09 SepBlog

Powering Hybrid Work

This article was originally published on Cisco. Click here to view the original article. Compulink is a certified Cisco partner.

As organizations hammer out their strategies for a hybrid future of work that’s fast becoming the present, there are still many unknowns.

For many, hybrid work is going to be hard. It’s going to be messy. Strategies and solutions will have to evolve through trial and error.

But there are some things we do know. Leadership and culture will play key roles, and digital infrastructure will form the very foundation of the hybrid-work experience.

At Cisco we believe work is not where you go, it’s what you do. That’s why we’re flexible on the numbers of days in — or out — of the office. In fact, pre-pandemic only a third of our employees were in the office full time, so we’ve long been a hybrid-first company. This puts Cisco, and our technologies, in a unique position to help other organizations advance their hybrid work strategies.

We view powering hybrid work in two distinct ways: enabling a Hybrid Workforce and transforming Hybrid Workspaces. Enabling a Hybrid Workforce means providing secure access and collaboration from anywhere, anytime. Transforming your Hybrid Workspace only happens when networking, security, and collaboration tools come together to enhance health and well-being, safety, and efficiencies.

As Cisco helps organizations reimagine and redesign their workforces and workspaces, a central question emerges: What are the infrastructure imperatives for powering hybrid work today and into the future?

We believe customers will benefit most from focusing on three areas:

Powering Teams
Securing your Enterprise
Transforming your Infrastructure

Powering teams and hybrid work through inclusive experiences

In any approach to hybrid work, people need to connect with seamless, secure, and smart technology. Without it, hybrid work simply doesn’t happen.

We’re on the threshold of a new world. The phrase “return to office” is a misnomer because the office is forever changed. The workforces that use offices will be different from those of 18 months ago. And they’ll use the physical space differently.

According to a recent survey of our own employees, about one in four Cisco employees wants to work in an office three or more days a week once offices reopen (compared to two-thirds who worked in an office with that frequency before the pandemic).

In the future of work, every employee will be hybrid — and equally deserving of the same experience no matter where they work, be it in the office, at home, in a car or a coffee shop. People-first and flexible are the collaboration watchwords of the moment. And for us, that starts with embedding inclusion into our collaboration platform.

Cisco’s powerful Webex tool is a cornerstone of the hybrid-work future, and since last year, it’s incorporated more than 800 new innovations. To name but a few, these include real-time translation from English into 108 languages; background-noise reduction; gesture recognition; and insights to help employees manage their well-being and productivity and to ensure that every voice is heard and valued. Many of these new features incorporate AI and machine learning to create an entirely new experience for the user, one that’s simple, seamless, and inclusive.

Hardware innovations such as the Webex Desk Pro and Webex Desk Camera play a key role as well; among many other features, they are harnessing AI to reduce meeting fatigue for frontline employees working from home.

Secure by design, private by default

Without security, the hybrid-work future will never succeed. With it, we can create a future of work that’s more inclusive, more connected, and more collaborative than anything that came before.

But in the hybrid-work environment, employees and devices can be anywhere, moving in and out of company networks. And complexity mounts when managing security across an expanded attack surface of users, devices, applications, and data.

Cisco’s strategy is to make powerful security simple for our customers. And we put security at the forefront of every discussion, design, and strategy — whether we’re focusing on privacy, collaboration, or application performance.

Cisco’s solutions unify user and device protection at scale, making it easy to verify, enable secure access, and defend remote workers. And we build a unified platform, SecureX, into every security product. This helps customers connect our integrated security portfolio and existing security infrastructure to provide simplicity, visibility, and efficiency.

We are also bringing networking and security technologies to the cloud. Our goal is to help customers seamlessly and securely access the applications they use every day, from whatever device they choose to use, and from wherever they choose to work. Cisco is delivering on our secure access service edge (SASE) vision to combine best-in-class networking, security, and more into a single subscription service with observability to the edges of the network.

Our customers benefit from having security built-in — not bolted on — to every product and solution we offer. That, of course, includes Webex. In a collaboration-industry first, we recently introduced zero-trust security into Webex. This demands certification from every meeting participant and device before gaining entrance to a call. And we’re taking the friction out of security with passwordless and multifactor authentication, adding to our existing end-to-end encryption.

At Cisco, we believe that privacy is a basic human right. That philosophy informs all our technology and products from highly secure networking tools to Webex. Our new People Insights platform, for example, shares metrics and productivity goals with the individual Webex user, never the organization. And Webex noise reduction and virtual backgrounds can ease the stress of working in sensitive home situations.

Transform your infrastructure through a modern network

The in-office experience isn’t the only thing that’s changed forever. Before the pandemic, IT would sometimes balk at addressing work-from-home issues. It wasn’t really their responsibility, and many wondered why workers didn’t just return to the office.

No more. In the world of hybrid work, the home office needs to be just as connected. And the virtual experience needs to be as good or better than in-person. Employee productivity depends on their interaction with applications, and the application experience depends heavily on network performance.

