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Each week on “Tech Talk USA,” our host Jeff Hootselle sits down with experts in the information technology world. This week, Jeff spoke to Micah Czigan from Georgetown University. The Georgetown University is known world-wide for the prestigious Georgetown Law, McCourt School of Public Policy, Georgetown Medical, and the Walsh School of Foreign Service (with alumni like Pres. Bill Clinton, Philippos Prince of Greece and Denmark, Senator Richard Durban, George Tenet). To learn more, visit https://www.georgetown.edu Short company description: The oldest Catholic and Jesuit university in the US. Located in the heart of Washington DC. The Georgetown University is known world-wide for the prestigious Georgetown Law, McCourt School of Public Policy, Georgetown Medical, and the Walsh School of Foreign Service (with alumni like Pres. Bill Clinton, Philippos Prince of Greece and Denmark, Senator Richard Durban, George Tenet). What is your competitive differentiator?: We are located in the heart of our nation's capital. Students are in close proximity to the halls of power, get to live in an extremely diverse environment, and access to many faculty from Washington's many governmental and non-governmental agencies, cultural organizations, and research institutes. How did you get started in the technology field?: I started my technology career serving in the US Navy. I worked on advanced encryption systems, and satellite communications. After leaving the Navy, I continued to work in the IT field. It has really allowed me to earn a living doing something I love. Working with tech. What do you consider to be the biggest challenge when bridging the gap between IT and the overall business for most companies?: Figuring how to make IT do what it's supposed to do: Make things easier, better, faster, more efficient. So often we get caught up in the next shiny thing and forget that IT should really improve the business and make life for people better. What is the best or most worthwhile technology investment that you have made in the past 10 years?: Buying a raspberry pi. These little devices are amazing. Cheap, fast, efficient. They can do amazing things: run a 3D printer, make an electronic microscope (out of legos), ensure plants are watered right, make a smart mirror. Just about anything. What are the areas of technology that you see as being the most impactful to the business world in the next 5 years?: IOT. We are finding out more and more things we can do with small, special purpose computers. We don't need a zillion megahertz processor to do so much of what we want. And these are things that can actually make life easier and more enjoyable.

Each week on “Tech Talk USA,” our host Jeff Hootselle sits down with experts in the information technology world. This week, Jeff spoke to Neil Chakrabarty from WV Department of Environmental Protection. The West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection is committed to protecting and improving the environmental quality of life for all of West Virginia's citizens. To learn more, visit https://dep.wv.gov/Pages/default.aspx Short company description: Our agency is committed to protecting and improving the environmental quality of life for all of West Virginia's citizens. How did you get started in the technology field?: I started as an interested child age 6, in 1968 writing code on a digital equipment PDP-8 in my Dad's laboratory at Marshall University. What do you consider to be the biggest challenge when bridging the gap between IT and the overall business for most companies?: Specific language of IT. Many IT people do not easily translate IT topics to plain language that non IT people understand. What is the best or most worthwhile technology investment that you have made in the past 10 years?: Hiring the right people. We have a competitive hiring process. What are the areas of technology that you see as being the most impactful to the business world in the next 5 years?: AI and the increased pace of Automation.

Each week on “Tech Talk USA,” our host Jeff Hootselle sits down with experts in the information technology world. This week, Jeff spoke to Nicholas Szymanski from Signature Healthcare. Signature Healthcare is a community hospital that is just under 200 beds located in Brockton Massachusetts. To learn more, visit https://www.signature-healthcare.org. Short company description: Signature Healthcare is a community hospital that is just under 200 beds located in Brockton Massachusetts. What is your competitive differentiator?: As an organization we provide top notch care of our patients. In almost every publicly reported category and survey, we are in the top tier. How did you get started in Technology?: I was always into gadgets since I was young and carried over into my education, especially college when I went for network engineering. Technology always interested me and I felt comfortable thinking outside the box in that realm, it was rewarded and rewarding. What do you consider to be biggest challenge when bridging the gap between IT and the overall business for most companies?: Healthcare is very interesting and we are in the midst of a paradigm shift. IT used to be more of a brick and mortar approach where "IT just fixed computers". We now are pushing the limits and demanding we be at the table with the rest of the organizational leaders. The value we can provide is almost untapped in many respects. What is the best or most worthwhile technology investment that you have made in the past 10 years?: Investing heavily into the security realm without question is the most important investment. Being in healthcare, the inherent data is incredibly valuable to the "bad guys" that we have to and we must do everything we can to safeguard that. What are the areas of technology that you see as being the most impactful to the business world in the next 5 years?: Security for sure and for us looking at other industries. I particularly look at the hospitality sector to see how we can incorporate what they do well into healthcare to make our patient's experiences top notch.