Diane Greene as the CEO of Google Cloud has indeed taken the fragmented Google cloud business to new heights making it one of the most sought after platform for organizations from small businesses to biggest of conglomerates. One of the first things she did was unify all the pieces under a single umbrella, with her at the top of the unit. Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google had outlined the new organization in a company blog post when he announced Greene’s hiring. As he stated at the time, Greene would be in charge of a newly integrated enterprise cloud business that brought together Google for Work, Google Cloud Platform and Google Apps under a consolidated product, engineering, marketing and sales team. She said one of the reasons for this single Google Cloud view was her experience at VMware, where they valued integrated execution across the company. She felt that in order for this to work well, all these cloud pieces had to be working in sync with a consistent message up and down the entire cloud stack.

Google Cloud Platform is a suite of public cloud computing services offered by Google. The platform includes a range of hosted services for compute, storage and application development that run on Google hardware. Google Cloud Platform services can be accessed by software developers, cloud administrators and other enterprise IT professionals over the public internet or through a dedicated network connection.

“ it is Google’s time for enterprise. Google has a lot to offer the world and it all came together in a nice way. There was just a lot of effort going on around the enterprise that has set things up really well, ”

Alongside a set of management tools, it provides a series of modular cloud services including computing, data storage, data analytics and machine learning. The benefits of Google Cloud Platform include future proof infrastructure where Google Compute Engine’s instances can be moved to nearby hosts while active—even while under extreme load—complete with their working SSD storage (up to 1.5 TB). Since VMs don’t need to be rebooted for host software updates or other standard operational tasks, uptimes are superb ensuring predictable performances across all the different parts of users’ application. It also offers powerful data and analytics services based on the same distributed data services used at Google, Google BigQuery, Google Cloud Datalab and Google Cloud Dataproc that are revolutionizing how one analyzes and use data.

The cloud giant is also offering serverless is a new paradigm of computing that abstracts away the complexity associated with managing servers for mobile and API backends, ETL, data processing jobs, databases, and more. The facilities include no upfront provisioning just provide the code and data, and Google dynamically provisions resources as needed, no management of servers hence no repetitive and error-prone task of managing or automating server management like scaling your cluster, OS security patches along with pay-for-what-you-use module.

For CocaCola “Using Google Cloud Platform, the campaign runs smoothly 24/7 and includes redundancy, failover techniques, backups and state-of-the-art monitoring. Plus, it’s affordable.” As Greene applies her enterprise chops to the Google Cloud platform, she rightly sees a market that’s heating up — and one that Google should by all rights be well-positioned to grab a big piece of. “The enterprise has become a super interesting and exciting place,” she says. “Everybody is realizing they have to digitally transform themselves.” She sees that cloud having a big role in that as it allows companies to communicate better, flatten hierarchies and move much more quickly than they could running equipment inside a data center. “It is Google’s time for enterprise. Google has a lot to offer the world and it all came together in a nice way. There was just a lot of effort going on around the enterprise that has set things up really well,” she adds.

Google LLC

Management

Sundar Pichai
CEO

Description

Google provides open tools to secure your data and hardware, gain real-time insights, and be more productive with the same intelligent.

The roads, highways and bridges that are the visible “backbone” of our transportation system are only a portion of the infrastructure that serves as the nation’s central artery of commerce and economic activity. What we often cannot see, that is just as critical, is an equally impressive network of underground infrastructure that we depend on to deliver our energy, water, and communications. We often take for granted how massive these two networks are and how much work is involved each day in order to safely and effectively build, manage, and maintain this critical infrastructure.

Today more than ever, the challenges we face to constantly maintain and update the surface infrastructure including the growing demand, deterioration, inadequate funding, and a lack of available space are only becoming increasingly greater. What we may not realize is that these same issues also threaten the complex network of the subsurface systems that are hidden directly below where we live, work, and play. Unfortunately, this buried infrastructure is often damaged during repairs and maintenance. When this occurs, not only are our daily activities disrupted, our environment suffers and in the worst case, it can cause serious injury and even loss of life. These damage events occur far too frequently, and they are largely due to a lack of accurate information about the infrastructure’s exact location under the earth’s surface.

” Using ProStar’s solution for new construction, we were able to commission our project in just a few days as opposed to several months. “

In North America alone, there are more than 30 million miles of buried utility lines including; electric, gas, fiber optic, water, and sewer works. The vast majority of the buried infrastructure was installed more than half a century ago, was never intended to support current population growth, and exacerbating the problem, it has not been adequately managed or maintained for decades. As this buried infrastructure often lies directly below the transportation systems’ corridors, any groundbreaking work required on either system directly impacts the other. The type, location and condition of the surface systems is often evident to us as we can see it, but for the most part, the same information of what lies below is often not accurate, not known, or has been lost. Not knowing the type, condition and precise location of these facilities poses a serious problem for construction workers and heavy equipment operators who are required to work on these systems. In fact, conducting any construction or maintenance activities is difficult to complete without running the risk of an incident and potential for pollution, serious injury, or fatalities.

