BusinessAugust 13, 2018
Business Notebook: Southeast computer-science professor Anand speaks about cybersecurity, business/university collaborations
Every business with an online presence needs to be concerned with cybersecurity, said Vijay Anand, associate professor in Southeast Missouri State University's computer science department Anand spoke during the Jackson Area Chamber of Commerce business leadership series breakfast Tuesday...
Every business with an online presence needs to be concerned with cybersecurity, said Vijay Anand, associate professor in Southeast Missouri State University's computer science department
Anand spoke during the Jackson Area Chamber of Commerce business leadership series breakfast Tuesday.
Anand helped found the cybersecurity program at Southeast, and has worked in several security positions for companies including Motorola.
So when he talks about the need for a comprehensive approach to cybersecurity, he knows what he's talking about.
Anand said whether a company outsources cybersecurity services or handles them in-house, the first step is identifying assets: "What does your company have that needs protecting?"
In many cases, it's data, he said.
Collecting data on customers has legal implications, he said, and knowing how long to store that data is important.
Asking about how to protect against malware is also important, he said.
Do company employees know how to spot malicious emails? It's a matter of education, he said, and is something companies need to be aware of.
Companies can't just rely on changing up their employees' passwords every few months, he said.
In fact, that's not a great idea, Anand said: passwords rely on human memory, and it's just not reliable enough, which leads to people writing their passwords down, which is dangerous, too.
"I would say a pass phrase is better than a password," Anand said, as a sentence is typically easier to remember than special characters and capitalizations.
Anand said a password manager is also fine.
"It's really not the easiest thing to deal with," he said of password security.
Anand said business owners who have a particular project in mind, or who need an intern, could have collaboration opportunities with the computer science department at Southeast.
"Our graduates are in high demand," Anand said, adding the department recently broke the $100,000 threshold for a bachelor's degree graduate starting salary.
The department has grown from about 20 graduates to about 200 anticipated this year, Anand said.
Catapult Creative House is another possibility for businesses looking for help with graphic design or software, Anand said.
"We want to work with the local community," Anand said. "Our primary goal is to serve this region."
Athletico physical therapy opens in Town Plaza
Cape Girardeau and Southeast Missouri will have another option for outpatient physical therapy services with the opening of Athletico in the Town Plaza Center, according to a recent news release.
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The company, founded 25 years ago, is one of the largest physical and occupational therapy providers in the country, with more than 400 locations and 4,500 clinicians, athletic trainers and other team members.
In addition to physical therapy, the national company also provides athletic training, occupational therapy, specialty programs and fitness services to high schools, colleges and professional sports teams.
Other services also include evaluating workers' compensation issues, such as work conditioning, job-site analysis and ergonomic assessments.
Athletico offers its patients free injury screenings at all of their locations.
Local brokers Chris Cole and Tom Kelsey with Lorimont Commercial Real Estate, in cooperation with the tenant's national broker, handled the lease transaction for the 3,150 square-foot space at Suite 150 in the Town Plaza Center.
People on the Move
The Southeast Missouri Arts Council recently hired a new gallery manager, Angela Sander. She has an extensive background in the performing arts, and previously worked as venue coordinator for Tin Pan South in Tennessee. Sander has performed with numerous choral ensembles and has been a featured soloist. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Music from the Conservatory of Music and Dance at the University of Missouri at Kansas City, and is finishing her Master of Fine Arts in Arts Management and Leadership at Webster University in St. Louis.
Wade "Pee Wee" Bartels, Community Bank president of Alliance Bank, recently graduated from the Graduate School of Banking at Colorado (GSBC), a 25-month banking school that provides management and leadership training for community-banking professionals, according to a news release.
Bartels was among 164 graduates of the 68th annual school session, hosted from July 15 to 27 on the campus of the University of Colorado in Boulder.
GSBC students are recognized by their bank's executive team as rising stars in their organizations, and as graduates, often continue to become leaders in their respective organizations. A diploma in banking is widely recognized by the banking industry at large, and is a marker of advanced education, which hundreds of bank-industry professionals from around the country accomplish each year.
Graduates receive a diploma upon successfully completing six weeks of classroom training, which focuses on the areas of general management and technology, lending, leadership and human-resource management and financial management in banks. Requirements for graduation also include comprehensive examinations, intersession research projects and participation in a bank-management simulation course designed to provide students with experience managing a bank.
Cape Girardeau city attorney W. Eric Cunningham was recently elected president of the Missouri Municipal Attorneys Association (MMAA) for the 2018-2019 term, according to a city news release.
The MMAA has been active in educating its membership on state and federal laws affecting municipalities, and in fighting for the rights of cities to maintain local control of their own activities and revenue.
Cunningham earned his bachelor's degree from the University of Missouri at Columbia, and he earned his juris doctorate at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville. He served as city prosecutor for two years and has served as top legal counsel for the city for the past 23 years. Cunningham has also served as president of the board of directors of Teen Challenge Mid-America for the past 10 years, and he conducts jail services and Bible studies in the local area in Spanish and in English. Cunningham and his wife, Janet, have been married for 31 years, and they have two adult daughters, Rachel and Amy.
Lawyer Dale Gerecke recently announced he has opened his law office in Sunset Tower at 1021 Kingsway Drive, Suite 11D, in Cape Girardeau.
Gerecke has engaged in a general civil trial and transactional practice in Cape Girardeau for more than 35 years, representing individuals, families and businesses in Southeast Missouri and Southern Illinois in a variety of legal matters.
Gerecke is a graduate of Southeast Missouri State University and the University of Missouri School of Law. His areas of practice include personal injury law, business and commercial transactions, property law, family law and estate planning. He has also fulfilled all mediation training requirements to perform civil and family/domestic mediations.
LaCroix Pet Hospital recently welcomed Dr. Colleen Retz of Marble Hill, Missouri, to its team of three veterinarians.
Retz graduated from University of Missouri College of Veterinary Medicine in 2003.
LaCroix Pet Hospital is at 2984 County Road 620 in Cape Girardeau.
mniederkorn@semissourian.com
(573) 388-3630
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