Employee Spotlight: Virginia Berg

Please join us in extending a warm welcome to Virginia Berg, our new Administrative Assistant at the Great Falls office. Originally hailing from Athens, GA, Virginia brings with her the charm of a Southern Belle. With a rich background, including raising six beautiful children and nearly 10 grandchildren, she pursued her education in accounting while balancing family life. Although she's had a few job experiences that were relatively short-lived, Virginia sees her role at Vision Net as the culmination of her career journey—a position she anticipates being her last and most fulfilling.

We're thrilled to have Virginia join our team, and we look forward to the valuable contributions she will make here at Vision Net!

What made you choose Vision Net? 

Vision Net is a stable and successful company who really cares about their employees.

What are some of the responsibilities you have in your role? 

I help with records management, open the mail, post checks, prepare deposits, and assist the accounting team.

What is an exciting aspect of your role? 

Having a variety of responsibilities and knowing what I am doing makes a difference for everyone else.

What is your favorite movie? 

I honestly do not know / do not have one.

What is your favorite food?

BBQ ribs.

What is your favorite thing about living in Montana? 

The wide-open space and the views.

Do you have any talents or hobbies? 

Cooking. I used to sell plates on the weekends, and I had many regular customers!

We are thrilled to welcome Virginia to the Vision Net team. Her experience and warmth are invaluable additions to our team, and we're excited about the contributions she'll make. Welcome, Virginia!

Employee Spotlight: Sam Leigland

Please join us in welcoming Sam Leigland, our new Installation Tech at the Great Falls office. Sam graduated college with an AAS in Cyber Security. He has worked at Scheels for the last 5 years. In late September, Sam and his wife are expecting a baby boy to join the family. We are excited to have Sam join our team here at Vision Net!

What made you choose Vision Net?

I felt like this company really cared about their employees and provided the best service to their clients.

What are some of the responsibilities you have in your role?

I am the Network Installer so I will be dispatching to sites to install any new hardware, replace old hardware, or just perform any required maintenance on existing hardware.

What is an exciting aspect of your role?

I am excited for a change in career that transitions me over to something that I got my degree for.

What is your favorite movie?

Step Brothers.

What is your favorite food?

Spaghetti.

What is your favorite thing about living in Montana?

Being able to be outdoors year round.

Do you have any talents or hobbies?

My hobbies include riding dirt bikes, snowboarding, skiing, hunting, fishing, camping, hiking, wildlife photography, archery, and precision long range shooting.

Celebrating Inclusivity and Sportsmanship: Vision Net team Volunteers at Special Olympics Montana.

At Vision Net, we believe in the power of community, compassion, and inclusivity. Recently, our team had the incredible privilege of volunteering at the Special Olympics Montana, an event that left a lasting impact on our hearts. In this blog post, we are excited to share our heartwarming experience, the exceptional athletes we had the honor of supporting, and our commitment to a world where everyone is celebrated and valued.

Witnessing Extraordinary Determination

From June 17th to 19th, our team embarked on an unforgettable journey at the Special Olympics Montana. As we stood on the sidelines, we were privileged to witness the extraordinary determination displayed by the athletes. Their unwavering spirit and dedication to their respective sports were nothing short of awe-inspiring. Each athlete showcased their skills, strength, and perseverance, proving that nothing is impossible when you set your mind to it.

Embracing the Spirit of Inclusivity and Sportsmanship

During the event, our team wholeheartedly embraced the core values of the Special Olympics: inclusivity and sportsmanship. From escorting the athletes to cheering them on during their competitions, we immersed ourselves in the vibrant atmosphere filled with camaraderie and support. We were deeply moved by the genuine joy and sense of accomplishment radiating from each athlete as they crossed the finish line or scored a point. It was a reminder that true victory lies not only in winning but in the journey itself.