ProStar Geocorp specializes in the development of Geospatial Intelligence Software™ designed to precisely capture, record, and provide visualization of what lies below the earth’s surface. ProStar’s solution is specifically designed to improve the entire asset management lifecycle of this infrastructure, including planning, construction, and maintenance. The company was founded in 2014 to provide its patented Geospatial Intelligence Software to industries where knowing the precise location of subsurface assets is critical to the success of their business operations and safety practices. The idea was spawned by looking at mapping systems including Google Maps™, Bing™, and OnStar®, respectively, all of which are designed to provide basic location based mapping services. ProStar‘s solution provides similar location based mapping services, but it is designed for industries that require a much greater degree of mapping precision. Utility, Oil & Gas, Construction, and Engineering & Surveying are a few examples of industries where knowing the precise location of buried infrastructure is critical in providing more efficient and safer business practices.

The company’s first commercial engagement was a strategic development partnership with the world’s largest petroleum pipeline company. Two years later ProStar signed its first commercial SaaS agreement with a large Midstream pipeline client. Since then the company has acquired numerous clients in the oil & gas industry and just this year the company began penetrating other verticals by acquiring clients in government agencies and industry leading companies in sectors that include United States Department of Transportation, utility, construction as well as engineering and surveying.

The Flagship Solution

ProStar’s flagship solution, Transparent Earth®, is a web-based cloud solution offered as a SaaS (Software as a Service). This means that for a monthly subscription fee and no additional hardware or software costs, clients can simply login to their account to access ProStar’s cloud and mobile applications. This provides for a very low cost, easy to adopt, and secure platform with virtually no barrier to entry.

“The use of the word ‘transparent’ in Transparent Earth is two-fold,” explains Page Tucker, CEO and President of ProStar. First, it allows users to see what lies beneath the Earth’s surface. Secondly, it means ProStar’s solution can create transparency throughout the enterprise where data can be easily accessed, viewed, and shared. “We embrace both modern and open-source technologies as opposed to creating a proprietary business model that many of our competitors have created over the past few decades,” he further states. “This means we can leverage and embrace other open source applications that have been developed by other software and hardware providers throughout the world as opposed to developing everything ourselves or creating limitations of working with only a few select partners’ applications.” This approach also makes ProStar very flexible and agile so they can quickly shift to adopt new technologies or standards whenever they are introduced. Through their patented ProStar Precision Integration® processes, clients can leverage their legacy technologies by simply and seamlessly integrating ProStar’s solution to enhance their existing operational systems. This also means that there is minimal change or disruption to current business practices.

ProStar’s solution was designed to run natively on the Cloud and to manage precise location data. That means by utilizing standard Cloud services like Microsoft Azure, Mobile operating systems such as, Android and iOS, web browser services such as Chrome and Safari, and embedded or external global positioning systems, ProStar’s solution can deliver location based services with qualified and precision data ranging anywhere from mapping to survey grade data quality. ProStar’s solution is also a data aggregation platform designed to integrate with a variety of GIS and CAD systems, as well as other data sources that constitute the enterprise systems of a client. The operational systems of an enterprise are often fragmented, creating independent silos that limits the ability to access and share information across the enterprise. “Using our patented and precise integration processes we are able to create a single platform that aggregates data silos into one seamless system and standardizes the data using accepted global open data standards such as the PODS™ (Pipeline Open Data Standards) and OGC® (Open Geospatial Consortium),” says Page. This means, that at a click of a button, critical data is now available to any worker on their desktop or mobile device, anywhere and anytime. In addition to integration with client enterprise systems, ProStar’s solution also leverages the Internet of Things (IoT). Leveraging the IoT means that ‘big data’ from other sources which can be rich in valuable information, but that are either not currently available to the client or simply too cumbersome to access, can now be used to improve all phases of the business operations. With ProStar’s solution, weather, fire, earthquake, socio-economic, geological, and other forms of data can now be easily accessed and combined with client data to provide robust reporting and analytics.

Becoming The World Leader

As populations grow, more assets are being installed underground resulting in growing concerns as to what is already considered to be severely congested infrastructure corridors. Both owners and contractors are beginning to understand the real value in capturing, collecting and maintaining the precise location of buried assets. Not only can they recognize immediate and measurable ROI (Return On Investment) by implementing improved construction and maintenance business practices, they can also see a reduction in the number of incidents that far too often place the public, field workers, and environment at risk. Improving the methods and precision involved in the collection, capture and visualization of infrastructure enables the ability to make more timely and informed business decisions. Perhaps best of all, ProStar’s solution delivers all of this without causing substantive process changes or disruption to the client’s current business practices.

