Q&A with Sangram Vajre, Co-founder & Chief Evangelist at Terminus

MEDIA 7 | November 21, 2019

Amy Barzdukas, EVP and Chief Marketing Officer at Poly is a marketing and communications leader with extensive experience in setting strategy, shifting perceptions, advising customers, digital marketing, revenue marketing, integrated marketing communications, and public relations in highly competitive product arenas. Amy is known for her ability to create and execute winning turnarounds on a global scale. MEDIA 7: What inspired you to get into marketing? AMY BARZDUKAS: I was always destined for marketing, even if I didn’t know it. As a child, I collected promotional brochures. I was fascinated by how the words and pictures were used to drive action. My first job was as an advertising copywriter, and I’ve never looked back. M7: How is Poly redefining the video conferencing experience for modern businesses? AB: We’re in an unprecedented time of change in our industry. Voice and video services are moving to the cloud, and companies are changing how they approach their communications needs. Poly is the largest provider of the devices – video conferencing, audio conferencing, headphones and desk phones – you use to connect to these services so you can collaborate with your colleagues. That uniquely positions us to shape the video conferencing experience, and we’re doing so in four ways. First, Poly has made both the Zoom Rooms and the Microsoft Teams video conferencing experience better than ever with our radically simple Poly Studio X video bars that deliver these experiences with no PC or Mac required. We’ve got decades of experience in understanding what makes meetings more human – for everyone in the room and those dialing in from other locations – and we’ve packed all of that into easy-to-install, easy-to-manage, and easy-to-use all-in-one powerhouses. Second, we are bringing the world of AV and video conferencing into the modern app economy. Our Studio X series and Poly G7500 video conferencing devices run a common platform that can be updated and enhanced through a series of regular software updates. This Poly platform, built on Android, can run applications like a smartphone does today. Third, Poly has introduced innovation that makes any video conference better. Our new Poly MeetingAI features use AI and machine learning to address the distractions that hit your senses in a meeting. We make it easier to hear what’s being said by blocking out the annoying noises that people make while talking, and we make it easier to see what’s going on in the room with the most advanced speaker tracking and framing, and our built-in production rules. Finally, we are pricing our solutions in a way that completely resets the calculations on what it costs to outfit a room. The Studio X30, for huddle room and smaller spaces, costs just about $2,100, including the Poly TC8 touch controller. All you add is the cloud service and a monitor, and you have a room up and running for under $2,500. That’s easily under the cost of other solutions and with better audio and video quality.

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MEDIA 7 | November 28, 2019

Ed Breault, Chief Marketing Officer at Aprimo is a marketer with over 18 years of industry experience. At Aprimo, Ed is responsible for the global brand and growth which includes all Paid/Owned/Earned media, Brand Experience, Product Marketing, Industry Marketing, Influencer Marketing, Strategic Communications, Content Marketing, Analyst Relations, Alliance Marketing, Public Relations, Events, Demand Generation and Account-Based Marketing. MEDIA 7: What’s your superpower? ED BREAULT: I would say it’s applying the full spectrum of art and science that is required in marketing today. Not just left or right brained, but whole-brained strategy. Being human yet data-driven and really understanding numbers and (the right) metrics to make connections to business drivers. Add storytelling to that, so I can effectively communicate to my team, the CEO and CFO as well as my Board of Directors on those metrics, and connecting all that we are doing in marketing to the mission of the business. Then quickly shifting gears to the art and creative aspects of marketing that are required to engage an audience and tell great commercial stories that take complex concepts and craft them in a way that is interesting for people to pay attention to. I have to be the ultimate point of truth for the brand. M7: At Aprimo, how have marketing leadership roles and responsibilities evolved over the past few years? EB: There are so many dimensions needed by marketing leaders today. There are several elements driving this evolution, it’s the new experience battlefront that is emerging and also marketers themselves driving changes. From a market perspective, there is a clear appetite for disruption and consumers are wanting more experiential elements to their buying experience and interactions with brands. Take a few direct to consumer disruptions like trialing products in-home, purchasing directly from a brand or even wanting to ensure that the producer’s trade practices are in line with the buyer’s or even a regulator’s for that matter. Then we want to try before we buy, and we emotionally care about the supply chain of products. Do we TRUST this brand to do business with them? Behind all of this is a story that needs to be told, and it is those marketers who know their audience well and make connections that will win the commercial game. Back to the marketer, there are so many diverse backgrounds that marketers bring now and I’m really intrigued by those who have unconventional backgrounds because they contribute something uniquely new to the field. I love hearing about the marketer’s journey.

