wednesday november 18 - technology first...machines and virtual networks also apply to securing...

Promoting Information Technology Growth

network, learn, grow, connect, transfer

October 2015 Edition

technologyfirst.org

VOLUME 13

NUMBER 10

2015 TASTE OF IT CONFERENCE

How to Navigate the Shifting Storage Landscape

Wednesday

NOVEMBER 18

Tech1st_OCT_2015_v1.qxd 9/30/15 3:59 PM

CONTENTS

22

2 Leadership 2015 Taste of IT Conference

3 2015 Taste of IT ConferenceSampling of the Taste of IT 2015Breakout Sessions

5 TechnologyCloud Security Is a SharedResponsibility

6 TechnologyHow to Navigate the ShiftingStorage Landscape

8 TechnologyEncryption as a Legal Defense

9 TechnologySurviving a Data and Systems Disaster

10 TechnologyThree Requirements Your Data CenterProvider Should Meet

12 TechnologyContent Solutions Can Manage Data

MEMBER FEATURES

13 Member Mention

14 Blogs- Query Express

15 Training

LEADERSHIP

Technology First | October 2015

By: Ann Gallaher, COO, Technology First

2015 Taste of IT Conference

• Breakfast keynote panel will feature an interactive discussion on, The Emerging

Unmanned Aerial Systems industry: Applications, Challenges, and Opportunities.

The expert panel includes; Andrew D. Shepherd, PhD, Director of Unmanned

Aerial Systems for Sinclair Community College; Frank Beafore, Executive Director

for SelectTech GeoSpatial; and Kelly Cohen, PhD, Professor of Aerospace

Engineering for the University of Cincinnati.

The panel will discuss various industries’ use of drones to improve their

efficiency. Videos promise to make this interactive and very visual.

Sponsored by:

• Luncheon keynote promises an interesting presentation by Jeff Almoney,

General Motors Corporation. His presentation titled, A Technologist at Large

will cover the new technology that is beginning to appear in the automotive

industry. Technology that will change the way we look at vehicles and will

enable autonomous vehicles. This technologist-to-technologist talk will cover

the technology requirements and opportunities generated by this enhance-

ment to our everyday lives. Jeff Almoney joined General Motors Corporation as

a Global Director, Information Systems and Services in 2006. Previously,

Mr. Almoney was the chief technology officer for Reynolds and Reynolds.

Sponsored by:

Please plan to join us for three memorable presentations on:

Wednesday, November 18, 2015

(continued on page 3)


Don’t be Left Behind:Embrace the Third Platform

Presented by: McGladrey

The Experience of Things Presented by: Sogeti

Calling an Audible:Managing Project Direction and Success

When Business Priorities Shift

Presented by: AfidenceIT

Cybersecurity Compliance:If it ain’t working for Anthem, Lifelock and

Neiman Marcus, what am I supposed

to do for my company?

Presented by: Taft Law

Transforming IT withHyperconvergencePresented by: SimpliVity

From the Back Room to the Board Room — Elevating Security

in the BusinessPresented by: IO

Database Services in the Cloud

Presented by: CommitDBA


33

2015 TASTE OF IT CONFERENCE

Sampling of the Taste of IT 2015 Breakout Sessions:

(continued from page 2)

• Final wrap up keynote titled, Monkeys, a Race Car

and a Stool — A Bad Joke or a Collaboration

Strategy? will be presented by Rob Lang, Manager

of Collaboration Architecture - US Central Area for

Cisco Systems. The presentation promises that -

As the world has moved from Centrex services, to

Private Branch Exchange (PBX) to IP Telephony,

the transitions have been primarily back office

and architectural changes. Effectively, changes for

IT. As we move to Collaboration and Corporate

Messaging solutions, the changes are more about

user experience and “how” we work in today’s fast

paced communications environment. Learn why

transforming the way we work and creating agile

teams is more business-critical than ever before!

Sponsored by:

✔✔ Three Keynotes

✔✔ 20 Breakout Presentations

✔✔ An Exciting & EntertainingExhibit Hall

…all make the day well spent at the Taste of IT 2015!Hope to see you there!



WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2015SINCLAIR COMMUNITY COLLEGE PONITZ CENTER

7:30 AM UNTIL 5:00 PM

9TH ANNUAL

Taste of ITCONFERENCE

Presentation opportunities (member pricing) are going fast… call to reserve your spot!

Contact Michelle Marek at 937.229.0054 or mmarek@technologyfi rst.org for more information

Breakfast

Sponsor

Morning Break

Sponsor

Lunch

Sponsor

Afternoon Break

Sponsor

Wrap-Up Reception

Sponsor

Charging Station

Sponsor

Title Sponsor



TECHNOLOGY

By: Sogeti

Cloud Security Is a Shared Responsibility

The great benefits of the Cloud are its flexibility, on-demand availability, cost effectiveness, scalability and the way it enables a more agile approach to working.When you’re considering your cloud security strategy, you need to ensure that itreflects these characteristics to be truly effective. Maintaining security in the Cloudalso necessitates a shared responsibility between Cloud Service Providers and their clients. As it’s impossible for clients to simply walk into a supplier’s data centerto implement security measures; you need to use tools such as guest operatingsystem firewalls, Virtual Network Gateway configuration, and Virtual PrivateNetworks to secure your estate. Only by working together can you ensure thatyour applications and data are protected, the required compliance regulations are met and maximum levels of business continuity are achieved. It’s essential totake each of the different aspects of Cloud deployment, physical infrastructure,network infrastructure, virtualization layer, operating system, applications and data to determine which security measures fall within the remit of the providersand which need to be dealt with directly by the client.

It’s crucial to choose a provider with a trusted Cloud infrastructure and a dynamicsecurity strategy with a combination of access controls, authentication andencryption, firewalls and logical isolation. It’s necessary to design, create andmanage your own applications and additional infrastructure in the Cloud… safewith the knowledge that they are as secure as possible from malware attacks,zero-day vulnerabilities and data breaches. It’s also highly recommended to choosea provider that undergoes regular third party audits to ensure that securitymeasures adhere to industry standard frameworks, and be innovative and find a good balance between provider and client ownership and accountability.

Microsoft’s White Paper on Azure Network Security is an interesting example of apowerful shared responsibility security strategy. Azure uses a distributed virtualfirewall for the secure, logical isolation of customer infrastructure on a publiccloud, balanced with the client deploying multiple logically isolated deploymentand virtual networks according to business requirements. Azure’s internet com-munication security is very high, disallowing any inbound traffic but allowingclient administrators to enable communication with a choice of three differenttechniques via defining input end points, delineating Azure Security Groups orthrough a public IP address. The White Paper gives full details of securing all thedifferent types of communication that you might require, including:

• Securing communications among VMs inside the private network

• Securing inbound communications from the Internet

• Securing communications across multiple subscriptions

• Securing communications to on-premises networks with Internal or Public Facing Multi-Tier

Application:Security Management and Threat Defense are also explored in detail.Administrators can create a VM using either the Azure Management Portal orWindows PowerShell, both of which have in-built security measures.The firstassigns random port numbers to reduce the chances of a password dictionary

attack and the second is needed for remote ports to be explicitly opened. Again,these strong measures can be minimized by client administrators; and Microsoftgives good advice on how this can be achieved.

Azure offers a continuous monitoring service with a distributed denial-of-service(DDoS) defense system, which is continually improved through penetration-testing. Although not mentioned in the White Paper in detail, it’s worth noting that Microsoft conducts regular penetration testing and also allows customers tocarry out their own pre-authorized penetration testing. Network Security Groupsare used to isolate VMs within a virtual network for in-depth defense and to control inbound and outbound internet traffic. Microsoft’s guidelines for VirtualMachines and Virtual Networks also apply to securing Azure Cloud Services.Therehave been further improvements to MS Azure’s Network Security since the 3rd version of the White Paper was released in February 2014. The most notableimprovements were noticed since October 2014, when MS announced the general release of Network Security Groups with easier subnet isolation in multi-tier topologies, simpler policy validation and compliance with site to site forcedtunneling and VPN support for Perfect Forward Secrecy.

Regardless of whether you decide to use Azure or not, the White Paper is worth aread as a good overview of how a strong cloud security strategy divides responsi-bility between the provider and the client.



