VIA’s Chief Commercial Officer, Joe Babiec, invited to attend exclusive two-day symposium, Vertex | Tactical Information and Network

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The United States Army anticipates it will soon have to manage “unprecedented amounts of data coming from sensors, uncrewed systems and Soldiers.” Based on VIA’s experience, we know these innovations are introducing new data protection challenges that traditional solutions aren’t designed to address.

VIA’s Chief Commercial Officer, Joe Babiec, has been invited to attend the exclusive two-day symposium, Vertex | Tactical Information and Networks, on November 19-20 in Austin, Texas. During the event, attendees will have the opportunity to learn firsthand the Army’s most critical needs through keynote speeches and small group discussions. VIA is honored to be included in the conversation and is eager to showcase VIA’s data protection work with the DoD.

Follow VIA on LinkedIn, X, Instagram, and Threads to hear insights and see pictures from the event!

Switzerland Global Enterprise invites VIA’s CEO to join webinar to share experience with data sovereignty and protection in Switzerland

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Concerned about data sovereignty? Mark your calendars for Thursday, November 14, 2024 at 8:00 am CET to attend the webinar, “How Switzerland Delivers Data Sovereignty and Security in AI”.

VIA’s CEO Colin Gounden has been selected by Switzerland Global Enterprise to join the webinar, alongside fellow leaders in AI and Web3, to share VIA’s experience protecting data sovereignty. Led by Alexander Brunner, an expert advisor in the Swiss AI and blockchain ecosystem, the webinar will gather insights from participants on opening strategic offices in Switzerland, the relevance of Swiss law and data protection, and security in AI.  

Don’t miss your chance to hear the insights firsthand, register for the webinar here.

Dean of Global Business at The Fletcher School, Bhaskar Chakravorti, chats with VIA about Digital Inclusion

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School is back in session. And, it’s pop quiz time!

Did you know?

  • ➡️ There are as many smartphones on the planet as there are people. 
  • ➡️ There are more smartphones than toilets and they are more accessible than clean water.
  • ➡️ This year marks the 50th anniversary of the internet. 

Despite the rapid growth in technology, there are still 2.5 billion people without access to the internet and 260 million fewer women have access than men.

Behind the scenes, ready to go live from VIA HQ!

Chatting about digital inclusion, Demi Moore’s Law and what it means to be a Digital Refugee!

These are a few of the gems from our VIA Visionaries interview with Bhaskar Chakravorti, recorded earlier this month. In this episode, we were able to ask Bhaskar about his work in digital inclusion including, why he chose it as his area of research, why digital inclusion matters to communities where food and shelter is scarce, and what businesses and individuals can do to make a difference.

So, what can we do about this?

We need to raise awareness, get more people and organizations on board to help solve these issues, and we need to give the tools and support to the creative individuals with the right digital solutions.

At the end of the interview, Colin asked Bhaskar if he had any words of advice or wisdom for what individuals can do in their lives or careers to improve digital inclusion and make a difference in that area. His response was inspiring (and a bit cheeky):

“My generation has handed their generation quite a mess. A mess in many dimensions. Which is bad news and good news. Bad news is, it’s a mess. Good news is, if you have the tools to clean up the mess, you will be employed forever. My job is to figure out how to give you the tools…

…there is a lot of hope, particularly for digital technologies in playing a very important and powerful role to clean up some part of the mess.”

As our devoted followers know, we are making communities cleaner, safer, and more equitable. Come join us in this effort and spread awareness for digital inclusion. Whether you are an enterprise, government agency, or an inspired individual, message us at info@solvewithvia.com. We are all in this together to make the world a better place. 

Be sure to follow along on VIA’s website and social media (LinkedIn, X, Instagram, Threads) for the latest.

