w3w3® Podcast Directory

424_ Big and Small Companies Look at Outsourcing Differently
"Standing out is a must today when 70% of small businesses fail," claims Wedy Bohling, Vice President Marketing for Magpie. For smaller companies it is extremely important to differentiate your company from the competition. Terry Morreale, Senior Engineer, Applied Trust and producer of the Women in IT Channel discussed how Magpie handled that in Magpie with fewer than 100 people. Magpie has its roots in Bell Laboratories and Wendy has spent 22 years in the telecommunications industry including AT&T to Bell Laboritoies/Lucent and AVAYA. Wendy pointed out that their software engineers, developers and gurus have mastered the techniques of Agile and Extreme Programming and with a 99% ontime delivery, that has been their differentiator. Terry and Wendy got into a very interesting discussion about outsourcing. What we hear about the most is offshoring. Wendy suggested and Terry very much agreed that there is a movement coming back that's called rural or farm sourcing as well as onshoring. This is a point where smaller companies can take advantage of their flexibility, be priced right and make that one of their differentiators.
Related Links:  Magpie || Women in IT Channel || Applied Trust Engineering || Find It || Keywords:Wendy Bohling, Terry Morreale, Magpie, Applied Trust, Outsourcing, Offshoring, Onshoring, IT >> Bytes: 21671500 > LISTEN >> 12/17/07

423_ 20 Types of Experts Needed for International Expansion
Rob Lamb (Holme Roberts & Owen) and Bill Decker (Partners International) continue in part 2 of the discussion about market entry into China. They stress that 20 types of experts are needed for an international entry and China is no exception. This is the list of of other key areas:  Market Savvy CFO; Tax Expert;  HR Expert; Regulator; Liaison;  Evangelist;  Product Modifier;  MarCom;  Mode of Entry.  Each of these points are dicussed including the challenges, choices and necessities. Part 2 of 2

Related Links:  Partners International || China-Bashing Blog || China Biz Info || Holme Robers & Owen || It's the Lawl || Keywords:China, Rob Lamb, Bill Decker, Holme Roberts & Owen, Partners International, Guan Xi, Bytes: 23679376 > LISTEN >> 12/17/07

422_ Effective Use of Equity Incentives - Challenges and Choices
Compensation and Effective use of Equity Incentives were discussed in detail with Mark Weakley, Partner, Holme Roberts & Owen, Boulder with Irene Gallagher, Partner, Holme Roberts & Owen, Denver. There are three main compensation forms: 1.) Stock Options [most familiar to employees] 2.) Then we’ve got Restricted Stock which can either be bonuses or require payment from the employee; 3.) This category gives us more flexibility in how we structure the actual measure of the incentive – and that would be in the ‘Phantom Stock’ or stock appreciation rights. Issues will vary with Common Law Employees, Contract employees, and Independent Contractors. Mark and Irene are often asked, “How can the state or the IRS know if the person is an independent contractor or not? We have an agreement, the employee signed it, isn’t that good enough?” Clearly this is not good enough. The time comes when you no longer need the employee. Without thought the employee files for unemployment insurance and that’s how the state finds out about them. “Backdoor Discovery”. Now the state can come in and look at all of your employees, reclassify them and you could be looking at back wages, potentially overtime, penalties and interest – it can really stack up. That “Backdoor Discovery” is a sure fire way to get multiple agencies on your coattails. You not only have the state level revenue agency and the department of labor, you also have the federal level because the Social Security Administration is going to want their cut of what you should have been paying in the payroll taxes all along. Then there's 409A...listen now.
Related Links:  Holme Roberts & Owen || It's the Law || U.S. Commercial Service || Entrepreneurs || Keywords: Mark Weakley, Irene Gallagher, Equity Incentives, Stock, Holme Roberts & Owen, 409A, HRO, Entrepreneurs 12/10/07 Bytes: 15612345  >>LISTEN

421_ Life of the Entrepreneur: Controlling Your Destiny
A few keys for being a successful entrepreneur shared by Nancy Phillips were: maintain a good sense of humor; overcome the nay-sayers; and practice real-world economics. Nancy is the Co-Founder, Director, COO of ViaWest and shared her story and poignant points about building and growing a business even in the toughest of times to Lucy Sanders, CEO and Founder of the National Center for Women & Information Technology and NCWIT board member, Lee Kennedy along with Larry Nelson. Nancy loves technology and people and has a long history with the Telecom industry. She enjoys the challenges of being an entrepreneur for many reasons including her passion to control her destiny. Nancy says her husband claims, "Because I'm a control freak." Phillips has also been a principal, executive and consultant for numerous successful telecommunications companies including France Telecom, MCI and Qwest. Over 15 years ago, she began her career with Teleconferencing Systems Canada as Vice President of Sales and it was in this role that she met Roy Dimoff - the two have been loyal business partners ever since. Nancy shares some excellent advice for managers, leaders and entrepreneurs.
Related Links: ViaWest || NCWIT Heroes || NCWIT Blog || CO Coalition for Gender and IT || NCWIT Practice|| Keywords: Nancy Phillips, ViaWest, Lucy Sanders, Lee Kennedy, Entrepreneurs, National Center for Women & Information Technology, NCWIT Heroes > 12/10/07 Bytes: 48124972 LISTEN