That’s why, no matter where employees are, Cisco uses the same solutions to monitor network and application performance. These include tools like ThousandEyes, which provides end-to-end visibility from user to application whether connections are over home broadband or the corporate network.

It’s also why offerings like Meraki teleworker gateways are so key to hybrid work. They can provide seamless, secure connections extending an enterprise network into the home, while providing cellular backup delivering real redundancy for mission critical work.

Our partnership with communication service provider (CSP) customers around the world is also fundamental to transforming the network. We are helping them to maintain the health of the internet and deliver quality connectivity to as many people and businesses as possible.

And with our innovations and guidance, CSPs draw closer to their goals of guaranteeing connectivity speeds (potentially zero data caps) during congested times; delivering trusted connection options with built-in security services to protect IP; robust consumer grade SD-WAN solutions (home internet via always-on wireline connection through DSL, cable, or fiber); and always-on mobile connections (LTE, 5G).

Modern networking equipment is also transforming the in-office experience — for example, by ensuring compliance with health and safety policies.

Technologies like Cisco’s wireless access points, DNA Spaces (our location and Internet of Things platform) and Meraki IoT devices, cameras, and sensors all contribute to a safer working environment. They can monitor temperature, lighting, humidity, and ambient noise levels, and control these areas with integrations to HVAC and other office systems. At the same time, they can track the real-time occupancy of workspaces and issue alerts when occupancy thresholds are reached.

Webex can also help you find available desks and meeting rooms. Upon entering a room, Webex automatically awakens to launch a meeting, without a single push of a button or swipe of a touchpad.

The smart, sustainable office of the future

The hybrid future of work demands that we reimagine the hybrid workforce and the hybrid workspace.

In addition to ensuring a safe return to office, we enable customers to rethink how they use space by identifying which workspaces are overused or underused and enabling real-time adjustments accordingly.

For example, IOT technology can make offices more efficient for workers and more power efficient. Environmental sensors can help control HVAC usage, cameras can help us better utilize square footage efficiently and technologies like POE lighting can help us control energy usage while delivering a better overall employee experience.

Looking further, we will merge hybrid work and sustainable building design for customers. That means developing sustainable and regenerative products and designing energy-efficient and carbon-reducing buildings.

Imagine that! A hybrid future of world with sustainability at its core, leading to work experiences that are inspiring to employees and that help attract top talent.

Moving forward, we have an opportunity to build something even better: a future of work that’s more inclusive, creative, and fun than ever before. With a virtual experience that’s even better than face to face. And a hybrid workforce that blends seamlessly with the hybrid workspace, whether in the office or from thousands of miles away.

We look forward to partnering with our customers on what promises to be an exciting journey!

08 SepNews

How automating distributed cloud infrastructure changes IT

As IT environments become increasingly distributed and complex, organizations are exploring how automation can address their evolving IT operations and infrastructure needs.

When businesses run on data, IT operations and infrastructure capabilities directly influence revenue opportunities.

In a recent survey of IT decision-makers, Enterprise Strategy Group (ESG) found that 74% of organizations with mature or in-process digital transformation initiatives had an active IT transformation project underway, and 65% of IT decision-makers identified infrastructure modernization as a top five priority.

Public cloud infrastructure adoption plays a significant role in infrastructure modernization. But IT environments are increasingly distributed, spanning multiple edge and remote locations, data centers, private cloud locations and public cloud infrastructure providers. This disaggregated state of contemporary IT and application environments is known as the distributed cloud.

As IT infrastructure environments become more distributed, complexity mounts. According to ESG research, 64% of IT decision-makers surveyed agree that IT infrastructure complexity slows IT operations and digital initiatives.

The pressure that infrastructure complexity places on IT execution reduces the likelihood that IT teams can accelerate operations to meet business and development team demands. More than two-thirds of surveyed IT decision-makers said they are under pressure to accelerate IT infrastructure provisioning and deployment to support developers and line-of-business teams.

In an effort to accelerate operations, infrastructure automation initiatives are becoming more prevalent, especially for on-premises infrastructure. In response to this interest among customers, IT infrastructure vendors are increasingly integrating intelligence and automation into their systems and tools. Additional focus, however, must be applied to how easily IT teams can deploy, manage and upgrade that infrastructure within an organization’s automation practices.

For decades, nearly every systems vendor vied for the title of “easiest to use,” but the goal now should be “easiest to automate.” Infrastructure automation is still too complex: In recent ESG research, 37% of organizations reported problematic skills shortages in IT orchestration and automation. Automation is put in place to alleviate those skills shortages — not add to them.

