In today’s Bulldog wrapup of tech news: SciQuest names new CFO; SimliVity adds Raleigh support center; FDA approves drug from Salix buyer Valeant; Chromebook sales to increase; Winston-Salem holding innvovation event.

SciQuest Inc. (Nasdaq:SQI), which sells business automation solutions for spend management, has named Jennifer G. Kaelin to chief financial officer and principal financial and accounting officer.

Kaelin succeeds Rudy C. Howard, who stepped down from his roles as chief financial officer and principal financial and accounting officer. Howard will remain with the company until the end of June.

SimpliVity bringing support center to Raleigh

SimpliVity, which specializes in hyperconverged infrastructure for IT, has expanded its customer support operations with two new support centers: and Raleigh, North Carolina and Cork, Ireland. The centers complement existing support operations in Westborough, Mass. and further expand SimpliVity’s ability to address the growing global adoption of its data center technology that it says simplifies IT for mid-market and enterprise organizations. The company expects to double its customer support resources by the end of the year.

Reports say SimpliVity will double its headcount at the Raleigh facility, which currently employs 30 people.

Winston-Salem Improv event aims to help unlock your creativity

Need a creativity boost? The Improv for Innovation event and workshop led by author of the Go Big! Toolkit, Chris Mumford, and hosted by the Center for Creative Economy, and PDMA on June 4, at 5:30 p.m. at Flywheel, 525 Vine St. in Winston-Salem provides tools to incorporate in your business and networking opportunities.

Organizers say don’t worry, there’s no script, no director, and you won’t be asked to perform on stage below vibrant lights. Acting experience is not required. In fact, Mumford’s improv workshop is less about acting and more about preparing for the unexpected.

Through a series of exercises, ensemble members will learn the fundamentals of improv and discover how these tools can be used to foster creativity, innovation, teamwork, leadership and the ability to adapt in an ever-changing world.

Registration and networking begins at 5:30 p.m. The improv session will take place from 6-7:30 p.m. followed by a reception. The cost is $15 per person and advance registration is encouraged. You can register at bit.ly/1FQ734m

CCE and PDMA have partnered to bring this unique program to help creative industries, product designers, and general businesses seeking innovation.

FDA approves Valeant drug

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved the Valeant Pharmaceuticals International Inc. (NYSE:VRX) drug Xifaxan to treat irritable bowel syndrome with diarrhea in adults. Valeant acquired the drug when it bought Raleigh-based Salix Pharmaceuticals for $11 billion earlier this year.

Although Xifaxan was already Salix’s biggest seller, this approval could push sales higher. The additional indication for the Xifaxan use was what fired up the Salix bidding war.

Chromebook sales predicted to grow 27 percent

Gartner Inc., the market research firm, estimate that Google’s Chromebook computers that run on Google’s Chrome OS Linux distribution, will see an 27 percent increase in sales this year, rising from 5.7 million in 2014 to 7.3 million in 2015.

We see an increasing number of attendees at tech events using the Chrome notebooks and have used one for several years. While they don’t replace a laptop for anyone who needs Microsoft’s office, they are light, inexpensive, and offer long battery life. They have built-in security features and update automatically.

Gartner says North America will continue to be the top Chromebook sales location, accounting for about 84 percent sold.