420_ Bio Startup with $7.2 Million in Angel Investments
SUPER Bug beware. MicroPhage is focused on improving health worldwide through leadership in rapid bacterial detection says Jack Wheeler, Founder and VP Business Development of MicroPhage (and Chairman of the Board, Colorado BioScience Association). They have raised over $7 M in angel capital to date. The Company develops and markets diagnostics for use in the clinical marketplace through the use of its bacteriophage enabling technology. The company has chosen to focus its initial efforts to help solve medical crises involving such problems as over use of antibiotics and antibiotic resistant bacteria. Its first products expected in late 2008 are anticipated to set a new standard for clinicians and hospital staff in methicillin-resitant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) identification and antibiotic testing. MicroPhage’s mission is to be a worldwide leader in rapid bacterial diagnostics, both identification and antibiotic susceptibility / resistance testing, through its bacteriophage-based amplification platform for immunoassay diagnostics. The company will develop, manufacture, and market these tests into the clinical market. Phage Enabled diagnostics allow for: More precise detection: More direct detection; More affordable detection; More rapid detection with results in a little as 45 minutes instead of 72 hours. Related Links: MicroPhage ||  BioWest 2007 || BioScience Channel || w3w3.com Blog || Keywords: Jack Wheeler, Life Sciences, MicroPhage, Super Bug, MRSA, MSSA ID, Susceptibility, BioWEST 2007 > 12/10/07 Bytes: 16323294 > LISTEN

419_ International Market Entry Into China
Garth Jensen introduces two of his colleagues, Rob Lamb and Bill Decker they discuss what is required for market entry into China. Robert Lamb, Special Counsel in the HRO Commercial Law and Securities Practice Group His practice is largely focused on international business, and he brings extensive experience with matters involving the Far East market including China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. Mr. Lamb works with local and national businesses, as well as government entities, to access the Chinese markets, and he has experience with transactions involving private equity investments. Bill Decker is founder and managing director of Partners International. He consults in foreign and domestic market penetration, negotiation, cross-cultural understanding, and strategy for Start-ups and company growth. Bill speaks fluent Chinese as well as four other foreign languages. They both agree that 20 types of experts are needed for an international entry and China is no exception. Here are a few topics: A Strategist, someone who knows and understands the nuances of China; An International Negotiator, not just a regular one, because those negotiating rules change; A Connector, someone who has the right connections. “Guan Xi”; Translator, meaning what’s in the written word. What’s in the brochure, what’s in the emails; Interpreter. Means someone actually at these meetings and interpreting what’s being said and what’s being heard.; Market Researcher for the Chinese Market; There' more.
Related Links: Partners International || China-Bashing Blog ||China Biz Info ||  Holme Roberts & Owen || It's the Law || Keywords: China, Rob Lamb, Bill Decker, Holme Roberts & Owen, Partners International, Guan Xi, >> Bytes: 26440414  LISTEN  12/10/07

417_ LifeSciences - A Colorado Economic Powerhouse
The 5th Annual BioWest Conference and Expo attracts more than 900 of the Rocky Mountain region’s bioscience executives for networking, presentations, services, new technologies and business strategies. Jack Wheeler, Chairman of the Board, Colorado BioScience Assoc. and Founder, VP Bus. Dev. MicroPhage, discusses with Larry the high-lights of this two-day conference. It's loaded with Stimulating and Informative Keynote Presentations: Jim Collins noted management guru and author of "From Good to Great…Why Some Companies Make the Leap and Others Don’t"; Stephen Ubl, President and CEO of AdvaMed (the Advanced Medical Technology Association); Chris Nolet, Ernst & Young, Partner and Leader Life Sciences Industry Group; Karen Bernstein, Editor-in-Chief of BioCentury; Governor Bill Ritter. There are also some top-notch Company Presentations: Companies presenting at the Mature Company forum include Array Biopharma, Baxa, Blue Sun Biodiesel, Cochlear Americas and Heska,. Start up companies chosen to present at the Venture Showcase include MBioSystems, Nanodisc, Sierra Puente, Solix Biofuels, ValveXchange and Ventrus Biosciences. In addition attendees will find Industry Support Resources and see some new research discoveries.
Related Links:  BioWest 2007 Details || Photos BioWest 2006 || BioScience Channel || Find It || Keywords:BioWEST 2007, Jack Wheeler, Life Sciences, Jim Collins, Governor Bill Ritter 12/3/07 Bytes: 8933128 LISTEN

416_ Think Like a Hacker and We Can Beat Them
Most people don’t think like hackers. Today’s hacker isn’t the hobbyist or the kid taking a break from his Xbox. Now it’s a criminal and they just don’t give up – they work through the night until they break in. Roxanne (Roxy) Podlogar, VP Commercial Services, SysTest and Ron Wood, director of Business Development for our Security Practice, he’s certified CISSP cover issues from misperceptions to firewalls; from wireless to credit card fraud. Ron explains, "Here's an example of a a misperception. You put your firewall up and you feel safe. But once the wall is compromised, your applications are wide open. There are various ways to get through and that could be as easy as you open Port 80, the standard http access. When you open your website to customers on the Internet, it’s open doors. You’ve just opened a window to your application, so you want to know that your application is secure. It’s not enough just to have a firewall; you have to harden your application. It’s got to be hardened all the way through, your barriers of defense. First you build a wall, then you harden your apps, make a hardened OS all the way down to your desktop. I mean everything needs to be hardened." Larry cringed when he heard that one. There are many famous cases such as the TJ Maxx horror story. In that example over 45 million credit card user data was stolen. There was more money made and stolen in that one transaction than every bank robbery across the last 10 years. Ron and Roxy share some very important strategies.
Related Links:  SysTest Labs || Hi-Tech Heist - CBS News || Cyber Security Channel || Software Channel || Keywords:Systest Labs, Ron Wood, Roxanne Podlagar, Firewall, TJ Maxx, CISSP, 12/3/07 Bytes: 27128563  LISTEN