About Bhaskar Chakravorti

Bhaskar Chakravorti is the Dean of Global Business at The Fletcher School at Tufts University – America’s oldest exclusively graduate school of global affairs. He is the founding Executive Director of Fletcher’s Institute for Business in the Global Context and founder and chair of Digital Planet, one of Fletcher’s flagship research programs that studies the impact of technology on lives and livelihoods around the world. Bhaskar is the author of the Amazon best-selling book, “The Slow Pace of Fast Change: Bringing Innovations to Market in a Connected World” (Harvard Business Press) and is the creator of the widely-used Digital Evolution Index. He has been featured in widely-read journals and books including, Harvard Business Review, New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, among others.

The Next Generation Internet: Data-Centric Access Control

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Manipulation, theft, misuse. These kinds of cyberattacks on data significantly impact both decision making and physical capabilities. Maliciously manipulated data examples include altering software and firmware updates, imagery and navigational data, and additive manufacturing (3D printing) files for replacement parts.

The National Security Agency (NSA), among other major entities, has been advocating for cybersecurity measures to augment traditional, network-centric security:

“The increasing complexity of current and emerging cloud, multi-cloud, and hybrid network environments combined with the rapidly escalating and evolving nature of adversary threats has exposed the lack of effectiveness of traditional network cybersecurity defenses. Traditional perimeter-based network defenses with multiple layers of disjointed security technologies have proven themselves to be unable to meet the cybersecurity needs due to the current threat environment.”1

DCAC identifies verification to gain access to downloading secure data

The “internet” is literally about getting data from one network to another “inter” = between, “net” = network. We believe that to address the security issues highlighted by the NSA, the next generation of getting data between users on different networks will be through data-centric security.

What does data-centric security look like? Luckily, VIA is already delivering solutions to this.

VIA’s “Data-Centric Access Control” (DCAC) combines decentralized keys from our existing enterprise wallet, fingerprinting, and manipulation detection using VIAsecurechain.

In short, VIA’s solution has multiple layers of increased protection.

👤 Users

Sender and recipient authorization and identity is re-confirmed at the time of data transmission using digitally signed verifiable credentials and verifiable presentations.

🛜 Network / Environment

Authorization is required before writing data to the recipient’s storage using a verification proxy.

📊 Data

Cryptographic hashes of received data are compared to the hashes of data sent.

🔍 Visibility / Analytics

All sending / receiving data-related transactions are stored in an immutable and auditable blockchain. 

⚙️ Automation and Orchestration

Verification, workflow, credential refresh, triggers and alerts are configurable through software.

VIA’s DCAC solution is hosted entirely on customer premises and / or a customer’s Virtual Private Cloud on both AWS, and Azure. 

Does this sound like something your enterprise needs? Drop us a note at info@solvewithvia.com – we’re here to support you.

VIA Visionaries: Digital Inclusion with Bhaskar Chakravorti of Tufts University

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It’s Back to School time! What better way to mark the occasion than bringing in an exceptional guest speaker for our latest VIA Visionaries event, Bhaskar Chakravorti, Dean of Global Business, The Fletcher School, Tufts University.

Not only is Bhaskar the Dean of Global Business at Tufts University, America’s oldest exclusively graduate school of global affairs, but he is also the Executive Director of Fletcher’s Institute for Business in the Global Context and founder and chair of Digital Planet, one of Fletcher’s flagship research programs that studies the impact of technology on lives and livelihoods around the world.

Bhaskar will sit down with VIA’s CEO Colin Gounden to talk all things digital inclusion: what the term means, why it is critically important for us to consider on a global scale, and how digital trust and digital currencies relate.

Join us on September 12, 2024 at 2:30pm ET for this must-watch event, streaming live from VIA’s HQ in Somerville. RSVP on LinkedIn and be sure to tune in at the YouTube event link.

Meet the Team: Client Delivery at VIA

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Followed along with VIA for some time now? Then, you’ll know, we LOVE for our friends, candidates, and network to meet our team! So, without further ado, we’re introducing you to a couple of our Client Delivery Team members: Becky McClements and Emily Matsco.

From what brought them to VIA to the pride of product ownership to what keeps them motivated on a daily basis, there is no stone left unturned. If you are interested in hearing what it’s like to be on the Client Delivery Team at VIA, this 3-minute video is a must watch!

