AT Newsletter Volume 3, September 2020

 
 
AT Tech Tips
 
 
Virtual Conference Preparedness
 
by Ben Kalkwarf
 
Since all of our customers are moving to online events, we are gaining additional insight regarding preparations for customers that the online conference vendors are not always providing.  When streaming video to a conference, the equipment you use can make the difference between success and failure. Video streaming can be very different for a virtual conference than it is for a Zoom meeting, so do not assume that your conference will work because Zoom works well for you and your team. When planning for a video streaming conference, we recommend the following:
  1. Request hardware and network requirements from the streaming vendor as early as possible.
  2. Provide these requirements to AT so we can evaluate existing equipment.  New laptop orders can take up to a month during this pandemic so make sure to provide enough time.
  3. Test video streaming at least two weeks in advance. Two weeks is the minimal amount of time needed to make changes to computers, network equipment, internet connectivity or other variables. Upgrading office or home internet could take longer than two weeks, so testing as early as possible is vital to ensuring success.
 
 
Partner Showcase
 
 
   
 
An Integrated Learning Experience with iMIS

Providing your members with successful education programs demands an association LMS designed to meet your needs. CourseStage LMS by Web Courseworks is an award-winning learning management system built specifically to handle continuing education and professional development activities of associations. Web Courseworks has more than 20 years of integration expertise and our out-of-the-box integration with iMIS enables our clients to deliver customized learning experiences to their members, track users’ success, and make data-driven decisions.

CourseStage LMS seamlessly integrates with all versions of iMIS via SSO, eliminating the need for learners to re-enter their login information, ensuring a smooth user experience. Accurate learner data from the LMS is written back to iMIS in real-time, so your AMS remain your system of record and learner information and profile data stays clean, complete, and accurate. Our eCommerce integration lets you offer your education products through iMIS, allowing instant access of courses purchased without leaving the LMS. 
Powerful course authoring and adaptive learning features coupled with social learning functionalities and built-in assessment authoring in one intuitive interface are just some of the reasons why CourseStage LMS leads the pack in eLearning technologies. But don’t take our word for it – hear what the executive leadership of small associations and large enterprises have to say about Web Courseworks, CourseStage LMS, and our suite of products and services.

“Web Courseworks was instrumental in moving our Certified Foodservice Professional Program’s education and exam from a labor-intensive, manual process to complete online delivery.”
-    Dawn Parker, Vice President of Programs and Partnerships at North American Association of Food Equipment Manufacturers (NAFEM), iMIS Client
Link: https://webcourseworks.com/what-our-customers-say/

To learn about more of our partners click HERE
 
 
Delightful Employee Spotlight
 
 
Ben Kalkwarf
 
Director, Infrastructure and Onboarding
 
Ben began as an intern with AT in June, 2000 while he was going to school for mechanical engineering at Valparaiso University.  He enjoyed the internship so much that he changed his major to Information Technology and transferred to Roosevelt University so he could continue to work at AT (and perhaps in small part to be closer to his girlfriend). Upon graduation in June, 2002, Ben transitioned to a full time position at AT.  What Ben enjoys most about his role is getting to work with people. His favorite project to date was building an entire infrastructure for a new $23mil building for ASGE. It was really fun to be able to design everything from the ground up and work within a budget to put all the pieces together.  

And now a few questions to get to know a little more about Ben: 

What hobbies or interests do you have outside of work:
Biking, weight-lifting, model trains, woodworking, micro-computers, hot rods and being a handyman both at home and his in-laws' house

What is your silver lining to the pandemic? 
Spending more time with the family and not being so rushed to get to all the activities has been great and he enjoys seeing his kids (Caroline 7, Jim 9, and Allison 10) while he is working at home.   
 
Favorite place he has traveled to:  
Ben has enjoyed Disney trips with his family (both on his honeymoon and later with the kids) but also loved his vacation to Rome and Venice, Italy.  He is intrigued by ancient history and enjoyed visiting ancient locations frequently referenced in books and on TV.
 
Final fun fact:
Ben's wife Amy was his high school sweetheart and his kids will attend Prospect High School as he and Amy did.  

To learn more about the rest of our team click HERE
 
 
 
Service Showcase
 
 
Introducing Integration Station
We have developed and packaged a set of cloud based tools to improve customer service and staff efficiency collectively called Integration Station. 

AT Authorizer - a simple industry standard single sign-on integration that leverages the iMIS credentialing across platforms making iMIS the driver for authenticating with your third party systems
AT Virtualizer - effortlessly takes your iMIS events and creates meetings or webinars in both Zoom and GoToMeeting, eliminating duplicate data entry
AT Recognizer - takes your incoming calls from the 3CX VOIP system and automatically opens iMIS with corresponding member record, making your customer service team efficient wherever they work
AT Tracker - an integration that provides delivery details on your iMIS marketing efforts by monitoring email flow between iMIS, Mailgun, and your members

To find out more about our new Integration Station, contact Jim Meyers (jmeyers@assctech.com) or your application consultant.
 
 
Training Tidbits
 
Become A Security Threat Sleuth
Security threats in the IT world are ever-evolving. Twenty years ago, we all wanted to avoid the embarrassment of the Melissa virus, and now we need to protect our organizations from data loss or financial loss from ransomware. This change has accelerated over the past 18 months, requiring additional vigilance. Please join us to gain an understanding of the sophisticated adversaries and the risks they pose to your organization.

Wednesday, October 7, 2020, 10:00AM-11:00AM (CDT)

REGISTER 
 
 
Industry News
 
 
New Nonprofit Looks to Strengthen the Security Workforce
Two security trade groups join forces to build a nonprofit aimed at boosting employment in the industry. Also: why the Senate filibuster is a hot topic in the advocacy world ahead of the 2020 election.

Read More
 
The Potential Headache Apple Could Create For Virtual Events
Apple’s recent conflicts over the size of the cut it takes from iOS App Store developers potentially reflects problems the App Store could create for digital-only offerings such as virtual events. It’s a situation associations should keep an eye on.
 
Read More
 
We have an extensive archive of industry related articles
available on our website, click HERE to access them. 
 
 
Upcoming Events
 
OCTOBER
7
10:00 AM CDT
REGISTER
Become a Security Threat Sleuth
Location: Virtual

Security threats in the IT world are ever-evolving. Twenty years ago, we all wanted to avoid the embarrassment of the Melissa virus, and now we need to protect our organizations from data loss or financial loss from ransomware.  This change has accelerated over the past 18 months, requiring additional vigilance.  Please join us to gain an understanding of the sophisticated adversaries and the risks they pose to your organization.
 
OCTOBER 
15
1:00 PM CDT
REGISTER
AT iMIS Power-User Training Class
Location: Virtual

The class will meet for approximately an hour each week for nine weeks covering all the key modules in iMIS. Registrants will learn how to use the tools built into iMIS and each participant will have access to a test environment to practice and complete homework assignments.
 
OCTOBER
21 & 22
9:00 AM - 12:00 PM CDT
REGISTER
Association Forum-The Mighty Associations Marketing Conference
Location: Virtual

This year, communicators are performing their roles through the lens of a global pandemic.  This brings plenty of new challenges for attracting and retaining members, maintaining engagement, and staying relevant in this new landscape.  This two half-day conference is designed for senior-level marketers and communicators who want to learn how to increase their results in a year that they couldn't have planned for. 
 
 
 

Twitter