Emergency Management Finalist for Digital ASBPE Award

e.Republic has just been notified that its newest web site, Emergency Management, is a finalist in the Digital ASBPE awards which will be presented in San Francisco on November 6^th.   The Digital ASBPE’s is a national competition by the American Society of Business Publication Editors (ASBPE) that honors online excellence.

Launched in August of this year, Emergency Management is up for “Best New Web Site”.  Its focus is information technology solutions and best practices in all-hazard preparedness and response for emergency management, public safety and homeland security officials in state and local government.

Public and Private Sector Leaders Focus on Cyber Security

Leaders in Cyber Security from the public and private sectors met at the Cyber Security West 2009 event today at the Sheraton Grand Hotel in Sacramento, California.  In recognition of October being National Cyber Security Month, its purpose was to raise awareness of cyber threats, discuss shared responsibility for cyber security and increase collaboration between all levels of government and private industry.

Hosted by the National Cyber Security Alliance and the State of California Office of Information Security , the event covered topics ranging from the role of internet security and economic growth to educating digital citizens on cyber security issues.  Keynote speaker was Phil Reitinger, Deputy Under Secretary, Department of Homeland Security.

Other noted speakers included:

Matthew Bettenhausen, Secretary, Governor’s Emergency Management Agency, State of California.

Michael Kaiser, Executive Director, National Cyber Security Alliance

Matthew Eggers, Manager, National Security & Emergency Preparedness Department,  U.S. Chamber of Commerce

Seth Bromberger, Chief Information Security Officer, PG&E

Richard Jackson, General Manager, Information Risk Assessment, Chevron

Community Colleges with Foremost Use of Digital Technology Announced

e.Republic’s Center for Digital Education and Converge magazine just announced the winners of their fifth annual Digital Community Colleges Survey.  Those named are leading community colleges across the U.S. that offer exceptional technology support to students and educators.  The survey addressed multiple areas in digital technology, including online registration, distance learning, tutoring and advisory services; technology training for students and faculty; and Web 2.0 social and collaborative capabilities.

Community colleges were placed in three categories based on size of enrollment for the 2008-09 academic year.  College officials supplied answers to survey questions and the top colleges in each of the enrollment categories were named.

First place winners in each category:

-          Montgomery County Community College, Blue Bell, Pa. – (7,500 or more students)

-          Laramie County Community College, Cheyenne, Wyo. – (3,000 – 7,500 students)

-          Panola College, Carthage, Texas  – (less than 3,000 students)

View the full list of winners at www.centerdigitaled.com and www.convergemag.com.

Marina Leight, vice president of the Center, said, “Community colleges, year after year, impress us as forward thinking and quick to adapt. Our survey results show overwhelmingly that community colleges are fast embracing cyber technologies used by “First Digitals”,  fostering collaboration in learning by using tools students are familiar with. Those institutions chosen as this year’s top community colleges are exceptional examples of this investment in learning.”

The Center and Converge magazine thank the survey underwriters for their support of community colleges across the nation:

HP ProCurve – With a comprehensive portfolio of award-winning products and solutions and over 20 years of networking experience, HP ProCurve is the network of choice for colleges worldwide. See www.procurve.com.

Oracle Corporation is the world’s largest business software company. For more information about Oracle, visit their Web site at www.oracle.com.

The Center for Digital Education is a national research and advisory institute providing education and industry leaders with decision support, research and educational services to help them effectively incorporate new technologies in the 21^st century.  The Center is a division of eRepublic, Inc. a national publishing, event and research company focused on information technology in the public sector.  For more information on e.Republic visit www.erepublic.com

e.Republic’s Converge Named Great Media Web Site

e.Republic’s online education technology strategy and leadership medium has been named one of BtoB Media Business’s “Ten Great Media Web Sites”.  In its September issue, Media Business showcases Convergemag.com, which relaunched in April, with a broad new focus on education issues.  With its increase in articles, blogs, and visual upgrades, the site increased its page views 32% in the first three months after relaunch.

Dennis McKenna, CEO of eRepublic, said, “Our editorial and web design teams have done a fantastic job in content, functionality and aesthetics for the site’s audience. We are very proud of the recognition.”

Convergemag.com is the online vehicle for Converge magazine, a premier resource for information about the best use of technology in K-12 and higher education. 

Emergency Management Site Launched

 

A great story about our new Emergency Management website just ran in BtoB Media Business. The important thing about this new web property is its usefulness to those in the public sector who work in the field of disaster preparedness and response.

As technology is constantly evolving, it’s vital that planners and first responders have access to the newest advances. As private sector companies develop smarter tools that government can then integrate with existing technologies, the results are faster response times and coordinated efforts which serve citizens well. The purpose of EM is to profile these developments and offer comprehensive useable data on new and better solutions.

