Pensacola buzzed with energy as more than 450 leaders, entrepreneurs, and innovators gathered for EntreCon 2024, held November 12-14 at the newly renovated Pensacola Little Theater. With breakout sessions at 511 and Voices of Pensacola, this year’s conference marked a decade of empowering individuals and businesses under the theme “Discover Your Potential.”

Katie Ballard, executive director of Studer Community Institute, highlighted the conference’s focus on growth and collaboration. “The theme this year was to discover your potential, and our closing keynote really did a great job of encompassing that idea and wrapping it all together,” she says. “Potential is not a static destination—it’s a journey. It’s ongoing, a way we challenge ourselves to do more, do better, learn, and grow. And we do it alongside others; it’s not something anyone achieves alone. We all do this together.”

The tenth annual event featured 31 speakers, including impactful keynotes from industry leaders and local influencers. “The audience was really excited to see Quint Studer back on stage as a keynote. Julie Weber, formerly with Southwest Airlines, provided some very practical, applicable takeaways that anybody could have learned from and taken back to their workplace,” says Ballard. “We were proud to showcase an array of local leaders and to have engaged high school-age attendees within a packed house was incredible.”

Quint Studer, founder of the Studer Community Institute and EntreCon’s visionary, set the tone with his opening keynote, “Leading Change in Yourself, Workplace, and Community.” He emphasized strategies for overcoming resistance to change, building trust, and fostering adaptability. His message underscored the transformative power of leadership, not just in the workplace but in the broader community.

EntreCon’s commitment to fostering meaningful connections was evident throughout the three-day event. Networking opportunities like the #EntreSocial at Clark Partington gave attendees the chance to build relationships and exchange ideas. “This event is an opportunity for so many different groups of people to come together, meet one another, forge relationships, and make connections,” Ballard notes. “When leadership is done right, it has the power to transform not only businesses but our community as a whole.”

Workshops and breakout sessions offered attendees the tools to lead with purpose and innovation. Topics ranged from “The Heart of a Leader,” which explored empathy and courage, to “Navigating the AI Revolution,” which provided strategies for leveraging technology to drive growth. The conference also included a panel celebrating Pensacola’s transformation into a hub of innovation, showcasing how local entrepreneurs are shaping the city’s future.

EntreCon 2024 concluded with an inspiring keynote by Danny Bader, “Redefining Potential,” leaving attendees energized and ready to embrace challenges with resilience. Supported by presenting sponsor Pensacola International Airport and Entrecon Awards sponsor Cox Business, among others, the event underscored the importance of collaboration, innovation, and community growth.

As EntreCon celebrates its decade-long legacy, it continues to be a cornerstone for Pensacola’s leadership and entrepreneurial development. Mark your calendars for next year’s conference, scheduled for November 11-13, 2025, and prepare to discover your potential alongside a community committed to growth and transformation.

As Northwest Florida continues to be a leader in technology and cybersecurity, many look forward to the annual convergence of learning and connection that the ITEN WIRED | TechNet CyberCoast summit will present.

The 2024 conference will take place Oct. 16–18 at Hilton Pensacola Beach, welcoming entrepreneurs, business leaders, industry experts, students and all who are interested in furthering the region’s success through technology and innovation.

ITEN, which stands for innovation, technology, entrepreneurship and networking, is the Southeast’s premier tech conference, inviting regional, national and international attendance.

“Each year, this conference continues to grow as we get the chance to showcase all the assets and great companies we have right here on the cyber coast,” said Jim Rhodes, ITEN WIRED director. “People from all over the country are realizing the amazing things we are doing in tech, which garners excitement and appreciation for the region.”

The three-day event offers countless opportunities for collaboration, business betterment and networking through keynote speakers, networking socials, breakout sessions, panel discussions, a career evolution expo and, new this year, an escape room.

Wednesday begins with the Career Evolution Expo from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Hilton Ballroom, providing the ideal opportunity for those seeking tech careers to make connections. The Career Expo is free and open to the general public though registration is encouraged through the website.

Following from 2–4 p.m. at Whiskey Joes will be the Techies Network & Talk Mixer, where attendees can continue conversations over beverages on the beach.

The main event begins on Thursday at 8 a.m. with opening remarks followed by speakers, breakout sessions and an opportunity to participate in the escape room presented by CISA and Idaho National Labs. The day will wrap up nicely with a Welcome Reception featuring libations, catered food and live music by The Molly Ringwalds.

