Original Posting 24.01.17

This post is for leaders that are trying to understand the role of social media in their professional lives.

As a lifelong learner and a technology leader in my 50's, the current environment of communications poses many challenges, as well as opportunities. It has never been harder, in my lifetime, to separate the wheat from the chaff.

However, I am convinced of one thing. It is at a leader's peril to not develop an understanding of and proficiency in social media. This is true for those in technology, education, manufacturing, non-profits, government - actually for everyone. It is not just career peril I refer to, it is organizational peril as well. We have only to look at the last couple presidential elections to see the results. Or the companies who are having more successful financial results. Or the non-for-profits that are achieving their strategic goals. A recent article the Nonprofit Quarterly’s Winter 2016 edition, “Social Media: The New Nonprofit Nonelective” reflects this.

But change is hard. And habits die hard. Many managers and leaders are at a place in their career where it is easier to lean on current strengths and write-off implementing improvements in leveraging operational databases, social media, inbound marketing and sales automation. They rationalize with reasons such as "it doesn't apply to our market" or "we never needed to do it before" or "or customers don't use it; why should we".

But change is happening anyway. So find ways to walk before you run, but start walking. My local community in Rochester, NY has a variety of seminars, professional associations and peer groups to support the journey, and to meet others that are in the same stage of learning. It is a pleasure to share and work with these professionals.

Original Posting 15.06.17

It’s Monday, the children are starting to roll in and you’ve already prepped your area. Scanner plugged in: check; Unsupervised Scan window opened: check; and on top of that, everyone remembered their cards. With all of your i’s dotted and t’s crossed, you waive the child up to the front desk to begin the day’s sign-ins only to realize that after about 10 minutes, your internet-based system doesn’t seem to be registering much, if anything at all. It’s happening again- the system is slowing down right when you need it most; or is it?

One of the common issues that we see over at COMET is that many of our users don’t realize the impact that this influx of users can have on their organization’s internet connection. The above example is for taking attendance, but internet connection speed can impact any software that runs using the internet, impacting the speed of functions such as database searches and reporting. Nowadays, almost everyone has a device that can connect to the internet via Wi-Fi. All those devices connecting to the internet is going to affect the overall speed. This means that when a group of children come in and all of their devices connect to the internet at once, you’ve just split your connection by as many children as there are standing before you. This alone is enough to cause a delay between each scan, meaning that your connection is throttled and can cause some of your scanner data to not register into the system.

What can you do to prevent this?

The first thing that we suggest to our customers experiencing this problem is to do a speed test at www.speedtest.net or do a Google search on “Speed Test” use the service offered by them. We advise you do this at a time when there are no children in the building and then again when the children start to arrive. If you see slower speeds after they’ve shown up, you’ll know that the internet connection is being throttled…

So, what now? If you’re noticing that the connection is slowing down there are a few things that you can look in to. First, reach out to your IT department to see if they would be able to allocate a dedicated portion of the connection to your main PC.  They may even want to look into getting a Dual-Band Wi-Fi router that allows for two separate channels for your internet connection. This way you could have a dedicated Wi-Fi channel for the members (2.4ghz) and one specifically for the staff (5ghz).

Second, you may also want to contact your service provider to see what speeds they would recommend for the number of users you have accessing the internet at one time, in combination with the activities that they are using the Wi-Fi for (streaming media, web browsing, etc.). They have staff dedicated to learning about your operations and recommending the best solution for your needs.

Third, if you’re a COMET customer, contact support! We’d be happy to talk with you in more detail about any difficulties you’re having with internet speed - we’re here to help.

Original Posting 18.10.17

Have you heard about two-factor authentication (2FA)? Do you know if it already is a part of your life? If you do, what do you think about it? Are you happy about it or do you find it annoying? (And the answers you give might be affected by whether you have been a victim of identity theft.)