415_ Photography is Still Considered the No. 1 Hobby in the World
Disruptive technology has impacted almost all of us...some quicker and harder than others such as photography. "The technology today is so amazing. It’s so empowering, so invigorating. It is leveraging the “pixie dust” factor that we have every time we take a picture. The whole notion of creating images and memories is exemplified". Exciting future; "In one or 2 years, you’ll be streaming all of your photos to every TV in your home, " predicts LifePics Founder, Vahe Christianian. Jon Strickler, Practice Director with Spitfire Group, discusses with Vahe how Disruptive Technology completely revolutionized the entire photography industry...which did impact the entire industry. Vahe Christianian starred as the 'marketing man', in the very successful family business – Mike’s Camera, and they began to realize the effect digitization was going to have on the photo industry. The big talk was, "How quickly would it go digital?” It really caught lots of people in the industry off guard. Companies like Polaroid going out of business and not being ready to deal with the challenges, Kodak has suffered through the years in trying to establish themselves as a true digital company. There were a lot of other players. But really the shift happened so quickly... and that is what Disruptive Technology is all about. This is what out-of-the-box thinking is all about.
Related Links:  LifePics || Spitfire Group || Mike's Camera || Disruptive Technology Channel || Keywords: Disruptive Technology, LifePics, Spitfire Group, Vahe Christianian, Jon Strickler, Digital Media, Kodak, Photography 12/3/07 Bytes: 26079297 LISTEN

414_ Competitive Advantage: Getting What You Want, When You Want It
Clients and customers today are expecting (demanding) relevant response time to questions and problems points out John Krzykowski, General Manager of Workplace2Go. There are a lot of hassles, installing the software – updates – the hardware goes bad, something breaks, you’ve got to bring in something new – reload all the software onto that new device. It’s a lot of expense that isn’t really necessary and there are alternatives. There is quite a history about different attempts to solve this challenge. John says there is quite a buzz about On-Demand Software, (aka: Software as a Service - SaaS) and higher software costs, upgrading necessities, down time and consumer demand are pushing this to the next level. With Workplace2go, subscribe to a name-brand business software and be free to use it from any internet-connected PC, plus: Pay only for what you need as long as you need it. One log-in, one support call, one credit card for billing. Leave upgrades and other software management headaches to us. No contracts, No minimum order, and first month free. John also they seeing in the venture capital community, that well over half the software companies that are receiving money are in the on-demand space. So the merchandise, if we use the retail analogy, is going to grow significantly. Information is the foundation for many businesses and the ability to access information from any location is critical in today’s highly competitive environment. Whether your employees are on the road or working from home, they need secure easy access to information.
Related Links:  Work Place to GO || 19 Market Place || Computer World || INC || CIO - SaaS || Keywords:WorkPlace to GO, On-Demand Software, 19 Market Place, John Krzykowski, Software as a Service, SaaS >> 11/26/07 Bytes: 26486390> LISTEN

413_ Solutions to Complexity and Changes in the Work Environment

Today's leaders are facing issues and challenges they’ve never faced before -- including rapid changes in technology, laws, and ways of working. This is how the discussion began between Mark Wilding, director of Naropa's Marpa Center for Business and Economics and Susan Skjei. Susan is the director and founder of the Authentic Leadership Certificate Program at the Marpa Center, and is president of SANE Systems, her own consulting firm. Formerly she was the chief learning officer at StorageTek. They explained, "The complexity of our environment is much greater than it was before. Even if you have a local business, you’re competing on a global level. Even if your workforce is global, you’re faced with challenges of how to work with diversity, how to work with different education levels, different language levels and cultural issues. Some people are working on site, some from home and some are working from India... So how do you as a leader create an environment where all of those people feel they are part of the team? And the generational issues are coming on very strongly, as well as the talk about the brain drain coming on with the retirement of the baby boomers." Susan and Mark suggest that the answer can be found in Authentic Leadership. It’s really a concept and a process whose time has come. Authentic Leadership can be found in the leader who is in touch with his or her authenticity, who comes from that place in addressing ethical issues and problems in defining their purpose, and also when engaging other people and implementing change in an effective manner. There's more, listen now.
Related Links:  Marpa Center || Authentic Leadership || Money and Values Project || PodCast Directory || Keywords: Susan Skjei, Mark Wilding, Marpa Center, Business and Economics, Naropa University, Human Dimension, Authentic Leadership 11/26/07 Bytes: 28438259 LISTEN

410_ They Would Hardly Ever Refer to Themselves as Gamers
Lucy Sanders, CEO and co-founder of the National Center for Women and Information Technology (NCWIT), which is based in CU-Boulder’s ATLAS Institute and NCWIT board member, Lee Kennedy, co-founder of Tricalyx discuss the topic of casual gaming with Margaret Wallace, Co-Founder and CEO of Rebel Monkey -- a New York-based game development studio focusing on casual games. Margaret went on to point out that there’s no question about it: casual games are hot. Once a cottage industry, casual games have become the fastest growing segment of the video game sector. The primary audience for casual games is typically comprised of mothers and grandmothers – and yet these people would hardly ever refer to themselves as gamers, despite untold hours spent playing. For many, casual games have become the primary way to relax and unwind – even taking the place of television. Here are some of the questions that are answered: Why don’t they think of themselves as gamers? What sets these players apart from more “traditional” gamers? How do they participate in game culture? What social relations are reinforced or weakened as a result of playing casual games? Finally, how do these play patterns and perceptions influence our work as content producers?
Related Links:  Rebel Monkey || NCWIT Heroes || NCWIT Blog || CO Coalition for Gender and IT || NCWIT Practice || NCWIT Channel ||Keywords: Margaret Wallace, Rebel Monkey, Casual Games, Lucy Sanders, Lee Kennedy, Entrepreneurs, National Center for Women & Information Technology, NCWIT Heroes, 11/12/07 Bytes: 24163372> LISTEN