Friday will conclude with a half-day of speakers and breakout sessions. On Thursday and Friday, topics of interest to be covered include technology trends, AI, cybersecurity, robotics, entrepreneurship, healthcare and more.

Since partnering with the Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association (AFCEA) Blue Angels Pensacola Chapter last year, an organization that furthers the dialogue of global security through conferences, networking, training, media, scholarships and leadership, ITEN WIRED has been able to further its access to speakers and programming.

Each year, the conference continues to grow, with the biggest attendance rate expected yet for 2024, providing even more opportunities for community building.

“The summit provides the opportunity for people to meet, network and connect the dots while hearing from subject matter experts from around the world,” said Rhodes. “These connections generate the kind of energy people thrive on.”

To learn more and purchase tickets, visit ITENWIRED.com. Special pricing is offered for students, military personnel and government employees.

 

From law firms, lumber distributors and hospitals to your friendly realtor or favorite local restaurant, there isn’t a company today that doesn’t rely on technology to get the job done. That could be as simple as an iPad and a spreadsheet or as complex as a multi-server setup running custom software. No matter where your company falls on the spectrum, Bit-Wizards can help you identify ideal software and hardware investments.

In many cases, identifying the right software begins with questions like: What does my company need this for, and is it a scalable solution? It’s important to establish what you need your software to do for you, in both the short and long term, before you start comparing options and features.

Often, Bit-Wizards sees companies using software that’s inappropriate for the business — either far too simplistic for what they need to accomplish, or on the other hand, a less advanced option may be suitable. Samuel Blowes, Bit-Wizards’ Director of IT, noted that companies may need to adjust their software as they grow — you may start out tracking expenses in Excel but later move up to QuickBooks. If the organization continues to grow, it may eventually need enterprise resource planning (ERP) software to replace QuickBooks.

Bit-Wizards frequently recommends and helps businesses employ enterprise-grade software because it integrates more easily into a company’s existing network while providing elevated security, scalability and cloud options. Enterprise-grade software can help organizations maintain a high level of adaptability and productivity no matter their size or needs.

Of the software options, custom software is the most expensive, as it is a singular design used by a sole company and must be created by a technology company that specializes in software engineering. While Bit-Wizards will guide prospective clients in the direction of off-the-shelf software if it already exists, there are some instances where custom software is the optimal choice.

No matter the software you purchase, you must ensure that it’s being regularly backed up, updated, and managed and that it comes from a reputable company that can help you address issues. Relying on outdated, unmanaged software can leave your business susceptible to security vulnerabilities and downtime, amounting to significant costs.

Hardware recommendations become a bit more complex as the technology industry is constantly introducing the latest and greatest of products.

“Where businesses often mess up is assuming that a home computer is the same as a work computer, when they are very much not the same,” Blowes said. “There’s a very clear distinction between consumer-grade hardware and professional.” Blowes pointed out that you wouldn’t buy the “doorbuster” Black Friday laptop deals for office use because they don’t contain the necessary hardware durability and software security, and they will end up costing you more to keep running. 

Conversely, there is some hesitancy to hop on every latest tech trend, as it might not be capable of supporting all the functions needed in your business when it is first released. Blowes points to when iPads were first introduced and how many businesses tried to utilize them without success. Now, 13 years later, iPads have broader capabilities for businesses, yet they still prioritize consumer friendliness over business functionality.

When budgeting for new hardware, Bit-Wizards encourages companies to consider the three- to four-year lifespan typical of most hardware. While your PC doesn’t necessarily stop working after three or four years, it will have gradually slowed down to a crawl, causing office productivity to decrease and employee frustrations to grow.

Just like with software, redundancy also needs to be a priority with hardware. Redundancy ensures that there will be a backup in place to resume operations should your hardware or internet provider fail.

Bit-Wizards got its start creating custom software for companies around the world 23 years ago. Since then, the company has expanded to Managed IT, now offering white glove IT support and cloud infrastructure services to businesses of all sizes throughout the Southeastern United States and beyond. Whether you need software or hardware solutions, Bit-Wizards intends to help your business work like magic.

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Bit-Wizards

70 Ready Ave. NW, Fort Walton Beach
BitWizards.com  |  ( 850) 226-4200

The ITEN WIRED Summit is a yearly convergence that plugs in attendees to the current that keeps the Southeast region pulsing as a circuit for technology and cybersecurity.

The conference, held Oct. 18–20 at the Hilton Pensacola Beach, invites industry leaders, entrepreneurs, educators, students and all interested in technological advancements to attend the conference that hones in on connection, collaboration and community building.