We are very excited to have it up and running.

e.Republic Sponsors IJIS Innovation Award

Steve Barger, Intergraph, Paul Wormeli, Executive Director IJIS Institute, Bill Hobgood, City of Richmond VA Project Manager, Marty Pastula, VP Emergency Management, e.Republic.

e.Republic recently sponsored the IJIS (Integrated Justice Information Systems) Institute’s annual Innovation Award which recognizes technical innovation which significantly contributes to the advancement of integration and interoperability in a justice, public safety, or homeland security project or program.

The award was presented to the City of Richmond, Department of Information Technology team and Intergraph, the company which is the provider of Richmond’s computer aided dispatch system (CAD).

The award is the result of public safety joint project between the Richmond team and Intergraph. Named the External Alarm Interface Exchange (EAIE), it enables alarm companies to transmit alarm event data directly to Richmond’s 9-1-1 Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP), thus eliminating telephone calls and reducing errors and response time.  As a result of EAIE, Richmond has had over 6,750 fewer telephone calls from alarm companies, thereby freeing up valuable resources for other calls.

It’s a win/win for everyone, especially citizens who get better service from both sides – their home alarm companies and government.

e.Republic Launches Emergency Management Website

e.Republic has just launched a new website for emergency management, public safety and homeland security officials in the state and local government. It’s the online vehicle of Emergency Management magazine, eRepublic’s award-winning quarterly focused on information technology solutions and best practices for all-hazard preparedness and response.

Formerly hosted on eRepublic’s Government Technology site, www.emergencymgmt.com moves to its own web presence and delivers a broad expanse of editorial coverage, including:

• Disaster Preparedness and Recovery
• Public Safety & Homeland Security
• Critical Infrastructure Protection
• Public Health
• Grants and Policy
• Education & Training

New blogs address the areas of
• Alerts & Notifications
• Crisis Communications
• Disaster Zone

Marty Pastula, Vice President, Emergency Management and Homeland Security, said, “The emergency management landscape is quickly evolving and so are we. As our mission is to help this vital and important community of 1st Responders with innovative solutions which empower their roles in protecting the public, we’ve expanded our coverage of best practices and best-of breed solutions. Our new website will be an important resource for this entire community.”

About Emergency Management
Emergency Management is the first “all-hazards” leadership publication to address the entire intergovernmental community of stakeholders with timely editorial insight and expertise to support their mission-critical roles in joint operations and planning. Emergency Management is published by e.Republic, Inc., the nation’s leading publishing, research, event, and new media company focused on information technology for the state/local government and education markets.

e.Republic Magazines Win Nine Editorial and Design Awards

e.Republic is celebrating nine editorial and design awards from two recent major magazine competitions. The American Society of Business Publication Editors’ 31st Annual Azbee Awards of Excellence handed out eight Editorial and Design awards to e.Republic’s Public CIO, Government Technology and Emergency Management magazines, five of which were Gold in their respective categories. With another Gold won at the Trade Association Business Publications International (TABPI), awards, it brought the total to nine.

“We are ecstatic over these newest awards,” said Dennis McKenna, CEO of e.Republic. “Our editorial and design teams have proven again that they are among the top professionals in this business. They have our highest regards and we congratulate them on their superb work.”

Four Gold Awards for e.Republic Magazines in Editorial and Design

The American Society of Business Publication Editors (ASBPE) just awarded four regional (West) awards to e.Republic’s Government Technology and Public CIO magazines, two for editorial and two for design. The ASBPE’s are considered by many as the industry’s most prestigious level of recognition in magazine excellence.

In addition to the ASBPE Gold award for the “Killer Ap” Government Technology cover, the same cover also just won Gold at the Tabbie awards in Digital Imagery. Entries for the Tabbies came from all parts of the world, including India, South Africa, Singapore and Canada and are put on by the Trade Association Business Publications International (TABPI) which encourages dedication to editorial ethics and excellence.

Our editorial and design teams are simply the best to be found.

ASBPE Design Awards
Front Cover-Computer Generated
West Gold
GT Cover – Killer App
Government Technology

Opening Page/Spread-Illustration
West Bronze
Illustration – ITIL
Public CIO

ASBPE Editorial Awards
Regular Column, Contributed
West Gold
Straight Talk
Public CIO

Individual/Organization Profile
West Gold
Consolidation Chiefs
Public CIO

TABBIE Design Awards
Front Cover, Digital Imagery
Gold
Killer App
Government Technology

Champion Ironman Triathlete to Speak at Digital Government Summits

Mark Allen, 6-Time World Champion of the Ironman Triathlon, will speak at three upcoming Digital Government Summits to be held in Missouri, Indiana and Maryland in the next week. The Summits were created to foster conversations among state and local government managers, executives and policy makers on using information technology as a strategic tool.

Considering the tough decisions to be made by government officials in these particularly difficult times, it seems appropriate to have Allen tell his story of how he faced and overcame obstacles to win six consecutive Ironman championships – an event said to be the most difficult one-day sporting event in the world.