U.S. Department of Navy selects VIA to join exclusive conversation on the Pair Program podcast

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The U.S. Department of the Navy’s acting CTO, Justin Fanelli and PEO Digital’s Katie Wildman, MA, PMP recently selected VIA to share the podcast limelight with them on the Pair Program, a podcast that “gives you a front-row seat to conversations with tech leaders in the startup world.” 

On the podcast, Tim Winkler, co-host of the Pair Program, facilitated the discussion where Justin, Katie, and Colin talked about the U.S. Navy’s mission and working together, “to help make the world a little better of a place.” 

Watch or just listen to the 47 minute episode to hear all about World-Class Alignment Metrics (WAMs) – a favorite of VIA’s, how solutions scale like VIA’s at the Navy, and Colin Gounden describing what VIA does in terms that a five-year-old could understand! 

You can stream on the Pair Program podcast page, Spotify, Apple, or watch the full recorded podcast on YouTube.

AWS invites VIA’s COO, Kate Ravanis and Client Delivery Lead, Becky McClements to participate in AWS Energy Symposium event

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Reinventing energy, together? Now, that’s a theme we can totally get behind! AWS has invited VIA to give a pitch, participate on a panel, join the exclusive AWS Women Reinvent Energy event, and host a “pod” during an action-packed two days at their major event, AWS Energy Symposium in Houston, TX.

VIA’s COO, Kate Ravanis will be both giving a pitch and on a panel during the session, “Clean Energy Accelerator | Pathways for powering rapid piloting of emerging technologies,” on Wednesday, August 14th beginning at 11:00am CT. Becky McClements, VIA’s Client Delivery Lead, will join Kate for the two days where they will participate in the exclusive “Empowering the Future of Energy” event hosted by AWS Women Reinvent Energy event on Tuesday, August 13th.

If you are attending, but might not catch Kate and Becky at the events above, stop by to meet them in Pod 8P on Tuesday from 11:00am – 6:00pm and Wednesday from 7:00am – 6:00pm. For more information on the event, including the agenda, visit AWS’ event page.

That Tech Pod brings VIA’s CEO Colin Gounden back for rare second podcast interview on data privacy and energy

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Five-star rated podcast, That Tech Pod, which covers “data privacy, cybersecurity, eDiscovery, and tech innovations with heavy hitters in the industry,” interviewed VIA’s CEO Colin Gounden, for the second time. As hosts, Laura Milstein and Kevin Albert put it, “it is actually rare, you are maybe the third person we’ve brought back to the pod.”

In this episode, the focus was on data privacy and energy, while last time Colin was on the podcast, the conversation was centered around AI and Web3. In the beginning of the interview, Laura and Kevin revealed that they wanted to do an upcoming podcast on data privacy and energy, so they asked each other, “Who is the best person or expert when it comes to this?” and said bringing VIA’s CEO Colin Gounden back as an expert on this topic was a no-brainer. 

The nearly 40-minute podcast interview titled, “Everything You Want to Know About Data Privacy and Energy with Colin Gounden,” covered a range of topics including EVs, data privacy, DOE Justice40, and George Clooney! 

Of all the memorable quotes, it was when Laura asked, “What does electricity have to do with privacy? Why does privacy matter when selling electricity?” that we wanted to highlight for our followers here (at the 23:00 minute mark):

“You make a good point. The old joke is If your internet goes out it’s like 1978, when power goes out it’s like 1878. It’s a huge change. If you want your power to stay on, then you have to either have lots of power available all the time, which is harder because of EVs. Or you move the power at a moment in time. If you look at the consumption patterns, we have more than enough power at certain times of day. We produce more solar and wind at other times of day. Other times, we don’t. We don’t have a way of shifting power.” 

For the full response to the question and a laugh out loud moment when Laura asked, “Are you running [for president]? Because I’m voting for you, Colin!” visit That Tech Pod’s podcast page.

Swiss Federal Office of Energy shares successful completion of decentralized energy research

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Four years ago, VIA was selected for the world’s first demonstration of decentralized energy analysis, in partnership with leading Swiss utility, Romande Energie, global smart meter manufacturer Landis+Gyr, and Swiss research institute Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts (HSLU).