ITEN — an acronym for innovation, technology, entrepreneurship and network — hosts an array of events that revolve around that subject matter. The three-day event will encompass keynote speakers, breakout sessions, networking socials, panel discussions, a cybersecurity competition and a cyber evolution career expo.

“This has become a highly anticipated event in the community that continues to grow and lead to further connections,” said Jim Rhodes, the ITEN WIRED planning committee director. “This summit puts the cyber coast on the global stage.”

The Hilton Pensacola Beach ballroom will be the site for the cyber evolution career expo from 10 a.m.–2 p.m. This career fair is open to the public for those of all skill levels pursuing the tech industry. Continue the conversations at the Techies Network & Talk Mixer happening from 2–4 p.m. at Whiskey Joes.

The day will conclude with a welcome reception for conference attendees, held from 6–8 p.m. at the Casino Beach Bar. The welcome reception is a laid-back networking occasion with libations, bites and live music by the Molly Ringwalds. 

On Thursday, opening remarks begin at 8 a.m. to be followed by two days of speakers, panel discussions, networking opportunities and a pitch competition. New this year, the pitch competition will be judged by six industry professionals who will select and award their favorite startup pitch with an impressive cash prize toward beginning the project.

Throughout Thursday and Friday, speakers and panelists will speak on topics including AI, cybersecurity, workforce development, risk management, compliance and more. The speakers hail from companies such as Morse Alpha Associates Inc., Hixardt Technologies Inc., TechFarms Capital, GBSI, Florida State University, The Net Effect LLC and more.

New in 2023, ITEN WIRED has partnered with the AFCEA Blue Angels Pensacola Chapter to integrate the TechNet CyberCoast into this year’s summit as a track that will be offered on Oct. 19. This track will feature speakers and sessions on topics relevant to government, military and tech industry personnel. Attendees have the option to purchase a ticket to the TechNet CyberCoast event or combine their ticket with the ITEN WIRED summit.

AFCEA (Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association) is an organization that furthers the dialogue of global security through conferences, networking, training, media, scholarships and leadership. Doing so enables military, government and academia to align technology that meets the needs of those in defense, security, cyber and intelligence.

By invitation, participants will be invited on Saturday, Oct. 14, to compete in the Cyber Range Exercise competition. The winners will be announced Thursday during the summit.

As a three-day event held at the scenic Hilton Pensacola Beach, Rhodes encourages attendees to make a weekend of it, enjoying the beautiful beaches and networking further by supporting local businesses.

“I hope this summit opens people’s eyes to what we have here on the Gulf Coast, as far as the tech community goes,” said Rhodes. “It’s a chance for people to network and see who’s who and what’s going on in this inspiring region that’s a great place to live and work, especially in the tech field.”

The summit is still accepting speaker applications. To inquire and purchase tickets visit: ITENWIRED.com.

Project Summary and Client Background

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Founded in 1980, Linn’s Prestige Kitchens & Baths has showrooms located in Destin, Pensacola and Fort Walton Beach.

“My husband and I started the company 43 years ago when it was just the two of us,” said Sherrie Linn, co-founder of Linn’s Prestige Kitchens & Baths. “We were the only employees back then. So, we’ve grown considerably over the years and now have 40 employees plus subs.”

The company works on a variety of new construction and remodeling projects, often providing custom cabinetry and other custom solutions to clients.

“Basically, if there’s something wooden you want built for your house, we can do it,” said Zack Linn, Sherrie’s son and vice president of Linn’s.

As the company has grown and evolved, technology has become embedded in Linn’s day-to-day operations, from internal communication and collaboration between showrooms to external coordination with suppliers, project managers and others. Linn’s brought on the Bit-Wizards Managed IT Services team to handle their everyday technology issues, provide continuous IT support, and serve as a long-term partner to manage their ever-changing needs.

The Challenge

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Before Bit-Wizards partnered with Linn’s, the staff was reliant upon Zack to fix their computer issues.

“Linn’s previous managed service provider was only there for break-fix,” said Michael Chance, infrastructure engineer at Bit-Wizards. “They were not an active participant in the business of Linn’s Kitchens. Zack is a very intelligent person, but he has his own job to do, and his job is not to be IT.”

In addition to Zack being inundated with everyday IT tasks, Linn’s was facing other technology challenges as an on-premises server at their Fort Walton Beach showroom prevented connection with their other locations.

“Linn’s had an on-premises file sharing system, on-premises domain, and on-premises backup system for their files,” Chance explained. “They did not have the means to back up their computers, files and folders on their individual workstations.”