ProStar’s core competency is focused on developing the World’s best cloud-based precision mapping solution. “To become a world leader in any discipline you must first be passionate, laser-beam focused, and have a clear vision of what your products and services provide,” says Page. “To fulfill our vision, we assembled a very competent, passionate and excited team that includes executive management, employees, strategic partners, and even the right customers.”

ProStar’s services are unique and differentiated from their competitors on the basis of three key elements. Firstly, the methods used for capturing, recording and displaying the precise location of both existing and newly installed assets. Secondly, ProStar’s solution is a Cloud solution designed to be open and run natively on mobile devices. This allows their cloud and mobile solution to work together seamlessly with the ability to provide real-time data from the enterprise to the field and to easily leverage any new technologies that are introduced. Lastly, ProStar has an impressive and extensive patent portfolio.

ProStar understands that adopting a new technology has two critical components for any organization. Deciding to make the change and then managing the change. To be successful, first and foremost you need commitment from executive management — ideally at the C level — and then you need buy-in from every department that the change will impact. The entire organization needs to accept and embrace the change even while knowing that there may be obstacles. Fail in either of those categories and failure of adoption becomes increasingly imminent. “One of the biggest challenges we often face is within the IT Departments as they are understandably very sensitive about data security. But once they understand that data security is one of our core competencies and how we manage data, address data sovereignty and user access and authorizations, their concerns quickly subside” explains Page.

One of ProStar’s clients constructed an entire pipeline using ProStar’s data management solution (from ‘cradle to grave’ as it is known) and as a result was able to obtain permission from the regulator to put the pipeline into service less than 72 hours after construction completion as opposed to the normal period that can take up to 6 months. “Building a pipeline can be a very expensive and involved process as every inch of the pipeline, including all of the materials, procedures for welding, and protective coatings must be approved and meet very strict regulatory specifications,” adds Page. “But through our solution, the client was able to transport millions of dollars of petroleum well ahead of schedule.” Another client was able to capture the precise location of critical assets they did not even know existed according to their own records. This allowed them to assess the location and condition as well as meet regulatory requirements where the cost of non-compliance can be significant.

The Road Ahead

Page sees ProStar as being the de facto solution in providing Geospatial Intelligence Software to industries around the world that require precision mapping services. Currently, ProStar is in the process of ramping up its operations, brining on additional resources, expanding into new locations, and creating additional strategic partnerships. The company currently has offices in Colorado and North Carolina and next year will open an office in Vancouver B.C., Canada. ProStar has begun the process of negotiating the markets to secure the capital required to significantly increase their operations and to prosecute their patents. “The goal is to capture as much market share as possible in the primary markets we currently have our sights on and then expand into other verticals that could benefit from ProStar’s solution,” says Page. “There are numerous industries that could realize significant benefits from more precise location services including, forestry, mining, healthcare, real estate and the list goes on. Those industries are massive in terms of Total Available Market (TAM) in the US and Canada alone. ”

ProStar is getting ready to launch a free PointMan Mobile app on Google Play and the Apple Store that is designed to precisely locate, capture, and display buried facilities anywhere in the world. In addition, ProStar is looking into the future with their new developments employing 3D mapping technologies, Augmented Reality, Virtual Reality, as well as Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning. According to Page, there is no doubt that the millennials with their familiarity of communications and digital technology will play a vital role in determining the success or failure of any technology solution. “This generation expects information and instant gratification relevant to both their lifestyle and location at a click of a button. They want to be immersed in a world that feels real to them and that is rich in information, visualization, and other sensory stimulations that today might actually seem overwhelming to the reader,” explains Page. “I believe that these technologies will continue to evolve at a torrential pace and play a major role in all aspects of our personal and professional lives. In fact, we are betting on it. Like Lee Iacocca once stated: “Lead, follow, or get out of the way”. At ProStar, we prefer to start by leading!”

James Paat is a successful serial entrepreneur and recognized expert in the fields of data integration, information sharing and innovation. James has over 30 years of experience working across multiple vertical industries with an impressive list of global enterprises, emerging companies and government agencies and has participated in many of the most significant data sharing programs in the country. A pioneer and beacon of light, James has been on Boards for several companies including leading not-for-profit industry associations and higher education. Yet despite all this, James has managed to balance these accomplishments with a well-grounded life that includes a strong sense of family as well as still finding time for maintaining his passions in music and fitness.