409_ Disruptive Technology: Unified Communications Will Change It All
Unified Communications is a lot of things to a lot of people; it is kind of an umbrella term really. But when you get down to it, It is the idea of taking your email and your voice mail, your text chat, your conferencing, even video conferencing and pulling them together in a way that they really work well together. That's how Terry Gold, Founder and CEO of Gold Systems answered when Mark Richtermeyer co-founder of the Spitfire Group and co-producer of the new "Disruptive Technology" Channel on w3w3.com brought up the 'disruptive technology' topic. Terry went on to explain, "For instance I no longer have to check my voice mail on two or three different phones, it all comes into my email inbox – it just has really simplified my life. You know we started out working with AT&T (16 years ago) and continue to work with AT&T – we work with transitional companies – AVAYA. But then CISCO came along and said “Hey, let’s put voice and video on the network” – we did work with them. Then about four years ago, Microsoft came along and said, 'We have a great messaging system and a superior form of exchange, and we’re going to be putting voice, video and conferencing – and bring all this together into a package you can have on your desktop' and we began working with them."
Related Links:  Gold Systems || Unified Communications || Terry Gold Blog ||  Spitfire Group || Disruptive Technology || Keywords: Terry Gold, Gold Systems, Disruptive Technology, Unified Communications, Mark Richtermeyer, Spitfire Group, Microsoft 11/12/07 Bytes: 23412718 LISTEN

407_ The University of Colorado Research Community
CU Associate Vice President for Technology Transfer David Allen explains to Larry Nelson how the CU Research Community works with leaders at all three CU Universities. This is part of a three-part series and will include interviews with Dr. Stein Sture, Vice Chancellor for Research and Dean of the Graduate School, CU-Boulder, Dr. Richard Traystman, Vice Chancellor for Research, UCDHSC, and Dr. Jeremy Haefner, Associate Vice Chancellor for Research and Innovation and Dean of the Graduate School (and Dean of the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences). David points out these research teams are one of the primary reasons why the University of Colorado has such high national rankings even though their budget doesn't touch the universities on the east and west coast. The synergy between the CU Research Community and the CU Technology Transfer Office has a tremendous 'economic development' for the state of Colorado. Listen to how it's done.
Related Links:  CU TTO Channel || CU TTO Winners || CU Tech Transfer Office || Award Photos || Keywords:David Allen, Technology Transfer, CU, University of Colorado, Research Community, Economic Development, Colorado
> Bytes: 12419555 > 11/12/07> LISTEN

405_ Clean Tech, Renewable Energy and Investments
Steve Richardson and Linnea (Nea) Brown of Holme Roberts & Owen discuss the basics of Renewable Energy Credits (RECs), the steps that stakeholders have gone through the last 10 years to establish renewable portfolio standards and how RECs may affect or enhance potential investments in renewable energy and clean tech. They went on to explain that generally a renewable energy project is either wind, solar, geothermal, small hydro, biomass and some other things. And these ‘renewable portfolio standards can be met by either the utility buying and generating the power, or if it can’t generate enough power – it can then buy the environmental attribute from someone else who is generating that power, but not necessarily selling it to the utility. Purchasing the REC is actually purchasing the environmental attribute. It’s not the energy but the perceived benefit of having generated that unit of electricity from a renewable source. It’s that benefit that’s called a Renewable Energy Credit. So in basic terms it represents one megawatt of power generated from a qualified renewable source. REC prices vary from state to state quite a bit. Listen for more.
Related Links:  Holme Roberts & Owen || It's the Law || Conscious Economy Channel || CORE Colorado || Keywords:Holme Roberts & Owen, Steve Richardson, Linnea Brown, Renewable Energy Credits, REC, Renewable Portfolio Standard, Clean Tech, Renewable Energy 11/5/07 Bytes: 13295180 > LISTEN

403_ It's the Law Resource Guide: Text; mp3 Files; Links
Before you go out and spend a bunch of time, energy and money, you might want to take a few minutes to check out the easy to use "It's the Law" Resource Guide which has text, mp3 files and links. Here are just a few of the topics that are addressed by 17 attorneys from Holme Roberts & Owen LLP (HRO) plus their guests - Angel Investors, Term Sheets, Valuation, Climate Change, Open Source, M & A, Peer to Patent Project, Written Policies, Protecting You IP, Performance Reviews, New IP, Supreme Court and Patent Challenges, Overtime, Comp Time, Wages, Identity Theft, The Global Marketplace, and more. The It's the Law Channel is not intended to be legal advice or an alternative to speaking with an attorney. Countless leaders, managers and entrepreneurs have regretted doing or not doing something because they were unaware of the potential legal implications. Here's is an example. Most decision makers realize they should have 'things' in writing. Breach of contract suits are often based on written personnel guidelines or policies. Bottom line, whenever an employer issues a written policy or guideline, they better be darn well sure that they are following them! You'll want to put this page in 'your favorites'.
Related Links:  Holme Roberts & Owen || Colorado Workforce || Blog || It's the Law || Keywords:Holme Roberts & Owen, HRO, It's the Law, Resource Guide, Channels: HRO> See MORE

401_ Social Entrepreneurship: A Giant Step for Mankind and Profits
Social Entrepreneurship is the 'final frontier' of philanthropy. Steve Bigari and America’s Family work with employers like McDonalds to help their low income employees break the cycle of poverty. This will benefit us all. Steve's journey really began at McDonalds, watching people struggle. He employed 600 people at any given time, and the rule, not the exception, the rule – these folks struggled on a day to day basis to make ends meet. "What I found, by getting involved and connecting with them, so basically creating relationships for them, if I could add education and relationships to their hard work, that’s central to everything we learned. If somebody doesn’t want in the worst way to break the binds of poverty, they’re not going to be able to." The most important ingredient is they must be willing and able to work hard. Steve is a keynote panelist at an ACG Denver Luncheon - Social Entrepreneurship - When Greed Is Good: Creating Value and Making a Difference Through Common Good Capitalism. His motto: Inspiration, Instigation and Innovation.
Related Links:  America's Family || America's Family PodCasts || The Box You Got || Program Details || ACG Channel || Today's Competitive Advantage || Keywords:Steve Bigari, America’s Family, The Box You Got, DU, Social Entrepreneurship, ACG, McDonalds, 10/29/07 Bytes: 12801988 > LISTEN