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MEDIA 7 | October 24, 2019

Jeanne Hopkins, CMO at Lola.com has profound expertise in data-driven, high-velocity customer acquisition and marketing organizations and inbound-based lead gen programs to support global demand for high-growth SaaS companies. Jeanne is also the co-author of "Go Mobile"?, the #1 best-selling mobile marketing book. She has been named to Sales Lead Management Association "Top 50"? 3 years in a row and "20 Women to Watch" in 2015/14/13 & 2011. MEDIA 7: What inspired you to get into marketing? JEANNE HOPKINS: After graduation, I took my first job in the accounting department at Baystate Medical Center. At my annual review, I was told that I was too “noisy” for an accounting department. I went on to work at Milton Bradley Company’s in-house advertising agency, MB Communications, as editor of their in-house newspaper, and later recruited to LEGO Systems to do marketing programs. I found myself at a self-funded start-up tech company in 2000, where I was running an inside sales team and building digital properties to generate leads. I moved into software, digital marketing, and lead generation at companies like MarketingSherpa, then HubSpot, SmartBear, Ipswitch (now Progress Software) – it’s all been a fantastic journey. M7: How is agile technology transforming corporate travel around the globe? JH: Small and mid-sized businesses have to be fast and efficient amidst growth, and booking, re-booking, and managing business travel can seriously impede efficiency and productivity. Finance teams are trying to manage, control, and get visibility into expenditures. Travelers are trying to do their jobs and don’t have time for expense reports. And travel arrangers (executive assistants and office admins) have plenty on their plates. Finally, there are tools that are addressing these direct needs at small and mid-sized businesses. Consumers have had the ease of booking travel through sites like Kayak and big businesses can afford the services and fees associated with high-end travel agencies. But the middle segment has been left out. Now, agile tools like Lola.com are making it really easy for corporate travelers to book, re-book, and take the task of expense reports off the table. And finance teams are able to set up travel policies in minutes, and easily manage, control, and get visibility into expenditures. The corporate travel market is huge, and agile technology is making it much easier for travelers and companies all-around.

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EDUCATION TECHNOLOGY

Connected Nation | September 27, 2022

Connected Nation (CN) today announced the launch of a Digital Literacy and Learning program in collaboration with AT&T. The program, which is part of AT&T's national digital literacy initiative to help narrow the Digital Divide, will offer in-person and virtual digital literacy training workshops in underserved areas across the country where training is needed most for the digital empowerment of residents. CN will partner with local community organizations in each area to host training workshops from September 2022 through March 2023. In addition, CN will lead virtual and in-person workshops for military families at its Digital Works office in Fort Campbell, Kentucky"Digital literacy has long been part of Connected Nation's mission ensuring that every person is able to use technology meaningfully is absolutely essential in today's digital economy, said Heather Gate, Executive Vice President of Digital Inclusion. This program provides us the opportunity to meet people where they are in their digital skills level, confidence with embracing technology, and interest in enhancing their skills as new technology adopters. There is no better way to do this than by collaborating with trusted partners to bring much-needed training to local communities across the country. We are excited to get started. To launch this program, CN staff is reaching out to communities that previously participated in the nonprofit's technology planning process and identified digital literacy as a need. "Offering a tangible skill like digital literacy training to communities that Connected Nation works with allows us to model closing the Digital Divide in a real way," said Pamela Waggoner, Broadband Solutions Manager. The amount of federal and state funding earmarked for broadband initiatives continues to grow. More communities than ever have access to these funds, and can use them to bring programs like this one to their residents. "In recent months, there has been a considerable emphasis and focus on the large investments being made by federal and state governments to support the buildout of very high-speed networks across our communities.We also need to prepare these communities with the tools and training necessary to take advantage of these capabilities to help improve their lives. This initiative will be a significant factor in addressing that need." Dan Manning, CN Broadband Solutions Manager About Connected Nation Connected Nation celebrated 20 years of service in 2021. The national nonprofit's mission is to improve lives by providing innovative solutions that expand access to and increase the adoption and use of broadband (high-speed internet) and its related technologies for all people. Everyone belongs in a Connected Nation.

