Pearl's IT Guru Balances Innovation & Service
Lori Johnson serves as chief information officer of the Pearl Companies and president of Pearl Technology. Her responsibilities include strategic planning and operational management for all corporate technology platforms, including applications, networks, and communications.
Johnson has a degree in business administration from Illinois State University, an AAS degree from Illinois Central College, and an MBA from Bradley University.
Johnson and her husband have one daughter and reside in Peoria.
Tell us about your background, schools attended, family, etc.
I'm the oldest of three children. Growing up, my family and I moved frequently as my father's career advanced. I was born in Germany, then lived in New Jersey, Cincinnati, and Alton, before we settled in Galesburg when I was in junior high. I've lived in central Illinois ever since and moved to Peoria when my husband and I married. Peoria has been home to me for more than 20 years now.
I attended Galesburg Senior High School, Knox College, and graduated from Illinois State University with a Bachelors degree in business administration and a concentration in marketing. When I became interested in information technology, I decided to obtain my AAS degree in data processing technology from Illinois Central College, which was a common route to move into the field at that time. I then continued my education and obtained my MBA from Bradley University, where I was a member of the first graduating class from then newly dedicated Foster College of Business.
What are your responsibilities as CIO of Pearl Companies, and president of Pearl Technology?
As CIO, I'm responsible for ensuring we continually develop and execute information technology strategies that enable Pearl Companies to provide our customers with world-class service and maintain our position as a technically innovative and forward-looking service provider.
As president of Pearl Technology, I'm responsible for ensuring we assist our customers in utilizing the appropriate technology to achieve their business goals. This includes making sure we're knowledgeable on current technology capabilities but, most importantly, that we understand our customers' business needs so we can recommend and implement the best technical solutions for them. We pride ourselves on delivering solutions that work and that our customers can count on long after the sale.
There are actually many similarities between the two jobs in philosophy and responsibility. At the core of both positions is a driving requirement to provide world-class service to our customers-whether they're internal or external. Our corporate mission is that we work hard, work smart, and work together to build and enhance long-term relationships with our customers and to continue the 50-year heritage Jack Pearl originally founded and grew our business upon. That's what I and the rest of the team at Pearl strive to do every day.
Your initial training in information technology was on what platform?
My initial training in IT was in COBOL on a mainframe platform. At the time, technology utilized stacks of punch card decks and a card reader to provide programming input. I also was trained to code actual Job Control Language (JCL) that instructed the computer on how to compile and process the programs. Although the technical environment obviously has changed dramatically since then, the basic analytical training I received-to fully understand business requirements before architecting the correct technical solution-is still a key requirement for successful IT systems.
How do marketing and IT departments complement one another?
Marketing is a very data-driven function. To be successful, you must be able to effectively track and analyze the performance of past marketing campaigns so you can identify the pool of potential customers most likely to be interested in and respond to future product offers. Therefore, marketing and IT must work hand-in-hand to ensure that both the data and systems infrastructure necessary for effective marketing analysis are available.
Why did the information technology field interest you as a career? What misperceptions possibly keep other women from pursuing a career in IT?
I started my career doing market research for a direct marketing company. At the time, they were building a computerized customer database, and I became fascinated with the potential capabilities of using databases and systems to enhance marketing analysis. Since then, my career focus and interest always have been driven by providing business benefits from technology rather than by working with a specific technology. That's why I've always considered myself first and foremost a businessperson who just happens to have an interest in technology.
While I agree the proportion of women in the IT field was lower a number of years ago, I've also seen a number of women enter into the field over the years. I've been fortunate always to have worked at organizations that were led by people who championed and valued the information of the organization as a strategic asset and in which IT and the business work hand-in-hand. Organizations run in this manner always are looking for the best candidates to join their team-regardless of gender.
How has information technology changed during your career, in terms of networks, systems operations, etc.?
There have been two major milestones that have affected the IT field during my career-the advent of PCs and distributed processing environments and the advent of the Internet and widespread access. Both of these milestones changed the landscape of IT, affecting everything from business capabilities to technical infrastructure. Both provided additional business and consumer autonomy and flexibility. Both created IT challenges, particularly in the areas of systems management and security.
Today, IT's landscape has come full circle in realizing the importance of centralized security and systems management with a focus on meeting the needs of an increasingly mobile workforce and consumer base, both securely and effectively.