400_ Don't Undervalue Luck: An Entrepreneurial Message
Dan Caruso was a founding executive member and officer of Level 3 Communications, Inc., where he was group vice president of Lines of Business and Marketing and group vice president of Network Services. Today, Dan is CEO and President of Zayo Bandwidth, Executive Chairman of Envysion and Chairman of VoicePipe. In this Profile of a Leader interview, Sue Wyman founder of the Jivaro Group and Chairman of the Communications Technology Professionals, CTP along with Gary Gaessler founder of DTP/CTP talked with Dan about the lessons learned on his path to becoming an entrepreneur. Dan was a founding executive member and officer of Level 3 Communications, Inc., where he was group vice president of Lines of Business and Marketing and group vice president of Network Services. Dan has 21 years of experience in the Telecommunications and Internet industries and was most recently the President and CEO of ICG Communications. They discussed mentors, values, turning point, and Dan said, "Don't undervalue Luck."
Related Links:  Zayo || Envysion || CTP || CTP Channel || Jivaro Group || Trillion || Keywords: Dan Caruso, Zayo Bandwidth, Envysion, Communications Technology Professionals, CTP, Sue Wyman, Gary Gaessler > 10/29/07 Bytes: 11613730  LISTEN

397_ Making Business Sense with Diverse Diversity
What does diversity mean? Terry Morreale, Senior Engineer, Applied Trust and producer of the Women in IT Channel explored that question with Susan Kunz, CEO and Co-Founder of Solidware Technologies. In addition to how 'diversity' is traditionally defined such as differences in gender, ethnicity, nationality, Sue and Terry went outside of the box and looked other areas and discussed the business benefits of really being diverse. Sue points out that, "It comes in lots of flavors. Socio-economic background, age (I love having interns as well as folks who have been in their careers for a long time. This brings a great balance of new ideas, energy, and experience to a team), family placement. Char- Co-founder of Solidware is Afro-American but her real diversity has to do with family placement - as oldest of 12. Char can manage anything, experience base, gender, education, and style. And how about team dynamics? "Diverse teams tend to be much more creative and innovative than those who think alike. Sometimes they can be more challenging to manage, but I'll take this challenge before striving for uniformity." Then they talked about the growing IT shortage.   LISTEN
Related Links:  Solidware || Women in IT Channel || Applied Trust Engineering || Wikipedia || Keywords: Susan Kunz, Terry Morreale, Diversity, Solidware Technologies, Applied Trust, IT > Bytes: 14895963> 10/22/07 LISTEN

There is an Ever-Growing IT Shortage in Colorado
393_Changing roles of CIOs has added new challenges and has opened doors to those who are 'people savvy' as well as technically competent. Larry talks with Rina Delmonico, a retired Corporate Fortune 500 CIO and since 1997 is CEO and Founder REN, Inc an IT consulting firm specializing in IT project and systems maintenance management. There is a growing shortage of IT professionals just when things are getting better. CIOs are now an important part of the management and leadership teams. New and changing skills are required which includes globalization requirements, organizational change expertise and an Agile approach to development. This new environment requires CIOs to become 'change agents' as well as 'turn around agents'. Multiple dimensions and security challenges are requiring many companies to employ a Chief Security Information Officer (CSIO) and it wasn't that many years ago that most business people didn't even know what a CIO was. Rina tells it the way it is explains what we will be facing down the road.
Related Links:   Ren Consulting || CITI Business Leaders || PodCast Directory || Find It || Keywords:Rina Delmonico, REN Consulting, CIO, CSIO, Change Agent, Globalization Requirements
10/15/07 Bytes: 12654866 LISTEN

392_ Identity, Security and Privacy are Going Head to Head
Your fingerprint doesn’t change significantly over your lifetime. So now you have a problem. If I’m using that fingerprint as a way of paying (and now you have 3.5 – 4 million registered shoppers) – Or if I’m using it for high security, once that data is compromised, what do I do? Terry Boult, co-founder and CEO of Securics and El Pomar Professor Innovation and Security at the University of Colorado in Colorado Springs brought up a number dicey issues concerning security and the unseen challenges of biometrics. If I’m the one holding the data base, what’s my company’s liability? What happens once that data gets out, either to the person whose data it was or the company who is the storehouse of all that. Traditional biometrics is a big problem waiting to happen. When that data is compromised, there’s no cancelling them. Terry has tapped into SBIR and STTR grants since 2004, receiving $1.5M so far. He feels that the CU System has good foresight in that they’re looking forward. ”So our company competed and won $100,000 proof of concept investment in our company." CU TTO comes through again.
Related Links:   Vision And Security Technology Lab || Securics || Tech Transfer Channel || CU TTO Offices || CU Innovation Alliance Breakfast || Keywords: Terry Boult, Securics, University of Colorado in Colorado Springs, CU TTO, Security, Biometrics >10/15/07 Bytes: 11249270> 10/1/07 LISTEN

391_ Discover and Invent Your Own Disruptive Technology (DT) Part 2 of 2
Today part of the entrepreneurial process is ‘disruptive technology’. It disrupts businesses, processes and industries, or the way in which people or businesses interact with each other. Mark Richtermeyer & Kimberly Lucas, co-founders of the Spitfire Group and producers of the new "Disruptive Technology" Channel on w3w3.com point out various examples of Disruptive Technology such as Google and Yahoo. They have impacted ways that marketing is executed, have wide reaching impacts in several industries such as news print and television. How do companies accomplish this? Managers have to do a few key things right. First, they have to provide an innovative environment and culture. They need to create businesses where the idea is to come up with new ideas where people won’t be afraid to take risks, and to find new ways to do things. They also have to stay close to their customers – understand what they want and how they want to get it. Pay attention to your competitors and to market trends. We’ve also developed these ‘Agile Methodologies’ into our business that allows us to reprioritize the business requirements on a regular basis. The lengths of time in which we do that, are getting shorter and shorter all the time.
LISTEN  Part 2 of 2  Published 10/15/2007  ( LISTEN  Part 1 of 2  Published 10/8/2007)
Related Links:  Spitfire Group || Creative Destruction || Software Channel || PodCast Directory || Find It || Keywords:Disruptive Technology, Spitfire Group, Mark Richtermeyer, Kimberly Lucas, Bottom-line > Bytes: 10916156 > 10/8/07 LISTEN Part 2 of 2

