Meet Blue Star Recyclers and Learn About Their Mission

Meet Blue Star Recyclers and learn about their mission!

Over the past year, you have heard Zebra leaders talk about Inclusion and Diversity here on the Your Edge blog. However, most of those discussions were in the context of employee culture. We have yet to talk about the importance of inclusion and diversification in companies’ supply chains. That’s precisely why we invited Steve Williams to join us for the latest episode of the Your Edge podcast.

Find out what Zebra is specifically doing to diversify its supplier base, distribution channel and reseller network and how such efforts enable Zebra to be more creative in delivering the high-quality products and services that give our customers a competitive edge:

Listen to the podcast here!

UI Health, Chicago Medical Society and PhysIQ Collaborate to Protect Frontline COVID-19 Health Care Workers and High-Risk Patients with Advanced AI

• UI Health will monitor the health of certain frontline health care workers and high-risk patients with COVID-19 who are recommended for home isolation using the pinpointIQ system comprising wearable biosensors and artificial intelligence technology
• The system may help mitigate a surge of hospital patients and provide early warning signs of COVID-19 exacerbation

CHICAGO, IL – June 16, 2020 – The University of Illinois Hospital and Health Sciences System (UI Health), Chicago Medical Society and AI healthcare tech pioneer physIQ announced today that physIQ’s pinpointIQTM continuous remote patient monitoring (cRPM) system will monitor the vital signs of the health system’s frontline health care workers and high-risk patients with COVID-19 for early signs of disease exacerbation. 

The pinpointIQ system is an FDA-cleared AI analytics platform that monitors the vital signs through a wearable biosensor detecting changes in physiologic indices of health status.  The system then notifies clinicians charged with monitoring data produced by pinpointIQ for clinically-relevant changes in vital signs. This allows an early plan of care to be developed that may prevent complications or hospitalization.

“Our top priority is protecting and promoting the health and safety of our patients and staff, and COVID-19 has created an urgent need for innovative, tech-driven solutions,” said UIC’s Dr. Terry Vanden Hoek, Chief Medical Officer at UI Health and Head of the Department of Emergency Medicine at the College of Medicine. “We are excited to partner with the Chicago Medical Society and physIQ to offer home monitoring options to some patients and staff with COVID-19 that could help us detect physiologic changes of illness progression that may indicate a need for early follow up with their physician.”

Through this collaboration, the University of Illinois Hospital will have access to the technology and monitor certain staff and patients with COVID-19 with risk factors such as obesity and heart or lung conditions and who are isolating at home. “Continuous monitoring of patients using physiological modeling with AI offers an opportunity to detect a virus exacerbation early. Early intervention may prevent the body from initiating the ‘cytokine storm’ that we think causes the most severe complications of COVID-19,” Vanden Hoek said. “We hope this technology will help us to closely follow the health of our staff – in partnership with their primary care providers – and patients while they are at home with COVID-19.”

The potential utility of pinpointIQTM for use with COVID-19 patients is supported by the work physIQ has done with USAID, the CDC and Scripps Health in patients with Ebola, as well as in clinical studies conducted with Veterans Affairs in patients with severe congestive heart failure. 

The pinpointIQ system comprises a Vital Connect wearable biosensor, pulse oximeter and smartphone streaming of physiological data to a HIPAA compliant cloud-based server, which uses FDA-cleared analytics to produce clinically actionable insight. For homebound UI Health patients, the system will be prescribed by an emergency room physician and shipped directly to the patient’s home without requiring direct physical contact from a clinician. For health care workers who choose to participate, the system will be deployed at the hospital, through UI Health’s employee health program.

“To make a life-changing impact, we need to be at the front line of health care,” noted Gary Conkright, CEO of physIQ. “We are proud to support homebound healthcare workers and patients who are high risk for COVID-19 exacerbation with our remote physiologic monitoring technology.  This opportunity also allows physIQ to support UI Health in its mission to reduce and eliminate the health disparities experienced by vulnerable communities, which have recently seen disproportionate rates of COVID-19 infection and death due to COVID-19 complications.”