TECHNOLOGY

How to Navigate the Shifting Storage Landscape

Call it the Burden of Choice.

Many companies still capture and store data on traditional spinning disk drivesin corporate data centers, but the data storage landscape is drastically changing.And while it is generally better to have options, the sheer volume of emergingsolutions has left companies confused about how to handle their individual storage needs.

The process of choosing from options like flash arrays, software-defined storage,cloud and converged/hyper-converged can be overwhelming. There is misunderstanding permeatingthe industry with most IT organizations dissatisfied with the economics of their storage.

And with the digital universe doubling in size every twoyears, according to jointresearch by IDC and EMC,companies simply cannotafford to become mired inconfusion. They must figureout the best methods for collecting and storing vastamounts of data, which IDCand EMC predict will reach 44 trillion gigabytes annually by 2020.

Making a decision about data storage is a complex process, ifdone correctly. Organizationsneed to carefully consider anumber of factors includingtheir own individual needs,industry, cost analysis and business goals. Some companies may find that a com-bination of different solutions best suits their needs.

But first, it is important to understand the intricacies of different solutions, anduse them to weigh the pros and cons of each option against business needs.

Flash-Based ArraysFlash is poised to become one of 2015’s biggest trends, with its increasing popularity due in part to a significant drop in price. Prices for flash storage,once hefty at more than $1,000 per GB, have fallen to less than $10 per GB in the past decade. Enterprise storage vendors and startups are largely responsible for this development.

The improvements they have made to the reliability and performance of flash-based arrays have lowered the effective cost per gigabyte. Dubbed “super-efficient,” flash systems that combine high-performance flash and cutting-edgedata-reduction technologies have also contributed to lower costs. The main-stream application of deduplication and compression, which is well suited forflash-based storage, will likely further reduce the cost once they deploy.

Given these developments, it is hardly surprising that the flash-based array mar-ket grew past $11 billion in 2014, according to new research from IDC. And priceis not the only benefit flash offers. The agile solution excels in environments

where performance is thedriving factor. As perform-ance demands increase,flash-based storageexhibits a very favorabletotal cost of ownership(TCO) pattern.

Companies are adopting flash left and rightbecause of benefits suchas the aforementionedcharacteristics. However,organizations must under-stand certain disadvan-tages when considering a move to an all-flash storage system. A majordrawback is the rip-and-replace nature of all-flash.In many cases, it will notwork in tandem with current data center tech-nology without specializedsoftware, meaning muchof an organization’s

current data center architecture may have to be reevaluated. This elevates cost and time investment right off the bat.

In addition, implementing flash may become even more costly for organizationsthat need synchronized replication with zero data loss. In order to prevent dataloss, they should include a virtualization appliance with an all-flash array. Itsinclusion may be necessary because enterprise data management features arestill largely immature.

The cost of flash is certainly attractive compared to traditional storage, especiallywhen paired with hyper-converged systems. Still, it is imperative for companies toevaluate their data compression abilities, as data compression is essential for flash.


By: Kevin Keuning, Patrick Conway, and Scott Popolizio, Forsythe



TECHNOLOGY, CONT.

Converged and Hyper-convergedConverged storage is a familiar industry concept. Although most storage continues to be deployed “non-converged,” adoption of converged infrastructurehas been growing steadily over the past 5 years. The idea is simple: Users buypre-integrated reference architecture, which the vendor ships to them. The archi-tecture consolidates components into a highly redundant storage platform thatusers can scale out as needed. It is a solution built around capacity, performanceand optimization.

Hyper-converged has recently emerged as the logical successor of converged.It takes the concept a step further, utilizing a pre-manufactured appliance that covers the capabilities of multiple functionalities. The appliance plugs into the network and covers the user’s needs, thereby simplifying the process.It is convenient for users because they get the resources they need with fewermoving parts. This user-friendly storage method also offers the efficiency of tight integration.

However, like any other solution, hyper-converged has drawbacks. The platform’slinear scaling model presents a potential issue because scaling to hundreds orthousands of appliances has not yet been explored outside of major cloudproviders. Furthermore, the solution does not allow for customization accordingto individual needs. If a user needs additional storage but does not require addi-tional compute functionalities, it still must pay for both. To put it simply, it’s akinto buying extra shoes, but really all you needed was additional shoelaces. Costscan quickly add up if one need continuously outpaces the other.

