South Sound Technology Conference

March 3, 2017
UW-T

The conference began with opening remarks by Andrew Fry, who introduced Congressman Derek Kilmer, who talked about municipal government, the relationship between the private and public sector, the impact technology has had on them. He stressed that cyber security is woefully underfunded, which lead into the next session: "Cyber Resiliency – Preparing for Before and After a Cyber Attack." Eric Eid of Columbia Bank stressed that there needed to be a collaboration between organizations, and that requires a certain level of trust that isn't necessarily there. DC Grant, a UW-T graduate now teaching cybersecurity at Columbia Basin College, asked the question, "Where are you storing everything?" He pointed out that it's not economically viable to protect every asset. He urged people to be realistic, and to prioritize. What is most valuable? What is most likely open to attack? Kurt Hermanns from Honeywell said to "Dial back the hyperbole" and change the the tone of discussion to Risk Management, which sound not as ominous. That aligns with Grant's point of view, that it's not realistic to assume that risk can be wholly eliminated, only that it can be better managed. That management is a challenge to Washington state. The question "What are the main challenges that face the state, and how do they differ from the rest of the nation?" was asked. Grant responded that Washington state had traded security for convenience. Everything is or is in the process of being connected to the Internet. This leaves the state vulnerable. Eid said that the state needs to be more transparent in how it handles data.  Hermanns felt that expanded regulations might help, and that Washington state had already made leads in setting up regulations for cyber security. Eid, who is a lawyer, suggested that the current standard of care can be regulated, and that there needs to be a clearer definition of what activities constitute legal problems. In addition to laws that don't always keep up with technology, it was pointed out that there are issues with legacy systems and compatibility.

This segued well into the next session, Machine Learning and the Internet of Things.  Matthew Tolentino, UW lecturer, said that we're now in the 4th Industrial Revolution, a meshing of the physical and technological worlds. The panel gave real world examples. Since the Tacoma Fire Chief, (who is working on a project with Tolentino) was there, they shared how the machine learning would help the current system of firefighting. Their Indoor Positioning Systems Project gives real-time data on the locations of firefighters using embedded systems. In a fire, losing the location of a firefighter can mean injury or death. IPS should reduce those tragic incidences. Applications currently in use include sensors on machines, on garbage, and even on cows. These are not without their problems, though. One issue that Duggan, the fire chief, ran into was frequent callers. These are people who call the fire department several times a day without legitimate cause. He is hopeful that machine learning can analyze and identify patterns for these calls, though the department will still be left with the problem of needing to respond. Audience questions included privacy concerns. Just as Grant pointed out in the previous panel that there needs to be a balance between convenience and security, there needs to be a balance between privacy and efficiency.

The South Puget Sound Technology Company Sampler panel gave the audience a look at some of the tech companies in the greater Tacoma area. Why Tacoma instead of Seattle? Seattle is home to Amazon and Microsoft, two of the biggest names in tech.  Wouldn't it make sense to base a new tech company there? One of the major reasons is that the quality of life for Tacomans is on the rise, while Seattle is in decline. The traffic and congestion are not conducive to the tech culture that companies seek to establish. Another reason is both the cost of living and the cost of commercial space are significantly lower in Tacoma. It's easy to get to from almost anywhere, including SeaTac airport. Where will Tacoma be in 3-5 years?  In an even better place than today. Where will the panelists be?  Shadrach White, CEO of cloudPWR, expects to be working with more government contracts. Linda Rix, CEO of AvueTechnology, expects to be refining and creating software. Both of those will require good employees.

That was the next panel, Hiring and Retention in Tech Industries. Fry said that one of the most expensive things for a business is to lose an employee. Zach Nieman, corporate recruiter for Infoblox, said that it's important for a tech company, especially, to have a strong positive company culture. To this end, he tries to keep a pool of "High potential new recruits" to filter through. Hiring right the first time means that tech culture gets stronger with each hire. Sarah Champion of SiteCrafting says that a long interview process helps to make that decision and keep retention rates high. She aims to make sure that her employees are engaged and constantly learning. She says that it's important that they are highly trained and able to work anywhere, even if that means occasionally losing some to competitors. Dawn Williams of UW's Career Development Center reminds employees that they need a life outside of work. Where do these companies get their employees? Champion looks to community involvement. Nieman confesses that he networks, or in other words, poaches from his competitors.

The conference was interesting. I appreciated that the speakers were upfront and candid. I think the panel I found most fascinating was cyber resilience; it's a topic I've looked into independently in the past. If I'm in the area for next year's conference, I'll definitely go again.