Tracks for Education, Cities and Towns, and Libraries shape the content for 2021
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Attendees will be meeting…
MHEC Annual Member Meeting, Nov. 4, 2021
8:00 – 8:50 am
The hour prior to the MHEC Conference is a “don’t miss” opportunity to hear from the MHEC team about actions and direction that the MHEC is taking on behalf of its members. Topics to be covered include: consortium financials, key initiatives, timelines, and impacts on member engagement and member purchasing efforts. This is the perfect tee-up to the conference and will put many of the things you will be learning in context. So grab your coffee and join us!
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Attendees will be talking…
Next week on Nov. 4, MHEC will be holding its first multi-track, educational conference that promises to have members talking and taking away information from 18 sessions on topics that were identified by our members as important to their purchasing roles.
Two important MHEC initiatives that are real “game-changers” will be the subject of two “must-attend” sessions capping off the day:
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MHEC-UMass: Partnering to Transform How Organizations Purchase Technology 3:00 – 4:00 pm
Speakers:
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David Cho
Chief Procurement Officer, UMass
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Michael Di Yeso
Executive Director, MHEC
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This important session provides the vision and the practical details of the Value Added Reseller (VAR) technology contract. This contract is a collaborative effort between UMass and MHEC and was created to bring economies of scale to purchases of high-end technology products and services. The contract ensures accountability, compliance, and proactive vendor management and is available for all MHEC members, in every sector, making it a “must attend” session either at the live event or through viewing the recording of the session. |
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Contract Q&A, 4:00 - 4:30 pm
Following David and Michael’s presentation and Q&A, Alex Therkelsen (Strategic Sourcing Manager for MHEC IT contracts) and Pam Giordano (UMass UPST Contracts Specialist) will address questions specifically about the contract.
This session will be of particular interest to your IT team.
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Coming! Item-Level buying from MHEC contracts with EqualLevel, 3:00 – 4:00 pm
Speaker: Ira Golden
Vice President Product Management
EqualLevel
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In the past 18 months, MHEC has made a concerted effort in defining and addressing member needs. Many of you may recall the surveys we sent, the interviews we held and the usability study we conducted. You will have seen the evidence of our acting on those results in our rebranding, our new website, contract information hubs called Contract Landing Pages. Now, we would like to introduce you to a new buying platform we are launching called EqualLevel. This platform enables you to simply “pick and click” to buy products or services we have on contract. This is a game changer! This workshop will demonstrate how it works and discuss the timeline for rollout, differences between approaches, and advantages that will make your jobs simpler! |
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Attendees will be qualifying…
Procurement professionals needing continuing education credits to maintain their MCPPO standing have had a difficult time finding events to attend due to the pandemic reducing the number of educational opportunities. This year’s MHEC member conference provides 13 sessions that the IG office has verified will qualify toward these credits. Visit the MHEC member conference site to view the day-at-a-glance with icons designating which ones were approved.
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If you have any questions regarding the conference, please contact Terry Erman, Director of Marketing, at terman@mhec.net or Christina Betances-Orrell, Marketing Director, at cbetances-orrell@mhec.net.
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October is Cybersecurity Month! |
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What is the Dark Web, exactly?
Use S03: IT Project Services, Business and Technical Services
By now we’ve all heard of the dark web, but it’s often misunderstood. From illegally obtained data to human trafficking sites, the dark web is not for the faint of heart. It's important to take precautions against having your information accessed by dangerous forces.
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Cybersecurity Sessions at next week's Member Conference
If issues like the one discussed in the dark web article above are on your radar screen, you can learn more Thursday, Nov. 4, at our annual member conference. These TECHNOLOGY FOCUS sessions will provide greater insights in to threats and how to protect against them.
Registration to the MHEC annual member conference is free for members. Please share the following sessions with your IT and cyber security colleagues. Secure access to these live and recorded sessions by registering today.
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cities and towns track
9:00 – 9:50 am
Cybercriminals are extorting our cities, towns, schools, and municipalities – Now what?
Speaker: John D. Flory III, CIO, Harbor Network
The pace of data breaches has reached epic proportions. Organizations large and small, in every industry, are falling victim to hackers, hacktivists and nation states. Your intellectual property, private data and bank accounts have never been at greater risk; it's not if, but when your organization will be victimized. Developing and maintaining an effective cybersecurity program with a proactive Incident Response plan/team has never been more important. This session will present an in-depth look at current tactics that the cybercriminals are using to steal our private data, and then how they are using that information to extort us. We will be exploring the best ways to combat these tactics with proactive defenses.
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education track
10:00 – 10:50 am
Distributed Denial of Service: What is it and how to prepare?
Speakers: Jeff Bajgot, Whalley Computer Associates, Andy Shoemaker, NimbusDDos, and Jag Bains, CTO, DOSarrest Internet Security, Link11
A Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) is typically where multiple machines operating together (a botnet of compromised internet-connected devices) are directed to attack one target in your network. As the number of poorly managed Internet of Things (IoT) devices have increased, so has the ability of an individual actor to take down your network using them. DDoS attacks can vary in scope, size and duration and is something school district technology leaders must understand and prepare for. Attacks have been increasing and we have seen school networks targeted often. Internet access is a mission critical learning tool, and any loss of Internet access is like losing electricity and impacts everyone. As part of your disaster preparedness and recovery plan, DDoS should be included, and mitigation strategies put in place.
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REGISTRATION ALERT
As a service to our members, we are recording all conference sessions for viewing by those who are registered but unable to attend. To view the live sessions or recordings, you must register prior to the conference. Register once and get access to all.
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contract updates
Contract addenda issued for the following contracts:
B14 - Athletics: Gym & Field
G02 - Exterior Maintenance, Equipment, Repair, Supplies and Service
G10 - Domestic and International Mail and Parcel Delivery Services
G19 - Facilities: Maintenance, Repair & Operations (MRO)
K02 - Translation and Interpretation
L51- Library: Books and Media
S04 - Staffing and Executive Search
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413-545-4669
100 University Drive, Suite 1
Amherst, MA 01002
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