390_ SpitFire Group (DT): The Winners and the Losers
In 1942 the noted economist Joseph Schumpeter described the process of Creative Destruction. In his vision of capitalism, entrepreneurs would be encouraged via the use of new technology and ideas to replace, even crush, products, services, and indeed whole industries and economies. Spitfire Group Mark Richtermeyer & Kimberly Lucas, co-founders of the Spitfire Group and producers of the new "Disruptive Technology" Channel on w3w3.com point out that the word disruptive often implies a negative connotation. To those people whose lives are severely changed or impacted by a disruptive technology, there can certainly be negative impacts, but as a whole, disruptive technologies are meant to create a better standard of living for society as a whole. The way we view Disruptive Tech is thru the theory that new ideas in technology will negatively impact and even crush other technologies, industries and even in some cases, entire economies. Larry asked, "Does this mean disruptive technologies are bad?"Bob answered, "Well they are for some people. You always have to be inventing, or reinventing or adjusting the way you do business to make sure you stay on the forefront of where your market is going."   LISTEN
Related Links:  Spitfire Group || Creative Destruction || Software Channel || PodCast Directory || Keywords:Disruptive Technology, Spitfire Group, Mark Richtermeyer, Kimberly Lucas, Bottom-line > Bytes: 10916156 > 10/8/07 LISTEN

389_ Integrating Money with Ethics, Values and Morals
When we start talking about money, quite often our value structure, our ethical structure, our moral structure gets somewhat separated and somehow put on hold. It's time that ethics, morals and values are integrated into our business and personal decision making. Bob Kenney, Boston College, Associate Director, Center on Wealth and Philanthropy and Visiting Professor, Marpa Center for Business and Economics, Naropa University is helping people look at the impact that money is having on their life and the various places money impacts – How they make sense of money – how they think about money, and then think about what’s really important to them. Larry asked," Are you taking the position that money is evil?" Bob replied, "No not at all, money is actually very neutral. It’s how we make sense of money and where we put money in our own value structure that starts to make a really big difference. Try to stay really clear about what you think money is for and simultaneously what you think is really important. Keep checking, is your money helping you get what you really want or is your money getting in the way of what you want? Other people are asking these questions, find someone to talk to – we need to be a community with similar values and goals. Stay conscious of your values."  LISTEN
Related Links:  Marpa Center || Authentic Leadership || Money and Values Project || Authentic Leadership Channel || Keywords: Bob Kenney, Marpa Center, Business and Economics, Naropa University, Money, Ethics, Values, Morals > Bytes: 13873217> 10/8/07 LISTEN

388_ Identity Theft: The Fastest Growing Criminal Activity
Somebody collects your personal information, SS#, date of birth, other personal identification that you may use in connection with financial transactions, such as your mother’s maiden name or the city where you were born. The number one source for this information is mail theft and computer theft. Chris Ottele of HRO had as their guests, Daniel Bradley, who is the Supervisory Special Agent for the FBI and Lisa Tennyson, Certified Fraud Examiner at Wells Fargo. They shared some statistics along with some advice on how to avoid identity theft. Approximately 30-40% of the information is obtained in either the form of stolen pursesand wallets, taken from an individual's home during a burglary – or stolen by a friend or relative or someone who has access to your residence or your employment where you may maintain that information. Some steps are common sense, but most victims don't contact the following: Social Security Fraud Hotline; Federal Trade Commission; Local Police Department and of course your Credit Card Company and your Bank as well as Credit Card Reporting Agencies. Stay protected. probing. LISTEN
Related Links:  Holme Roberts & Owen || It's the Law Channel || Social Security Fraud Hotline || Federal Trade Commission: Identity Theft || Keywords: Identity Theft, Daniel Bradley, FBI, Lisa Tennyson, Wells Fargo, Christopher Ottele, Holme Roberts & Owen LLP, HRO > Bytes: 11627105 > 10/8/07 LISTEN

Customized Reporting Solutions Give Your Business an Edge
387_ Effective use of your business systems means getting information from them into the hands of the people who need it. However, reporting is a weakness in most applications. Pre-defined reports often do not give the answers people are looking for and reporting tools are usually designed for programmers not real users. Stonefield Software specializes in creating customized reporting solutions for any application. Stonefield’s flagship product, the award-winning Stonefield Query, makes report writing a snap for even the most novice user. Elegant and persuasive reports can be created in minutes with little or no technical knowledge. A range of businesses from large companies like Sealy, Hitachi, NASA, Northrop Grumman, and 3M down to mom-and-pop and single person companies use Stonefield Query to get the information they need to run their businesses. Listen to Larry interview Stonefield CTO Doug Hennig about how customized reporting solutions can give your business an edge. Doug and 3 other executives will be in Denver October 9 - 11th. To start these discussions, contact Larry at w3w3.com as he can set up a face-to-face meeting with Doug..  LISTEN
Related Links: Stonefield Query ||  Doing Biz with Canada || David Smith: Denver Canadian Consulate || Building a Win/Win Bridge for Canada & the US || Channel: Canada || Keywords: Stonefield Query, Canada, Doug Hennig, Trade Mission, Customized Reporting Solutions, Channel: Canada - Coming to Denver, Colorado Week of 10/9/07

