Pressroom

Prescient Solutions CoSponsors 2nd Annual Crain’s Manufacturers Breakfast – 11/3/2011

Prescient is pleased to be a cosponsor of the Crain’s Manufacturers Breakfast scheduled for Thursday, November 3, 2011. With relevant topics and a panel comprised of Chicago’s manufacturing thought leaders this meeting is sure to be of value. Find more information about the breakfast here. We hope to see you there!

Employee Anniversary Celebrations - 10/2011

We are pleased to congratulate the following employees celebrating 5 or more years of service with Prescient Solutions during the upcoming quarter. We are proud of their dedication and contributions to the Prescient Team:

Jaime Aponte – 5 years
Larry Rittenhouse – 6 years
Eric Stearns – 9 years
Todd Fatheree – 7 years
Kim Lindeman – 7 years
Charles Beyer – 6 years
Bob Chambers – 5 years
John Doser – 9 years

FUSION 11 – Uniting the World of Service Management Conference and Expo – 9/2011

Held September 25th – 28th in Washington, DC. Prescient’s' Matt Catania, Jeff Lindeman and Tom Pettenon HDI Members attended.

At FUSION 11, itSMF USA and HDI, two leaders in the world of service management, joined forces to elevate the standards in service management education. FUSION 11 brings together the best of the best—the best speakers, the best vendors, the best networking and social activities— to provide an educational experience facilitated by only the most respected minds in service management. FUSION 11 addresses the needs of seasoned IT directors, service management implementers, and business analysts for gaining crucial insight into how formal processes and industry tools can align IT goals with business goals to improve IT operations.

This year IT service and technical support professionals gathered at the annual Conference & Expo to explore some of the hottest topics affecting IT service management. The conference workshops provide the processes, frameworks, templates, and tools to help meet the service demands of our customers business. The conference focused on the critical role of support in service management. The conference was comprised of a number of interactive sessions including: Virtualization and ITSM, The People Factor, Service Operations, Business Services and IT Processes, Service Catalog and Portfolio Management, and IT Governance and Security. As the industry's premier certification and training body, HDI is the world's largest IT service and support membership association. This year’s conference was jointly hosted by industry icons itSMF USA and HDI.

Prescients’ Mike Swaney and DeVry University 9/2011

We invite you to view Mike Swaney as he appears in a video produced for DeVry University on “What will employers think about my DeVry University education.” Prescient is proud to continue our recruiting efforts with DeVry as we continue to grow beyond 90 employees.

Irvine Quoted in CRN online article - 9/2011

In a feature article titled “Five Ways To Get A Piece Of The Cloud Market” See Jerry quoted at 4. How To Get Ready for Cloud — And Keep Your Customers Safe

"Traditional means of securing data continue to be via the implementation of virtual private networks, which encrypts the communications of data between locations and encryption of the data; however, cloud computing makes these traditional methods more cumbersome," Jerry Irvine, CIO of Chicago-based Prescient Solutions, said. "Additionally, data encryption is provided by most Cloud providers. Depending on the methods and specifics of the encryption types and algorithms being used, this provides protection of data should external applications or malicious entities gain access to the Cloud based, publicly accessible data of our clients. However, encryption keys, etc. may be managed by the cloud provider, making it possible for devices or users internal to the cloud provider to corrupt or obtain data access." Therefore, a clear policy of who has access to what information and systems is vital. View the full article in CRN by Jennifer Bosavage which appeared Thursday, Sept. 22, 2011 here.

Cyber Security Interview on First Business with Bill Moller – 7/26/2011

Jerry Irvine was a featured guest on First Business with Bill Moller on 7/26/2011 First Business is a nationally syndicated television program airing Monday through Friday on more than 100 stations across the country. As a member of the National Cyber Security Task Force in conjunction with DHS, Jerry contributed his expertise on cyber security. Congratulations Jerry, job well done!

Employee Anniversary Celebrations – 7/2011

Mike Chastain – 5 years
Kris Cieplinski – 5 years
Scott Klein – 5 years
Rosemarie Longo – 12 years
Mike Schillaci – 7 years
Mike Swaney – 9 years
Zach Wood – 6 years
Jeff Zerwer - 6 years

Prescient Attends Illinois City/County Managers Association (ILCMA) Summer Conference – 6/2011

For the fourth year as a Corporate Sponsor of the ILCMA, Prescient was proud to participate in the conference held in O’Fallon, IL June 15-17. Prescient Solutions Director of Sales Mike DeGroot was invited to speak at the Conference on Cloud Computing. His presentation entitled “To the Cloud: A Non-Technical Discussion of Private and Public IT Clouds and Associated Benefits to Municipalities” was very well received.

