February Tech Upload
NEW Digital News
Seagulls and Hackers
What do seagulls and hackers have in common? More than you might think! Seagulls are resourceful, inquisitive animals, and a few varieties of them have even been known to use simple tools. They are adaptable feeders, meaning that they are not only predators, snatching other animals out of the air, water or land, but they are also not picky about what they eat. Seagulls will take advantage of any food source available, as many vacationers are aware of.
Similarly, hackers will take advantage of any opportunity to gain access to your systems. Whether they are copying your data and selling it on the dark web, holding it for ransom, or unleashing a denial of service (DNS) attack on your systems, there are a few things you can be certain of, it’s going to cost time and money to recover and your brand is likely going to take a hit. One more thing you can be certain of…it’s not a question of “if” you will be hacked, but rather “when”.
It doesn’t matter what size organization you are, sooner or later you will be hacked. The City of Oshkosh learned this the hard way when they were recently hit with a ransomware attack. Oftentimes, an organization succumbs to a cyber attack because an employee clicks on something they shouldn’t have. So how do we protect ourselves? At the end of the day it boils down to having skilled and knowledgeable employees on your team, and adequate budgeting to keep systems and training up to date.
As regional companies implement more and more technology, whether it’s IoT devices, robots, or simply more laptops, it’s vital for company leaders to understand the risks and to adapt strategies and budgets. Following a 2018 New North study indicating that 60% of the Northeast Wisconsin business community believes they are at risk of disruption by 2020, and only 26% are doing something about it, the New North Business Intelligence Committee (BIC) has been discussing how to move the region forward and make businesses more aware of the threats of disruption and how to counter them. Business leaders have identified primary risks to be a lack of talent and a lack of innovation capability both of which increase the risk of disruption. BIC is exploring whether to put together an executive leadership education program for business leaders focused on raising awareness of these disruption risks and how to navigate through them. The NEW IT Alliance has engaged with BIC, higher education, and third party education providers to determine what programs already exist, how awareness can be raised, and what new programs might need to be developed.
Disruptors also come in the form of government regulation, such as the new Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) released last month by the DOD. These new regulations require all DOD contractors to become CMMC Certified by passing a CMMC Audit to verify they have met the appropriate level of cybersecurity for their business. Eventually, this will be a requirement for any organization who wants to hold contracts with the Department of Defense or work as subcontractors on DoD related projects. With several large defense contractors and their supply chain, in our region, this requirement has the potential to be a serious disruption. The NEW IT Alliance is working with local colleges and for-profit training providers to understand what options exist in the region, and where we might need to create some new training.
Moving forward there is also a need to ensure a cyber and digitally capable workforce for years to come. That’s why the NEW IT Alliance is working with TechSpark and local agencies to launch IT ecosystem pilots in the region. More information will be available after the launch later this month.
Upcoming educational activities
Join the NEW IT Alliance from 4:30 – 6:00 on February 12 at FVTC for our next TechTalk. Steven Sorenson, from vonBriesen & Roper s.c. will be joining us to talk about Cyber Security and to network with students and community members. Register on our Events page.
Our next NEW CS Advisory Board will be on February 26. Time and location will be changing. Stay tuned for more details!
And don’t forget to register your kids for summer camp! FVTC already has their tech camps loaded, and registration is open. As we learn about available digital summer camps in our region, we will load them onto our event page with links to their registration pages.
Regional News
Taste of Technology
EDCi presents their 8th annual Taste of Technology on March 10, 2020 in Oshkosh. There will be educational presentations by industry-leading speakers on topics like Cisco and Citrix, Security, Workspace of the Future, AWS, AI, Emerging Technologies, and more! There will be a trade show, product demos, and lots of food! Click the link below to reserve your spot today!
Entrepreneurial Training for Startups at FVTC
Thinking of starting your own business? Already own a small business and ready to take the next step? Explore the wide range of entrepreneurship offerings available, from classes to business planning assistance and even prototype development.
More than 25 UW-Green Bay students earn Google Analytics certification in entrepreneurship class
More than 25 students taking BUS ADM 371 eEntrepreneurship and Digital Management, UW-Green Bay’s digital twist on a typical intro entrepreneurship class, have earned their Google Analytics Individual Qualification (GAIQ) certification. To take the GAIQ exam, students studied several hours of Google Analytics for Beginners than Advanced Google Analytics. To earn the certification, students had to score 80% or better on a 70-question multiple-choice timed exam.
