Congratulations to our fellow Creative Breakthroughs staff on becoming new parents!
Sean and Megan Blenkhorn are now the proud parents of a brand new baby boy: Ian Carter Blenkhorn! Born Friday, September 26th at 12:37 p.m. and weighing in at 7 lbs. and 18 inches long. Mom and baby are doing wonderful!
Chris and Susan Tyrrell are now the proud parents of a brand new baby boy: Brian Robert Tyrrell! Born Monday, September 29th at 8:25 a.m. and weighing in at 8 lbs. . 3 oz and 20.5 inches long. Mom and baby are doing fantastic!
TROY, Mich. - Creative Breakthroughs, Inc., a business technology firm, named Angela Genovesi as its new Recruiting Manager. In this role, Angela will be responsible for the placement of new employees for the various departments in conjunction with staffing several residency positions we have available.
Angela has an extensive background in Recruiting Management. She recently was the lead recruiter for a staffing firm in Detroit for the past several years. Angela has her Bachelors Degree in Communications from Oakland University.
She is currently a member of Automation Alley and ConnecTech and is looking to join several other recruiting network organizations to continue her search for the right candidates to fill these positions.
Angela grew up in Bloomfield Hills but currently resides in Royal Oak.
If you know of a good candidate that may be good for one of our open positions, please contact Angela at agenovesi@cbihome.com or (248) 519-4000 ext. 112.
Creative Breakthroughs, Inc., established in 1990 by Steve Barone, continues to provide information technology services through partnerships with more than 440 satisfied business customers. Creative Breakthroughs, Inc. provides computer system integration, network security and support, as well as consulting and staffing to clients that range from the smallest businesses to those listed on the Fortune 500. Through relationships with Symantec, Citrix, Microsoft, Juniper, PGP, NetApp, and eEye, among many others, Creative Breakthroughs, Inc. offers the most secure and innovative network technology solutions available in the Midwest and throughout the country.
TROY, Mich. - Creative Breakthroughs, Inc., a network security, integration and management firm, has named Sean Blenkhorn to the newly-created position of Education Practice Lead for CBI's Business Development team. In this role, Blenkhorn will be responsible for the support and development of accounts and services in the education market.
In addition to over fifteen years of technology integration and business development experience, Blenkhorn brings five years experience of successful planning and deployment of School Information Systems. Blenkhorn previously served as the Chief Technology & Operations Officer at Edtec Central, as well as Business Data and Network Manager for Cornerstone Schools Association in Detroit, Michigan.
"Sean brings to Creative Breakthroughs the experience to understand and address the needs of schools that constantly struggle with support, customization and training at all levels", said President and CEO of Creative Breakthroughs, Inc. Steve Barone.
"I've had the opportunity to work with Creative Breakthroughs over the past 5 years and know the quality of work the company delivers. They consistently go above and beyond to get the job done and become a leader in every market that they are in. I'm excited that Steve gave me the opportunity to help CBI build and service the education market", said Blenkhorn.
Blenkhorn graduated with honors with a Computer Programmer/Analyst degree from Georgian College in Barrie, Ontario. He currently resides in New Haven, Michigan with his wife and 2 children. Blenkhorn is also a member of both the National and Michigan PowerSchool user group.
Creative Breakthroughs, Inc. provides computer system integration, network security and support, as well as consulting and staffing to more than 440 clients that range from small businesses to those listed on the Fortune 500. Through relationships with Symantec, eEye Digital Security, Altiris, Juniper, RSA, eIQnetworks, Microsoft and Cyberoam, among many others, Creative Breakthroughs, Inc. offers the most secure and innovative network technology solutions available in the Midwest.
If you would like more information about this topic or to schedule an interview with Steve Barone or Sean Blenkhorn, please call Ginger McGuire at 248-519-4000 or email at gmcguire@cbihome.com
Crain's Detroit Business Diary reports: Moceri, an Auburn Hills condominium and town home development and management firm, has selected Creative Breakthroughs Inc. of Troy as its information-technology professional services provider.
Creative Breakthroughs, Inc., a business information technology firm, named David Glenn as its new Vice President of Business Development. In this role Glenn will be responsible for developing relationships with enterprise customers and vendors, as well as the management of the inside sales staff.