Prescients’ Jerry Irvine speaks at DuPage Mayor and Managers Conference – 6/2011

As part of Prescient’s continued involvement with and service to local, municipal governments, the DMMC asked Prescient CIO Jerry Irvine to speak at their June 15 Conference Dinner. The topic was Cloud Computing, and Jerry shared his perspective as a member of the Department of Homeland Security’s Cyber Security Task Force. He also discussed Prescient’s experience with creating Private Clouds for both public and private sector organizations. Prescient Solutions is proud to have been the DMMC’s first corporate partner in 2008 and a Platinum Sponsor for 2011

Employee Anniversary Celebrations – 4/2011

Tony Bellisario – 7 years
Matt Catania – 12 years
Robert Cho – 6 years
Jeff Lindeman – 8 years
Marc Palano – 10 years
Andy Schaeffer – 6 years
Brendan Speer – 6 years

CISSP awarded to Jerry Irvine – 1/2011

Prescient CIO, Jerry Irvine, earned his Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) designation in January. In June 2004 the CISSP was the first information security credential accredited by ANSI ISO/IEC and, as such, has led industry acceptance of the global standard and its requirements. The CISSP has been adopted as a baseline for the US National Security Agency’s ISSEP program.

The CISSP is fundamentally based on the CIA triad, the core information security and assurance tenets: confidentiality, integrity and availability and attempts to balance the three across ten domains of interest.

Congratulations Jerry on earning this prestigious certification!

Employee Anniversary Celebrations – 1/2011

Eric Datwyler 6 years
Joe Nonneman - 7 years
Sergio Salgado - 6 years
Scott Smith - 5 years
Alex Valdez - 5 years

The Marmon Group HR Conference 9/2010

Prescient Solutions Jeff Lindeman was invited to speak at the 2010 Marmon HR Conference held at the Conrad Hotel in Chicago, November 7th-9th. Marmon, a Berkshire Hathaway company, operates approximately 130 business units worldwide. At the gathering of more than 100 Marmon Business Unit representatives, Jeff provided detailed information regarding Marmons Hosted IT Services, Disaster Recovery, Network & Email Security, Social Media in the Workplace, and Industry Best Practices & Policies.

MASAS Fire Rescue International Session - 8/2010

On August 26 Illinois Mutual Aid Box Alarm System (MABAS) executed the largest multi-state deployment of resources to validate the states mutual aid system. Prescient is proud to be working with MABAS to accomplish their goals. For the full press release click here.

HDI (Help Desk Institute) Service Management Conference and Expo 2010

Held October 6th 10th in Miami, FL. Prescients' Tom Pettenon and Marc Palano HDI Members attended. This year IT service and technical support professionals gathered at the annual HDI Service Management Conference & Expo to explore some of the hottest topics affecting IT service management. The conference workshops provide the processes, frameworks, templates, and tools to help meet the service demands of our customers business. The conference focused on the critical role of support in service management. The conference was comprised of Six sessions each containing interactive intense workshops including: Service Management: Master key concepts, Process Management: Essential For Success, Service Quality: Design, Measure and Manage, Governance: Sharpen your Business Focus, Frameworks: The Power of Multiple and People: A critical Resource. As the industry's premier certification and training body, HDI is the world's largest IT service and support membership association.

HDI

Stanley Cup Visits Village of Lombard 7/2010

Village of Lombard resident & Blackhawks Assistant Equipment Manager, Clint Reif, shared his treasured Stanley Cup time with Village employees in July. Pictured are Prescients John Doser, Brandon McLinn, and Jim Lagattuta enjoying the thrill of the Stanley Cup capping off a great Blackhawks season - GO HAWKS!

Stanley 1

Stanley 2

Day at the Races - 7/2010

On Saturday, July 10, Prescient Solutions held its 8th Annual Day at the Races outing for employees and their guests at Arlington Park Race Track. We shared great camaraderie and placed wagers on our favorite horses from the comforts of Marquee Tent1.

Prescient Attends Dupage Mayors and Managers Conference (DMMC) Outing - 7/2010

As a sponsor of the DMMC, Prescient was pleased to participate in the annual golf outing held at White Pines Golf Club. The Event is a wonderful opportuntity for local business and municipal leaders to network.

Prescient Attends Illinois City/County Managers Association (ILCMA) Summer Conference - 6/2010

For the third year as a Corporate Sponsor of the ILCMA, Prescient Solutions was proud to participate in the Annual Summer Conference held in Galena, IL June 9-11.