One can strongly deduce that James possesses a rare mix of qualities not typically seen in any one individual. Incredible experience, expertise and thought leadership; technical, business strategy and operational execution experience; and ability drive and motivate customers, partners and employees to understand, buy-in and support his vision. These are the qualities that make him our pick as one of the best CEO’s in the industry.

The steadfast leader has spent considerable time understanding the root issues and obstacles preventing healthcare payors, health systems and healthcare providers from implementing desired value-based care models that are critical for improving patient outcomes and lowering healthcare costs. The result is the InXite SmartCare Platform—a far advanced patient-centered technology platform and approach for delivering value-based care for all healthcare participants. James is the Founder, Chairman & CEO of the innovative healthcare technology company – InXite Health Systems whose sole mission is to connect the dots in a fragmented system, providing patients and everybody who cares for them, the tools and services they all need to better collaborate and improve health outcomes. While this is a lofty goal, InXite is well on its way on achieving their mission. In a relatively short amount of time, InXite has emerged as a true innovator in healthcare. From everything we have seen, the InXite Value-based Care Platform has the potential to make a significant impact across the globe in delivering patient-centered value-based care which is proven to improve wellness and reduce costs.

“ My advice to the budding entrepreneurs is that every problem is one step closer to the solution and every no is one step closer to a yes. Nothing worthwhile comes easy and the harder the climb the more you appreciate the view once you have accomplished it”

The InXite Value-based Care Platform was designed from the floor up to improve patient outcomes and InXite has ingeniously developed a comprehensive modular platform that addresses the key challenges in implementing value-based care. The InXite solution is comprised of multiple components that can be used independently or as a seamlessly integrated solution for payers, hospitals, providers and patients.

In simplest terms, InXite provides the “Facebook for Healthcare” allowing a patient and each of their healthcare providers to have a shared web portal for sharing information, communicating and making better data driven decisions that leads to avoiding costly admissions to hospitals.

InXite leverages a data interoperability approach that allows all healthcare participants, from the largest most advanced hospitals to the smallest most technically unsophisticated individual providers, to easily share information without the need to invest heavily in traditional data standardization processes. The InXite solution and approach is unique, built to be an open system so that 3rd party applications are able to plug into the InXite platform to deliver added value to stakeholders.

InXite is positioned to truly modernize healthcare and the company, and solution is quickly being recognized not only in the United States but also internationally. The born leader believes one must have unwavering belief and confidence in oneself and surround themselves with the right people in order to succeed in life. “My advice to the budding entrepreneurs is that every problem is one step closer to the solution and every no is one step closer to a yes. Nothing worthwhile comes easy and the harder the climb the more you appreciate the view once you have accomplished it,” concludes James.

With a background in architecture and an MBA from Harvard Business School, Medi Falsafi purchased printing equipment and set up shop and went on to create American Blueprinting Company. The sole aim of the company was to provide premium quality reprographic services to architects, engineers, and contractors. Falsafi’s architectural knowledge made it easy for him to understand how to provide print solutions to the building design and construction industries and he grew what was to be a temporary venture into a multimillion dollar business.

ABC leveraged the evolution of the Internet and launched Blueprint Online which at the time was revolutionary and years ahead of traditional Plan rooms. ABC’s reputation for color and image quality and consistency globally has attracted the attention of many retailers for international rollouts. Today, ABC has grown from just a blueprinting company for the AEC market into a full service printing company providing technology and print solutions to customer in the high end retail market such as Estee Lauder, Fossil, Chanel, Maserati, Brooks Brothers, Christian Dior and many more.

ABC is able to produce high quality print and professional retouching services at affordable prices and ensure that they are delivered to the appropriate locations and stores on time and on budget. They are able to do this through their custom developed portal specifically for retailers that maintains a database of every ad space in every retail location, the size and type of insert which allows customers to easily determine size, quantity and placement for each of their stores globally thus saving millions in measuring, polling and re-work. “Our innovation in technology driven by our in-house software developers separates us from our competitors. We have evolved into a technology company that happens to be in the print industry,” says Falsafi.

” Our innovation in technology driven by our in-house software developers separates us from our competitors. We have evolved into a technology company that happens to be in the print industry “

According to the steadfast leader, many have said with the onset of digital signage, Internet advertising and Interactive Media that “print is dead”. “Our sales tell a different story! Not only is print thriving, it is growing. The trick is to focus on markets where print will always be necessary,” adds Falsafi. ABC has adapted the industry trends and focuses less on traditional blueprinting and more into retail, restaurants, malls and advertising agencies.

Since ABC’s founding back in 1982, the CEO has based their value system on the Vision to “Impress Every Client, Every Time”. “On the first day, we drafted the ‘Client’s Bill of Rights’ and each employee knows both of these documents word for word. This has been the cornerstone of our belief system and is embedded in our DNA,” says Falsafi. “Our shops do not close until the last order is complete. We are willing to keep our shops open overnight and weekends to ensure that we deliver for our clients.”