Despite the challenges associated with converged and hyper-converged, IDCpredicts the integrated systems market will grow to $14.3 billion by 2017.Adoption rates are currently low, however, due in part to the buzz surroundingother solutions such as software defined storage.

Software-Defined StorageSoftware-defined storage is a hot topic right now because of what it promises to deliver in the future—a platform for deploying applications based onautomating the infrastructure underneath. This model implements a layer of virtual networks and policies on top of the physical network, which ultimatelyeliminates the need to configure hardware. The ease of use makes this methodattractive to users; overlay solutions typically come prepackaged, with much of the required programming already configured in the controller.

Companies choose a software-defined approach when they wish to accomplishsome or all of the following goals: building a storage solution at a low pricepoint, establishing a solution specifically geared toward virtualized workloadsand making their infrastructure programmable.

The last reason is a critical differentiator. Companies that are not prepared for aprogrammable infrastructure should take heed, as they are most likely not yetready for a software-defined storage solution.

In a 2014 report, Gartner estimated there were only between 500 and 1,000mainstream deployments of SDN globally. But interest in software defined networking is heating up. In a separate statement that same year, DavidCappuccio, research vice-president at Gartner, proclaimed software defined as

a top trend in the near future. It has already demonstrated strong potential tobecome an essential component of future cloud-enabled, orchestrated data centers. Still, organizations are wise to take a wait-and-see approach, as software-defined networking standards, architectures and solutions continue to mature.It is best to track developments and products before taking the leap.

Cloud ServicesCloud is perhaps the most well-known modern storage solution. In fact, public IT cloud spending is on track to exceed $127 billion in 2018, according to a 2014 forecast from IDC.

Users find the cloud appealing for two main reasons. First, the cloud helps themcircumvent short-term costs. Secondly, and perhaps most important given themassive amounts of data companies collect in the digital era, it offers the ability toadd data continuously without worrying about a cap, because space is unlimited.

Organizations typically use the cloud for one of three purposes, with backing up data to the cloud as perhaps the most common reason. While users shouldremain wary of migrating sensitive data, private clouds are easing some of theconcern. It is also widely used for archiving data; this is particularly valuable in industries like healthcare where practices and hospitals must save certaininformation for legal and regulatory compliance. File sharing is the third popularuse for the cloud. Google spreadsheets and programs like Dropbox have gainedpopularity in the past few years.

While companies are adopting the cloud at a rapid pace, the vast majority shyaway from an all-cloud model. Instead, they opt for hybrid cloud—a blend of on-premises, private cloud and public cloud services with orchestration betweenthe two platforms. Businesses like hybrid-cloud models because it offers flexibility by allowing workloads to move between private and public clouds as computing needs and costs change.

Finding the Right FitWith all of the storage solutions available, it is wise for enterprises to make adecision based on their own needs. Leaders should focus on which model, orpairing of models, would best suit their organization and drive business—ratherthan simply reviewing their capabilities at face value. The process may provelengthy and complex, but the investment will pay off in the long run.

The future of data storage will likely follow a version of what Gartner termed “bi-modal IT” in a 2014 presentation. According to slides from the presentation,Bi-Modal IT: Managing the Dichotomy in the Data Center,“By 2017, 75 percent of IT organizations will have a bi-modal capability.”This bi-modal approach provides greater agility and enhanced flexibility, and allows for continuousgrowth to maximize long-term value.

Regardless of emerging and future solutions, challenges will always accompanytransformational shifts in data storage. But with an accurate roadmap and theright gear, organizations can navigate even the rockiest terrain.

For more information visit www.forsythe.com.



We strongly encourage companies possessing or transmitting personally identifi-able information (PII), protected health information (PHI), financial or other sensi-tive data, including trade secrets, to use encryption. Why? Because, if employedproperly, it is both effective and legally defensible.