When evaluating new infrastructure systems, organizations must first ensure that selected tools can support the performance, security and availability needs of their application environments. In addition, the following three considerations should be part of the evaluation process:

Integrated intelligence. When it comes to new systems, the market is awash with terms like smart and intelligent. The key is to identify which decisions and activities the system can offload from architects, IT admins and users. How quickly can new systems be deployed and upgraded? Can they stay optimized automatically as the environment evolves?
Declarative APIs. Integrated intelligence is valuable, but to maximize that value, APIs must be designed to simplify automation implementation. Declarative APIs provide the state that the system should create but do not require developers to specify all the steps necessary to achieve that state. Declarative APIs reduce the workload of automation engineers and developers and make automation easier to maintain as infrastructure environments evolve. Vendors should also provide bindings for preferred programming languages and software developer kits, as well as integrations with automation tools, such as Terraform and Ansible.
APIs tailored to personas. The needs of IT admins tasked with deploying, configuring and maintaining infrastructure differ from those of developers or app owners who use that infrastructure. APIs that cater to different personas simplify automation activities and reduce the risks associated with scaling out automation practices to additional teams. An example of a declarative API that can be tailored to individual personas is Pure Storage’s Pure Fusion, which offers tools for storage provider and storage consumer personas.
Establishing and scaling automation practices can be a complex process. Don’t overlook the role IT infrastructure selection plays in simplifying IT infrastructure automation rollouts.

This article was originally published on Tech Target. Click here to view the original article.

01 SepBlogNews

Cisco Partners ‘Weathering The Storm’ Until $15B Order Backlog Is Emptied

The supply chain crisis hit Cisco hard and triggered a record-breaking order backlog. But once supply chain and component supply conditions improve, partners expect flowing revenues as orders are fulfilled.

Cisco Systems’ product demand is at a record high, but the company hasn’t been able to get these orders in the hands of customers. Now, Cisco says it’s seeing early signs of a loosening supply chain which could open the floodgates for revenue for Cisco and its partners.

The tech giant currently has an order backlog worth well over $15 billion. Once Cisco is able to recognize those revenues — which doesn’t happen until the orders are shipped — revenues will be “off the charts,” according to Cisco partners.

“Once they clear out that backlog? Billions of dollars,” said Todd Carriker, founder and CEO of Rhino Networks, an Asheville, N.C.-based Cisco partner. “In the meantime, we have to weather the storm.”

The tech giant in May revealed that its backlog was at an all-time high at more than $15 billion, up a whopping 130 percent year over year. The company didn’t disclose numbers for during its most recent fiscal quarter, which ended on July 30, but said it once again had triple-digit backlog growth that fueled the backlog to the highest level ever recorded in the company’s history, said Cisco Chairman and CEO Chuck Robbins during the company’s Q4 2022 earnings call earlier in August.

At the same time, Cisco reported Q4 2022 revenue that stayed relatively flat at $13.1 billion compared to the same period a year ago. Cisco posted non-GAAP earnings per share of 83 cents, a decline of 1 percent year over year compared to 84 cents a year ago and net income of $3.4 billion in Q4 2022, a decrease of 3 percent.

Cisco CFO R. Scott Herren said that the company isn’t “demand-constrained” but “supply-constrained.”

“If we could get more supply, we’d be growing more quickly,” Herren said.

Robbins told CRN in June that Cisco has been working behind the scenes to address supply constraints. The company has escalated certain customers and use cases — something that partners could also make a case for in the early days of the crisis — including healthcare, government, and clients with regulatory requirements. Cisco has also worked with partners to prioritize certain orders if they could agree to wait on others, Robbins said.

“In many cases, that conversation is around, ‘I need this stuff, I don’t need that—you can push it out, so don’t worry about that—but I need this stuff if you can help me.’ And so, it’s actually allowed us to, in some cases, serve other customers. It’s just been complicated. It’s a daily triage for our team to try to get this done,” he said.

Cisco tightened up its order cancellation policy once customers began placing the same order across multiple vendors in hopes of getting hardware faster and then cancelling with the other vendors when one came through with a shipping date, Rhino Networks’ Carriker said, a phenomenon that further complicated industry-wide shortages.

Cisco eventually raised prices for some of its products in line with the price increases that were happening across the networking industry with competing vendors in this space, Carriker said.

“They held off longer than most, but eventually, they had to do some price bumps for legitimate reasons, not just to try to make more margin per item. In some cases, they were offsetting the way in which they moved goods,” he said, adding that Cisco was opting to air freight some products as opposed to traditional cargo shipping methods that take much longer. “Air freight is way more expensive than cargo,” he added.

The work may be starting to pay off. Cisco’s executives said in August that it started to see an easing of supply chain constraints toward the end of July and said its component supply headwinds are also showing signs of easing.

Calgary, Alberta-based Long View Systems, a Cisco Gold partner, has been working through its own backlog of Cisco orders. The firm has been educating end customers on when to place orders since the previous 60- or 90-day ordering timeframes for new gear don’t exist right now, said Kent MacDonald, senior vice president of strategic alliances for Long View.

But the solution provider is starting to see improvements, MacDonald said.

“We’re now seeing a lot of our backlog getting assigned shipping dates over the remainder of the 2022 calendar year,” he said.

