This year, Digital Nova Scotia celebrates 30 wonderful years in existence.
For those of you who may not know, Digital Nova Scotia has gone by many names and had many important people play a role in its history. What first began as SIANS – the Software Association of Nova Scotia, soon evolved into ITANS – the Information Technology Alliance of Nova Scotia, which then transformed into Digital Nova Scotia. Although we’ve had many names, our roots have remained in the same. We’re grounded in Nova Scotia’s tech community and we thrive as our industry thrives.
At almost 140 members, Digital Nova Scotia has grown year after year, just as our industry has. The ICT and digital tech sector has transformed into something that is embedded in our daily lives and in almost every other sector from fishing and forestry, to transportation, retail, athletics, arts, tourism and banking, to only name a few. Almost every business has become a technology business and with it, digital skills are a growing demand globally.
As the tech industry association for the province, we support our sector and everyone within it — from startups and small and medium-size businesses, to large multinational corporations, universities and colleges, government and non-profits. We aim to address the digital divide at any level with a focus on diversity, inclusion and accessibility, lead skill building and innovative programming, promote our industry, facilitate connections and engage with youth pan-provincially. As a connector and information hub, we are an active voice within our community and everything we do is designed to support the rapid growth of our sector.
Over the years, DNS has transformed and adapted to meet the needs of our sector and as our sector continues to grow and expand, so must we. Once a volunteer driven organization, Digital Nova Scotia has now grown to eight employees, seeing a 75 per cent growth in this year alone. We’ve had greater industry reach, membership numbers, learning opportunities and support from the digital community than ever before. In the past year, we
have secured the largest federal project in the organization’s history, welcomed
20 per cent more members and established partnerships across the province.
We are so fortunate to work with such an innovative, engaged and collaborative network. Our members, board of directors, funders and partners have allowed Digital Nova Scotia to not only be around for 30 years, but to also have a true and meaningful impact.
Our phenomenal team and board of directors have created something we are all extremely proud to be a part of and I know that our journey has just begun. Bring on the next 30 years!
Thank you,
Ulrike & Team