Volunteers wanted for STEM Summer Camp from July 29 – August 2

By Techwire posted on June 27, 2013 in Blog, Events

The Sacramento chapter of Women in Technology International (WITI) is partnering with non-profit Next-Ed with a goal toward aligning K-12 curriculum to increase student awareness and to align curriculum with the job market, better known as “STEM” (Science, Technology, Engineering & Math). Through this program, the Sacramento region is leading the way to a better future for our children. NextEd has more than 50 area companies, schools and universities on its board and can be found at Next-Ed.org.

In cooperation with UC Davis, Next-Ed is has created a STEM Summer Camp for 5th, 6th and 7th graders which will be held July 29-August 2nd located at Granite Bay High School. Boys and girls are both welcome and the cost is $250. It is a “hands-on”, project-based camp with daily team building exercises. To register, visit HTTP://cru.ucdavis.edu/summercamps and click on “off site programs”.

Next-Ed is also looking for technology professionals who can come and present to the students—you can volunteer for an hour or a day.

For more information, please visit the website or contact:

Linda Christopher- Director of Educational Innovation with NextEd

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Code.org Update

It's 4 months since our launch. Thanks to your sharing & tweeting, 3.5
million kids tried learning to code online, 12,000 schools asked our help to teach computer science,
and 25,000 software engineers volunteered too! We've
connected thousands of schools with opportunities and helped set up hundreds of classes.

How else can you help?

1- Earlier today, responding to your voices, a bi-partisan group
of U.S. Congressmen introduced the Computer Science Education Act. Learn more and spread the word.

2- If you're a parent or student, see our map of local summer-camps & work-shops. Consider enrolling this summer.

3- We're working on a bold plan to bring Computer Science to
thousands of schools. If you can, please consider a generous donation.

Thanks!

Hadi Partovi, founder, Code.org

P.S. if you have feedback for us, feel free to submit ideas at our uservoice forum.

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TELL YOUR MEMBER OF CONGRESS TO SUPPORT K-12 COMPUTER SCIENCE EDUCATION

CSEd: Quick Bytes

Some exciting news is coming out of Washington, DC today … the Computer Science Education Act was introduced in the US House of Representatives by Representative Susan Brooks (R-IN), along with Representatives Jared Polis (D-CO) and others. This legislation has bipartisan support and addresses the urgent need for more computer science education in our classrooms.

Want to know more about the bill? Check out the Computing in the Core and Code.org's press release and overview of the legislation. What should you do now? Call, write or email your member of Congress and tell them to cosponsor this important legislation. Not sure who your Member of Congress is? On this page, we tell you how to contact your member and give you some sample text for an email or letter. Any questions? Contact us.

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Cyberattacks the greatest threat to nations, say global execs

More than half of IT pros and top brass believe cybercriminals have invaded their systems in the past or are still inside them

By John P Mello Jr CSO

June 26, 2013 — CSO — Business brass and IT pros around the world believe cyber attacks are a greater threat to their countries than a physical attack, a survey released Tuesday by Cyber Ark reveals.

Some 80 percent of more than 900 executives and IT pros from around the world polled for Cyber Ark's Global Advanced Threat Landscape survey felt their nations were at greater risk from cyberattacks than physical attacks.

"Businesses are realizing how important these threats are," Cyber Ark CMO John Worrall told CSO. "Their concern reflects the government's concern about the threats."

In recent months, publicity about cyberattacks connected with China, reports about the potential for cyberattacks on the nation's critical infrastructure and speeches by prominent military and government officials about cyber threats have raised the visibility of network attacks in the public eye -- and apparently the corporate mind, as well.

"At a security conference in February, one security officer told me he'd been sent there by his CEO because the President had mentioned cybersecurity in the State of the Union address," Richard Stiennon, chief research analyst with IT-Harvest, said in an interview.

"That shows a growing awareness among executives," he said, "although many organizations still aren't close to understanding the magnitude of the threat."

Public reports and pronouncements may not be alone in fueling awareness in boardrooms. With cyberattacks increasing at alarming rates, awareness in many organizations is born from pain.

