Blogs

Members recently discussed the high-level threat Adobe Flash patches, connectivity in Cuba, preparing an IT employee to transition to new work in the department and more. Explore curated sources on these topics including some from ILTA’s treasure chest.

Adobe Flash Patch

Recently Adobe Flash issued two zero-day patches to address some “vulnerabilities.” This brought out calls for the end of Flash from Alex Stamos of Facebook and others. Google and Mozilla limited Flash capabilities on their browsers. ILTA members discussed how to best handle high-level threat patches when the typical patch procedure involves rigorous testing before implementation. At this year’s ILTA LegalSEC Summit, Will Urbanski presented “Dirty Jobs: Managing Fast Moving Vulnerabilities.” TechTarget also provides insight in “Zero day vulnerabilities and the patch management process: To test or not to test?” Have zero-day patches made you nervous about security? The LegalSEC Steering Committee created an in-depth Risk Assessment Toolkit to help with risks whether Flash remains viable or not.

Travel to Cuba

Cuba and the United States restored diplomatic relations on July 20^th, 2015. Unfortunately a reliable and immediate connection to your email and more does not yet exist while visiting Cuba. One can bring a laptop and cell phone but a SIM card is needed for calls and texts within Cuba. A call to the United States costs about $3-4 per minute.  The Customs department in Cuba provides a list of permissible personal belongings to bring into Cuba. Frommers offers some tips on how to check in while traveling in Cuba. The hotel business center remains the best place to check email.  Telecommunications access will likely improve at a rapid rate with the continued improvements in government and commercial relationships between the U.S. and Cuba soon.

Supporting Employees’ Interests

An ILTA member sought advice on preparing an employee’s transition to a training position within his firm. Many ILTA members provided great suggestions and resources. It struck me that the member who posed the question demonstrated great leadership. To keep a department filled with employees who possess talent and great personal qualities, a manager must nurture learning and development in her team.  In a recent Peer to Peer issue, John Alber provides advice on how to stay nimble in one’s career in “Career Advice from a Futurist.” Though he directs his advice to the reader, a manager can model and pass on this advice to her team. Forbes and the Harvard Business Review also stress the importance of encouraging employee development in “Why Employee Development is Important, Neglected and Can Cost You Talent” and “Creating the Best Workplace on Earth” respectively.

Something Extra – The ILTA KM Blog and ILTACON 15

After reading Gordon Vala-Webb’s post on innovation in the ILTA KM blog, did you find yourself wanting more? Read the second installment, Lean Matter Management: A Novel and Practical Innovation.

For those wanting to know more about ILTACON15, be sure to read the blogs of the ILTACON lead planning volunteers. Cheryl Disch encourages you to arrive early on Sunday to fully benefit from the networking opportunities.  Julia Forbes provides sage advice on preparing for a successful conference. David Hobbie suggests a strategy for selecting educational sessions to attend. Jim McCue guides us through the networking and recreational activities available with a brief explanation on what to expect. Chris Hunt shows us ILTACON from the inside out; he explains the volunteer work that happens each year to make ILTACON a success. Last but not least, an impromptu community has formed for running at Red Rock. To join the ILTACON 15 Fitness Community, click here. (Access available only for registrants to ILTACON 15.)

As ILTA’s content curator, I’m always monitoring the discussion forums to discover what topics are top-of-mind among the members. Each week, I focus on a few areas that spark your interest, and I provide some curated resources to assist your own information-gathering on the topics. If there are specific topics you would like assistance exploring, please contact me at joanne@iltanet.org.