“PhysIQ is alone in offering deep analytics and AI to monitor the health of patients and their healthcare providers,” said Ted Kanellakes, Executive Director for the Chicago Medical Society. “The Chicago Medical Society is proud to support this important collaboration. As a provider to underserved communities, UI Health and physIQ together will make a real difference to the people of Chicago.”

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We all face a challenging market now. A few months ago, no one could’ve predicted the world would be where it is today. Almost all workers need to stay inside and operate remotely. Organizations need to scale up resources to meet this new demand.

But you still have the same concerns you’ve always had with running your business. Organizations were looking to digitize long before this new normal. Fifty-four percent of organizations surveyed for the Flexera 2020 State of Tech Spend Report indicated digital transformation was their top initiative this year.

Organizations also reported cybersecurity and cloud-first/cloud migration as top initiatives. You can see how the need to digitize has increased when looking at the state of the global economy. Cloud is the backbone of digital transformation. Benefits of the cloud for business include enabling organizations to innovate and scale rapidly so they can more quickly to respond to business demand. The trend is for investments in cloud IaaS, PaaS and SaaS to increase as organizations decrease on-premises software license investments.

Eighty-four percent of survey respondents indicated they have a multi-cloud strategy. That is huge in light of the complexity many organizations face as they seek to tighten cloud security and maintain governance. In the midst of all of these rapid changes, organizations have to:

• Identify which workloads to migrate to the cloud
• Develop a strategy for managing multiple cloud instances and services
• Manage hybrid environments
• Advance effective strategies for ongoing management

All these steps need to happen while also controlling costs and finding opportunities to optimize spend. That’s why it’s crucial to approach your cloud journey from a business perspective. You need the right people, processes and tools in place to navigate your cloud journey. For example, you should start by evaluating your business services. With proper service and resource discovery, you can identify which workloads should move to the cloud. That’ll help you avoid the mistake of moving too fast and struggling to get visibility into your IT environment.

As you migrate workloads, you want an effective strategy for managing software licenses and spend in the cloud. This strategy should include looking at SaaS spend, which can quickly proliferate in your environment because of how easy it is to purchase and deploy. You also want to keep a pulse on your IaaS and PaaS spend and leverage automation where appropriate to help you minimize risk. It’s vital to regularly refine your ongoing management strategy based on business demand.

The benefit of the cloud for business is that it provides the flexibility organizations need to scale resources up or down based on need. It’s more necessary than ever to have the capability to examine your cloud strategy. You want to control spend, innovate and respond to business needs quickly and without disruption.

Flexera understands these challenges. We have the automated solutions you need to manage your entire cloud journey. Watch this webinar to learn more about the importance of navigating your cloud journey with a business service lens.

Contact us today to find out how we can help you transform your IT and advance your business.

Need to Get Off on the Right Foot?

Let’s face it; changing up your work routine is no easy feat. Maybe you have already started working from home, or you are looking into switching your employees over to a remote set up. In any case, we developed a helpful guide to be used as a remote work checklist. Let’s get started!  

The In-Office to Remote Work Checklist  

 Computer Set-Up

First things first, when you are transitioning to a remote work setup, you need to make sure your employees have all the technological materials they need to do their jobs successfully. Things such as internet access, laptops, desktop monitors, computer mice, and access to any mandatory programs may be items to consider. 

Your Workspace  

As a remote employee, setting up a workspace and developing a daily routine can significantly improve your productivity and focus. Make sure it’s a space that you can sit comfortably in, not get easily distracted, and feel inspired to work. 

Factor in Time for Complications 

There are bound to be a few speedbumps in the road when you are transitioning to a new work environment. That’s why you should always factor in a “time buffer” with your deadlines and remember to practice patience and understanding with your team members. 

Assessing Your Priorities

A critical part of the remote work checklist is to assess your priorities and make clear guidelines for everyone on what their role is in the company. 

Communication Tools

When you are working from home, communication is key! Using a real-time application for communication is a helpful solution to solve day-to-day issues. We recommend platforms like Microsoft Teams and Slack.   

