ProfNet Experts Available on Technology in Insurance and Healthcare, VR and Drones, IT Security, More

NEW YORK, March 20, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Below are experts from the ProfNet network who are available to discuss timely issues in your coverage area.

You can also submit a query to the hundreds of thousands of experts in our network – it's easy and free! Just fill out the query form to get started: http://prn.to/queryform

EXPERT ALERTS

• Disruptive Technology in the Insurance Industry
• Healthcare Technology and Analytics
• The Emergence of VR and Drones in the Design + Build Industry
• Fed's Decision on Interest Rates
• The Importance of IT Security
• DDoS and the IoT: A Year of Living Dangerously – or Will Users Finally Take Charge?

MEDIA JOBS

• Reporter, Product Liability - Reuters
• Reporter, Chemical Markets - ICIS Americas
• Personal Finance Content Writer - Student Loan Hero

OTHER NEWS & RESOURCES

• The Secret Sauce: Hearst Experts Share 9 Strategies for Social Media Success
• The President and Press Freedom: Making the Case for Open Access to Government Information
• Top Secret: How Journalists Protect Confidential Tips and Document Drops

EXPERT ALERTS:

Disruptive Technology in the Insurance Industry
Samir Ahmed 
Principal and Senior Architect
X by 2, LLC
"In the insurance industry, be it Life, Health, or P&C, the need to innovate is dire. Disruption is the word of the hour. Discussions around innovations in core systems, business processes, omnichannel experience for producers and policyholders, and digitization abound. The common thread weaving through all of these discussions is the role of technology: it's expected to lead the charge. And why shouldn't it? Technologies such as social networking, mobile computing, big data, neural networks, machine learning, and artificial intelligence, are all expected to disrupt the marketplace, and pay big dividends to those willing to make the bet."
Ahmed is available to discuss insurance technology, core systems implementation and modernization, auxiliary business applications, enterprise integration, data warehousing, analytics and reporting. Previously, his work on these topics have appeared in Insurance Thought Leadership, InformationWeek, and Insurance Networking News.
Website: http://xby2.com/
Media Contact: Audra Wait, [email protected]

Healthcare Technology and Analytics
Qasim Hussain
Principal and Senior Architect
X by 2, LLC
The role of technology in the healthcare industry is rapidly evolving. Says Hussain: "What's really driving innovation faster in healthcare is the fact that there are dollars and cents clearly associated with analytics. When there is a line of sight to how you can make more revenue, that pushes innovation faster. My theory is, the healthcare industry is underinvested in technology infrastructure."
Hussain is available to discuss healthcare technology - claims and clinical analytic/reporting, BI, enterprise data warehousing, EHR, portals, membership/provider/claims systems.
Website: http://xby2.com/
Media Contact: Audra Wait, [email protected]

The Emergence of VR and Drones in the Design + Build Industry
Jesse Fowler
President 
Tellus Design + Build
Project visualization in the Design and Build process has been brought to new depths with the help of virtual reality (VR) and drone technology. Fowler likens this revolutionary phase to when 3D Renderings and Animations became cost-effective enough to use on nearly every job type. Says Fowler: "These new technologies create such an incredible perspective for many people who, like most, have a difficult time visualizing from a 2D plan set. Drones and VR allow [them] to actually 'enter' a real space during the process, allowing for greater customization and client satisfaction."
Fowler is the author of Construction Confidential (http://blog.tellusdesignbuild.com/), a blog exposé for tips and tricks to save people time and money on their design and build projects.
Website: www.tellusdesignbuild.com
Media Contact: Dani Miles, [email protected]

Fed's Decision on Interest Rates
Bob DeYoung
Professor of Business
University of Kansas
DeYoung is available to discuss issues surrounding the Fed's decision on interest rates this week and into the future: "The Fed is reverting to its more traditional mission of price stability. Should the economy pick up speed over the coming year, the Fed will begin switching to 'inflation fighter' mode."
DeYoung, the Capitol Federal Distinguished Professor in Financial Markets and Institutions in the KU School of Business, is a former Federal Reserve economist. Co-editor of the Journal of Money, Credit and Banking, DeYoung is a leading scholar on performance, practice and regulation in the banking industry.
Contact: George Diepenbrock, [email protected]