Prescient Employee Wins the "Supervisor of the Year" Award at DU-COMM - 6/2010

Prescient's Scott Klein was recognized as playing a vital role in providing supervisory and operational support for the DuPage Public Safety Communications 911 Dispatch Center (DU-COMM). The award is granted to personnel who have demonstrated the highest levels of personal and professional conduct and superior performance in the line of duty. We are especially proud of Scott since this award is voted on by DU-COMM employees, which shows how integrated we are into their operations; they see him as part of the DuComm family. Congratulations Scott!

Mutual Aid Box Alarm System (MABAS) Conference 2/2010

Prescient Solutions was proud to be a sponsoring vendor of the MABAS 2010 Annual Conference in Peoria, IL. Dennis Hasenfang, Senior Developer with Prescient Solutions presented the new "MABAS - IL Web Presence" to an audience of over 150 statewide Emergency personnel. The New MABAS Website will become the central platform where all state wide fire agencies come together to collaborate. It will provide centralized management of information which will ensure all agencies are working together with the most up to date procedures.

Concerns of Police Survivors (COPS) 2/2010

Prescient was again proud to sponsor Crawlin' for the Fallen, a pub crawl fundraiser for Concerns of Police Survivors, Inc. (COPS). COPS provides resources to assist in the rebuilding of the lives of surviving families of law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty. Prescient supports Information Technology for several local Police Departments and we are honored to contribute to this annual event.

HDI (Help Desk Institute) Service Management Conference and Expo 2009

Held November 6th - 11th in Washington, D.C., Prescients' Tom Pettenon and Marc Palano HDI Members attended. This conference focused on the critical role of support in service management. The conference was comprised of five sessions each containing interactive intense workshops including Process Management, People Management, Service Reporting, and Strategic Business Alignment. As the industry's premier certification and training body, HDI is the world's largest IT service and support membership association.

25th Annual Illinois Public Safety Telecommunications Association Conference

Prescient was proud to participate in the 25th Annual Illinois Public Safety Telecommunications Conference in Springfield, IL, October 18th - 21st. Jerry Irvine, Prescient's CIO, presented a breakout session on the advantages and challenges of cloud computing entitled, Develop Your Own Cloud: Shared IT Services.

For more information, please follow the link below to read Irvine's article published in the October 2009 ILCMA Newsletter on the benefits of sharing IT services, or email Jerry at jirvine@prescientsolutions.com.

The ILCMA newsletter can be found here.

Prescient Attends DHS Global Cyber Security Conference - 8/2009

Held August 4th-6th in Washington, D.C., Prescients Jerry Irvine and Brendan Speer attended the Global Cyber Security Conference hosted by the Department of Homeland Securitys Science & Technology Directorate, the United States Secret Service Criminal Investigation Division, and the CyberScience Laboratory; the event brought a wide range of cyber experts together from the public and private sectors, and from 18 different countries. Attendees ranged from Secret Service, to Foreign cyber experts, the private sector, prosecutors, and anti-terrorism task force agents.

Presentations were given from many professionals and policy makers in the fields of cyber crime and cyber security. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano gave the key note address, where she spoke of the importance of leveraging all of the nations diverse recourse to combat this new, but very real and dangerous threat. The New York County District Attorneys office gave a fascinating and detailed explanation of how one of the largest money laundering and wire fraud internet schemes was brought down several years ago. Several experts from the US Secret Service, Microsoft, and Academia talked about the current threat landscape, and even where threats might go in the near future.

Many examples of new and still in development technologies were demonstrated as well. Two new techniques to fight against malware by using an automated reverse engineering strategy were demonstrated by both McAfee and DBGary. Several advances in the field of information gathering and display were also demonstrated, bringing together diverse datasets of information for analysis by experts. Techniques and challenges in forensic examination and protection were also discussed, from cellular devices to traditional cold-box computer techniques.

Matt Catania Anniversary Presentation - 6/2009

On June 3, 2009, Prescient was pleased to present Matt Catania his 10 Year Service Award. Matt's dedication and commitment to Prescient are truly appreciated. Pictured (left to right) are Matt Catania, Account Relationship Manager; Jeff Scheper, CEO; and Jerry Irvine, CIO. Congratulations Matt!

Prescient Employee Wins the "Support Services-Employee of the Year" Award at DU-COMM 6/2009

Prescient's own Chris Cieplinski was recognized as playing a vital role in providing operational support for the DuPage Public Safety Communications 911 Dispatch Center (DU-COMM). The award is granted to personnel who have demonstrated the highest levels of personal and professional conduct and superior performance in the line of duty. It is especially meaningful since the winner is elected by DU-COMM personnel. Congratulations, Chris!