Gratitude to Special Olympics Montana

We would like to express our sincere gratitude to Special Olympics Montana for allowing us to be a part of this inspiring event. Their unwavering commitment to empowering individuals with special needs is truly commendable. The Special Olympics provides a platform where athletes can showcase their talents, build self-confidence, and create lifelong friendships. We are proud to stand beside the Special Olympics Montana in their pursuit of creating an inclusive and accepting society.

Envisioning a Celebrated and Valued World

Our time at the Special Olympics Montana was a humbling and transformative experience. Witnessing the determination and courage of the athletes inspired us to embrace inclusivity and sportsmanship in all aspects of our lives. We are immensely grateful to Special Olympics Montana for providing us with the opportunity to be part of this remarkable event. To our team members, your compassion and dedication have left an indelible mark on our hearts. Let us continue to celebrate and value every individual as we work towards a future where everyone has an equal chance to shine.

National Cybersecurity Awareness Month

According to Homeland Security, National Cybersecurity Awareness Month (NCSAM) is held every October and it is a collaborative effort between government and industry to raise awareness about the importance of cybersecurity and to ensure that all Americans have the resources they need to be safer and more secure online.

A cyber attack can be defined as an information security threat that involves an attempt to obtain, alter, destroy, remove, implant or reveal information without authorized access or permission. It happens to both individuals and organizations. There are many different kinds of attacks, including but not limited to passive, active, targeted, clickjacking, brandjacking, botnet, phishing, spamming, inside and outside. (Techopedia)

In recent years companies and individuals have been facing the rise of cyber criminals. Recent research shows that half of all Cyber attacks are targeted at small businesses. Big and popular companies are not immune to it either. Check out the greatest data breaches for those companies in US:

Company	Accounts Hacked	Date of Hack
Yahoo!	3 billion	Aug 2013
Marriott	500 million	2014-2018
Yahoo!	500 million	Late 2014
Adult FriendFinder	412 million	Oct 2016
MySpace	360 million	May 2016
Under Armor	150 million	Feb 2018
Equifax	145.5 million	Jul 2017
Ebay	145 million	May 2014
Target	110 million	Nov 2013
Heartland Payment Systems	100+ million	May 2008
LinkedIn	100 million	Jun 2012
Rambler.ru	98 million	Feb 2012
TJX	94 million	2003-2004
AOL	92 million	2004
MyHeritage	92 million	Oct 2017
Sony PlayStation Network	77 million	Apr 2011
JP Morgan Chase	83 million	Jul 2014
Tumblr	65 million	Feb 2013
Uber	57 million	Late 2016
Home Depot	53 million	Apr 2014
Facebook	50 million	Jul 2017

Table by CPM Magazine

Vision Net makes sure to provide training to our employees to avoid data breach and and scams/frauds.

Utilizing carrier grade platforms and systems Vision Net’s Security Suite offers best in class mitigation and protection from an ever-increasing host of cyber threats.

VISION NET'S SECURITY OFFERINGS:

Cylance Protect
Protection is possible using artificial intelligence and machine learning. Cylance identifies malware/scripting/virus before it can execute and prevents advanced threats that traditional anti-virus cannot.

Breach Detection
“Collect-and-analyze” approach to active threat detection.
Step by step recommendations to prioritize the threat, remediate the incident and address the root cause.

Remote Monitoring and Management
Windows patch updates and process monitoring.
Component threshold alarm.

Back Ups
Full image and/or documents only.
Hybrid Solution – local to offsite secure PCI/HIPPA compliant data centers.
Servers and desktops.

Next Generation Firewalls
Palo Alto Networks.
Prevention focused architecture.

Detection of known and unknown threats reduces the risk and prevents a broad range of attacks.

Do you know the risks of a cyber threat to your business? Talk to our team!

Helena Public Schools selects Vision Net's New Fiber Network

We’re thrilled to share that Helena Public Schools has selected Vision Net’s new broadband solution — a 23-mile fiber optic ring surrounding the city — to power its online educational experience. Vision Net singled out Helena last year as an underserved metropolitan area with a need for reliable, high-speed connectivity.