The Importance of IT Security
Robert Douglas 
President/Head of IT
PlanetMagpie 
Fremont, CA
"As the world grows more dependent on IT, security becomes the number one issue for businesses and individuals alike. Malware, hacking, data leaks, and phishing scams...all threats that everyone must know about. Before it's too late. From secure password generation, to enforcing security policies among employees, to fighting malware and ransomware directly, security is only as good as the methods you put in place."
Douglas has over 30 years of experience in IT security, specializing in building IT security at every level, as well as cloud storage and Microsoft solutions. He has consulted directly with Microsoft, IBM, Novell; and is also cited as professional source by CNN Money, Fast Company, and San Jose Business Times.
Website: http://www.planetmagpie.com
Media Contact: Mike Calahan, [email protected]

DDoS and the IoT: A Year of Living Dangerously – or Will Users Finally Take Charge?
Adam Stern
Founder and CEO
Infinitely Virtual
Los Angeles, Calif.
As the Internet of Things (IoT) worms its way into American households, the 46-billion unit question is, "Who's minding the store?" That uncertainty looms as the source of significant -- but preventable -- distress for businesses and individuals, according to Stern. The defining trend for 2017, Stern says, is the weaponization of the IoT. While Americans loaded up on connected consumer electronics goodies during the holidays, for users of Twitter, Airbnb and Reddit – among other major online destinations – last Oct. 21 was a different kind of black Friday. An enormous DNS attack took those sites down, in the latest of what continues to be an onslaught of hacks and Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) events. The eclectic mix of devices individuals and industry have labored to connect has grown massively – and without adequate security protocols. A recent Juniper Research forecast estimates the number of connected IoT devices will exceed 46 billion by 2021. Massive volumetric attacks, like the DNS hack, are new and particularly troubling, and no single firewall can stop them -- especially when the attacks are emanating from IoT-linked devices, as they were in this case. Terminator-like, this insidious "rise of the machines" means that virtually every intelligent device, from a flat-screen TV to a garage-door opener to a rain controller, can be commandeered for a DDoS attack.
Says Stern: "Suddenly, there is peril in the seemingly benign things we own and, in some cases, love. While no one can predict the timing or the severity of the next attack, users won't find themselves entirely defenseless in 2017. Look for volumetric attack protection technology to take center stage. This technology represents a new model for real-time DDoS mitigation through the automatic analysis of DDoS alerts and deployment of routing commands to ensure that immediate action is taken when legitimate DDoS attacks are detected – all without any human intervention."
Stern founded Infinitely Virtual in 2007 to provide virtual dedicated server solutions to growing enterprises, offering what was essentially a cloud computing platform before the term existed. Stern's company helps businesses move from obsolete hardware investments to an IaaS cloud platform, providing them the flexibility and scalability to transition select data operations from in-house to the cloud. Stern holds a B.S. degree in business administration and management from California State University, Northridge.
Website: http://www.infinitelyvirtual.com
Twitter: @iv_cloudhosting
Contact: Ken Greenberg, [email protected]

MEDIA JOBS:

Following are links to job listings for staff and freelance writers, editors and producers. You can view these and more job listings on our Job Board: https://prnmedia.prnewswire.com/community/jobs/

• Reporter, Product Liability - Reuters
• Reporter, Chemical Markets - ICIS Americas
• Personal Finance Content Writer - Student Loan Hero

OTHER NEWS & RESOURCES:

Following are links to other news and resources we think you might find useful. If you have an item you think other reporters would be interested in and would like us to include in a future alert, please drop us a line at [email protected]

• THE SECRET SAUCE: HEARST EXPERTS SHARE 9 STRATEGIES FOR SOCIAL MEDIA SUCCESS. It seems simple enough: Satisfying your core audience while continuing to offer trending and relevant content. A panel of social media experts with three Hearst titles — Esquire, Marie Claire, and Elle – recently tackled this subject, during a Social Media Week New York panel this month. http://bit.ly/2neS95a
• THE PRESIDENT AND PRESS FREEDOM: MAKING THE CASE FOR OPEN ACCESS TO GOVERNMENT INFORMATION. When it comes to covering government officials, there's one person who holds the key to access: The communications officer. Press secretaries and communications officers are the gatekeepers to their principals. Sometimes, they monitor interviews; they also may select those who will be handed a story. Access control isn't new, but the manner and tone in which it's being carried out in today's White House is different. http://bit.ly/2mZJa7B
• TOP SECRET: HOW JOURNALISTS PROTECT CONFIDENTIAL TIPS AND DOCUMENT DROPS. It's a sign of the times: Many news agencies in Washington now are accepting various forms of leaked information. It used to be that anonymous tips would come through a phone call or snail mail. Now, journalists are using apps that encrypt text messages from sources, and many media agencies are promoting secure document drops. Read more: http://bit.ly/2lYcd7a

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