Thank You Alliance Members

The NEW Digital Alliance would like to thank Plexus for their support as an Executive Level Investor in 2021 and 2022. To learn more about Plexus, click here.

Alliance News:

Happy New Year and Happy Anniversary!! The Alliance is turning 5 years old, so we thought we’d share a few of the things we’ve accomplished since our start.  

In the five years that the NEW Digital Alliance has existed, the Alliance has:

• Connected 2500 high school students with local colleges and businesses through our NEW Connect IT event, and educated them about IT pathways and careers
• Connected over 500 college students with local businesses through our TechTalks and networking nights
• Conducted 16 quarterly Regional Computer Science Advisory Board meetings to help k12 districts grow their CS offerings, and connect with organizations that can provide additional resources and assistance
• Helped grow the number of high schools offering computer science pathways. According to Microsoft Techspark leader, Michelle Schuler, 87% of the schools in the Techspark region of Brown and Outagamie Counties now offer CS Pathways, and100% of the schools in Outagamie County offer CS Pathways.
• Collaborated with TEALS to grow the number of TEALS schools and volunteers in region
• Shared 97 unsolicited resumes from students seeking internships, as well as seasoned professionals looking for their next career challenge with our investors
• Collected and shared annual data regarding the State of IT in Northeast Wisconsin, including data regarding CS in k12, IT enrollment in college programs, and national trends
• Collaborated with CSTEY to launch a cohort program helping 14 teachers across the state prepare for their CS licensure exam
• Collaborated with DPI and others to develop
  • Digital (IT) Career Pathways for the state
  • Regionalized Digital (IT) Career Pathways
  • Statewide computer science plan
• Connected UW Oshkosh and WICTRA, resulting in the launch of a regional Cybersecurity Center of Excellence
• Launched a Cybersecurity Roundtable for our investors to increase collaboration and build a local network cyber leaders can leverage for support; and to share best practices across organizations

We look forward to sharing the positive impact we are making in the year to come.

Join us to help make a difference in Northeast Wisconsin.

Cybersecurity Roundtable

In December we were joined by Emily Selck, Director of Cyber Liability at M3 Insurance and David Kruse, Director of Strategic Client Services at Tetra Defense. They shared an overview of the cyber insurance industry and trends, including a look at what to expect in 2022. Things like MFA, EDR (w/SOC), IR planning, Vuln. Mgmt., etc., are now required safeguards and insurance buyers will be asked to demonstrate a higher level of security moving forward. Depending on the overall impact of log4j we may see an already challenging insurance space become even more stringent.

Our next meeting is scheduled for February 17 at 8:00 where we will be joined by Che Bhatia, Vice President, Cyber Resilience at Stroz Friedberg to discuss security frameworks.

Future topics will include developing a cybersecurity team, C-suite/board cyber education, and understanding attack tactics.

• This discussion group is open to cybersecurity leaders from our investor companies and is designed to:
• Help regional cyber leaders connect and build a local network they can reach out to for support
• Share cybersecurity hiring, skills & training needs, tool usage, best practices, and the latest threats
• Learn about local resources to help them and their teams

The Cybersecurity Roundtable will meet every other month in a hybrid format.

To learn how you can take part in the discussions, contact NEW Digital Alliance Director, Kim Iversen, at Kim@newDigitalAlliance.org.

E-Recycling’s Role In Easing Supply Chain Constraints

When the pandemic arrived in 2020, nobody could predict the impact it would have on the global economy. As consumer demand fell and the workforce dwindled, businesses around the world shut down. One of the most obvious effects of this shutdown is the disruption of worldwide supply chains.

Government incentives, coupled with rising consumer confidence, have caused demand for products to skyrocket. Meanwhile, suppliers and manufacturers face shortages of raw materials, components, and labor. At the same time, distributors deal with similar labor scarcity, border controls, and shipping bottlenecks.

E-Recycling’s Economic Impact Goes Far Beyond Environmental Issues

Surprisingly, the e-recycling industry finds itself in a very unexpected position: We can help alleviate some of the impact of these supply chain constraints in a variety of sectors, most notably electronic components, rare earth metals, and select raw materials.

When people think about e-recycling, what typically comes to mind are the positive environmental effects. Most are also aware of how recovering various metals from obsolete electronics can help mitigate the demand for raw materials and the energy needed to obtain them. What many don’t know, however, is how e-recycling can simplify many supply chain complexities, shorten delivery timelines, reduce material and component costs, and fill gaps in availability for many products.

For example, one item currently in short supply is integrated circuit (IC) chips. The vast majority are commonplace and can be used in a variety of applications. They are often found in obsolete electronic devices and, once harvested, can quickly enter the supply chain to refill empty or rapidly shrinking inventories. In doing so, raw materials and energy are saved, pollution is minimized, and items needed to alleviate product shortages become more readily available.

Many raw materials recovered in the e-recycling process are also in high demand, like gold, platinum, and palladium, as well as more common metals like copper, iron, and aluminum.

Making a Difference in the Global Economic Crisis

Nobody anticipated the impact COVID-19 would have on the global supply chain, much less on the e-recycling industry specifically. We’ve always been committed to helping businesses and individuals reduce their impact on the environment, assisting in the preservation of precious raw materials, and saving companies money in manufacturing and disposal costs along the way.

We didn’t expect to have this opportunity to affect people in such a profound and immediate way. We’re honored to be called to the challenge, but we can’t do it alone. Right now, millions of electronic components and thousands of tons of raw materials are inside the devices hidden in drawers, closets, basements, garages, storerooms, and warehouses in every corner of the world … and in every corner of YOUR world.

Spend a few moments right now thinking about the obsolete items you have tucked away throughout your home or business and bring them to a reputable e-recycling drop-off location near you. View our list of locations or contact us to find one near you.

Author: Chad Hayes, Sadoff E-Recycling and Data Destruction

Unemployment Updates

Updated tech data for December was not yet available at the time of publication. 

National unemployment rates for November have returned to pre-pandemic levels, dropping to around 3.9%. Demand for talent in Wisconsin continues to remain higher than national demand, as reflected in the lower unemployment rate of 3% for November vs. the national rate of 4.2% for the same month (state-level data is not yet available for November).  

Tech unemployment continues to remain below the 3% seen in January 2020, despite an increase to 2.6% in November. 

Data Sources: CompTia IT Employment Tracker, Bureau of Labor Statistics, and New North IntelTracker