In addition to nine years of business-to-business information technology sales experience, Glenn also brings eight years experience as an IT consultant and engineer to his new leadership role. Glenn previously worked for Creative Breakthroughs, Inc. as a general manager and vice president of sales before leaving to serve as the director of North American channel sales for Cyberoam, an information security division of Elitecore Technologies, a global software development company.
"David provides Creative Breakthroughs with the experience needed to understand and address the pain points associated with each stage of business IT product deployment and implementation, from development to integration and the end-user experience" said President and CEO of Creative Breakthroughs, Inc. Steve Barone.
Glenn participates in several professional associations, including the Information Systems Security Association (ISSA), and is an experienced speaker and panelist on matters of network integration and security. His presentation on the impact of unified threat management to the enterprise is scheduled for the Angelbeat conference, an information technology industry trade show focused on issues of security and virtualization, to take place in Dallas and Houston, Texas on Aug. 20 and 21.
A native of Seattle, Wash., Glenn currently resides in Holly with his wife and four children.
Creative Breakthroughs, Inc., established in 1990 by Barone, continues to provide information technology services through partnerships with more than 440 satisfied business customers. Creative Breakthroughs, Inc. provides computer system integration, network security and support, as well as consulting and staffing to clients that range from the smallest businesses to those listed on the Fortune 500. Through relationships with Citrix, Symantec, Microsoft, Juniper, Cyberoam, PGP, NetApp and Imprivata, among many others, Creative Breakthroughs, Inc. offers the most secure and innovative network technology solutions available in the Midwest and throughout the country.
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Troy Firm to Begin Offering IT Security Training for All Workers
Great Lakes IT Report
DETROIT, MI, Aug 9, 2007
The Troy-based IT security firm Creative Breakthroughs Inc. announced this week that it would begin offering employee security awareness training for businesses in light of a rise in the number of reports linking employee behavior to data security risks.
Recent reports announcing the results of an IRS internal data security audit illustrated a lack of security savvy among government employees who complied with requests to reveal personal password information to an unknown caller posing as a technical support person.
The caller successfully urged several IRS workers to reveal personal password information, or to change their password to one suggested by the caller. Of the 102 IRS employees contacted during the audit, 61 complied with the caller's requests and only eight contacted the inspector general's office or the IRS security office to validate the legitimacy of the call, according to a report issued by the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration, an office responsible for IRS oversight.
"We find time and again with this kind of network penetration testing that it's the people who fail to withstand potential threats to data security - not the technology," said Steve Barone, CBI's president and CEO. "The social engineering tactics used during this audit actually prey on people's willingness to provide help and assistance to others within their organization."
Social engineering describes tactics used by hackers that rely on interpersonal deception or trickery, is intended to manipulate users into divulging sensitive information that would allow unauthorized users access to network resources.
"Government agencies are not alone in their vulnerability to social engineering testing," Barone said. "Businesses and organizations in every sector are just as susceptible. In the IT industry, we're beginning to recognize the need to implement security solutions that extend beyond great technology. A security-savvy workforce is essential for businesses to have the ability to protect consumer and employee personal data as well as valued assets such as intellectual property."
The security awareness class will be a one-day seminar designed to update employees with the latest threats to information security, and arm them with the best practices to avoid social engineering tactics commonly used by hackers to commit fraud, as well as how best to prevent network data leakage and malicious code infections, according to Barone.
Businesses and individuals interested in security awareness training with Creative Breakthroughs may register online to receive curriculum and scheduling information as it becomes available at www.creativebreakthroughs.com, or call (800) 747-8585 to learn more.
Creative Breakthroughs, established in 1990 by Barone, provides IT services through partnerships with more than 440 satisfied business customers. The company provides computer system integration, network security and support, as well as consulting and staffing to clients that range from the smallest businesses to those listed on the Fortune 500. The company has relationships with Symantec, Microsoft, Juniper, Citrix, Cyberoam, NetApp and Imprivata, among others.
CBI also offered a top 10 list of ways employee behavior can impact network security.
TROY, Mich., Aug. 8, 2007 - Creative Breakthroughs, Inc., a business technology firm, announced plans to offer employee security awareness training for businesses in light of a rise in the number of reports linking employee behavior to data security risks.
Recent reports announcing the results of an IRS internal data security audit illustrated a lack of security savvy amongst government employees who complied with requests to reveal personal password information to an unknown caller posing as a technical support person.