What is 2FA? Personal credentials to access an account can include a personal identification number (PIN), a password, a pattern, an item (security fob, ATM card, smartphone), a biometric (voice print, finger ID, retinal scan). A typical example of single-factor authentication is entering a username and a password. Two-factor authentication adds a second level of authentication to accessing an account. An example of 2FA is requiring a ZIP code when you use your credit card at the gas station.

So – there is an extra step … that makes me so happy … The organization in charge of account access implements and controls the security of the access. So some companies, suppliers or vendors mandate it, some make it as a configurable option, and others do not have it. And whenever there is an extra step to a process, there will be division as to the value of the step for the account owners. Some willingly do the extra step to protect their account. Others will be annoyed and resent it. (And sometimes they will not be able to login to their own account because they don’t have, or can’t remember the credentials.)

Will 2FA really keep my account secure? 2FA is not a guarantee that accounts will not be accessed by those who should not be accessing them. Hackers, especially with criminal intent, are a clever and committed group. But 2FA is one extra layer of protection beyond a simple login. It does make hacking harder.

What is the way hackers get through 2FA? Every updated approach to account security faces challenges as hackers work to attack the new methods. It’s regrettable, but it is reality. One way that hackers get into accounts is by exploiting the process of account recovery - where a password reset occurs and 2FA is disabled. Another way is getting the credential item (such as the credit card); another is accessing the digital code used in authenticating credentials. Biometric credentials are more secure, but we all have seen the movies that get “creative” about stealing fingerprints. So with these risks, where possible, it is advisable to use 2FA for login access and a separate 2FA for account recovery.

2FA is valuable when it provides increased security along with simple usability It is likely that as more organizations implement 2FA for account security, it will be implemented in a “less annoying” way and will be expected by the account owners in order to access account information (just as single-factor authentication is today). And those using 2FA now find that they are used to it - and it is not very difficult to integrate into their approach to account access. (Such as those of us that get a verification code text on our phone when we login to a new device.) And assuredly, as more adoption of 2FA occurs, it will be continuously improved. "Cyber-security is like a game of chess.. Always trying to predict your opponent's next move." ~ Jason Brundage, Director of COMET Systems Infrastructure COMET security is a critical component of our services – providing continuous system access while protecting customer data. The most stringent technologies, protocols and practices are used in our product development. We are interested in your thoughts on adding two-factor authentication (2FA) to COMET. Click here to respond to a quick survey.

Original Posting 16.01.19

One of the most exciting developments to come from COMET is happening - The COMET Parent Portal! We have a beta version in production and one special customer, GROW Rochester, who is in a pilot rollout phase. We also have secured funding to develop phase 2 of the portal with some exciting additional features - the ability for parents to complete assessments through the portal, a messaging system, the ability to view attendance records, and much more!

The COMET Team is really excited about this project. It's been in design over the last couple years, and now with the pilot we can begin to demonstrate that connecting with parents can make all the difference in the effectiveness of programs. We hope this parent portal will serve as one way for our customers to bridge the gap between home and school, or between home and afterschool. All the research and best practices agree, connecting with parents is critical and truly makes a difference.

We hope you're excited as we are. The parent portal isn't just a new population for us to connect with, we're focused on using new design and technology as well as mobile development, with lots more new things to come. For now, all we can say is that we're diligently working on it, but as timelines for a general rollout are developed we'll be sure to let all our customers know. In the meantime, connect with your Account Manager if you're interested in learning more ASAP - maybe we can arrange a sneak peek for you! Just email support@comet4children.com.

Original Posting 13.08.19

COMET is now implementing The Protective Factors Survey (PFS). This is a 20-item measure in the public domain designed for use with caregivers receiving services such as home visiting, parent education, and family support. It is a pre-post survey completed by the program participants, usually parents or caregivers.

The PFS measures protective factors in five areas:

1. Family functioning/resiliency
2. Social support
3. Concrete support
4. Nurturing and attachment
5. Knowledge of parenting/child development

The survey results are designed to provide agencies with the following information:

• A snapshot of the families they serve
• Changes in protective factors
• Areas where workers can focus on increasing individual family protective factors

Contact us for more details and/or to get access to this instrument.