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Ferrilli Announces Strategic Leadership Changes to Drive Continued Growth and Innovation

September 04, 2024
Jeff Dusing

Philadelphia, PA – September 4, 2024 – Ferrilli, the leading provider of IT solutions for higher education, is excited to announce a series of strategic leadership changes designed to better serve its current and future clients. These changes are aimed at aligning internal resources, enhancing project management, and advancing employee development, ensuring Ferrilli remains at the forefront of innovation in the rapidly evolving higher education landscape.

Steven Christian has been appointed Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Ferrilli. Since joining the company in October 2015 as Executive Vice President (EVP), Christian has been instrumental in steering Ferrilli through a period of significant growth and transformation. In his new role, Christian will leverage his deep understanding of the company’s operations and client needs to ensure Ferrilli continues to deliver outstanding results. His leadership will be pivotal as the company navigates the next phase of its development and strives to exceed client expectations.

Mark Tuck has been named EVP of Client Growth. Tuck, who has been with Ferrilli since December 2016, began his journey as a Senior Consultant and most recently served as EVP of Professional Services. In his new role, Tuck will focus on strengthening and expanding client partnerships. His responsibilities will include aligning Ferrilli’s services with client goals and opportunities, reinforcing the company’s position as a trusted advisor, and driving growth through strategic client engagement.

Tracy Hokanson has been appointed Chief Services Officer. Hokanson, who officially joined Ferrilli in October 2023, brings a wealth of experience from her 24-year tenure at Ellucian, where most recently she held the position of Senior Director of Global Strategic Solutions. In her new role, Hokanson will be responsible for creating and implementing strategies that enhance service delivery and ensure alignment with Ferrilli’s overarching organizational goals. Her leadership will be crucial in making Ferrilli the first call for innovative solutions and a preferred employer in the industry.

These leadership changes are part of Ferrilli’s broader strategy to optimize internal operations, drive project success, and seize emerging opportunities within the higher education sector. By aligning resources more effectively and focusing on key areas of growth and development, Ferrilli aims to continue its legacy of excellence and innovation.

“Ferrilli is committed to not only meeting but exceeding the evolving needs of our clients,” said Robert Ferrilli, President of Ferrilli. “With Steven, Mark, and Tracy stepping into these pivotal roles, we are well-positioned to build on our recent successes and drive further growth. Their combined expertise and leadership will be instrumental as we continue to deliver exceptional value to our clients and shape the future of IT solutions in higher education.”

Ferrilli remains dedicated to advancing its mission of providing cutting-edge IT solutions and support to higher education institutions. The company’s refreshed leadership team is poised to enhance its ability to deliver transformative solutions and foster lasting partnerships in the years ahead.

About Ferrilli

Ferrilli is a leading provider of IT solutions tailored specifically for higher education institutions. With a focus on innovation, client success, and strategic growth, Ferrilli helps colleges and universities navigate the complexities of technology to achieve their academic and operational goals. For more information, visit https://www.ferrilli.com/

Media Contact:

Jeff Dusing
Marketing Manager
jdusing@ferrilli.com
856.633.7280
Ferrilli.com

See You at GLUG 2023!

Oct 08 - Oct 08, 2024

Next week, we’re at the Great Lakes Users Group Conference in Frankenmuth, Michigan (September 17-18)! Ferrilli Senior Consultant Eric Mayo will be hosting a live session on 2024-2025 FAFSA Simplification and how the changes will impact institutions (September 18th at 10 am). And be sure to stop by the Ferrilli booth to discuss all things Ellucian Colleague.

We look forward to seeing you at GLUG 2023!

Connect with Ferrilli at MECA 2023!

Oct 08 - Oct 08, 2024

We’re looking forward to connecting with everyone attending the MECA Conference, September 14-15, at Eastern Iowa Community College!

Stop by our booth throughout the event to learn how we can help optimize your Ellucian investment. And don’t miss our live session on Streamlining AR Tuition & Fee Setup with Ferrilli Senior Consultant Ann Miller (8:30 AM on Friday in Room E241).

Connect with Ferrilli at MBUG 2023!

Oct 08 - Oct 08, 2024

Attending the Mississippi Banner Users Group conference in Biloxi, Mississippi, on September 10-12?

If so, be sure to connect with the Ferrilli team throughout the event. As a recent winner of Ellucian’s 2022 Implementation Partner of the Year award, we have the expertise necessary to help maximize your Ellucian Banner investment!

Our functional and technical Banner ERP consultants have been in your shoes – having used and managed Banner as on-campus technology leaders, admissions and enrollment directors, marketing specialists, financial aid directors, bursars, finance leaders, and more.

We look forward to seeing you at MBUG 2023!

Ferrilli Named Ellucian Implementation Partner of the Year for Second Consecutive Year

May 02, 2024
Andrew Gaddess

HADDONFIELD, NJ – Ferrilli, a leading provider of technology solutions for higher education institutions, proudly announces its recognition as the Ellucian Implementation Partner of the Year for 2023. This esteemed award marks the second consecutive year that Ferrilli has been honored for its exceptional contributions and dedication to enhancing the implementation of Ellucian’s transformative solutions within educational institutions.

Ellucian, a global leader in higher education technology, awards the Implementation Partner of the Year distinction to partners who demonstrate outstanding commitment, expertise and innovation in deploying Ellucian’s solutions to drive institutional success. Ferrilli’s unwavering dedication to excellence and its track record of delivering unparalleled results have once again earned the company this prestigious accolade.

Robert Ferrilli, President of Ferrilli, expressed his gratitude and excitement for receiving the award, stating, “Earning the Ellucian Implementation Partner of the Year award for the second consecutive year is a testament to our team’s unwavering commitment to excellence and innovation. We are incredibly honored to be recognized for our dedication to empowering educational institutions with transformative technology solutions.”

Ferrilli’s continued success as an Ellucian Implementation Partner stems from its customer-centric approach, deep industry knowledge and collaborative partnerships with higher education institutions. By leveraging cutting-edge technology and best practices, Ferrilli helps schools streamline operations, enhance student experiences and achieve their strategic goals.

Reflecting on the significance of the award, Robert Ferrilli added, “We are passionate about driving positive change in higher education. This award reaffirms our mission to empower institutions to succeed in an increasingly complex and competitive landscape. We are grateful for the opportunity to partner with Ellucian and our clients in advancing the future of education.”

As Ferrilli celebrates this remarkable achievement, the company remains committed to its mission of delivering innovative, tailored solutions that enable its clients to thrive in the digital age.

For media inquiries or more information about Ferrilli, please contact:
Jeff Dusing
Marketing Manager
jdusing@ferrilli.com
856.633.7280

Ferrilli Named to Inc. 5000 List for 5th Time

August 15, 2023
Andrew Gaddess

Haddonfield, NJ – We’re excited to announce that Ferrilli has been named to the 2023 Inc. 5000 list of the fastest-growing privately held companies in America.

This marks the 5th time that Ferrilli has made the list, a distinction which earns Ferrilli a place on the Inc. 5000 Honor Roll! Ferrilli previously made the list in 2009, 2017, 2018, and 2022.

Making the list is a testament to the talent and dedication of the entire Ferrilli team, and the support of our amazing Ferrilli community. Thank you to everyone who has joined us on this journey! Ferrilli is dedicated to becoming the first-choice employer in higher education consulting, while accelerating a path to true transformational change for each of our clients and partner institutions.

As an Inc. 5000 honoree, Ferrilli officially ranks among the top .07% of American companies in terms of growth. Notable alumni include Microsoft, Intuit, Oracle, Under Armour, Pandora, Zappos and more.

Ferrilli, a leading technology services provider exclusively serving the unique needs and challenges of higher education, ranked #3,164 on the overall list. Complete results of the Inc. 5000 can be found here.

Connect with Ferrilli at Summer IIPS!

Oct 08 - Oct 08, 2024

Attending the North Carolina Community College System IIPS User Conference, July 17-19, in Charlotte? If so, be sure to connect with Ferrilli’s Marcia A. Daniel.

We’re proud to support this great event and the North Carolina Community College System!

See you at Anthology Together 2023!

Oct 08 - Oct 08, 2024

We’re at Anthology Together, July 17-20, in Nashville! Stop by Booth #425 to connect with the Ferrilli team.

Since last year’s conference, our Anthology experts have been busy. We’ve supported an on-time Student and Finance go-live; kicked off another ERP implementation; helped an implementation get back on track; assisted with Financial Aid guidance; developed a series of forms, workflows, reports, and integrations; delivered several assessments and health checks; participated in system selections; been trusted with IT and security guidance; and so much more.

We look forward to seeing you and hearing about your Anthology experience.

Connect with Ferrilli at NACUBO 2023!

Oct 08 - Oct 08, 2024

Come visit us at Booth #705 during the NACUBO 2023 Annual Meeting, July 15-18, in Orlando!

We’re excited to connect with campus leadership and discuss Ferrilli’s role in accelerating a path to true transformational change in higher education.

A Silver Lining in the Cloud: Ferrilli Helps Hartnell College Leverage Cyberattack Recovery to Modernize IT Infrastructure with AWS

July 06, 2023

After a cyberattack disabled Hartnell College’s entire IT infrastructure, we helped them get back online in days with a new cloud-based infrastructure built on AWS.

We’re very proud to have been part of this important effort.

Click here to ready the full story.

[Webinar Recording] Preparing for FAFSA Simplification

Oct 08 - Oct 08, 2024

Watch as Ferrilli’s Susan Kannenwischer and Lindsay Mitchell discuss what FAFSA simplification will mean for your institution, and how to properly prepare for what’s to come.

Connect with Ferrilli at the Massachusetts CC & State University CFO Conference

Oct 08 - Oct 08, 2024

Ferrilli is attending the Massachusetts Community College & State University CFO Conference, June 14-16, at Cape Cod Community College!

Connect with Marcia A. Daniel throughout the event and be sure to check out our live session on data security essentials with Robert Ferrilli.

We look forward to seeing you there!

Connect with Ferrilli at RMUG 2023!

Oct 08 - Oct 08, 2024

We’re a Platinum Sponsor at the Rocky Mountain Users’ Group Annual Conference, June 8-9, on the campus of Casper College!

Stop by our booth to connect with Kelly Sinacola and the Ferrilli team and learn about our Ellucian Colleague and Ellucian Banner support services.

We’ll also be hosting several sessions, from data security best practices to FAFSA simplification updates, and much more! Check out the full session schedule here.

See You at Slate Summit 2023!

Oct 08 - Oct 08, 2024

We’re excited to be attending the Technolutions Slate Summit, June 1-2, in Nashville!

Stop by our booth in the Karl Dean Ballroom Lobby to learn about Ferrilli’s comprehensive Slate support services, including white glove marketing implementation, SIS integration, data reporting, help desk services, personalized portal design, and more.

We look forward to seeing you there!

See You at the Oklahoma Higher Ed IT Summit!

Oct 08 - Oct 08, 2024

We’re excited to be a Gold sponsor at the Oklahoma Higher Ed IT Summit, May 15-16, at the University of Central Oklahoma!

Be sure to connect with Ashleigh Mayer and the rest of the Ferrilli team throughout the event and don’t miss our breakout session with Ferrilli’s Stephen Breedwell and Southwestern Oklahoma State University on Cloud Device Management with Microsoft Intune.

We look forward to seeing you there!

See You at UBUG 2023!

Oct 08 - Oct 08, 2024

We’re at Utah Tech University, May 11-12, for the Utah Banner Users Group conference!

Our Ellucian Banner consultants have been in your shoes – having used and managed Banner as on-campus technology leaders, admissions and enrollment directors, marketing specialists, financial aid directors, bursars, finance leaders, and more!

Connect with Kimberly Steele and the rest of the Ferrilli team at UBUG to learn about our commitment to optimizing your Banner system.

And don’t miss our live session on Thursday at 2:30 pm in room SET 106, as Ferrilli Associate Director Carlos Alca discusses cloud adoption and implementation.

We look forward to seeing you there!

How to Optimize Your Ellucian Colleague ERP

May 12, 2023
Carolyn Ciccocioppo

Ellucian Colleague ERP software can effectively streamline your higher education institution’s processes and strengthen your campus community. Optimizing features and functionality is key to getting the most out of your investment so you can better serve your students and staff.

Learn the advantages of Ellucian Colleague ERP optimization and the general roadmap for approaching this process to achieve the greatest results for your institution. 

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Migrating Your Server Room to the Cloud

January 04, 2024
Carolyn Ciccocioppo

Due to the sudden shift toward remote learning, the COVID-19 pandemic accelerated many institutions’ paths toward digital transformation and cloud adoption. Although in-person learning has resumed, higher education continues to move away from physical server infrastructure and toward cloud services. Let’s discuss everything IT professionals and administrators need to know about the why and how of cloud migration strategies.

Why Move to the Cloud?

At the pandemic’s peak, cloud services allowed higher education institutions to rapidly pivot to a digital learning format. However, the benefits of cloud data migration go beyond Zoom classes and learning management systems (LMS) to streamlining key IT and organizational operations. The many benefits of cloud migration include but aren’t limited to:

  • Business continuity: Cloud services are provided via the internet. Even if your physical infrastructure experiences an outage or other issue, users can still access your cloud services as long as they have a strong internet connection.
  • Cost savings: Due to its scalable nature, the cloud can reduce costs associated with data center utilities and traditional telecommunications infrastructure.
  • Flexibility: Cloud services are highly scalable, which means you can quickly increase or decrease your services as needed to respond to changes in computing demand.
  • Ease of administration: The cloud frees up time to focus on users instead of hardware, which improves the end user experience.
  • Security: Many cloud services provide advanced, automated tools to help discover threats and protect sensitive data. For example, most cloud providers use encryption algorithms to protect data both during transfer and at rest.

Real-World Applications for the Cloud in HEIs

How can the cloud fit into your institution? Here are some real use cases for the cloud in higher education:

  • Video conferencing: Video conferencing applications like Microsoft Teams, Google Meet and Zoom enabled synchronous remote learning during the pandemic.
  • Learning management systems: Moodle Rooms, Canvas and Blackboard are cloud-based LMSs that allow professors and students to interact with their curricula outside the classroom.
  • Performance reporting: Analytics applications like PowerBI, Google Data Studio and Tableau provide valuable insights for informing key business decisions.
Is Your Institution Cloud-Ready?

Is Your Institution Cloud-Ready?

First, consider whether your organization is ready for this level of change. Cloud migration can impact other ongoing IT projects, so it’s important to understand your preparedness before diving into a full migration project. Make sure to address all of the following concerns:

  • Cloud hosting compatibility: Can you host all of your applications in the cloud? Some applications have licensing restrictions that may limit your cloud options, which can affect your overall cloud migration strategy.
  • Storage requirements: While the cloud is highly scalable, you need to make sure you start with enough space to support your migration.
  • Integration requirements: You need to make sure your applications work together seamlessly to provide an excellent cloud environment.
  • Security requirements: Consider that the cloud can help you remain compliant with the federal, state and local guidelines that apply to your institution.
  • Business continuity: If part or all of your infrastructure goes down, how will you continue to provide computing services to your campus? Outlining this plan in a documented business continuity plan is critical for successful cloud migration.