The caller successfully urged several IRS workers to reveal personal password information, or to change their password to one suggested by the caller. Of the 102 IRS employees contacted during the audit, 61 complied with the caller's requests and only eight contacted the inspector general's office or the IRS security office to validate the legitimacy of the call, according to a report issued by the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA), an office responsible for IRS oversight.
"We find time and again with this kind of network penetration testing that it's the people who fail to withstand potential threats to data security - not the technology," said Steve Barone president and CEO of Creative Breakthroughs, Inc. "The social engineering tactics used during this audit actually prey on peoples' willingness to provide help and assistance to others within their organization."
Social engineering, a term according to Barone, used to describe tactics used by hackers that rely on interpersonal deception or trickery, is intended to manipulate users into divulging sensitive information that would allow unauthorized users access to network resources.
"Government agencies are not alone in their vulnerability to social engineering testing, explained Barone. "Businesses and organizations in every sector are just as susceptible. In the IT industry, we're beginning to recognize the need to implement security solutions that extend beyond great technology. A security savvy workforce is essential for businesses to have the ability to protect consumer and employee personal data as well as valued assets such as intellectual property."
The security awareness class will be a one day seminar designed to update employees with the latest threats to information security, and arm them with the best practices to avoid social engineering tactics commonly used by hackers to commit fraud, as well as how best to prevent network data leakage and malicious code infections, according to Barone.
Businesses and individuals interested in security awareness training with Creative Breakthroughs, Inc. may register online to receive curriculum and scheduling information as it becomes available at www.creativebreakthroughs.com, or call 1-800-747-8585 to learn more.
Creative Breakthroughs, Inc., established in 1990 by Barone, continues to provide information technology services through partnerships with more than 440 satisfied business customers. Creative Breakthroughs, Inc. provides computer system integration, network security and support, as well as consulting and staffing to clients that range from the smallest businesses to those listed on the Fortune 500. Through relationships with Symantec, Microsoft, Juniper, Citrix, Cyberoam, NetApp and Imprivata, among many others, Creative Breakthroughs, Inc. offers the most secure and innovative network technology solutions available in the Midwest.
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10 ways employee behavior can impact network security:
Michigan IT services firm plotting expansion with Central Ohio office
Business First of Columbus
Kevin Kemper
COLUMBUS, OH, July 20, 2007
Steve Barone doesn't know what Ohioans think of the state's economy, but he insists they should be grateful.
"The Ohio economy is much better than Michigan's. And in Columbus, it's considerably better than Detroit's," said Barone, CEO of information technology services firm Creative Breakthroughs, Inc.
A difficult economy at home and a growing list of clients in other states have spurred Barone to expand his Troy, Mich-based tech firm into Columbus. He wants to open an office in either Westerville or Worthington by October.
Barone also plans to open an office in suburban Washington, D.C. this year to handle an increase in government services work, and he hopes to add ad office in Boston or Cambridge, Mass., next year.
Creative Breakthroughs specializes in computer program training and network monitoring and management, but the bulk of its workload comes from computer network security.
Since Barone started the company in 1991, its client list has grown beyond Detroit-area operations to include businesses across the country. Creative Breakthroughs counts Nationwide Financial Services Inc., Huntington Bancshares Inc. and Cardinal Health Inc. as customers.
Even though those companies are among Central Ohio's largest, Barone intends to target small and medium-size businesses when the Columbus office is running.
"I think Columbus is really ripe," he said, "I don't see much direct competition, and if there is it's from huge companies."
Small- and mid-size companies tend to be more profitable for Creative Breakthroughs, Barone said, because monitoring their networks and training their workers on new software usually don't require as much oversight or as many return visits as with larger companies with thousands of workers.
Lack of talent tugs at growing tech firm
Detroit News
Neal Haldane / Special to The Detroit News
TROY, MI, July 11, 2007
Steve Barone wants to hire 13 new employees for his information technology firm Creative Breakthroughs Inc.
But qualified candidates have either disappeared or moved away from Michigan.
"That's the most frustrating part of my job," said Barone, who founded the firm in 1991. "We've having trouble in Detroit finding talent for high-level technical positions. Here we are in an economy that desperately needs these positions, but we can't find the talent."
The company plans to hold a job fair Friday in Troy and open an office in Columbus, Ohio, to scout talent and expand its service area.
CBI has grown to a $16-million company with 47 employees and a new office in Troy by providing network security, integration and IT management to organizations that range from Nationwide Insurance to T-Mobile to the U.S. Army through its relationships with Symantec, Microsoft, Juniper, Citrix, NetApp, Imprivata and other technology providers.