So What is Encryption?Encryption is a type of information security. It involves the coding and decodingof messages in order to protect private content from third parties. In its earliestform, encryption was essentially letter substitution (e.g., substituting the letter “a”

for the letter “p” in a message). Today, encryption ismuch more complex than that. It usually involves thedevelopment of a shared secret key, the application ofan encryption algorithm to your data to create aciphertext, and, in many cases, the use of what is calleda nonce (or “IV”), which is introduced into the data exchange to prevent repetitive sequences in the encrypted text (since such repetitions could allow the encryption to be broken).

The two basic forms of encryption are stream ciphers and block ciphers. Streamciphers employ a single use key. The historical “one time pad” and once-trustyRC4 are examples of stream ciphers. This type of encryption is generally used forthings like email, since the cipher can only be securely used one time. Blockciphers, in contrast, employ many use keys. Two of the most common blockciphers used today are 3DES and AES, both of which are approved by NIST. Blockciphers are used for things like SSL (i.e., Internet packet encryption), since thecipher is created through an iterative process that allows the shared key to beused securely multiple times.

That’s the encryption short tour.

Why should you use it?You should use encryption because it gives you legal protection. Few lawsspecifically require encryption. HIPAA generally doesn’t. State statutes don’t.Nor does the Gramm Leach Bliley Act’s Safeguard’s Rule. Yet if you are notencrypting PII, PHI, or financial data, you are putting yourself at risk. Those lawsexpect you to take reasonable precautions. And using encryption, and using itproperly, is a reasonable precaution when it comes to dealing with sensitivedata. HIPAA, for example, provides that encryption should be used where “theentity has determined that the specification is a reasonable and appropriatesafeguard in its risk management of the confidentiality, integrity and availability”of the information or else implement an “equivalent alternative measure if rea-sonable and appropriate,” and document why encryption wasn’t the best choice.

Encryption also helps to avoid costly breaches. The HIPAA breach notificationrule is only triggered if the PHI is “unsecured.” So if the data has been made“unusable, unreadable, or indecipherable to unauthorized individuals” —say,through encryption—then there is no reportable breach. And almost every state and territory breach notification statute follows this same approach. Thethinking is that, since the data is encrypted, it is not feasible for someone tobreak the encryption to get to the underlying information, so the information isnever really exposed. If, however, the incident involves a person with access tothe encryption key and the individual or entity reasonably believes that suchbreach has caused or will cause identity theft or other fraud, then, under moststatutes, there will be a breach, and notification will still be required.

The bottom line is that if you’re a company that handles sensitive data”—including PII, PHI, financial data, trade secrets, etc.— you will want to use encryption as one line of your layered defense against cyberattacks, theft,and other information disclosure risks.


TECHNOLOGY

Putting technology into practice,itís what our consultants do...

7 practices, 1 partner: SogetiWith experts in Advisory Services, Application Development, BIM, Infrastructure, Mobile, Product Engineering and Testing, our Local TouchóGlobal Reach approach to consulting means you have access to local experts and a global team.

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Encryption as a Legal DefenseBy: Matthew D. Lawless



TECHNOLOGY

By: Caleb Compston, US Signal

Surviving a Data and Systems DisasterEvery company knows it needs data and systems backup and recovery, yet it isoften put on the backburner. Did you know that 60% of companies that losetheir data shut down within 6 months?

Can your organization successfully recover its data and systems in the event of a true disaster?

First a little history.

Current State of BackupsOut of 1,200 companies surveyed by Federal Emergency Management Agency(FEMA) and other sponsors, 67% reported only some success in achieving back-up goals, and 33% reported major fails. Companies failing to recover data oftenclose their doors within a year of the disaster.

The survey also found that 11% of the surveyed companies routinely missedtheir backup windows. Missing a backup window means not all of your criticalinformation is getting to where it needs it to go. Additionally, 22% of those com-panies were backing up inactive data that should have actually been destroyedor archived.

Of the successes, 39% completed successful recoveries, but not in the timeframeof their disaster recovery plans. Some companies went as far as two monthsbeyond scheduled recovery points. Only 28% out of the 1,200 companies completed their recoveries on time and without issues. Lastly, FEMA reportsbetween $4,000–$40,000 is lost per hour of downtime.The cost only gets bigger as your organization grows.