"DDoS attacks have increased 600 percent over the last year," former Navy Rear Admiral and head of the cyber security practice at Venable James Barnett told CSO.

The notion that many businesses have first hand knowledge of the risks of cyberattacks is reflected in the Cyber Ark study, too. It found that more than half of those participating in the survey (51 percent) believe a cyberattacker is currently residing or has resided on their systems during the past year.

What people believe and what would actually be found through forensic examination could vary. "That number sounds high to me, but it doesn't sound grossly inflated," said Sam Curry, chief technology officer for identity and data protection for EMC's security division, RSA.

Perceptions expressed in the survey could be influenced by fevered media coverage of the subject, but the risks are nonetheless real. "If you remove all the hyperbole," Curry said, "the real, imminent risk of a cyberattack is greater than a physical attack --- although a physical attack poses greater risk of damage to your body."

"While a lot of damage can be done online," he continued, "I don't want to stand next to a nuclear bomb, and I'm actually OK standing next to a computer with Trojan in it."

Nevertheless, as Chris Petersen, founder and CTO of LogRhythm, points out, corporate executives have good reason to worry about cyberattacks.

"The path to disruption and destruction when it comes to cyber warfare and terrorism is through U.S. corporations that support critical infrastructure," Petersen said in an email. "Cyber provides a weapon that can touch hundreds of US corporations without ever having to put feet on the ground."

"For me, this is a classic race condition," he said. "Will a terrorist organization or desperate nation state achieve a 'nuclear' level cyber capability and strike a known vulnerable United States? Or, as a nation, will we shore up our cyber defenses with enough capability to defend against such attacks."

"Unless we start to really address this issue as a nation, we stand a real chance of losing this race," Petersen said.

Survey researchers also found that 61 percent of their respondents felt the government could protect a nation's critical infrastructure from advanced cyber threats.

Although the survey didn't get into specific government actions to protect the infrastructure, Venable's Barnett advocated programs that provided incentives to businesses to bolster their security.

"The fight against cyberattackers is in private hands in United States," Barnett said. "Businesses need tax credits and liability protections to encourage them to make themselves more secure."

Despite the mantra that's been chanted by the security industry for the last decade, that perimeter defenses should be part of a layered cyberdefense strategy, the Cyber Ark researchers found that more than half the survey's participants (57 percent) said their organizations put too much faith in perimeter security.

"There is no barrier that you can erect that will keep out a determined and intelligent opponent," RSA's Curry said.Read more about malware/cybercrime in CSOonline's Malware/Cybercrime section.

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Microsoft Offers Steep Education Discount on Surface RT

By Stephanie Mlot
June 18, 2013 02:40pm EST PCMag
School may be out for the summer, but learning never takes a break, and neither do educational promotions.

Microsoft is reducing the price of its ARM-based Surface RT tablet for schools and universities during a two-month, limited-time offer.
Advertisement

"It's important Microsoft does its part to help get devices into the hands of educators that help prepare today's students with skills modern businesses demand," a Microsoft spokeswoman said in a statement.

The promotion will run from June 24 to Aug. 31, offering Surface RTs without a keyboard for $199 (down from $499); tablets with a touch keyboard for $249 (normally $599), and those with a type keyboard for $289 (down from $629).

Available to K-12 and high-education institutions, the offer is good in Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, China, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Russia, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the U.K., and the U.S.

Microsoft is expected to share more details during next week's International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) 2013 conference, as well as online in its Education Newsroom.

Last week, Microsoft revealed plans to give away 10,000 Surface RT devices during the upcoming ISTE conference as part of the Windows in the Classroom Surface Experience Project.

"Educators using Surface RT have the best of both worlds," Margo Day, vice president of U.S. education for Microsoft, said at the time. "The wonderful experience of a tablet combined with a no-compromise experience of a full-functioning laptop that includes Office and allows for creation and collaboration, and not just consumption."

For more, see PCMag's review of the Microsoft Surface with Windows RT and the slideshow above.

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6 highest/lowest paid IT jobs

By Ann Bednarz, Network World
June 21, 2013 01:50 PM ET

Network World - C-level titles top the list of highest paid IT jobs, and technical support positions dominate the low end of the pay scale, according to new salary data from technology staffing firm Mondo.