Prescient CIO Jerry Irvine Presents to Illinois City/County Managers Association (ILCMA) Summer Conference - 6/2009

Prescient Solutions CIO Jerry Irvine was asked to participate in a panel discussion on "Emergency Notification Systems - Communicating During a Crisis". Along with Buffalo Grove Deputy Village Manager Ghida Neukirch, Jerry Irvine discussed various ways that municipalities can communicate with their citizens in times of crisis. Various technologies were discussed (email, text, telephone, etc), along with the technological considerations for choosing and building such a system. The Annual ILCMA Summer Conference was held on June 10-12 in Galena, IL.

Concerns of Police Survivors (COPS) – 2/2009

Once again this year, Prescient sponsored Crawlin' for the Fallen, a pub crawl fundraiser for Concerns of Police Survivors, Inc. (COPS). COPS provides resources to assist in the rebuilding of the lives of surviving families of law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty. Prescient supports Information Technology for several local Police Departments and we are honored to contribute to this annual event.

Mutual Aid Box Alarm System (MABAS) Conference – 2/2009

Prescient Solutions was proud to be a sponsoring vendor of the MABAS 2009 Annual Conference during February in Peoria, IL. Jerry Irvine, Prescient Solutions CIO, presented a "One Stop Shop" session on the web-site design project. Many manual processes will be automated to ensure the MABAS members have enhanced and current information.

Springs Magazine – The International Magazine of Spring Manufacture - 1/2009

"Home Computer Equipment Is Not Useful For The Business World”

By Jerry Irvine

View full article here.

Promotions & Career Moves – 1/2009

Prescient is pleased to announce that Tom Pettenon, formerly Vice President, Client Services has been promoted to Chief Operating Officer, Client Service. While Tom continues to be responsible for our overall client satisfaction, he will also assume the duties of coordinating internal business operations.

Illinois Public Safety Telecommunications Association Conference (IPSTA) – 10/2008

Prescient participated for the second year in the Illinois Public Safety Telecommunications Association Conference (IPSTA) in conjunction with the Illinois Chapter of the National Emergency Number Association (INENA) on October 19th-22nd, in Springfield, Illinois. The annual Conference covers all facets of public safety including public safety communications, personnel issues, and exposure to the latest in systems and technologies. With our longstanding involvement and solid reputation in supporting “always-on” 911 Communication Centers, Prescient was pleased and proud to have supported the conference again this year.

ILCMA Newsletter - 10/2008

"Use Your IT $ Wisely—Increase Performance While Increasing Security"

By Jerry Irvine

View full article here.

Mayor Richard Daley Visits Tempel Steel - 8/2008

On Thursday, August 21, Mayor Richard Daley announced that Tempel Steel will expand and renovate its existing Chicago manufacturing plant to keep more than 350 jobs in Illinois rather than to an alternative facility in Mexico. Tempel Steel, founded in Chicago by Tempel Smith 63 years ago, is one of Prescient Solutions’ long-valued clients and is a global producer of laminated steel products.

During Daley’s visit to Tempel Steel, Prescient’s Rich Ketter, Service Delivery Manager responsible for Tempel Steel, had the opportunity to greet Mayor Daley and thank him for his efforts to strengthen Tempel’s presence in Chicago’s manufacturing community.

Chicago technology expert named to National Cyber Security Task Force

Schaumburg, Ill., July 7, 2008 -- Jerry Irvine, CIO/COO of Prescient Solutions, has been selected to join the National Cyber Security Task Force, a joint task force between the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) National Cyber Security Division and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

One of the objectives of the National Cyber Security Division (NCSD) is to implement a cyber-risk management program for protection of critical infrastructure and key resources including communications, energy, financial services, chemical and transportation. Irvine and other industry experts from across the country will engage federal decision-makers on cyber security policy and share information and best practices related to IT security planning, preparedness and resilience.

The Task Force’s formation is based on the sobering reality that the federal government cannot safeguard Internet security alone. According to the Cyber Security Working Group, a subsector of the Task Force, federal policymakers are factoring in the central role played by the private sector in developing any initiatives to strengthen cyber security nationwide. About 90 percent of the nation’s network infrastructure is managed and owned by the private sector, so a national cyber security framework must be balanced with private sector input and cooperation. That’s why authorities, like Irvine, were selected. He is an expert in network communications and protocols through his 20 plus years in IT services.