The numbers show it’s imperative to your business’ success to have a data protection plan in place. Data backup is like having an insurance policy againstnatural disaster, data corruption, and everyday mistakes, such as accidentallydeleting files. And who hasn’t done that?

Before we go any further, let’s cover some terms and get some answers you’llneed to know for your backup and recovery plans.

Recovery Point Objective (RPO). This is your point in time to recover. How muchdata are you prepared to lose? Do you need data from one minute, five minutes,a week, a month?

Recovery Time Objective (RTO). This is the total time to recover. You’ll need toknow how long you can afford to be down. If you’ve recovered your data butyour systems and applications are down, such as email or payroll, how long canyour business survive?

Disaster recovery plan. A disaster recovery plan is a documented process or setof procedures to recover and protect a business’ IT infrastructure in the event ofa disaster. You’ll want to understand how everyone will react in a disaster, andwho’s going to do what and when.

Getting Your Backup and Recovery Plans TogetherMaybe answering those questions left you rattled because you’re thinking yourbusiness can’t afford to lose any data, nor can it afford to be down for even a fewminutes. You’re thinking your lack of planning leaves you nothing to fall back on.

While it does take time and know-how to create and implement a backup andrecovery plan, US Signal can help you through each step.

Read up on how we can help you with your data protection needs — Backup-as-a Service, Recovery-as-a-Service and Disaster Recovery-as-a-Service.

With the help of US Signal’s Professional Service Engineers and our DataProtection Suite, we’ll work together to create a playbook detailing disasterrecovery plans and processes, thereby safeguarding all the data and systems you need to keep your business running.



TECHNOLOGY

Before Silicon Valley became Silicon Valley, the Miami River Valley—with Daytonat the forefront—was an innovation nucleus. During the early 20th century, thearea led the country in patents per capita and was home to inventors, scientists,and great thinkers who pioneered the first cash registers, electric wheelchairs,modern parachutes, and even the tabs on soda cans. Fast forward 100 years, andDayton is still a hub of innovation boasting a thriving startup environment and a growing tech community while remaining an established mecca for topemployers. However, there is more to be done in order for Dayton to competewith businesses in Silicon Valley. But first—in order to out compete, one mustbe able to out compute. Enter data centers.

What to Look for When Choosing a Data Center

Not all data centers are the same, and the choice between one data centerprovider and another could lead to success or trouble for a company. Whenresearching how a data center provider can help expand your business, it isimportant to keep these strategies top of mind.

1. Focus on Your Core Business, Not on Your Data Center

Certain aspects of IT do not always align with a company’s business model, asallocating time, effort, and resources to an IT infrastructure can sometimes takeaway from core business needs. However, the tie between business and technol-ogy is growing, and as companies look to generate more technology insights, itis critical to have the most up to date software to aggregate information abouttarget customers, markets, and growth opportunities. Partnering with a datacenter provider makes business sense as it allows IT experts to handle comput-ing and software needs while you grow your business.

2. Your Provider Should Always Be Available and Secure

After deciding to allocate your business computing needs to a data centerprovider, the next best step is assessing the availability and security of the data.

Think about it: you outsourced your business computing needs to a data centerprovider in order to gain insights and advance your business. Therefore, the datacenter, which is receiving and processing your business information every secondof every day, should provide you with access to that data every second of everyday. In this way, it is important to think of your data center as a business partnerrather than a business decision.

Now, let’s talk security. The Identity Theft Resource Center reported 2014 as theyear with the highest number of data breaches ever recorded—a hike of 27.5percent more than 2013. The Center estimates that 675 million records havebeen illegally accessed by hackers since 2005.

When your data center provider has your most sensitive company records, theirsoftware needs to be up-to-date and secure. In terms of physical security, yourprovider should have top-of-the-line security to ensure only you, your employees,and the approved data center staff has access to your servers. Additionally, theservers that house the data should be completely protected from water, fire, orheat damage and should remain unaffected during power outages.

3. Future-Proofing Your Data Center to Facilitate Innovation

One of the intrinsic characteristics of technology is that it is constantly movingforward. By 2020, the amount of information processed online is estimated to beten times its 2013 size. So the concept of future-proofing your data center goeshand-in-hand with the growing demand for computing capacity.