CIO is the highest paid IT role, with a salary range of $195,000 to $230,000, followed by: CTO ($145,000 - $208,000); CSO ($145,000 - $208,000); IT security manager with 10+ years of experience ($145,000 - $177,000); software architect ($144,000 - $170,000); and application architect with 10+ years of experience ($136,000 - $185,000).

Looking ahead to 2014, Mondo predicts a spike in demand for HTML5 developers with salaries to range from $97,000 to $135,000.

[[2013 JOB WATCH: Top 11 metro areas for tech jobs]]

Starting salaries for tech pros in the U.S. are on the rise, says Michael Kirven, founder and CEO of Mondo. “The trends that I’m seeing today are very, very optimistic,” Kirven says. Midway through 2013, “the rate of IT hiring and the rate of IT salaries is accelerating” compared to the first half of the year, he says.

There’s strong demand for tech pros with expertise in areas such as mobile, big data, cloud computing, and user experience, and that demand is in turn driving salary increases. (See related story: Tech talent wars spill into marketing)

“Everybody wants big data business analysts. Not database developers or programmers, but business analysts, people who can look at a big data architecture and help translate how that would be valuable to the business,” Kirven says.

Another role that’s in high demand is user interface analyst, with expertise in optimizing the user experience. “Everybody wants those skill sets -- marketing departments, IT departments, you name it, across every single vertical,” Kirven says.

Mondo singled out a number of jobs that saw big pay gains, percentage-wise, in 2013. The largest increase in base compensation went to seasoned IT security managers (from $90,000 in 2012 to $145,000 in 2013) and systems analysts (from $65,000 to $83,000).

Other big gains went to: data analysts (base salaries increased 18.3% from $60,000 to $71,000); Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2) engineers (18% increase from $100,000 to $118,000); senior help desk staffers (15.4% increase from $65,000 to $75,000 for candidates with 7-10 years of experience); technical writers (14.3% increase from $70,000 to $80,000); and Android developers (8.3% increase from $120,000 to $130,000).

[[CEO PAY: Cash, stock awards, perks add up to big pay packages]]

At the other end of the spectrum, Mondo identified IT roles with the lowest salaries: help desk staffer with 1-3 years of experience ($40,000 - $65,000); hardware technician ($43,000 - $70,000); help desk staffer with 3-5 years of experience ($55,000 - $74,000); desktop virtualization specialist ($55,000 - $70,000); desktop support analyst ($70,000 - $90,000); and system administrator with 1-5 years of experience ($71,000 - $120,000).

In a separate study, Robert Half Technology (RHT) reports that 12% of U.S. CIOs plan to expand their IT teams in the third quarter of 2013 (compared to 14% in the previous quarter). In addition, 56% plan to hire for open IT roles, 26% expect to put hiring plans on hold, and 6% plan to reduce their IT staff in the third quarter.
RHT also asked about CIOs’ confidence levels: 85% reported that they’re somewhat or very confident about their companies' prospects for growth in the third quarter, and 63% feel somewhat or very confident in their firms' third-quarter investment in IT projects.

Ann Bednarz covers IT careers, outsourcing and Internet culture for Network World. Follow Ann on Twitter at @annbednarz and reach her via email at abednarz@nww.com.

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Gigabit Squared Unveils Residential Pricing for Local Ultra-High-Speed Fiber Network Service in Seattle

GB2Seattle

SEATTLE (June 24, 2013) – Gigabit Squared today unveiled residential pricing for the ultra-high-speed fiber-to-the-home broadband network it plans to launch locally in 2014. The Gigabit Squared fiber network will initially be made available to neighborhoods located within the University of Washington West Campus District, First Hill, Capitol Hill and Central Area of Seattle as part of a program called Gigabit Seattle.

“We are excited about the limitless possibilities our network can bring to the residents located in these areas and are confident that the affordability and high speed performance of our fiber network will be well received,” said Mark Ansboury, president of Gigabit Squared. He added, “We will be providing our customers with significantly greater speed and accessibility than what’s out there today for about the same price…a true value. This will be backed by a level of customer service that will surpass anything anyone has ever experienced before.”

