Information Technology

Information Technology firms in Missouri, including DST Systems, Cerner Corporation, and Jack Henry & Associates, benefit from low operating costs,  turn-key telecommunications infrastructure, a central location in close proximity to major population centers and low risk of natural disasters.

• Numerous Tier 1 providers including AT&T, CenturyLink, Cogent, Level 3, Savvis, Sprint, Time Warner, Verizon, and XO, have fiber backbone throughout the state-- over 2,000 miles combined.
• In 2011, Kansas City was selected, over 1,100 other applicants, to be the first community to receive Google Fiber, an experimental broadband internet network infrastructure using fiber-optic communication. Google Fiber will provide symmetrical connectivity at around 1 gigabit per second, which is about 100 times faster access than what most Americans have.
• Missouri has access to both the National LambdaRail (NLR) and Internet2—high-speed national networks connecting research institutions for fast exchange of data.
• Missouri has over 3 million high speed lines including fiber, cable modem, and satellite (FCC).

• Missouri is a low-risk state for hurricanes and earthquakes, having experienced no major disasters related to either since record keeping began in 1957 (FEMA).
• Located in the center of the county, Missouri is a low-risk state for acts of terrorism and has experienced no such events in the past (FEMA).
• Missouri has only 6.5 tornadoes per 10,000 miles annually, fewer than most surrounding states (NOAA, Average Annual Number of Tornados, 1991-2010).
• Missouri offers over nearly 25 million square feet of underground sites, offering natural climate control, enhanced security, and reduced vulnerability to natural disasters. 

• Missouri’s central location provides efficient access to both coasts. Missouri is within 600 miles of 51% of U.S. households.
• Missouri is within 600 miles of the fastest growing major metro sin the U.S.: San Antonio, Austin, Nashville, Atlanta, Dallas, and Houston.
• Missouri has some of the best and least congested transportation infrastructure in the United States, and the 7th largest highway system.
• Missouri has 2 major commercial airports: Kansas City International and Lambert-St. Louis International. Missouri also has 7 regional airports providing commercial service throughout the state.

Bick Group (HQ St. Louis) provides design, assess floor, fire protection, and building controls solutions for data centers.

Cass Information Systems (HQ St. Louis) provides payment and information services for financial, accounts payable, transportation, logistics, utility and telecommunications applications.

Cerner Corporation (HQ Kansas City) provides health care information technology solutions.

Commenco (HQ Kansas City) is the authorized Motorola service facility in the Kansas City metropolitan area, and specializes in the sales, installation and maintenance of wireless communications and 9-1-1 equipment. The company is a Certified Service Center and currently employs seventeen certified, factory-trained, technicians specializing in portable radios, mobile radios, pagers, closed-circuit camera equipment, computer networks, and broadband wireless applications.

DST Systems (HQ Kansas City) offers automated recordkeeping for the mutual fund industry. A division of Kansas City Southern Industries, DST is the largest provider of third-party shareholder recordkeeping in the U.S.

Emerson Electric Company  (HQ St. Louis) offers products and services in process management, climate technologies, network power, storage solutions, professional tools, appliance solutions, major technologies, and industrial automation. Emerson recently built a new data center in Missouri powered by more than 550 solar panels, providing 16% of the center’s energy requirements during peak output.

Graybar (HQ St. Louis) is a Fortune 500 company and a leader in the distribution if high quality electrical, telecommunications and networking products. 

Handmark (HQ Kansas City) is one of the leading developers and distributors of mobile media software solutions for a range of mobile devices in the world. The company provides software applications for various mobile handsets and provides services to several mobile phone manufacturers, such as Nokia, Motorola, Samsung, Hitachi, HTC, LG and Sony. It additionally has partnerships with various network providers, including O2, Orange, Vodafone and T-Mobile. 

IBM (Columbia) recently selected Columbia for a new technology delivery center, which will provide customer assistance for more than 800 IBM products.

Jack Henry & Associates (HQ Monett) processes transactions, automates business processes and manages mission-critical information for more than 8,700 financial institutions and corporate entities.

MEMC Electronic Materials (HQ St. Louis) is a global leader in the manufacture and sale of wafers and related products to the semiconductor and solar industries.

Moblico Solutions (HQ Kansas City) develops mobile applications by combining web, messaging, and e-commerce capabilities that help companies to focus on revenue generation. 

Rarewire (HQ Kansas City) is a software and services company that provides its technology, design and support capabilities to create native Apps on iOS and other mobile devices. The company relocated to Missouri in 2012.

Savvis (HQ St. Louis) a CenturyLink Co., is an IT services company providing cloud, managed hosting, managed security, colocation, professional, and network services to businesses and government agencies worldwide. The company offers hosting services comprising colocation services for clients seeking data center space and power for their server and networking equipment needs; and managed hosting services for clients’ IT infrastructure and network needs.

Simclar Group (Springfield) dedicated to backplane assembly and high level integration of complex electronic systems for leading telecom and datacom customers.

Sporting Innovations (Kansas City) a company that creates web software to enrich the experience of sports fans, including mobile applications, announced plans to expand operations in Kansas City in 2012. The company plans to make a capital investment of $20 million and create 120 new high-tech jobs over the next three years. 

Suddenlink Communications (HQ St. Louis) is among the 10 largest U.S. cable broadband companies, offering TV, internet and phone to 1.3 million customers. 

World Wide Technology (HQ St. Louis) is one of America’s largest private companies and one of the leading systems integrators that provides technology and supply chain solutions to customers and suppliers in the world. It manages planning, procurement and deployment processes of its clients through its e-commerce applications. World Wide Technology also provides asset recovery, pre-sales technical support, and integration and staging services. 

Missouri’s workforce has the education that Information Technology companies require:

• St. Louis and Kansas City, Mo. were among two of the top 13 U.S. cities for information technology talent, according to a recent report from KLG Advisors.
• Missouri is home to over 25 IT staffing firms. 
• 14 Missouri colleges and universities offer a Bachelor’s or higher degree in electrical or computer engineering, and 40 institutions offer a Bachelor’s or higher degree in computer science.
• 86.9% of Missouri's population over 25 (over 3 million people) has attained a high school diploma or higher, exceeding the national average of 85.6%.
• Over one million Missourians hold a Bachelor’s degree or higher (U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey).