["First Day...Four Questions" will be an ongoing blog series throughout 2013 as we on-board dozens of new team members. We want you to understand what makes our new colleagues tick. And what drives them to be "serious competitors. We hope you enjoy.]
Why eGroup?
The people of eGroup. I was introduced to eGroup over a year ago by Brad Shannon. It seemed like every time we got together he would brag about how great his fellow associates were. I had to see this for myself! One thing that became apparent in the interview process was the common vision everyone had. Everyone was on the same page and everyone seemed like they would be awesome to work with. I have since found eGroup to be a positive, genuinely supportive environment and I love it!
What makes me a serious competitor?
My commitment to establishing/cultivating profitable long term relationships. Ask any of my prior clients and the response will be unanimous. Tom Matlock takes his business seriously and will get the job done! My clients tend to be extremely loyal. The opportunity I now have to introduce eGroup to the Upstate is huge and makes me a serious competitor.
If you weren’t in Tech what would you be doing?
Networking. I thrive on meeting new people and growing/maintaining relationships.
What’s your headline?
“Yes, that’s right, Matlock, like the TV show… No, I’m not related.”
["First Day...Four Questions" will be an ongoing blog series throughout 2013 as we on-board dozens of new team members. We want you to understand what makes our new colleagues tick. And what drives them to be "serious competitors. We hope you enjoy.]
Why eGroup?
Over the last couple of years, I’ve attended events in the area sponsored or hosted by eGroup, and I knew from the very first encounter that this team was stellar. When I decided it was time to take my career to the next level, I reached out to eGroup first. It was an easy choice to make! I was looking for an opportunity to work with advanced and powerful technology solutions, and eGroup does exactly that on a daily basis. The growth potential here is very exciting and I feel empowered to succeed and achieve with the tools and framework they provide.
What makes you a serious competitor?
People have been using the word “competitive” to describe me since I was a little kid. I always had to finish first, no matter what the challenge. Years later, I’m still pushing myself to learn more, deliver faster, and have the right answer before anyone else. If there’s any degree of competition, I’m straining to be at the front of the pack. eGroup is definitely a pack leader, and I am all about making our customers as competitive as possible.
If you weren’t in Tech what would you be doing?
I studied biology in high school and college, and if I hadn’t decided to pursue a full-time career in IT, I would have loved to work in a branch of oceanography. I spent a lot of time around the ocean growing up and I don’t think I could ever stand to live more than an hour away from the coastline. I’ve also taught taekwondo on and off for the last ten years, but it’s a lot harder to make a full-time career teaching punches and kicks unless you’re a Hollywood stunt choreographer!
What’s your Headline?
“Local Developer Sprints Across Office in Carrot Costume, Disciplined for Running as Root”
If you are considering and/or evaluating Lync 2013, be sure to listen to the eGroup Roundtable Series: Lync 2013.
Our guest was Dale Sayers, Microsoft Partner Technology Advisor, covers the “who, what, where, when, and why” of Lync. He also shares his knowledge of how Lync fits into Microsoft’s overall Office and Cloud Strategy and explains Lync’s integration with Office and SharePoint.
Lastly, Dale talks about the various programs for enterprises who may want to kick Lync’s tires with zero up-front investment. Listen in to hear details.
As always, be sure to subscribe to our iTunes feed to hear all the latest eGroup Roundtables.
["First Day...Four Questions" will be an ongoing blog series throughout 2013 as we on-board dozens of new team members. We want you to understand what makes our new colleagues tick. And what drives them to be "serious competitors. We hope you enjoy.]
Why eGroup?
The job description and company profile were two things that initially attracted me to eGroup. The interview process eGroup has in place allows you to meet with several members of the team and lets you get a feel for the company environment and the importance of each role within the company. I felt very comfortable during the interview process so I knew eGroup was the right fit for me.
What makes you a serious competitor?
Growing up with two younger sisters made me the competitive person I am today. Whether we were competing in different activities in school or around the house I was always passionate and had a drive to be the best. Those qualities are still with me today and are what makes me so competitive.