Gigabit Squared’s fiber broadband services will be 50 to 1,000 times faster than typical cable modem or DSL Internet access services. Unlike most Internet access services, Gigabit Squared’s offerings will be symmetrical (equal upstream and downstream data rates) to enable interactive services that require two-way sharing of video, audio, images, and other large files in real time.

“We’re one step closer to bringing gigabit speed broadband to Seattle,” said Mayor Mike McGinn. “We are leveraging our new public-private partnership with the University of Washington and Gigabit Squared to help Seattle compete in the global economy. I’m excited to see how our residents and businesses can innovate with this new infrastructure.”

Gigabit Squared’s simplified fiber network pricing plans for Seattle will be structured as follows:

1. Installation Charge:  Installation charges will be waived for customers signing a one-year contract for 100 Mbps service or greater.  Otherwise, a $350 installation fee is required.
2. Service Plan Options:

Plan A:

• 5 Mbps download/1 Mbps upload: No charge for 60 months
• 5/1 Mbps services are transferrable to new renters or owners
• After 60 months renters or owners can convert to a 10 Mbps download/10 Mbps upload service plan for only $10 per month

Plan B:

• 100 Mbps download/100 Mbps upload for $45 per month
• No installation charge with one- year contract

Plan C:

• 1000 download/1000 upload Mbps for $80 per month
• No installation charge with one-year contract

Since the launch of the Gigabit Seattle website in December, thousands of Seattle residents have already expressed an interest in the service. Ansboury commented, “We will be announcing a simple sign-up process next month that will make it easy for people to sign up for the service that best meets their individual needs. This will help us prioritize the neighborhood rollout schedule. We can’t wait to make this available to as many residents as possible and look forward to our initial program’s success so we can quickly expand into other areas of Seattle.”

About Gigabit Squared
Gigabit Squared helps people experience a better quality of life by connecting them to an unconstrained gateway of information, people and services. We do this by providing superior digital products and services that enable people and communities to sustainably grow and prosper together.
We are a digital economic development corporation specializing in the planning, implementation and rollout of IT-enabled infrastructure in core markets across the USA. The Gigabit Squared team has been responsible for developing and acquiring large-scale infrastructure projects through government, quasi-government, private, and non-profit sources. Visit us online to learn more at www.gigabitsquared.com and Gigabit Seattle at www.gigabitseattle.com.

- See more at: http://gigabitseattle.com/gigabit-squared-unveils-residential-pricing-for-local-ultra-high-speed-fiber-network-service-in-seattle/#sthash.Vly2X0eU.dpuf

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California ICT Deputy Sector Navigators Announced!

See ICT Deputy Sector Navigator awards!

This is a great opportunity to improve ICT education at California Community Colleges.

