ProfNet Experts Available on Cloud Computing, Non-Traditional Banks, Mobile Payments, More

Also in This Edition: Jobs for Writers, Media Industry Blog Posts

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Aug 17, 2015, 11:39 ET

NEW YORK, Aug. 17, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Below are experts from the ProfNet network that are available to discuss timely issues in your coverage area.

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EXPERT ALERTS

The Cost of Cloud
Applying for a Loan With a Non-Traditional Bank
Selecting the Right Business Credit Card
Mobile Payment Technology
Preventing Credit Card Fraud

MEDIA JOBS

Editor – ABF Journal (PA)
Staff Writer – e.Republic (CA)
Financial Writers – InvestorPlace Media (MD)

OTHER NEWS & RESOURCES

Periscope 101: How to Broadcast Street Journalism From Your Phone
How to Interview and Capture Details in the Digital Age
PR Newswire Media Moves, Aug. 17 Edition

EXPERT ALERTS:

The Cost of Cloud
Deirdre Mahon
CMO
CloudCruiser
"It's crucial that businesses understand that cloud solutions are not necessarily the answer to all infrastructure problems. Like all technologies, even the cloud has some limits in terms of application -- it has a specific set of capabilities and payoffs that have to be measured against the real and ongoing needs of a business. The low-cost promise of cloud is so attractive, many organizations 'jump in' quickly without evaluating long-term investments. Even though cloud capacity may appear unlimited, IT budgets are not. There are cost implications and very quickly the bills start to rise. Our survey found that 72% of IT decision makers found that cloud usage and costs are extremely or very important to their IT function. As the hybrid cloud becomes the norm, proactively tracking and managing all costs in this complex environment will become more and more challenging. In order to realize the promises of the cloud, budget optimization is a crucial component."
Cloud Cruiser offers cloud financial management solutions that maximize freedom of choice for those transitioning to the cloud by providing dynamic financial intelligence, chargeback, and multi-tenant cloud billing across heterogeneous IT environments. Uniquely architected for hybrid IT, Cloud Cruiser automatics the collection and aggregation of IT costs and revenue across any public cloud, private cloud or traditional IT environment; delivers clear, actionable cloud financial intelligence via self-service, pay-as-you-go cloud billing, hybrid IT showback and chargeback, granular P&L analytics, proactive cost controls, and agile pricing models; and enables innovations such as IT as a Service, private cloud funding models, and the migration to hybrid IT.
Contact: JoAnn Yamani, [email protected]

Applying for a Loan With a Non-Traditional Bank
Hunter Stunzi
Co-Founder and President
SnapCap
"If you want to apply for a loan with a non-traditional lender, gather your financial statements, employment records, and business plan to submit to the institution. This information should reflect steady growth in recent months, as well as the potential for more growth in the future. You don't have to worry about supplying the title to your car or the deed to your house. You simply need to show that you can, in fact, make payments on a loan. If you can prove that, you can get funding."
Stunzi is responsible for the overall vision and strategic direction of SnapCap.com. The inspiration behind SnapCap comes from his view that bank lending has become far too complicated. After graduating from the College of Charleston, he started a small ticket B2B leasing company that fell victim to the financial crisis. From there, he joined Wells Fargo and was quickly promoted to senior credit manager, distinguishing himself as a top loan producer in the southeast market. During his time at Wells Fargo, he developed a robust understanding of bank credit and the lending process. More recently, he worked as a financial advisor with Bank of America Merrill Lynch. While at Merrill Lynch, Stunzi met his current business partner, Chris Mettler, who runs CompareCards.com, a leading online credit card comparison website. In view of the hybrid finance revolution made possible by advances in technology, Stunzi and Mettler built SnapCap.com to create a user-friendly lending platform that focuses less on a business owner's credit score and more on the health of their business. He is available to discuss small business, entrepreneurship, business strategy and operations, small-business loans, alternative lending.
Website: http://www.snapcap.com
Contact: Melanie Mathos, [email protected]