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TALENT DEVELOPMENT, ENTREPRENEURS, AND LEADERS

edX | September 23, 2022

The London School of Economics and Political Science, a member institution of the University of London, and edX, the global online learning platform from 2U, Inc., today announced the launch of LSE's first two MicroBachelors® programs in Statistics Fundamentals and Mathematics and Statistics Fundamentals as well as An Introduction to Pre-University Mathematics, its first Massive Open Online Course. LSE is the first university to expand its degree partnership with 2U to launch a series of edX microcredentials that provide learners with a flexible, stackable pathway towards pursuing a fully online undergraduate education.MicroBachelors® programs deliver immediately transferable skills while providing a pathway towards pursuing a full Bachelor's degree. Each of LSE's new MicroBachelors® programs includes four university-level courses from leading LSE faculty. Learners who successfully complete a MicroBachelors® program from LSE and are admitted into select online undergraduate degree programs from the University of London, with academic direction provided by LSE, will be eligible to apply for recognition of prior learning (RPL), creating an accessible pathway into the degree program. The Introduction to Pre-University Mathematics MOOC, which is free to audit, will expand access to a foundational mathematics education worldwide. It will also teach the competencies required to succeed in university-level courses, including LSE's new MicroBachelors® programs. "Over the past five years, our partnership with 2U has enabled LSE to become a leader in digital education, bringing high-quality education to life online. We've reduced barriers, removed international borders, and extended our reach,Building on our partnership, the new innovative offerings from LSE on edX create an incredible opportunity for us to further increase our global impact by providing a vast community of learners with a clear pathway to gain the critical mathematics and statistics knowledge to achieve academic success." Wim Van der Stede, Academic Dean for Extended Education at LSE The school's initial partnership with 2U has played a role in LSE's strategy to expand its educational offerings and make teaching, learning, and research accessible to people who wouldn't have been able to access the institution in traditional formats. To date, over 26,000 learners have completed online certificate courses offered through LSE and 2U, and over 1,000 students have enrolled in its online undergraduate degrees powered by 2U. The addition of the MicroBachelors® programs and MOOC will help further expand LSE's reach to over 45 million learners around the globe.The launch of LSE's first MicroBachelors® programs and MOOC demonstrate the power of 2U and edX to expand access and increase the affordability of higher education at one of the world's most renowned social sciences institutions," said 2U Co-Founder and CEO Christopher "Chip" Paucek. "Creating new pathways to degree attainment is an essential part of edX's mission to unlock the potential of our community of 45 million learners worldwide, and we're thrilled to expand our partnership with LSE to bring that mission to life through the first truly stackable path to a fully online undergraduate degree. About London School of Economics The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) is an internationally renowned university specialising in the social sciences. Its expertise spans a wide range of disciplines from economics, politics and law, to sociology, health policy, accounting and finance. As one of the most international universities in the world, the School's diversity of people, ideas and interests make it an exciting centre for research, teaching and public engagement.    Established in 1895, the original vision of LSE as 'a community of people and ideas, founded to know the causes of things, for the betterment of society' remains true to this day.  It continues to use its research-led expertise to influence governments, NGOs, businesses and others to help tackle the world's most pressing problems. For more information visit  lse.ac.uk .   About edX edX is the education movement for restless learners and a leading global online learning platform from 2U, Inc. ( Nasdaq: TWOU). Together with the majority of the world's top-ranked universities and industry-leading companies, we bring our community of over 45 million learners world-class education to support them at every stage of their lives and careers, from free courses to full degrees. And we're not stopping there — we're relentlessly pursuing our vision of a world where every learner can access education to unlock their potential, without the barriers of cost or location.

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CORPORATE LEARNING SYSTEMS

WorkRamp | September 29, 2022

WorkRamp, the All-in-One Learning Platform, today announced the release of WorkRamp Content, powered by one of the world's largest corporate education content hubs, Go1. WorkRamp Content is one of the most comprehensive content solutions for organizations that are invested in developing their people to unlock exponential growth.With this product, relevant industry- and role-based content can be curated to complement the organization's learning strategy, and businesses can leverage the power of prebuilt, proven content to build impactful programs that attract, develop, and retain talent and mitigate corporate risk by maintaining compliance. "Businesses need their workforces to be highly skilled if they are to stay competitive in today's market, and that means learning cannot stop,Those that really invest in making learning a growth engine for their organizations recognize that effective content is fundamental to this strategy. Now they can find not only flexible content creation and collaboration within WorkRamp's platform but also the most relevant expertise to uplevel their people." Ted Blosser, CEO and Co-Founder of WorkRamp With over 85,000 course resources from more than 250 providers in one learning center of excellence, WorkRamp Content provides exactly what employees want, in whichever format, length, and style are effective for them. The catalog of resources from the world's top providers such as EasyLlama, ej4, The Expert Academy, Mind Tools, Pluralsight, Sandler Training, Skillsoft, and Traliant empowers learning administrators to upskill their teams for more meaningful business contributions. They also have access to complimentary content recommendations and curation in partnership with Go1's team. Customers should expect learner engagement to increase sixfold once they leverage the ability to quickly provide employees with meaningful content within their learning platform. Businesses want their learners to be able to develop and apply their skills in the flow of work and in systems they recognize. Those that invest in WorkRamp to support their development strategy and growth can now really achieve this most effective approach to learning by accessing Go1's vast training and content libraries, said Marc Havercroft, President of Go1. With WorkRamp Content, customers are now able to draw on all levels of instructional design capability and better align their learning content strategy with an overall learning strategy. The All-in-One Learning Platform provides course authoring tools out of the box for building content just the way the business wants it, customizable course templates to set teams up with solid starting points, and now prebuilt, proven content that can be rapidly deployed for immediate business impact.

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