Calgary tech companies getting international notice

Dr. Ivan Sierralta Those of us who work in the tech sector are well aware of the many success stories in Calgary, but to most Canadians the tech sector is Alberta’s best kept secret.

Here are a few of their inspiring stories:

SMART Technologies, for example, is an industry pioneer and market leader in developing collaborative products for classrooms and meeting rooms. Since its founding in 1987, it is now building new headquarters in Calgary’s University Research Park, and has offices in Ottawa, New York, and Washington. Its main manufacturing facility is in Stittsville, ON.
Veer Inc. is another industry leader, providing visual elements for use in professional creative work, such as graphic design, motion design, advertising and filmmaking. Recently acquired by Corbis, Veer maintains its corporate office in Calgary, but also has offices in New York, Napa and Berlin.
The most lucrative tech deal to ever come out of Alberta was the purchase of Edmonton-based game developer BioWare and Pandemic Studios by Electronic Arts Inc. for $620 million.

These outstanding firms’ accomplishments barely registered a blip on the mainstream media’s radar screen, which seems focused on oil and gas and real estate. Because of that blind spot, it seems the next big deal could go completely unnoticed. And yet, a number of companies operating in Alberta today seem on track for greatness.

For example, Business Infusions, developer of an equine veterinary practice management software, recently secured foreign sales of its Hospital Veterinary Management System. The software took three years to develop and is running some of the most highly visible practices in North America and abroad.

Another successful upstart, ASAT Solutions Inc., developed a hardware and software solution for electrical utility companies. After getting excellent traction in the Asian markets, their product is making a lot of noise in the lucrative U.S. market.

CoolIT Systems has developed a liquid cooling system to keep high-end gaming machines running at peak performance. With a solid foundation in the gaming industry, CoolIT is developing a corporate solution. Their current development stream is focused on providing liquid cooling systems for corporate server racks and monitoring temperatures of large scale server and data centre environments.

The U.S. military is set to test CoolIT’s technology to see what the net savings would be on energy consumption. Their technology may well be the solution large-scale data centres and corporations are looking for. This is not the first kick at the can for the CEO Geoff Lyon, who also founded Harmony Remotes, which sold to Logitech for $29 million.

Then there’s AKSYS Networks, the developer of a small business telephone solution. Their innovative phone system leverages voice-over-IP technology in a self-organizing phone system that delivers all the benefits of more expensive systems at a fraction of the cost. With AKSYS’ phone system, small companies can look as professional and organized as large corporations with 14 calling features, including three-way conferencing, call duration timer, directory, voice mail with the option of delivery via e-mail -- all at a low cost.

There’s no question the advanced technology sector is growing in Alberta. Many of these companies are getting notices on the world stage; it’s time for them to get noticed in Alberta and the rest of Canada.

Keywords: Ivan Sierralta, Calgary Technologies Inc., SMART Technologies, Veer Inc., BioWare, Pandemic Studios

News Beats: Technology, Business