Member Driven Technologies partnered with CBI a couple years ago to check for vulnerability and penetration of the networks operated by its owners, seven credit unions in Michigan.
That worked out so well, the Warren-based company now has CBI on retainer to help resolve security issues such as phishing, where crooks masquerade as legitimate companies to obtain passwords and other personal information, said Scott Johnston, executive vice president for the credit union service organization.
"Everyone preaches customer service, but few deliver," Johnston said. "These guys are quick to respond and are a pleasure to work with."
Handling security issues for clients represents 38 percent of the business at CBI, Barone said. And that area remains a concern, according to Gartner, an information technology research and advisory company.
By the end of this year, Gartner predicts 75 percent of enterprises will be infected with undetected malware, software designed to infiltrate or damage a computer system, because security processes and technologies have not kept up with the criminals.
"Security is a ridiculously ongoing process," Barone said. "There's not a network yet that you can't get into."
Another issue that crops up is unauthorized software on company computers. CBI can discover unlicensed software and either remove it or make the firm compliant, he said.
The Business Software Alliance, the voice of the commercial software industry, recently settled with several manufacturing firms, including one from Michigan, that agreed to pay $1.43 million in damages for having unlicensed copies of software on their systems.
"You are only one rogue employee's phone call away from being called on it," he said about the BSA, which acts on tips.
Staffing and training brings in another 28 percent of CBI revenues, and Barone expects this area to experience aggressive growth for the next 24 months.
Network monitoring and management along with consulting constitute the remaining portions of CBI's business. Barone expects CBI will reach $19 million in sales by the end of 2007.
Creative Breakthroughs, Inc. Warns of Insider Data Theft
Detroit Auto Scene
DETROIT, MI, Jul 23, 2007
Businesses are traditionally on the alert for hackers trying to break into a firm's network system from the outside.
However, a local company warns of a growing trend of proprietary data and private customer information being comprised for the inside. The latest string of security breaches involving stolen personal data, which exposed 2.3 million consumers to bank and credit card theft, was done with insider involvement, according to representatives from Creative Breakthroughs, Inc., a business technology service provider in Troy.
"Unfortunately, businesses need to realize that the biggest threat to their network security comes from within the organization," Steve Barone, president and CEO of Creative Breakthroughs, Inc., stated in a company news release. "While traditional thinking on network security focuses on outside threats, controls that provide checks and balances need to be in place as well, even for senior-level management and those authorized to access sensitive material."
The most recent example links a database administrator with Certegy Check Services, part of Fidelity National Information Services, Inc., to the theft of the company's customer data that included 2.3 million customer bank and credit card records, according to a statement released by Fidelity National.
The former employee involved used a portable data storage device to physically carry the consumer information off the premises, according to the release. Barone warns that any company which permits unfettered access to their network through the use of portable devices is taking a risk with the data's confidentiality.
"We provide products that can be configured to report all device access to network data, or that only allow approved devices that are password protected and encrypted to access network resources," he said.
Val Washington, marketing director for Creative Breakthroughs, Inc., which recently became a member of Automation Alley, said insider data theft is a big problem because it's so easy today for people to plug devices into their computer.
"No matter what kind of business you have, even if you're dealing with credit card information, even if you're not keeping people's private information covered by HIPAA (the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act), you still want to be concerned about how your data can leak out of your office," she said.
Washington explained that one of the key ways Creative Breakthroughs, Inc. helps businesses secure their data is by doing a "vulnerability assessment," where they take a look at a company's network and the computer infrastructure, and help them figure out along the way where their data could leak, and then suggest ways where they could plug potential leaks.
The process could take anywhere form a few days to a few weeks, depending on the size of the business and the size of their computer infrastructure. Cost is also dependent on size, Washington noted, but the investment could pay for itself many times over.
"The liability for leaking data is huge," she cautions, referring to what happened when T. J. Maxx retail stores suffered large-scale breach of customer credit card data perpetrated by outsides.
"They've actually had to pay for credit card monitoring for all the customers whether their credit card number has been used fraudulently or not, not to mention they're dealing with lawsuits, so these kinds of issues can turn into million- and multi-million-dollar issues for a company if they have a data leak," Washington said. "It's actually put some companies out of business."
Information about Creative Breakthroughs, Inc., is available by visiting www.creativebreakthroughs.com or calling (800) 747-8585.
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