines
Kronos needs to be #1 in lineup
Kronos Incorporated (Nasdaq: KRON), a leading provider of software and services that empower organizations to effectively manage their workforce, announced it has signed an agreement to acquire privately held, Beaverton, Oregon-based
Unicru Inc., a leading provider of talent management solutions, for $150 million in cash.
EasyStreet names finance, marketing directors
EasyStreet Online Services, Inc. recently named two new executives: Jack Flug as Director of Finance and Karen Karger as Marketing Communications Manager.
Desktop Linux Integration Nears with Portland Project Beta Release
The "Portland Project," the collaborative venture that simplifies the process of porting and integrating applications for leading Linux desktops, today announced the Beta release of its programming interfaces for GNOME and KDE
environments. Several of the global Linux distributors have indicated a commitment to support their application vendors with early versions of the Portland Project tools.
D.A. Davidson & Co. Bolsters Presence with New Office, Professionals in Eastern Washington; Regional Brokerage Firm Continues Northwest Growth
D.A. Davidson & Co., the largest full-service investment firm based in the Northwest, announced the opening of a new office in Walla Walla, Washington, and the addition of a group of financial consultants in nearby Kennewick.
OSDL Signs Up Xandros to Accelerate Adoption of Desktop Linux
Open Source Development Labs (OSDL), a global consortium dedicated to accelerating the adoption of Linux® and open source software, and Xandros, the leading provider of easy-to-use Linux alternatives to Windows desktop and server products,
announced that Xandros is joining the Labs to help drive the adoption of desktop Linux. Xandros will participate in OSDL's Desktop Linux (DTL) working group with a specific focus on advancing standards-based usability and consistency.
Pop Art + PICA = Portland Art
Pop Art redesigned and developed the Portland Institute for Contemporary Art's (PICA) web site, www.pica.org, continuing a relationship that began in 2003. The site showcases a sophisticated event calendar, clean modern design, an
enhanced back-end site management tool and cutting-edge CSS design.
Send us your Member News
Submit your announcements to
industrynews@sao.org
. No attachments, please. Send the headline and first paragraph in the body of the email, along with a URL for more information. All submissions are subject to review and acceptance by SAO Industry Update staff.
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