If you weren’t in Tech what would you be doing?
If I wasn’t in Tech, I would love to pursue photography. I would love to be able to travel the world taking pictures as a career-that would be fun!
What’s your Headline?
“Newest team member excited to join the eGroup team!”
Welcome to the eGroup team, Maggi!
On the heels of launching our eGroup eBook, “7 Steps to a Sensible BYOD Strategy: So You Can Sleep at Night,” we recently sat down with John F. Andrews, Chief Operating Officer and Fractional CIO of Virtual C-I-O, to chat about his company’s views and opinions on BYOD. And, most importantly, how c-level executives should manage the situation.
It sounds like both eGroup and Virtual C-I-O agree on quite a bit when it comes to BYOD. Read on for more:
eGroup: What effective approaches can management take in addressing “bring your own device” to the workplace?
JFA: BYOD is a growing, undeniable reality. The CIO or company fractional CIO would be best served to embrace this trend as well as establish a program to manage its implementation, just as programs are put in place to implement other new technologies. To roll out such a program effectively, a cross-functional team of IT, finance, legal and all other affected operating entities must collaborate to address the following at minimum:
- Which employees are eligible and which are not?
- Who pays for service plans and hardware?
- Who pays for devices that are stolen or lost?
- Which applications are permitted and which are not?
- Are employees required to use mobile device management security software that encrypts company data, monitors the device usage and passwords?
- Are employees required to agree that the company can remotely wipe out any data—possibly including personal data—if the device is lost or stolen?
- Are employees responsible to back-up their own personal data?
- What disciplinary actions will be taken in response to misuse?
With these items fully vetted and addressed, a formal policy can then be developed which best fits the corporate culture, legal, financial and operating perspectives. The CIO or fractional CIO must understand that there is no “cookie cutter” approach that works for all organizations.
eGroup: How should management educate their employee users on the security risks and potential threats BYOD raises without hampering the substantial productivity benefits of BYOD?
JFA: BYOD isn’t a technology issue, it’s a policy issue. A policy issue that involves other organizations besides IT, such as finance, legal, HR and operations. Therefore, a comprehensive view is appropriate. This cross-functional group mentioned earlier, led by the CIO or fractional CIO should be responsible for developing a policy that considers all aspects of BYOD with security being a critical item. It should be formalized, institutionalized and communicated to all impacted employees just as all other business-critical policies.
eGroup: Does company management have a role in making mobile apps available to employees and their devices?
JFA: After adequate review and approval, the BYOD program should indicate which company applications can be used by each employee based on their role in the organization. The policy should also indicate which applications or application types aren’t to be used as well.
Beyond that, we see many CIOs and fractional CIOs setting up their own “app store” that BYOD participants can access to download applications and other software that they are approved for, and that provide tangible support for their jobs.
As you write in “7 Steps to a Sensible BYOD Strategy: So You Can Sleep at Night,” VMware’s Horizon Application Manager is a great example of a tool which helps CIOs deliver policy-driven application access.
eGroup: What is the best method for encouraging productive feedback from the employee end-user community to company leaders?
JFA: To gain the most candid and honest feedback, CIOs and their teams should conduct regular user surveys. Centralized suggestion mailboxes are also popular, where employee users can provide suggestions at any time on how to improve service. Both methods can be handled on an anonymous basis, again encouraging the most honest and candid feedback, without the worry of reprisals.
eGroup: Should a CEO be concerned that the company’s application usability and human factors are best-in-class?
JFA: Absolutely. Software is integrated into almost all — if not all — core processes in corporations today and can be a major differentiator – either positive or negative – on the company’s stature, reputation and desirability as a supplier or employer. The company CIO or fractional CIO can actively support the CEO’s leadership in this regard by developing a comprehensive strategic road map design for IT / business technology that includes the internal as well as external leverage that BYOD provides. In addition to tactical responsibilities, the CIO’s role involves strengthening the CEO’s company vision, as well as the long-term value proposition.