In today's business office, how frequently should systems be updated?
It's important to have a good, current inventory of all of the equipment, systems, software, and data in your business office. This information should be reviewed annually so you can plan any updates needed based on the current technology available and your business plans for the year. You'll want to make sure your IT infrastructure has the ability to provide continued performance and is scalable to utilize functions that applications (such as video) continue to integrate as your business grows and changes. It's also very important to make sure your systems and software are capable of providing the security your business demands, particularly with the recent publicized network infiltrations.
What issue comprised the most frequent service calls last year?
Last year, our service calls ranged from mission-critical network problem resolution to laptop repair. On the network side, many customers upgraded their network infrastructures to enable wireless and IP telephony capabilities. While on the service side, we received a number of service calls for virus- and spyware-related issues.
To help us better service our customers, we centralized and expanded our Field Service and Logistics operations to a newly constructed warehouse facility in Peoria Heights, enabling us to offer 24/7 dispatch capability for engineers, as well as walk-in or drop-off warranty repair.
In addition, many local businesses took advantage of our wellness programs last year. These programs focus on routine preventative network maintenance and, if performed on a regular basis, can help prevent potential network problems from ever occurring. We also offered local businesses free educational seminars to provide them with information regarding technologies and techniques they can use to prevent problems from occurring.
What do you find to be the biggest mistakes companies make when it comes to their IT programs?
One of the best things you can do for your business-no matter what the size-is to develop your IT strategy and goals based upon your business objectives and needs. This past year, we've seen an increased need for data access and data integration across all corporate systems and applications. As you expand and integrate your systems, you should base your data architecture and strategy on who you envision your business providing data access to (employees? customers? partners?) and what types of data you'll allow to be accessed. Once you've decided this, your IT strategy and application system decisions can be standardized to ensure they comply with the direction you're taking the business.
From a network infrastructure side, it's important to make sure the network design-from cables to routers and servers-incorporates the appropriate levels of performance, security, and recoverability necessary to support your business needs. The network design should be built around the requirements of your company's business applications and required data access. The network infrastructure needs to be proactively monitored and managed.
How should businesses protect their system against hackers such as the recent ChoicePoint scandal?
The data theft at ChoicePoint is just one of several high-profile data theft situations that occurred recently. In the past six weeks alone, a variety of incidents potentially have exposed more than 2 million people to identify theft.
According to recent trade press, in the ChoicePoint situation, criminals posed as legitimate businesses to acquire data files on more than 100,000 people. At LexisNexis, 310,000 people may have had their information taken by someone who illegally obtained access to the data by using the IDs and passwords of legitimate customers. At Boston College, hackers gained access to a server hosted by an outside contractor that was used to solicit alumni donations and contained confidential data on 120,000 alumni.
In the wake of these situations, many of these organizations, including ChoicePoint and LexisNexis, have taken immediate action to restrict access to confidential consumer information, such as Social Security numbers and driver's license numbers. Current regulations in the data brokerage industry also are under federal review. Unfortunately, the cause of the security breach in each situation is different, reinforcing the importance of ensuring your business has the appropriate operating standards and procedures in place, as well as the necessary hardware and software to maintain networks and data security.
To help prevent a security breach in your business, be sure you review your network topology for the appropriate network design, including Internet configuration (VPN, firewalls, encryption, and password schemes) and utilization. You should also review all possible routes of access to your network for a potential security breach. Confidential data within the organization needs to be identified and protected on your networks from general or unauthorized access. Data transmitted electronically needs to be reviewed for maximum security protection, utilizing encryption techniques and secured communication links for transport. Finally, periodic audits should be done to ensure compliance with security procedures.
What unique services does Pearl Technology provide?
At Pearl Technology, we strive to differentiate ourselves by relentlessly providing customers with quality, responsive service. We specialize in IT network infrastructure solutions with options ranging from strategic and high-level network design to preventative wellness solutions for both networks and desktops. We offer complete voice and data network solutions, as well as IP telephony, wireless, and other mobility and productivity solutions. In addition, we're partnered with and designated as authorized warranty service providers for the broadest range of technology partners in central Illinois. Our partners include Cisco, Hewlett Packard, IBM, Lexmark, and Toshiba, which allows us to provide you with unparalleled, unbiased quality technology options.