At that time, Linn’s computers were also approaching the end of their lifespan, and they were severely underutilizing their Microsoft Office 365 environment.

“Their computers were becoming slower and slower and more difficult to maintain,” Chance said. “Linn’s did have Office 365 for their email, but that’s all they were using it for.”

The Solution

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After Linn’s onboarding, Bit-Wizards fully evaluated their environment and came up with a plan to migrate their existing infrastructure to the cloud.

“One of the first things we did was install remote management tools on all their computers,” said Chance. “This provides enterprise-grade antivirus and file and folder backups for all their workstations and gives us the means to quickly access their computers so we can provide any assistance they might need throughout the day.”

FortiGate Cisco firewalls were also installed at each of Linn’s showrooms.

“These are next generation firewalls that provide enterprise-level security at each location,” Chance explained.

From there, Bit-Wizards’ engineers designed a SharePoint environment for Linn’s, performed the migration and provided on-site training to their employees.

“Bit-Wizards sent out a tech to have a lunch-and-learn with our staff, to walk through using SharePoint,” Zack said. “So, our employees were actually taught how to get to files and sync stuff to their desktops. I didn’t have to answer all their questions because I could just point them back to Bit-Wizards.”

Zack said the move to the cloud has made all the difference for Linn’s.

“Now, I have project managers in the field with iPads that can check the measurements of buildings as they’re going up, turn that stuff in without leaving the site, and we can order everything much faster and more accurately than we were previously,” he explained.

As Linn’s continues to scale, Bit-Wizards acts as their trusted technology partner.

“A big part of my role with Linn’s is to be an advocate for them,” said LXS Fregger, client success administrator at Bit-Wizards. “I reach out to Zack, and I reach out to the team to make sure their needs are being met. We also plan reviews so we can plan for the future. Bit-Wizards wants to make sure Linn’s is completely set up for success on a technology avenue, as well as in the business realm.”

For example, when Linn’s needed to move their main office from one location to another, the Bit-Wizards team was right by their side.

“We are one of the first calls Linn’s made,” said Chance. “We worked with them to design the network at their new location, and we were able to provide a temporary firewall there to allow for both sites to be online and operating at the same time.”

Once Linn’s was ready to close out the old location, Bit-Wizards worked with them to move all their network assets from the old site to the new site, ensuring the transition happened quickly and smoothly.

The Result

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From managing day-to-day situations to assisting with long-term goals, Sherrie and Zack don’t hesitate to call Bit-Wizards.

“The human-to-human interaction has really helped me because I’m not very tech-savvy,” Sherrie said. “So, I need somebody on the other end of the phone that I can just say, ‘Can you get on my screen and let me show you what’s going on?’”

“Bit-Wizards is more of a business partner than a service provider because I can bring to the table general ideas on something I want to do versus needing to have a specific plan or knowing how to execute something,” says Zack. “It’s more just like, ‘Hey, I want to figure out how to barcode my warehouse. How do I do that?’ And they tell me.”

Linn’s has been a client of Bit-Wizards since 2019, and the partnership is still going strong.

“The ultimate goal for us is that Linn’s is super successful,” Fregger said. “If they ever have a need, we’re there for them. We can support any problems that they have and get them through. We want to take care of IT so they can get back to business.”

Does your business need a Managed IT Services partner? Contact Bit-Wizards.

For many companies, downtime of just a couple of hours (due to internet outages or power losses, etc.) will cost thousands, or even millions of dollars and cause numerous problems.

Moreover, data on business recovery after natural disasters, cybersecurity incidences and intentional misconduct from employees are bleak. Consider these statistics:

» Nearly 25% of businesses never reopen after a disaster. – The Federal Emergency Management Agency

»  60% of small businesses that suffer a cyberattack or data loss go out of business within six months, and 70% within one year. – The US National Cyber Security Alliance

»  3% of all employees admitted to taking data from their previous employer. – World Economic Forum

»  There is a 37% likelihood of an organization losing IP when an employee leaves. – Forbes

»  Human Error causes 88% of Data Breaches. – Stanford Research

These statistics are alarming, but how can you protect your business? Fortunately, a little preparation and planning with a trusted advisor can go a long way to mitigating potential disasters.

As a managed IT services provider, Bit-Wizards helps businesses implement plans sufficient to address minor disruptions or major disasters.

“Anything that denies you the ability to continue to operate and make revenue is a potential disaster,” said Louis Erickson, chief operations officer of Bit-Wizards.