Intent-to-Award: Deputy Sector Navigators Grantees The Chancellor’s Office Division of Workforce & Economic Development has announced the intent-to-award grants to establish a network of Deputy Sector Navigators in support of the Doing What MATTERS for Jobs and the Economy (DWM) framework. Deputy Sector Navigators will collaboratively work in-region to advance curricular pathways in sectors important to regional economies. "This is another milestone for our system in answering the call of our regional and state economies. Through these grants, we are identifying talent on the ground who can work with colleges and their partners to align and articulate curriculum consistent with labor market demands. While a skill gap may be difficult to address in silos, we will find more solutions when we can bring forth the collective regional capacity," states Van Ton-Quinlivan, Vice Chancellor of Workforce and Economic Development. These grantees were selected through a competitive statewide process, and upon formal Board of Governors approval and standard RFA processes, these Deputy Sector Navigators will be added to the 2013-14 Directory found at http://doingwhatmatters.cccco.edu/Contact.aspx. This Directory will be the source of the most updated contact information. ADVANCED MANUFACTURING Sector Navigator: Jose Anaya Email: janaya@elcamino.edu RFA Number & Region District Deputy Sector Navigator 13-152-001 North Sierra Joint CCD Carol Pepper-Kittredge cpepper-kittredge@sierracollege.edu 13-152-004 Interior Bay Peralta CCD Mark Martin mark.martin@design4X.com 13-152-009 Central Valley Sequoias CCD C. Louann Waldner, Ph.D. louannw@cos.edu 13-152-010 South Central Santa Clarita CCD Joe Klocko joe.klocko@canyons.edu 13-152-007 Desert/Inland Empire Chaffey CCD Ken Eaves keneaves@hotmail.com 13-152-002 Los Angeles El Camino CCD David Gonzales dgonzales@elcamino.edu 13-152-008 Orange North Orange County CCD Norma A. Alvarado nalvarado@sce.edu 13-152-006 San Diego/Imperial San Diego CCD Trudy Gerald tgerald@sdccd.edu   ADVANCED TRANSPORTATION & RENEWABLES Sector Navigator: Peter Davis Email: outrchpd@me.com RFA Number & Region District Deputy Sector Navigator 13-153-002 Interior Bay San Francisco CCD Gerald Bernstein gbernste@ccsf.edu 13-153-003 Desert/Inland Empire Desert CCD Larry McLaughlin lmclaughlin@collegeofthedesert.edu 13-153-001 Los Angeles Cerritos CCD Jannet Malig jmalig@cerritos.edu 13-153-004 San Diego/Imperial San Diego CCD Gregory M. Newhouse gnewhous@sdccd.edu   LIFE SCIENCES/BIOTCHNOLOGY Sector Navigator: Sandra Slivka Email: sslivka@sdccd.edu RFA Number & Region District Deputy Sector Navigator 13-154-002 Interior Bay Ohlone CCD Josie Sette jsette@ohlone.edu 13-154-001 San Diego/Imperial San Diego CCD Wendie Johnston wajohnston@mac.com   AGRICULTURE, WATER, & ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGY Sector Navigator: Nancy Gutierrez Email: nancy.gutierrez@reedleycollege.edu RFA Number & Region District Deputy Sector Navigator 13-155-002 Far North Shasta-Tehama-Trinity CCD Greg O’Sullivan grego@edoncall.com 13-155-003 Bay West Valley-Mission CCD David Esmaili david.esmaili@westvalley.edu 13-155-005 Central Valley Yosemite CCD Don Borges borgesd@mjc.edu 13-155-001 South Central Allan Hancock Joint CCD Margaret Lau margaret.lau@hancockcollege.edu   HEALTH Sector Navigator: Linda Zorn Email: zornli@butte.edu RFA Number & Region District Deputy Sector Navigator 13-156-005 Far North Butte-Glenny CCD Trudy L. Old oldtr@butte.edu 13-156-011 North Los Rios CCD Sue Hussey husseys@scc.losrios.edu 13-156-003 Bay Area West Valley-Mission CCD Cynthia Harrison cynthia.harrison@wvm.edu 13-156-006 Interior Bay Solano County CCD Barbara Brock bbrock@napavalley.edu 13-156-007 Central Valley Sequoias CCD Valerie Fisher valerief@cos.edu 13-156-008 South Central Santa Clarita CCD Walter Penniman II walter.penniman@canyons.edu 13-156-010 Desert/Inland Empire Desert CCD Avante