Cybersecurity Protocol

Are your employees properly trained in cybersecurity best practices? One of the biggest cybersecurity threats of working from home is email phishing. If you are not familiar with the term “phishing,” it’s the act of tricking users to click on an encrypted link or email. Once you’ve clicked on the link, the hacker will spam your account with malware or other dangerous viruses. 

 Phishing tests provide your employees with security awareness training. Consider your users as a line of defense in the event of a cyber-attack. 

Annual Meetings

Taking 15 minutes to chat can make all the difference to a remote employee! An important thing to add to your remote work checklist is to schedule regular meeting times with everyone. This ensures your staff is on the same page with all their tasks and encourages team collaboration. 

Task Management 

Don’t let things fall through the cracks! A task management application makes it easy to share and organize your projects, tasks, files, and more. The best part is you can easily share this information with clients and guests, so having an account isn’t necessary. 

Use What You’ve Learned 

Once you have started working from home, the most valuable thing you can add to your remote work checklist is the lessons you’ve learned along the way to make working remote the best it can be.  

Need to get off on the right foot? Let’s face it; changing up your work routine is no easy feat. Maybe you have already started working from home, or you are looking into switching your employees over to a remote set up. In any case, we developed a helpful guide to be used as a remote work checklist.

Click below to review the checklist to take your workplace from in-office to remote work easily.

Originally Posted by EMPIST: https://empist.com/in-office-to-remote-work-checklist/

The former Hewlett Packard Enterprise executive brings nearly 20 years of tech experience to Ensono’s leadership team to drive business transformation for clients

DOWNERS GROVE, Ill., June 17, 2020 — Ensono, a leading hybrid IT services provider, announced today that Paola Doebel, has been named SVP and Managing Director of North America. As an experienced global leader in the tech industry, Doebel will drive Ensono’s North American go-to-market strategy, working closely with new and base clients, strengthening partnerships, and leading solutions engineering. She will be responsible for client initiatives and business performance across the region.

“Paola’s experience in leading transformation at major corporations across global markets is astounding, and her addition to Ensono’s leadership team is a huge win for our clients, associates and overall business success,” said Marc Capri, President at Ensono. “Her passion and knowledge for driving growth was apparent from the start, and I look forward to seeing how she guides our strategy into the future.”

Doebel brings nearly 20 years of leadership experience in product and go-to-market strategies. She has a proven track record of delivering growth across complex portfolios that span multiple geographies. Before Ensono, Doebel worked at Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) where she most recently ran their multi-billion dollar compute, hybrid cloud, mission critical, and high-performance computing/artificial intelligence businesses in North America. Doebel also spent nearly nine years in the Asia-Pacific (South Korea and Singapore) market, running HPE’s data center and hybrid cloud business and growing new business units at Dell Technologies Inc.

“Business growth starts with capable, transparent, and unified leadership,” Doebel said. “Throughout the process, I was impressed with the transparency, collaboration, and consistency of the Ensono leadership team, proving their integrity and commitment to clients and associates. I look forward to leveraging Ensono’s unique value proposition to bring our clients innovative hybrid solutions.”

Learn more about Ensono’s leadership team here.

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Time synchronization services have been around for a long time, but now the SEC’s Rule 613 (Consolidated Audit Trail) requires accurate time. Time-Synchronization-as-a-Service makes compliance to this rule much more simple.

What is Time-Synchronization-as-a-Service (TSaaS)?

Like many other cloud services, TSaaS is built on the idea of using a pool of shared resources to be able to more efficiently, thus less expensively, deliver a specific resource. Often, that resource is computing power, storage space, or a specific application, but here that resource is highly accurate and traceable time. TSaaS has existed for years, coming into more popular use with other cloud services and the increased prevalence of distributed computing. With large farms of servers needing to process many millions of transactions a second across them, knowing which transactions happened first is very important.

These time readings are retrieved from highly accurate global navigation satellite systems (such as GPS/GNSS) to globally distributed Grandmaster time servers with up to 30 nanoseconds accuracy, 30/1,000,000,000 of a second, compared to NIST or UTC time standard. It is common that time is simply distributed from those GPS/GNSS clocks directly to servers and other systems using Network Time Protocol (NTP) and Precision Time Protocol (PTP).