A hurricane may provide a small window of preparation time, but not enough to create a complete disaster plan for your company. You cannot predict an outage caused by construction or an accident.

People cause the most disruptions and outages — sometimes accidentally and sometimes maliciously. For example, an employee can inadvertently give a hacker access to your systems by opening the wrong email, or a disgruntled colleague intentionally wipes data from your servers or accesses your client’s private information.

Every company should have a preparedness plan with communication protocols and a list of responsibilities that spell out how to contact staff members and clients during a disaster. Utilizing cloud-based services and applications such as Outlook and Teams ensures you can continue communicating regardless of location.

Once you reestablish communications, you can resume business operations from a temporary location with your operations technology already migrated to the cloud.

In anticipation of inevitable internet connection interruptions, Bit-Wizards advises businesses to have two fiber Internet Service Providers (ISP) so that when one goes down, the other will keep you functioning online.   

Some disasters will require employees to take equipment to new locations. In that event, all tech hardware should have current backups in the cloud. Requiring employees to carry equipment to a new place is a process known as decentralization, meaning that no single location can be a point of failure for ongoing operations.

While no company is 100% secure, there are measures you can take to minimize the risk associated with security breaches. Virus protection, firewalls, alert monitoring, advanced threat protection, cloud-based restoration and employee training are all critical components in building rock-solid business continuity.

Samuel Blowes, director of IT with Bit-Wizards, suggests that your company — and any company you do business with — have service level agreements detailing backup procedures, anticipated downtime and remediation processes.

“When it comes to continuity of business and whether or not your business is going to survive in the long haul, you should never leave things to chance,” said Vincent Mayfield, CEO of Bit-Wizards. “There’s not much we can do after the fact if you don’t have backups and a plan. We don’t plan for the worst, but we do plan for success if the worst were to happen.”

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Bit-Wizards

70 Ready Ave. NW, Fort Walton Beach  |  BitWizards.com  |  ( 850) 226-4200

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Shalimar Police Department is a law enforcement agency located in Okaloosa County. Every three years, the FBI audits 12 law enforcement agencies in Florida to ensure that they are in compliance with federal standards. In 2022, Shalimar Police Department was chosen to undergo this FBI audit.

Project Summary and Client Background

The Shalimar Police Department hired the Bit-Wizards Managed IT Services team to get their network into compliance with FBI regulations ahead of the audit. The project required a separation of networks between Shalimar PD and the Town of Shalimar, the installation of a federally compliant firewall, managed switches, and wireless access points, and the implementation of standardized IT services.

All engineers working on this project were required to be Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS) certified. CJIS is a certifying agency that puts together compliance regulations and checkpoints that need to be adhered to by law enforcement agencies. This ensures that sensitive information and data are transmitted carefully and that only people with proper access can view and/or handle it.

The Challenge

There were roughly 50 to 60 requirements set forth in the FBI audit, all of which the Shalimar Police Department had to be in compliance with within 60 days of receiving the information. Shalimar Chief of Police John Cash says some of these requirements were as simple as making sure you have signage on your door or adequate passwords on your computer, while others were much more complex.

“Our IT services were not with the Town of Shalimar. Our networks weren’t separated. Our emails weren’t secure as far as the requirements that were coming above us on the deadline set by the FBI,” says Cash. “The most important part was to make sure all information was separated between law enforcement and non-law enforcement. We couldn’t be connected in any way where information could be getting out.”

Bit-Wizards director of solution consulting Jason Monroe says this requires
extensive network security setup and hardening all around.  

“The Shalimar Police Department did not have the technology or the IT expertise to pass this audit,” says Monroe. “When we came in, the Town of Shalimar and the police department had a hodgepodge of technology, from their email services to how they were managing their document storage.”

And their deadline was looming.

“We had two weeks from the time we had Bit-Wizards under contract to be in compliance and meet the deadline of the FBI audit,” says Cash. “So, we were in crunch time.”

The Solution

Bit-Wizards immediately jumped in.  

“We started to look at where they were lacking,” says Monroe. “We got a copy of the actual requirements for the audit that was coming up, and we started working our way backwards.” 

Senior infrastructure engineer Michael Chance served as the Technical Team Lead on the project. He says that Bit-Wizards does network discovery for security and compliance vulnerabilities with every client.

“Shalimar Police Department had a flat network, which means they only had a single network for all their police officers, computers for their town hall employees, and any guests that happened to be at City Hall at the time.”

Bit-Wizards started working to split the police department network in half to keep the town administration side separate.

