Monthly Minutes – 2006 Archive
Meeting: 8th of June 2006
Present
- Ron Harrington; President
- Judy Stem; Vice President
- Lynn Karr; Director
- Stan Prouser
- Bryan Paul
- Catherine McDonald
- Mark Pallack
- David Shaffer
- Marjorie Censer
- Stephen Williams
- Ken Harris
- Tom Sullivan
- Denise Beaver
- Mike Shelah
- Chris Nicoli
- Isabel DeFeo
- Mike Yanchoris
- Christine Plater
Lynn Karr opened the meeting with member introductions. Lynn talked about how Carroll Tech Council is making a difference in Carroll County.
Making a Difference in Carroll County
- CompuKids
- 32 computers have been donated to families.
- 23 computers donated to non-profit organizations,including the 5 shelters in Carroll County.
- Partnership forged with Carroll County Bd. Of Ed. Adult Education to supply computers for the external diploma programs.
- Plans to place computers in homes through ARC.
- Non-Profit Center
- InfoPathways took the lead with establishing Internet connectivity at Non-Profit Center. Many other member companies assisted. This collectively saves the non-profit organizations over $17,000 / year.
- Educate / Inform
- By-weekly technology information articles published in the Carroll County Times Sunday newspapers.
- LOCATE
- This List of Carroll Area Technology Expertise is being updated and improved to provide a comprehensive, easy-to-navigate list of technology services available to Carroll County.
- Technically Correct
- Award winner of Vollie for Best Station Series 2005.
- Produced 3 shows 2005.
- Spring 2006 show now airing.
- Youth
- Scholarships for Kids in Technology at Carroll Community College.
- Financial support for Carroll County Robotics Team.
- Plans for a video contest with scholarship prize.
- Advisory
- CTC Panel made recommendations to County regarding the technology infrastructure for the Westminster Technology Park and Route 97 Corridor.
- Newly formed Technology Advisory Committee to serve as a catalyst for sharing information on existing and emerging technology to business and government.
- Adult Learning Connection
- Ron announced that the CTC has formed a partnership with the Carroll Adult Learning Connection which is a program of the Carroll County Public Schools aimed at providing free learning opportunities for county adults that do not have high school diplomas.
- Carroll Adult Learning Connection has asked the CTC to furnish computers for their External Diploma Program will be conducted for inmates at the Carroll County Detention Center.
Speaker – Paul Ritchey,
Security Analyst with Jacob & Sundstrom, Inc.
Paul began with the statement that there is no silver bullet to solve all the problems presented by hackers. He said there are 3 types of people in the hacker world:
- Black Hats
- Want to harm computers (offensive)
- Grey Hats
- Ride the line between helping/harming, depending on mood or motivation
- White Hats
- Understand the tools the hackers use, and use that knowledge to protect computers (defensive)
Mr. Ritchey went on to explain the various types of threats, as well as the motivations of those using the techniques. He noted that historically is was the servers that were being sought out and attacked, but now the focus is more on the individual desktop PC's. One common method is with phishing with emails.
Defensively, Paul Recommended
- Using a hardware firewall, not just the built in one with the operating system
- Don't respond to phishing emails by clicking on links. Enter the URL information directly
- Install and update antivirus software
- Keep operating system updates current
- Use an alternate web browser to Internet Explorer
- Firefox
- Opera
- Watch what downloads and installs you accept
- If business owner, have security guidelines in place, and be sure that employees are following these guidelines.
- Encrypt data on hard drive
Golf Event
Judy Stem gave a wrap up on the Golf Event, and announced that it netted approximately $11,000. Ron Harrington said that he appreciated the support from members that participated as golfers, sponsors and volunteers. However, he noted that we approximately 50% of our members did not assist in the golf tournament in any fashion.
Apparel
High quality apparel emblazoned with CTC Logo is available for sale - CTC Shirts $35.00 ea., CTC Golf Towels $15.00 ea. and CTC Hats $15.00 ea.
Committee Reports
- Ambassador
-
Mark Pallack announced that he will be asking various new members to speak briefly at our member meetings to let us know about their company and what they would like to get out of the Tech Council. He asked new member Ken Harris from Lighthouse Information Systems to speak.
Ken stated that Lighthouse Information Systems builds web based applications, and use open source tools. They emphasize security and building databases. He is looking forward to more networking among CTC members.
- Annual Event
- Lynn announced that a video contest has been added to the annual event. We are still seeking the location for it. Next meeting will be June 14 at 8:30 a.m.
- CompuKids
- Lynn announced that James Sproat's class participated in the last CompuKids WorkDay, and were able to prepare 16 computers to give out to the community. Before another WorkDay can be scheduled, we need to have another source for computers. Two families received computers last week.
- Events
- In addition to the Annual Event, we will be having a Computer Chucking Contest. More details will follow.
- NonProfit Center
- Thom Bethune installed 8 of the computers prepped from the WorkDay into the offices of the various non-profit organizations.
- Technically Correct
-
Tom Sullivan announced that next show is now airing on channel 19 through the month of June:
Monday 9:30 p.m. Wednesday 8:00 p.m. Thursday 1:30 p.m. Thursday 6:00 p.m. This show features Ron Harrington with information about the Tech Council, Mark Krider discussing the Non-Profit Center, and Josh at the Sykesville Fire Department.
- Website
- Isabel Defeo is announced that the website is undergoing several changes, and we will have a committee meeting June 15 at 9:00 a.m. Anyone interested in assisting with the website is welcome to attend.
- Technology Advisory
- Barb Schmidt announced that the last meeting brought focus and definition to the group. Not only did they determine the name of the committee, but they formed a mission statement: To function as a catalyst for sharing information on existing and emerging technology to business and government. It should provide an excellent opportunity to work within the community. Next meeting is June 20th at 6:00 p.m.
Member Announcements
- Westminster Ballet Theatre
- Tom Sullivan announced that Westminster Ballet Theatre is partnering with the Moscow Ballet, with workshops available. Please see Tom for more details.
- TelTek
- Chris Nicoli announced that TelTek has completed their move to Main Street in Westminster.
- Workshop Series
Denise Beaver announced a workshop series hosted by the County's Workforce Center at 224 North Center Street in Westminster.
- June 16
- Expanding Your Talent Pool
(hiring individuals with disabilities) - July 21
- 9 Quick Steps to Successful Hiring
(reduce turnover rates) - August 18
- Business Tax Credits
- September 15
- Building a talent-based organization
(recruiting quality personnel) - October 20
- Avoid costly employee turnover
(retain workforce)
- Strategic Planing
- Strategic Plan brainstorming will take place after the meeting, Ron invited all members to attend.
Next Month's Speaker
- Donald C. Fry
- President Greater Baltimore Committee
- Topic
- Corporate Leadership
in Business and Government
Meeting Adjourned