Steadfast additionally utilizes proprietary NTP/PTP clock chain synchronization and NIST/UTC traceability compliance software from FSMTime that can use these multiple Grandmaster sources across multiple network paths, as well as any additional third-party timing sources to ensure even greater accuracy.

The bottom line: Steadfast monitors, analyses, and retrieves multiple time sources from GPS/GNSS-sourced NTP and PTP network feeds through FSMTime’s software technology, to time-sync critical servers’ business clocks with nanoseconds range accuracy, traceable to NIST/UTC, and retain as proof of compliance. 

How Does TSaaS Fit with SEC Rule 613 CAT?

The new SEC Rule 613 CAT will require all firms trading on the National Market System (NMS) to report to a central repository regarding each quote and order in an NMS security, and each reportable event with respect to each quote and order, such as origination, modification, cancellation, routing and execution. This data must be reported with an accuracy within 50 milliseconds of NIST and can never fluctuate outside that. All clocks, across all trading systems being synced to NIST is now suddenly very important. Now, you could build your own dedicated infrastructure to support this, but here are some reasons why Time-Synchronization-as-a-Service solutions might make more sense:

• Time is short, You Need Fast Deployment – Requirements to meet compliance with Rule 613 are coming quickly, with large firms having to start providing data in May of 2020 and all firms needing to start providing compliant data by December of 2021.
• Save Time and Money – A solution already exists, so why spend your time, money and effort designing your own solution? Take advantage of a shared infrastructure to reduce costs and time spent. Time-Synchronization-as-a-Service generally costs a lot less than roof rights at a single data center, while providing a much more complete set of services.
• Reduce Risk, Ensure Accuracy – Time-Synchronization-as-a-Service is already an established product that fits the accuracy requirements of this specific time stamping rule. You can avoid the risk of challenges that come with building your own, un-tested system by utilizing a verified, turnkey solution that’s already in place.
• This Is Not A One-Time Project, It Is A Moving Target – 50 milliseconds is just the beginning “as clock synchronization technology matures further, the Participants will assess, in accordance with Rule 613, tightening CAT’s clock synchronization standards to reflect changes in industry standards.” Let a Time-Synchronization-as-a-Service provider worry about that for you.

Setting Up for Compliance Can Be Simple

Rule 613 CAT is not to be taken lightly. The results of not having the right timestamping solution will cost you dearly in excessive fines, as well as additional investment to adjust or replace your current system to avoid future penalties. Finding the right fit for this very specific service is key – researching providers is just the beginning. To ensure you are getting exactly what you need in terms of accuracy and reliable performance, you will need to mandate scope of the providers time synchronization system, validate performance through a current client, and direct engagement with the providers engineering team will greatly help you transition smoothly.

TSaaS is a critical mix of precision Grandmaster clock software, high-end infrastructure and network connectivity at carrier hotel locations to provide access to multiple network options and backbone providers via cross-connects. Steadfast encompasses all these unique qualities in a comprehensive Steadfast TSaaS solution, featuring FSMTime’s proprietary Grandmaster hardware and software solution coupled with Steadfast’s world-class data center – comprised of all required infrastructure, satellite/GPS/GNSS technology and perfectly positioned next to the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME). Ease the burden of building compliance time synchronization for perfectly timestamping your application servers – simplifying and gaining peace-of-mind with TSaaS.

