Month: October 2020

Business Report: Cybersecurity Is Different, So Treat It So

October 15, 2020October 16, 2020

Mark Shaw, president and CEO of Stored Technology Solutions Inc. (StoredTech).

By Mark Shaw
Businesses are starting to wake up to the growing need for cybersecurity. Your worlds have changed, and everyone rushed on day one in April to take their computers home, get VPNs set up and now you are in a mixed state.
Some staff are home, others are in the office full time, others swing in and out of the office on a flexible schedule. This has produced some wonderful changes in the way we work; it has also provided cyber criminals a series of new methods to attack.
What we are seeing is a growing need to treat cybersecurity differently. This is not an IT problem. Your internal or external technology resources should not be the same. You need to consider a clear separation of church and state in your organization.
Why? I`m sure you are asking why would you need a second company involved in your day to day technology?

Business Report: Develop Compliant Policies And Procedures

October 15, 2020October 16, 2020

Rose Miller is president of Pinnacle Human Resources LLC.

By Rose Miller
As fall and winter approach, employers will not only have to plan for the on-going pandemic, but they must also address the challenges faced by working parents, a stressed workforce, decisions involving onsite versus a remote workforce and possibly shutting down again.
These decisions involve creating comprehensive and legally compliant policies and procedures.
It is also a time for employers to think about a comprehensive approach to its company’s benefits. Like every aspect of the business, employers need to assess how the pandemic has impacted their entire benefit offering. They need to also consider how new federal and state mandated leaves interplay with paid time off policies and insurance benefits. Based on their findings, they may want to revise what type of benefits are critical to both the company and its employees.

Virtual Meeting On Cyber Liability Insurance Scheduled By ARCC For Wednesday, Oct. 23

October 15, 2020October 16, 2020

October is National Cyber Security Awareness Month and the Adirondack Regional Chamber of Commerce is conducting a session to discuss the importance of cyber liability insurance.
ADKtechs Cyber Security Roundtable Series: Cyber Liability Insurance will be held 19-11 a.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 21. It will be a virtual event via Microsoft Teams.
The event is free.
Keynote speaker will be Jeremy Deason, account executive at Associates of Glens Falls Insurance.
Jared Humiston, owner/president of Adirondack Technical Solutions will be the facilitator.
Deason has brokered property and casualty insurance products for the construction, hospitality (resorts, hotels & restaurants), nonprofits, sports and recreation, wholesalers and distributors and other sectors.

Business Report: We Need More Heroes

October 15, 2020October 16, 2020

Michael Cruz is president of Lighthouse Advisors LLC in Queensbury.

By Michael Cruz
Not all heroes wear capes. Heroes are those people who get stuff done. They focus on results. Heroes see obstacles as challenges to be overcome.
To them, adversity is just another challenge. In the end, neither obstacles nor adversity get in their way.
Heroes lead. They think clearly. They do not panic. They define problems and come up with strategies to solve those problems. Some lead people. Some lead others by example. Yet, they always focus on getting results.
Companies and organizations led by heroes learn to quickly adapt. Times change and so must we all. Companies need people who know how to help initiate and manage changes. Companies need to support hero behavior. And to support them, they will find people to help them.

Business Briefs: October 2020

October 15, 2020October 16, 2020

SUNY Adirondack has earned reaccreditation by the prestigious Middle States Commission on Higher Education, an independent national association that evaluates institutions of higher education to assess their level of academic excellence and success in meeting the needs of students.
Higher education institutions must be accredited to be eligible to receive funding for financial aid to offer students. SUNY Adirondack was last accredited in 2008.
SUNY Adirondack received commendations in several areas, including proactive and strategic planning and responsiveness to community needs; academic assessment procedures; leveraging grant funds to support college goals; strategies to reduce time needed for English remediation; addition of the agricultural business degree program; and its 15-year history of offering a lecture series to support professional development.

Former Schoolhouse In Washington County Is Nominated To Register Of Historic Places

October 15, 2020October 16, 2020

This former one-room schoolhouse in Greenwich served one of the mill hamlets that developed along the Battenkill River during the 19th century. It closed in 1944 and is currently vacant.
Courtesy NYS Board for Historic Preservation

The state Board for Historic Preservation has recommended adding 18 varied properties to the state and national Registers of Historic Places, including a former one-room schoolhouse in Greenwich, Washington County.
State and National Registers listing can assist owners in revitalizing properties, making them eligible for various public preservation programs and services, such as matching state grants and state and federal historic rehabilitation tax credits.
Greenwich School District School No. 11, Center Falls, opened in the 1850s. The one-room schoolhouse served one of the mill hamlets that developed along the Battenkill River during the 19th century. The school closed in 1944 and is currently vacant.
It is located at the intersection of Ryan Road and Route 29 in the Center Falls area of Washington County.

Videoconferencing Will Be Used To Present First Virtual Taste NY Producers Showcase

October 15, 2020October 16, 2020

Registration is open to buyers and other attendees for the first-ever Virtual Taste NY Producer Showcase, scheduled for Oct. 27.
The event, to be held from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., featuring 60 New York food and beverage companies.
Retailers, restaurants, grocers, specialty markets, schools, institutions and distributors are encouraged to register online by Oct. 20 at www.lakegeorgechamber.com/tasteny. There is a $5 fee for buyers to participate.
The Virtual Taste NY Producer Showcase will utilize Webex, an interactive video conferencing platform that will enable vendors to present their product and tell the story of their company in a virtual format.

Habitat Group Starts Building Home In Glens Falls, Its Second Project During Pandemic

October 15, 2020October 16, 2020

This house at 8 Locust Grove in Saratoga Springs was completed by the Habitat for Humanity of Northern Saratoga, Warren & Washington Counties earlier this year.
Courtesy Habitat for Humanity of Northern Saratoga, Warren & Washington Counties

By Christine Graf
Habitat for Humanity of Northern Saratoga, Warren & Washington Counties has started construction of a new home at 9 Hovey St. in Glens Falls. The property was purchased from the city of Glens Falls for $1,000.
The project follows one in Saratoga Springs, at 8 Locust Grove, which was affected by COVID-19, but nonetheless completed in 2020.
“We took over a blighted, asbestos-ridden, foreclosed on home,” said Habitat for Humanity executive director Adam Feldman of the Glens Falls property. “We had to do asbestos remediation and tear down the home. There was a boatload of expense.”