We don't usually think of a call to a help desk as a warm and fuzzy interaction. Tech teams seem to take the approach of "take the call, find the problem, fix the problem, take the next call." What about our tech teams' ability to build rapport and empathy with our user base? In this ILTA Radio session, some top IT leaders discuss teaching technical team members to acquire and use more soft skills in addition to their highly sought-after computer engineering skills.

Speakers:
Stuart Cook is the Director of Information Systems at Graves Dougherty Hearon & Moody in Austin, TX. He is directly or indirectly responsible for all computer operations, networking, voice and data infrastructure, software acquisition and updating, information security and training.

James McKenna is Fenwick & West LLP's Chief Information Officer. He is responsible for its information technology, security, development, audio visual and practice support. Previously, James was with Morrison & Foerster LLP for 17 years. He has directly managed all aspects of IT, practice support and information security, and is a Certified Information Security Systems Professional. James has written articles, won awards and sits on the ILTA Board of Directors.

Luke Schnoebelen is the Manager of Learning and Development at Shook, Hardy & Bacon, managing technical training and elearning development. He is solidifying a development process to improve the technology expertise for all firm employees, associates and partners. Luke also assists with all facets of in-house CLE, technology adoption and general promotion of process improvements.

Michelle Spencer's skills reside at the intersection of people, processes, technology and learning. She can translate technology for non-technical people and manage projects by getting groups connected and communicating, enabling them to work effectively towards their end goal. Michelle is adept at managing learning and IT projects from both the technical and human perspectives. She uses her knowledge, gained from three decades spent on both legal and IT project teams, to help your team.

Recorded on 5-14-18

IDC forecasts the SD-WAN space will reach $6 billion in technology and service sales by 2020, with a compound annual growth rate of more than 90 percent over the next five years. In this ILTA Radio episode, representatives from vCom cover how SD-WAN is taking the networking world by storm -- and why it must be a part of every IT organization's strategy. The cost savings and improvement in application performance offer law firms a game-changing approach to managing entire networks.

Uniquely positioned to address this rising trend, vCom can help IT organizations leverage SD-WAN as a key component to a successful IT life cycle strategy. To learn more, visit www.vcomsolutions.com/sd-wan.

Speakers:
Bob Barnes leads vCom's collaboration spend business unit. He oversees the collaboration sales and operations teams, managing the entire collaboration life cycle and ensuring a successful customer engagement. Bob also oversees the company's sales operations organization, managing the first step of the customer onboarding process and ensuring that telecom engineering and professional services are seamlessly implemented for customers.

Audrey Bold is the Vice President of Marketing for vCom Solutions. She is responsible for driving the strategic growth of the company's brand of software and services. With over 18 years of marketing and product experience, Audrey is focused on increasing awareness of vCom's value proposition, expanding share within strategic target markets and enhancing its customer base.

Sameer Hilal is a co-founder and the Chief Operating Officer of vCom, a managed service provider focused on procure-to-pay life cycle management for IT spend in the areas of telecom, network, mobile, collaboration and cloud services. The company's enterprise customers, including leading law firms, leverage its award-winning cloud-based software and professional services to gain unprecedented visibility and efficiency, and transform how their IT environments are managed -- from design and onboarding to billing and support. With over 15 years in business, more than 220 nationwide customers, 10 consecutive years of 98 percent customer satisfaction and 10 consecutive years as a best-place-to-work in the SF Bay area, vCom is revolutionizing how IT spend is managed.

Introducing security awareness at a law firm can seem like an overwhelming task. In this ILTA Radio segment, we hold a conversation about practical steps for getting the job done.

Speakers:
Julia Montgomery is the architect of Traveling Coaches' award-winning OnGuard information security awareness program, which has helped over 85,000 law firm employees change their behavior to safeguard information. Julia leveraged her experience in law firms and as a Certified Change Management Professional to ensure the program's relevance for law firm audiences. Previously, she developed and led security awareness efforts in several law firms. Julia is a frequent speaker and author on topics including change management, effective communications and information security education programs.