Selecting the Right Business Credit Card
Chris Mettler
Co-Founder and Senior VP of Operations
SnapCap
Business credit cards come in all shapes and sizes these days. No two cards are likely the same. Lines of credit, rates, and the terms of conditions of each card could vary greatly even within the same company. Giving yourself a good assessment before you start your search for your card will immediately cut your search time by more than half. Will your business need a high credit limit or will you carry a balance, large or small? Will you be able to pay off your balance monthly? Will you be able to benefit from rewards or travel miles? All of these questions are key to your decision and should be sorted out well ahead of time of your search, but will make that search painless. Knowing your business plan before you act will also likely determine how your fee and rate structure will look. Being accurate will get you the best rates for your business."
Mettler is responsible for the overall business operations of SnapCap.com. His experience in the financial industry began as a loan officer for SunTrust Bank and more recently has involved overseeing the growth of the second largest consumer credit card comparison website, CompareCards.com. He is also the founder of Iron Horse Holdings Co, an internet marketing company focused on building Web-based technology brands that drive end-user value in vertical markets. Prior to working in the financial services industry, Mettler was a business unit manager for Illinois Tool Works, a global Fortune 200 company. In 2000, he sold a comparison search software company to Q-Interactive, now a leading consumer savings destination. He is a graduate of Vanderbilt University and holds an MBA in business strategy from Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management. He can discuss financial literacy, money management, credit cards, small business, alternative lending, and entrepreneurship.
Website: http://www.snapcap.com
Contact: Melanie Mathos, [email protected]

Mobile Payment Technology
Tom Kerr
Contributor
Compare Cards
"Mobile payment technology is still in its infancy and is not yet bulletproof. Hackers are sophisticated, too, and the malware protection for mobile apps can still have serious vulnerabilities in the protection it offers. Phones themselves are not particularly secure either; when you use a smartphone for wireless payment transactions, you are dealing with several kinds of technology that have to all work together in a seamless but secure way."
For more than a decade, Kerr has been a published, award-winning writer, author and journalist. His work has been published on six continents and appeared in such U.S. publications as Newsweek, Chicago Tribune, and Houston Business Journal. His writing experience has enabled him to expertly research and condense complex subjects into an easy-to-understand format for CompareCard customers. He thus devotes most of his articles for the CompareWallet blog to explaining such subjects as smartcard devices, the fine print of credit cards, navigating reward programs, and utilizing mobile money apps. He is available to discuss credit cards, credit card reward programs, and utilizing mobile money apps.
Website: http://www.comparecards.com
Contact: Melanie Mathos, [email protected]

Preventing Credit Card Fraud
Kari Luckett
Editor
CompareCards
"Unless you've been living under a rock, it's obvious that credit card fraud is a major issue in the U.S. Behind security and rewards, the next biggest concern is on other issues that may be associated with digital wallet use. Almost all credit cards that require good-to-excellent credit come with added benefits and features. This includes things like lost luggage reimbursement, auto rental insurance, extended warranty, emergency travel assistance, travel insurance, and more. However, in order for the consumer to benefit from those features, they must make their purchases using that specific credit card."
Luckett joined CompareCards in 2012 and brings years of experience in writing, editing, and content creation with her. A graduate of Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville with a BA in Mass Communications and a minor in Business Administration, Luckett is able to translate the complicated credit card industry to the common consumer. She contributes articles on credit card rewards, developing industry technology, and saving with credit cards to Entrepreneur, The Huffington Post, and the CompareWallet blog. She can discuss credit card rewards, developing credit card industry technology, and saving with credit cards.
Website: http://www.comparecards.com
Contact: Melanie Mathos, [email protected]

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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/

Editor – ABF Journal (PA)
Staff Writer – e.Republic (CA)
Financial Writers – InvestorPlace Media (MD)

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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.

PERISCOPE 101: HOW TO BROADCAST STREET JOURNALISM FROM YOUR PHONE. Periscope is a game changer. It's Twitter taken to new heights. Information flows in real time, but with an authentic, visual glimpse of what eyewitnesses are experiencing on the ground. In order to stay competitive, reporters need to embrace social reporting technology like this. Here are a few ways you can use it: http://prn.to/1f8d81p
HOW TO INTERVIEW AND CAPTURE DETAILS IN THE DIGITAL AGE. In a digital-first news landscape, journalists are providing instant content on social media while simultaneously producing in-depth coverage. It may seem impossible to balance the need for expediency with the desire for enterprise storytelling, but these two things are not necessarily in conflict. Justin George of the Baltimore Sun (who also makes an appearance on the "Serial" podcast) explains how social media can act as a modern-day notepad to report stories more deeply: http://prn.to/1N7QkO5
PR NEWSWIRE MEDIA MOVES, AUG. 17 EDITION. PR Newswire's weekly audience research newsletter, PR Newswire's Media Moves, is chock-full of media news and job changes. In this week's issue, you'll read updates on The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, The Atlantic, CNN Money, Forbes, Mashable, Los Angeles Times, Chicago Sun-Times and more: http://prn.to/1hHIzS8