Part of the 1.15-million-person Birmingham-Hoover, Alabama Metro Area, Hoover is an emerging hub for the information technology industry. Access to talent, partnerships with higher education, low costs of living and doing business create a rich ecosystem for the industry. Hoover is home to a federally funded training center, numerous nationally known companies with major IT operations, and many smaller, regional IT companies.

National Computer Forensics Institute

The National Computer Forensic Institute (NCFI), located in Hoover, is a federally funded training center dedicated to instructing state and local officials in digital evidence and cyber crime investigations. The NCFI was opened in 2008 with a mandate to provide state and local law enforcement, legal and judicial professionals a free, comprehensive education on current cyber crime trends, investigative methods, and prosecutorial and judicial challenges.

Run by the United States Secret Service’s Criminal Investigative Division and the Alabama Office of Prosecution Services, the training model is based upon the Secret Service’s successful cyber investigative strategy, which relies on partnering with and sharing information between academia, private industry and law enforcement/legal communities to combat the ever evolving threat of cyber crime. The curriculum reflects current trends in the field and addresses potential technological obstacles as they are encountered in active investigations.

Workforce and Compensation

The Birmingham-Hoover MSA cost for talent is lower than average creating a cost competitive advantage. The national median salary for the top 10 information technology occupations is $85,592, while a company would only pay $83,528 for the same talent in the Hoover area.