IBIT News

IBIT creates new initiative to engage smaller companies

The Institute for Business and Information Technology (IBIT) at Temple University’s Fox School of Business has launched a new initiative to engage small and innovative companies.

Arcweb Technologies and DecisivEdge, LLC, have been invited as the introductory members of IBIT’s Small Company Membership Program. The new program aims to engage smaller firms with current members of IBIT, and the students and faculty of the Fox School’s Department of Management Information Systems (MIS).

The Small Company Membership Program will create a more diverse, better-rounded membership that comprises businesses of all sizes, and across multiple industries, said Dr. Munir Mandviwalla, Executive Director of IBIT and Chair of the Fox School’s MIS department.

“IBIT is excited to welcome Arcweb Technologies and DecisivEdge, LLC, as its first members of the Small Company Membership Program,” Mandviwalla said. “Both firms will serve as invaluable resources to Fox MIS students, with senior leaders from each firm serving as mentors and guest speakers.”

Additionally, IBIT announces that Chris Cera, Chief Executive Officer of Arcweb Technologies, and Sukumar Narayanan, President of DecisivEdge, will join the Fox IT Advisory Board. Composed of IT industry leaders, the Fox IT Advisory Board guides the Fox School in its mission of strengthening its reputation and curriculum as a nationally ranked provider of integrative business and technology education and research.

Philadelphia-based Arcweb Technologies is a digital product development company focused on the finance and healthcare industries. DecisivEdge, LLC, based in Newark, Del., is a business consulting and technology services company.

Contact:
Christopher A. Vito
Temple University
215-204-4115, cvito@temple.edu

Winners Announced for 4th Annual Temple Analytics Challenge

The Institute for Business and Information Technology is proud to announce the winners of The 4th Annual Temple University Alexion Analytics Challenge. The competition, which was open to all Temple University students and featured problems and data sets from Alexion, AmerisourceBergen, and Merck, culminated on November 16th with final student presentations and an awards ceremony. Students won prizes of $500-$2,500 out of a total pool of $12,000. George Llado, Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer, Alexion Pharmaceuticals, presented the keynote speech and assisted in presenting the awards.

Since its inception four years ago, the competition has attracted over 880 entries across the University. In 2016, there were 187 entries from 400 students from schools including Fox, CLA, Engineering, and Tyler.

The challenge is offered in cooperation with Office of Senior Vice Provost for Undergraduate Studies and the General Education program.

See all of the winners and their projects here.

Learn more about the Analytics Challenge at http://analyticschallenge.temple.ed u

2nd Annual National Cyber Analyst Challenge results in 10 finalists and adds a conference

Ten university finalists were selected for the 2016 National Cyber Analyst Challenge (NCAC), a competition that supports top students currently pursuing cyber-related degrees in the nation’s leading programs. Powered by Leidos and administered by Temple University’s Institute for Business and Information Technology (IBIT), the competition sent 10 teams to Phase 2 advanced cyber training and the subsequent Phase 3 finals in Reston, Va., Oct. 27-28.

The finalists (in alphabetical order) were: Carnegie Mellon University, Howard University, Iowa State University, Penn State University, Syracuse University, Temple University, University of Maryland University College, University of South Florida, University of Texas at San Antonio, and Villanova University. Each team received an award of $6,000 to $12,000 to support student, faculty, and curriculum development. A panel of industry experts scored the teams on technical proficiency, judgment, and communication.

Carnegie Mellon University was awarded $25,000 as the winner of the second National Cyber Analyst Challenge.

Developed to enhance the skills of the future workforce and inspire students to pursue careers in cyber security, the National Cyber Analyst Challenge focuses on developing strategic skills involving analysis and threat identification.

“Our nation and our very way of life is under constant attack in cyberspace,” said Chris Kearns, senior vice president of enterprise and cyber solutions at Leidos.

“These talented students demonstrated amazing skill to connect the dots in this real-world scenario to defend our critical digital infrastructure.”

In its second year, the Cyber Analyst Challenge is a pioneering interdisciplinary competition that includes undergraduate and master’s students studying information systems, computer science, and engineering, and encourages the development of strategic skills involving analysis, threat identification, and mitigation planning.

“The demand for cyber professionals with analytical mindsets and strong fundamental skills grows every year and our customers need more students to enter the field and help defend our nation in cyber space,” said Chris Kearns.

The three-month, multi-phased competition started with each team analyzing a cyber case. In the second phase, the teams received training from industry experts. Participating universities fielded teams of four to five students, and a faculty advisor, to analyze a data set. The data set provides the context to a fictitious cyber incident. For Phase I each team submitted a C-level presentation to analyze the incident and provide recommendations.

New in 2016, the associated NCAC conference engaged faculty and industry experts on cyber risk analysis, threat identification, remediation, and communication. Presenters discussed cyber research and curriculum challenges and opportunities including macroeconomic, policy, legal, and digital perspectives, as well as curriculum best practices – targeted toward schools interested in expanding their cyber programs.

“The NCAC conference provided a unique opportunity for meaningful dialogue between academic, industry, research, and education experts,” added Dr. Munir Mandviwalla, Executive Director of Temple’s IBIT, who worked with Laurel Miller, Director, to envision the competition.

One outcome from the conference is the identification of a set of strategies to enhance cyber education and research through data centric collaboration between industry and academia.

The 4th Annual Temple University Alexion Analytics Challenge

The Institute for Business and Information Technology announces The 4th Annual Temple University Alexion Analytics Challenge. The competition opens on October 1st, 2016 with the judging and awards presentation on November 16, 2016.

The challenge is open to all Temple University students and features problems and data sets from Alexion, AmerisourceBergen, and Merck. Students can win prizes of $2,500 out of a total pool of $12,000.

The challenge is offered in cooperation with Office of Senior Vice Provost for Undergraduate Studies and the General Education program.

Learn more at http://analyticschallenge.temple.edu

Threats and Opportunities in Geographic Information Systems

The Institute for Business and Information Technology (IBIT) is pleased to announce the release of The IBIT Report – Threats and Opportunities in Geographic Information Systems (GIS), by David Lanter, Temple University.