Key Cloud Migration Steps

The following steps provide a basic outline for beginning a cloud migration initiative:

  1. Create a plan: Before implementing any new service, draft a complete roadmap that includes critical concerns, such as security policies and procedures.
  2. Monitor daily costs: When implemented correctly, the cloud can provide significant cost savings. Establish a daily baseline to shift the focus from your maximum capacity to the space you’ll actually use.
  3. Build trust: Make sure everyone in your institution has the utmost confidence in cloud services because that’s what they’ll use to do their job every day.
  4. Designate responsibilities: Specify a person or team to monitor usage and prevent orphaned services. Change control procedures with clear responsibilities are a necessity for implementing any new service.

Once implementation is complete, stay aware of changes within your cloud environment to reduce costs and maintain high performance. You need to constantly be up to date to ensure you can use all the features you’re paying for.

What Cloud Options Are Available?

Organizations have a wide variety of cloud services they can choose from to build their overall cloud strategy.

First, there are three types of cloud configurations:

  1. Public: A public cloud is owned and operated by a third-party cloud services provider, which provides services over the internet.
  2. Private: A private cloud is used exclusively by the organization that owns it. In this way, it’s similar to an in-house data center or server room.
  3. Hybrid: A hybrid system combines the best of both configurations, so you can mix and match the services you need to create a custom solution.

Within those configurations, there are three types of cloud services you may use:

  1. Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS): Because IaaS services such as AWS Elastic Compute Cloud and Microsoft Azure only host your applications, this type of service provides the most control over your environment.
  2. Platform as a Service (PaaS): This type of service provides a platform developers can use to build applications and manage databases. Examples include Heroku, AWS Elastic Beanstalk and Google App Engine.
  3. Software as a Service (SaaS): Most people are familiar with SaaS applications, such as Salesforce CRM, Gmail and Trello. This type of service provides the lowest amount of transparency and control because the provider handles the underlying programming.

Most cloud environments use a combination of all of the above services and configurations, creating a comprehensive solution for their computing needs.

Other Considerations

When you begin planning a server migration to the cloud, consider the following:

  • Existing cloud infrastructure: What cloud services is your institution already using? Evaluate what needs these services fulfill and whether there are any gaps you still need to address.
  • Buy-in: A cloud migration is an institution-wide change. Gaining organizational support and identifying an executive sponsor are key to successful cloud migration.
  • Planning: Do you have a full migration plan? Cloud migration isn’t something you can approach casually. Do your due diligence and create a comprehensive plan before beginning implementation.
  • Big picture: Does the cloud fit within your overall tech strategy? What are your goals? Look for things the cloud can take off your plate.

If your institution needs help creating an effective server-to-cloud migration plan, consider working with an IT consulting service dedicated to the education industry.

Ferrilli Named Ellucian’s 2022 Implementation Partner of the Year

April 28, 2023

HADDONFIELD, NJ – Ferrilli, a leading technology services provider exclusively serving the unique needs and challenges of higher education, has been named Ellucian’s 2022 Implementation Partner of the Year.

Ellucian’s annual awards program honors members of the Ellucian Partner Network for outstanding contributions to customer success. Winners were announced at Ellucian Live 2023, the higher education industry’s premier global technology conference.

“We are thrilled to recognize our partners who have demonstrated excellence in delivering value to our customers,” said Jeff Dinski, Chief Strategy and Corporate Development Officer, Ellucian. “Their commitment to innovation, customer service, and collaboration has enabled us to deliver exceptional outcomes to our customers. We thank these partners for their unwavering commitment to accelerating student success and look forward to continuing our collaboration to drive transformation in the industry through our newly redesigned Ellucian Partner Network.”

Ferrilli’s commitment to a customer-first mentality has been the driving force behind its successful partnership with Ellucian.

The Ellucian/Ferrilli partnership connects the world’s leading higher education technology systems provider and the premier information technology consultants serving higher education, enabling institutions to access top-tier service, support, and strategic guidance for the full suite of Ellucian technology systems and their underlying infrastructure.

“Our commitment to a customer-first mentality has been the driving force behind our successful partnership with Ellucian,” said Ferrilli CEO Robert Ferrilli. “We are truly grateful for the recognition of our shared values and the high level of professionalism we strive to maintain.”

Ellucian works with thousands of higher education institutions around the world and helps more than 22 million students learn, grow and thrive. The Ellucian Partner Network focuses on shared success through joint marketing, sales collaboration and technology enablement. With more than 150 member organizations, Ellucian maintains one of the largest networks of strategic partners providing solutions specific to the needs of higher education.

To read the full press release, please click here.

See You at MEEC 2023!

Oct 08 - Oct 08, 2024

We’re excited to be appearing at the Maryland Education Enterprise Consortium (MEEC) Member Conference and Vendor Showcase on Wednesday, April 26th!

Stop by Booth 9 to connect with Kelly Sinacola and Jessica Bonelli and learn how Ferrilli, as an official MEEC IT professional consulting services vendor, is uniquely positioned to help your institution maximize its technology investment.

We will also be hosting a live session during the conference:

How to Go Serverless and Seamlessly Transition to the Cloud

Session Time: 2:30 – 3:20 pm ET

Session Location: Maryland Room C/D

We look forward to connecting with you!

Connect with Ferrilli at ACE2023!

Oct 08 - Oct 08, 2024

We’re in Washington, D.C., April 13-15, for the American Council on Education’s Annual Meeting!

Connect with Ferrilli’s Marcia A. Daniel and Steven Christian at booth #409 and learn about Ferrilli’s commitment to accelerating a path to institutional change through technology.

See You at AACC Annual 2023!

Oct 08 - Oct 08, 2024

The Ferrilli team is in Denver April 1-4 for AACC Annual 2023.

Connect with us to learn about Ferrilli’s commitment to supporting the country’s community colleges and their students.

And don’t miss our live session, hosted by Ferrilli CEO Robert Ferrilli, who will be joined by Metropolitan Community College’s Dr. Kimberly Beatty for a timely discussion on data security.

Attendees will hear the presidential narrative and receive actionable steps to begin securing their campuses today. We look forward to seeing you there!

Connect with Ferrilli at Ellucian Live 2023!

Oct 08 - Oct 08, 2024

We’re bringing the city inside at Ellucian Live 2023, March 26-29!

Stop by Booth 501 for a true taste of New Orleans, from our real-life food truck serving fresh beignets, to our caricature artist, to our specialty Hurricanes cocktail station.

In honor of our host city, we’ll also be raffling off a trip to Paris, France!

And don’t miss our live sessions throughout the event, designed to help your institution increase efficiencies, reduce costs, and maximize value:

Take off to Ellucian SaaS with Ferrilli

Presenter: Ferrilli CEO Robert Ferrilli; Time: Monday, March 27th at 3:45 pm

Lessons Learned: The Shared Technology Platform for System-Wide Implementation

Presenter: Ferrilli Senior VP Carol Thomas; Time: Wednesday, March 29th at 9:00 am

Optimizing Your Ellucian Colleague® ERP

Ferrilli Vice President of Customer Success Kelly Sinacola; Wednesday, March 29th at 9:00 am

We look forward to connecting with you!

Connect with Ferrilli at EDUSummit 23!

Oct 08 - Oct 08, 2024

Ferrilli’s Ashleigh Mayer, Kelly Sinacola, Casey Malone and David Clem are at the Salesforce Education Summit in Dallas, April 10-12.

Stop by Booth #2 to learn how Ferrilli can help leverage Salesforce to support enrollment, student success, and other institutional priorities!

We look forward to seeing you there.

[Webinar Recording] Banner Finance and HR/Payroll Year End Close

Oct 08 - Oct 08, 2024

Watch as Ferrilli Senior Banner Consultants Grace Hill and Brenda Chicoine discuss Ellucian Banner Finance and HR/Payroll Year End Close.

Connect with Ferrilli at CISOA 2023!

Oct 08 - Oct 08, 2024

We’re excited to be a Diamond Sponsor at the CISOA 2023 Technology Summit, March 6-9, in Burlingame, California!

Stop by booth 601 to connect with Kimberly Steele and the rest of the Ferrilli team. And don’t miss our live session discussing how Ferrilli and San Jose Evergreen Community College District partnered to move SJECCD’s Ellucian Colleague systems to the cloud (Wednesday, March 8th at 1:30 pm PST in Suite 7052).

We look forward to seeing you there!

Connect with Ferrilli at WDI 2023!

Oct 08 - Oct 08, 2024

We’re in Indian Wells, California, this week (January 18-21, 2023) for the annual American Association of Community Colleges’ Workforce Development Institute!

Stop by Booth #4 throughout the event to connect with Marcia A. Daniel and Amy Galette and learn about Ferrilli’s commitment to helping institutions empower the workforce of today and tomorrow.

We look forward to seeing you there!

Connect with Ferrilli at the 2023 Presidents Institute!

Oct 08 - Oct 08, 2024

It’s a new year and we’re back on the road, starting with the Council of Independent Colleges’ 2023 Presidents Institute, January 4-7, in San Francisco!

Connect with Robert Ferrilli, Marcia A. Daniel, Rita Jerman EdD, and Amy Galette throughout the event to learn about Ferrilli’s commitment to enhancing institutional efficiency and facilitating transformational change in higher education.  

We look forward to seeing you there!

Giving Tuesday

November 29, 2022
Moira Harrington

Last Giving Tuesday, we announced that Ferrilli joined Pledge 1% as a corporate partner.  

As part of our commitment, we pledged to donate 100 complimentary hours of security services to institutions that fell victim to a cyber attack. 

One year later and we’re proud to report that we are delivering on that promise.  

In 2021, we donated 3% of our profit back in hours worked; lending our time, expertise, and resources to help several institutions navigate the complex aftermath of a cyber incident.  And we are continuing that great work throughout 2022 and beyond.  

Higher education has increasingly become a favorite target of cyber criminals. That’s why we took the pledge to help protect our community.  

Learn more: https://go.ferrilli.com/l/957602/2022-11-29/bdjyx?utm_source=website&utm_medium=post&utm_campaign=givingtuesday22 

[Webinar Recording] New Student Onboarding: Managing Post-Admit Items in CRM Recruit  

Oct 08 - Oct 08, 2024

Watch as Ferrilli Associate Director Casey Malone shares tips and tricks for managing post-admit items in CRM Recruit.

Connect with us at SACSCOC Annual Meeting!

Oct 08 - Oct 08, 2024

We’re excited to be a sponsor at the 2022 SACSCOC Annual Meeting, December 3-6, at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta, GA! 

Stop by Booth #410 throughout the event to connect with Kelly Sinacola, Marcia A. Daniel and Amy Galette and learn how Ferrilli supports #highereducation institutions in the Southern states. 

And don’t miss our live session on Sunday, 12/4, at 2:30pm ET (Room B208), as Kelly Sinacola discusses what #communitycollege professionals should know about #cybersecurity to keep their campuses safe. 

We look forward to seeing you at the 127th Annual SACSCOC Meeting! 

We’re at SEDUG 2022!

Oct 08 - Oct 08, 2024

Ferrilli is at the Southeast Education Users Group 2022 Conference, November 16-18, in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina! 

Connect with Ferrilli’s Kelly Sinacola and Peter Woodward throughout the conference to learn how we can help maximize your institution’s Ellucian Colleague investment.  

And don’t miss Peter Woodward’s presentation with High Point University on Maximizing Your Auto Packaging to Minimize Manual Processing.  

We earned our stripes as an ERP consulting firm working on #Colleague nearly 20 years ago. Today, we’re proud to call ourselves an Ellucian Platinum Services partner.  

We look forward to seeing you soon at SEDUG2022

See you soon at PABUG 2022!

November 08, 2022
Moira Harrington

We’re attending the Pennsylvania Banner Users Group 2022 Annual Conference, November 13-15, in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania! 

Connect with Jessica Bonelli and the rest of the Ferrilli team to learn about our Ellucian Banner consulting services. As an Ellucian Platinum Services partner, we’re uniquely positioned to help your institution optimize and streamline its Banner #ERP system.  

Also, be sure to check out our two live sessions, hosted by Ferrilli’s Banner experts Carol Thomas, Dr. Lauraly DuBois, and Carlos Alca: 

Implementing Banner with the Shared Technology Platform (STP): Considerations for a Successful Outcome on Monday, 11/14, at 2pm ET. 

Migrating from Banner SSB8 to Banner SSB9: A Pathway to Success Description on Tuesday, 11/15, at 9am ET. 

See you soon at PABUG 2022! 

Connect with us at NJASFAA!

Oct 08 - Oct 08, 2024

We’re at the NJASFAA Fall Conference 2022, November 9-11, in Atlantic City, New Jersey! 

Be sure to connect with Jessica Bonelli at Booth #12 to hear how Ferrilli supports financial aid administrators and the students they serve.  

We look forward to seeing you there. 

10 Cybersecurity Best Practices for Individuals

October 31, 2022
Andrew Gaddess

In honor of Cybersecurity Awareness Month 2022, Ferrilli is looking to empower everyday individuals and academic institutions by making cybersecurity more accessible and top-of-mind.

In this current climate, there is a growing and wholly justifiable emphasis on improving cybersecurity in our daily lives. We are all responsible for ensuring that our computers, mobile devices, and the information in our possession is secure and protected from bad cyber actors.

To that end, we’ve compiled our list of 10 Cybersecurity Best Practices for Individuals:

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Connect with Ferrilli at ACCT Leadership Congress 2022!

Oct 08 - Oct 08, 2024

We are honored to be a sponsor at the 2022 ACCT Leadership Congress on October 26-29, 2022, at the City University of New York! 

Be sure to connect with Robert Ferrilli, Marcia A. Daniel, Steven Christian, Rita Jerman, Ed.D, and Amy Galette to learn about Ferrilli’s commitment to helping community colleges provide high-quality, affordable education opportunities to all.  

And please don’t miss our two live sessions, hosted by Robert Ferrilli: 

‘Data Security Essentials: Actionable Advice to Improve Campus Security’ on Thursday, October 27th, at 2 pm ET. 

‘Go Serverless and Get Ready for Takeoff to the Cloud with Ferrilli, Ellucian, & AWS’ on Friday, October 28th, at 2:15 pm ET 

We look forward to seeing you there! 

[WEBINAR RECORDING] We Are All Part of the Security Team!

Oct 08 - Oct 08, 2024

Watch as Ferrilli’s Security Experts share some key fundamental cybersecurity best practices in honor of Cybersecurity Awareness Month 2022.

We’re at MECA 2022!

October 19, 2022
Moira Harrington

Ferrilli is excited to be a sponsor at the MECA Conference on October 20-21! 

Be sure to connect with Ferrilli’s Jessica Bonelli, Jeffery Lehman and Thomas Hausmann throughout the event to learn how our Ellucian ERP consultants and support team leverage unmatched technical and functional expertise to improve operations and business processes, reduce costs, and delight users across the campus. 

And don’t miss our live session on Friday at 11:30am CT: ‘Technology alone is not enough: The Case for Assessing Business Practices to Improve ERP Efficiency.’ 

We look forward to seeing you there! 

See you at 2022 Cohesion Summit!

October 18, 2022
Moira Harrington

We’re at the 2022 Cohesion Summit on October 18-21, 2022, in Reno, Nevada! 

Be sure to connect with Ferrilli’s team of dedicated higher education technology experts throughout the event. And don’t miss our live session on Wednesday, October 19th, at 10am PT, as we discuss how to seamlessly manage the transition to #EllucianBanner Self Service 9! 

We’re at NCWE 2022!

October 11, 2022
Moira Harrington

Ferrilli is excited to be a gold sponsor at the 2022 National Council for Workforce Education Conference! 

