"We think of this as a co-op model. We can give the oil and gas companies the same competitive technology [as the large oil companies, most of which have moved to Houston], but no individual company has to spend the money for it," Thibodeaux explains.

Under a proposed utility computing model, Lafayette Consolidated Government, which already owns and operates its own electric utility company, is also planning to run fiber network connections directly to every home and business in Lafayette.

"Technology and moving a lot of data around is central to our economy. We have to position our city as unique in its bandwidth capabilities. For us, it's pure economic development," Thibodeaux says.

Agility ingrained

Don Gibson, managing director of IT at FedEx Services in Irving, Texas, considers collaboration and communication to be the very lifeblood of the overnight transportation and shipping company.