ABC was one of the early adopters of 3D Modelling technology which has showed their Architectural Clients the power of 3D Modelling in helping sell their concepts to the Developers. Now they are using the technology for Property Management Companies, Real Estate Companies, Corporate Award programs. The company has also invested heavily in Interactive Media which allows ABC to offer POS Kiosks, Interactive Shop Windows where customers can order using the shop window and have the order picked and ready when they are ready to check out. In the near future, ABC will increase its market share in the B2C & B2B markets with the launch of ABC PrintRoom to compete with Vista Print and Shutterfly. “We will continue to develop innovative software solutions for its clients including mobile apps and the ability to order print products from your phone and pick it up locally,” concludes Falsafi.

It is widely known that parent involvement makes schools a better place and technology is a powerful way to open the lines of communication between schools and families to establish those connections. But funding, accessibility and community support for new communication technologies can be challenging obstacles to overcome. TeacherLists is a free solution for both schools and parents, eliminating the initial obstacle of funding. The TeacherLists platform is embedded within the solutions parents already rely on for school communications – such as BlackBoard’s Web Community Manager, School Messenger, School Websites and SchoolinfoApp school Apps-making it easier than ever for schools to adopt and use the service without the need of downloading or installing yet another new tool.

Taking it one step further, the TeacherLists platform enables one-click back-to-school supply list shopping by integrating with national retailers such as Target and Walmart, making it easier than ever for parents to find their child’s supply list when and where they need it.

Since 1999, School Family Media has served school communities with creative content and service solutions to help parents and families engage effectively with their local schools. Born from their work with corporate partners to develop unique programs for schools, the TeacherLists platform is revolutionizing the way schools, teachers and parents approach the annual school supply list chore.

In Grand Rapids, MN educators and administrators are seeing a decrease on average of the parents being able to respond to requests that the school sends home. Whether they are permissions slips for parents to sign, requests for donations – supplies or monetary – or even updates on student progress. The problem, they’ve found is that so much information goes home to parents that it literally piles up in a corner of the kitchen, office or floor. Grand Rapids response is ‘paperless’ messaging. Teachers are using text messages, Facebook, Class Dojo apps or even voice messages to send messages to help keep the lines of communication open. And when it comes to making sure that the students start the year out prepare, they are using TeacherLists.com to communicate their need.

Boasting of over 1.4 million classroom school supply lists for over 56,000 schools across the nation, TeacherLists will continue to expand its reach within the US market. They aim to continue extending their reach through EdTech partnerships, working with leading school website and app providers to deliver the convenience of on-line supply lists to all parents. TeacherLists will also continue to increase their retail reach, partnering with national, regional and on-line providers to deliver parent’s choice.

WrightZone International Ltd., a New Zealand based company, is being recognised as a provider of superior business software and consulting services for Primary Industry within New Zealand with scope abroad. Their secret to success in integrated weights and measures is committed consulting. What this means in practice, says Director Aaron Wright-St Clair, is that “We take the time to learn about our clients’ business operations and their measures of success, to tailor solutions”. In doing so, WrightZone are meeting and exceeding the business-specific requirements of their clients for enhanced customer experiences, helping clients to integrate their weights and measures faster and smarter, and with confidence.

WrightZone built WrightZone Weighbridge software with the intention to create New Zealand’s first enterprise weighbridge software solution. They started in November 2013 by working closely with their then existing clients asking them what the perfect quarry management software solution would consist of. They responded with requirements like continual uptime, speed with simplicity in managing day-to-day operations, and visibility and management of all transactions across sites. In late 2015, after having competed with several products from Australasia, WrightZone Weighbridge Software was selected by Kaipara Quarries. Three years on, WrightZone’s first client remain advocates of the company’s integrated weighbridge software. John Shea CFO of Kaipara Quarries says, “The installation was easier than expected, the level of support from WrightZone to date has been exemplary and the software and the vendor have met or exceeded the search criteria”.

” We take the time to learn about our clients’ business operations and their measures of success, to tailor solutions. “

Today, WrightZone’s enterprise solution does not even require a weighbridge however, in fact, the weighbridge could be considered superfluous to the site or quarry operations because WZ Load, being their loader scales software running on a tablet, offers the same transactional processing but from directly and solely inside the loader cab. In simple terms, loader drivers are empowered with an ability to enter and exit a vehicle via the weighbridge or not; the loader scale or not; or a combination there of. The outcome can be seen when the docket is produced for the vehicle driver, collected from a choice of endpoints with an invoice generated to the customer via the tablets. Wright says “The majority of our users are loader and/or truck drivers. We are deploying our software in a way that works for them with simplicity and speed, and both online and offline capability. Grass roots from the ground-up is our success strategy.”