Be sure to connect with Ferrilli’s Kelly Sinacola and Marcia A. Daniel at Booth #32 while in Portland, Oregon. And don’t miss our presentation on Thursday, October 13, 2022, covering the essentials of datasecurity. 

We look forward to seeing you at NCWE 2022.

Ferrilli Joins Philadelphia100® Hall of Fame

October 14, 2022
Andrew Gaddess

We’re excited to announce that Ferrilli has been named to the Philadelphia100® list for the 5th time!

As a 5-time winner, Ferrilli earned a spot in the prestigious Philadelphia100® Hall of Fame; a distinction shared by just 28 other companies.

Ferrilli landed at No. 53 on this year’s list, which recognizes the fastest growing, privately-held companies in the region.

Growth translates into more opportunities for the company and greater client value creation. We’re excited share this honor with the entire Ferrilli team and our higher education community.

STOP BY BOOTH 935 AT EDUCAUSE 2022 AND TAKE YOUR SHOT AT $50K

October 11, 2022
Moira Harrington

We’re going for the green at Educause 2022! 

Stop by Booth 935 on Tuesday, October 25th – Friday, October 28th, to play Ferrilli’s $50,000, hole-in-one challenge! 

We’ll also be raffling off a once-in-a-lifetime trip to the beautiful Pebble Beach Resorts, located between picturesque Monterey and Carmel, California. 

Our team of talented higher education technology experts will be there to cheer you on … and, of course, answer any questions you have about optimizing your institution’s technology. 

You do not want to miss this! Just look for the massive, state-of-the-art golf simulator and come over to take your shot! 

Ferrilli Security Alert: Windows Server 2012 and 2012 R2 Support Ending in One Year

October 10, 2022
Andrew Gaddess

We’re alerting our higher education technology community that support for Windows Server 2012 and 2012 R2, including security updates, are coming to an end in one year.

Extended Support for these operating systems will end on October 10, 2023.

If you haven’t thought about migrating your servers to newer versions, now is a good time to start!

Considering that these projects can take significant time to schedule and execute, the earlier you start the better off you will be. Many organizations faced challenges when Windows Server 2008 and 2008 R2 were end-of-life. It is important not to be caught in a similar position this time around.

We have also been noticing that IT security initiatives are on the rise and having out-of-service OSes is often a top item to resolve. Security auditors will mark these servers as a risk to be remediated and mitigations are often costly and service impacting. Our team recommends avoiding the hassle and starting your upgrade project now.

As always, if you have any questions or support needs around this project, Ferrilli is here to help. We have the expertise and working knowledge to help you upgrade or migrate your servers with minimal impact to end-users.​

Ferrilli Financial Aid Alert: FAFSA Simplification is Coming. Will Your Institution be Ready?

October 07, 2022
Andrew Gaddess

Beginning in the 2024-25 Award Year, Federal Student Aid will be making significant changes to the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) as well as the methodology used to determine student eligibility for financial assistance. These changes are anticipated to benefit students and their families, not only by simplifying the FAFSA application itself, but also by reducing barriers to accessing federal funds for education. These positive changes for financial aid applicants will have monumental impacts for higher education institutions that must start being considered now to adequately prepare for what is to come.

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Connect with us at NCCCS!

October 06, 2022
Moira Harrington

Attending the North Carolina Community College System Conference on October 9-11? 

Be sure to stop by Booth 829 at the Raleigh Convention Center to connect with Ferrilli’s Marcia A. Daniel and Rita Jerman, EdD, and learn about our commitment to helping North Carolina community colleges deliver high-quality, accessible educational opportunities to their communities!  

We’re at CCBO 2022!

Oct 08 - Oct 08, 2024

We’re proud to be a Gold Sponsor at the CCBO Annual Conference, October 3-5!

Ferrilli’s Robert Ferrilli, Kelly Sinacola, and Marcia A. Daniel will all be on-site in Orlando.

Stop by Booth 5 to connect with us and learn more about the Ferrilli difference.

Connect with Ferrilli at the 2022 IIPS Fall Conference!

Oct 08 - Oct 08, 2024

Connect with Ferrilli at the 2022 IIPS Fall Conference, October 3 – 5, 2022, in Wilmington, North Carolina! 

Ferrilli’s Senior Director of CORE System Administration Services Andrew Russell and his team will be on hand to answer any of your questions.  And be sure to check out our speaker sessions on October 4th; including an SSL certificates discussion with Ferrilli’s Clayton Brown at 9:30am, and ‘CIS with the Cloud Quick Wins/WAF’ with Ferrilli’s Shane Garnetti at 1:00pm.  

We look forward to seeing you there! 

See You at GLUG 2022!

Oct 08 - Oct 08, 2024

Connect with Ferrilli at the Great Lakes Users Group Conference, September 26, 2022, in Livonia, Michigan!

Stop by our booth to learn about our broad range of Ellucian Colleague consulting services. And don’t miss our live Data Security Essentials session in Room 205 at 1:15 pm ET, as Ferrilli’s Kelly Sinacola and Christopher Mallory share actionable advice on how to avoid the devastating effects of a cyberattack.

We look forward to seeing you there.

Connect with Us at MBUG 2022!

Oct 08 - Oct 08, 2024

Attending the Mississippi Banner Users Group conference in Tupelo, Mississippi, on September 11-13, 2022?

If so, be sure to connect with Ferrilli’s Steven Terry and Ashleigh Mayer to learn how our expert team can help maximize your institution’s Ellucian Banner investment!

Our functional and technical Banner ERP consultants have been in your shoes – having used and managed Banner as on-campus technology leaders, admissions and enrollment directors, marketing specialists, financial aid directors, bursars, finance leaders, and more!

We’re committed. We care. We do whatever it takes. And we look forward to seeing you at MBUG!

[Webinar Recording] GLBA Amended Safeguards Rule. Are You Prepared?

Oct 08 - Oct 08, 2024

Watch as Ferrilli’s Security, Cloud & Infrastructure team share expert advice on how to meet the requirements of the updated GLBA Safeguards Rule.

Ferrilli Named to 2022 Inc. 5000 List of Fastest-Growing Private Companies in America

August 17, 2022

Haddonfield, NJ – We are excited to announce that Ferrilli has been named to the 2022 Inc. 5000 list of the fastest-growing privately held companies in America.

This is the 4th year that Ferrilli has been named to the prestigious list (2009, 2017, 2018 & 2022).

“Being named to the Inc. 5000 list is national recognition of our hard work as an organization. It is a testament to the talent and dedication of everyone at Ferrilli,” said Ferrilli CEO Robert Ferrilli. “I am incredibly proud of what we have accomplished.”

+ Read More

[Webinar Recording] Active Directory Security: Privileged Identity Protections

Oct 08 - Oct 08, 2024

Watch as Ferrilli Senior Consultant Erik Potzmann shares expert advice on Active Directory security protections.

[Webinar Recording] OPTIMIZING YOUR MICROSOFT 365 A5 LICENSING

Oct 08 - Oct 08, 2024

Watch Ferrilli Senior Consultant Erik Potzmann share expert advice on optimizing your Microsoft 365 A5 licensing.

Connect with the Ultimate Pros at NACUBO 2022!

Oct 08 - Oct 08, 2024

We’re excited to be an exhibiting sponsor at the NACUBO 2022 Annual Meeting, July 16-19, in Aurora, Colorado!

Stop by Booth 523 to take a shot on our state-of-the-art golf simulator and connect with Ferrilli’s Senior Vice President Carol Thomas, Chief Client Officer Marcia A. Daniel and Executive Vice President Steven Christian.

Our team of talented higher education technology caddies will be there to cheer you on … and, of course, answer any questions you have about maximizing your institution’s technology investment.

We look forward to connecting with you.

Why You Need a CRM in Higher Education

July 12, 2022
Andrew Gaddess
Why You Need a CRM in Higher Education

Customer relationship management (CRM) platforms are powerful tools for higher education. If you are looking for a solution that can help your institution increase efficiency and improve student relationships, CRM systems might be perfect for your school. 

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[WEBINAR RECORDING] Financial Aid Staffing Shortages: Actionable Tips to Enhance Office Efficiency While Short-Staffed

Oct 08 - Oct 08, 2024

Watch Ferrilli Financial Aid Consultants Amy Christen and Susan Kannenwischer share actionable tips to enhance aid office efficiency while short-staffed.

Connect with Ferrilli at Anthology Together 2022!

Oct 08 - Oct 08, 2024

We’re excited to be a sponsor at Anthology Together 2022, July 11-14, in Orlando, Florida!

Stop by Booth 115 to connect with the Ferrilli team and learn how to maximize your technology investment. We want to hear about what’s going right, what needs improvement, and what you hope to accomplish going forward.

You can also attend a live session hosted by Ferrilli’s Anthology Services Director, Dan Mongeluzi, on Mastering Business Processes via Health Checks.

We look forward to seeing you at AT22!

See you at Slate Summit 2022!

Oct 08 - Oct 08, 2024

We’re excited to be attending the Technolutions Slate Summit in Nashville from June 16-17, 2022!

As a Slate Gold Preferred Partner, we empower admissions teams to get the most out of Slate.

Connect with Ferrilli’s Ashleigh Mayer, Kelly Sinacola, Dixie McNally, Joshua Flick, Bethann Corey, and Joshua Weiler at the summit to find out how.

We look forward to seeing you there!

See You At CCA 2022!

Oct 08 - Oct 08, 2024

We’re excited to be attending the 29th annual Community Colleges of Appalachia Conference this Sunday, June 5th, through June 7th, in Asheville, NC!

Connect with Ferrilli’s Robert Ferrilli, Marcia A. Daniel and Ashleigh Mayer during the event to learn about our tireless commitment to enhancing institutional effectiveness and enriching the student experience both in the region and across the country.  

We look forward to seeing you there!

Connect with Ferrilli at ACCTC 2022!

Oct 08 - Oct 08, 2024

Attending the Arizona Community Colleges Technical Conference at Yavapai College, June 1-2, 2022?

Be sure to connect with us throughout the event. Ferrilli is committed to providing the services Arizona Community Colleges need to streamline operations, reduce costs and position students for success.

We look forward to seeing you there!

Cybersecurity Threats in Education Institutions  

July 22, 2022
Carolyn Ciccocioppo
Cybersecurity Threats in Education Institutions

Every year, several American schools across educational levels experience cybersecurity threats. However, higher education institutions are at a greater risk because of the amount of information they have. To ensure important, secure information stays safe, schools must understand cybersecurity risks and create comprehensive protection plans.

Below is everything you need to know about the prevalence of cyberattacks, what kinds of cyberattacks exist and how you can protect your academic institution from bad actors.

Cybersecurity Education Statistics 

Some of the most frequent targets of computer intrusions are educational institutions. As spaces that maintain various kinds (and vast amounts) of sensitive information, from financial details to critical research, hackers have many reasons to breach their systems. Additionally, some academic institutions lack the budget to invest in proper cybersecurity measures to protect their schools, making them more vulnerable to attacks.

Recently, cybercrime in education has been on the rise. In 2019, reported cyberattacks on American schools tripled from the previous year. As COVID-19 forced instructors and students to work and study from home in 2020, protective measures further decreased and more attackers sought to target vulnerable faculty, staff, students and parents. In 2021, cybersecurity threats to the educational and research sector rose to around 1,600 per week

Microsoft Security Intelligence runs an ongoing study that assesses the details of cyberattacks each month and sorts results by industry to highlight which sectors experience more attacks. In 2020, education ranked first with around 62% of all cyberattacks in a single month. In May 2022, this rose to 82% out of 7.5 million total attacks.

Common Reasons Cyberattacks Happen to Educational Institutions

It can be challenging for higher education IT departments to protect against all types of attacks with changing technology, the increasing size of the technology perimeter (work and study from home), and the evolving ways that cybercriminals can reach data. This becomes even more complicated considering the many reasons hackers will target schools, including:

  • Disruption: A distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack is when hackers overload school servers or networks to cause overall disruption. Users may be unable to connect to networks, leading to lower productivity levels for students and staff. This attack method is easy to achieve on poorly protected systems.
  • Data theft: Colleges and universities have access to personal and sensitive information. Their online systems store data on students, faculty and vendors, from billing information to home and business addresses. Many cybercriminals target academic institutions because they collect various kinds of sensitive information. Hackers can often go unnoticed for months, allowing them to gather large sums of data slowly.
  • Financial gain: Many hackers steal information for money via ransomware/malware attacks. Cyberattackers can sell stolen data to interested parties or demand ransom from the school itself, withholding the files or access until they pay. Ransom can cost schools upwards of hundreds of thousands of dollars (even millions, depending on how large the breach and the size of the institution), which can take away from other vital initiatives and result in poor press for the institution.
  • Lack of awareness: Some cybercriminals gain access to institutions’ networks and servers through students, faculty and staff who aren’t sufficiently trained to practice good cyber hygiene or accidentally compromise the network. 
  • Lack of policy and resources to monitor non-compliance: Setting out policies for using the network and making sure they’re adhered to can be difficult with a dynamic user population, particularly with IT staff already facing stretched resources.
  • Lack of or undeveloped patch and vulnerability management: Hackers can target weaker systems through findings from their reconnaissance. They try to find the system(s) that have vulnerabilities. This job is made easier by academic institutions that have a difficult time keeping up with software and system patching. All the bad actors need to find is one vulnerable system that will serve as their pivot entry point, allowing them to traverse the network to access more crucial information and increase damage.

Understanding the common reasons hackers will target your school can help you know where you might be vulnerable and determine what to look for. Any of these attacks can occur through several types of security breaches.

Common Reasons Cyberattacks Happen to Educational Institutions

3 Types of Cybersecurity Threats to Universities and Colleges

Academic institutions manage unique networks with several points of contact where scammers and hackers can get in and access valuable information. When trying to understand cybersecurity threats in education institutions, learning the common types can help.

1. Phishing Scams 

Phishing scams are when students, faculty or parents receive an email from a bad actor pretending to be someone of high importance. They might claim to be a school representative, though these scams can take on various forms — in light of COVID-19, many phishing scammers claim to be with the government trying to help people receive stimulus checks or personal protective equipment.

The goal of phishing is to gain access to login credentials, which hackers can accomplish through emailing their targets. Often, phishing emails include a link, which takes users to a login screen and prompts them to enter their credentials. If they enter the information, scammers will have access to it and be able to access their accounts for various details.

This method is especially dangerous because scammers can use it to gain several types of information from academic institutions. Phishing is extremely common, accounting for around 90% of all cyberattacks. Understanding what phishing is and how it can affect your students and staff can help you combat it. Especially when online courses and systems are prevalent in modern learning, institutions must know what precautions they should take against phishing.

2. Malware Attacks 

Malware attacks occur when hackers steal or refuse access to systems or files. This type can come in many forms, from generalized disruption to theft, so it can be challenging for colleges and universities to combat it. People will often encounter this attack type through a trojan, a normal-looking file the user downloads that actually contains the malware. Like phishing, malware files can come through email or instant messages, allowing users to trust them.

Malware is dangerous because it can spread through contact and without it. When people receive malware on their devices, communication with other devices can allow the virus to infect them, exposing more information and devices to hackers. Devices can receive malware by connecting to public Wi-Fi, and they can spread it further when they connect to private ones, causing all other connected devices to possibly receive it.

Malware Attacks 

3. Ransomware Attacks 

Ransomware attacks are a type of malware. Like typical malware, this type will block access or steal files on devices, though hackers will demand a ransom to return files or access. Because it’s a malware type, people can experience them in the same way through emails, trojans and unprotected networks.

