Among the first to join the World Wide Web in the late 1960’s, Colorado Springs has always been a major player in the realm of IT. Now, information technology in Colorado Springs is part of a cutting-edge center for cybersecurity, defense technology, and entrepreneurship. A tech-savvy workforce in the thousands is attracted by job growth, competitive salaries, and an attractive quality of life. Oracle, Cisco, SAP, and 360-plus firms take innovation higher in Colorado Springs thanks to remarkable electric reliability, stable climate conditions, and an IT network relied on by national defense agencies. AI to data centers, and across industries, IT and cybersecurity in Colorado Springs are plugged into progress.
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Facts & Figures
IT & Data Centers
Tech-fueled talent, best-in-class electric reliability, and low seismic activity provide a triad of benefits to data centers and IT businesses in Colorado Springs.
Leading the pack are in-house software development and systems engineering operations – FedEx, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, and Oracle among them. Products include software for e-business, inventory control systems, telecommunications, and aerospace and defense systems, to name some.
Global tech service managers Cherwell Software, recently acquired by Ivanti, and Tek Experts are headquartered in Colorado Springs.
Before moving on as the CEO of the National Cybersecurity Center, Cherwell’s founder helped secure $247 million in venture capital for the firm from KKR and Insight Venture Partners. In 2017, Tek Experts tripled its software development and support workforce to make Colorado Springs its main center of U.S. operations.
In 2021, Quantum Metric was announced as Colorado Springs’ first unicorn, gaining both $200 million in VC and a $1 billion valuation. A SaaS platform that helps organizations build better digital products faster, Quantum Metric intends to keep its HQ in the Pikes Peak region.
Ranked a top city for data centers, Colorado Springs is home to storage sites for FedEx, Progressive Insurance, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, and Walmart.
Software solutions giant SAP established two Colorado Springs data centers in recent years. In interviews, SAP said it chose Colorado Springs for the city’s efficient power source, favorable climate, and availability of a quality workforce.
Because of a unique density of defense installations (five total), Colorado Springs is home to one of the most sophisticated communications networks in the nation. This type of capacity and reliability is a boon to all tech and cyber firms, especially ones that require state-of-the-art communications capabilities.
Upping the advantages, electric service reliability consistently checks in at 99.99% or greater and is provided by municipally owned Colorado Springs Utilities, which reports to local elected officials, not a state Public Utilities Commission.
- Search Colorado Springs properties for IT and data center locations.
Cybersecurity
Colorado Springs, home to 150-plus cybersecurity companies, is rapidly becoming a national leader in cybersecurity commerce, employment, and innovation.
The city’s unique position as a diverse hub for IT companies, higher education, and national defense has created a thriving environment for the cybersecurity industry. Perks of that progress go to job seekers, entrepreneurs, and established companies.
A main draw for companies like L3Harris, Lockheed Martin, and Parsons is talent. Five Colorado Springs colleges, including the U.S. Air Force Academy, are certified as Centers of Academic Excellence by the National Security Agency. In addition, work-ready programs like Secure Set Academy are producing new talent at an accelerated pace.
Currently, 3,000-plus professionals are employed in the Colorado Springs cybersecurity industry, with 7,000-plus open positions forecasted through 2024. To help fill those opportunities, the Chamber & EDC is working with federal agencies and partners to streamline and/or fast track the security credentials process.
While companies like The Aerospace Corp. and Northrup Grumman have Colorado Springs HQ’s, R9B is a local to global success story. Founded in 2011, the firm leveraged its tech and military backgrounds to eventually rank as one of the top 150 cybersecurity companies in the world. R9B was acquired by Deloitte in 2021.
Colorado Springs is also home to the National Cybersecurity Center, which serves both public and private organizations and individuals through training, education, and research. Most recently, it became the site of the national Space ISAC and, in support of initiatives to secure online voting, launched a partnership with Tusk Philanthropies to pilot electronic ballot return technologies.
- Learn more at the Colorado Springs Cybersecurity website.
- Search Colorado Springs properties for cybersecurity locations.
Workforce
Supporting Colorado Springs’ always growing technology and cybersecurity ecosystem is one of the most educated workforces in the U.S.
In 2020, CompTIA ranked the city #15 among the best cities for IT professionals to live and work. The study pointed to a large STEM workforce and entrepreneurial infrastructure. LinkedIn also weighed in on Colorado Springs talent, slipping local professionals into the #1 spot in its Most Confident Workforce in the Nation Index.
Employers like Oracle, Cisco, and TEKSystems hire from a diverse pool loaded with expertise. Among them, locally produced graduates, departing military personnel and veterans, and professionals attracted to Colorado Springs for opportunities and appealing quality of life. Tech annual salaries in Colorado Springs come in slightly greater than the national average.
Five Colorado Springs colleges, including the U.S. Air Force Academy, are certified as Centers of Academic Excellence by the National Security Agency.
The University of Colorado Colorado Springs continues its tech legacy, which began in the 1960’s when it was established by HP Founder David Packard to develop computer engineers. Today, it is Cisco’s only cybersecurity SRA with a university. The partners recently announced a one-of-a-kind cybersecurity workforce development center.
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