Steadfast Launches Time Synchronization Service to Assist Trading Broker-Dealer and Firm Compliance with SEC Rule 613 CAT NMS Chicago, June 16 , 2020:  Steadfast, a cloud and managed infrastructure company with more than 20 years of hosting financial service organizations has launched a new time-synchronization-as-a-service (TSaaS) that provides the infrastructure, software, and GPS/GNSS antenna systems to perform accurate timestamping in accordance with SEC 613 Rule CAT NMS requirements.   What is the SEC RULE 613 CAT? To protect the integrity and precision of trading broker-dealers and firms, the SEC adopted Rule 613 to create a Consolidated Audit Trail (CAT) repository intended to allow regulators to monitor activity in National Market System (NMS) securities throughout US markets. This rule calls for accurate clock synchronization and timestamping of automated order events, at a minimum, to within 50 milliseconds for FINRA Industry Members and 100 microseconds for FINRA Participants, forensically traceable to the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) time standard. Complex deviation measurements and clock chain integrity maintenance of such synchronization, by logging the offset and unbroken traceability on every synchronization event on any trading application server, must be recorded and reported to CAT for proof of compliance or risk the possibility of costly penalties, including trading suspension. “This rule can be a real concern for many trading firms that do not have the time server appliances, rooftop GPS/GNSS antenna systems, time synchronization and compliance software, or other tools to meet the timestamping  accuracy requirements,” said Tim Monner, VP of Marketing and Business Development at Steadfast. “Building a proprietary solution can cost these firms significant investments in both time and financial capital.”  The Steadfast Time-Synchronization-as-a-Service (TSaaS) Alternative Steadfast, using technology from FSMTime, an industry leader in clock sync products and services, has built a simpler approach. Combining existing world-class, audited data centers from Steadfast with FSMTime TimeKeeper® software options, the Steadfast Time-Synchronization-as-a-Service (TSaaS)  enables financial brokers and traders to quickly and cost-effectively deploy and maintain an accurate time system as a simple monthly operating expense.    “The simplicity of this solution is that Steadfast already has all the infrastructure, GNSS-sourced grandmaster clocks, and managed service and support available now,” said Nino De Falcis, EVP, Sales and Marketing at FSMTime. “By layering our TimeKeeper® on top of their infrastructure services, traders and broker-dealers essentially now have a complete turnkey solution that can easily assist with the CAT business clock requirements.” Review Your OptionsNot sure if the Steadfast TSaaS solution would be a good fit for your organization? Take a few seconds to request a 20-minute discovery call with our team to review your options.  About Steadfast We make it work, so you can take care of business. Specialists inCloud Consulting, Engineering and Hosting for over 20 years, we offer customized services at all stages of design and deployment to maintenance and expansion planning. As an extension of your team, our goal is to ease technology constraints, making your life easier so you can Strengthen Your Focus on your core business. Visit Steadfast: www.steadfast.net About FSMLabs/FSMTime and TimeKeeper The leading financial trading firms in the world, ranging from ICE to Virtu Financial and firms in many other industries, depend on TimeKeeper for precise time and industry’s best TimeCare support. FSMTime (FSMLabs), develops, markets, supports TimeKeeper Active Client, Server, and Compliance software and TimeKeeper Grandmasters. TimeKeeper works on Linux, Windows and Solaris. TimeKeeper, TimeCare, FSMLabs, and FSMTime are trademarks of Finite State Machine Labs Inc. Visit FSMTime: https://www.fsmtime.com  Contact Steadfast Tim Monner, VP of Marketing and Business Development312-602-2689 ext. 240, Tim.monner@steadfast.net

How did you come to work with NuCurrent?

When I was about to graduate from Purdue University I had three offers. One was in Minnesota, the other was in Indiana, and the last was NuCurent. The first two opportunities were well-established corporations, where if I kept my head down and did my job right, my future would be secure. Then there was NuCurrent, where these two guys (the founders) needed their first employee. I thought it was a great time to take the risk and take the lead with a new technology.

Who has had the biggest influence on your career?

My professor of power electronics, Maryam Saeedifard. At the time, I was between power electronics & signal processing, and I wasn’t sure which direction I should go. She encouraged me to continue on power electronics and considered that wireless charging would be good for this. I was very happy I took her advice – she’s the best.

What is the coolest thing you’ve developed or project you’ve worked on?

The coolest projects are the ones that are truly impactful, and are for the common good of helping people. For one project, we’re creating wireless charging for neurostimulation pain relief. A previous project was wirelessly powered self-tying shoes; That product could help elderly people or diabetic people with swollen feet. The projects that have meaning beyond the technology or commodity are exciting for me.

What do you like most about what you do? 

