Features February 2018

Insurance ads are everywhere nowadays—on TV, on the radio, in web and print ads—and it seems like new companies are popping up every day, eager to protect people’s homes, cars, businesses and selves, while trying to convince potential clients that they alone are the best, the fastest and the most dedicated to their customers. But […]

Most university leaders pride themselves on having a diverse student body, but how many schools can count robots in their enrollment? Southern State Community College in Hillsboro, Ohio, can. In fact, it has three. Designed by Suitable Technologies, these Beam telepresence robots allow students, professors and other faculty members to roam the campus grounds, take […]

A hacker has just released the cryptolocker virus into Schenectady County Community College’s database, and the clock is ticking. If successful, the virus will encrypt all of the institution’s files and hold them for ransom. While it’s never actually happened, this is the type of scenario CIO Antoine Harrison has to prepare for every day. […]

For a man well-versed in cutting-edge technology, Miguel Sanchez sometimes has to go about his responsibilities in a low-tech manner. Such was the case this past summer when the company for whom he serves as technology director, Pilot Catastrophe Services, was called upon to set up emergency call centers in Mobile, Alabama, and Houston in […]

Info-tech director of New Mexico Mutual since 2003, Tim Thackaberry remembers attending a Guidewire user group convention in 2006, so sparsely attended that all participants were able to meet in the hotel bar. How different Guidewire’s more recent get-togethers have been, packing thousands into large auditoriums complete with keynote speakers touting the capabilities of the […]

Walking through the green campus of Muhlenberg College, CIO Allan Chen sees students race across the campus from a contemporary dance class to an introduction to neuroscience class. Since joining the liberal arts institution in 2015, Chen has always appreciated the way the Allentown, Pennsylvania-based college encourages students to dictate their path—a mindset it also […]

Forget the value of a dollar; tech entrepreneurs quickly learn the value of a minute. It’s among the lessons Michael Ricci remembers learning during the 27 years he spent running his own software consulting company. “For my team, I was human resources. I was payroll. I was every department and worked seven days a week, […]

Don’t be fooled by the name; Washington State Community College is not located in the State of Washington, nor is it in America’s capital city. Instead, the institution of 2,200 students is situated in Marietta, Ohio, which is part of Washington County. The “state” part distinguishes it as a state school. So why not call […]

Jeremy Walczak says the brakes on a car aren’t just for stopping, they’re for letting you accelerate with confidence. His philosophy regarding information security isn’t so different—strong security measures don’t just protect, they let a company aggressively pursue its goals, he says. Walczak is the mechanic tuning up the brakes on Buffalo, New York-based Independent […]

Nearly 50 years after Corning Glass Works unveiled the first fiber optics, the world’s wireless revolution sure feels like a permanent one, with providers offering ever-faster speeds at relatively stable prices. As with any upheaval, however, there is a downside: by 2020, a full 31 billion devices—everything from phones to cars to refrigerators—will be internet-connected, […]