Team Blog!

---

Here you can check out the interests, thoughts, activities, opinions, and ideas of Hannon Hill’s team members. In the spirit of community, you’ll be able to get to know some new Hannon Hillians as well as familiar ones. Your contributions are more than welcome, and we hope that you enjoy this blog. We look forward to sharing our enthusiasm for the future of Hannon Hill with you! You can also view past blog entries in our Blog Archives.

Happy Holidays from Hannon Hill!

By David Cummings

Tuesday, December 23rd, 2008 at 3:50pm

As the year draws to a close, we here at Hannon Hill would like to take a moment to thank you, our customers, for constantly pushing us to make our products better and our service exceptional, and ultimately, for making our company a success.  2008 was a tremendous one for Hannon Hill; here's a few of Hannon Hill's highlights from the past year:

Once again, Hannon Hill thanks all of our customers for their continued support and invaluable feedback.  We wish you all a happy holiday season and a wonderful new year, and we look forward to providing you and your organizations with innovative products and excellent service and support in 2009!

Category

• News

Cascade Server Success Community Continues to Grow

By Chris Armistead

Wednesday, December 17th, 2008 at 3:45pm

As many of our users already know, we recently launched the Cascade Server Success Community.  The Success Community is our finest effort yet to bring the entire Cascade Server user community together in one place.  This new collaborative space has already provided Cascade Server users with a tremendous platform for discovering new best practices and discussing ways to improve future releases.

Previously, making feature suggestions was limited to those users listed as their organization's JIRA support contact.  The more inclusive Success Community offers all Cascade users the opportunity to make suggestions and engage in discussions with Hannon Hill staff, and even provide answers to other users.  The Success Community still features a forum for more technically advanced users to pose questions, as well as a Best Practices Wiki to share innovative examples of their work.

The Success Community is already facilitating communication and collaboration, and we encourage all end users to sign up for a free account today.  The community is now linked from the Hannon Hill corporate site in order to draw valuable feedback from as many of our customers as possible.  Another exciting aspect of the Cascade Server Success Community is that it was created and is maintained entirely by eCrowds, Hannon Hill's newest product. eCrowds is an on-demand SaaS platform that combines the strength of Hannon Hill's content management expertise with social media tools like wikis, blogs, discussions, rankings, idea exchanges, and forums.

So come check out the new Cascade Server Success Community, sign up, and learn something new about Cascade today!

Category

• Resources

2009 Cascade Server Users Conference - Save the Date

By Chris Armistead

Tuesday, December 2nd, 2008 at 1:00pm

With the wealth of informative presentations and fruitful collaborations of the 2008 Cascade Server Users Conference in mind, we've already begun planning the 2009 edition.  As the Georgia Tech Conference Center and Hotel was such a fantastic venue, we'll be holding next year's event there as well.  The proposed dates for the 2009 Cascade Server Users Conference are Sunday, Sept. 27 - Wednesday, September 30 -- for most of you, that'll mean checking in Sunday evening and spending Monday, Tuesday, and then Wednesday morning learning from and sharing with Cascade clients and the Hannon Hill team.

We'd love to hear your thoughts about those dates; does your organization have anything planned around that time, or are you planning on attending another conference or event that may create a scheduling conflict?  If there are pertinent industry events that you're aware of or plan on attending, please let us know.  We want to ensure that as many of our clients as possible can attend the 2009 Cascade Server Users Conference.  Let us know what you think here in the comments, or feel free to reach me at chris.armistead@hannonhill.com with specific concerns, comments, or date conflicts.  We look forward to seeing you all again next year!

Category

• Events

User's Conference Presentation Videos Released

By Chris Armistead

Wednesday, November 19th, 2008 at 4:00pm

Hannon Hill is excited to announce that the videos from the 2008 Cascade Server User's Conference are now available on the Hannon Hill Knowledge Base.  The two-day conference was held on September 22-23, 2008 at the Georgia Tech Hotel and Conference Center and consisted of two conference tracks, executive and technical, each with its own set of sessions and speakers throughout the day.

The Cascade Server User's Conference featured presentations from a variety of perspectives to provide valuable knowledge for Cascade Server users. Topics range from Cascade Server Roadmap to Tips and Tricks for End Users to Advanced XSL.

Conference presentations were given by Hannon Hill staff, including CEO David Cummings, COO David Klanac, and Director of Engineering, Bradley Wagner.  Sessions were also led by some of Cascade Server's power users from a variety of organizations.

Based on the feedback we received from those who were able to attend the conference, we feel the conference videos will be of use to all types of Cascade users. If you were unable to attend this year's conference, or if you were able to attend and would like to view a session you might have missed, be sure to check out the videos of all the sessions.

Category

• Events

Meet the Team - Evan Barton

By Uran Piedra

Wednesday, November 12th, 2008 at 10:00am

URAN PIEDRA: Welcome to another edition of "Meet the Team." Today we'll be introducing Evan Barton, who has recently joined the Hannon Hill team as a Marketing/Rich Media Associate. Good Morning Evan.