Simmons asimmons@collegeofthedesert.edu 13-156-004 Los Angeles Rio Hondo CCD Shari Herzfeld sherzfeld@riohondo.edu 13-156-001 Orange Coast CCD Mary O'Connor moconnor@gwc.cccd.edu 13-156-002 San Diego/Imperial Grossmont-Cuyamaca CCD Ann Durham ann.durham@gcccd.edu   GLOBAL TRADE & LOGISTICS Sector Navigator: Jeffrey Williamson Email: jeff.Williamson@rccd.edu RFA Number & Region District Deputy Sector Navigator 13-157-001 North Los Rios CCD Brooks Ohlson ohlsonb@losrios.edu 13-157-012 Bay Area San Mateo County CCD Richard Soyombo soyombo@smccd.edu 13-157-004 Interior Bay Peralta CCD Petural Shelton pshelton@peralta.edu 13-157-007 Central Valley Merced CCD Jeanette Benson benson.j@mccd.edu 13-157-002 South Central Santa Barbara CCD Melissa Moreno melissa.moreno@sbccd.edu 13-157-005 Desert/Inland Empire Riverside CCD Lily Wong lily.wong@rccd.edu 13-157-010 Los Angeles Long Beach CCD Lynn Stewart 12.stewart.cw@lbccd.edu 13-157-008 Orange Rancho Santiago CCD Jetza Torres torres.jetza@rsccd.edu 13-157-003 San Diego/Imperial Southwestern CCD Victor Castillo vcastillo@swccd.edu   INFORMATION COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT)/ DIGITAL MEDIA Sector Navigator: Stephen Wright Email: steve@wrightca.com RFA Number & Region District Deputy Sector Navigator 13-158-001 Far North Butte-Glenn CCD Myron Curtis curtismy@butte.edu 13-158-007 Bay Area Hartnell CCD Olivia Davalos odavalos@hartnell.edu 13-158-009 Central Valley State Center CCD Dennis Mohle dennis.mohle@fresnocitycollege.edu 13-158-008 South Central Santa Clarita CCD Paula Hodge paula.hodge@canyons.edu 13-158-011 Desert/Inland Empire San Bernadino CCD Albert R. Maniaol amaniaol@sbccd.cc.ca.us 13-158-003 Los Angeles Los Angeles CCD Dan Watanabe watanabedan-ideas@yahoo.com 13-158-006 Orange Rancho Santiago CCD Gustavo Chamorro chamorro_gustavo@rsccd.edu 13-158-010 San Diego/Imperial San Diego CCD Rose M. LaMuraglia rlamurag@sdccd.edu   SMALL BUSINESS Sector Navigator: Charles Eason Email: charles.eason@solano.edu RFA Number & Region District Deputy Sector Navigator 13-159-004 Bay Area Cabrillo CCD Alex Kramer alframer@cabrillo.edu 13-159-002 Far North Shasta-Tehama-Trinity CCD Darren Gurney dgurney@shastacollege.edu 13-159-005 Interior Bay Napa Valley CCD Charles Monahan cmonahan@napavalley.edu 13-159-008 Central Valley San Joaquin Delta CCD Lorinda Forrest lorfor@gmail.com 13-159-003 South Central San Luis Obispo CCD Israel Dominguez israel_dominguez@cuesta.edu 13-159-011 Desert/Inland Empire Victor Valley CCD James Johnson james.johnson@vvc.edu 13-159-001 Los Angeles Los Angeles CCD Kourt Williams> williakd@lacitycollege.edu 13-159-006 Orange Rancho Santiago CCD Leila Mozaffari mozaffari_leila@rsccd.edu 13-159-009 San Diego/Imperial Mira Costa CCD Joe Molina jmolina@miracosta.edu   ENERGY (EFFICIENCY) & UTILITIES Sector Navigator: Jim Caldwell Email: jcaldwell@workforceincubator.org RFA Number & Region District Deputy Sector Navigator 13-160-001 Bay Area Foothill-DeAnza CCD Catherine Ayers ayerscatherine@fhda.edu 13-160-003 Los Angeles Rio Hondo CCD Bruce Noble bruce.noble@riohondo.edu   RETAIL/HOSPITALITY/TOURISM 'LEARN AND EARN' Sector Navigator: TBD RFA Number & Region District Deputy Sector Navigator 13-161-001 Central Merced CCD Gayla Jurevich gayla.jurevich@mccd.edu 13-161-003 Bay Area San Mateo County CCD Andrea Vizenor andreavizenor@yahoo.com 13-161-002 Orange Rancho Santiago CCD Ruth Cossio-Muniz cossio-muniz_ruth@rsccd.edu   Regards, Van Ton-Quinlivan, Vice Chancellor Workforce & Economic Development Division Chancellor’s Office, California Community Colleges 1102 Q Street, 4th floor executive offices, Sacramento, CA 95811 916-327-5492 or vtquinlivan@cccco.edu For appointments, please contact Gary Alexander:  916-445-2949 or galexander@cccco.edu. Follow me on Twitter @WorkforceVan. Find Jobs & Economy tips at http://doingwhatmatters.cccco.edu/.

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