The city has struggled with numerous and extended internet outages over the past couple years, leading to significant downtime for area businesses. Schools also have suffered the consequences, with limited to no access to critical extended learning opportunities when service dropped. Vision Net’s new fiber network is designed to address these issues, delivering fast connectivity and dependability, along with 24/7, 365-days-a-year monitoring and secondary connectivity — essentially a backup plan should one connection go out.

Schools nationwide rely on high-speed Internet to provide a robust learning environment and streamlined administrative solutions. Helena Public School’s decision to tap Vision Net’s new fiber optic ring ensures area students are competing — and learning — on a level playing field while preparing them for future employment in a global environment.

To learn more about Helena Public Schools’ decision to partner with Vision Net, please read the full press release here.

Check if your business is within reach of a more reliable and faster connection option: https://www.vision.net/helena_fiber.html

Business Development team hosts Vision Net BBQ

What a great way to end the week! This Friday at Vision Net Great Falls office, we had delicious Tacos during our Company BBQ thanks to our Business Development team. The food and fun started at 11:30 in our pergola.

It's been a tradition in our company to hold cookouts during summertime and we can all agree that this has been an amazing summer!

Employee Spotlight: Dick Egan

Since we launched this blog, we decided to create an Employee Highlight series to offer an inside look at our company culture and profile the talented individuals who help us to bring innovation and technology to Montana.

For this month we spoke to Dick Egan, he has been working for Vision Net for 16 years! He is one of our E-911 Technicians and he will be retiring next month. We certainly will miss him because one of his mottos is “if it needs done Dick takes care of it” and we couldn’t come up with a better description than that for this outstanding member of our team.

What are 3 words to describe Vision Net?

Innovative, growing and fun!

How has Vision Net changed since you started working here?

When I started it was primarily helping our telecom owners and their customers with internet support. OUR NOC just consisted of a state hot line and a wholesale hot line, so 2 Lines basically was our NOC. That’s grown into all the monitoring that you see today, the nationwide customers of support and 911.

What does your job entail?

Installing and maintaining 911 systems and the network that supports them all.

What’s a common question you get from customers?

“Can you add a user for us?” We usually know that there is a problem before the customer does so we are more proactive than reactive.

What do you like most about your job?

Satisfaction of helping people out and making sure the work gets done.

What do you find the most challenging about your job?

Staying on the top of new technologies because the 911 field right now is blossoming. We are going to an E-911, or esi net, which is IP based as opposed to analog.

What would people never guess you do in your role?

I change lightbulbs!

What advice do you have for prospective Vision Net candidates?

Always treat your customers as treasures.

What do you like to do when you aren’t working?

Binge watching TV! Fixing and repairs shows, dramas, all kinds of different shows.

What has been the most important innovation you have witnessed in your lifetime?

The thermos! Because it keeps the hot stuff hot and the cold stuff cold, but how do it know.

Do you have a favorite newspaper or blog?

I read the Great Falls Tribune every day.

Retirement

I am passing the torch! I think we will get a really good candidate. And hopefully I’ll have enough time to show him all things that needs to get done. If not, I’m sure Gary will get him up to speed.

Farewell Dick, we wish you the best! The Vision Net team couldn’t be more grateful to you.

Interested in working at Vision Net? Find all of our open jobs on our website: https://www.vision.net/careers.html

2019 Montana Economic Update Event

Montana Chamber of Commerce is always educating! Today, during the Economic Update event, Patrick Barkey shared with attendees valuable insights about the economic outlook for the U.S. and Montana. The event also featured Todd O’Hair, president and CEO of the Chamber, and Tim Fox, the current Attorney General of Montana. What a great conversation about Montana's economy, workforce development and more. Thank you Montana Chamber for your stop in Great Falls, we were glad to be the city sponsor of this event! 👍

#economicupdate #montanachamberofcommerce #visionnetmontana