Today's a Great Day to be Born!

In case you didn't get the memo, today is my birthday! I thought I'd share a picture of the great cake that my younger sisters, Calyn & Camryn, made to celebrate my special day.

I'm in the office this morning and have given myself until 9:33am to be less than productive, so I thought I'd Google my birthday horoscope. (I love putting my fate and fortune in the hands of random Google returns. It's the perfect way to plan one's life...and waste minutes that I can't get back!)

Here's what I learned today from Cafe Astrology.com:

An optimistic attitude can carry you far this year. Enthusiasm runs very high. It's an especially strong period in your life for enterprise and personal opportunities. Relationships are stimulating this year. You are eager to take on a challenge and happily engage in friendly competition.


2009 is a Number Four year for you. Ruled by Uranus. This is a year of work and development. It's "nose to the grindstone" time. It's a time to deal with practical matters, and it's not a time to be lazy or especially gregarious. Sometimes, it can be a year that feels hard, monotonous and routine, and/or lonely. Advice - get yourself organized, work to build your resources, keep busy.

2010 will be a Number Five year for you. Ruled by Mercury. This is a year of exploration and freedom. It's a time when exploration and reaching out to others brings opportunities. It's a good time to advertise and sell. Surprises are in store, and the routine is broken. This is a year when exciting relationships can be formed, or, if you are already in a partnership, new life is breathed into the relationship. Advice - explore, look for adventure, keep your eyes open for opportunities, mingle.

Hmmm...sounds like an astrologer who reads the business section. Here's to optimism, adventure, and working hard this year and beyond!

February Meeting - Central Florida ISSA

Chapter Lunch & Learn Meeting

The Central Florida Chapter of Information Systems Security Association (ISSA) invites you to attend - Thursday, February 12th, featuring an instructor from the SANS Institute!

I'll be there. Will you?

Upcoming Conferences

InfoSec World 2009 Conference & Expo

March 7-13, 2009, Orlando, FL

Earn up to 51 CPEs with the event World Pass!

The exciting, 2009 event features more than 100 sessions, dozens of case studies, multiple tracks (including the brand-new, hands-on hacking techniques track delivered by The SANS Institute), 15 in-depth workshops, and 2 co-located summits! With the primary objective of providing top-notch education to all levels of information security professionals – from CISOs to system administrators – InfoSec World delivers practical sessions that give you the tools to strengthen your security without restricting your business.



Special Offer to ISSA Members:

MIS Training Institute is pleased to offer 10% off the regular conference fee. To register for this event and access your special discount, you must contact MIS Training Institute via phone or Email and reference the following Priority Code when registering: OS09/ISSA. Have your ISSA id number available.
Discount cannot be used on previous registrations or in conjunction with another discount offer.

MIS Training Institute Contact Information:
Email: mis@misti.com
Phone: (509) 879-7999

Kforce Announces Organizational Changes Integral To The Firm's Three Year Plan

KFORCE ANNOUNCES ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGES INTEGRAL TO THE FIRM’S THREE YEAR PLAN

• RANDY MARMON NAMED CHIEF CUSTOMER DEVELOPMENT
OFFICER
• SEVERAL KEY EXECUTIVES ASSUME LEADERSHIP ROLES

TAMPA, FL – January 7, 2009 – Kforce Inc. (NASDAQ: KFRC), a provider of professional
staffing services and solutions, today announced the following management changes.
Randy Marmon has been appointed as Chief Customer Development Officer. Mr. Marmon has
served as President for the East Region of Kforce since 2004. Mr. Marmon joined what was then Romac International in 1992 as a staffing consultant and was promoted to Market Director after being named Consultant of the Year in 1994. He was promoted to Market Vice President for the Atlanta region in 1995, and then to a series of corporate positions beginning in 1997. He served as Vice President for Major/National Accounts, Vice President for Strategic Business Relationships and Vice President for Business Development. David Dunkel, Chairman and CEO commented, “We are also very pleased to announce a number of strategic management changes that are a culmination of the past few years in preparing for the Firm’s three year plan. The moves that we are making recognize outstanding performance by key team members that have not only helped get Kforce to where it is today, but more importantly, will be instrumental in the future development of the Firm. I am pleased to announce the following promotions today:”

• Peter Alonso – Chief Talent Officer
• Sam Farrell – Chief Sales Officer
• Mark Biscoe – President Eastern Region
• Kristin Ellis – President HLS
• Kye Mitchell – President Atlantic Region

Mr. Dunkel continued, “We are very excited to have Randy lead our client and consultant development activities. In addition to his success in building and leading a highly successful business at scale, Randy has an extraordinary record of success in a number of strategic roles within the Firm. Perhaps most importantly, Randy has spent most of his career working directly with our clients, and he is well attuned to meeting the evolving market opportunities. Peter Alonso, Chief Talent Officer, has been with Kforce since 1985 and last served as President of the
Health and Life Sciences segment. Sam Farrell, Chief Sales Officer, has been with Kforce since 1998 and last served as Group President of the Health Information Management business. Mark Biscoe, President, Eastern Region, has been with Kforce since 2004, and last served as Market President, Northeast Region. Kristin Ellis, President of HLS, has been with Kforce since 1995 and last served as Group President Clinical Research. Kye Mitchell, President, Atlantic Region, has been with Kforce since 1998 and last served as Market President, Mid-Atlantic Region. Each
of these talented professionals has a track record of extraordinary accomplishments with the Firm and we believe they will make significant contributions to the Firm’s attainment of its three year plan. Stephen McMahan, Chief Sales Officer, is leaving the Firm. We thank Steve for his contributions and wish him all the best in the future.”

