Category Archives: Office / Technology

By Carol Ann Conover

StoredTech, a managed IT and cybersecurity firm, capped off the spring semester by hosting cybersecurity students from SUNY Adirondack in late May for a hands-on look at how artificial intelligence is reshaping day-to-day work in the technology field and the career paths now opening because of it.

The visit came together, fittingly, through an unplanned encounter. “Interestingly, the connection started through a conversation during a DoorDash delivery,” said David Andrade, StoredTech’s president. “It’s a great reminder that in a close-knit community, opportunities often come from unexpected places. We saw this as a great chance to connect students, see the many pathways available in the technology field.”

During the visit, StoredTech staff led students through a live demonstration of the platform the company uses to support its clients, including a walkthrough of how a support ticket is completed and how the company gathers and analyzes data for client reporting. The students’ reaction stood out to the StoredTech team members who participated.

Staff also spent time with students discussing how AI is changing the way StoredTech’s teams work and how that shift will shape the jobs those students are training for. The team shared practical tips on prompting, providing context and adapting to this new way of working, lessons that Zac Barber, a pre-sales engineer at StoredTech, described simply. “The most value in AI comes from the context you give it,” Barber said. “The more clearly you explain what you need, the better results you get.”

That shift is already creating jobs that did not exist recently, StoredTech said, describing it as a fast-growing area within managed service providers and other technology organizations as AI adoption accelerates. Roles focused on building structured playbooks, standard operating procedures and decision logic to guide AI systems are among the positions that have emerged within the past six months.

By David Andrade
President of StoredTech

There’s a quiet problem I see across a lot of businesses, and it’s worth naming. That’s technical debt, or sunk cost. Sometimes a business bought the wrong system years ago or outgrew a setup that used to work fine. They keep pouring time and money into propping it up. At some point, you’re not maintaining it anymore; you’re just patching the same holes each year. It’s a hard thing to admit at times, but the businesses that recognize this and make the change save themselves more years of frustration and wasted budget.

Every business maintains something: a building, a piece of equipment or a fleet of vehicles. But none of them would drive a 15-year-old car without getting the brakes inspected, getting an oil change or changing the tires. We understand instinctively that things wear down, that maintenance is cheaper than a breakdown and that waiting too long to replace something usually costs more than replacing it on your own schedule. For some reason, we don’t always apply that same logic to the technology running our businesses.

By Paul Post

The Digital Age has greatly reduced the need for thick, costly paper documents such as annual reports and quarterly financial statements, which can be delivered electronically.

And there’s much less need for office copying because many people work from home following the COVID pandemic.

But two well-known local printing companies continue to thrive by adapting, diversifying and renewing efforts to provide high-quality customer service with new cutting-edge products and equipment.

“In the past people would share a large printer in the office. Now their print needs are at home where you don’t have ready access to the office printer,” said Rick Gallup, owner-president-founder of Hudson Falls-based Document Solutions of the North Country. “What’s new and exciting there is the changes in inkjet technology. Years ago an inkjet printer was something you put in your home, it was slow and kind of expensive to operate. Now the newer ones have the ability to do things that most typical laser-type office copiers can do in terms of speed — 40 to 50 pages per minute or more — and reliability.”

“They’re also more affordable because there’s very few parts,” he said. “Typical laser printers have components like drums, fusers and transfer belts while an inkjet printer doesn’t. They have just ink. So they tend to be more reliable than a laser device. We’re really excited about that product and think it’s going to do well for us.”

By Sara Mannix

I belong to a group of leaders who are utilizing Artificial Intelligence (AI) every day to make their work more effective and more efficient in an ethically responsible way. We have used AI to create flyers, design presentations, write software code, debug code, and even create movies. And at Mannix Marketing we have built CustomGPTs that perform functions based on our own knowledge bases and rules, and we have discussed and drawn up guidelines about the ethical use of AI. 

We have reached the point where if you aren’t using AI in your work, then you are falling behind your competitors who have mastered using the latest breakthrough technology. 