Built into the system, WrightZone can measure performance metrics to compare, for example, vehicle wait-time, load-time, and complete onsite duration. WrightZone’s WZ Load offers all the information about the vehicle, hauler, customer, job/order and, most importantly, the product and its quantity to be loaded – effectively providing real-time direction and instruction for all loader drivers. WrightZone’s solution removes radio chatter, delivers data comparison between the weighbridge and loader scale net weights offering accuracy between scales which works in supporting a requirement of recalibration of the loader scale, driver personnel loading times, and target to loader net weight performance metrics. Coupled with monthly fuel and maintenance costs of loaders, it offers a reduction in these expenses, with a return on investment of the software within six months.

WrightZone is ahead of their competition in remaining hands-on with all their clients and enabling them to do things faster and more efficiently via their solutions. According to Shea, WrightZone has “Stable operation, ease of customisation to meet the peculiarities of each site, support during operating hours, future proofing for expansion to allow greater use of data automation, strength of the vendor, and its personnel.” This is further endorsed by Phil Gordon, MD of Longburn Shingle Company Ltd, who says “WrightZone enhanced our product over and above the standard software to give us exactly what we wanted.”

WrightZone have defined weights and measure software solutions across a range of industries including stock feed, landfill and mining clientele. The next strategy will see the release of WZ Load for bulk haulage companies offering integrated invoicing and wireless weighbridge communications.

WrightZone offers competitive business edge and advantage through committed consulting. With automation and integration of company existing instrumentation, processes and systems, operating expenses are reduced thereby increasing business profitability. In successfully addressing the customer needs of various organizations, WrightZone has fast become one of the most sought after software and fully integrated weighbridge and scale management software solution providers’.

WrightZone

Management

Aaron Wright-St Clair
Director

Description

wrightzone provides custom software development and consulting services employing the tried and true 4D methodology.

Today in the education arena, numerous school districts have been overrun with technology as classrooms need much more than just chalkboards.This is leading to educational institutions facing budget upheavals owing to improper planning or sudden expenditures. Contemporary Computer, Inc. (CCSI) has been a leader in offering managed services from discovery, planning, design, and implementation for their clients thus allowing school districts to get ahead of costs and focus on the student’s education.

CCSI was founded in 1974 and for over 40 years has been providing solutions to the education space as well as other SLED entities and commercial and enterprise customers. As technology has migrated, CCSI has been a leader in offering new technology solutions to their clients. Today, CCSI is a leader in cyber security, cloud solutions, and data center. “We are loyal to our cause and we focus on delivering results. Our strategy is that if we do the right things for our customers to be successful, that takes care of our competition,” says John Riconda, CEO of CCSI. The company uses a life cycle services model where CCSI will provide custom solutions to each customer, instead of using a cookie-cutter approach CCSI will align technology to the business issues at hand alongside maintaining key partnerships with leading technology vendors.

CCSI was one of the first cloud providers in the country by launching eSchoolData. This was a breakthrough technology and allowed school districts to have access to their student records via a simple portal with no hardware or development needed. CCSI has defined many use cases that deliver new applications, with speed to deliver new applications and for securing these applications for the teacher, professor, and student . In today ‘s connected world, CCSI has helped empower schools to extend their teaching platforms for a better and more convenient experience. One such example is providing secured mobility where students can be located anywhere, and with proper user rights, can extend the virtual classroom to any location.

” We are loyal to our cause and we focus on delivering results. Our strategy is that if we do the right things for our customers to be successful, that takes care of our competition “

CCSI has served some of the largest school districts and knows it’s the knowledge above the technology that is specific to education that makes CCSI unique. CCSI recruits from top firms to acquire very specific skill sets. The company makes it a point that their sales and technical teams are well trained, that they listen to each customer and truly understand their needs. CCSI’s life cycle services approach allows the staff to offer any combination of discovery, planning, implementation, operation, and optimization services.

The company plans to continue making heavy investments in cybersecurity, cloud services that includes SD-X, hyper converged platforms. One example is the merging of cloud services and cybersecurity. The CCSI roadmap for 2018 has a terrific lineup that will cater in this area. “We just Released” Cost Containment as a Service’ which helps customers who’ve already committed to the cloud, the ability to see if there’s a better way to align and use resources so they optimize the spend,” says Riconda. “Our team will work with faculty and staff to streamline operations within your school, enabling your teachers to focus on what matters most: educating the student.”

CCSI

Management

John Riconda,
CEO

Description

CCSI provides technology services and solutions, bringing value and collaboration to companies overcome challenges and identify opportunities to achieve results.