EVAN BARTON: Good Morning.

URAN: So, let's get started. What attracted you to a position that combines the worlds of marketing and rich media?

EVAN: From my experience, I've learned that rich media is an integral part of the marketing/communications process. Last May, I graduated from Wesleyan University with degrees in Film and English, so I knew I wanted to work with both visual and written media. I started looking for opportunities at PR companies focused on the technology industry, or companies that incorporate digital media and web marketing into their overall marketing strategy.

URAN: Okay, and before joining Hannon Hill you had some experience working in print media didn't you?

EVAN: Yes. During the summers of 2006 and 2007 I worked at a small newspaper in Brooklyn. The paper was a daily, so I learned a lot about how to research background information online, conduct interviews, gather as much information as possible, and write the story before the 4:30 deadline. I also did some copy editing and helped with layout.

URAN: Have you ever done any visual media production?

EVAN: I have. As a Film major I worked on a number of short film projects, and this summer I produced an informational video for the HBCU Landgrant network about the opportunities students can take advantage of at land-grant universities.

URAN: And so Hannon Hill seemed like a good fit for what you were interested in?

EVAN: A really good fit. When I found the Marketing/Rich Media Associate post online, it was exactly what I was looking for: a software company focused on using innovative technology to incorporate blogs, video, and other forms of interactive multimedia into their web marketing strategy. I sent an email to Hannon Hill and was contacted for a phone interview shortly thereafter.

URAN: So how are you adjusting to office life?

EVAN: I'm really liking it so far. Hannon Hill definitely isn't the traditional office setting, with its bright colors, asymmetrical architecture, and fully-stocked break room. I really need to start cutting back the amount of Coke Zero I drink here! Also, the people I have met on the Team all seem friendly and willing to help out if you're having trouble with something.

URAN: Great! What are you working on now?

EVAN: Right now I'm learning everything I can about Cascade Server, as well as getting involved with lead filtering to ensure that the Hannon Hill solutions consultants are only making contact with strong, viable prospects.

URAN: Alright, well thank you for sitting down with us today. That wraps up this edition of "Meet the Team."

EVAN: Thanks for having me.

Category

• News

Hannon Hill Shares Cascade Server at EDUCAUSE 2008 in Orlando

By David Cummings

Thursday, November 6th, 2008 at 3:00pm

The 2008 EDUCAUSE Conference took place in sunny Orlando, FL (quite a change from Seattle, the site of last year's conference), and three of Hannon Hill's own were fortunate enough to attend-- myself, along with Emily Macke, Solutions Consultant, and Morgan Griffith, Marketing Director.  EDUCAUSE is a nonprofit association whose mission is to advance higher education by promoting the intelligent use of information technology.  As the conference attracts thousands of technology professionals from higher education institutions (where our client base is strongest) across the country, it's a perfect showcase for Hannon Hill to inform this market of our innovative web content management solutions.

Housed at the Orange County Convention Center on October 28-31, the theme of this year's event was "Interaction, Ideas, Inspiration", a notion that's a perfect fit for Cascade Server.  Emily, Morgan, and I met with education professionals ranging from end users to webmasters, all the way up to campus VP's and other executive decision-makers.  Many of these individuals were checking out the convention as a way to keep up with the latest industry trends, but our team also met a large number of attendees who were obviously struggling with their content management needs, with many of them actively looking for a new solution.

As an added bonus, many of our current clients did us the pleasure of stopping by our booth just to say hello and let us know how well things are going with Cascade Server on their campuses.  A big thanks goes to David Cantrell from Texas A&M Health Sciences Center, Brett Ingerman from Vassar College, John Sharkey from Rollins College, and other friendly faces from the University of Texas-Arlington and Emory University (to name a few) for dropping in and sharing such great feedback.  In our third year of attendance at EDUCAUSE , we were reminded once again why we go -- to tell as many folks as possible about the power of Cascade Server, and to ensure that more institutions of higher education are realizing the importance of web content management.

Category

• Events

50 Sites: The University of Richmond and Cascade Server

By Sam Beresford

Wednesday, November 5th, 2008 at 12:50pm

Founded in 1830, the University of Richmond is a private, highly selective liberal arts university located just west of downtown Richmond, Virginia, and is consistently listed in the top 25 of the U.S. News & World Report ranking of the best liberal arts universities in the nation.  Before becoming a Hannon Hill client, the school's web operations faced large hurdles; many websites hadn't been modernized in 4 years and were managed by a patchwork of programs and a homemade CMS, and they were difficult to integrate into the university's overall marketing plan.

After adopting Cascade Server, the university's Web Services Office, led by Eric Palmer, completely modernized and migrated 50 sites to the Cascade Server content management system in less than 3 months.  With great support from university president Edward L. Ayers, Palmer led the Web Services team in creating sites like clockwork, keeping a careful eye on precisely what worked and what didn't, and spotting and correcting inefficiencies along the way.  Through a centralized coordination of efforts, Richmond's Web Services Office now oversees a network of websites that relies on the adaptability of decentralized content ownership and that broadcasts a consistent marketing message, and has even utilized Cascade Server to publish the course catalogs, both online and in print, of the university's School of Arts & Sciences, School of Law, and Business School.