The challenges. I get excited with a challenge that seems unsurmountable. Our team works together to create something that we couldn’t possibly do by ourselves.That synergy is exciting too. NuCurrent is about working really hard, and then sitting back and looking at it and feeling proud and fulfilled. Like the thrill of getting to the top of the mountain

Which achievement at NuCurrent are you most proud of?

There are so many things. At the beginning it was like a blank canvas. After several years, we got to a point where we could create full inductive charging systems from the ground up by NuCurrent. Seeing junior engineers applying what we’ve discovered and using it for new projects is something that makes me proud. It’s something that we worked really hard on.

Dead or alive, if you could have a dinner party with three famous and influential figures, who would they be and why?

●   Nikola Tesla, he’s the founder of wireless power.

●   Gabriel Garcias Marquez, he’s Colombian and I’ve probably read all of his work.

●   Juan Gabriel, he’s the most incredible Mexican singer.

What did you want to be when you were in kindergarten?

A musician. I got into music school, when I was four or five years old. And I just remember that I would prefer to be at the music academy more than my house. It was a perfect place for a little kid – because all of the instruments I wanted to play were there.

How many patents are you attributed to?

It’s over 70 internationally and over 50 in the U.S. Patents are a way of demonstrating explicit innovation and at a certain point it becomes a metric. They are all in a sense something to be proud of – some more than others. We work together as a team to develop wireless power solutions that need innovation. Most client projects we get into you think: How the hell are we gonna do this? But then, we do.

You were employee #1 at a company right out of college. What was that like?

I did have doubts in the beginning. My first day was unpacking boxes to set up a lab by myself. But, you know, you can either say “I’m out” or “Ok, let’s try to make this work.” I’m proud I chose the latter. There was so much research and failed attempts. It was a lot of work, and if we weren’t doing it right, we were still doing our best.

It’s 2020, how do you think humans should start prioritizing technology and what problems it can solve?

Technology companies need to think of what’s morally responsible and acknowledge the impact they have on people’s lives.

On June 3rd, we teamed up with a handful of incredible FinTech CEO’s to host a “Vendors versus Virus” webinar.  Grab yourself a beverage and kick back to learn how Monel Amin, Rick Lane, Hazem Dawani, and Kristi Ross have been successfully leading their teams and companies to new heights through the pandemic.

Watch the full webinar here!

As businesses remain open to deliver essential goods and services during this uncertain time, it’s important for providers who are working at these properties to remain aware of protocols that can help keep their team and customers healthy. The guidelines below can bring you peace of mind that you’re doing everything you can to keep your technicians safe, so that you can continue to serve your customers and communities.

Follow general healthy practices

Encourage your technicians to follow recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

• Clean your hands often. Wash your hands frequently for 20 seconds with soap and water; use a hand sanitizer that contains at least 60 percent alcohol; and avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth.
• Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue or an arm when coughing or sneezing.
• Keep immune systems strong by eating healthy foods, drinking plenty of water, and getting plenty of rest.
• Avoid close contact and practice social distancing. Avoid shaking hands or other personal contact. The CDC recommends maintaining a distance of at least 6 feet between people at all times.

Use protective equipment

If available, provide technicians with the following personal protective equipment (PPE) and educate them on its proper use, in accordance with Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) standards.

• Disposable latex or nitrile gloves.
• N-95 or higher respirator (preferred) or face mask
• Shoe covers
• Isolation gowns
• Eye protection (safety glasses to discourage rubbing of eyes)

Also provide disinfectants, including bleach solutions or alcohol solutions of at least 70 percent for surfaces and tools and personal disinfectants with an alcohol concentration of at least 60 percent.

Protect your team with these best practices

• Hold regular safety meetings to discuss and remind technicians of prevention techniques. Technicians should make sure to wash hands before entering and upon leaving a property, avoid close contact with customers, limit the surfaces they come into contact with if possible, and disinfect equipment after work completion.
• Require employees to stay home if they are sick, symptomatic, or have been exposed to someone with COVID-19. Symptoms include cough, fever, and shortness of breath.
• Recommend that any employees who do not need to leave their home to fulfill their job function work from home.
• Clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces daily, including desks, tables, doorknobs, trucks, phones, tablets, and tools and equipment.
• Avoid non-essential travel and reduce trips to common locations, such as supply houses, if possible.