Because they want to increase their chances of payment, hackers will likely target more sensitive or critical information with ransomware. Educational institutions are at higher risk of ransomware and its applications in their networks because of the types of data they maintain and use. With several departments on campus using the same security systems, hackers can gain access to a plethora of sensitive data.

Why Does Higher Education Need Cybersecurity? 

Several universities and colleges experience attacks for various reasons, from ransom to overall disruption, and cyber attackers can even include their staff and students. Schools often lack the technical support and security systems they need to prevent cyberattacks from occurring in the first place.

Some reasons your school needs strong cybersecurity measures include:

  • Protecting student, faculty and school information: Colleges and universities are centers for all sorts of information, making them valuable targets for cybercrimes. You have resources and databases dedicated to personal information and other essential data that helps carry out processes like registration and enrollment. They also must protect alumni and donors’ personal and financial information. Security measures can ensure only the right people access information and keep sensitive data secure and confidential.
  • Maintaining finances and budget: The average ransomware can cost higher education institutions around $112,000 to return their files and network access. This can pull funding from other areas of your school’s budget, putting a strain on the school’s finances.
  • Saving your reputation and brand: Students and families might have less trust in schools that experience cyberattacks publicly. Your school might have to pay additional fees to cover marketing campaigns to reach students, or pay for 1 to 3 years of credit monitoring for the affected users to help rebuild confidence.

Cybersecurity measures can help you take preventative steps to keep your school’s information, finances and reputation safe.

How You Can Protect Your School 

It can be challenging for schools to determine how to protect themselves because there are few cybersecurity education requirements. The lack of industry standards can make it complex for institutions to decide where to begin when implementing strong protection practices.

If you want to add standard or extra protection to your school, there are some tips you can implement to prevent hackers from accessing your information. However, the best way to provide comprehensive cybersecurity solutions for education is to allocate funds to IT departments and use adequate staffing, allowing professionals to keep your online resources safe.

How You Can Protect Your School 

1. Educate Students and Staff Regularly (and have reporting channels to alert and help increase communication and awareness)

The most basic way to keep your higher education institution safe from cyberattacks is to educate your campus. Students and professors might not understand how they can play a role in keeping the school safe, so you can provide training and educational modules that give them smart cyber tips to ensure they only engage in safe practices.

Consider including:

  • Signs of phishing information
  • Reminders about renewing virus protection
  • Details about what suspicious files look like
  • The dangers of using public, unsecured Wi-Fi
  • Strong password qualifications

It takes a village to fight cyber-crime. Having reporting channels such as abuse email distribution lists and awareness channels to report phishing attacks is essential. End users are the frontline security of the organizations and can let you know when they see something suspicious. Educate them in security principles and train them to avoid certain actions if they suspect an incident. Require this training for all faculty, staff, and students and do mandatory yearly modules for all users. This practice can ensure your campus stays up to date on cybersecurity practices.

2. Require Two-Step Authentication 

While phishing attacks can give hackers access to login information, two-step authentication can help prevent them from getting into accounts. Two-step authentication will require users to connect their accounts to an external communication method, usually a phone number or another email. When someone tries to log in to that account, the login process will require a one-time code sent to that connected account in addition to their regular credentials.

Because phishing scammers won’t have access to the external phone number or email, the data will remain safe. You can further protect accounts by asking students and staff to use unique passwords and reset passwords frequently.

3. Implement Network Segmentation 

Higher education is a unique sector for cybersecurity because of the complex networks that institutions create. Many schools encourage students to bring personal devices like laptops and smartphones and connect them to their Wi-Fi networks when on campus. Professors handle several tasks on these networks, while administration handles sensitive information to ensure payroll, tuition, registration and other processes run smoothly.

While personal devices help students and others easily complete school- and work-related tasks on devices they already own, it can cause challenges when devices don’t have adequate protection or encounter malware that can spread through networks.

Network segmentation will divide your network into smaller subcategories, each with unique security features that restrict access and protect information. This system can allow you to serve various groups at your school while protecting data from more public-facing devices, like student laptops.

4. Try a Zero-Trust Access Method 

A zero-trust access (ZTA) system is a great way to protect your systems from hackers and cyberattacks. This method only gives access to the necessary people, creating secure networks.

ZTAs also require continual confirmation for people to gain access and keep hackers away from data. Users might have to participate in CAPTCHA identifications to prove they are humans or verify they want systems to remember a specific device. You can also establish geographic parameters to prevent international hackers from reaching information.

This method is very useful and effective for the increasing amount of work and study from home that the COVID pandemic has necessitated

This method can help IT departments receive and analyze data on normal user behavior, helping them identify potential threats as they occur within your network.

5. Invest in Browser Safety Measures 

Academic institutions are at a higher risk because of the diverse populations that gather on campus and the varying kinds of work people are completing at any given time. Protect your school from cyberattacks by encouraging students to use virus protection on personal devices and installing anti-virus software on school machines. 

Virus protection can help keep students, faculty and staff from downloading files or visiting sites that might contain viruses through firewalls and scanners.

Protect Your Academic Institution With Ferrilli’s Custom Cybersecurity Solutions

As a highly targeted industry, universities and colleges need to take extra measures to protect themselves. Higher education institutions are common victims of cybercrimes because they are resources that manage crucial personal and academic information.

Schools can take steps to increase protection and security, like partnering with cybersecurity experts to create comprehensive coverage. Ferrilli specializes in higher education institutions with decades of experience, allowing us to understand your industry’s unique needs and challenges. We can work with you to analyze risks and develop a customized security system that will keep your institution, your research, and your users (students, faculty and staff) safe.

Contact us today at 888.864.3282 to discover how we can keep your information out of the hands of hackers. 

Protect Your Academic Institution With Ferrilli's Custom Cybersecurity Solutions

SEE YOU AT UBUG 2022!

Oct 08 - Oct 08, 2024

UBUG 2022 attendees, make sure to stop by and see us during the conference on Friday, May 13th at Utah State University!

We’ll be standing by to address all your Banner-related questions. As an Ellucian Platinum Services Partner we have the knowledge and expertise to help your institution maximize its Ellucian Banner investment.

You can also check out our breakout session at 11am MT in Room 311, ‘A Cloud 360 Approach: Meeting the Demands of a Digital-First Era’ with Ferrilli Senior Vice President Carol Thomas.

We look forward to seeing you there!

Connect with Ferrilli at the MEEC Member Conference and Vendor Showcase

Oct 08 - Oct 08, 2024

We’re excited to be appearing at the Maryland Education Enterprise Consortium (MEEC) Member Conference and Vendor Showcase on Wednesday, April 27, at Martin’s West!

Stop by Booth 38 to learn how Ferrilli, as an official MEEC IT professional consulting services vendor, is uniquely positioned to help your institution maximize its technology investment.

We will also be hosting a live session during the conference:

Cloud 360: Addressing the Demands of Cloud Service Delivery
Session Time: 1:30 – 2:20 pm ET
Session Location: Camelia

We look forward to connecting with you!

CONNECT WITH US AT THE SALESFORCE.ORG EDUCATION SUMMIT 2022

Oct 08 - Oct 08, 2024

We’re excited to be a sponsor at the Salesforce.org Education Summit 2022, starting April 20th!

As a Salesforce Consulting Partner, we are here to help institutions grow enrollment, improve retention, support fundraising and advancement, and foster productive relationships with constituents both on and off campus.

Click here to access the virtual conference and connect with us.

Ferrilli Security Alert: Patch recent vulnerabilities from Google and Microsoft

April 15, 2022
Andrew Gaddess

By: Armando D’Onorio (CISSP, GSLC, GCCC), Ferrilli’s Chief Information Security Officer & Senior Consultant

We’re alerting our higher education community to act quickly and patch the latest vulnerabilities from Google and Microsoft:

  • Google Chrome: An exploit for CVE-2022-1364 exists and it is strongly recommended that everyone install the latest Google Chrome update (100.0.4896.127) as soon as possible.
  • Microsoft RDP: Critical Windows RPC CVE-2022-26809 flaw raises concerns due to its potential for widespread, significant cyberattacks. Therefore, all organizations need to apply Windows security updates as soon as possible.

Note: While our focus is on getting the academic systems updated, please remind your faculty, staff, and students to patch their personal devices.

More info about the vulnerabilities: 

​​​​
Google Chrome

  • Google officials did not release many details about the flaw, saying that information and links about the bug are being restricted until most users are updated. The emergency updates the company issued this week impacted almost 3 billion users of its Chrome browser as well as those using other Chromium-based browsers, such as Microsoft Edge, Brave and Vivaldi. They will also retain restrictions if the bug exists in a third-party library that other projects similarly depend on but have not yet fixed. The vulnerability is a so-called “confusion” weakness in Chrome’s V8 JavaScript engine. This type of flaw often leads to browser crashes, but the high severity label for this specific vulnerability suggests that it could be the rarer kind that allows attackers to execute damaging code depending on the privileges associated with the application. An attacker could view, change, or delete data, according to the Center for Internet Security.

Microsoft RDP: CVSS:3.1 9.8 / 8.5

  • Microsoft fixed this vulnerability as part of the April 2022 Patch Tuesday updates and rated it as ‘Critical,’ as it allows unauthorized remote code execution through a bug in the Microsoft Remote Procedure Call (RPC) communication protocol (TCP 445 and 135). If exploited, any commands will be executed at the same privilege level as the RPC server, which in many cases has elevated or SYSTEM level permissions, providing full administrative access to the exploited device. Security researchers believe the bug has the potential to be exploited in widespread attacks, like what we saw with the 2003 Blaster worm and 2017 Wannacry attacks utilizing the Eternal Blue vulnerability. Currently there are over 1.3 million devices exposing port 445 to the Internet, offering a massive pool of targets to exploit. It is important to stress that institutions should apply the patch because it can surface in several configurations of both client and server RPC services. This vulnerability is ideal for spreading laterally in a network and security experts believe we will surely see it used by ransomware gangs in the future.

What Version Should You Be on Google Chrome?
The latest fix will bring Chrome to version 100.0.4896.127 across Windows, Linux, and Mac platforms. Remind your users to close their browsers so the Chrome updates will be applied in the coming days and weeks, as Chrome automatically installs the latest patch when the browser is closed and relaunched.

If you have any questions or need assistance, please click here.

Stop by Booth 501 at Ellucian Live 2022 and take your shot at $50k

Oct 08 - Oct 08, 2024

We’re going for the green at Ellucian Live 2022!

Stop by Booth 501 on Sunday, April 10th – Tuesday, April 12th, to play Ferrilli’s $50,000, hole-in-one challenge!

We’ll also be raffling off a once-in-a-lifetime trip to the beautiful Pebble Beach Resorts, located between picturesque Monterey and Carmel, California.

Our team of talented higher education technology experts will be there to cheer you on … and, of course, answer any questions you have about optimizing your institution’s Ellucian technology.

You do not want to miss this! Just look for the massive, state-of-the-art golf simulator and come over to take your shot!

Ferrilli Live Sessions at eLive 2022!

We’re excited to be presenting three live sessions at Ellucian Live 2022:

Solution Showcase Demo: Ferrilli’s Automated Degree & Certificate Evaluator for Colleague

Monday, April 11th – 2:30 PM – 2:45 PM (MDT)

Lead Presenter: Kelly Sinacola, Executive Vice President, Ferrilli

Go Serverless and Take Off to the Cloud with Ferrilli, Ellucian, and AWS

Tuesday, April 12 – 3:45 – 4:30 PM (MDT)

Lead Presenter: Robert Ferrilli, CEO, Ferrilli

Rethinking Student Affairs Roles: Dynamic Technology and Student Populations

Wednesday, April 13 – 9:00 – 9:45 AM (MDT)

Lead Presenter: Kathryn Starkey, Associate Dean of Adult Learning, Colorado State University Pueblo

Co-Presenters: Linda Bloom, Senior Consultant, Ferrilli & Carol Larson, Registrar, Colorado State University Pueblo

Ferrilli Security Alert: Russian Cyber Activity Updates & Preparation Advice

March 30, 2022
Andrew Gaddess

We’re following up from our Russian Cyber Activity webinar earlier this month to provide our higher education community with the latest updates and advice on the Russian cyber threat:

The U.S. Government has called the current moment “critical” in working towards enhancing its cybersecurity defenses and believes the threat of cyberattack from Russia is looming against the United States.

Government officials stated this reinforces the urgent need for all organizations, large and small, and even individuals to act now to protect themselves against malicious cyber activity.

The following information can help you be prepared:

Report anomalous cyber activity and/or cyber incidents as soon as possible!

The CISA is working closely with federal and industry partners to monitor the threat environment 24/7 and they stand ready to help organizations respond to and recover from cyberattacks.

Visit CISA.gov/Shields-Up for information on how to protect your network(s) and how to report anomalous cyber activity and/or incidents. When cyber activity/incidents are reported quickly, it can contribute to stopping further attacks.

  • report@cisa.gov
  • (888) 282-0870, or
  • Your FBI Field Office or CISA Regional Office

What Can Be Done?

  • Treat people as your first line of defense – Educate your employees on common tactics (email and websites) and how to report suspicious activity and investigate their reports promptly and thoroughly.
  • Test your emergency procedures for backups and restoring services/data. Ensure you have offline backups beyond the reach of malicious actors.
  • Encrypt your data so it can not be used if stolen.
  • Verify your communication channels work and know the players and their roles in your Emergency Response Team.
  • Ensure software and hardware patching is current and up to date.
  • Enable multifactor authentication on all accounts/systems/devices connecting to your network(s).
  • Engage proactively with your local FBI field office or CISA Regional Office to establish relationships in advance of any cyber incidents.

Cybersecurity advice to share with co-workers, family and friends

  • Pay extra attention to email: Your work email address, as well as any personal email addresses, are the most common starting places for a targeted attack.
  • Protect yourself:
    • DO NOT FOLLOW LINKS contained in emails or in text messages – If you feel the communication is legitimate, navigate to the main website by typing in the primary site address and then navigate to the desired page/resource. o    Verify the email using a different contact method – Voice calling is particularly powerful in vetting outreach.
    • Use strong passwords and multi-factor authentication to reduce compromises by unwanted hackers.
    • Protect your devices and home network – keep them up to date and use antivirus software. Use the latest supported versions, apply security patches promptly, use anti-virus and scan regularly to guard against known malware threats.
    • Beware of new outreach in social media platforms (Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, Facebook, etc.) and text messages from unknown phone numbers or groups.
  • Protect others:
    • REPORT any suspected communications or activity to your Helpdesk or IT department.
    • Report suspicious outreach received at your personal email addresses by reporting them to your service provider via their published resources.
    • DO NOT FORWARD or share:
      • unvetted outreach or “recommended” content.
      • suspicious messages Delete them immediately.

Thank you and please stay safe!​

Ferrilli Alert: Federal Fiscal Year 2022 Budget Impact on Pell Grant Awards

March 29, 2022
Andrew Gaddess

With the passage of the Fiscal Year 2022 Federal budget on March 15, 2022, new Pell entitlement figures have been approved, increasing the maximum Pell grant award $400, to $6,895 for the 2022-23 award year.

While this increase is beneficial for students, it will also require action for Financial Aid Offices that have already begun packaging students for the upcoming year.

Impacts for Previously Award Students

The increase to the maximum Pell grant award may have several impacts to the aid packages of students who have previously been awarded for the 2022-23 award year.