In order to stay ahead of the curve, your data center provider must be able toanticipate your future needs and scale accordingly. The best way to do so is tochoose a data center provider with mixed-density capabilities that enables yourbusiness to scale in place and match density to application requirements. It’s the best of both worlds: you mitigate the risk of being unable to scale withouthaving to wastefully over-provision.

Why Dayton is a Great Place for Your Data Center?

Data centers will play an integral role in driving technological growth, as theseenterprises will enable companies to maximize their ability to handle high per-formance computing. This, in turn, allows IT infrastructures to gain a competitiveadvantage by turning the processed data into insightful business decisions.

Three Requirements Your Data Center Provider Should MeetBy: Chris Staggs, Account Executive, IO

Experience the power of being understood.®

When you trust the advice you’re getting, you know your next move is the right one.

For a tailored approach that aligns your technology, processes and people to help

improve productivity, turn to McGladrey.

We help you plan, select and implement new software solutions, address your

technology risk and design your technology infrastructure.

Experience the power. Go to www.mcgladrey.com/technology

or contact us at 800.274.3978.

© 2015 McGladrey LLP.PP All Rights Reserved. MCG0315KV




TECHNOLOGY

Dayton is a great place to collocate due to its physical location. The city is centrally located between major Midwest markets, including Columbus,Cincinnati, Indianapolis, Louisville, Chicago, and Minneapolis, making it accessible to a number of businesses.

Because of its central location, Dayton is an attractive choice for companies not only in the Midwest but also on the East Coast. Latency between Dayton and New York City is approximately 25 milliseconds, yet the energy prices andcost of doing business in Dayton is significantly lower than in New York City andneighbors to the east. In fact, the biggest reason global organizations chooseOhio for data center colocation is for disaster recovery and business continuity.

Last but certainly not least, Dayton is a top spot for tech talent being named ofthe top 30 metro areas in the United States for tech jobs. Multinational giants,such as Kroger, P&G, and Cardinal Health, call Ohio home. The Wright-PattersonAir Force Base, the largest in the U.S., performs “scores of high-tech research and development.”

There is no one right answer to the question,“Where should I locate my datacenter?” Most companies adopt a regional colocation strategy, co-locating indata centers within reasonable geographic proximity to where they do business.For organizations in the Midwest and on the East Coast, Ohio is an ideal place for data center colocation.

Chris Staggs is an Account Executive at IO Ohio, which is located in Miamisburg.




TECHNOLOGY

Content Solutions Can Manage DataBy: Laura Burkamper, McGladrey

Organizations today define the human resources function in many differentways depending on the size, industry, workforce makeup and, in some cases,economic composition of the company. In some small and midsize businesses,human resources may not even be an official department. The human resourcesfunction may be managed by operations or finance, or if there is a humanresources department, human resources staff may assume additional responsi-bilities such as training, safety and policy management. The premise of doingmore with less is a challenge that is prevalent in most human resources depart-ments, regardless of company size.

In addition to the vast scope of the human resources department’s responsibilities,many organizations typically lack the technology to support all of the documents,forms and processes that encompass the role. Many times, tracking is managedthrough spreadsheets and there is a lot of paper routed throughout the organiza-tion, with a lack of status or tracking available.Typically, midsize businesses havesystems in place to manage their line of business and financial activities, but havea gap as it relates to the tracking and management of employee records. Evenwhen there is a Human Resources Information System (HRIS) in place, there stillmay be challenges or deficits in the solution.

Much of the information that needs to be tracked is what is referred to asunstructured data. Unstructured data, as defined by Wikipedia:“Unstructured

Data (or unstructured information) refers to information that either does nothave a pre-defined data model or is not organized in a pre-defined manner.Unstructured information is typically text-heavy, but may contain data such asdates, numbers, and facts as well.”

Examples of unstructured data within the human resources area are employeeonboarding and termination management, time off requests, training requestsand tracking forms, safety occurrences, etc. Where should this information resideand how can organizations structure this unstructured data so that it is easilyaccessible by authorized individuals, well-documented, preserved for future ref-erence and secure?