In the beginning of the supply chain crisis, Cisco was pushing out shipping dates for orders for months down the line — sometimes just days before an order was slated to ship, MacDonald said. “What’s been really been good is the committed dates are not changing to the same degree that they were — the majority of the new committed dates are being honored and now we have predictability,” he said. “With predictability, you can actually plan and execute.”

“We’re still not where we want to be, but it’s something that’s improving as time goes forward,” he said.

This article was originally published on CRN, click here to view the article.

31 AugNews

HPE Is Betting That Cloud Computing Still Requires Help From IT

This article was originally published on Bloomberg.com, click here to view the original article.

HPE has been aggressively moving beyond hardware to a services model. How has that changed the company?
It’s a fundamental business model change. Customers no longer want to be managing their IT infrastructure. And our service solutions are there to create a transparent relationship between them and the infrastructure. They don’t care about where the infrastructure is; they just want the outcome the infrastructure can deliver.

But won’t businesses use the cloud to bypass IT and outsourcing providers?
There still is a view that the whole world is going to move to the public cloud, but we think the world is going to be hybrid. The explosion of data at the “edge” of the cloud [on computer systems close to the data source] is warranting a much more distributed infrastructure. Every 18 months, the data produced by the world is doubling, and 80% of that data is generated at the edge. You can’t think about bringing that entire amount of data all the way onto the public cloud. It needs to be processed and analyzed and made sense of locally, so that is the whole idea that we are after.

Exactly where does HPE fit in, then?
In simple terms, HPE is the edge-to-cloud company. The edge is where companies generate data, where things happen: At a retail chain, each time a transaction takes place with a customer, there is a massive flow of information that relates to that transaction. We provide connectivity to capture that interaction and can process the data from the edge all the way to the cloud.

Are customers buying your approach?
We’ve had an incredible performance with GreenLake [HPE’s edge-to-cloud platform]. It’s been three quarters in a row where GreenLake as a service grew more than 100% in orders, year over year. And there is no letting off of that demand.

Supply chains were really affected by the pandemic, and their disruptions caused big problems for companies. Is there a lesson there?
There had been a decade or two where supply chains were considered to be global. And therefore you didn’t really care about supply chain, as long as the items that you were purchasing made it to your location. You could assemble those items and deliver the goods to your customers. Those days are over, and the decoupling of supply chain in various geopolitical areas is leading people to rethink the way they procure, manufacture, and deliver.

What’s the biggest change in thinking there?
The whole IT industry has to find a new equilibrium with supply chains that are designed for speed, resiliency, and cost, as opposed to just being efficient and designed around cost.

What was one of the lessons you learned from the pandemic?
The pandemic has taught us that the enterprises who performed the best during that period were the ones who had digitized their business models.

16 AugBlogNews

Compulink Technologies Inc. Authorized as a Reseller on National Cooperative Purchasing Alliance Contract

Compulink Technologies, Inc., a leading provider of technology solutions, services and products, announced it has been authorized as a reseller on the National Cooperative Purchasing Alliance (NCPA) contract, “a leading national government purchasing cooperative working to reduce the cost of goods and services by leveraging the purchasing power of public agencies in all 50 states.”

This contract is a testament to Compulink Technologies’ consistent reliability to fulfill their clients’ needs and key strategic alliances held with manufacturers, especially now when market disruptions are common due to supply chain
shortages.

Eligible partners that work with Compulink Technologies, Inc. will be able to utilize NCPA to sell to the 90,000+ agencies throughout the United States at a national level in both public and nonprofit sectors. These agreements open up a plethora of opportunities for Compulink’s vendor partners in vertical markets, such as K-12, Higher Education, City & State, Healthcare and nonprofits.

“Compulink is very excited about this opportunity and the new doors it will open,” said President and CEO, Rafael Arboleda. “We have always been committed to providing cutting-edge technology solutions and services and now with the addition of being added as a reseller to NCPA, we can streamline the procurement process for both our partners and agencies and help bolster their technological capabilities at competitive rates as they scale their businesses.”

About NCPA: NCPA (National Cooperative Purchasing Alliance) is a leading national government purchasing cooperative
working to reduce the cost of goods and services by leveraging the purchasing power of public agencies in all 50 states.
NCPA utilizes state of the art procurement resources and solutions that result in cooperative purchasing contracts that ensure all public agencies are receiving products and services of the highest quality at the lowest prices.

09 AugBlog

Hiring Freeze hits Tech Industry for First Time in Years

For the First Time in Years, Big Tech Experiences Massive Hiring Freeze

Tech titans such as Apple, Meta (formerly Facebook), Google, Oracle and just recently this week, Robinhood, have all announced that they will either be scaling back hiring efforts or cutting their workforces amidst a slowing economy and growing signs of a possible recession. These moves signify a major turning point in an industry that has been relatively unfazed by economic and macro conditions. Leaders and key executives have been met with difficult decisions and are bracing for difficult times ahead with over 85% of decision makers stating that they will experience their business to be impacted.

