All Entries in the "Technology" Category
Tech Force RI Meets Demand For IT Expertise
As Information Technology continues to be one of the fast growing and in-demand industries, employers’ need to hire a skilled technical workforce – a Tech Force – has never been greater. In October 2014, Rhode Island received $7.5 million in U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) Ready to Work Partnership funding to address the state’s information technology (IT) industry employment and workforce needs. The resulting initiative is Tech Force Rhode Island.
Tech Force programs and services combine career coaching and a blended learning model of industry-led technical, business, and work-readiness training to prepare well-rounded candidates ready to meet employer need. Training programs and services are free to qualified candidates and are expected to serve 476 of Rhode Island’s long-term unemployed and under-employed career seekers through October 2018.
In addition to connecting employers with in-demand, credentialed tech talent, employers may benefit from Tech Force through participation on the Industry Advisory Council, curriculum development, industry tours and presentations, interviewing and work-readiness workshops, and hosting experiential learning opportunities. Tech Force recruiting services to fill open positions and connections to pre-qualified talent are free to employers, and On the Job Training funds are also available when hiring.
Tech Force Rhode Island is funded by the USDOL. Funds were awarded to Workforce Solutions of Providence/Cranston with partnering agencies Workforce Partnership of Greater Rhode Island and Tech Collective.
The Hive RI: Art Show Open House & Blogging Done Right
Double or nothing Thursday this week…
Thursday Lunch & Learn
Business Blogging Done Right– Michaela Kennedy of Kii koncepts will reveal how business blogs, done right, will help your website rank better in search results and attract more visitors. She will show a systematic approach to publishing content that will not only showcase your offers, but also increase leads and sales for your business. Read more & register here!
As always, noon – 1:00 & a $5 charge (lunch is served).
ART SHOW OPEN HOUSE also this Thursday from 5:30 – 7:30 pm. Come meet Haley Nannig, and see her amazing art work. *For a preview of her work visit her website here . She’s a RI native just returned home after graduating college to pursue her art career. We are thrilled to be featuring her work in The Hive RI’s first solo Art Show. Info for the event here. Thank you to The NK Blog for doing such a great job on this interview/article they posted about Haley and the Art Show Open House!
Proving Kevin O’Leary Wrong: RI Startup BedJet’s Success Since Appearing on ‘Shark Tank’
Recently, Rhode Islander Mark Aramli made an appearance on ABC’s hit show Shark Tank to offer investors a chance to partner with his company, BedJet.
BedJet is an air-driven climate control machine for your bed. A small motor is used to send hot or cool air under the covers of your bed so that you can sleep at the temperature you find comfortable. If you and your spouse like to sleep at different temperatures, they also offer a Dual Zone system that allows you to set separate temperatures. You can even set the system to blow cool air in the morning to wake you up!
So how did Aramli come up with the idea for BedJet? Aramli said he had been thinking about the idea for over 12 years, and finally decided to act on it when his mother was stuck in bed for a couple of weeks after having surgery. His mother lives in a 100-year-old drafty house, so he said they had difficulty keeping her perfectly comfortable. They tried electric blankets, space heaters, and heating pads, but everything was too hot or too cold or left too many wires in her bed.
At that moment, Aramli said he realized he needed to bring his idea to life, and he certainly had the experience required to set off on the right foot. Aramli had been working in the startup industry for years as a consultant, helping companies create new products and bring their businesses to the marketplace. He also worked on space suit climate control for astronauts as an engineer at NASA, which facilitated the design process of BedJet.
According to Aramli, the hardest part of starting up his company was finding the money to open his company and still support himself. “I had to spend every penny of my life savings, borrow every penny that I could, and still work a full-time job along the way. It was a huge gamble, and if the business failed, I would’ve had a mountain of debt,” said Aramli.
Luckily, many people were willing to help BedJet get its start. Aramli created a Kickstarter campaign and was able to raise almost $60,000 to fund his company. The Kickstarter campaign was also the reason BedJet was offered the chance to appear on Shark Tank. Producers had found the campaign and reached out to Aramli to see if he would be interested in applying to the show. Aramli applied and flew out to California to present his business plan to the investors.
Unfortunately, the investors didn’t make an offer. Aramli says it’s because they didn’t know enough about the industry: “It’s really important to be pitching your product in front of investors who understand your product and market, and it was clear the sharks didn’t understand the mattress or sleep industry.”
Aramli might have walked away from Shark Tank without an investment, but since the show was filmed six months ago, he has proven that he didn’t need one to pave a pathway to success. During the filming of Shark Tank, BedJet was pre-production, but now the company is beginning to roll out their product to some of the biggest brands in the country, including Mattress Firm, the #1 largest mattress retailer in North America, Brookstone, Bed Bath & Beyond, and Berkshire Hathaway Furniture Group, which is the parent company of local furniture company Jordan’s Furniture.
