The
primary
driver
for
the
network
upgrade
is
to
ensure
that
SAIC’s
15,000
employees
and
guests
among
70
U.S.-based
locations
can
easily
and
securely
access
the
network
resources.
It
is
especially
as
bring-your-own-device
(BYOD)
becomes
more
prevalent,
as
well
as
the
need
to
make
the
wireless
experience
as
seamless
as
possible. SAIC
is
deploying
its
“next-generation
architecture,”
a
renovation
of
the
company’s
entire
infrastructure
from
the
foundation
up.
This
transition
includes
the
addition
of
the
802.11ac
wireless
specification;
deployment
of
Aruba’s
ClearPass
solution
to
enable
Network
Access
Control
(NAC)
for
both
wired
and
wireless
networking,
and
the
addition
of
Skype
for
Business
(formerly
Microsoft
Lync)
for
voice,
video
and
meeting
capabilities.
As
part
of
the
new
architecture,
SAIC
is
providing
ubiquitous
Wi-Fi
coverage
to
all
locations,
providing
upgrades
to
sites
that
had
only
partial
coverage,
and
upgrading
the
entire
organization
to
802.11ac.
The
new
gigabit
Wi-Fi
infrastructure
includes
approximately
2,000
Aruba
802.11
ac
access
points
deployed
across
SAIC’s
enterprise.
“The
network
upgrade
helps
ensure
that
SAIC’s
employees
—
working
from
multiple
locations
and
using
a
variety
of
wireless
endpoints
and
mobile
devices
—
have
reliable
and
secure
connectivity
for
optimum
productivity
throughout
their
work
day,” said
Barbara
Shurtleff,
vice
president
of
network
and
security
solutions
for
SAIC.
Whole Foods Modernizes Retail Management
Grocer
Whole
Foods
Market
and
Infor,
a $3
billion
cloud
company,
announce
a
partnership
aimed
at
revolutionizing
the
retail
industry
with a
new,
cloud-based
retail
management
solution.
This
new
software
will
enable
retailers
to
operate
faster
and
more
efficiently
while
enhancing
customer
experience.
Whole
Foods
will
open
up its
entire
operations
as a
learning
lab
for
Infor
engineers
and
designers
to
ensure
best
practices
are
built
into
the
software
to
meet
the
needs
of
modern
retailers.
The
new
retail
management
suite,
Infor
CloudSuite
Retail,
will
be
made
available
to
companies
in the
retail
industry.
"The
new
retail
platform
we
will
co-create
with
Infor
will
be
unlike
anything
currently
on the
market,
better
leveraging
major
technology
advances
to
deliver
much
more
value
at
lower
cost,"
said
Jason
Buechel,
executive
vice
president
and
chief
information
officer
of
Whole
Foods
Market.
"With
Infor,
Whole
Foods
Market
has
found
a
partner
ideally
suited
to
help
us
co-create
a new
retail
platform
that
enables
a more
efficient,
connected
enterprise
with
greater
visibility,
flexibility,
insight,
and
ease-of-use
for
our
team
members
- all
while
delivering
a
better
end-to-end
shopping
experience
for
our
customers."
Through
a
combination
of
cloud-based
automation
and
more
advanced,
efficient
processes
for a
wide
variety
of
strategic
merchandising
and
supply
chain
management
functions,
Whole
Foods
Market
expects
the
new
platform's
advanced
analytics
to
provide
insights
that
will
drive
business
performance
and
operational
efficiencies.
The
new
platform's
advanced
IT
infrastructure
is
also
expected
to
deliver
more
in-depth
information
and an
enhanced
shopping
experiences
for
Whole
Foods
Market
customers
both
in-store
and
online
through
Whole
Foods
Market's
digital
channels.
Whole
Foods
Market
will
also
serve as
a
collaborative
partner
in
Infor's
plan
to
develop
the
next-generation
end-to-end
retail
software
suite.
Through
the
partnership,
Whole
Foods
Market
will
become
a
working
lab
for
Infor
development
engineers
and
designers
from
Hook &
Loop,
Infor's
Manhattan-based
internal
design
agency.
Infor
teams
will
work
alongside
Whole
Foods
Market
team
members
to
identify
critical
process
improvements
and
develop
a
purpose-built
software
suite
that
enables
Whole
Foods
Market
to
make
better
and
faster
decisions,
take
advantage
of
modern
technologies
like
cloud
and
open
source,
and
deliver
a
better
experience
back
to its
customers.
CiCi's Pizza Engages Guests More Frequently with Branded Loyalty App
CiCi’s,
a
Coppell,
Texas-based
buffet-style
restaurant
famous
for
its
unlimited
pizza,
pasta,
salad,
soup
and
dessert,
has
announced
a
partnership
with Punchh.