The research project, known as KnowlEDGE, was driven by a Swiss law that only allows electrical meter data to be gathered once per day at a resolution of 15 minute increments. Similar regulations exist in many other jurisdictions to protect the privacy of individual residential meter owners. Real-time data from meters, however, are widely recognized for their ability to provide valuable insights for grid flexibility and reliability. 

To enable real-time grid analysis and maintain compliance with data protection laws, the Swiss Federal Office of Energy sponsored this first of its kind research. Together, with our industrial and research partners based in Switzerland, we successfully demonstrated the processing of real-time data across multiple Swiss household meters. The processing was never centralized and household data was never sent to the utility. Nevertheless, the results of the decentralized analysis provided valuable insights to enable predictions for grid voltage levels that are necessary to maintain grid reliability. 

You can find the summary results of the research written by the Swiss Federal Office of Energy, here. To learn more about our contributions to the KnowlEDGE project and our commitment to Switzerland, visit our website or contact us at info@solvewithvia.com. 

 

Stan Byers, Cybersecurity Team Lead at USAID, joins VIA for largest VIA Visionaries event

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As devoted VIA Visionaries followers know, each remarkable guest shares a common mission with VIA: making our communities cleaner, safer, and more equitable. Stan Byers, Cybersecurity Team Lead at USAID, is no exception.

Stan plays a critical role at USAID, a U.S. government agency responsible for administering civilian foreign aid and development assistance. In his role, Stan helps protect the most vulnerable communities against cyber threats. Given the importance of his work helping others, we were grateful to have the opportunity to meet in person alongside the VIA team and our audience members around the globe.

With 30 full minutes of engaging conversation in front of the largest in-person audience to date, Colin and Stan covered critical topics ranging from Stan’s background, stories from the field in Afghanistan and South Sudan, and why cybersecurity is a high priority for development and humanitarian aid organizations.

Before we get into the details, let’s give you, our readers, a quick snapshot of Stan’s remarkable career, so you can get to know him, too:

Stan and the VIA team spent some time chatting about the benefits of decentralization before the VIA Visionaries livestream.

Throughout his incredible career, Stan has made monumental strides in the realm of cybersecurity, emphasizing its importance in international security, policy, and technology. Currently, Stan is the Cybersecurity Team Lead at USAID. Leading a driven team of fellow cybersecurity experts for the last three years, Stan’s team is working with the White House, State Department, and the Department of Defense on how they think about cybersecurity as part of national digital transformation.

Before Stan was asked to join USAID to build the Cybersecurity Team, Stan worked at EY, handling geopolitical and economic aspects of cybersecurity while concurrently staying updated on the latest technology. In addition, he was a resident at TED in 2017. Stan was also instrumental in the Power Africa Presidential Initiative at USAID, providing a path for private investments and economic growth in Africa. His diverse experience, coupled with his ability to analyze and devise strategic cybersecurity initiatives, firmly positions him as a prominent leader in the cybersecurity space, specifically for the greater good.

Of all the memorable quotes and moments during the chat, it was when Colin asked Stan, “We first met at a Harvard conference related to blockchain and web3 technologies. Why are you interested in web3 technologies?” that we thought our readers would find as interesting as we did:

“I was there because I think this is something we need to be paying more attention to. We tend to spend a lot of time looking at AI and mobile money applications and a bunch of other things which are all incredible. But, not as much on how we can really use web3 and this decentralized approach. I think there is some real promise there.

In particular, what I’m seeing more and more, is that we need to rethink how we do data management quickly. From a development and humanitarian perspective, we work in a lot of places around the world. People shouldn’t think that these parts of the world that I’m talking about are kind of the anomaly, “oh the poor, destitute, unstable parts of the world.” Where we live right now is the anomaly. If you want to talk about using technology to improve the world, you have to talk about the low and middle income countries of the world where 85% of the world lives. This is not the norm, Somerville is not the norm.”