What changes do you envision with business technology in the next five years?
I believe, from both a business and consumer standpoint, the trend will continue toward creating a culture in which customers and employees will expect real-time responsiveness to their needs-basically, the ability to access information where and when they need it. Mobile devices will continue to proliferate and expand, which will create the need for increased urgency in IT system responses.
Businesses will want to take advantage of the digitized data (voice, video) options that business applications will increasingly utilize as technology continues to advance. There will be increased focus on systems integration and data quality initiatives. The trend will continue from customer relationship management to a higher level of customer data integration, where data from all systems within an organization will be integrated into one single view of a customer.
How will technology be used in our homes in the next five years?
Home technology will continue to take advantage of increased consumer Internet connectivity and networked home access with new capabilities in entertainment, as well as in home management functions. For example, on-demand media will continue to evolve, and homes will increasingly be enabled with Smart Home technology to functionally manage home appliances-from heating and cooling to video cameras-via the Web or network access. Home offices also will continue to benefit from communication and network integration advances that will allow them to operate as true virtual extensions of the corporate workspace.
How do you balance work/family/life issues?
My husband, who also has a full-time career, understands and supports me maintaining a good balance between work, family, and life issues. Although it sounds basic, we find we're at our best when we incorporate regular exercise and a healthy diet into our daily routines.
Technology does help us in managing our daily to-do list, as we both utilize electronic calendars and lists, but it also makes our "unplugged" time even more important. Right now, the highest priority for our free time is spending it with our seven-year-old daughter. Fortunately, if we ever find ourselves getting off balance, her comments and behavior serve as a pretty good barometer, and we can quickly get on course again.
I'm also very fortunate to be working at a company that values family. While there's never a lack of work to do, they also understand that employees must balance their lives to be able to do their best at work. Our president and CEO, Gary Pearl, continually says, "It's all about the people," and the company continues to provide support for the realities of working families. For example, Pearl recently opened an on-site fitness center for employees, making it a very appealing and convenient option for fitting exercise into employees' crowded schedules.TPW
Johnson has a degree in business administration from Illinois State University, an AAS degree from Illinois Central College, and an MBA from Bradley University.
Johnson and her husband have one daughter and reside in Peoria.
Tell us about your background, schools attended, family, etc.
I'm the oldest of three children. Growing up, my family and I moved frequently as my father's career advanced. I was born in Germany, then lived in New Jersey, Cincinnati, and Alton, before we settled in Galesburg when I was in junior high. I've lived in central Illinois ever since and moved to Peoria when my husband and I married. Peoria has been home to me for more than 20 years now.
I attended Galesburg Senior High School, Knox College, and graduated from Illinois State University with a Bachelors degree in business administration and a concentration in marketing. When I became interested in information technology, I decided to obtain my AAS degree in data processing technology from Illinois Central College, which was a common route to move into the field at that time. I then continued my education and obtained my MBA from Bradley University, where I was a member of the first graduating class from then newly dedicated Foster College of Business.
What are your responsibilities as CIO of Pearl Companies, and president of Pearl Technology?
As CIO, I'm responsible for ensuring we continually develop and execute information technology strategies that enable Pearl Companies to provide our customers with world-class service and maintain our position as a technically innovative and forward-looking service provider.
As president of Pearl Technology, I'm responsible for ensuring we assist our customers in utilizing the appropriate technology to achieve their business goals. This includes making sure we're knowledgeable on current technology capabilities but, most importantly, that we understand our customers' business needs so we can recommend and implement the best technical solutions for them. We pride ourselves on delivering solutions that work and that our customers can count on long after the sale.
There are actually many similarities between the two jobs in philosophy and responsibility. At the core of both positions is a driving requirement to provide world-class service to our customers-whether they're internal or external. Our corporate mission is that we work hard, work smart, and work together to build and enhance long-term relationships with our customers and to continue the 50-year heritage Jack Pearl originally founded and grew our business upon. That's what I and the rest of the team at Pearl strive to do every day.
Your initial training in information technology was on what platform?
My initial training in IT was in COBOL on a mainframe platform. At the time, technology utilized stacks of punch card decks and a card reader to provide programming input. I also was trained to code actual Job Control Language (JCL) that instructed the computer on how to compile and process the programs. Although the technical environment obviously has changed dramatically since then, the basic analytical training I received-to fully understand business requirements before architecting the correct technical solution-is still a key requirement for successful IT systems.
