At a time when the state and private businesses are cutting their budgets, there's not a lot left over for travel and conferences to keep workers up on the latest in technology.

That's why the state Office of Technology decided to bring the information to the people who can use it the most.

The three-day West Virginia Information Technology Summit kicked off Tuesday at the Charleston Civic Center. State agencies, higher education institutions and private businesses are getting the latest updates when it comes to things like web pages, software design, infrastructure, wireless networks and cell phones.

Kathy Moore, the state’s deputy chief technology officer, says they've brought in a lot of IT experts and vendors to talk about the latest in technology. But she stresses some of the most valuable information participants will take home comes from each other.

"Best practices, which products are working well, who's having what problems with what products, those kinds of things come out,” Moore said. “It helps people see what direction they might want to focus on."

Moore hopes the participants gain a lot of knowledge and a newfound love for their high tech jobs. "Hopefully they'll be energized, different perspectives on their jobs, some ideas about how to make things happen and be excited about their work,” she said.

The conference wraps up on Thursday.