Get Involved with GoodSearch!

Looking for a way to DO GOOD in 2009? The New York Times refers to this (relatively) new, easy way to raise money for your favorite cause as "giving without giving."

While I obviously work hard for a publicly traded, 'for profit' company, I am deeply interested in the work that non-profit organizations do for the greater good of our society, as well as underserved populations both locally and globally. In today's troubling economic times, some of the greatest non-profit organizations in our country, and hence the people and issues they represent, struggle the most.

Now, we can help without feeling yet another pinch in our pocketbooks: Just start using Yahoo! powered GoodSearch.com as your search engine and they'll donate a penny to your favorite cause every time you do a search!

In addition, do all of your shopping through their online shopping mall, GoodShop.com, where you can shop at more than 900 top online retailers and a percentage of your purchases will go to the charity or school of your choice. You pay the same price as you normally would, but a donation goes to your cause!

Here's the web site — www.goodsearch.com. You can also read about GoodSearch in the NY Times, Oprah Magazine, CNN, ABC News and the Wall Street Journal.

And, in case you care (no pun intended), I chose CARE as my organization of choice.

About CARE: Cooperative for Assistance and Relief Everywhere

CARE is a leading humanitarian organization fighting global poverty. We place special focus on working alongside poor women because, equipped with the proper resources, women have the power to help whole families and entire communities escape poverty. Women are at the heart of CARE's community-based efforts to improve basic education, prevent the spread of HIV, increase access to clean water and sanitation, expand economic opportunity and protect natural resources. CARE also delivers emergency aid to survivors of war and natural disasters, and helps people rebuild their lives.

So, if continuing to give back is part of your personal business plan for 2009, GoodSearch.com could be a great tool for you!

Event Alert: Greening Your IT Shop

When & Where

November 21, 2008
8:30 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. (EDT)

Partnership II Building
Room 208
3100 Technology Parkway
Orlando, FL 32826


Who Should Attend:

Any executive interested in learning more about the benefits of Green IT.

Why You Should Attend:

>To learn from best in class shapers of the Green IT movement, including Intel,
Lockheed Martin and Citrix.
>To find ways to communicate benefits of Green IT to Executive Management.
>To engage and network with peers.

Speakers:

Bart Heisey, Intel
Drew Rassmussen, Citrix Systems, Inc.
Moderator: Todd Rader, Avancent Consulting

How to Register:

$25 AeA members/ $45 nonmembers

Online at: www.aeanet.org/GreenIT

Phone: 407.882.2447

An Open Letter to Barack Obama

As you may imagine from my educational background, both politics and literature are passions of mine. Although political blogging is not the purpose of this site, I just had to share a piece that speaks to me in light of last night's historic election results.

To follow is an open letter from Alice Walker, one of my favorite authors, to Barack Obama. Regardless of political affiliation, I think that her reflections are more than worth the read:

An Open Letter to Barack Obama
By Alice Walker TheRoot.com
Alice Walker on expectations, responsibilities and a new reality that is almost more than the heart can bear.

Nov. 5, 2008

Dear Brother Obama,

You have no idea, really, of how profound this moment is for us. Us being the black people of the Southern United States. You think you know, because you are thoughtful, and you have studied our history. But seeing you deliver the torch so many others before you carried, year after year, decade after decade, century after century, only to be struck down before igniting the flame of justice and of law, is almost more than the heart can bear. And yet, this observation is not intended to burden you, for you are of a different time, and, indeed, because of all the relay runners before you, North America is a different place. It is really only to say: Well done. We knew, through all the generations, that you were with us, in us, the best of the spirit of Africa and of the Americas. Knowing this, that you would actually appear, someday, was part of our strength. Seeing you take your rightful place, based solely on your wisdom, stamina and character, is a balm for the weary warriors of hope, previously only sung about.

I would advise you to remember that you did not create the disaster that the world is experiencing, and you alone are not responsible for bringing the world back to balance. A primary responsibility that you do have, however, is to cultivate happiness in your own life. To make a schedule that permits sufficient time of rest and play with your gorgeous wife and lovely daughters. And so on. One gathers that your family is large. We are used to seeing men in the White House soon become juiceless and as white-haired as the building; we notice their wives and children looking strained and stressed. They soon have smiles so lacking in joy that they remind us of scissors. This is no way to lead. Nor does your family deserve this fate. One way of thinking about all this is: It is so bad now that there is no excuse not to relax. From your happy, relaxed state, you can model real success, which is all that so many people in the world really want. They may buy endless cars and houses and furs and gobble up all the attention and space they can manage, or barely manage, but this is because it is not yet clear to them that success is truly an inside job. That it is within the reach of almost everyone.

