Information Technology
Information technologies and the knowledge and skills associated with them are so widely diffused in the economy that one must look for more defined areas of specialization to identify potential clusters of competitive advantage. Maine has developed a specialization in geospatial technologies, which is fueled by University of Maine graduate degrees in Spatial Information Science and Engineering. In addition, new media, bioinformatics, cybersecurity, and the application of IT to measure and control technologies are all supporting Maine businesses.
More than sixty percent of IT workers are employed outside of computer and telecommunications industries. High concentrations of workers are found in finance, insurance, logistics, and manufacturing; many IT professionals work on a consulting basis and work for a variety of organizations. IT’s national growth projections are outstanding and it is a high wage technology cluster in Maine. The IT sector is a critical enabler to all of the state's other clusters. IT professionals bring the specialized talent across numerous disciplines that emerging markets require.
Maine's Information Technology cluster is a very diverse sector with multiple sub-clusters bringing innovation to all sectors of the state's economy. These clusters are highlighted on the following pages: