Marchesano most recently was President and CEO of Aequor Media, a consulting firm dedicated to providing strategic, customized technology solutions for B2B and consumer magazines, newspapers, and Fortune 1000 companies.  Marchesano was also Managing Director at the Jordan Edmiston Group, an investment banking firm, where he led the sale of Congressional Quarterly to the Economist Group. Before that, he was Executive Vice President & Chief Transformation Officer at The Nielsen Company; President and CEO at VNU Business Media;  President and CEO at Bill Communications (an operating company of VNU), and President at BPA International (now BPA Worldwide).  Marchesano was an ABM board member from 2001-07, serving as chairman in 2006-07, and a SIIA Content Division board member from 2007-11.

SIIA President Ken Wasch said:

“With changing business models, new delivery platforms and new competition, the business media industry will benefit enormously from someone with Mike’s perspective and experience. With Mike at the helm, the ABM division will develop new programs and services that help to advance the business media industry.”

Marchesano said:

“With the merging of ABM and SIIA, the opportunity to showcase the unique and powerful role business media and information provides its audiences and marketers is very exciting. I am thrilled to take on this responsibilty for our industry and privileged to lead the organization.”

Neal Vitale, Chairman of ABM and President & CEO of 1105 Media, Inc. said:

“We are immensely fortunate to have been able to recruit an executive of Mike’s expertise and stature. I am looking forward to working with him as we grow ABM.”

Laura Greenback is Communications Director at SIIA.

The APU/SIIA partnership provides SIIA members with greater access to affordable, quality online education through a variety of relevant APU certificates and degree programs including IT, business, management, entrepreneurship, and instructional design and delivery. In addition, many of APU’s IT programs align with industry certifications, helping increase opportunity for higher credentials in the industry.

”SIIA is honored to participate in this joint effort with American Public University,” said Ken Wasch, president of SIIA. “American Public University offers respected, relevant online programs that will help SIIA members expand their knowledge base and improve their ability to shape the future of the software and education technology industries.”

“Our programs are highly relevant to professionals in the software and digital content industries because we provide an academically rigorous program that provides the skills needed for long-term career success,” said Chad Patrizi, dean of the APU School of Business. “Our academic community will be enhanced as individuals from SIIA and their member companies bring their real-world experiences to our online classrooms and contribute to continued progress and development in these industries.”

Dr. Karen Billings, vice president of SIIA’s Education Division, will serve on the APU School of Business Industry Advisory Council to provide industry feedback and help identify and incorporate new industry trends into the APU curriculum. Beyond APU academic programs, SIIA employees and member companies will also have access to APU podcasts, webcasts, and other educational resources.

SIIA member companies and employees interested in APU graduate programs will be eligible for two scholarships. Recipients will be recognized at the 2013 SIIA Education Business Forum in December. Collaborative financial support and resources will help SIIA members maximize tuition benefits, support their professional development goals, and highlight the shared recognition of the critical role education plays in long-term professional development and sustained organizational success.

More information about the APU-SIIA educational partnership is available at the APU website.

Karen Billings is Vice President for the Education Division at SIIA. Follow the SIIA Education Team on Twitter at @SIIAEducation

As part of its comments submitted today, SIIA said:

“SIIA views robust Internet access through high-speed broadband connectivity as critical to a 21^st century education system, and to providing educators and students with access to technology-based tools and resources that are mission critical for teaching and learning in today’s digital age. Learning technologies are needed to increase educational opportunities, improve student engagement and enhance the personalization of learning to meet the needs of an ever more diverse student body.

“E-Rate funding has been relatively flat at $2.25 billion since its creation in 1996, while the need for, and the demand for connectivity has grown dramatically as evidenced by the $4.9 billion in applications sought for this funding year by schools and libraries. SIIA’s recently released 2013 Vision K-20 educator survey results found that, while their goal for access to robust bandwidth is 3.98 (on a 1-4 scale), educators rate their actual access as only 3.14. Similarly, their need for ubiquitous, wireless access to resources and services ranks as a 3.89, but their actual access is only a 2.64.

“SIIA supports the FCC proposal “to focus funding on those services that provide high-capacity broadband to school and library buildings and those services and equipment that disseminate the high-capacity broadband within those buildings…”

SIIA’s full comments can be found here.

SIIA outlined 10 specific recommendations in its comments to the FCC:

1. Robust Student Connectivity. Update the E-rate’s implicit goal from basic school connectivity to robust student connectivity, focusing on advanced Internet bandwidth to the point of use (i.e., student and device) and not simply to the school building.
2. Affordable Access. Exercise the FCC’s authority to increase E-rate funding as needed and appropriate to meet evolving and expanding demand, as authorized by Congress under the Telecommunications Act that created the E-rate program.
3. Timely Modernization and Enhancement. Move swiftly to modernize and enhance the E-rate program in order to meet urgent demands, and if necessary, increase funding under the existing rules prior to program changes in order to expedite the increase of resources to the field.
4. Advanced Eligible Services. Update the priorities and eligible services to ensure the program continues to meet the law’s emphasis on enhancing “access to advanced telecommunications and information services.” [emphasis added]
5. Access Goals and Flexibility. Center E-rate program accountability around the broad goal of providing high-speed broadband access to all students, while also providing the flexibility for eligible schools and libraries to determine their precise goals and their additional goals.
6. Educational Goals and Flexibility. Provide flexibility to determine and measure E-rate goals and impact, while not measuring E-rate effectiveness by student performance outcomes or similar learning indicators.
7. Anytime, Anywhere Learning. Ensure that schools and libraries continue to be the primary beneficiary of E-rate funding, but provide flexibility to leverage that funding to meet the connected learning needs of students outside of the school building and school hours.
8. Program Efficiencies. Continue to streamline the E-rate application and operational procedures, while recognizing the importance of program accountability.
9. Program Data. Continue to enhance program data access to support program accountability and enhanced cost effectiveness, while recognizing that not all data should be made publicly available.
10. Gift Rule. Modify and clarify E-rate gift rules to avoid unintended consequences that limit public-private partnerships and educator professional learning opportunities.

SIIA published a guide to the E-Rate for it’s members in April, 2012. Learn more here.

Mark Schneiderman is Senior Director of Education Policy at SIIA.

Who actually judges the products we nominate for the CODiE Awards?
In the first round or judging, your products are reviewed by educators and administrators who work in K-12 or postsecondary education institutions. The ratings from these education leaders will determine the finalists in each category.  The finalist products are then reviewed by representatives from SIIA Education Division member companies.  One person from each company, regardless of size, can vote. For example, one person from Pearson gets to vote, just as one person from Avant Assessment gets to vote.

Why do educators and administrators review our products?
SIIA wants educators–the true experts in the field–to review your products because it gives the judging process high credibility and it gives you, the nominating companies, pertinent and valuable information.  The educators and administrators know the ed tech field, are familiar with competing products, and have first-hand experience using products in the category they are reviewing.

What do we gain from having educational leaders review our products?
You gain the validity of participating in a credible awards program that has an almost 30-year history in education technology. Educators and administrators who review your products not only provide valuable feedback for product revision, but you build relationships with educators who are potential customers.  Their experience makes them great judges of what will work in educational institutions, so when they provide high marks for your product, you can truly say that your product is the best.

How does SIIA find these educators and administrators?
The Education Division staff leverages its relationships with professional associations, educational media, and online communities to find judges that have expertise in each category.  We also take referrals from current and past judges. They can directly reach out to their members or education readers and let them know about the opportunity to judge

How does SIIA select the first round judges who will review our products?
Each applicant fills out an extensive survey that asks about their relevant experience, degrees, and current work in the category they want to judge. The process is quite competitive in the popular categories, as so many educators apply. But with so many applicants, we can select those with the best qualifications to be the judges for your products.

How do they judge the products that we nominate?
SIIA recommends that judges first participate in a live demo with the nominating company, or listen to a pre-recorded demo, then use the product for a time to become come fully acquainted with it.  The judges then go online and fill out a rubric specifically designed for the products in each category.  They will rank the product on a numerical scale within that rubric and are urged to provide comments in the feedback areas.

What to the educators and administrators gain from judging our products?
Judges tell us they enjoy the process and find that it is a learning experience. It gives them a chance to not only see new products, but also to provide feedback to the companies that could prove useful in revising the products.  They consider the judging process to be a contribution to their field.

Learn more about the CODiE Awards judges or nominate before the September 20 deadline (October 4 extended deadline) at www.siia.net/CODiEs.

Karen Billings is Vice President for the Education Division at SIIA. Follow the SIIA Education Team on Twitter at @SIIAEducation

Both Smarter Balanced and PARCC released information on field tests that can help districts and companies prepare for the transition. The results of the field tests will help schools decide what sort of materials will best suit the new curriculum.

A recent webinar outlined expected release dates for future materials from both consortia organizations. It also allowed educators and other interested parties to ask questions directly to the consortia leaders.  Teachers, administrators, and district leaders are all concerned and about the changes and what they can do to make cost effective decisions for their districts.

The “What’s new in Common Core” document gives links and summaries to these August releases as well as a comprehensive collection of important resources released in 2013 so far. SIIA members can download the document to learn more about the resources available to companies and districts looking to navigate the upcoming transition.

Lindsay Harman is Market and Policy Analyst for the SIIA Education Division.

This exclusive opportunity will provide SIIA members with insight into the needs of educators and students, as well as actionable market intelligence to drive development and delivery of market-critical digital products and services.

“We are excited to launch this joint venture with Amprey & Associates,” explained Karen Billings, Vice President of SIIA’s Education Division. “Walter Amprey and his team have unique access to leaders in the nation’s largest school districts, and will help SIIA members gain unique insights into their educational vision and technology needs.”

“As a former superintendent, I know how important it is to build ongoing relationships with the external partners needed to deliver products and services so critical to a school’s success,” said Walter Amprey, President & CEO of Amprey & Associates. “We look forward to working with SIIA as the leading voice of this important industry, and more importantly to giving education leaders a forum to drive the delivery of instructional technologies that address their needs.”

The SIIA-Amprey School Technology Webinar Series will feature six to eight webinars during the 2013-2014 school year. The webinars will feature superintendents and other senior officials from large school districts, who will share their educational goals, their challenges, and their needs for digital content, online learning, virtual professional development, data systems, computer-based assessments, and more.

SIIA Members: Contact me for more info.

Mark Schneiderman is Senior Director of Education Policy at SIIA.

Importantly for SIIA members, it is one that poses the following serious business challenges:  (1) enhanced privacy concerns among customers around the world, (2) policymakers around the world seeking to restrict the cross-border flow of data and enact technology localization requirements, and (3) conflation of private sector data collection with government surveillance as an inseparable public-private partnership that necessitates strict new commercial privacy legislation or regulations—FTC Commission Julie Brill has recently made this connection in an op-ed, which has also come from influential thought-leaders such as former White House Chief of Staff John Podesta.

As a preliminary assessment, the Information Technology Innovation Foundation (ITIF) estimates that the U.S. cloud computing industry alone could lose up to $35 billion over the next three years if foreign customers decide the risks of storing data with a U.S. company outweigh the benefits.

SIIA has been very engaged in policy debates surrounding this issue for several months, and we expect to remain highly engaged to combat these challenges for months to come.  Recently, SIIA President Ken Wash was invited to a meeting at the White House in early August, which was one of several consultations leading up to the President’s call for reforms to NSA programs on August 9.

As a follow-up to the discussion with Administration officials and the SIIA this week joined with other leading technology trade associations in sending a letter to Administration officials urging that discussions about national security must be kept separate from conversations about commercial privacy issues, as the policy considerations in these two areas are distinct. In the letter, SIIA and industry partner organizations made the following recommendations for action that are likely to frame our priorities for the remainder of 2013:

1. Implement transparency with respect to national security programs – in order to separate fact from fiction regarding the intersection of private sector IT companies and the U.S. Government, it is critical that the Administration enhance transparency and enable companies to share information publicly about the scope and frequency of Government inquiries;
2. Promote policies that allow for unimpeded cross-border data flows such as the U.S.-EU Safe Harbor Framework – We are already seeing that longstanding and effective cross-border data mechanisms are being questioned in light of the recent disclosures about the U.S. government surveillance programs. For instance, recent statements by government officials in the EU indicate a lack of “trust” in the U.S.-EU Safe Harbor framework, which allows for the transfer of information from the EU to the U.S. for participating companies. This is one of many critical policies that facilitate digital trade for U.S. companies, and it is critical that U.S. government must vigorously engage with the international community to promote cross-border data flows while addressing privacy and civil liberties concerns; and
3. Support reforming the Electronic Communications Privacy Act (ECPA) to enhance privacy in law enforcement investigations – SIIA has been a leading supporter of ECPA, seeking to update the outdated statue by correcting the double-standard that inappropriately provides for a lower level of privacy for communications stored remotely, or “in the cloud.” Currently, the law provides for a challenging legal environment for industry and a disincentive for customers to embrace hosted information and communications technology solutions as an alternative to on-premise solutions.

SIIA believes that these are critical steps to ensuring that concerns about U.S. Government surveillance do not impose an unnecessary impediment to U.S. information technology businesses.  We are also closely monitoring a range of proposals in Congress that would seek to enhance transparency surrounding U.S. Government surveilance.  The  Surveillance Transparency Act of 2013 (S.1452) was introduced by Senator Al Franken on August 1^st, 2013, and the Surveillance Order Reporting Act of 2013 (H.R.3035) was introduced by Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren on August 2^nd, 2013.  SIIA has not endorsed any bill at this point, but the Lofgren-Franken approach goes in the right direction by allowing companies to reveal how many national security requests they have received, how many they have complied with and how many users or accounts are affected.

We will continue to focus heavily on this critical issue to promote the ability of U.S. businesses to thrive in the U.S. and markets around the world.  To that end, we will provide further updates regarding new developments.

David LeDuc is Senior Director, Public Policy at SIIA. He focuses on e-commerce, privacy, cyber security, cloud computing, open standards, e-government and information policy. Follow the SIIA public policy team on Twitter at @SIIAPubPolicy.

The SIIA Innovation Incubator program identifies and supports entrepreneurs in the development and launch of innovative learning technologies. The program began in 2006, and has helped dozens of companies enrich education through the use of software, digital content, and related technologies. The Innovation Incubator program employs a peer-review process to identify the most promising digital education products. Successful industry leaders and peers also provide one-on-one mentorship to support the growth and success of identified innovators.

All education technology companies are encouraged to apply – from start-ups to established innovators. A panel of SIIA member judges, consisting of prominent education technology industry professionals, will review and score each innovation, and collective scores will determine finalists and an alternate. Finalists will be asked to give webinar presentations to educators and administrators nationwide for the Educators’ Choice Award. Finalists will also present their products live for Education Business Forum attendees. One winner will be honored with the Educators’ Choice Award based on educator scores. An additional winner and one runner-up will be chosen for the “Most Innovative” and “Most Likely to Succeed” categories based on the scores submitted by Forum attendees.

For more information about the Innovation Incubator program, or to apply, go to siia.net/ebf/2013/incubator.asp or contact me at Lportorreal@siia.net.

The 12th annual conference will bring together senior management teams of education software companies, platform technology firms, financial analysts, solution providers and distributors, publishers, financial analysts, private equity firms, and venture capitalists. Participants will discuss new business models and how to leverage shifts in the digital learning space, in addition to sharing knowledge about new markets, growth in financial investment, and new paths to revenue.

Topics will include:

• Capitalizing Your Business for the Long Term
• Making that Build or Buy Decision to Grow Your Product line
• Leveraging a Market Map
• Getting to that $10M Mark in Revenue
• Going Global Where Opportunities Are Greatest
• Emerging Development Trends
• Case Studies of the Best and Brightest Companies Destined for Success
• Successful Entrepreneurial Strategies Within Growing Markets
• Partnering Strategies for Growth

The Education Business Forum will also feature:

• Innovation Incubator. SIIA’s Innovation Incubator program identifies and supports entrepreneurs in the development and distribution of innovative learning technologies. The program began in 2006, and has provided mentorship for dozens of successful products and companies in their efforts to improve education through the use of software, digital content, and related technologies.

• One-to-One Business Connections. One-to-One Business Connections meetings will be scheduled during designated times throughout the conference by SIIA staff, with the support of its partner Educational Systemics. SIIA will select companies to meet with participants based on the preferences they described in their respective surveys. These fast-paced exchanges will help pave the way for increased capital, revenue, and strategic alliances between participants.

Online registration is available at the Education Business Forum Media Center.

Karen Billings is Vice President for the Education Division at SIIA. Follow the SIIA Education Team on Twitter at @SIIAEducation

The CODiE Awards have been the premier award for the software and information industries for 28 years. The awards program has three tracks organized by industry focus: Content, Education and Software.

Content: The SIIA Content CODiE Awards showcase the information industry’s finest products, technology and services created by, or for, media, publishers and information services providers.

The Content CODiE Awards will be presented on January 29-30, 2014 during the Content Divisions annual conference for Information Industry leaders, the Information Industry Summit.

Education: The SIIA Education CODiE Awards showcase applications, products and services from developers of educational software, digital content, online learning services, and related technologies across the K-20 sector.

Education winners will be announced in San Francisco on May 12-14, 2014 during the Ed Tech Industry Summit.

Software: The SIIA Software CODiE Awards showcase applications, products and services that are developed by independent software vendors (ISVs) for use in business, government, academic, or other organizational settings.

Software winners will be announced in San Francisco on May 20-22, 2014 during the software industry’s premier ISV conference, Maximize.

For more information about the SIIA CODiE Awards, visit http://www.siia.net/codies.

Angel Scott is Awards Program Coordinator at SIIA. Follow the SIIA CODiE Awards on twitter at @CODiEAwards.