Vivial, a groundbreaking marketing technology (martech) company, understands that finding, reaching and building loyalty with consumers is a process that can be challenging. Not only do some business owners need to learn the platforms, but they must also stay abreast of the constantly changing digital landscape to connect with customers.

Martech really boils down to the tools, resources and technology used to advertise in the digital space. This includes content creation, social media optimization, SEO and data analytics to drill down the details for finding and engaging with your ideal customer.

Now imagine having to work with multiple companies to oversee all of these critical initiatives. Vivial’s Chairman & CEO, Jim Continenza recognized that there was a lack of integrated solutions and saw an opportunity to create a new category in the industry.

“Customers want a seamless experience and the ability to manage all aspects of their digital marketing strategy under one umbrella,” said Continenza. “Vivial has proven to be a lifesaver for small to medium-sized businesses (SMBs) by simplifying the complex world of digital marketing.”

” Vivial has proven to be a lifesaver for small to medium-sized businesses (SMBs) by simplifying the complex world of digital marketing. “

It’s important to remember that digital marketing is not a one size fits all experience. Each business is unique, and its marketing needs vary across industries and geographies. Whether it’s a customized website or maximizing SEO efforts, Vivial matches its products and services to meet a business’s specific needs and budget.

When working with Vivial, companies use their simple, but powerful Marketing Platform to connect with customers and build loyalty to ensure they are getting the best ROI. They can also review, manage and take actions, like monitoring Google rankings or managing all social media, right from a simple and effective dashboard.

The customer is supported by a dedicated Account Coordinator who regularly speaks with each client to review performance, identify next steps and adjust the strategy as needed.

“We essentially make it so our customers can get back to running their business while we do the work,” said Continenza.

While simplifying the complex is a priority for Vivial, the core of their business is to help connect buyers and sellers with innovative technologies and solutions. Beyond local businesses, Vivial’s footprint can be found among master agents, Managed Service Providers (MSPs), Value Added Resellers (VARs) and major corporations.

Vivial works with master agents, VARs, MSPs and resellers to add powerful marketing tools to their existing business solutions. These partnerships ensure businesses of all sizes have the opportunity to leverage Vivial’s solutions to “get found” by consumers.

Vivial’s innovative advances are not solely focused on the digital arena. Vivial’s sister company, mGage, provides mobile messaging technologies and services for brands to create better customer experiences. Serving over 1,000 brands across six continents, mGage powers billions of monthly mobile interactions through SMS, MMS and Push. As a Tier 1 aggregator in the U.S., mGage has direct connectivity to all major wireless carriers with a best-in-class campaign management platform and powerful, open APIs.

Knowing it’s essential to bring advanced and relevant product and service offerings to their customers, the company recently launched its Vivial Connect product, a mobile messaging API platform built for developers and product managers that enables long code message communication with customers and supports various mobile messaging needs for the modern developer.

“It’s now estimated that 97 percent of text messages are opened by consumers in less than 15 minutes, making it an effective way to get your message in front of consumers. With Vivial’s broad and extensive experience in mobile technology, we built and brought to market a platform that provides companies an easy-to-use mobile messaging solution,” said Continenza.In an industry of rapid change, falling behind is not an option. Vivial plans for continued investment and expansion of their Marketing Platform and mobile technologies.

Today numerous organizations’ accounts payable(AP) processes continue to be slowed by a very manual and paper-intensive workflow. When the volume of invoices increases, these manual procedures start to show painful limitations. With advancing technological solutions—the outcome of which is eliminating paper-driven workflows—companies streamline the invoice capture, matching, approval and payment process. Cloud-based AP automation provider Yooz is a fast-growing, nimble, SaaS company that provides intelligent AP automation to over 2,000 global customers. The company offers an easy, powerful and smart solution that expeditiously solves for today’s finance professionals’ top workflow challenges.

Yooz is recognized as an intelligent SaaS-based AP automation platform that comprises a state-of-the-art, real-time document capture feature, called CaaS (Capture-as-a-Service), that leverages machine learning and artificial intelligence. With the Yooz platform, invoices and documents can be approved, mailed, scanned or processed within seconds. And the platform seamlessly integrates with most financial solutions and ERPs for a complete end-to-end procure-to-pay (P2P) workflow.

The company is filling a SaaS AP automation solution gap in the industry through an affordable, flexible, customizable and scalable solution that had previously only been accessible by enterprise-level firms. And just because it is not as complex as on-premise enterprise-level solutions doesn’t mean that Yooz is without its bells and whistles. The Yooz platform leverages emerging technologies such as A.I. and machine learning and continues to reinvest 25 percent of its annualized revenue back into R&D to stay current and ahead of the technology curve for its clients.

