HONOLULU, March 17, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- More than 750 local business professionals signed up for Hawaiian Telcom (Nasdaq:HCOM) University 2015, a premier technology event, held today at the Hawaiʻi Convention Center.
Hawaiian Telcom has hosted this annual educational event since 2009 to help the local business community keep up with the latest technological innovations.
"Hawaiian Telcom University allows us to connect with local business professionals and help them navigate through the rapidly changing technology landscape," said Paul Krueger, Vice President – Business Sales and Product Marketing for Hawaiian Telcom. "Innovations like the cloud are a game-changer in today's increasingly competitive business environment and we're pleased to be able to share these transformative technologies with Hawaii's business community."
The event's theme -- "The Innovation Universe" -- focused on how businesses can leverage cloud technology to optimize workplace efficiency and productivity. For example, the cloud enables seamless deployment of industry-leading unified communication and collaboration tools that help employees work more efficiently whether in the office or on the road.
Technology experts from industry leaders, Microsoft, Fortinet, Avaya, SystemMetrics, and others shared insights on a range of topics, including how to create a winning strategy for a hybrid cloud environment (a combination of a public cloud and an organization's private cloud, which Gartner predicts will be used by nearly half of enterprise-level customers by 2017), how to determine which cloud solution works best for your unique business needs, and how to protect your organization from a cyber security breach.
"Cloud-based applications are the way of the future and there's no looking back," said David Totten, Office 365 Solution Sales Director for Microsoft. "Not only can it drive business productivity and efficiency, cloud applications ultimately reduce costs, making it a no-brainer for any business."
"Cloud technology enables benefits for businesses of any size from forecasting trends to improving efficiency and ultimately increasing their bottom line," said Marcus Yano, Chief Operating Officer for SystemMetrics, which was acquired by Hawaiian Telcom in 2013. "Hawaiian Telcom University presents a prime opportunity for Hawai'i's business community to interface with local and national experts, opening the door to more meaningful discussion and collaboration."
According to a 2015 Computerworld Forecast Study, cloud computing initiatives are the most important project for the majority of IT departments today and are expected to be a catalyst for technological breakthroughs in the future.
Hawaiian Telcom University also featured a Technology Expo where nearly 20 event sponsors showcased the latest services and connected devices. An expo highlight is the "Office of the Future" where SystemMetrics debuted its newest offer, Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) by VMware, which enables virtual workspaces that are accessible from any device – desktop, tablet, smartphone (PC, Mac, Android).
To view photos from Hawaiian Telcom University 2015, please click here.
About Hawaiian Telcom
Hawaiian Telcom Holdco, Inc., headquartered in Honolulu, is Hawai'i's leading provider of integrated communications solutions for business and residential customers. With roots in Hawai'i beginning in 1883, the Company offers a full range of services including voice, video, Internet, data, data center services including colocation and virtual private cloud,, wireless, and advanced communication and network services supported by the reach and reliability of its network and Hawai'i's only 24/7 state-of-the-art network operations center. With employees statewide sharing a commitment to innovation and a passion for delivering superior service, Hawaiian Telcom provides an Always OnSM customer experience. For more information, visit hawaiiantel.com.
The Hawaiian Telcom Holdco, Inc. logo is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=10087