Confidence remains high, however, amongst tech talent, with over 44% surveyed saying they are confident the recent trends will not continue and they remain hopeful market conditions will improve. Tech leaders also see this as an opportunity to hire better talent and have more leverage over contract negotiations. In the past few years, executives have stated how difficult it was to fill open positions for tech talent. This recent trend has made it easier to find qualified candidates for hiring managers.

Only time will tell whether the tech industry will continue to slow down, but all signs point to a minor lull in what is otherwise one of the largest and most important industries.

04 AprNews

HP to Acquire Poly in Clear Pivot for Hybrid Model Work Solutions

HP Inc. announced that it will be acquiring Poly, a video and audio equipment provider, for over $3 billion in valuations. Compulink is a proud partner and reseller of HPI and Poly, and we are very excited for both companies.

The acquisition is a clear sign that HPI is looking to bolster their hybrid work solutions as more companies continue trending towards a combination of more remote and on-site workforces. By providing both

“The rise of the hybrid office creates a once-in-a-generation opportunity to redefine the way work gets done,” said Enrique Lores, President and CEO of HP. “Combining HP and Poly creates a leading portfolio of hybrid work solutions across large and growing markets. Poly’s strong technology, complementary go-to-market, and talented team will help to drive long-term profitable growth as we continue building a stronger HP.”

To read the full press release, click here.

If you are looking to purchase remote and hybrid work solutions from either HPI or Poly, visit our E-Store.

28 MarNews

How MWBEs in New York persevered through the pandemic

Minority- and women-owned businesses dot the many regions of New York state. Some have been in business for more than 20 years, others just over a decade, and they are owned and run by women, minorities or both. They are New York’s long-standing MWBEs.

Many were able to start their businesses smoothly, growing and developing in their industries over the years to become reliable enough to maintain a sustainable clientele. Some even caught the attention of state agencies and educational institutions, which helped these MWBEs remain successful after they secured their MWBE state certifications.

But like all other businesses, these companies faced an uncertain future two years ago when the COVID-19 pandemic started. Some of the MWBEs listed below were left with little to no clientele when the first shelter in place order was issued in March 2020. This led to some employees being let go or furloughed. Some of these MWBEs had to reinvent themselves to fit the needs of a population largely under quarantine, while others saw increased demand for their work.

Two years later, these eight MWBEs have bounced back as business returns to normal. These MWBEs learned a lot during this daunting period for their company and their employees, perhaps enough to endure any future difficulties.

COMPULINK TECHNOLOGIES, INC.

Manhattan
CEO and Founder: Rafael Arboleda

For over 35 years, Compulink has been providing information technology services to government agencies, nonprofits, commercial businesses and others. The company was fortunate to be active when the pandemic began as government clients needed help transitioning to virtual work. However, as marketing coordinator Liam Hanvey explained, “As the pandemic progressed, we were one of the first industries to be affected by global supply chain shortages, the effects of which are still being felt today.” The good news, though, is that Compulink has rapidly adapted to the “new normal” and is expanding its services to its clients with the newest IT products available.

DRB BUSINESS INTERIORS

Saratoga Springs
Owner: Dorothy Rogers-Bullis

Drb Business Interiors has been in business since 2009 and offers over 200 pieces of furniture for professional environments. The company designs the pieces, assists clients in making selections and handles the installation process. Drb had its tough moments during the pandemic, when it reduced its team from 15 people to less than 10. But it looks like Drb has plans to hire new employees, with owner Dorothy Rogers-Bullis optimistic about the company’s future. “Never stop on a hill,” she tells herself and her team.

B&W SUPPLY

Ithaca
Owners: Becky Benjamin, Hoyt Benjamin Jr., Chase Benjamin

Since 1976, this family-owned business has been providing food businesses with everything from restaurant equipment to paper and janitorial supplies. Its products can be found in catalogs such as Carlisle Companies for utensils and kitchen supplies, Garland Group for gas equipment and Pitco for fryers. B&W also has a showroom in Ithaca. During the pandemic, B&W had to make an adjustment by selling in-demand items, like personal protective equipment and restaurant takeout containers instead of larger equipment. The Benjamin family believes their future is bright and that they will continue to survive and serve their customers.

MINORITECH INC.

Rochester
Owners: John Marcaida, Richard Marcaida and Patricia Marcaida

Patience, perseverance and persistence – that’s what it took for this engineering company to find nationwide success. Created by Emma Briones, a Filipina immigrant who first began working for Kodak, the name MinoriTech refers to her minority and technology background. Now, it is her children – John Marcaida, Richard Marcaida and Patricia Marcaida – who are running everything. These past two years have not been easy, but having a diversified client base as well as a wide range of products and numerous suppliers has helped keep MinoriTech afloat. Government financial assistance also helped, and things are looking up. MinoriTech was able to hire a part-time customer service representative, and it is hoping to continue to grow both in Western New York and New York City.

MAEDA CONSTRUCTION INC.