“This network was, for the most part, secure,” says Chance. “But there were guest network devices, such as cell phones and personally owned laptops, that were on the same network. For the police department to pass their inspection, we had to separate their network out from everything else and ensure that no other part of the network could access any of the police department’s assets.”

Chance says the police department also needed a firewall capable of maintaining logs of everything that happens on their network. To meet these requirements, Bit-Wizards installed a federally compliant firewall, the Fortinet 61 F, which has advanced logging and retention. Bit-Wizards also replaced Shalimar PD’s unmanaged network hardware, such as switches and wireless access points, with managed switches and wireless access points.

“This allows us to keep the traffic on their network separated and secure,” says Chance.

In addition to addressing the Shalimar Police Department’s network security, Bit-Wizards also standardized their services across the board.

“They had disparate email systems, meaning they were using multiple email platforms for communications within the city,” says Chance. “We consolidated their email systems into a single, managed Office 365 environment. In and of itself, this is a great solution for anyone looking for compliance. But at Bit-Wizards, we have our own set of security and compliance rules that we apply to the Office 365 system to harden that system even more.” 

And because every member of the Bit-Wizards Managed It Services team is CJIS certified, the tight deadline faced by Shalimar PD became much more manageable.

“A single engineer wasn’t having to do everything,” says Chance. “We were able to pull from our entire team so that one engineer could be managing the network while another engineer was handling the email migration. In order to meet this time crunch, every one of our experts in various disciplines throughout the field contributed.”

This also made communication between Bit-Wizards and Shalimar PD easy and streamlined.

“We could call at any time and speak to anybody without being put on hold and waiting 10 minutes or an hour to talk to somebody who could answer our question,” says Cash. “They were all certified to be able to do that immediately.”

The town of Shalimar’s deputy clerk and Bit-Wizards’ main point of contact for the project, Jessica Rehr, says this level of communication made all the difference.

“During the process, the communication with Bit-Wizards was phenomenal. Even if I was sending an email, I would get a reply back immediately. They would usually answer questions for me before I even asked them.” 

The Result

When the deadline came, the FBI auditor, the FDLE auditor, the police chief and the police commissioner all met at the Shalimar Police Department for two hours.

“The day of the inspection, we passed the FBI audit,” says Cash. “They walked the facility and made sure all the requirements were on each desktop computer, or on each device we use to transmit CJIS information. All the mechanisms were there to meet that. It was organized to the point where they didn’t have to spend five or six hours with us, as they did at other agencies, because of what we had already accomplished with Bit-Wizards during that two-week period.”

Cash says all the stress was relieved.

“The auditors looked at certain things and were impressed with how we had everything set up. There weren’t any questionable areas that they needed to ask about or we needed to go into. Bit-Wizards had already set up everything that we needed to pass the audit.”

As excited as Cash was to pass, he says the learning experience was priceless.

“During this whole process, we were able to sit with the Bit-Wizards team in the office as they taught us everything and showed us each step on the new computer system and services.”

The knowledge that Bit-Wizards provided is what Rehr says she appreciates most.

“They’re educated across the board. Any issue that arises with IT services, they explain it well enough to where you can understand it. And they’re patient. No matter what question you have, and no matter how many questions you have, they can answer.”

The ability and willingness to educate clients is something that Bit-Wizards prides itself on.

“We can go out and hire a great IT person, but if they don’t know how to talk to our clients and customers without tech speaking at them, it’s just not good for us,” says Monroe. “We want to make sure our clients feel comfortable with what we’re doing moving forward and that they understand it.”

Monroe agrees that far more than a passing score was gained.

“Not only are we able to keep the Shalimar Police Department compliant but we are also able to provide them with enterprise security, a level of comfort that they need to be successful in their jobs every single day, and IT that actually works for them instead of causing them frustrations.”

The message from Shalimar PD is clear.

“Go to Bit-Wizards. Don’t go to anybody else,” says Cash. “The professionalism was awesome. The educational level was awesome. The interaction was awesome. I would not recommend anybody else to meet your IT needs. Bit-Wizards can do it all.”

For more information on how Bit Wizards managed IT services can help public safety agencies, click here.

 

Bit-Wizards

70 Ready Ave. NW, Fort Walton Beach  |  BitWizards.com  |  (850) 226-4200

During the best of times, mergers and acquisitions are exciting and stressful. Such is the nature of change. The stakes are higher during a recession because interest is higher and cash is less valuable. Business leaders on both sides of the transaction need to ensure proper due diligence is done across the entire spectrum from cultural to financial.