Chicagoan by birth or relocation?
Relocation—I’m originally from Massachusetts.

What brought you to Chicago? I moved here for graduate school. I thought I wanted to become a professor, but I realized I hated doing research. I liked Chicago, so I stayed and got a job as a software developer. This city has so much to offer in the technology space.

Who has had the biggest influence on your career?
My mother. She worked in a technical role on some of the early calculators and computers in the 1960s and 70s and faced a lot of sexism and adversity. She always pushes me to do what I want and find interesting, as opposed to what other people want or expect me to do, even today.

What’s the best advice that you’ve ever received?
Deliver something, even if it’s not everything.

How did you come to work with CSC Corptax?
I came from a small team and was looking for a larger software group where I could learn from my peers and grow technically. CSC Corptax gave me the opportunity to be part of a larger team and work with peers across the organization, as well as enhance my skills. There are all kinds of perks – free Visual Studio and Pluralsite subscriptions, conference attendance, on-the-job training, and tuition reimbursement for formal training.

What have been some of your favorite media (books, podcasts, movies, documentaries, TV shows) of the last six months and why?
With COVID-19 going on, I’ve tried to limit news consumption, but I found Vox’s “The Weeds” nice because they explain proposed policies in more detail than a lot of other sources. On the fun side, I’ve been rereading “The Expanse” book series and rewatching the corresponding TV series. It’s a little bit of escapism.

What do you like most about what you do? 
I get to be both analytical and creative – I analyze complex problems and then propose solutions. Doing both keeps my days interesting and keeps me engaged.

What’s your outlook on the local tech industry?
COVID-19 has the potential to dramatically change the tech community here. The value of being downtown – office culture, networking events, and community meetups – is going to be either impossible or very different for quite a while. Organizations will need to be creative about how they connect with the local tech community. But virtual events will allow more engagement with industry peers who aren’t downtown. And with more people working remotely, they’ll have greater freedom in where they live and work. CSC Corptax has always had a large remote workforce supported by investments in technology, and I expect this will continue.

What is the hardest challenge that you’ve faced on your professional journey?
Interviewing other engineers is by far the hardest thing I’ve had to do so far. I’ve supported hiring engineers that haven’t worked out, and I’ve argued against engineers that have been perfect. It’s a learned skill that I’m still working on.

If money were no object, what would be your dream job?
I’d run a farm-to-table restaurant. I love pretty much everything about food.

Many organizations are now realizing the business value of low-code application platforms, including how they solve common development problems like technical debt and process inefficiencies.  If you haven’t started using low-code yet, download this ebook to learn how it is helping business leaders, as well as novice and experienced developers.

The 6 key ways developers are benefiting by low-code are outlined, plus you’ll discover how a low-code platform:

• Supports speedier development and deployment of solutions
• Maximizes the life of mission-critical systems
• Minimizes code defects and performance issues

This report also touches upon the role of citizen developers in an organization and why their collaboration with IT is so important for staving off issues around reliability, scalability and security during the digital transformation process.

Read this report today to understand how low-code makes development faster, more secure and more robust.

Get your copy here!

Are you a Chicagoan by birth or relocation?

I relocated here from Australia. I was attracted to opportunities in the US, and I chose Chicago because of its central location.

What about KeHE was appealing?

KeHE culture is amazing in the sense that it revolves around “serving to make lives better.” KeHE Cares is our philanthropic wing, which serves internal partners, external partners, and communities that are in need. KeHE is always looking for opportunities to help communities and our planet to make a positive difference in any way we can. All of us at KeHE share this passion and do our part.

What is the coolest thing you’ve developed or project you’ve worked on?

We built a recommendation engine that suggests replacements for items that are either not performing well or are not available for various reasons. The reason I think it is cool is not only because this is a new capability we have provided for our business partners, but also because it was our first foray into products using machine learning.

What is the hardest challenge that you’ve faced on your professional journey?

Switching careers from accounting to technology was difficult, as the software applications were completely new to me. I went from using the applications to developing them.