386_ Liberty Global - Leading-Edge Coupled with Ultimate Integrity
Michael Fries, CEO and President of Liberty Global grew up with a large family, 7 brothers and sisters. Mike said, "In many ways I think my skills perhaps in listening to people, managing people and having a pretty good EQ or a sense of where people are coming from is partially related to the fact that I grew up in a big family."
      Mike reflected on his early work career, "I’ve only had two jobs. I’ve been lucky to work for, at least in my cable career, two really fantastic entrepreneurs and business people. The first was Gene Schneider, really one of the pioneers in the cable industry – just a fantastic individual. A great leader of men but more than anything has great integrity. And of course, John Malone, our current chairman, and I don’t think you could have a better partner or individual to be working with, who is far-and-away one of the smartest business people I’ve ever come across. But on top of that is a great human being, a really nice individual, loyal and generous. He really loves and is excited by this business. It’s kind of TCI-2. So I’ve been lucky to work for some really great individuals. Sue Wyman and Larry did some more probing. LISTEN
Related Links:  Liberty Global Home || Communications Technology Professionals || CTP Home || Rocky Mountain Tech It Out || Keywords: Mike Fries, Liberty Global, Leader, Communication Technology Professionals, CTP, Sue Wyman, Gene Schneider, John Malone> Channels: CTP, In the News > Bytes: 21031604 > 10/1/07 LISTEN

385_ Delivering High Performance - The Challenges and the Choices
David Walker, Software Division President for the American Society for Quality (ASQ) along with Linda Westfall and Granville Jones, co-chairs of the International Conference on Software Quality (ICSQ) share some insights why users, developers and organizations of all sizes are feeling the software-pinch in our ever-changing environment with a focus on the sometimes elusive topic, software quality. On October 16 & 17 the 2007 conference is being held in Denver. It provides a forum for individuals and organizations seeking technologies, concepts, and techniques to improve the quality of their software products, processes, and services, and looking to enjoy networking and learning opportunities. Ken Schwaber, co-developer of Scrum and Dr. Richard Turner, Fellow, Systems and Software Consortium are keynote speakers. Introducing Agile Methods into Traditional Environments with a top-notch Agile panel is also part of the conference. There are other extras available during that week. LISTEN
Related Links:  ICSQ || Agile Panel || American Society for Quality || Associations || Keywords: Software Quality, ICSQ, ASQ, David Walker, Linda Westfall, Granville Jones, Scrum, Agile Channel: In the News > Bytes: 12196365 > 10/1/07 LISTEN

384_ Climate Change - Legal Implications of the Risks and Challenges
Institutional investors and environmental groups are pressuring corporate America to address the potential risks associated with greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and related climate change, which is defined here as variations in the Earth’s climate that may be attributed to human activity. Many companies are actively managing their carbon footprint through disclosure, trading and reductions. Colin Harris attorney Holme Roberts & Owen explains that most, however, are a step behind, or more. The reality is that the U.S. economy will almost certainly continue to be driven by carbon-intensive fuels and industries for the foreseeable future, even with our continued emphasis on “green” initiatives and despite the enactment of GHG regulations, which now seems inevitable. Nevertheless, the pressure on corporations to act responsibly and promptly on climate change is increasing, with a particular emphasis on the disclosure of the risks posed by climate change. It is a difficult balancing act faced by corporations regarding the challenges of climate change, particularly regarding increased pressure to be more transparent about risk. Listen for more timely information. LISTEN
Related Links:   Holme Roberts & Owen || It's the Law Channel || Podcast Directory || Conscious Economy Channel || Keywords: Climate Change, Colin Harris, Holme Roberts & Owen LLP, HRO, GHG regulations Channel: It's the Law > Bytes: 12012045> 10/1/07 LISTEN

383_ Colorado BioBusiness Ecosystem is Breaking New Ground
Rick Silva, acting Director of the Fitzsimons BioBusiness Partners (FBBp) says, "It takes broad and incredibly specialized skills to build a biomedical product. Ours is the most regulated industry on Earth, our products are among the most complex to develop, and the least likely to have a customer. Getting it right takes a village." Larry asked Rick, "How can entrepreneurs hedge their bets? "Build an experienced and capable team that has a record of getting things done. Ask for help! Find advisors (many willing to help a little for free) with relevant experience in your industry and product area. They will have the contacts and experience to help you with your commercial roadmap. If you have a credible plan, have talked to your customers and partners, you will be prepared to answer questions VCs will have. FBBp is central in this ecosystem and can bring domain advisors." 5. Is FBBp an incubator? "Not really, we are a venture development organization. Let me explain." LISTEN
Related Links:   Fitz BioBusiness Partners || Colorado Life Science Blog || BioScience Channel || Find It || Keywords: Fitzsimons BioBusiness Partners, FBBp, Rick Silva, Entrepreneurs, Venture Capital, CUTTO, BioScience > Channel: In the News > Bytes: 14716241 > 10/1/07 LISTEN

382_ Business and Economics: Integrating the Human Dimension
Mark Wilding is the Director at the Marpa Center for Business and Economics at Naropa University.  The Marpa Center was founded about 6 years ago at Naropa. Mark believes what is valuable and important in business is how our behavior in society impacts the community around us – things like ethics. Larry asked Mark if he had an example of a sustainable company that walks its talk. One of Mark’s favorites is White Wave and Steve Demos. One of the things Steve talks about is that they had a “founding purpose” when they started the company. Their founding purpose was to create food that was sustainable for the planet. That’s how they got into Tofu. They worked for many years as a very small company in Boulder – and then along came this notion of Silk, this incredible product that really launched their company into the stratosphere. But even after that they didn’t change their principles. They kept the basic foundations and purpose of creating a food that’s very sustainable for the planet. Mark offers some great advice. LISTEN
Related Links:  Marpa Center || Authentic Leadership || Money and Values Project || Find It || Keywords: Mark Wilding, Marpa Center, Business and Economics, Naropa University, Human Dimension Channel: In the News > Bytes: 13284313 > 9/24/07 LISTEN

