Providence Technology Group

Launched over a year ago as a high-tech answer to California’s contact tracing woes, most people who test positive for COVID-19 still are not using the “exposure notifications” smartphone app to warn close contacts of potential infection, data show. The CA Notify app also does not yet have an option for people who test positive at home to share their diagnosis. That means thousands of infected people who want to anonymously alert others have no easy way to do so. Social science and public health experts said the contact tracing tool has potential but thus far has failed to live up to expectations — especially in a tech-savvy state where more than 4 million people have tested positive since CA Notify launched… Keep reading this article at MSN.com.

When Jamie Von Sossan became CEO of 3fold Communications in December 2019, she couldn’t have known she’d be steering the company through an unprecedented global emergency. Earlier that year as director of operations, she’d spent months having the company’s headquarters at 21st and K in Midtown Sacramento redesigned and repainted. But her 25-person team had only a few months to enjoy the new look before the statewide shutdown sent them home to work. Keep reading this article at comstocksmag.com.

Greater Sacramento has one of the most diverse talent pools in the country. It’s not only the #2 most diverse city in the country (U.S. Census 2020), but also the #3 region for diversity in tech and STEM (Comp TIA). We’re among the most diverse and productive regions in California – all at a fraction of the cost of other major metros. We’re also diligently working on positioning ourselves for success in the future of work. The region’s Digital Upskill pilot program quickly and cost-effectively trained people from underrepresented communities for lucrative careers in tech. Now, we’re pivoting to scale the program as well as apprenticeships across the region. Keep reading this article at greatersacramento.com.

As California’s capital city, Sacramento wants to set an example for the state by transitioning its fleet to electric vehicles. Governments need to act now to meet ambitious goals to stop climate change. In my role overseeing the purchase and maintenance of all of Sacramento’s vehicles, I’ve learned that these goals alone are not enough. To actually achieve your goals, you need to do several important things. First, you need to change the culture in your organization to one that embraces this move to energy efficiency. That means getting your bosses and your customers — the people driving the vehicles — to buy in. This culture change is critical to making sure leaders establish policies that mandate cleaner and greener vehicles, and that employees are empowered to spark change from below b...[Read More]

As state governments continue to acclimate themselves to changes made permanent by nearly two years of the COVID-19 pandemic, their chief information officers’ priorities heading into 2022 remained largely unchanged. The new annual list of top IT priorities issued by the National Association of State Chief Information Officers shows that state technology leaders are most focused on cybersecurity, digital services, broadband development and cloud-based services. Cybersecurity topped the agenda for the ninth year running, as NASCIO members continue to spend much of their time implementing enterprise policies, assessing systemic risks, developing training and fending off incidents like ransomware attacks. Keep reading this article at statescoop.com.

Sac State Scholars is the University’s new online system for discovering and highlighting faculty research and creative activity, as well as the storehouse for graduate theses and doctoral dissertations. The site, which is managed by University Library, is a valuable resource for the campus community, said Yinfa Ma, associate dean of the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics. “The information will help in building teams of campus experts to secure more research funding. It ultimately will provide opportunities for students to work with faculty, which will enhance the students’ critical thinking and problem-solving skills, and it will boost faculty’s scholarly activity output. “Also,” Ma said, “it is a great platform to showcase our faculty’s work to the world.” The world already has ...[Read More]

While she’s in between accounting jobs, Leslie Fong is working to enhance her Excel skills through advanced online classes at the South San Francisco library. “They are stellar,” she said about the library. “I’ve never gone to a place with so many free offerings of classes. They are my salvation.” Libraries have long helped job hunters as part of their mission as community hubs linking people to essential services and resources. Now the state’s libraries are adding a broad array of free software to help patrons learn new vocational and academic skills, earn professional certificates and prepare for in-demand jobs. It comes at a crucial time as workers returning from pandemic layoffs seek new positions, 1.4 million Californians are unemployed, and 4.8 million are “functionally unemployed,” ...[Read More]

The new SMUD Museum of Science and Curiosity (MOSAC) opened its doors to the public on Nov. 14. MOSAC incorporates the structure of a former power plant built in 1912 and offers more than 100 exhibits on topics ranging from space exploration to healthcare innovations. The museum expects to host more than 250,000 visitors annually, including students on field trips from area schools and tourists adding the new destination to their itinerary. “Kids’ dreams do come true, but only if we provide our kids every chance to explore, to study, to work, and to dream, and that is why we are here today,” said Mayor Steinberg. “The SMUD Museum of Science and Curiosity will turn dreams into possibilities, possibilities into real change, saving and helping lives.” The museum almost didn’t happen. In 2017,...[Read More]

At least six California community college districts suspect they have given out financial aid to fake students who have enrolled at their colleges this year. At a minimum, the breaches represent a loss of hundreds of thousands of dollars to scammers seeking financial aid from California’s community colleges. It’s possible that much more money was delivered to fake students, given that the system’s 115 traditional colleges, enrolling about 1.8 million students, are in the midst of distributing more than $1.6 billion in federal Covid relief aid. Keep reading this article at edsource.org.

Helbiz Inc. (NASDAQ: HLBZ), a global leader in micro-mobility and the first in its industry to be publicly listed on Nasdaq, today announced that it will deploy a fleet of 250 safe and innovative e-scooters in Sacramento, California after securing a one year permit. “We’re excited to bring our sustainable e-scooters to the state capitol of California” “We’re excited to bring our sustainable e-scooters to the state capitol of California,” said Gian Luca Spriano, Director of International Business Development at Helbiz. “This follows our recent deployment in Santa Barbara County and underscores our continued expansion efforts throughout the state of California and the United States as a whole. We look forward to working closely with the city of Sacramento to provide the community with ...[Read More]

Two of California’s top technology officials said Tuesday that a new, five-year cybersecurity “road map” will put the state government on track to a more consistent approach to securing its IT assets and critical infrastructure, including aligning cybersecurity more closely with homeland security. The “Cal-Secure” plan, which Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Friday, aims to expand and improve security technologies and controls, conduct broader oversight and compliance operations and fill job vacancies across a statewide enterprise with more than 150 agencies and a highly federated IT governance structure. The plan is also an extension of “Vision 2020,” an IT agenda the state implemented in 2017. While the Cal-Secure framework has been in the works for some time, its goals were greatly influence...[Read More]

For the 6th consecutive year, The City of Roseville in 2021 was selected as a recipient of the Award for Excellence in Information Technology Practices from the Municipal Information Systems Association of California (MISAC). Even with a significantly higher bar set this year in order to be awarded the coveted MISAC Excellence in IT award, thirteen MISAC member agencies received Excellence awards this year. Keep reading this article at Rosevilletoday.com.