  • Students awarded Pell grants will likely see an increase to their award entitlement.
  • An increased Pell award may require adjustment to other Federal and institutional awards, as the higher Pell amount will reduce the student’s overall unmet need.
  • Depending on the institution’s SIS/ERP packaging configuration and functionality, adjustments to student awards may require software updates and/or manual review and adjustment.

How to Prepare for Updating Student Pell Awards and Award Packages

There are several steps Financial Aid Offices can take to prepare to implement these changes in their SIS/ERP systems and repackage previously awarded students.

  • Identify any previously packaged students who received Pell as part of their 2022-23 award package. Since this population will need to be reviewed, identifying the population in advance will allow Financial Aid Office staff to better prepare for award revisions when the SIS/ERP is capable of processing them.
  • Monitor communication from your institution’s SIS/ERP vendor indicating what system changes need to be made to accommodate the new Pell entitlements. Generally, this may only require parameter updates for the new amounts but depending on other changes that may have been made to the entitlement grids, software updates may be required as well.
  • Monitor communications from the Department of Education regarding the reprocessing of ISIRs to reflect the updated Pell amounts. Even if your software vendor provides guidance/updates for accommodating the increased award amounts, a new ISIR transaction will still need to be received to correctly calculate a student’s award.
  • Determine if your institution will make adjustments to any previously awarded institutional need-based aid. In other words, if Pell is increased will your institution decrease its need-based award offer or allow previous amounts to remain unchanged. If the latter option is chosen, this may result in the need to revise Subsidized Stafford Loan amounts in the student’s award package.
  • Identify any not yet packaged students with Pell grant eligibility. Excluding these students from the packaging process until the necessary system changes and reprocessed ISIRs have been received will prevent providing inaccurate awards to students and reduce the need for additional repackaging by Financial Aid Office staff.
  • Communicate with your students about revisions to their awards. When students and their families see news of these changes due to the approval of the Federal Budget, they may have questions about how they will be impacted and when they will see revisions to their award package. Providing this information preemptively to both students needing revisions as well as student who may have their packages delayed may help to allay their concerns and reduce inquiries to their institution’s Financial Aid Office.

Please don’t hesitate to contact us if you require assistance updating student Pell awards and award packages. We’re here to help!​​​​​

Webinar Recording: Protect Your Institution from Russian Cyber Activity

Oct 08 - Oct 08, 2024

Our emergency webinar addressed the rise in Russian-Ukraine themed threats and cyber-attack activity. This webinar helps institutions “Know What Their Attackers Know,” and position themselves for defense.

CISOA Technology Summit: Stop by Booth 301 & 302!

Oct 08 - Oct 08, 2024

We’re excited to be a Diamond Sponsor at the 2022 CISOA Technology Summit in Ontario, CA, March 20-23, 2022!

Stop by Booth 301 & 302 to learn how Ferrilli can help your institution maximize its technology investment.

And don’t forget to check out our live session on Monday, March 21st from 11:15 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. PT: Learn about SJECCD’s Cloud Experience with Ferrilli, Ellucian, & AWS with San Jose Evergreen Community College District’s Director of Enterprise Applications Sergio Oklander.

We look forward to connecting with you!

NERCOMP 2022: Visit Ferrilli at Booth 402!

Oct 08 - Oct 08, 2024

We’re excited to be a sponsor at the 2022 NERCOMP Annual Conference in Providence, Rhode Island, March 14-16!

Stop by Booth 402 throughout the event to connect with our knowledgeable higher education technology experts and learn about the special benefits we offer to NERCOMP members.

And be sure to check out our live session on Tuesday, March 15th from 8:30-9:15am (ET) in Room 553: A Different Approach – How One College Took its IT Services to the Next Level.

We look forward to seeing you at the conference and sharing how Ferrilli can help your institution maximize its technology investment!

To learn more about our services and the special benefits we offer to NERCOMP members, please visit our vendor page on the NERCOMP website.

Ferrilli Security Update: Protect Your Institution from Increased Russian Cyber Activity

March 11, 2022
Andrew Gaddess

By: Armando D’Onorio (CISSP, GSLC, GCCC), Ferrilli’s Chief Information Security Officer & Senior Consultant

Higher education institutions should be more on guard than ever for cyber attacks. Due to the current political climate, we are seeing an increase in attacks, especially attacks originating from Russia.

In the past week, our security team has seen two Russian attacks on U.S. institutions; as well as two other institutions hit hard by phishing schemes.

We will be holding an emergency webinar on Thursday, March 17th, 2022, to discuss the threat and provide action steps for protection. Stay tuned for more details. And please stay safe!

Ferrilli Security Alert: Experts Warn to Prepare for More Russian Cyber Activity

March 08, 2022
Andrew Gaddess

By: Armando D’Onorio (CISSP, GSLC, GCCC), Ferrilli’s Chief Information Security Officer & Senior Consultant

As the U.S. imposes sanctions on Russia for its ongoing aggression with Ukraine; security experts at the Wall Street Journal’s virtual CIO Network Summit this week recommended that the U.S. should prepare for possible cyber retaliation.

Recommendations and Awareness

Recommendations that came from the Summit included locking accounts after two or three failed login attempts and being aware that the Russian operatives could be using password spraying attacks; recycling passwords from past password data dumps; and may likely be using artificial intelligence to access networks.

Russia has been known to use hybrid warfare strategies and utilize cyberattacks against their adversaries. Professionals who monitor cyber threats, both for governments and corporations, are concerned that the worst is yet to come, in the form of both direct attacks by Russia and collateral damage from their cyber attacks.

The U.S. Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has issued a warning to U.S. business that says they should be prepared to defend against cyber attacks originating from Russia. “Every organization—large and small—must be prepared to respond to disruptive cyber activity.”

Russian Hackers began at least as early as January targeting Ukraine with “wiper” malware which is designed to destroy hard drive data by wiping their contents completely. Professionals who monitor cyber threats, both for governments and corporations, are on high alert because Russia has a history of unleashing cyberweapons that wreak havoc far beyond the computers and networks that were their original targets.

What Can You Do to Protect Your Student and Employee Data?

The House Armed Services Committee recommends institutions be testing procedures for backups and restoring data, enabling multifactor authentication on devices connected to their networks, and ensuring software is up to date on patching to protect their networks from known vulnerabilities.

Here are Some Additional Mitigating Tips and Helpful Layers of Defense

  • Prepare by documenting what you have. Identify every application and asset running in your IT environment. This level of granularity will allow you to quickly map critical assets, data, and backups, and to identify vulnerabilities and risks. By having a complete picture of your network and data environments, you’ll be able to respond and act quickly during an attack or breach.
  • Utilize segmentation and alerting where possible to help prevent ransomware propagation and lateral movement. Create perimeters around critical applications, backups, file servers and databases. Restrict traffic between users, applications, and devices to help block lateral movement. These blocked access attempts become your indicators of compromise. Incorporate reputation-based detection that alerts to the presence of known malicious domains and processes. Set up security monitoring so you are collecting the data that will be needed to analyze network intrusions.
  • Test your backups and recovery methods. Make sure to have backups off-site and visualization capabilities that support phased recovery strategies in which connectivity is gradually restored as different areas of the network are validated as “all clear.”
  • Do not expose management interfaces of network devices to the internet. The management interface is a significant attack surface, so not exposing them reduces your risk. Web based interfaces are convenient for managing networking equipment, but under no circumstances should these be open to the world and the internet.
  • Protect your devices and networks by keeping them up to date. Use the latest supported versions, apply security patches promptly, use anti-virus and scan regularly to guard against known malware threats.
  • Use multi-factor authentication to reduce the impact of password compromises.
  • Treat people as your first line of defense. Tell staff how to report suspected phishing emails, and ensure they feel confident to do so. They are your first line of defense, investigate their reports promptly and thoroughly. Never punish users for clicking phishing links or opening attachments.

Let’s Connect at ACE 2022!

Oct 08 - Oct 08, 2024

Attending ACE 2022 this weekend (March 5-7, 2022) in San Diego?

If so, be sure to stop by our booth to learn how Ferrilli can help unlock your technology’s true potential.

We look forward to connecting with you!

VMware Alert: Patch These Vulnerabilities Immediately!

February 16, 2022
Andrew Gaddess

By: Armando D’Onorio (CISSP, GSLC, GCCC), Ferrilli’s Chief Information Security Officer & Senior Consultant

VMware is urging customers to patch bugs in ESXi, Workstation, Fusion and Cloud Foundation running in on-premises or co-located settings.

The ramifications of the combined vulnerabilities are serious, especially if attackers have access to workloads inside your environments.

The patches fix a total of five (5) CVEs in those products that were disclosed during the Tianfu Cup, a Chinese security event that VMware participates in.

We’re increasing awareness for our higher education community

Knowing that most academic institutions have increased their use of VMware to help with the increase of remote work and labs from home for their employees and students.

Ferrilli is increasing the awareness and recommending that institutions pay extra close attention to failed VMware patches on their systems. Double-check that all systems have been properly patched (servers, workstations, and laptops).

**Remind all your users to patch their personal devices.**

More info about the vulnerabilities

The VMware vulnerabilities include use-after-free (UAF) bugs, double-fetch, unauthorized access, and denial of service bugs. While the individual bugs don’t reach the critical level, VMware says the combined bugs should be treated as such because they can be combined to result in higher severity.

  • ESXi, Workstation and Fusion contain:
    • A UAF bug (CVE-2021-22040) in XHCI USB controller that could allow a bad actor with local admin privileges on a virtual machine to execute code as he virtual machine’s VMZ process running on the host.
    • A double-fetch bug (CVE-2021-22041) that could also lead to unauthorized code execution on the virtual machine’s VMX process running on the host.
  • ESXi also contains:
    • An unauthorized access vulnerability (CVE-2021-22042) due to VMX having access to settings authorization tickets. A malicious actor with privileges in the VMX process only could access settings service running as a high priority user.
    • A Time-of-check Time-of-use bug (CVE-2021-22043) that exists in the way temporary files ae handled that could be used to escalate privileges by writing arbitrary files.
    • A slow HTTP Post denial-of-service vulnerability in rhttpproxy that could be used to create a denial-of-service condition by overwhelming rhttpproxy service with multiple requests.

For more information on workarounds and patching these vulnerabilities, read VMware’s advisory and the company’s associated blog.

If you have any questions or need assistance, please click here to get help.

Ferrilli Security Alert: Google Patches Actively Exploited Chrome Zero-Day Vulnerability

February 16, 2022
Andrew Gaddess

By: Armando D’Onorio (CISSP, GSLC, GCCC), Ferrilli’s Chief Information Security Officer & Senior Consultant

Google has released a NEW update for the Chrome browser for Windows, Mac, and Linux, to fix a high-severity, zero-day vulnerability used by threat actors in attacks.

“Google is aware of reports that an exploit for CVE-2022-0609 exists in the wild.”

It is it strongly recommended that everyone install yesterday’s (2/15/2022) Google Chrome update as soon as possible.

We’re increasing awareness for our higher education community

Ferrilli is recommending that academic institutions pay close attention to failed patches on their systems and double-check that all systems have been patched (workstations, laptops, and servers). Please remind your faculty, staff, and students to patch their personal devices.

More info about the vulnerability

This is the first Chrome zero-day fix for this year . This vulnerability was discovered by Google’s Threat Analysis Group. While Google said they have detected attacks exploiting this zero-day, it did not share any additional info regarding these incidents or technical details about the vulnerability.

Very few details of the security flaw have been revealed but UAF vulnerabilities typically facilitate attacks such as arbitrary code execution and data corruption in unpatched software and can lead to the takeover of a victim’s machine.

The zero-day, tracked as CVE-2022-0609 is carrying a CVSSv3 score of 9.8/10.

What Version Should You Be On?

The latest stable build (98.0.4758.102) for Windows, Mac, and Linux brings with it a total of 11 security fixes, with many of the highest-severity flaws relating to use after free (UAF) vulnerabilities.

If you have any questions or need assistance, please click here to get help.

Zooming In On Zero-Click Exploits (Patch Your Zoom Software!)

January 21, 2022
Andrew Gaddess

By: Armando D’Onorio (CISSP, GSLC, GCCC), Ferrilli’s Chief Information Security Officer & Senior Consultant

A zero-click attack surface for the popular video conferencing solution Zoom has yielded two security vulnerabilities that could have been exploited to crash the service, execute malicious code, and even leak arbitrary areas of its memory.

The weaknesses have been addressed by Zoom as part of their updates. Failure to patch all your systems could provide the needed pivot-point for threat actors to gain access into your network environment.

We’re increasing awareness for our higher education community:

Ferrilli is recommending that academic institutions pay close attention to failed patches on their systems and double-check that all systems have been patched (workstations, laptops, and multimedia router (MMR) servers). Also, remind your faculty, staff, and students to patch their personal devices.

More info about the vulnerabilities:

A zero-click attack against the Windows Zoom client was revealed at Pwn2Own (a security event designed to identify and flag vulnerabilities before they’re exploited by threat actors) showing that it does indeed have a fully remote attack surface. This resulted in two vulnerabilities being reported to Zoom. One was a buffer overflow that affected both Zoom clients and MMR servers, and one was an info leak that is only useful to attackers on MMR servers.

Here are the CVE numbers associated with the two flaws that were identified:

  • CVE-2021-34423 (CVSS score: 9.8) – A buffer overflow vulnerability that can be leveraged to crash the service or application or execute arbitrary code.
  • CVE-2021-34424 (CVSS score: 7.5) – A process memory exposure flaw that could be used to potentially gain insight into arbitrary areas of the product’s memory.

Goal of a zero-click attack:

For threat actors to stealthily gain control over the victim’s device without requiring any kind of interaction from the user (such as clicking on a link). A key trait of zero-click hacks is their ability not to leave behind traces of malicious activity, making them very difficult to detect.

If you have any questions or need assistance, please click here.

Critical Security Updates for Microsoft Exchange and Windows OS

January 12, 2022
Andrew Gaddess

By: Armando D’Onorio (CISSP, GSLC, GCCC), Ferrilli’s Chief Information Security Officer & Senior Consultant

We’re alerting our higher education technology community that yesterday’s (1/11/2022) Microsoft Patch Tuesday released critical security updates for Exchange and Windows OS that addresses several serious security vulnerabilities.

In the updates there are fixes for 97 total vulnerabilities, 9 of these are remote code exploits (RCE), 6 of them are classed as Zero-Day, and 1 of them is Wormable.

A wormable exploit means that it could self-propagate through a network with no user interaction. This vulnerability exploits how the OS processes unauthenticated HTTP traffic and carries a severity rating of 9.8 on a scale of 10. Windows Server 2019 and 2022, plus Windows 10 and 11 are affected.

Microsoft suggests patching all affected Windows versions as soon as possible, publicly facing servers with open HTTP and HTTPS ports are the most critical. The security updates for Exchange affect 2013, 2016, and 2019 and this includes hybrid servers for Office 365.

The update has only been released for the latest Cumulative Update (CU) for Exchange Server 2013 (CU23), and the last two CUs for 2016 (CU21 and CU22) and 2019 (CU10 and CU11). This means you will need to patch to one of these CUs before being able to apply this security update.

If you have any questions or need assistance, please click here.

For your reference, click here to read the Microsoft Exchange Team posted a blog about the update and patch process.

Webinar Recording: Log4j Vulnerability Advice & Updates

Oct 08 - Oct 08, 2024

We held a complimentary emergency webinar with our most trusted security experts on Wednesday, December 15th, to explain the Log4j threat, address questions, and offer remediation advice.