To hear Stan’s full response and how he thinks web3 and decentralization can help 85% of the world, watch from the 25:00 minute mark. Colin also comments that Stan’s response brings home the point of trust when it comes to a decentralized approach to data.

If you are enjoying this year’s VIA Visionaries guest speakers, we’ve got a treat for you: this summer we are bringing you a solid line-up of speakers ranging from image verification to sustainability. Follow along on VIA’s website and social media (LinkedIn, X, Instagram, Threads) for the latest.

VIA Visionaries: Cybersecurity Lessons from the Frontlines with Stan Byers of USAID

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Have you ever wondered what role cybersecurity plays in development and humanitarian aid organizations? Us too! That’s why we’ve invited Stan Byers, Cybersecurity Team Lead at USAID, to VIA’s HQ to chat with our CEO, Colin Gounden, for the latest installment of our VIA Visionaries interview series.

Holding true to the purpose of our VIA Visionaries series, Stan shares a collective mission with VIA of making our communities cleaner, safer, and more equitable. We’re going to chat about Stan’s role at USAID, an independent U.S. government agency that is responsible for administering civilian foreign aid and development assistance, and his remarkable career. From advocating for clean energy in post-conflict regions to driving cybersecurity initiatives at the national level, Stan has surely cemented his standing as an exceptional expert in cybersecurity and humanitarian aid.

Be sure to RSVP for the event on our LinkedIn page and tune in to our YouTube channel on Thursday, May 16, 2024 at 2:30pm ET to watch!

President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology acknowledges VIA’s CEO Colin Gounden for his contributions to report on cyber-physical resilience

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In February, the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) published a 50-page comprehensive report titled, “Strategy for Cyber-Physical Resilience: Fortifying Our Critical Infrastructure for a Digital World.” As described on their official website, PCAST is the “the sole body of advisors from outside the federal government charged with making science, technology, and innovation policy recommendations to the President and the White House.” 

The report, presented directly to the President of the United States, discusses the staggering increase in risks to our cyber and physical systems as they have become deeply intertwined (e.g., electricity, water, communications, among other critical systems) and provides actionable recommendations to protect them.

As our devoted followers know, VIA’s mission is to make communities cleaner, safer, and more equitable. Our experience working with the United States Department of Defense and Department of Energy along with our expertise in cyber and physical systems, caught the attention of Dr. Georgianna (George) Shea, Chief Technologist of Transformative Cyber Innovation Lab Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD). We are grateful Dr. Shea selected VIA for an interview for the PCAST report to gain a deeper understanding of VIA solutions as they relate to the security of our nation. Dr. Shea remarked on her experience working with our team at VIA:

Dr. Georgianna (George) Shea

Dr. Georgianna (George) Shea

“In my role as Chief Technologist at a defense-focused think tank, I constantly seek solutions that address tomorrow’s threats. VIA has been an invaluable partner in this mission. Their deep expertise and collaborative spirit were instrumental in my work with the Foundation for Defense of Democracies’ Transformative Cyber Innovation Lab.

One aspect of VIA’s work that has particularly impressed me is their exploration of web3 technologies, such as zero-knowledge proofs. Through our partnership with VIA, we have witnessed the potential of secure data sharing among various stakeholders while maintaining compliance with stringent privacy regulations. This perfectly aligns with our mission to advocate for advanced solutions that bolster national security.

I extend special gratitude to VIA’s CEO, Colin Gounden, for contributing to the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology report titled ‘Strategy for Cyber-Physical Resilience: Fortifying our Critical Infrastructure for a Digital World.’ Additionally, I commend Haden Snyder for his forward-thinking approach to implementing some of the report’s recommendations through secure technical means.”

In addition to the interview, we’re also appreciative of the opportunity to review and provide feedback during the writing process for this authoritative report.

VIA is acknowledged among numerous other highly reputable organizations including the National Security Agency, the Department of Defense, the Department of Energy, Idaho National Laboratory, and many more. For those of you who are equally as committed to cybersecurity in critical infrastructure as we are, and are interested in discussing this topic further, send a message to us at info@solvewithvia.com. Let’s work together to protect and improve the lives and livelihoods of our fellow citizens.