As a partner in Prescient Solutions, a leading IT services firm in the area, he has helped countless companies and municipalities safeguard their networks from cyber threats. “Cyber security threats are serious and growing,” says Irvine. “The safety and security of our online activities are critical to the economic health of our nation. Companies and municipalities large and small must take ongoing steps to keep their network operations safe and secure. I am honored to offer my expertise on this issue on a national scale.” Prescient Solutions is a virtual Information Technology Services Company that helps global business clients, local municipalities, schools and governmental agencies maximize technology resources and minimize IT expenditures.

The Business Ledger - 5/2008

"The Business Ledger - Home Computer network doesn't hack it for business -- By Jerry Irvine"

Caution: you might have already tripped into a serious security gap created by the type of networking equipment you use. It’s a little recognized hazard. To save money, smaller and medium-sized businesses buy consumer plug-and-play networking equipment over robust enterprise-grade gear, only to end up surrendering higher levels of security, reliability and performance.

View the full article here.

Warren Buffett Visits The Marmon Group - 3/2008

After successfully completing his 60% acquisition of Marmon Holdings, Warren Buffett stopped by The Marmon Group’s Chicago headquarters where Prescient Solutions' Jeff Lindeman was pleased to meet him. Prescient Solutions is honored to be one of the key resources that helps make Marmon an industry leader and we look forward to continuing that close relationship as Marmon becomes a holding of Berkshire Hathaway.

ITW Technology Conference - 3/2008

Prescient Solutions was invited to speak during the semi-annual ITW Technology Conference held at the Arizona Grand Resort in Phoenix, AZ, March 11th – 14th, 2008. ITW is a leading industrial company that operates 825 businesses located in 52 countries worldwide.

At the gathering of more than 200 ITW Business Unit representatives, Marc Palano, Vice President of Sales for Prescient Solutions, provided updates on the vital ITW technology initiatives being supported by Prescient and gave suggestions on how each Unit can be proactive in managing information flow within ITW's decentralized network infrastructure.

For more information about the topics discussed at this conference or to learn how Prescient can help you manage your IT infrastructure, please contact Prescient Solutions at 847-240-3900 or info@pswetakecareofIT.com.

Chicago Tribune –
Local Promotions & Career Moves - 3/2008

Prescient Solutions, a Schaumburg-based virtual information technology services company, named Jeff Scheper chief executive officer and James Lagattuta president and chief financial officer.

View the article here.

How one software developer uses continuous data protection for data recovery.

How Prescient Development uses Double-Take's TimeSpring CDP
By Deni Connor, NetworkWorld.com, 01/22/08

Earlier this month, Double-Take Software acquired TimeSpring, a vendor of continuous data protection (CDP) software. TimeSpring's TimeData is available for several Windows applications - Exchange, SharePoint, SQL Server and the Windows NT File System (NTFS). The software, which is host-based, allows IT to recover files from any point in time. Among the customers of TimeData include software developer Prescient Development in Schaumburg, Ill.

"Several years ago our clients started off with no CDP and had no real-time protection," says Scott Schimmel, IT director for Prescient Development.

"If something went wrong, we had to go back to one of our nightly backups. Backups were great, except we needed to find a solution that would allow us to recover client data real-time in the Microsoft Exchange environment," says Schimmel. "If a user lost a file that was created the same day, we wouldn't be able to go to yesterday's backup to find it because it wouldn't exist."

"We needed a solution that had CDP capability and would let us recover data from multiple hours to seconds, days to the week or week to the month."

Schimmel is using Double-Take's TimeData to recover Microsoft Exchange and SQL Server files and some NTFS files that are critical to the operations of their clients.

Prescient Development has about 1,000 users who are benefiting from CDP.

Double-Take Software is busy integrating TimeSpring's products. Until integration is complete, pricing is not available for TimeSpring's TimeData software.

New Addition to Client Service - 7/2007

We're pleased to announce the addition of Tom Pettenon to the Prescient Solutions team. Tom is our new Vice President, Client Services and is responsible for the continuous support and the overall satisfaction of our ever-expanding client base. Our clients always come first and Tom will make sure that continues.

Before joining Prescient Solutions, Tom enjoyed more than 20 years of multi-industry experience including Transportation, Publishing, Education, Finance and IT Professional Services. He has held leadership positions in Product Development, Client Relations Management, IT Operations, Service Management and Customer Service for industry leading companies such as Rand McNally, Forsythe Solutions, Comdisco, Aon Corporation and Computer Sciences Corporation (CSC).

\ back to the top