“Sales on the website are fantastic…Six months after filming, our valuation is probably five times what it was in front of the sharks,” said Aramli. “I’m pretty confident we are on track to be the Shark Tank losers that laugh all the way to the bank.”
As a consultant to startups and a startup founder, Aramli has a lot of advice to offer entrepreneurs. His number one piece of advice? Put off using other people’s money for as long as you can. “The further you can go and the more progress you can demonstrate, it’s less of the company you have to give away for money,” said Aramli.
Aramli said it was a blessing that they didn’t give away a big piece of their company to the sharks when they were pre-production because now they are worth so much more. He says the company looks forward to making a profit this year and will be hiring in-state at its Newport headquarters.
Protecting Your Business from Cyber Threats
In a matter of a few years, the Internet consolidated itself as a powerful platform that has changed forever the way we do business—and the way we communicate. There’s been a dramatic escalation of business computing environments, and the sheer volume of information has exploded. Today, data is being stored across a wide variety of servers, PCs and portable devices.
As companies have embraced the Internet, it’s proven to be a profitable frontier for cyber criminals. It’s no secret that cyber-intrusions are on the rise. High-profile hacks on military computers and corporate domains like Google and Microsoft have illustrated that new cyber-security challenges are emerging as fast as experts can combat them.
While it’s tempting to see cyber security as a problem unique to government agencies, large enterprises, or e-commerce players, cyber criminals are increasingly paying closer attention than ever to so-called “soft targets” such as small- and medium-size businesses (SMBs). Why? Because bad guys have learned they have more success attacking unguarded small businesses than comparable, enterprise-size companies that employ security fortresses.
What Types of Cyber Threats Are There?
There’s a range of information security threats. Some of the most common are website tampering, denial-of-service attacks, and malicious code and viruses.
Website tamperingtakes many forms. Simply defacing your website is one option, but criminals can also sabotage web pages with code that downloads spyware to your computer. The spyware is usually capable of performing a range of nefarious tasks.
A denial-of-service attackis an attack on a computer or website which locks the computer or degrades the system to the point where it is rendered un-usable.
Data theftcomes in several forms, including theft of laptops and computer files, inappropriate access to computer accounts, interception of emails or Internet transactions, phishing emails that trick you into giving away personal information and Trojan software, such as the recent ransomware attack, called CryptoLocker, which encrypts your data (scrambles the data using a unique algorithm) then presents a payment program for you to send a ransom to in order to decrypt the files. Another infamous attack, called Heart Bleed, allows hackers to steal credit card numbers, passwords, and other personal information from ‘infected’ websites. Although major social sites like Facebook and Tumblr have applied the necessary patches, many others might still be vulnerable.
Threats can be internal and external. External threats are most often perpetrated by experimenters and amateur hackers, hack-tivists who have personal or political agendas and cybercriminals who are just trying to steal your money. Yet, despite the broad range of external threats, internal threats—whether intentional or unintentional—account for 80% of small business security problems.
Employee Training Is Critical to Cyber Security
Cyber security is the comprehensive effort to protect computers, programs, networks and data from attack, damage or unauthorized access through technologies, processes and best practices. It’s important to remember that while there are costs involved in protecting information—there are also costs involved in NOT protecting information. Business interruption and downtime can be expensive.
The first step to protecting your business information is to establish security policies as well as an Acceptable Use Policy that outlines proper use of company-owned IT assets. It’s very important that security policies are comprehensive and up-to-date and that employees know and adhere to them.
Employee training is also critically important and should begin on their first day at work. Training should address safe Internet, email and desktop practices, and everyone should understand basic security do’s and don’ts.
The Viruses and Malware Menace
To protect against viruses and other malware, all devices including servers, PCs, laptops, tablets and smartphones should have up-to-date antivirus software. Security patches should be updated on a regular basis to keep pace with emerging schemes.
Businesses should also lock down their Internet connections with the latest software firewalls, and secure all wireless access points to prevent unauthorized access. Finally, companies should remember the importance of proper and safe disposal of old computers and media.
A Word About Data Backup and Disaster Recovery
Data backup procedures are essential for information security. If the unthinkable were to happen, you’ll be glad you took time beforehand to test your backups and make sure they actually work. On more than one occasion, businesses have been in situations where they need to go to their backups only to find the backup is unusable. Finally, you should copy information offsite for safe keeping.
Consider ‘Hiring’ a Managed Service Provider
When it comes to cyber security, there’s a lot to consider. Whether because of budgetary constraints, lack of internal resources and expertise or the escalating number and sophistication of threats, SMBs should think about outsourcing the day-to-day management of their IT infrastructure to a Managed Service Provider (MSP) who has more sophisticated tools.
Recently, Gartner Research reported that 80% of IT spending is invested in simple systems maintenance. Consider the benefit of aiming your internal IT resources at projects that contribute to increased revenue and leaving the important, but repetitive daily housekeeping tasks to your MSP partner.