The good news is that it isn’t hard to get started and become familiar with some AI tools that can make your life easier. One of the simplest ways to get started with AI is to use ChatGPT.com, a tool that can provide detailed answers in a conversation-like format (its responses build upon the questions and answers that precede them, so no need to start from scratch as a conversation is in progress, or even if you need to come back to it). Here are a few simple ways I have used ChatGPT or other AI tools to help you think about how you can use them.  

By Michael Cruz

Technology Will Not Help…

IF, you are using it to mask your problems.  Too many times people see an issue or a problem, and they want to find a quick fix.  Don’t.  It doesn’t work.

The best implementations of technology have only one thing in common. They are all based on automating a good process. Bad technology implementations often exist because you automated a bad process.  

In order to address these business issues, you need to follow a formula. First, define the problem. I also refer to this as ‘What problem are we solving?’ Be clear. Make sure that you are addressing the underlying issue. Don’t fall into the trap of treating the symptoms of the problem. Think about the impact of the problem going away. It is important to make sure everyone agrees on what you are trying to fix. A written statement describing the problem assures we all are working on the same one.

Next, spend time imagining the solution.  What do you really want to happen? When you take the time to examine the whole issue, you may see things that you miss when focusing too narrowly. You probably should flow chart the ideal process. Pictures tell stories. That will help you figure out what might be missing. And, help you figure out who else might be affected.  Resolve both of those issues. Most importantly, ask “Why do we do it this way?” All too often we fail to reimagine the process. Stay away from the curse of ‘that’s the way we have always done it’.

Empire State University has launched a bachelor’s degree in digital media arts to prepare students for careers in graphic design, content creation, web design, and digital storytelling. 

The program provides students with the necessary skills and knowledge to thrive in the rapidly evolving world of digital media, officials said. 

Students can enroll in the digital media arts program at SUNY Empire beginning spring of 2024.

The program is designed to be flexible, accommodating both full-time and part-time students, as well as transfer students. Employing the “learner as producer” model, students will learn by doing while receiving personalized support and guidance from mentors and faculty with expertise in the field. The duration of the degree program will vary depending on individual course load and prior credits.

The fully online BA or BS in digital media arts features a cutting-edge curriculum offering courses such as media and visual literacy, digital art and design, information design,  digital painting and web publishing.

The U.S. Department of Defense has awarded GlobalFoundries a new 10-year contract for a supply of securely manufactured, U.S.-made semiconductors for use across a wide range of critical aerospace and defense applications. 

With an initial award of $17.3 million tin September and an overall 10-year spending ceiling of $3.1 billion, the new contract provides the Department of Defense and its contractors with access to GlobalFoundries’ semiconductor technologies manufactured at its U.S. facilities. 

GlobalFoundries also announced it is seeking federal funding to expand its ability to produce semiconductors and modernize its U.S. facilities, including its property in Malta.

The GlobalFoundries facilities in Malta are Department of Defense-accredited to the highest security level, Trusted Supplier Category 1A, which implements proven stringent security measures to protect sensitive information and manufacture chips with the highest levels of integrity to ensure they are uncompromised. 

By Paul Post

New York City-based Brookfield Renewable U.S. has moved 50 well-paying jobs from Marlborough, Mass. to Queensbury, where it can better manage power stations across the country including several hydro plants in the surrounding area.

The company’s new national control center, a multi-million dollar investment, opened in late summer at 399 Big Bay Road where a regional office with 35 jobs had already been operating.

Brookfield owns, operates and develops hydro, wind, solar and battery storage facilities that produce more than 7,500 megawatts in the U.S. In New York alone it generates about 900 megawatts, providing enough electricity for 440,000 homes.

Local holdings include Hudson River hydro stations at Spier Falls Dame (56 MW), Sherman Island Dam (38 MW), Glens Falls (12 MW) and Feeder Dam (5W). It also has hydro stations at Stewart’s Dam in Hadley (39 MW) and in Schaghticoke (16 MW), Schuylerville (2 MW) and Johnsonville (2 MW).

“Having the control center in the same location as staff working at our original office on Big Bay Road will enable us to integrate national system control center employees into a regional office with other personnel and duties,” said Anthony Zarrella, National System Control Center senior director.