Staatsburg
Owner: Robert Drost

Putnam County’s Maeda Construction primarily does commercial and industrial projects, along with some affordable housing projects. The pandemic shut down many construction projects in New York, which hurt Maeda. Luckily, an approved Paycheck Protection Program loan gave the business “some room to breathe for a little while,” owner Robert Drost said. Doing private work was not easy since Maeda could not get concrete deliveries without a note from the city or town where it was working. Drost said the company is back and running at 100%, and COVID-19 taught them to “trim the fat” and not go overboard with expenses.

NEW YORK AMSTERDAM NEWS

Manhattan
Owner: Elinor Tatum

For over 100 years, the New York Amsterdam News has been one of the most respected Black newspapers, not only in New York City, but the entire country. Like so many news publications during the pandemic, it faced uncertainty when the whole city had to go into lockdown in March 2020. Luckily, Publisher Elinor Tatum made sure the New York Amsterdam News adjusted quickly. “We immediately went to a remote model,” she said. “Never missing an edition. Continued to print the paper as well as launch a new website and (creating) a new daily newsletter. While very challenging, it was a time of great creativity and team building in a very different way.” For the future, the New York Amsterdam News, New York City’s oldest Black newspaper, will continue to expand and grow its audiences while leveraging its philanthropic opportunities to ensure its sustainability and growth.

MICROKNOWLEDGE INC.

Latham
Owner: Kathleen Pingelski

Since 1986, MicroKnowledge has been training nonprofits, credit unions and state government departments with the latest technology, along with technology consulting and providing documentation services. The business has been serving both New York and the rest of the country and has been certified as an MWBE for nearly 30 years. But that did not insulate MicroKnowledge from struggling during the pandemic. In March and April 2020, the company lost 75% of its clientele. Fortunately, MicroKnowledge pivoted. It trained state employees in database tracing for New York’s COVID-19 initiative, which meant while it didn’t trace the virus itself, it helped workers learn to do the tracing. These days, business is back to normal, and as its President Kathleen Pingelski said, it’s all about asking: Where is the new business challenge?

IMPROVE

Chappaqua
Owner: Nona Ullman

Giving technical support to school districts, higher education institutions and other government agencies all over the state and the country since 2005, one would think Improve would not have struggled when COVID-19 hit. But instead, as owner Nona Ullman said, their work “ground to a halt,” despite all the school districts moving lessons and classroom management completely online. But as federal aid trickled down, Improve’s team became very busy, and it continued to develop business with major New York clients, such as the State University of New York.

28 MarBlog

highest paying tech jobs in 2022

As of 2022, over half of the global economy is built on, or influenced by, digital services, according to global marketing intelligence firm IDC. It also estimates that by 2023, 90% of organisations worldwide will have started to prioritise their investments in digital tools to augment physical spaces and assets.

With all this investment, expect to see careers in the IT sector continue to grow as demand for roles increases. In the UK, for example, the latest KPMG UK Tech Monitor found that in Q3 2021, rising volumes of new work and efforts to expand capacity led companies to add to their payrolls once again. The rate of job creation was only fractionally slower than the record pace seen in the previous quarter.

Similarly, in the United States, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) projections demonstrate that tech occupations are set to grow by 11% through to 2029, which is “much faster than the average for all occupations”.

As well as great growth, a career in the technology sector can be very lucrative, especially as companies fight for the best talent causing some salaries around the world to inflate.

We’ve compiled a list of the highest-paying tech jobs in 2022 for both the UK and US, with data based on GlassDoor figures for both the UK and US. Don’t forget that most of these careers require extensive work experience and training, and for many it can be a fairly competitive market.

IoT Solutions Architect –
Average salary US: $127,454/year

Contrary to popular belief, the Internet of Things (IoT) is no longer in its infancy. Worldwide, 41 billion IoT devices will be installed by 2027 — up from 17.1 billion in 2016.

An IoT architect primarily oversees the development and deployment of IoT-based solutions

involving a network of internet-connected objects exchanging data using embedded sensors. IoT developers are also well-versed in systems engineering and hardware device programming.
Big Data Engineer –
Average salary UK: £48,414/year

Average salary US: $104,463/year

Big Data engineers turn large volumes of structured, semi-structured, and unstructured data into usable data. Also tasked with designing scalable data management systems, top-tier algorithms, and predictive models, big data engineers foretell market fluctuations, industry shifts, and other trends with high levels of accuracy.

The most common titles for big data engineers include business intelligence developer, data analyst, and research scientist.
Cloud Architect –
Average salary UK: £70,507/year

Average salary US: $137,265/year

Cloud architects design and develop cloud environments. A cloud architect may suggest a public, private, or hybrid cloud infrastructure depending on the organization’s needs. Cloud architects also carry out deployment, maintenance, monitoring, and management tasks within the implemented cloud structure.