Ferrilli Security Alert: Log4j Vulnerability Affects All Industries

December 14, 2021
Andrew Gaddess

By: Armando D’Onorio (CISSP, GSLC, GCCC), Ferrilli’s Chief Information Security Officer & Senior Consultant

We’re alerting our higher education technology community that on December 9, a remote code execution vulnerability, dubbed CVE-2021-44228, was disclosed in Apache’s Log4j.

Apache Log4j is an open-source logging utility used by almost all major Java-based applications and currently running on 3 billion devices worldwide.

Log4j has been exposed to a very high-risk vulnerability under active and vigorous exploitation. The exploitation of this vulnerability is simple and only requires the attacker to enter a piece of code into the target triggering the vulnerability, allowing the attacker to remotely control the user victim’s server.

How Do I Tell If I’m at Risk?

Chances are, you have a system(s) at risk. While advanced features of many popular Next Generation Firewalls (NGFWs) or Web Application Firewalls (WAFs) may offer some protection, you still need to patch quickly. We recommend two immediate steps to figure out your level of exposure.

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Join Us at the SACSCOC 2021 (Virtual) Annual Meeting

December 02, 2021
Andrew Gaddess

Attending SACSCOC 2021 virtual?

Then be sure to stop by our booth to chat live with our team of experts and learn how your institution can maximize its technology investment!

We’ll also be hosting 3(!) live video sessions:

Friday, December 3rd @ 11 am ET – Increase Completion Rates with Ferrilli’s Automated Degree & Certificate Evaluator for Ellucian Banner (with Ferrilli’s Senior Vice President Carol Thomas)

Friday, December 3rd @ 3:45 pm ET – Increase Efficiency with Program Requirement Managed Services (with Ferrilli’s Executive Vice President Kelly Sinacola)

Monday, December 6th @ 1:15 pm ET – Increase Completion Rates with Ferrilli’s Automated Degree & Certificate Evaluator for Ellucian Colleague (with Kelly Sinacola)

We look forward to connecting with you!

Data Security: It Takes a Village

November 11, 2021
Andrew Gaddess

By Marcia Daniel, Chief Client Officer, Ferrilli

When I meet with institutional leaders across the higher education landscape, I am continually astounded at just how tech-savvy they have become. Provosts are asking about about degree audit software. Registrars want to discuss how best to deploy chatbots. Vice Presidents of Student Life are exploring the benefits of digital nudges. Just about everyone in higher education is a technology expert these days – except in the area that matters most.

Because when I ask them about what they’re doing to ensure data security, there’s a familiar refrain I hear all too often: “Oh, our CIO handles that.”

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Stop By Our Booth at EDUCAUSE 2021 and Take Your Shot at $50k

October 27, 2021
Andrew Gaddess

We’re going for the green at EDUCAUSE 2021!

Be sure to stop by Booth 101 on Wednesday, October 27th and Thursday, October 28th, to play Ferrilli’s $50,000, hole-in-one challenge!

We’ll also be raffling off a once-in-a-lifetime trip to the beautiful Pebble Beach Resorts, located between picturesque Monterey and Carmel, California.

Our team of talented higher education technology experts will be there to cheer you on … and, of course, answer any questions you have about optimizing your institution’s technology investment.

You do not want to miss this! Just look for the massive, state-of-the-art golf simulator and come over to take your shot!

Ferrilli Selected to 2021 Philadelphia100® List

October 22, 2021
Andrew Gaddess

We’re excited to announce that Ferrilli has been selected to the 2021 Philadelphia100® list.

Ferrilli landed at No. 61 on the list, which recognizes the fastest growing, privately-held companies in the region.

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Virtual Roundtable Recording: Analytics in Higher Education

Oct 08 - Oct 08, 2024

Watch Ferrilli’s Anthology Practice Director Dan Mongeluzi lead a roundtable discussion on Analytics in Higher Education.

Dan covers how far we have come with analytics in education, discusses useful business cases, and (hopefully) motives folks to take action!

Creating a Remote Workforce in the Face of COVID-19: The San Jose-Evergreen Community College District

September 21, 2021
Andrew Gaddess

When the COVID-19 pandemic struck, the San Jose-Evergreen Community College District needed to act fast to ensure that its 20,000 students could continue their studies unabated. Job One was finding a way for its 665 administrators, staff, and full-time faculty perform their essential roles from off-campus locations. That meant creating a remote workforce: providing remote access to the technology, tools, and applications they rely on to help support the student body.

Within a matter of days, SJECCD identified the major challenges it needed to navigate – many of which were impacting institutions across the higher education landscape. VPN solutions hadn’t been fully deployed and had to be scaled up. The use of unmanaged devices and unknown WIFI connections created security concerns. There was the potential that employees could unwittingly utilize malicious browser plug-ins. And there simply wasn’t enough hardware to support shifting the entire workforce to remote locations at the same time.

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How the San Jose-Evergreen Community College District Managed the Cybersecurity Threats that Accompanied the Coronavirus Pandemic

August 27, 2021
Andrew Gaddess

When COVID-19 struck in the spring of 2020, colleges and universities across the country were presented with three key challenges. They had to shift thousands of students, faculty, and employees to remote learning, instruction, and work. They had to do it quickly or risk losing an entire semester to the pandemic. And they had to do it securely or risk the creation of data vulnerabilities that hackers would likely exploit. 

Prior to the coronavirus pandemic, higher education was already one of the most targeted industries in the world when it came to cyberattacks. In 2019, Moody’s (which controls the bond ratings for most institutions in the U.S.) reported that data security was “a growing risk for higher education institutions globally” due to the fact that they “retain valuable information across expansive online networks;” that “their breadth of operations can be vast, with innumerable access points;” and that “investing in state-of-the-art defenses likely competes with myriad other priorities.” 

Since the pandemic began, cyber criminals have sought to take advantage of these trends like never before. According to a report released by Checkpoint in the summer of 2020, “the number of attacks on educational institutions has grown faster than in any other sector,” with “a 30 percent increase compared to a 6.5 percent increase across all industries in July and August [2020].” During the same time period, Microsoft Security Intelligence found that more than 60 percent of some 9 million malware encounters worldwide took place in the education sector alone. 

It was trends and statistics like these that were on the minds of leaders at the San Jose-Evergreen Community College District when ensuring that its 20,000 students could continue their studies unabated amid the coronavirus pandemic. 665 administrators, staff, and full-time faculty would have to perform their essential roles from off-campus locations – and that meant providing remote access to the technology, tools, and applications they rely on to help support the student body. 

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The Emerging Link Between Data Security and Student Success

August 11, 2021
Andrew Gaddess

By Marcia Daniel, Chief Client Officer, Ferrilli

In the spring of 2021, the Colonial Pipeline data breach hit the southeastern United States particularly hard. For the first time in a generation, there were gasoline shortages that caused service stations to close and long lines at the pumps that somehow remained open. For many of us in the region, it was the first time that data security had impacted our lives on a truly fundamental level. It wasn’t just about personal finance anymore; but our ability to get to the grocery store, drive the kids to soccer practice, or visit loved ones we hadn’t seen in ages.

Here in the summer of 2021, higher education finds itself in a similar circumstance. For years, we’ve known that colleges and universities are among hackers’ favorite targets. We’ve read the stories of ransomware attacks that cost some institutions more than a million dollars. We’ve come to understand the brand damage that can accompany a high-profile breach. But as technology proliferates our campuses and data is used in new ways, something even more important is at stake. Higher education data security is fast becoming a question of student success.

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3 Ways to Improve Your Remote Student Experience

July 27, 2021
Andrew Gaddess

By Carol Thomas, Senior Vice President, Ferrilli

When colleges and universities went remote due to COVID-19, many were quick to temper expectations of a lasting shift toward distance learning. But while demand for the on-campus experience is expected to remain strong in the post-pandemic era, evidence suggests that remote learning and instruction will indeed play a larger role as well.

Back in the fall of 2018, data from IPEDS already showed that “more than 6.9 million students, or 35.3% of students in the nation, were enrolled in distance education courses at degree-granting postsecondary institutions.” Since the pandemic began, that momentum hasn’t slowed. A Digital Learning Pulse survey released in April 2021 shows that 73 percent of college students either “strongly” or “somewhat” agree that they will take online courses in the future.

As a result, institutions are now recognizing the need to upgrade remote student experiences that were — in large part — hastily designed as temporary solutions to a short-term problem. As they do, the institutions that performed well during the pandemic provide best practices by which to move forward. One such example is the Pratt Institute in New York City — one of the world’s leading colleges of art and design.

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Webinar Recording: Optimizing Your Anthology (formerly Campus Management) Applications and Other Systems for Success

Oct 08 - Oct 08, 2024

Ferrilli’s Anthology Practice Director Dan Mongeluzi discusses Optimizing Your Anthology (formerly Campus Management) Applications and Other Systems for Success.

 

From Triage Specialist to Trusted Strategist: How the Cloud is Transforming the Higher Education CIO

July 13, 2021
Andrew Gaddess

By Marcia A. Daniel, Chief Client Officer, Ferrilli

Not long ago, the Chief Information Officer at a small private institution told me something I never thought I’d hear. “Marcia,” he said, “I can’t get our president to leave me alone. Every day there’s another call about asking what we can do to try and make things run smoother in another department. It’s everything from admissions to the library to housing. I need a break!”

I just had to laugh – because there was a time when every higher education CIO I knew would have begged for the same level or attention. For decades, the only time presidents or their VPs would engage IT leaders was when problems arose. The network is down. Email isn’t working. We have a security problem. IT was essentially a triage center, where maintenance and crisis management were the central responsibilities once a system was implemented.

Today that’s all changing to the point that our CIO from that small private college certainly isn’t alone. Over the last decade, cloud technology has been replacing on premise systems across higher education – and with solutions providers now responsible for ensuring baseline services and “keeping the lights on,” the CIO role is evolving into what it always should have been from the start: a truly strategic partner to institutional leadership

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See You at Anthology Together 2021!

Oct 08 - Oct 08, 2024

We’re excited to be a Gold sponsor at Anthology Together, July 12-15, 2021!

Stop by our booth throughout the week to connect with Ferrilli CEO Robert Ferrilli and Chief Client Officer Marcia A. Daniel and learn about Ferrilli’s commitment to higher education and student success. You can also scan your badge at our booth for a chance to win a new iPad Pro 2021!

On Tuesday, July 13th at 4:30 pm CDT, head to the Innovation Stage to hear Robert Ferrilli discuss Optimizing Your Anthology Applications and Other Systems for Success.

We look forward to seeing you at the conference and sharing how Ferrilli can help your institution get the most out of its Anthology technology!

Webinar Recording: Banner Summer Clean-Up & Prep for Student Affairs and Enrollment Management

Oct 08 - Oct 08, 2024

With another academic year coming to an end, now is a great time to review your Ellucian Banner system and do some housekeeping.

Ferrilli’s Linda Bloom, Senior Banner Consultant, walks you through the action plan she created over many years of going through this exercise. Linda’s checklist identifies potential options for improvement and details how to optimize performance for specialized areas.

Connect With Us at the Salesforce.org Education Summit 2021

Oct 08 - Oct 08, 2024

We’re excited to be a Platinum sponsor at the Salesforce.org Education Summit 2021, this Wednesday, June 16th!

As certified Salesforce.org Consulting Partners, we are here to help your institution maximize its technology investment. Be sure to stop by our virtual booth to chat live with our knowledgeable consultants.

We are also thrilled to be co-hosting a Breakout Session at 3pm EDT on June 16th with Pratt Institute: How Pratt Evolved its Tradition of “Making” & Transformed the Student Experience

Our own Senior Vice President Carol Thomas will be joined by Pratt’s Vice President of Information Technology & CIO Joseph Hemway and Director of Enterprise Technology Diana Russo to discuss how COVID-19 provoked this storied Art and Design institution to accelerate its digital future.

Click here to access the conference and connect with us.

We look forward to seeing you there!

Webinar Recording: Getting the Most out of Your Banner Operational Data Store (ODS)

Oct 08 - Oct 08, 2024

Watch as our Ferrilli Banner DBAs share how you can optimize the Banner Operational Data Store (ODS) to provide your campus with accurate, detailed and updated institutional reporting data.

Join Us at CCA Summer 2021 Virtual

Oct 08 - Oct 08, 2024

We’re excited to be a sponsor at the Community Colleges of Appalachia Summer Virtual Conference, June 7-9, 2021!

If you are attending the conference, be sure to connect with us at our virtual booth.

We look forward to seeing you there!

Ferrilli Named Ellucian Solution Services Platinum Partner

June 04, 2021
Andrew Gaddess

Key Takeaways

  • Ferrilli has been named an Ellucian Solution Services Platinum Partner, Ellucian’s highest partner level
  • Only 4 Ellucian partners worldwide have attained this distinction
  • The Ellucian and Ferrilli partnership provides top-tier service and support for institutions looking to get the most out of their Ellucian software
  • This partnership produces a natural synergy between the world’s leading higher education technology systems provider and the premier information technology consultants serving higher education
Read the full press release

Why Higher Education IT Staff Matter Even More in the Cloud

June 03, 2021
Andrew Gaddess

By Marcia A. Daniel, Chief Client Officer, Ferrilli

Earlier this month, I read a news item that is increasingly common as cloud software becomes more prevalent in higher education. It detailed planned cuts to the IT team at a major institution in my home state. While the financial stresses of the pandemic were cited as a primary motivator, administrators also pointed to the more “cost-effective model” of becoming a “cloud-first organization.”

Those administrators are indeed correct that the cloud is more efficient; but I would argue that they are mistaken as to the reasons why.

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Ferrilli Featured in Toggle Magazine: Pratt University’s digital student experience made easy

June 01, 2021
Andrew Gaddess

We’re excited to appear in the spring 2021 edition of Toggle magazine alongside Pratt Institute VP of IT & CIO Joseph Hemway!

Toggle highlighted the impressive job Joe and his team did of responding to the COVID-19 pandemic by migrating Pratt’s world-class campus experience into a student-centered digital experience that felt like being there in person.

Pratt, in partnership with Ferrilli, leveraged Salesforce Communities to achieve their vision of an all-encompassing student-centered online platform; one that will set the standard for such portals going forward.

We were truly honored to work on this project and we are happy that Joe and his team are getting the recognition they deserve for such an impactful result.

“It was probably one of the most challenging projects of my career but also one of the most rewarding,” says Ferrilli CEO Robert Ferrilli. “It’s the top design school in the country and we had to deliver the best digital experience. I’m very happy we chose the Salesforce platform because of its flexibility and rich ecosystem.”

Click here to read the full story.

Webinar Recording: Preparing for Financial Year End Close in Banner

Oct 08 - Oct 08, 2024

Watch the Ferrilli Banner Finance team present a thorough overview of Banner Finance’s Year End Close processes.

Hear about data cleanup strategies, configuration considerations, and processing approaches that can support the close of one year and the opening of another, ensuring a happy and fiscally healthy New Year!

Webinar Recording: Optimizing DegreeWorks and Banner

Oct 08 - Oct 08, 2024

In this complimentary webinar the Ferrilli DegreeWorks and Banner teams share experiences and practices for optimizing DegreeWorks for performance and ensuring access to the enhanced feature sets for students, faculty and staff.

Webinar Recording: New Cloud Storage Tiers and Rising Costs. Are you ready?

Oct 08 - Oct 08, 2024

Ferrilli is seeing a concerning trend in Cloud data storage for non-Microsoft solutions: Google, Box, and Dropbox are in the process of raising prices significantly for higher-ed.