At Bit-Wizards, they believe every company is a technology company. Technology touches every company facet, from human capital management to operations, finance and information technology (IT). The engineers at Bit-Wizards focus on ensuring that IT systems are compatible while ensuring that you have expert advice on the state of IT Systems. Proper IT due diligence ensures there are no surprises post-merger.

Bit-Wizard’s consulting services helps companies achieve the synergies they expect by providing them with data and information about the IT systems, so companies do not get saddled with an albatross that destroys value.

One such albatross typically not evaluated properly is the compatibility and state of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) or Human Resource software systems. Incompatibilities can result in large, expensive data migration or system migrations post-M&A transaction, causing overestimated synergies and effectively destroying the company’s value.

Often overlooked are simple things like phone system compatibility, last desktop refresh, state and licensing of servers and software, IT vendor agreements, and technical ability and knowledge of the staff. Failure to plan for their costs pre-M&A can be costly and impact critical operations.

Vince Mayfield, CEO, and Sam Blowes, Director of IT at Bit-Wizards, often see companies become overwhelmed when they discover how many systems must be meshed. These include software, cloud systems, data recording, compliance, manufacturing operations, security, hardware, and even phone and internet providers.

“Think of an acquisition as a wedding and a merger like the marriage,” Blowes said. “Companies are focused on the wedding because that’s where the excitement is, but the focus should be on sustaining a 50-year marriage. We act as the marriage counselor. By asking the right questions, we take two unlike systems and help them merge into something compatible.”

Additionally, many companies are buying intellectual property (IP) as part of an acquisition. This IP usually exists as part of custom software or proprietary software integrations. You must evaluate these systems thoroughly, just like you would a used car. You do not want to buy a lemon where your profits flush down the drain in maintenance or where you are held hostage by a single developer with all the software knowledge. Do you have the source code? Is it well-written and documented? What are the unit economics, and what are the operating costs? These are just a few considerations.

“Typically, when you acquire and merge another business, you’re seeking growth or acquiring a strategic asset,” Mayfield said. “Many companies don’t have the bandwidth or expertise in IT systems, which is where we add value. Our team does a pre-merger evaluation, then helps you quickly integrate and standardize so you can achieve that growth.”

Bit-Wizards
70 Ready Ave. NW, Fort Walton Beach  |  BitWizards.com  |  (850) 226-4200

Building on the success of the Milcon and Air Force Contracting Summits held by the Defense Leadership Forum in recent years, the Northwest Florida Leadership Forum, also headed by William Loiry, presented its first-ever Northwest Florida Economic Summit in October at the Destin-Fort Walton Beach Convention Center.

The event in many ways resembled Loiry’s summits focused on military construction and procurement budgets, but this one encompassed, too, anticipated projects that will result from the $1.2 trillion federal infrastructure bill and the $715 billion federal transportation bill.

The Economic Summit addressed economic development funding and programs, energy and technology initiatives, military contracting opportunities and public-private partnerships while also speaking to Northwest Florida’s growth dynamic.

Of particular value to contractors, the Economic Summit provided for one-on-one matchmaking discussions between business people and officials at local, state and federal agencies who are responsible for administering grants and awarding contracts.

The event’s keynote speakers were Congressman Neal Dunn, who represents Florida’s 2nd Congressional District, and Jennifer Conoley, the president and CEO of Florida’s Great Northwest.

Dunn, a member of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, addressed the summit regarding the fiscal year 2022 Department of Defense budget and anticipated spending in fiscal year 2023. In 2022, 19% of the DOD budget or $132.5 billion was reserved for procurement purposes, and 16% ($112 billion) was earmarked for research and development. Those appropriations, versus far larger budgets reserved for operation and maintenance and military personnel, flow to private-sector businesses.

Dunn emphasized the continuing strategic importance of the Eglin Test and Training Range, which covers approximately 724 square miles of the Florida Panhandle and 120,000 square miles over the Gulf of Mexico. He described the range as irreplaceable. Dunn also provided an update on construction at Tyndall Air Force Base, which is being redeveloped at the cost of $5.2 billion as the Air Force “Base of the Future.”

Conoley provided a regional perspective on economic diversification and development efforts.

A handful of large public investors stood up Florida’s Great Northwest 22 years ago, intending that it serve to encourage businesses to locate and expand their operations in the Florida Panhandle. The economic development organization represents 12 counties: Escambia, Santa Rosa, Okaloosa, Walton, Holmes, Washington, Bay, Jackson, Calhoun, Gulf, Liberty and Franklin.