Cloud architects may also choose cloud providers and vet third-party services for compatibility and security.
Computer Network Architect –
Average salary UK: £51,185/year

Average salary US: $113,488/year

Computer network architects, or network engineers, design data communication networks from the ground up. Proposed networks may include local area networks (LANs), wide area networks (WANs), intranets, and extranets. After deployment, network architects troubleshoot issues as they arise. They also research new networking technologies and upgrade hardware and software, such as routers and network drivers, to support computer networks. Computer systems analyst, network administrator, and systems architect are popular job titles in computer network architecture. With an average annual pay of $112,690, the network industry is one of the most lucrative fields to work in.
AI Engineer –
Average salary UK: £52,260/year

Average salary US: $119,297/year

Combining data engineering, machine learning, data science, and software development skills, artificial intelligence (AI) engineers build, test, and deploy complex networks of algorithms that mimic human intelligence. But that’s not all. AI engineers also convert machine learning models into ready-to-use APIs so other applications can access them.

Popular designations for AI engineers include AI research scientist, business intelligence developer, and computer vision engineer.
Software Developer –
Average salary UK: £39,943/year

Average salary US: $97,763/year

Software developers build applications that allow users to perform specific tasks on computers and other devices. They supervise the entire software or web development process while also leading and instructing programmers who write and test computer code.

You can also spot developers writing code at times.

After deployment, developers perform upgrades and maintenance. Software developers also work closely with UX designers and business and systems analysts to identify areas needing modification.
Quality Assurance Engineer –
Average salary UK: £38,907/year
Average salary US: $83,719/year

Quality assurance (QA) engineers play a vital role in the software development life cycle. They carry out tests to identify bugs and potential problems in a software product, keeping quality high.

Most importantly, QA engineers ensure deliverables meet functional and non-functional (design) specifications and requirements. QA engineers also troubleshoot issues encountered by customers in live production environments. Based on a company’s internal structure, QA engineers can advance to executive or managerial roles.
Data Scientist –
Average salary UK: £46,953/year

Average salary US: $117,212/year

A data scientist analyzes large sets of structured and unstructured data to find trends that translate into actionable insights. Much like detectives, data scientists also investigate patterns within data to enable companies to make smarter business decisions.

By and large, organizations feed analytical data into a recommendation engine that ingests user data and makes personalized recommendations based on consumer behavior and buying patterns.

The most popular job titles related to data science include research analyst, data architect, and data engineer.
Information Security Analyst –
Average salary UK: £39,323/year

Average salary US: $99,275/year

Information security analysts identify vulnerabilities in enterprises’ digital security systems and execute security measures to shield sensitive and proprietary information. Information security analysts can also use intrusion detection systems (IDS) to monitor networks for suspicious traffic.

With cyber attacks becoming more sophisticated each year, there is increasing demand for information security analysts to develop intelligent security solutions to counter online fraud and phishing attacks.
DevOps Engineer –
Average salary UK: £47,698/year

Average salary US: $105,017/year

By its very name, DevOps ties development to operations processes. The versatile role involves overcoming traditional barriers between software development and operations teams.

Engineers specializing in DevOps primarily collaborate with software developers and operators on software development, create actionable timelines, automate testing, and perform maintenance.

DevOps engineers also oversee code releases within the production environment. Strong IT infrastructure management skills and deep knowledge of dedicated, multi-tenant, or hybrid cloud environments set them apart.
Database Administrator –
Average salary UK: £36,845/year

Average salary US: $83,700/year

Humans create over an estimated 2.5 quintillion bytes of data every day. Much of this data is stored in databases.

Database administrators (DBAs) use specialized software to store, manage, and organize sensitive data, such as customer details, purchase history, and shipping records. They also ascertain database systems’ physical requirements, including disk space and network requirements.

Additionally, DBAs control access permissions, develop and test backup and recovery plans, and fine-tune system parameters for optimum performance.

25 MarBlog

Tech Trends for 2022 and Beyond

Technology has been changing society since humans began using stone tools, and the pace of change is only accelerating. Here are predictions from six Rutgers technology experts about which innovations will have major impacts over the next few years.

This article was originally published on Rutgers, click here to view

Business Intelligence

Ellen Law
Associate Vice President
Office of Information Technology

While business intelligence (BI) software has existed for a while, 2022 will see a significant expansion in its use for enhanced, data-driven decision-making. Entities across higher education and other industries are moving toward extensive use of BI software, which can provide visual representations of data for improved analytics and analysis. The shift is away from static, historical data in spreadsheets and toward proactive analysis and alerts produced by BI software.

Users of BI software will expand their use of its understanding to natural language – often spoken rather than typed – to ask questions about any data source connected to the BI software. Similar to asking Alexa or Siri to perform an action on a speaker or phone, users can vocally ask some BI software to provide insight and answer questions with different views of data based on the criteria requested.  

Users of BI software will also take advantage of integrated algorithms run against data sources to detect anomalies, correlations, patterns and trends. The results can provide predictive insights on what likely will occur based on the data analyzed. These are exciting times, as BI software will become a huge enabler across all industries, advancing our capabilities to make more informed decisions and introducing next-gen functionality.

