I recently attended Retail’s BIG Show conference and started up a conversation with an IT staffer of a regional retail chain. Over the course of our conversation he shared with me that it was his company’s corporate policy to provide a single, shared password for his store’s workers. From the store manager to the shelving stockers, they were all using the same password.

Contingent workers are here to stay. In fact, in a recent report, CareerBuilder claimed that 2015 was the Year of the Temporary Employee, with 46% of businesses adding temporary workers, up from 42% in 2014. That number is expected to rise even more this year in what seems to be a continuous upward trend.

Technology continues to be a driving force in education. Children as young as preschool age are using tablets in school, teachers are constantly brainstorming new ways to modernize their classrooms with educational apps, and IT personnel are under increasing pressure to ensure this ever-evolving digital environment is secure. By implementing a next-generation identity and access management solution school districts have the opportunity to effectively and efficiently regulate these transitions.

School district IT departments are under great pressure to do more with less. While much more focus tends to be placed on technologies that are used inside the classroom, those technologies are only possible with strong infrastructure in place on the backend. However, the money for both classroom and infrastructure technologies usually comes from the same budget, a budget which never seems to be large enough.

I stand in front of more than 70 IT security professionals giving a presentation on security gaps associated with managing the access of users who are not traditional employees. As is the norm, I pepper the presentation with some light attempts at humor to keep people engaged. Each quirky joke I share elicits the desired chuckle or murmur of amusement from the crowd.

Automated De-Provisioning is More Important Than Ever!

Workforce reductions aren’t a pleasant topic that anyone ever wants to discuss, yet they’re a part of business that most organizations must face at some point.

If that time should come for your organization, remember, this isn’t only an HR issue. IT must also be prepared to deal with workforce reductions because they can leave your organization vulnerable to internal threats.

We’re honored and happy to announce that our work with the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (NCDPI) has been named a finalist for the 2016 Info Security Global Excellence Awards in the Best Deployments and Case Studies category. What an exciting way to kick off 2016.

The full-time salaried position is no longer the dominant worker classification that it was in the 1990s or even 2000s. More and more companies, focused on cutting costs, are employing contingent workers to avoid paying taxes and healthcare benefits on those workers. And more and more workers, led by millennials, are seeking contingent-based employment, desiring the flexibility and freedom that comes with those positions. This new economy we live in, defined by technology, sharing and innovation, is changing how we work.

Our first conference this year is the Texas Technology Summit on February 9th in Houston, Texas where we’ll be exhibiting in booth #214. This year’s theme: “Conquering Your IT and Security Objectives.” At Texas Tech, CIOs and IT professionals can get the right tools and make vital connections to best prepare companies for the broad spectrum of ever-changing technology trends.