Mark Olvey, the ISMS Manager at Taft Law, began his IT career as a trainer 18 years ago. During his legal career, he has also worked as a help-desk support technician and manager, DMS administrator, CRM administrator, docketing system administrator and printer manager. Mark was previously in the military, serving for 12 years overseas and stateside. He is ITIL and Microsoft certified, and is currently working on his ISO Fundamentals certification.

In April 2014, members of ILTA's user support volunteer team recorded a podcast on some common trends in training at that time. These topics continue to be widely discussed, so we take another look to see how (or if) our thoughts have changed since then. We cover:

• The modern trainer
• Performance support
• Ways to support informal learning
• Mobile learning
• Gamification

In the next couple of months, we'll be recording a 2017 Trends in Training podcast to tackle several new topics, so be on the lookout for that, too.

Speakers:
Denise Ash is the Training Manager at Jackson Kelly PLLC, where she has worked since 2011. Previously, she worked as a user support specialist at Robinson & McElwee PLLC. An active ILTA volunteer, she is a member of the Apps and Desktop Content Committee and a member liaison for Charleston, West Virginia. In 2010, Denise won ILTA's User Support Champion award.

Jeanne Marie Boswell is the Director of Technology Training for Paul Hastings LLP. For the past 17 years, she has overseen the evolution of the training role from one that teaches technology to one that innovates and facilitates change. Name a 21st century legal learning topic, and she and her team have probably flipped it, filmed it, webcast it, gamefied it or set it to music. Jeanne Marie is a past-president of the New York Professional Legal Trainers Group, served on the ILTA User Support Steering Committee and is an active member of ATD.

Marsha Kuhn has been a Training & Computer Support Specialist with Downs Rachlin Martin PLLC for almost 19 years. She is responsible for the technology training at the firm, and provides end-user support as needed. Marsha was a member of the ILTA user support group, and has been a computer application instructor at the Community College of Vermont for over 20 years.

Michelle Spencer's skills reside at the intersection of people, processes, technology and learning. She can translate technology for non-technical people and manage projects by getting groups connected and communicating, enabling them to work effectively towards their end goal. Michelle is adept at managing learning and IT projects from both the technical and human perspectives. She uses her knowledge -- gained from three decades spent on both legal and IT project teams -- to help your team.

Reporting is one of the most important and sometimes frustrating features of a LMS. Because firms have different needs, it can sometimes be difficult to get exactly what you need. Even with the data in hand, it may require skilled Excel manipulation. In this podcast, your ILTA panelists share great ideas and insights on how they are using reporting and getting at the data they need. We even touch on connecting the dots between your LMS data and actual performance data.

Moderator:
Michelle Spencer's skills reside at the intersection of people, processes, technology and learning. She can translate technology for non-technical people and manage projects by getting groups connected and communicating, enabling them to work effectively towards their end goal. Michelle is adept at managing learning and IT projects from both the technical and human perspectives. She uses her knowledge -- gained from three decades spent on both legal and IT project teams -- to help your team.

Speakers:
Sean McGinty is the Senior Learning and Development Engineer at Carlton Fields, where his focus is on instructional design, audio/video production, LMS management and instructor lead training. He has worked in legal for over nine years and has over 20 years of experience in learning and development, spanning multiple industry groups. Sean holds several certifications in instructional systems design and learning and development software packages.

Claire Morris is an IT Training Manager for a leading international law firm. An accomplished professional with over 15 years of legal technology experience, she is passionate about developing the technical skills of all staff members. Claire creates new and innovative learning programs to deliver essential skills and make the best use of firm technology. She understands the unique culture of a law firm and that providing a full variety of learning methods is key to creating an environment where all can learn.

Lida Pinkham has over 20 years of experience leading technology learning in industries including higher education, libraries, banking and law firms. Since joining Ice Miller in 2014, she has led the technology training team to expand technology learning to a variety of formats, partnered with HR to develop a learning and assessment program for secretaries, and increased usage of learning materials and the LMS by over 200 percent, developing a culture where all are empowered to learn and develop. A Microsoft Office Certified Specialist with a Master of Education, Lida is involved in the Association for Talent Development, organizes a monthly legal technology trainer lunch and is a member of the Midwest Legal Technology Trainers steering committee.

Recorded on 2-27-17