MaSSSoftech

AL ASAD AIR BASE, Iraq – In Alexandre Dumas' novel, "The Three Musketeers," Athos, Porthos and Aramis set out on many adventures and work together to battle a number of opponents, living up to their famous slogan, "All for one, and one for all."

Also living up to this slogan is a trio of Marines aboard Al Asad Air Base, Iraq, who come together to battle malfunctions with information technology equipment on a daily basis.

Sgt. Jerry Martinez, Cpl. Christopher Tanzer and Lance Cpl. Christopher Cowham set up, fix and maintain everything from computers to video teleconferencing equipment to ensure service members throughout Multi-National Force - West can communicate effectively.

The trio's information technology chief, Staff Sgt. Christopher Jarr, said Martinez, Tanzer and Cowham have become the most recognizable faces in MNF-W information technology and keep command and control running smoothly.

In the past few months, the three Marines have responded to MNF-W help desk referrals, implemented Microsoft Office 2007 on government computers and acted as the VIP computer help desk for the commanding general and his staff. They have also fixed computer and printer issues for the service members assigned to Al Asad's Base Command Group, and continue to ensure all service members on base comply with Marine Corps security standards.

Additionally, they help coordinate the turn-in and transfer of computer gear when Marines redeploy. Martinez said the three Marines personally inventory, perform operations checks and take all of the computers to the MNF-W help desk for replacement hard drives before MNF-W service members return to the United States.

Jarr said the Marines' teamwork and work ethic have allowed them to handle large amounts of responsibility in a professional manner.

While Martinez, Tanzer and Cowham each specialize in certain areas, they share their knowledge with each other so any one of them could respond to a call for help.

"Each of us is good at specific things, so when one of us doesn't know something, the others hop in and save the day," said Martinez, the IT/VTC non-commissioned officer-in-charge. "Whenever something needs to be done, we pick our parts and do it."

Tanzer, a VTC and network application non-commissioned officer, said he has learned a lot more about software applications during this deployment by working with Martinez. He has also learned a lot about his own leadership style by working with Cowham.

"We are all professionals," said Tanzer. "We work hand-in-hand."

Cowham, who works at the base help desk aboard Camp Lejeune, N.C., when not deployed overseas, said he has enjoyed working with Martinez and Tanzer for the past few months, and has gained a lot of technical skills that will help him in the future.

"I specialize in all data areas because I have outstanding non-commissioned officers who inform me of their specializations and train me on all aspects of the data world," said Cowham, an IT/VTC technician. "Whether it's VTC, software or helping the [generals and their staff], I've been able to learn and gain good hands-on experience."

Jarr said he has full confidence in the Marines' abilities to take care of the tasks at hand, and most importantly, each other.

"These guys are great Marines," said Jarr. "They work hard all the time, day in and day out. They're a good team and fit nicely together."

The agreements finalized six weeks ago to bring as many as 200 jobs to Eau Claire in the next few years didn't just boost the local economy.

They also could set the stage for the city to become an information technology hotbed.

Those agreements, with New York-based Genesis10 and RAI Stone Group, not only helped land the kind of white-collar, high-paying jobs city economic development officials have been looking to attract but also could chart a new direction for the city's economy.

The deals with Genesis10, which will bring as many as 150 technology consulting jobs, and RAI Stone Group, a financial services firm creating 50 positions, followed the previous moves of technology-software firms JAMF Software and Entropy Multimedia to the city.

Two weeks ago representatives from another information technology company considering coming here visited Eau Claire, the most recent sign that companies of that type are considering Eau Claire a hot spot, city Economic Development Administrator Mike Schatz said. The company's name was not available because its possible deal with the city is pending.

While it's too early to give Eau Claire the moniker "Silicon Valley II," city officials are tracking technology-software companies' interest in the city and plan to target them in an attempt to attract more of those jobs, Schatz said.

"Those kinds of businesses seem to be viewing our community as an attractive place to be," he said. "It certainly is something we are interested in, and we believe those jobs can form a vital part of our local economy."