Many organizations have successfully implemented Enterprise ContentManagement (ECM) solutions to help manage this data. ECM solutions notonly provide a repository to store and manage documents and forms but alsohave workflow capabilities to facilitate the routing, tracking and approvalprocesses. An example would be Microsoft’s ECM solution, SharePoint, whichallows businesses to take advantage of the investments they have made inother Microsoft solutions.

We recently worked with an eastern Iowa manufacturer, who was challengedwith tracking the company’s employee time off process. They were outsourcingtheir payroll functions, but managing time off requests with paper forms thatwere routed throughout the office for approval. They were also using spread-sheets to track employee time accruals and time off. They implemented an ECMsolution to not only manage electronic requests and approvals, but also todefine time accrual rules and make the information readily available to employ-ees so they could easily track their eligibility. After implementing the solution,not only were employees better informed of their benefits, but human resourceshad a better tool to manage the process.

Could an ECM solution help your company? The best test is to examine yourbusiness and track how much paper is exchanged and how much time is spentmanually tracking activities. Maybe there is a better way to manage the unman-ageable data within your organization.

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The Ohio Academy of Science has named

Hanen Alkhafaji as one of 58 Ohio’s

“Believe in Ohio” STEM Exemplars. She

was one of only two Daytonians named.

Exemplars are named for their science,

technology, engineering, and mathematics

(STEM) workforce perspective.They serve

as role models for students to encourage

them to pursue STEM careers and become

entrepreneurs and innovators. Alkhafaji

worked with middle school students

enrolled in Chaminade-Julienne High

School’s STEMM (Science,Technology,

Engineering, Mathematics, Medicine) sum-

mer camp, introducing them to statistical

concepts in an interactive analytical activity.

Alkhafaji works for PQ Systems as a

software development team member and is an alumna of Chaminade-Julienne

High School and Wright State University. She was named the Emerging Leader

at the Technology First Leadership Award event in May 2014.


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Managing Editor and Advertisement Sales: Michelle Marek

Writers: Our mission is to support the growth of Greater Dayton’s information technology industry.Technology First provides a forum for educators, business, and technical professionalsto communicate their expertise and lessons learned while working in the field. Please submit the article in Word, preferably with 500 to 700 words, with any graphics in pdf [email protected]. Please include your name, business organization, business address, phone number, fax number, e-mail address, and a brief description of any professionalaccomplishments. Please also include a digital photograph if available.

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IT Systems Engineer/Developer Community Blood Center

ETL Development Consultant Teradata

Business Intelligence Teradata

Senior .NET Developer Red Hawk Technologies

Senior Business System Analyst Red Hawk Technologies

Senior Project Manager RoundTower

For more information about these jobs and other jobs, please visit:

http://www.technologyfirst.org/component/employment_exchange

Technology First LeadershipAward Winner Named As STEM Exemplar

Hanen Alkhafaji September Issue Error:

The magazine article titled, “Five Questions To Consider Before Choosing a GPS Tracking System for Your Vehicles” was submitted by RACO Industriesrather than Sogeti as previously stated. We sincerely apologize for this error.


Warning: Techie Stuff Ahead!Recently I was in need of a free (I love free) tool to perform a few SQL queriesagainst a suspect database. Since I’m nowhere near being a DBA (DataBaseAdministrator), and if you watch me type SQL queries that becomes completelyobvious, I don’t have those tools available like the real pros do. Query Expresswas the answer to my need, at my favorite price ($0).

http://www.albahari.com/queryexpress.aspx

Google Drive For OfficeGoogle has released a small plug-in for Microsoft Office that connects into your Google Drive, making it easier to use the two together. Who says we can’t all get along?

googledrive.blogspot.com/2015/07/google-drive-plug-in-for-office.html

Apple Battery ChargerThis is my favorite AA batterycharger. Apple seems to bethe only company that under-stands that positive alwaysgoes up or always goes in first.It’s the simple things, like nothaving to put on glasses to doa little task, that I appreciate.

http://store.apple.com/us/product/MC500LL/A/apple-battery-charger


BLOGS

By: Paul Moorman

Query Express

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wednesday november 18 - technology first...machines and virtual networks also apply to securing...

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