Silicon County? Ken Ulman Hopes So

County Executive Ken Ulman and other county officials recently got back from meetings at Google, Inc., to see how Silicon Valley’s “climate of success” can be duplicated here.

“We are in a premier location between New York and Washington, D.C., we have a highly educated work force, and with our  fully under way, we are poised for the next big step,” Ulman said in a statement.

Accompanying Ulman were 36 regional leaders in business, technology development, education and government.

On Tuesday, Ulman signed a memorandum of understanding with Cisco Systems, Inc., to encourage partnerships between county government and the network services company, his office announced. 

This part of Maryland is also known for innovation in cybersecurity. Last week, Gov. Martin O'Malley attended a ribbon-cutting ceremony in Elkridge to celebrate the expansion of CyberCore Technologies.

Howard County was named this year the ninth “most digital county” in the nation by the Center for Digital Government, a research institute near Sacramento, CA.

And there’s even a Howard County Cyber Commission.