“With the Yooz and our financial system combined integration you have a single source of the truth. It’s easy to find and manage every step of the AP workflow because everything is captured in one place. We have full visibility into the entire ledger.”

Companies that are looking for an automated standardized approach to replace their completely manual AP workflow and invoice payment systems have found their solution with Yooz. One client, Adam Deutser, CPA, CFO of Deutser, a global consulting firm says, “With the Yooz and our financial system combined integration you have a single source of the truth. It’s easy to find and manage every step of the AP workflow because everything is captured in one place. We have full visibility into the entire ledger.”

Yooz engages its customers in other ways, too. Once a month, Yooz’s Chief Innovation Officer and COO, Laurent Charpentier, personally hosts and conducts a live webinar that is exclusive to Yooz clients. Attendees ask questions and solicit best practices about using the Yooz platform, as well as learn how to leverage all the benefits with tips and tricks. Yooz offers other educational programs, including those in collaboration with industry-respected organizations, and contributes thought-leadership content to industry-respected publications and blog sites.

Looking towards the future, the company aims to continue to innovate, develop their supplier portal to allow for seamless customer-supplier interaction and boost customer engagement, satisfaction and delight.

“Our goal at Yooz is to provide the most innovative, easy-to-use, cloud-based solution to our customers; one that will be highly scalable, integrate with all financial systems in an agnostic manner and leverage emerging technologies.” –Laurent Charpentier, Chief Innovation Officer and COO, Yooz Inc.

Yooz Inc.

Management

Laurent Charpentier,
COO & CIO

Description

Yooz provides a cloud based accounts payable automation service and yooz is a part of itesoft-yooz group.

Malik Majeed’s unique experiences like being top-notch entrepreneur, serving as an Attorney, being a little league football and basketball coach, technology enthusiast, and having worked his way through the ranks of PRWT/USF are what made him the leader he is today. The President & CEO leads PRWT Services, Inc. (PRWT), the largest minority-owned business headquartered in the Greater Philadelphia Region that has been ranked in the Top 100 minority-owned businesses in America by Black Enterprise magazine for over the past 16 years and Services Company of the year in 2009.

Over the years, PRWT has continually expanded its operations from a single customer care/call center contract in the Business Process Outsourcing services area supporting state and local governments and commercial businesses to providing Facilities Management and Transportation Infrastructure Support services for federal, state and local governments and commercial businesses within the United States through its award winning wholly owned subsidiary, U.S. Facilities, Inc. (USF). Today, PRWT/USF operates throughout the United States and maintains over 60 million square feet of commercial and industrial space as well as bridges, tunnels and waterways.

PRWT/USF operations involve handling complex, compliance driven transactions in highly regulated state and local government and commercial markets, including but not limited to traffic and public safety, parking, electronic tolls and transit, correctional facilities, municipal and federal agencies and insurance, telecommunications and pharmaceutical companies. “And, since PRWT and USF provide a plethora of services, we are accelerating our use of technology and we continue to work with our technology partners to ensure information sharing and best practices,” says Majeed.

” And, since PRWT and USF provide a plethora of services, we are accelerating our use of technology and we continue to work with our technology partners to ensure information sharing and best practices “

PRWT has recently rolled out a cloud based technology platform to monitor and track performance of their technology based service offerings including indexing/image review, call center and payment processing, facilities management and integrated transportation operations across the country. The system provides a snapshot of where the company is performing vis-a-vis given Key Performance Indicators (“KPI’s”) or Service Level Agreements (“SLA’s”), but can also provide a snapshot of where an individual employee stands from a productivity and quality perspective. Majeed says, “We are driven by KPI’s and SLA’s and our system allows us to quickly diagnose issues and take any corrective actions before those issues get to a significant level.”

In an instance, a pharmaceutical leader took the services of PRWT to enhance operational efficiencies, full industry compliance and guaranteed year over year cost savings. The use of a proven business solution model, fair & living wages and Total Quality Management(TQM) practices allowed this pharmaceutical leader to confidently migrate existing operations from a fixed to a variable cost with lower operational risk.

According to Majeed, technology has always been and will continue to be an essential component of PRWT’s multi-faceted BPO and Facilities Service offerings. The President & CEO of PRWT’s vision is to continue the successful blending of the best available technology with his personnel in the servicing of the company’s clients in a high quality and cost-effective fashion. Majeed is a fierce believer of using technology platforms as an enabler to improve information transparency, speed of analysis in the decision-making process, and sharing best practices internally and with the company’s client base.

Majeed aim’s of taking PRWT to the next level by leading the development of a playbook, getting everyone to know and get passionate about their respective roles and executing flawlessly in the delivery of services on a daily basis. “As you learn from your successes and your difficulties you need to quickly spread those best practices; that is true leadership quality.”