Learn how you can migrate your data to Microsoft OneDrive utilizing your existing Microsoft A1, A3, or A5 licenses.

Webinar Recording: COVID-19 Vaccine Tracking

Oct 08 - Oct 08, 2024

We recently continued our series on best practices for returning to campus in the age of COVID-19.

In this session, discussed the new requirements for tracking COVID-19 vaccinations and/or tests and how that can be accommodated in your systems on campus.

See You at UBUG 2021!

Oct 08 - Oct 08, 2024

UBUG 2021 attendees, make sure to stop by and see us during the conference today, May 7th!

Ferrilli CEO and founder Robert Ferrilli and Steven Terry, Banner Practice Director, will be standing by to address all your Banner-related technology questions and concerns.

You can also tune into our breakout session at 11am MDT, “Getting the Most out of Banner and DegreeWorks.”

As an Ellucian Platinum Services partner our functional and technical consultants possess the knowledge and expertise to help your institution optimize and streamline its Ellucian Banner system.

We look forward to seeing you there!

Connect with us at AACC Digital 2021!

Oct 08 - Oct 08, 2024

We’re excited to be a sponsor at AACC Digital 2021, beginning Thursday, May 6th and running every Thursday through the end of May!

Be sure to stop by our virtual booth, where you can chat with our knowledgeable account representatives and Ferrilli’s Chief Client Officer, Marcia A. Daniel.

Our team will be answering your questions and sharing insights on how technology can help your college navigate a changing landscape, compete for new students, and drive sustainable growth.

BOOTH HOURS

May 6th, 13th & 20th

11am – 12pm EDT & 3pm – 5:15pm EDT

May 27th

12pm – 1pm EDT & 3pm – 5:15pm EDT

We look forward to seeing you there!

Webinar Recording: Cloud Backup Administration

Oct 08 - Oct 08, 2024

Watch our discussion on cloud backup administration.

How do you currently backup your critical systems?  When was the last time you tested your backups? Do you know if they are secure?  

Now, more than ever, it is essential that you have an actionable strategy to avoid the devastating effects of not backing up your system.  Backing up to the cloud is one way to de-risk potential on-premise issues.

Webinar Recording: Using Banner Communication Management for Effective Campus Communications

Oct 08 - Oct 08, 2024

Webinar Recording: SharePoint Migration Options

Oct 08 - Oct 08, 2024

Connect with us at Ellucian Live 2021!

April 07, 2021
Andrew Gaddess

We’re excited to be a sponsor at Ellucian Live 2021, April 12-14. Here’s how you can connect with us during the conference:

FERRILLI INTERACTIVE BOOTH

Make sure to stop by our virtual booth where you can live chat with our higher education technology experts and check out special offers and promotions for Ellucian Live attendees.

SIMULIVE SESSIONS

We are hosting two Simulive sessions during the conference. These interactive sessions include a 30-minute presentation followed by a 15-minute live Q&A!

Future-Proofing your Ellucian Banner ERP with Ferrilli’s Senior Vice President Carol Thomas – Tuesday, April 13th at 1:00pm EDT

Future-Proofing your Ellucian Colleague ERP with Ferrilli’s Executive Vice President Kelly Sinacola – Tuesday, April 13th at 1:00pm EDT

We look forward to connecting with you!

Webinar Recording: Using Tableau CRM (formerly, Einstein Analytics) for Year over Year Admissions Analytics

Oct 08 - Oct 08, 2024

Webinar Recording: Preparing for a SQL Migration

Oct 08 - Oct 08, 2024

Webinar Recording: Migrating Your Server Room to the Cloud

Oct 08 - Oct 08, 2024

Webinar Recording: Optimizing Your Ellucian Colleague® ERP

Oct 08 - Oct 08, 2024

Webinar Recording: Developing a Central Configuration Point in CRM Recruit

Oct 08 - Oct 08, 2024

Ferrilli Featured In Toggle Magazine: At Campbell University, IT’s all for one, and one for all

February 19, 2021

We’re excited to appear in Toggle magazine’s recent feature on Campbell University CIO Sherri Yerk-Zwickl and her great work consolidating and optimizing Campbell’s IT efforts.

From the article: “Assisting in the technological upgrades at the university is the higher education technology consulting firm Ferrilli. Since 2016 the school has used Ferrilli’s CORE System Administration services to provide patch management, database support and maintenance, and environment cloning for its ERP system. This year, Ferrilli helped migrate Campbell’s ERP operating system and servers from a Hewlett Packard HP-UX environment to Red Hat Linux to improve business operations. Ferrilli has also provided custom programming for payroll retirement contributions, transcripts and gifts; configuration for the law school; and training around financial aid and communications management.”

Please click here to read the full story.

Ferrilli Does: CRM Optimization

February 17, 2021
Andrew Gaddess

We are often asked “What does Ferrilli do?” Here is an example of what Ferrilli can do to help improve your institution’s CRM:

We have designed a solution that auto closes extra opportunities on a record when a record hits certain funnel stages, such as Opportunity Creation, Application Submission, Denied, Withdrawn, and Enrolled.

This solution streamlines the opportunity management process. And we work with each individual school to ensure the solution is configured to fit their unique business process needs!

Expect more from your technology. Get more with Ferrilli!

On-Demand Webinar: How to Protect Yourself on the Internet

Oct 08 - Oct 08, 2024

On Safer Internet Day, Ferrilli Senior Consultant Alex Chong shares his top ways to protect yourself on the internet.

Alex offers expert advice on responsible sharing, password best practices, phishing protection, social media privacy, securing your internet connection and more!

This information can be used to protect yourself at home and also at the workplace, whether you work for an education institution or a corporation.

Let’s make a better internet for all!

Ferrilli Does: System Support

February 09, 2021
Andrew Gaddess

We are often asked “What does Ferrilli do?” Here is an example of what Ferrilli can do to help improve your systems:

We migrated one of our CORE System Administration clients from UNIX HP-UX to Linux Red Hat in order to avoid issues with an aging server environment.

Post-migration, the staff saw a significant improvement. In fact, the financial aid auto packager went from taking 12 hours to 12 minutes!

Expect more from your technology. Get more with Ferrilli!

Connect with us at the CISOA Virtual Technology Summit!

Oct 08 - Oct 08, 2024

We’re excited to be a Platinum sponsor at the 2021 CISOA Virtual Technology Summit, February 8-11, 2021!

There are a number of ways you can connect with us at the conference:

– Virtual Booth: Stop by and check out our awesome content designed to help your college get the most out of its technology.

– Stump the Consultant: Bring your most challenging tech questions to our “Stump the Ferrilli Consultant” session on Tuesday, February 9th @ 12:15 pm PST. We’ll be giving away cool prizes (like a new iPad) to attendees with the toughest questions!

– Breakout Session w/ Q&A: On Thursday, February 11th @ 10:30 am PST, learn how Allan Hancock College increased completion rates and improve efficiencies within Academic Advising and the Registrar’s Office. Featuring a live Q&A with Allan Hancock College’s VP of Student Services Nohemy Ornelas, Ed.D.

– Chat Live with Us: Chat live with Ferrilli team members in our virtual exhibit hall on Thursday, February 11th @ 11:30 am PST.

We look forward to seeing you there!

Ferrilli Does: System Administration

January 19, 2021
Andrew Gaddess

We are often asked “What does Ferrilli do?” Here is an example of what Ferrilli can do for higher education system administration:

We worked with a client to migrate their Direct Deposit back to the delivered functionality. By doing so, we were able to eliminate a customization that required regular review during software updates, saving the institution’s staff time and resources.

Expect more from your technology. Get more with Ferrilli!

Ferrilli Does: Student Accounts

January 26, 2021
Andrew Gaddess

We are often asked “What does Ferrilli do?” Here is an example of what Ferrilli can do for student accounts:

We recently automated a school’s student refund process. The initial process required students to initiate refunds with a paper request form before the form passed through multiple offices for approval, eventually ending with a paper check refund.

Now, the automated process allows staff to identify refunds proactively and return money directly to the students’ credit cards, saving the school from dealing with paper request forms, paper checks, returned mail, and student frustration. We generate creative ideas to solve business problems!

Expect more from your technology. Get more with Ferrilli!

On-Demand Webinar: Unix/Linux Tips & Tricks

Oct 08 - Oct 08, 2024

If you’re a system administrator looking for helpful tips and tricks working with Unix and Linux, this complimentary on-demand webinar with Ferrilli’s Michelle Demchik and Clayton Burton has you covered.

Michelle and Clayton have a combined 40-plus years working with Unix and Linux and they are here to make your life easier!

Ferrilli Does: System Support

January 12, 2021
Andrew Gaddess

We are often asked “What does Ferrilli do?” Here is an example of what Ferrilli can do for students, faculty, and staff:

During the summer of 2020, to deal with the ramifications of Covid-19, we helped several colleges and universities change:

– Fall term dates and all of the related dates throughout Ellucian Colleague®
– Instructional methods for those sections and faculty
– Section days and times
– Buildings and rooms for sections (using custom utilities rather than having to make these changes manually)

Each campus was able to rely on our depth and breadth of experience with Ellucian Colleague to make sure all of the appropriate areas were updated, saving considerable staff hours and resources.

Expect more from your technology. Get more with Ferrilli!

On-Demand Webinar: Securing You Ellucian Colleague Environment Webinar

Oct 08 - Oct 08, 2024

Wondering how to secure web servers and application listeners for your Ellucian Colleague environment? Ferrilli Senior Consultants Patrick Cunningham and Don Sullivan are here to walk you through the process!

Ferrilli Does: Student Support

January 05, 2021
Andrew Gaddess

We are often asked “What does Ferrilli do?” Here is an example of what Ferrilli can do for students:

For one of our Ellucian Banner CORE Systems Support clients we recently worked with the Registrar’s office on their COVID modality changes for the 2021 spring term.

The work helped students understand and navigate the information around the course delivery changes to their schedules and course sections. Using the detailed planning information provided by the Registrar’s office, Ferrilli consultants quickly updated various Banner tables which saved the Registrar’s office from having to input changes for each course and section.

Expect more from your technology. Get more with Ferrilli!

Marcia A. Daniel Joins Ferrilli as Chief Client Officer

January 03, 2021

Daniel to lead the higher education professional services firm’s client engagement efforts

+ Read More

Ferrilli Does: Communications Management

December 23, 2020
Andrew Gaddess

We are often asked “What does Ferrilli do?” Here is an example of what Ferrilli can do to help improve communications within Ellucian Colleague:

We provided training on one campus to Admissions, Financial Aid, and the Business Office on Communications Management in Colleague. An Admissions staff member had been processing all Admissions-pending documents on PCEX one-by-one. She learned about PCB batch processing during training, which now saves her one hour per day!

Expect more from your technology. Get more with Ferrilli!

Ferrilli Does: Degree Audit

December 16, 2020
Andrew Gaddess

We are often asked “What does Ferrilli do?” Here is an example of what Ferrilli can do to help improve your degree audit functionality:

We have re-written countless program requirements for campuses across the country, always with the goal of giving students and faculty advisors a streamlined view of degree requirements and progress towards that degree.

We couple that with specialized training so each office is empowered with the knowledge to maintain those programs moving forward.

Expect more from your technology. Get more with Ferrilli!

Recorded DREAM BIG – YOUR GUIDE TO MAXIMIZING DREAMFORCE 2020 Webinar

Oct 08 - Oct 08, 2024

Ferrilli Does: CRM Optimization

December 10, 2020
Andrew Gaddess

We are often asked “What does Ferrilli do?” Here is an example of what Ferrilli can do to help improve your CRM:

We have designed external web applications that connect to the Slate CRM to retrieve data and display this as information to internal stakeholders. This has included information such as upcoming visitors, reporting, data analytics/comparison, and more.

We have also created specialty portals for specific populations on campus to view data such as a portal for coaches to view athletes and alumni to view other alumni for outreach activities.

Expect more from your technology. Get more with Ferrilli!

Upcoming Webinar: Dream Big – Your Guide to Maximizing Dreamforce 2020

Oct 08 - Oct 08, 2024

Please join us on Thursday, December 10th at 2 pm EST as Ferrilli’s Senior Salesforce Consultant Claire Lewis and special guest Nell Paye, Business Architect at Salesforce, dive into all of the info and resources you need to get the absolute most out Dreamforce 2020!

Claire and Nell will lead an interactive discussion designed to help you: 

– Get the most out of Dreamforce 2020, so you can turn your learnings into realities

– Translate Salesforce terminology to education & nonprofit lingo

– Quickly identify Salesforce products and features designed for education users

– Keep in touch with the education community during the event

The impact of attending Dreamforce, virtual or not, is significant: Past Dreamforce attendees have seen significant increases of over 20% in ROI on marketing lead volume, retention, conversion rates, productivity. 

Often, education institutions and nonprofits can be priced out of attending Dreamforce, so this year’s virtual theme of “Dreamforce To You” is a great opportunity for audiences of all sizes to attend the event and realize its positive impact. 

Let us help you get ready to do just that! Please click here to sign up for our complimentary webinar.

Ferrilli Does: Registrar Support

December 02, 2020
Andrew Gaddess

We are often asked “What does Ferrilli do?” Here is an example of what Ferrilli can do to help improve efficiency in your registrar’s office:

ERPs are complex systems that get updated regularly and it is hard to stay up to date on all of the features and functionality. That is where Ferrilli comes in!

We saved one office from hand-entering 700-plus sections per semester during a recent training opportunity in the registrar’s office.

Expect more from your technology. Get more with Ferrilli!

Join Us at the 2020 SACSCOC Annual Meeting

Oct 08 - Oct 08, 2024

We’re excited to be a Diamond sponsor at the 2020 SACSCOC Annual Meeting from December 2nd – December 9th!

Please stop by our virtual booth throughout the conference to check out our content, chat with us, schedule a meeting or attend our live video chat during Virtual Tradeshow hours (10 am – 12 pm EST on Friday, December 4th). Click here to access our booth.

We are also hosting not one, but two live video sessions during the conference, focusing on increasing completion rates with Ferrilli’s Automated Degree & Certificate Evaluator:

On Friday, December 4th from 3:15-3:45 pm EST join Ferrilli’s Senior Vice President Carol Thomas to learn about the benefits of the Automated Degree & Certificate Evaluator for Ellucian Banner®. Click here to attend.

On Monday, December 7th from 12:30-1 pm EST Ferrilli’s Executive Vice President Kelly Sinacola will discuss the Automated Degree & Certificate Evaluator for Ellucian Colleague®. Click here to attend.

We look forward to seeing you there!

Join Us at SEDUG 2020!

Oct 08 - Oct 08, 2024

Please join us starting November 18th at SEDUG 2020 to learn how Ferrilli can help your institution get the most out of its Ellucian Colleague technology.

Each day we will be hosting our own virtual booth during Vendor Hall Hours where you can stop by to chat live with one of our knowledgeable staff members. Please follow the links below to visit us during Vendor Hall Hours:

On Thursday, November 19th from 3-3:50 pm EST, we will also be presenting a special live breakout session on Optimizing the ERP – From Assessment to Implementation.

This session will give you critical insight into:

  • Improving infrastructure
  • Reducing labor
  • Maximizing licensed technology
  • Aligning process with tools
  • Making systems sustainable

Please click here to access the session.