381_ Successful Global Presence - Canadian firm - Looks for Colorado Connection
ADX Studio is an established Web Application Development firm. Our primary field of expertise is ‘web content management’, points out President Doug Schneider. So we develop services around web site consulting, design, development, hosting.  In doing this we have our own ‘content management system, which is our software product that we sell and support as well.
   ADX Studio CMS is a powerful and affordable web content management system built on Microsoft® ASP.NET and .NET Framework 3.0. Its easy-to-use web-based tools empower content authors to manage complex websites, intranets, and extranets while alleviating the strain on costly IT resources. Their CMS program has advanced capabilities which allow organizations to deploy high performance, scalable, and secure websites with confidence. The President & CEO, Doug Schneider will be in Denver October 9 - 11 to start these discussions. LISTEN to his interview and if you have an interest, contact Larry at w3w3.com as he can set up a face-to-face meeting with Doug.
Related Links:  ADXStudio || Canadian Channel || Doing Biz with Canada || David Smith: Denver Canadian Consulate || Building a Win/Win Bridge for Canada & the US || Keywords: ADX Studio, CMS, Microsoft, Canada, Doug Schneider, Trade Mission > Channel: Canada > Bytes: 6274719 > 9/24/07 LISTEN

380_ Super Success: Bubble Burst; Stronger than Ever
Lucy Sanders, CEO and Founder of the National Center for Women & Information Technology and NCWIT board member, Lee Kennedy discuss entrepreneurial success patterns with Marketta Silvera.  Ms. Silvera is an accomplished visionary, entrepreneur and chief executive in voice technology, Internet and telecommunications industries. Since joining Apptera in 2005 as chief executive and board member, she has led the company to be the first provider of v-Business solutions (e-Business over the phone) that help enterprises increase revenues through ad-serving technologies, 1-to-1 marketing and personalized e-commerce over the phone channel. Previously as an entrepreneur and chairman/CEO Ms. Silvera founded the first network-based Internet security company, Pilot Network Services that developed patented technology to protect corporate networks against criminal hackers. She took the company public, and built it to a $1 billion market cap. LISTEN to this amazing story with important learning strategies.
Related Links:  Apptera || Relevant Ads for eBay || NCWIT Heroes || NCWIT Blog || CO Coalition for Gender and IT || NCWIT Practice || NCWIT Channel ||   Keywords:  Marketta Silvera, Apptera, Lucy Sanders, Lee Kennedy, Entrepreneurs, National Center for Women & Information Technology, NCWIT Heroes > Bytes: 23103532 > 9/24/07 LISTEN

Protecting Your "Hard IP" and Your "Soft IP"
379_ IP can be defined many ways. Larry asked Tracy Ashmore and Sven Collins, attorneys Holme Roberts & Owen, to define IP. They are experts at protecting 'confidential information' and 'proprietary information' and other related areas. Companies can have ‘hard IP’, that’s patents, trademarks, copyrights – those are interests that you can protect by registering them with the government and the government gives you property rights. And then there is ‘soft IP’ which are your secret stuff you can’t patent, you can’t copyright – like your customer lists, it’s maybe a development that you have in the works but it hasn’t reached the stage to qualify for a patent or a copyright yet. Generally an employer has employees sign a “Proprietary Rights Agreement” which spells out for the employee, '.. these are our trade secrets and we are asking you to protect them while you’re here, and also if you go to another employer you will not be able to share this information with your new employer'. So those are the two buckets of “intellectual property” and there are agreements to protect all of that. LISTEN for more valuable information.
Related Links:  Holme Roberts & Owen || It's the Law Channel || Podcast Directory || Colorado Workforce || Keywords:  Written Policy, Holme Roberts & Owen LLP, HRO, Tracy Ashmore, Sven Collins, IP Protection >> Bytes: 15219464 LISTEN 9/24/07

A Written Policy Can Actually Be Dangerous
378_ It's common sense for employers to issue written guidelines and policies. Chris Ottele and Jennifer Miner attorneys at Holme Roberts & Owen LLP point out there are a number of issues to be considered. A written policy is actually one of the most dangerous things an employer can do! Despite the utility it is one area where employers should tread very lightly. Breach of contract suits are often based on written personnel guidelines or policies. Bottom line, whenever an employer issues a written policy or guideline, they better be darn well sure that they are following them! The problem that you always have is that employer writes the policy/guideline, the employers get it, and it is put it in a drawer and never pay attention to it again. That means the employer could be violating the very policy they’ve asked employees to follow...and there is more. This is another valuable resource in the "It's the Law" series. LISTEN Related Links:  Holme Roberts & Owen || It's the Law Channel || Podcast Directory || Colorado Workforce || Keywords:  Written Policy, Holme Roberts & Owen LLP, HRO, Chris Ottele, Jennifer Miner >> Bytes: 10562981 LISTEN 9/17/07

377_ Hydrogen Production: The Dream Becoming a Reality
Hydrogen production technologies have been available for generations. Initially hydrogen was manufactured primarily for use in the production of ammonia for fertilizers and other industrial uses. But over the years, the technological base for hydrogen utilization has expanded tremendously to incorporate applications in chemical and petroleum refining, metallurgy, hydrogenation of edible fats and oils, space and weather programs, fuel cells and the manufacture of some electronic components. NASA is the primary user of hydrogen as an energy carrier to power equipment. Perhaps the most exciting potential use for hydrogen would be fuel cell vehicles. Fuel cells would allow us the freedom of operating a conventional vehicle, but producing zero emissions. SHEC Labs is looking for some partners in Colorado and Thomas Beck, President & CEO will be in Denver October 9 thru 11th, to start these discussions. Listen to his interview and if you have an interest, contact Larry at w3w3.com as he can set up a face-to-face meeting with Tom. LISTEN
Related Links:  SHEC Labs || Doing Biz with Canada || David Smith: Denver Canadian Consulate || Building a Win/Win Bridge for Canada & the US || Channel: Canada || Keywords: SHEC Labs, Canada, Hydrogen Production, Thomas Beck, Trade Mission> Bytes: 5549560> 9/17/07 LISTEN

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