Learn more about the entrepreneurship course at Green Bay in the full-length article posted by UW-Green Bay, linked below!
Windows 7 Support Has Ended. Here’s What it Means for Your Business.
As of January 14, 2020, after just over a decade of being in use, Windows 7 has reached end-of-life. As an operating system that revolutionized Microsoft’s future Windows platforms with new functionalities (such as touch screen capabilities), many Windows 7 users are reluctant to see it go.
Still running Windows 7 on your computer or IT equipment? Here’s what you should know to stay current and protect your data.
Free Guide: What is Microsoft’s Power Platform and How to Use It
In this guide, Libby Fisette (Director of Skyline Modern Workplace team) and Marcus Radue (Data Analytics Engineer), dig into the functionality of the Microsoft Power Platform and how you can leverage this toolset to solve many business situations. From basics to key questions, you will find answers about the Power Platform here.
WIT Wisconsin - Microsoft Girl's Workshop
The Kimberly Area School District will be hosting their first WIT Wisconsin – Microsoft Girls Workshop on March 23, 2020, for all girls in grades 5 – 8. The event is sponsored by Kimberly-Clark, who will provide snacks, presenters as well as Adafruit’s for all attendees! The girls will discover new technology through the use of the Adafruit’s Playground Express Circuit Boards, while being exposed to female technology role models.
Sophomore Excels in Lakeland University’s IT Program
Lakeland University sophomore Lao Chang entered his cooperative education job with Lakeland’s IT Department with limited relevant skills, but wrapped up his experience with a wealth of knowledge.
Chang, who is double majoring in computer science and math, was part of the IT student staff in the fall and tasked with a variety of roles, including responding to calls to the IT help desk, troubleshooting computer issues and learning more about Lakeland’s network.
Read more about how Lao Chang has excelled in his program at Lakeland University.
Free Guide: How to Form an Effective Agile Team
Has your organization identified the need to create a new project team? You may be wondering what the best way is to form this new team that will allow the organization to deliver the highest value output of work.
This guide will show you how to get the entire organization behind the Agile team mindset and form a new effective Agile team. Once your culture has decided to become Agile, then you can take the necessary steps to form and evolve effective Agile teams.
Webinar: How to Capitalize on Power BI’s Latest Features
Looking to stay on top of the latest and greatest in Power BI?
The more you know how to use analysis tools like Power BI, the better you will be at using data to drive better business results.
In Skyline’s webinar, one of their data experts will take you through the new features in Power BI desktop’s most recent release and why they matter. Stick around afterward for a Q&A where we will answer any questions you have about Power BI.
The State of Agriculture Tech with Carl Lippert of FeedX
Digital Fertilizer presents The State of Agriculture Tech with Carl Lippert of FeedX. The event is on Monday, February 10, 2020 at 5:30 p.m. at The Urban Hub. Carl will be sharing his experience and insights into the history of Agriculture tech (also known as AgTech), the current state of AgTech, and where it’s heading.
CS News From Around the State
Upcoming Events
- UW Madison Java Support Workshops: Andy Kuemmel announces that UW Madison will be able to run virtual support this spring for Wisconsin Computer Science teachers who want to learn Java.
- The Marquette University Computer Science Competition: will be held on Wednesday, April 15, 2020. Student teams register in one of three divisions – Scratch, Java or APCS Principles. Last year, 2019, over 400 students representing 35 high schools within 3 hour driving distance of MU participated.
- PUMPCS Summer Workshops:
- In Green Bay, WI from July 20-24, 2020: Workshops in Exploring Computer Science (ECS), Project GUTS (Middle School Science modules), Code.org CS Discoveries and Code.org CS Principles
- In Milwaukee, WI from July 27-31, 2020: The same workshops in Green Bay plus Beauty and Joy of Computing (BJC).
- A flyer more completely describing each of these programs is available at http://pumpcs.pbworks.com
- Please go to http://pumpcs.mu.edu to register for any of these workshops.
There is a lot of more exciting computer science news from around the state. Check it out here!