Potential Employers – Daniel Parks

 

Emporia State University

Contact Information

• 1 Kellogg Cir, Emporia, KS, 66801
• https://www.emporia.edu/
• 620-341-5465
• Contact: Cole Kelley

Company Overview

Emporia State University is the highlight of Emporia. It is the only institution in the area that offers an Bachelor’s Degree or better. There are others in Topeka, Wichita, etc., but this one is the closest to me. Oddly enough, I originally intended to take classes there, but they do not offer an online-only program which I needed because I currently work full-time.

Why I am interested

They have a large Information Technology team and there are many positions available that would provide an excellent opportunity to learn and gain further experience. Most other businesses in Emporia have very small teams and do not have very complex systems compared to ESU. There are a few exceptions, but their team is the largest and they also are more than competitive salary-wise compared to other small businesses in the area.

Questions I have

• What types of systems do you run here that are unique or differ from other similar companies in the area?
• How do the smaller teams here interact? Do they often work together on larger scale projects?
• What specific methods do you use to maintain a high level of cyber-security?

Sources

About Emporia State University. Emporia State University. (n.d.). Retrieved February 11, 2022, from https://www.emporia.edu/about-emporia-state-university/

 

 Amazon Web Services

Contact Information

• 410 Terry Ave N, Seattle, WA, 98109
• https://amazon.com
• Phone and Contact not available, but the site for finding jobs is https://www.amazon.jobs/en/business_categories/amazon-web-services

Company Overview

Amazon is the new Walmart. They carry everything and have the best prices on everything. If they don’t, you can usually price match. Amazon Web Services currently hosts content of several major companies including Netflix, Twitch, LinkedIn, Facebook, and Adobe. They also offer customized computational solutions such as the “stat that” statistics/probabilities used frequently in NFL broadcasts.

Why I am interested

Companies like Amazon are on the bleeding edge when it comes to developing new and innovative solutions for other major companies. Everyone knows about the likes of Microsoft and Google, but Amazon now competes with these other established companies to a surprisingly high degree. I would be curious to see what kind of processes Amazon uses behind the scenes to keep everything running so smoothly despite having so many servers and services to manage.

Questions I have

• What makes AWS unique from other similar companies?
• With so many employees and locations, what types of solutions has your company used to create an efficient workflow?
• Does AWS offer cyber-security services or products as stand-alone solutions? Or are all efforts focused on internal security and securing the other services that AWS offers?

Sources

Cave, J. (2022, January 28). Who’s using Amazon Web Services? [2020 update]: Contino: Global transformation consultancy. Contino. Retrieved February 11, 2022, from https://www.contino.io/insights/whos-using-aws

 

National Football League

 Contact Information

• 345 Park Ave, New York, NY, 10154
• https://nfl.com
• 330-962-7272
• Contact: Roger Goodell

Company Overview

The NFL is a multi-billion-dollar sports league. NFL broadcasts are the most highly viewed of any sport in the United States despite not being very popular outside of the country. Currently the league hosts many different online services available to customers that want to be able to watch any game whenever they want and view exclusive content, such as special overview footage of games.

Why I am interested

I watch a lot of football and am curious how a company that isn’t known for its technology uses it in the background. Much of it is probably hosted externally by other companies, and I would like to know how much is kept internal. I would also just be excited to be affiliated with the NFL in general and I’m sure being employed there has some nice benefits for football lovers.

Questions I have

• What online services that the NFL offers are managed internally?
• How much about the players and their performance is tracked? What gets left out that might be of interest to other parties?

Sources

NFL. (n.d.). Official site of the National Football League. NFL.com. Retrieved February 11, 2022, from https://www.nfl.com/game-pass/learn-more

 

CompTIA

Contact Information

• 3500 Lacey Road, Suite 100, Downers Grove, IL 60515
• https://www.comptia.org
• 866-835-8020
• Contact: None Available

Company Overview

CompTIA is a non-profit organization that offers certification testing for the IT industry. Their certifications are widely recognized and often required for higher level positions or may often be substituted for work experience on an application. Some of the more popular CompTIA certifications include Network+, Security+, A+, Server+, and the CompTIA Advanced Security Practitioner or CASP.

Why I am interested

Certification tests are notorious for using strange questions or tricks to make passing more difficult than it necessarily needs to be. I am interested in streamlining some of the tests to make them more straightforward and easier to understand. Alternatively, I would be somewhat interested in teaching some of the remote classes CompTIA offers after gaining a few years of experience.

Questions I have

• How have the CompTIA tests and certifications evolved over the years?
• Given the organization’s expertise in information technology, are there any servers or software that CompTIA uses that it considers superior to alternatives?
• Does the organization advise companies or governments about modern cybersecurity threats and standards?

Sources

CompTIA. (n.d.). Contact us: Comptia. CompTIA. Retrieved February 11, 2022, from https://www.comptia.org/contact-us