Artificial Intelligence

Barr von Oehsen
Associate Vice President
Office of Advanced Research Computing

Artificial intelligence (AI) will become even more pervasive through Internet of Things (IoT) devices – automobiles, household appliances, and more – as well as navigation, health care and many areas of research. AI is increasingly used to do things like diagnosing health problems from smart-watch data, enhancing digital maps by analyzing satellite images and driving vehicles with limited human assistance. Because of this, there will be more emphasis on data security and privacy, digital ethics and the need to address any inherent bias that may be introduced into AI models. Tech companies, the federal government, state agencies, research organizations and universities will allocate more resources toward developing and implementing strategies, policies, principles and guidelines focused on AI risks, security and ethics.

The Internet of Things

Michael Palis
University Professor
Department of Computer Science
Rutgers University-Camden

In 2022 and beyond, we will witness rapid growth in IoT deployments across industry sectors. In simple terms, IoT (Internet of Things) extends network connectivity to physical devices and everyday objects that are equipped with sensors, actuators, embedded computers and communication interfaces. These devices enable them to generate, exchange and consume data via private networks or the public internet with minimal human intervention. IoT is here, now – already it has given rise to innovative applications in sectors as diverse as health care (remote monitoring and patient care), industrial automation (asset tracking, predictive maintenance), smart buildings and homes, transportation (fleet management, connected vehicles), entertainment (augmented reality) and wearable devices. Analysts predict that by 2025, there will be over 55 billion connected devices worldwide.

Despite its rapid growth, IoT faces important challenges such as interoperability. The lack of interoperability due to vendor lock-in, incompatibility between different transport protocols (e.g., WiFi, Bluetooth, Zigbee) and the absence of standards is preventing IoT from realizing its full potential. Clearly, IoT standardization is key. Fortunately, many technology companies and IoT platform providers are now working collaboratively to address interoperability by adopting standards and promoting open-source development.

Another challenge is security. The ever-growing breadth of IoT devices provides new opportunities for attackers to hack into these devices and penetrate the networks to which they are connected. Most of these attacks stem from simple security problems, such as insufficiently protected credentials, lack of encryption and unpatched/outdated software. Unfortunately, IoT security often gets neglected by device manufacturers and the organizations that use them. For IoT security to be effective, what is needed is a collaborative approach that brings all parties together to take steps to make devices and their uses more secure.

Everything as a Service

Frank Reda
Associate Vice President
Deputy Chief Information Officer
Office of Information Technology

It’s hard to survey the technology landscape today without pondering the future of Everything as a Service, or XaaS.

In the beginning, it was Software as a Service, or SaaS replacing homegrown IT applications with general-purpose applications that could be customized to meet local business requirements. SaaS (like Gmail) reduced development costs and sped applications to production. Next, Platform as a Service, or PaaS (like Windows Azure) helped IT organizations to achieve even greater efficiencies by maintaining software platforms and operating systems in the cloud. Eventually, that led to Infrastructure as a Service, or IaaS (like Amazon Web Services), where cloud providers began providing all aspects of IT hardware operations and organizations could shift IT costs from capital to operating expenditures.

Clearly, the “as a Service” model makes fiscal and practical sense. It will continue to evolve in the IT world and elsewhere. Currently, “as a Service” models exist for industries like banking, communications, call centers, and site and service monitoring. Transportation as a service? That’s already here, with Uber. Expect to see more of this with quality assurance and rental space, available via apps in just hours. All of these serve as testimonials to the efficacy and efficiency yielded by specialization.

Human-Centered Computing

Patrick Shafto
Professor of Mathematics and Computer Science
Rutgers University-Newark

Historically, technology development has been driven by computer scientists and engineers, who come up with ideas for products – search engines, services, and products – that were designed to be treated as tools. People, who are “users” in engineer-speak, were expected to adapt to the tools.

Historically, people did adapt: they developed pidgin English for inputting queries to Google, endured endless advertisements on Facebook and navigated labyrinthine drop-down menus for Microsoft Word.

In the new year, however, look for a new emphasis on human-centered computing, both as a buzzword and as a technology trend. As competitors increase, technologies must compete. Competition will be fierce to convince people, both through marketing and experience, that each company’s technology does not require a long training period, during which the value you get from the product is limited. Technologies will, in talk and action, become more centered on humans. You never know; they might stop referring to us as users too.

Generative AI

Hui Xiong
Distinguished Professor
Rutgers Business School – Newark and New Brunswick

Generative AI – programs that can use existing content like text, audio files or images to create new content – is one of the disruptive technologies that will grow in 2022. It has the power to learn the patterns in the existing data and use it to create related but original content that can take the form of everything from images and texts to protein structures. Last year, for example, generative AI was used to make a song called “Drowned in the Sun,” which is designed to sound like a new song by the long-defunct grunge band Nirvana. We will see the rapid use of AI generative models in many industries, including but not limited to health care, material science, digital media, design and manufacturing, and life science.