What do you think are the top issues facing the Illinois tech community?

Access to good talent, and the training and mentoring capabilities required to build a strong talent pool.

What is your earliest childhood memory of technology in your life?

The telephone since this was at a time when only certain people – like doctors – had access to them.

What did you want to be when you were in kindergarten?

I wanted to be a teacher, as I was always excited to explain what I learned in school to my family. I remember using the back of a door as a chalkboard!

What have been some of your favorite media of the last six months and why?

I love reading leadership articles which I subscribe to from Kellogg Insight. The topics are ones I can relate to. It enables me to follow and implement the same ideas to be a better leader and mentor my team.

What’s the best advice that you’ve ever received?

Aim high, but set realistic goals!

If you could have a dinner party with three famous and influential figures, dead or alive, who would they be and why?

Warren Buffet – I rigorously follow the stock market, and Buffet’s approach to investments has been my guiding light.

Sheryl Sandberg – She has been my role model in balancing career and family. She explains very well the need for women in leadership.

Indira Nooyi– She showed that women from different cultures can rise to the top of multinational organizations while still keeping their identity.

About KeHe

With more than 5,500 employee-owners and a 16-distribution center network across North America, we’re one of the largest and most respected national fresh, natural & organic and specialty food distributors. Where we go, we spread the word on healthy eating, sustainable living, and responsible business with integrity. And we back it up with a large distribution network and advanced performance metrics that assure goodness follows to our vendor partners and retail grocers.

“When a customer needs us, they will know right where to find us!”

There was a point in time not so long ago when simply taking your business online was the only way a business had to consider interacting with their consumers in the digital economy. The assumption was that if they built it, customers would come, regardless of the location.

But time moves quickly, and with technology no longer as a barrier to entry for companies looking to lead in the digital landscape, competition is fierce.

Vokal launched a new white paper today, “From Best Practices to Next Practices: Doing Digital Differently in 2020,” outlining how the digital economy is re-writing the rule book companies have been relying on to achieve growth and how, in order to compete, these companies must look ahead to digital next practices to grow products and increase the metrics that matter most.

Within this white paper, business leaders will find action steps, use cases, and recommendations that can be applied immediately to their business as they seek to gain insight into strategic areas for digital growth.

Agile is the Answer

Whether the cost to implement feels disproportionate to the results, a more nimble competitor (or start-up) is achieving better results and eating market share, or they have ideas, but simply do not know where to start. Companies must act as digital athletes and data reveal where the opportunities are and how to experiment with them.

Combined with tools and approaches such as AI, Machine Learning, growth marketing, and rapid prototyping, this leads to smarter digital investments that yield greater results.

The need for organizations to be nimble is more important than ever.

From 18 Month Roadmaps to Experimentation and Rapid Prototyping

It’s important to demonstrate how experimentation can answer questions, evolve, and adapt to new business challenges over time in order to spread a culture that embraces experimentation as a critical piece of moving the needle.

This means not only tracking successes, but combining teams so successes (and failures) are shared across your organization. This better enables your culture of innovation to operate outside of silos, at any given stage of the product life cycle, to not only uncover inspired opportunities for optimization, but also to do in a more capital efficient way.

The New Rules of Digital Change Everything

The new digital economy revolves around the learning mindset of an organization, and experimenting with new ideas and tracking statistically significant metrics. And while this phenomenon is transforming and redefining industries, many established brands still struggle leveraging their digital investments to achieve growth.

Our aim is to deliver a deeper understanding of the new conditions, the new rules, transitioning from what used to be the best practices into this area of digital next practices, and to show that it’s not too late to gain a better understanding of where they are on their digital growth journey to make adjustments to positively impact your business. This true positive change comes about through many repeated tests, a discerning eye for metrics, and the imagination and gumption to try something new.

We are confident that the takeaways from this paper will contribute to the growth of your business and the increased sophistication of your digital platforms.

A special acknowledgement for the collaboration it took to produce this piece: to Vokal’s leadership for their contribution, and to Reid Lappin who was involved in shaping the insights and recommendations found within.

Download your copy of the white paper here.