That plan is part of city officials' ongoing discussions about the Eau Claire's economic development priorities for 2010-12. The city Economic Policy Advisory Committee is reviewing priorities of the past three years and making adjustments to address the future.

Among the city's strategies to attract jobs: targeting wage-boosting businesses thought to be a good fit for Eau Claire's labor force. Technology-software jobs fit that aim.

Genesis10 and RAI Stone Group company representatives said strong business and computer programs at UW-Eau Claire - and the quality graduates they produce - were a main attraction. The availability of turn-key buildings, which minimized startup costs, also was a factor, they said. So was the proliferation of community events that attract employees and boost Eau Claire residents' quality of life.

For those reasons Eau Claire may become a more viable option to businesses that once focused on expanding in larger cities. Genesis10 previously had 15 locations in metropolitan areas such as St. Louis, Toronto and Washington, D.C., but decided to expand in July in Eau Claire, in part because of cheaper costs.

In a sluggish economy, other information technology-related companies could follow that same trend, possibly bringing jobs to Eau Claire.

"You're starting to see the benefits of our community resources that can develop talent. Those are the kinds of things these companies seem to be looking for," said City Manager Mike Huggins.

Technology jobs are nothing new in the Chippewa Valley. For decades, dating to Cray Research in Chippewa Falls, tech-related jobs have been an important component of the local job sector.

But in recent years many of those jobs disappeared. Others focus more on manufacturing technological components and have been prone to job layoffs in what is a volatile industry.

City officials concede that attracting jobs, given continued rising unemployment here and elsewhere, could prove challenging, and fewer companies may be expanding during an economic downturn.

But the recent surge in technology-software jobs has made city officials hopeful that sector can make up a growing part of the city's economy.

"Getting those kinds of jobs provides a big boost to our local economy," City Council President Kerry Kincaid said. "For years, we've talked about attracting those professional, higher-pay jobs, and now we're starting to see that happen."

A SENATE committee has recommended the approval of a bill creating the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), which will absorb the Department of Transportation and Communications (DoTC) and three offices under it and the Commission on Information and Communication Technology (CICT).

Senator Edgardo J. Angara, chairman of the committee on science and technology, on Wednesday sponsored for plenary approval Senate Bill 2546, which seeks to create the DICT that will take over the combined functions of the Palace-supervised CICT and the DoTC’s National Computer Center, Telecommunications Office and Communications Planning Service division.

Mr. Angara said in an interview last week that the Palace-certified measure is expected to be approved by the Senate when session adjourns on Oct. 17. The session would resume on Nov. 10.

The DICT’s budget of P1.2 billion would be included in the annual general appropriations law.

All of the government units have their respective budget plans included in the proposed 2010 P1.54-trillion outlay "so the creation of the DICT will simply result in the realignment of these budgets," said Mr. Angara, also chairman of the finance committee which is discussing next year’s budget.

The House counterpart bill has been approved on third and final reading last year and is awaiting the Senate’s proposal for reconciliation in the conference committee, Catanduanes Rep. Joseph A. Santiago, committee on communication and information technology, told BusinessWorld yesterday.

He said the Palace-certified measure is expected to be reconciled in conference committee and signed by the President into law this year.

DoTC and CICT officials were unavailable for comment.

"I strongly believe that the creation of the DICT will be of major strategic importance to sustaining the Philippines’ global ICT (information and communication technology) competitiveness," Mr. Angara said.

He noted that the CICT’s status is "very precarious," with several fiats issued that have transferred the agency from one department to another.

Where has it been assigned?

"Since the CICT was created by an executive order (EO), its powers and functions may also be changed or removed by the mere issuance of another EO," Mr. Angara said.

"Despite the benefits it has brought, continues to bring and promises to deliver, the Philippine ICT sector lags behind other countries. Many countries, particularly our main competitors in the global BPO (business process outsourcing) market, have ministries or departments focused on ICT," Mr. Angara added, referring to Australia, China, India, Singapore, Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, Egypt, Iran, Jordan and Kenya.

"In contrast, we have a commission with a tenuous existence." — B. U. Allauigan