Punchh
will
develop
a
loyalty
app
that
will
allow
CiCi’s
fans
to
collect
punches
each
time
they
visit
and
earn a
free
buffet
at any
of the
restaurant’s
nearly
450
locations.
With
its
cloud-based,
POS-integrated
mobile
CRM
platform,
Punchh
will
help
CiCi’s
to
better
engage
guests
more
frequently.
The
Punchh
platform
paints
a
detailed
picture
of
clientele
including
who
they
are,
what
orders
they
are
placing,
which
friends
they
are
referring,
and
offers
they
are
redeeming.
By
providing
CiCi’s
with
segmentation
capabilities,
this
partnership
hopes
to
achieve
an
incremental
boost
in
sales,
increased
engagement
on
social
media,
word
of
mouth
referrals,
and
return
traffic.
“CiCi’s
is
moving
into
the
digital
space
as
part
of our
new
feeding
individuality
positioning.
We are
working
to
connect
with
our
guests
in
ways
that
makes
it
more
convenient
to
them,”
said
Sarah
McAloon,
CMO of
CiCi’s.
“The
mobile
app is
one of
our
first
launches
along
with a
new
website
and
our
first
year
of
digital
media.”
Starbucks Names New CTO
Starbucks
Corporation
has
appointed
Gerri
Martin-Flickinger
as
chief
technology
officer
effective
November 2.
In
this
role,
Martin-Flickinger will
lead
the
global
IT
function
and
play
a
key
role
in
shaping
the
technology
agenda
across
the
Starbucks
business.
Most
recently,
she
served
as
Adobe’s
senior
vice
president
and
chief
information
officer,
where
she
oversaw
Adobe’s
global
Information
Technology
team
and
played
a
key
role
in
enabling
Adobe’s
transformation
to a
cloud-based
business.
“Gerri
is a
technologist
at
heart
and
has
a
30-year
track
record
of
leveraging
technology-based
solutions
to
drive
business
value,"
said
Kevin
Johnson,
Starbucks
president
and
chief
operating
officer.
"As
we
continue
to
shape
our
global
technology
agenda
at
Starbucks,
we
needed
leadership
talent
with
deep
experience
in
cloud,
big
data
analytics,
mobile
and
security
to
take
us
to
the
next
level.
As
we
searched
for
that
leader,
Gerri
stood
out
as
someone
who
has
years
of
experience
in
Silicon
Valley
and
brings
deep
management
and
technical
expertise
to
help
us
navigate
the
future."
Martin-Flickinger
will
report
to
Johnson
and
serve
as a
member
of
Starbucks
senior
leadership
team.
As
chief
technology
officer,
Martin-Flickinger
will
lead
the
company’s
IT
organization,
and
will
champion
the
next
phase
of
innovation
and
growth
for
Starbucks.
Martin-Flickinger
will
bring
30
years
of
experience
leading
large-scale
global
IT
organizations
for
companies
experiencing
explosive
growth
through
acquisition,
global
expansion
and
implementing
new
business
models.
Her
expertise
includes
leading
organizations
through
transformational
change,
connecting
IT
to
the
needs
of
the
business
and
aligning
IT
costs.
Before
joining
Adobe,
Martin-Flickinger
was
CIO
of
VeriSign,
where
she
oversaw
corporate
information
technology
services
for
the
company's
60
offices
worldwide.
Prior
to
VeriSign,
she
served
as
CIO
for
Network
Associates,
Inc.
and
McAfee
Associates,
Inc.
Before
joining
McAfee,
Martin-Flickinger
held
several
senior
systems
roles
at
Chevron
Corporation,
including
serving
as
process
consultant
to
Chevron's
executive
staff.
Martin-Flickinger
has
received
a
number
of
awards
and
accolades
over
her
30-year
career.
Most
recently,
she was
honored
by
the
Silicon
Valley
Business
Journal
with
the
Judges’
Choice
award
for
her
integral
role
with
Adobe’s
successful
shift
to a
cloud-services
company.
Additionally,
she
was
honored
as a
2015
CIO
Leader
by
HMG
Strategy
and
was
named
to
the
25
of
the
Smartest
Women
on
Twitter
2015.
Martin-Flickinger
holds
a
bachelor's
degree
in
computer
science
from
Washington
State
University.
She
is a
member
of
Wall
Street
Journal
CIO
Network
and
Sierra
Ventures
CIO
Advisory
Board.
Martin-Flickinger
will
relocate
to
the
Seattle
area
with
her
family.