For more in-depth coverage of some of the innovative ways our clients use Cascade Server to power and manage their web content, check out our latest case study on the University of Richmond.

Category

• Resources

Latest Case Study: University of Alaska Southeast

By Sam Beresford

Thursday, October 30th, 2008 at 8:00am

The University of Alaska Southeast is a regional university in the University of Alaska system, with a main campus in Juneau and two extended campuses in Sitka and Ketchikan.  As the region's center for baccalaureate and graduate education, a robust and easy-to-update web presence is a must.  While UAS now has a network of websites and systems that are highly organized, centrally managed, and full of robust content, their pre-Cascade Server web presence was quite a different story.  Take a look at our latest case study, where we explore the challenges, solutions, and results experienced by the University of Alaksa Southeast as they searched for a content management system that met their stringent requirements, and their eventual adoption and current use of Cascade Server.

Category

• Resources

Meet the Team - Penny Harding

By Uran Piedra

Wednesday, October 29th, 2008 at 2:00pm

URAN PIEDRA:  Hello everyone, and welcome to another edition of Hannon Hill’s ‘Meet the Team.’ Today I'm here with one of our newest additions, Penny Harding.  Hi Penny, how are you?

PENNY HARDING:  Very well.

URAN:  So how are you liking it here at Hannon Hill so far?

PENNY:  I was a bit stressed at first, just like starting any new job, but the people at Hannon Hill are really friendly and have helped me to feel very welcome and much more at ease.

URAN:  Well, that's great! Tell me, where did you go to school and what did you study?

PENNY:  I graduated from the Georgia Institute of Technology in 2004.  My major was Science, Technology, and Culture with a specialty in media studies.  In a nut shell, I studied the varying design principles for different types of media, like television, websites, and print, and how those also change over time.

URAN:  So what kind of work were you doing before coming to Hannon Hill?

PENNY:  I spent the last two years managing the Georgia Division of Public Health website.  Before that, I worked in a position where I utilized Cascade Server, so I've actually had some experience as an end-user of the product.

URAN:  What is it that you'll be responsible for here at Hannon Hill?

PENNY:  I'm a part of the group that integrates client websites into Cascade Server so that people with a vast range of technical skills can update and manage their own websites and content most efficiently.

URAN:  That sounds interesting. Is there anything you're really looking forward to accomplishing here at Hannon Hill?

PENNY:  My main priority right now is to learn all of the ins and outs of Cascade.  After spending just a short time working within it, I've found that it's much more powerful and flexible than I originally assessed. In the long run, my goal is to help customers realize the full potential of Cascade Server, and reach out to those who don't have the technical background necessary to be able to make websites that are both user friendly and accessible.

URAN:  Well, that wraps up this edition of ‘Meet the Team’. Thanks for stopping by to talk with us today, Penny.

PENNY:  Sure thing.

Category

• News

Announcing the Cascade Server Success Community

By Sam Beresford

Tuesday, October 21st, 2008 at 5:00pm

As part of Hannon Hill's continual effort to keep our clients informed of the latest in Cascade Server news, as well to as keep ourselves informed of what those clients have to say about Cascade, we recently launched the Cascade Server Success Community.  The Success Community is being introduced in an effort to bring the Cascade Server user community together in one place.  Previously, Cascade users utilized the Cascade Features project in JIRA or the forum on Hannon Hill's website.  Now, the more inclusive Success Community offers Cascade users a centralized, easily accessible destination to request features, make suggestions, and participate in all of the valuable dialogue that these requests and suggestions create.

This shouldn't come as much of a surprise to attendees of the 2008 Cascade Server User's Conference, where we first announced it, but we wanted to take this opportunity to get the word out about the Success Community to as many Cascade Server users as possible.  The Success Community is a great tool for facilitating communication and collaboration, and is a truly progressive move in our efforts to create an ongoing, beneficial feedback loop with our most valued resource - our clients.

Included in the Success Community are the new and improved Cascade Server Forum and an all-new Cascade Server Idea Exchange, along with Best Practices, an FAQ area, and Troubleshooting guidelines.  The Idea Exchange is a great place for users to submit new ideas and suggest product enhancements for Cascade Server.  Feature suggestions can be made by any user who signs up for an account at success.hannonhill.com, and users who previously suggested features in JIRA are encouraged to participate in the Idea Exchange on the new Cascade Server Success Community.

Another exciting aspect of the Cascade Server Success Community is that it was created and is maintained entirely by eCrowds, Hannon Hill's newest product. eCrowds is an on-demand SaaS platform that combines the strength of Hannon Hill's content management expertise with social media tools like wikis, blogs, discussions, rankings, idea exchanges, and forums.

So come check out the new Cascade Server Success Community, sign up, and learn something new about Cascade today!

Category

• News

Blog Archives

View all of our Archived Blogs