Download the PCAST report and be sure to check out the last page for a special acknowledgement.

MIT Energy Initiative’s Graham Turk hosts VIA’s CEO Colin Gounden on location at MIT for VIA Visionaries interview

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The month of April is filled with reasons to celebrate our mission here at VIA: making our communities cleaner, safer, and more equitable. During April, we celebrate Earth Day, Drive Electric Earth Month, and one of our favorite VIA Visionaries interviews, which happened to be on location at MIT, with a dear friend of VIA’s, Graham Turk.

This VIA Visionaries interview was particularly special for us, it was the first time we were on location, and at MIT to boot. We’ve also known Graham for some time, dating back to when he was Head of Customer Care at Green Mountain Power, a company well known for providing 100% carbon-free electricity to 266,000 customers across Vermont.

Before recapping the interview, let’s dive into Graham’s impressive background.

Behind the scenes with Graham Turk and Colin Gounden at MIT.

Graham has dedicated his career to promoting clean energy through research, innovation strategies, customer care, and teaching. Currently, he is a Graduate Research Assistant at the MIT Energy Initiative where he studies the impacts of rapid electrification and explores tariff designs to promote the adoption of electric vehicles and heat pumps (an Earth Day great!). 

Prior to this, he held several roles at Green Mountain Power, where his innovative leadership led to pioneering programs in battery storage, electric vehicle charging, and flexible demand management. Earlier in his career, as a Fulbright Scholar at the KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Sweden, Graham conducted research on energy markets and built a small-scale prototype of a peer-to-peer energy trading platform. His commitment to sustainable practices and his ability to unravel complex energy challenges make him an exemplary leader in the clean energy space.

Chatting live on camera at MIT for 30 minutes, Colin and Graham covered an array of topics including why he chose to join a utility, how he sees renters participating in the energy economy, and all about his blog, The Power Trip which covers energy market pricing (go check it out!). Early in the interview, Colin asked Graham about the project he was most proud of at Green Mountain Power and his answer reinforced why we consider him a VIA Visionary on this Earth Day:

“We were able to work with the State House in Vermont. They had an old diesel generator in their basement and instead of replacing it with another diesel generator for backup, they put a battery inside of it that we were able to use for similar purposes, like bringing down costs for all customers. So, the Vermont State House at that point was the first state house in the country to have batteries for all of its emergency loads. A fun little trivia question, if anyone ever asks that at Thursday trivia!”

Colin chimed in with another fun fact: 

“It’s a good observation. Government buildings, in some instances, can be the first trials for lots of things. I want to say, The White House had solar panels put on it in the 70s, some of the first solar panels, because they could!”

Watch the full video below to hear Graham talk about other projects he was proud of at Green Mountain Power, including one with Tesla!

We’re thrilled to showcase Graham’s passion for clean energy and fixing utility rates for our communities as part of our “What’s your mission?” Earth Day series. Thank you again, Graham and the gracious folks at MIT, for hosting our first on location VIA Visionaries livestream.

Follow along on VIA’s website and social media (LinkedIn, X, Instagram, Threads) for the latest on how we are living our mission each day and to keep an eye out for our next VIA Visionaries interview. 

VIA team travels to France for the finals of ABB Scaleup Challenge 2024

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We made it to the finals of the ABB Scaleup Challenge 2024! What started out as 150+ high-caliber competitors from 35 countries around the world has dwindled down to three (including us!) in our category: Smart Buildings.

VIA team members, CEO Colin Gounden, Client Delivery Lead, Becky McClements, and Expansion Manager, Ray Neubauer, can’t wait to showcase the value of Skylight in Switzerland to support grid resilience, carbon reduction, and data protection. The final 2.5 day event takes place in Sophia Antipolis, France from April 25-27. The winner will be announced at the end of the day on April 26th, followed by a fun-filled day on April 27th at the 7th Monaco E-Prix race.

Follow along on LinkedIn, X, Instagram, and Threads to hear the latest from VIA in this journey!