High Tech Industry

Information Technology

Ranging from Internet Service Providers, data processing and hosting services, to custom computer programming and design services, the various fields within the Information Technology (IT) sector are well represented throughout the Corridor’s 4,700 IT companies, which employ more than 42,000 people and generate a total payroll of nearly $3 billion.

Dr. Dennis Steindler “The role of a university professor is to transition ideas and knowledge from the research world into the classroom. It’s even more important today to utilize fundamental knowledge of computer information systems for applications in software engineering, telecommunication systems, e-commerce and even health care information systems.”

Dr. Alan Hevner,
Citigroup/Hidden River Chair of Distributed Technology and
Professor of Information Systems and Decision Sciences,
University of South Florida

Information technology (IT) is the common thread connecting all technology sectors across the Florida High Tech Corridor.  It’s difficult, if not impossible, to find any industry, individual business, or even an individual consumer that doesn’t depend upon digital information and its pervasive, diverse applications. 

IT provides the backbone for the telecom systems that support the defense, aerospace and modeling, simulation & training hubs within the Corridor.  The steady stream of computer science and engineering graduates produced from the Corridor universities join the ranks of IT professionals working at network and communications giants like Tech Data Corporation, Northrop Grumman, L-3, Harris Corporation, Lockheed Martin and Honeywell.

Also, IT permeates the Medical Technologies sector as patient records are becoming digitized for more efficient health care practices.  In addition to paperless record-keeping, the hospitals within the 23-county region lead the industry with advanced new programs for robotics and computer-aided surgical systems.