As a follow-up to the Gerry Dick Inside Indiana Business interview, J.J. Thompson shares a few thoughts on technology and job growth in Indiana.

Born and raised in Indiana, I was one of many who were interested in technology and tech careers who had to leave the state to find the jobs that fit my interests and ambitions. After founding Rook in Silicon Valley in 2008, and realizing strong growth on the West coast, we always had ambitions to evaluate the potential of our services here in the Midwest. After a few years, we decided to give it a try and in the last year, I have been thrilled to see our Midwest test office succeed here at Purdue Research Park in West Lafayette, IN.

Recently, my wife and I traveled around the world (literally), and visited with technology leaders & executives to learn about the maturity of their cyber decurity & data protection programs, their perspective on the state of Global Information Security / Cyber Warfare, as well as to understand what they think of the Midwest. Surprisingly, until we mentioned that Indiana is where Purdue is, that CERIAS is located here, or that it is just south of Chicago, most had not heard of it. After discussing why we had opened a test office here and sharing a bit about our MW team’s success here, they did express some interest in finding out more should they choose to expand to the states. What caught our (and their) attention?

First, we are impressed with Governor Daniels commitment to the economy, fiscal responsibility and tech growth. The 21st century technology fund has helped many start-ups realize growth. There is strong infrastructure, with quality, reliable network connectivity. There is a strong student base from which to recruit, supplemented by programs such as the Interns for Indiana program at Purdue, and the Indiana InternNET Program.

Second, entrepreneurial innovation is on the rise. Not only has the state incubated successes like Baker-Hill, ExactTarget, and Aprimo, but there are many emerging and promising start-ups as well such as Jesubi, BlueLock, and others. The state is grooming entrepreneurs. House bill 1251 appears to be headed in the right direction, the Indiana Education Roundtable is focused on college readiness, and once students are in college, Indiana InternNet is helping to connect students with employers. Innovations in technology and partnerships such as Project Plug-In go a long way to inspire creativity and bleeding edge technology adoption.

There are also challenges. Even with the emerging VC sector and leaders like Scott Jones, Halo’s Mark Baker, and others, there is a long way to go to creating a sustainable ecosystem for technology entrepreneurs. What can your company do to help?

Why am I sharing this? After sitting with Gerry Dick on his Inside Indiana Business show, he asked me a few questions that left me thinking about the challenges faced in our industry today, and how they relate to Indiana. The need for improved technology to improve efficiencies in security, privacy, and compliance. The need for services that bridge the gap between the Big 4 and smaller boutiques, without complicating advisory services by also being a re-seller. The need for fresh, talented minds to infuse their energy into our industry and create the solutions that will improve our cyber defenses both commercially and as a country.

It is my belief that small to mid-sized businesses will continue to create the best solutions from the brightest minds. I hope that we are able to work together to attract and retain those opportunities in Indiana.

What can you do to continue the momentum? How can you better Secure The Future? Let us know by emailing info@rookconsulting.com

Posted by J.J. Thompson