Ferrilli Does: System Administration

November 17, 2020
Andrew Gaddess

We are often asked “What does Ferrilli do?” Here is an example of what Ferrilli can do for System Administration:

We provided a client in need of optimizing their security with Ferrilli-designed Ellucian Colleague security analytical reporting. These reports allowed the client to see a complete picture of their security and make sound decisions about redesign and fixes.

Expect more from your technology. Get more with Ferrilli!

Ferrilli Does: Student Support

November 10, 2020
Andrew Gaddess

We are often asked “What does Ferrilli do?” Here is an example of what Ferrilli can do for Students:

Ferrilli’s Automated Degree & Certificate Evaluator helped an East Coast community college grant more than 60 certificates in a single year to students who otherwise would not have known they earned those certifications.

The custom, configurable solution also helped a Midwest community college realize a 70% increase in certificates awarded in the first year of its implementation, with a 10% to 30% increase in the years since.

Additionally, the Automated Degree & Certificate Evaluator assisted a large California community college in awarding approximately 500 additional credentials in the first term.

Expect more from your technology. Get more with Ferrilli!

Ferrilli Featured in Toggle Magazine: Practical IT approaches provide pandemic protection

November 05, 2020

We’re excited to appear in Toggle magazine’s recent feature on Ohio Dominican University’s CIO Christine Kurth and her impressive work adapting to the COVID-19 pandemic by delivering technology solutions that helped the school streamline processes and become more effective and efficient.

From the article:

“I’ve had a partnership for more than 10 years with the higher education technology services provider Ferrilli,” Kurth says. “They’re great people who do quality work and they really know the business of higher education and technology.”

A key addition Ferrilli made allows students to list emergency contact information in one place that can be accessed by all Ohio Dominican staff, she says.

Please click here to read the full story.

Ferrilli Does: System Stabilization

November 03, 2020
Andrew Gaddess

We are often asked “What does Ferrilli do?” Here is an example of what Ferrilli can do for System Stabilization:

Ferrilli CORE System Administration Services worked with an institution that had daily outages of their Ellucian Colleague system. After Ferrilli rebuilt and reconfigured their system, the outages stopped.

On the first day of registration, the institution’s Director of IT called Ferrilli just to make sure that her phone was working. Usually on registration days, her phone would ring off the hook. Thanks to Ferrilli’s efforts, she hadn’t received a call all day.

Expect more from your technology. Get more with Ferrilli!

EDUCAUSE 2020 ON-DEMAND SESSION RECORDING: How Managed Services Support your Institutional Strategy​ with Clark State Community College

Oct 08 - Oct 08, 2024

EDUCAUSE 2020 On-Demand Session Recording: Rolling out Azure Windows Virtual Desktop for Remote Employees with San Jose Evergreen Community College District

Oct 08 - Oct 08, 2024

Ferrilli Does: System Administration

October 28, 2020
Andrew Gaddess

We are often asked “What does Ferrilli do?” Here is an example of what Ferrilli can do for System Administration:

During an Ellucian Colleague ERP assessment, Ferrilli discovered that a significant amount of time was being spent by Admissions tracking student credentials. We developed a process to automate student account creation, eliminating a cumbersome and frustrating process that relied on spreadsheets and helpdesk tickets. The new process also removed a potential security issue.

Expect more from your technology. Get more with Ferrilli!

EDUCAUSE 2020 Simulive Session Recording: How Pratt Transformed the Digital Student Experience Using Salesforce Communities

Oct 08 - Oct 08, 2024

EDUCAUSE 2020: Check out our interactive booth and presentations!

Oct 08 - Oct 08, 2024

Ferrilli is bringing lots of exciting content to the EDUCAUSE Annual Conference on October 27-29, 2020:

SIMULIVE VIDEO/Q&A SESSION

This is an exciting opportunity to watch our recorded video session with Pratt Institute while the presenters answer questions in the chat during the live broadcast!

Topic: How Pratt Institute Transformed the Digital Student Experience Using Salesforce Communities​

Presenters: Pratt Institute’s Vice President of Information Technology & CIO Joseph Hemway, Pratt’s Director of Enterprise Technology Diana Russo​ and Ferrilli’s Senior Vice President Carol Thomas.

When: Thursday, October 29, 2020 from 3:25 pm – 3:45 pm EDT

Where: Access the session from the ‘All Sessions’ section of the EDUCAUSE 2020 platform

ON-DEMAND VIDEO SESSIONS

These pre-recorded sessions are available for you to download from the ‘All Sessions’ section of the EDUCAUSE 2020 platform and watch at your convenience.

  • How Managed Services Support your Institutional Strategy​ – with Clark State Community College’s Vice President, IT & Emergency Management Matt Franz
  • Rolling out Azure Windows Virtual Desktop for Remote Employees – with San Jose Evergreen Community College District’s Director of Enterprise Applications Sergio Oklander

FERRILLI VIRTUAL BOOTH

Join us in our virtual booth throughout event from the ‘Exhibits’ section of the EDUCAUSE 2020 platform, where you can chat live with our knowledgeable staff and check out even more informative content designed to help your institution get the most out of its technology!

Please click here to join us at EDUCAUSE 2020!

Ferrilli Does: Student Support

October 20, 2020
Andrew Gaddess

We are often asked “What does Ferrilli do?” Here is an example of what Ferrilli can do for Students:

An Ellucian Colleague client had a requirement to align all registration dates to the actual start/end dates of their classes. To support this scenario, we built out the institution’s requirements in delivered functionality, with the use of custom subroutines. The updates we put in place shortened to process from days to minutes.

Expect more from your technology. Get more with Ferrilli!

Connect with Us at CCBO’s Virtual Conference 2020

Oct 08 - Oct 08, 2024

Join us, October 19 – 22, at the Community College Business Officer’s Virtual Annual Conference!

We will be hosting a virtual booth throughout the conference, where you can chat live with us and learn more about how Ferrilli can help your college get the most out of its technology.

On Thursday, October 22 at 4 pm EDT, Ferrilli’s Senior Vice President Carol Thomas will be giving a live presentation on Aligning Technology Investments with Institutional Strategy, a key to achieving measurable return and constituent satisfaction.

Click here to access the conference.

We look forward to seeing you there!

Don’t Miss Our Upcoming Ellucian Live Session on Increasing Completion Rates!

Oct 08 - Oct 08, 2024

Please join us on Thursday, October 15th at 1 pm EDT for a presentation on increasing completion rates with Ferrilli’s Automated Degree & Certificate Evaluator (AutoGrad).

Ferrilli’s AutoGrad is a custom, configurable solution that selects students by term and/or program, evaluates cumulative academic credits and determines if requirements were met for any certificate, program, or degree.  The system gives you the option of notifying students automatically or staff. 

We’re excited to discuss how AutoGrad can help your institution’s completion rates skyrocket!

Click here to attend the session.

2020 Virtual ACCT Leadership Congress Session: How Allan Hancock College Improved Graduation Rates and Saved Valuable Time for Academic Advisors and Student Services

Oct 08 - Oct 08, 2024

Join Us for Our Session at the 2020 Virtual ACCT Leadership Congress

Oct 08 - Oct 08, 2024

Join us October 6th at 11:15 am EDT for our virtual session at the 2020 ACCT Leadership Congress!

Learn how Allan Hancock College, in partnership with Ferrilli, leveraged existing technology to increase completion rates and improve efficiencies within Academic Advising and the Registrar’s Office.

This session will feature Allan Hancock College’s President Kevin Walthers, Ph.D., Trustee Greg Pensa and VP of Student Services Nohemy Ornelas, Ed.D.

Click here to register and attend.

We look forward to seeing you there!

Recorded Ellucian Colleague® ERP Optimization Webinar

Oct 08 - Oct 08, 2024

RECORDED BACK TO SCHOOL CHALLENGES IN THE AGE OF COVID-19 WEBINAR – PART 2

Oct 08 - Oct 08, 2024

Recorded Tips and Tricks for Optimizing Ellucian Banner® Student Functionality Webinar

Oct 08 - Oct 08, 2024

RECORDED BACK TO SCHOOL CHALLENGES IN THE AGE OF COVID-19 WEBINAR – PART 1

Oct 08 - Oct 08, 2024

RECORDED TECHNOLOGY ASSESSMENTS FOR RECRUITING AND ADMISSIONS WEBINAR

Oct 08 - Oct 08, 2024

RECORDED TIPS AND TRICKS FOR COLLEAGUE SELF SERVICE ADMINISTRATION WEBINAR

Oct 08 - Oct 08, 2024

RECORDED CORE SYSTEM ADMINISTRATION SERVICES WEBINAR

Oct 08 - Oct 08, 2024

Recorded Fall Financial Aid Webinar

Oct 08 - Oct 08, 2024

Attend our Session at IIPS Virtual Summer Conference

Oct 08 - Oct 08, 2024

We’re excited to be presenting at the IIPS Virtual Summer Conference 2020 on Wednesday, July 15 @ 8 am EDT!

Please join our own Andrew Russell and Guilford Technical Community College’s Toni Wooten-Wright as they discuss Tips and Tricks for Colleague Self-Service.

Click here to register for the conference and attend the session.

Can’t make the session? Come visit us during the conference’s Virtual Vendor Hall on Monday, July 13 and Tuesday, July 14 at 3 pm EDT in a Zoom breakout room.

We look forward to seeing you there!

Watch our Managing Semester Date Changes Webinar, Hosted by the NYSFAAA

Oct 08 - Oct 08, 2024

We had a great time on our recent webinar hosted by the NYSFAAA discussing how to change semester dates.

We covered operational steps, things to consider, and potential pitfalls to avoid.

Please feel free to check out the webinar recording below and let us know if you have any questions. We’re here to help!

Connect with us at Higher Ed Summit Virtual 2020

Oct 08 - Oct 08, 2024

We are looking forward to participating in Salesforce.org’s Higher Ed Summit Virtual tomorrow, June 16, starting at 11 am EDT!

Please let us know if you would like to connect during the virtual event and learn more about what Ferrilli can do for your institution.

Click here to access the event.

Please join us at Ellucian Live Online 2020!

Oct 08 - Oct 08, 2024

We are proud to be a Premier Level sponsor at Ellucian Live Online 2020, starting June 8!

Please stop by our virtual booth to view special offers and learn how Ferrilli can help your institution get the most out of its technology.

We will also be holding virtual office hours at Ellucian Live Online every Thursday from 10 am – 12 pm EDT! We look forward to connecting with you!

RECORDED MANAGING SEMESTER DATE CHANGES WEBINAR

Oct 08 - Oct 08, 2024

RECORDED CIO ROUNDTABLE 5/22

Oct 08 - Oct 08, 2024

RECORDED CIO ROUNDTABLE 5/15

Oct 08 - Oct 08, 2024

RECORDED RANSOMWARE WEBINAR

Oct 08 - Oct 08, 2024

Recorded How to Modernize Your Phone by Moving It to the Cloud Webinar

Oct 08 - Oct 08, 2024

Ferrilli Assists in Illinois Valley Server Breach Remediation

April 30, 2020
WCSJ News

Read about how Ferrilli Consultants will assist Illinois Valley in restoring their Colleague™ system after a server breach.

READ FULL STORY

Daring Leadership

April 28, 2020
Carol Thomas

This past weekend, as I was thinking about the many challenges that face all of us in our personal and professional lives, I was drawn to a book that I found quite inspiring. Many of you may be familiar with the work of Brené Brown. Her book Dare to Lead: Brave Work. Tough Conversations. Whole Hearts is, in my opinion, a book for this time. Big questions about leadership and bravery, openness to feedback, and heartfelt willingness.

+ Read More

Recorded New Financial Aid Implications Webinar

Oct 08 - Oct 08, 2024

Moving to Cloud-based Phone Systems

April 20, 2020
Carol Thomas

The move to work-at-home has revealed limitations in many institutional phone systems. Some systems may not have been configured to support remote work, or for some systems it might not even be possible. Institutions with systems that do not have flexibility find themselves making some difficult decisions within offices to try to accommodate student needs.

+ Read More

Recorded Rolling Out Azure Windows Virtual Desktop for Remote Employees Webinar

Apr 17 - Apr 17, 2020
Zoom

Recorded Grading Scheme Transition Webinar

Apr 09 - Apr 09, 2020
Zoom

Considering Windows Virtual Desktops

April 13, 2020
Carol Thomas

College and University technology leaders across the country, indeed across the globe, have demonstrated great agility and adaptability in the face of moving to remote education and work. For many, the effort can be described as “turning on a dime.” Some institutions have made this transition by benefiting from institutional strategies that focused on mobility.

+ Read More

Peace of Mind with Banner® CORE DBA and System Administration Services

April 13, 2020
Carol Thomas

Business continuity is paramount at any time, but particularly now. Ferrilli has been supporting many schools that use the Ellucian Colleague® system with a service called CORE System Administration services. We are pleased to announce that we are now extending that service to our Ellucian Banner® clients.

+ Read More

On Innovation

March 30, 2020
Carol Thomas

Over my many years in higher education technology leadership the word innovation has been used, perhaps overused, to describe what we do with technology. As I’ve watched colleagues move, with some trepidation, to new working environments I’ve seen innovation at its finest. 

+ Read More

Our Heroes

March 27, 2020
Carol Thomas

Who on earth starts writing a blog during a pandemic? Interestly, more people than you might expect. Technology provides wonderful ways to express feelings (read just about any Facebook page), make new traditions, and keep folks informed. There is some terrific work going on in the world today.

+ Read More

The Automated Degree and Certificate Evaluator: Ferrilli’s Tool for Increasing Graduation Rates for Colleague and Banner/DegreeWorks Institutions

March 13, 2020
Carol Thomas
At Ferrilli we provide top-notch, strategic IT services to promote a magical student experience and enhance student success. By asking the right questions, we delve deeply into the needs of your institution, finding expert answers from a team of experienced consultants. We are constantly on the cutting edge of new technologies, software, and IT assistance that can help advance your college or university to even greater levels of success, with services driven by our Ellucian™ Banner, Ellucian™ Colleague, and Ellucian™ DegreeWorks expertise.
(more…)

Spotless Technology Support

March 02, 2018
admin

Check out the case study on Ferrilli’s partnership with New York City School Support Services (NYCSSS) published by Toggle Magazine. Ferrilli is the main IT support for NYCSSS: computers, phone, printers, ERP, security, networking, and more!

Click to read the full story.

Recorded A133 Audit Compliance Webinar

Jan 29 - Oct 08, 2024

 

Your Reputation is Only as Secure as Your Data

December 14, 2017

Recent news of large scale data breaches present cautionary tales of the risks associated with storing and maintaining sensitive information.  What you may not be aware of is that institutions of Higher Education are increasingly being targeted not only because of their rich troves of sensitive information, but also because many of them are inadequately protected.

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FERRILLI SELECTED TO PHILADELPHIA 100

September 15, 2017
Philadelphia Media Network

The Forum of Greater Philadelphia and Philadelphia Media Network, publisher of The Philadelphia Inquirer, Daily News and Philly.com announce Philly’s 2017 winners of the fastest-growing privately-held companies.

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THE ART OF HIGHER ED IT SERVICES

June 15, 2017
SYNC MAGAZINE

Relationships mean everything to Ferrilli. Their long partnership with Pratt Institute provides solid proof of the power of IT to enhance student success.

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“WannaCry” Virus Prevention & Information

May 15, 2017
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The “WannaCry” virus has infected numerous computers around the world. The WannaCry virus can infect a server or desktop without any end user interaction. According to White House homeland security adviser Tom Bossert, more than 300,000 computers have been infected.

This virus impacts most modern Microsoft Windows Operating Systems. + Read More