Its chief aim, Conoley said, remains economic expansion and diversification, but the organization also has arms dedicated to advocacy and community collaboration. It retains a lobbyist, she said, who safeguards the region’s interests in Tallahassee, including by seeing to it that $1.5 billion in damages, paid by BP owing to the Deepwater Horizon disaster and designated for eight coastal counties in Northwest Florida, remain in the region.

Conoley counts as her competitors Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, Louisiana and the Carolinas and said she doesn’t like to lose. She spends a lot of time with site selectors, especially those who relate to Florida’s Great Northwest’s targeted industries: aviation; aerospace and defense; cybersecurity; distribution and logistics; and manufacturing.

She pointed to regional assets including its talent ecosystem; a supportive financial environment; transportation infrastructure in the form of ports, airports and highways; and supportive business networks and communities.

Those assets, she noted, have yielded successes ranging from ST Engineering, a maintenance, repair and overhaul operation at Pensacola International Airport to Probes Unlimited, a temperature sensor manufacturer that set up shop with 18 employees in an old middle school building in Bonifay in Holmes County.

The 12-county region can be expected to experience rapid growth in coming years. Citing figures from the Bureau of Economic & Business Research at the University of Florida, Conoley noted that the area’s population was projected to grow by 11.3% between 2021 and 2025 and by 51.3% by 2050.

Conoley was the keynote speaker at Rowland Publishing/850 Business Magazine’s 2022 Pinnacle Awards presentation, held in Tallahassee in October.

Rowland Publishing executive editor Steve Bornhoft and associate publisher McKenzie Burleigh participated in an Economic Summit panel focused on the technology sector in the regional economy. Joined by Steve Millaway, the founder/CEO at Tech Farms Capital in Panama City Beach; Vincent Mayfield, the CEO at Bit-Wizards in Fort Walton Beach and Keith Bowers, the director of the Office of Economic Vitality in Tallahassee, they discussed vulnerabilities and strengths of the entrepreneurial ecosystem involving tech innovators in Northwest Florida.

Their conclusion: The future is bright.     

With all of that growth, of course, comes growing pains.

Megan Harrison, the CEO at the Walton Area Chamber of Commerce, and Bill Imfeld, the executive director of the Walton County Economic Development Alliance, spoke to the need for affordable housing, day care centers, and roads and mass transit in Walton County, which is the second-fastest-growing county in the state and home to Florida’s fastest-growing city by some measures, Freeport.

The Northwest Florida Summit, then, provided an insightful look into the growth that will inevitably visit the region, the impacts that it will bring and ways in which businesses can position themselves to take advantage of what’s next.

» Want to Go? Find out about more Defense Leadership Forum initiatives,
as well as all upcoming summit and networking events, by visiting usdlf.org.

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Northwest Florida Military Report

By William Loiry

The 2023 Air Force Contracting Summit will be held on Feb. 7-8, 2023, at the Hilton Sandestin Beach Golf Resort & Spa.

The 10th annual Summit, a national military business event, will bring together more than 700 military and government officials, business executives, contracting experts and financing leaders to discuss the 2023 defense budget, Air Force mission and contracting priorities, and new support for companies with innovative defense solutions.

Speakers from the Pentagon, Air Force bases, and Air Force commands will provide the latest information on Air Force procurement opportunities, accelerated innovation contracting, Tyndall AFB reconstruction, military base energy resiliency, support for small-business tech programs, military-community partnerships and more.

Of special note will be opportunities at the Summit for companies to pitch their products and services to DEFENSEWERX, SOFWERX, DHSWERX, MGMWERX and the Doolittle Institute — all Pentagon-supported organizations which speed the development of innovative solutions to benefit warfighters and the nation.

Summit sponsors include General Dynamics, ARMA Global, Bank of America, Horsley Construction, Minoria Tech, Gene Moran, Carr, Riggs & Ingram, Cadence Bank, and many others. More than 60 on-site exhibitors will be on hand, representing a wide range of products and services, from aircraft munitions to aircraft maintenance, command-and-control systems and military base reconstruction.

During 2023, the Defense Leadership Forum is also organizing the Southwest Defense Contracting Summit, European Defense & Energy Security Summit, Navy Contracting Summit, Northwest Florida Economic Summit, Pacific Defense Contracting Summit, and the MILCON Contracting Summit.

Interested in attending the 2023 Air Force Contracting Summit? Visit usdlf.org