I would further advise you not to take on other people's enemies. Most damage that others do to us is out of fear, humiliation and pain. Those feelings occur in all of us, not just in those of us who profess a certain religious or racial devotion. We must learn actually not to have enemies, but only confused adversaries who are ourselves in disguise. It is understood by all that you are commander in chief of the United States and are sworn to protect our beloved country; this we understand, completely. However, as my mother used to say, quoting a Bible with which I often fought, "hate the sin, but love the sinner." There must be no more crushing of whole communities, no more torture, no more dehumanizing as a means of ruling a people's spirit. This has already happened to people of color, poor people, women, children. We see where this leads, where it has led.

A good model of how to "work with the enemy" internally is presented by the Dalai Lama, in his endless caretaking of his soul as he confronts the Chinese government that invaded Tibet. Because, finally, it is the soul that must be preserved, if one is to remain a credible leader. All else might be lost; but when the soul dies, the connection to earth, to peoples, to animals, to rivers, to mountain ranges, purple and majestic, also dies. And your smile, with which we watch you do gracious battle with unjust characterizations, distortions and lies, is that expression of healthy self-worth, spirit and soul, that, kept happy and free and relaxed, can find an answering smile in all of us, lighting our way, and brightening the world.

We are the ones we have been waiting for.

In Peace and Joy,

Alice Walker

I'm Back and I've Brought a New Article!

Well, the two people who actually follow my blog are really ticked that I haven't been keeping up with it, so...I'm back...not exactly from outerspace, but close. It was a wild summer here at The Force, but with the onset of Fall, I'm ready to get back to the business of blogging.

With that in mind, I want to share an article that is particularly relevant given the 2009 IT Salary Guide meetings that are occupying the bulk of my time this quarter. In case you haven't received one yet, the industry trend that we focused on in this year's guide is the role that social networks, ala LinkedIn and FaceBook, are playing in our recruiting efforts.

In addition to using these tools for more effectively recruiting that 'holy grail' of candidates -- the passive candidate (you know, the ones who are already gainfully employed and doing a great job), we are also educating all of our candidates on the role that the internet plays in managing one's professional image. Many candidates, and even some of my clients, would do well to remember that the line between 'business' and 'personal' is extremely blurry in the today's MySpace age.

All in all, I thought that the article to follow is an excellent read, particularly if you're planning to interview any time soon. Long story short: In hiring, if you can Google it, it's fair game.

One in five employers research job applicants on the Web
Mon Sep 29, 2008 6:04PM EDT

As the social-networking scene continues to explode, the who, what, where, and when of what you post on your profile becomes even more critical. Case in point: A new study reveals that one in five hiring managers utilize the Web and social networks to screen new potential applicants.
The study, reported by Reuters, found that out of 3,169 hiring managers, 22 percent of them (about 698 managers) used social networking sites to find out information regarding potential candidates. This is up from 11 percent, or 349 managers, since 2006.

Even though 22 percent may not seem like a huge number now, one can only expect that number to continue to rise. The study revealed that 9 percent surveyed were currently not using social networking sites for screening purposes but plan to in the future.
Here's the kicker: About one third of the applicants screened online were dropped from contention after inappropriate content was found on their profile. Yikes.

So, who should be wary of these statistics? Those that are currently undergoing the transition from school to professional career. Social networking in college is a completely different animal than in the professional world. Pictures posted of last week's mixer are totally commonplace if not universally accepted in college. However, the second that these two worlds collide, what you and, more importantly, your friends say about you becomes a liability in the workplace.
I'll be completely honest—I have actually been doing a little housecleaning on my Internet profiles. Are you applying for a new job? Make sure you follow these tips:

First, privacy settings are your friend. Sites like Facebook and MySpace have tools to ensure that only you and your friends can view those scandalous pictures you took at your best friend's New Year's Eve party. Blogs are also a huge potential risk (there are cited instances of people getting fired from blogging), so make sure you set up privacy settings to keep tabs of who is exactly reading what you're writing.

Second, use search engines to keep tabs of what is posted online about you. You can start by using major search engines, such as Yahoo! and Google, or you can give Pipl.com, a "people search engine," a try. What you see in these search engine results will most likely be the same thing that your future hiring manager will be seeing.

Third, don't "friend" anyone unless you're absolutely confident that it won't have any negative repercussions (even then, it can be a risk). I generally try to keep my personal and professional social networks completely separated (Facebook and LinkedIn), but it can be very difficult.
Fourth, keep tabs of what people are posting about you. Facebook's photo tagging system can be particularly dangerous, as it can label you in the image and link them directly to your profile. I know it can be difficult to manage, but this is particularly important.