How do marketing and IT departments complement one another?
Marketing is a very data-driven function. To be successful, you must be able to effectively track and analyze the performance of past marketing campaigns so you can identify the pool of potential customers most likely to be interested in and respond to future product offers. Therefore, marketing and IT must work hand-in-hand to ensure that both the data and systems infrastructure necessary for effective marketing analysis are available.
Why did the information technology field interest you as a career? What misperceptions possibly keep other women from pursuing a career in IT?
I started my career doing market research for a direct marketing company. At the time, they were building a computerized customer database, and I became fascinated with the potential capabilities of using databases and systems to enhance marketing analysis. Since then, my career focus and interest always have been driven by providing business benefits from technology rather than by working with a specific technology. That's why I've always considered myself first and foremost a businessperson who just happens to have an interest in technology.
While I agree the proportion of women in the IT field was lower a number of years ago, I've also seen a number of women enter into the field over the years. I've been fortunate always to have worked at organizations that were led by people who championed and valued the information of the organization as a strategic asset and in which IT and the business work hand-in-hand. Organizations run in this manner always are looking for the best candidates to join their team-regardless of gender.
How has information technology changed during your career, in terms of networks, systems operations, etc.?
There have been two major milestones that have affected the IT field during my career-the advent of PCs and distributed processing environments and the advent of the Internet and widespread access. Both of these milestones changed the landscape of IT, affecting everything from business capabilities to technical infrastructure. Both provided additional business and consumer autonomy and flexibility. Both created IT challenges, particularly in the areas of systems management and security.
Today, IT's landscape has come full circle in realizing the importance of centralized security and systems management with a focus on meeting the needs of an increasingly mobile workforce and consumer base, both securely and effectively.
In today's business office, how frequently should systems be updated?
It's important to have a good, current inventory of all of the equipment, systems, software, and data in your business office. This information should be reviewed annually so you can plan any updates needed based on the current technology available and your business plans for the year. You'll want to make sure your IT infrastructure has the ability to provide continued performance and is scalable to utilize functions that applications (such as video) continue to integrate as your business grows and changes. It's also very important to make sure your systems and software are capable of providing the security your business demands, particularly with the recent publicized network infiltrations.
What issue comprised the most frequent service calls last year?
Last year, our service calls ranged from mission-critical network problem resolution to laptop repair. On the network side, many customers upgraded their network infrastructures to enable wireless and IP telephony capabilities. While on the service side, we received a number of service calls for virus- and spyware-related issues.
To help us better service our customers, we centralized and expanded our Field Service and Logistics operations to a newly constructed warehouse facility in Peoria Heights, enabling us to offer 24/7 dispatch capability for engineers, as well as walk-in or drop-off warranty repair.
In addition, many local businesses took advantage of our wellness programs last year. These programs focus on routine preventative network maintenance and, if performed on a regular basis, can help prevent potential network problems from ever occurring. We also offered local businesses free educational seminars to provide them with information regarding technologies and techniques they can use to prevent problems from occurring.
What do you find to be the biggest mistakes companies make when it comes to their IT programs?
One of the best things you can do for your business-no matter what the size-is to develop your IT strategy and goals based upon your business objectives and needs. This past year, we've seen an increased need for data access and data integration across all corporate systems and applications. As you expand and integrate your systems, you should base your data architecture and strategy on who you envision your business providing data access to (employees? customers? partners?) and what types of data you'll allow to be accessed. Once you've decided this, your IT strategy and application system decisions can be standardized to ensure they comply with the direction you're taking the business.
From a network infrastructure side, it's important to make sure the network design-from cables to routers and servers-incorporates the appropriate levels of performance, security, and recoverability necessary to support your business needs. The network design should be built around the requirements of your company's business applications and required data access. The network infrastructure needs to be proactively monitored and managed.
How should businesses protect their system against hackers such as the recent ChoicePoint scandal?
The data theft at ChoicePoint is just one of several high-profile data theft situations that occurred recently. In the past six weeks alone, a variety of incidents potentially have exposed more than 2 million people to identify theft.
According to recent trade press, in the ChoicePoint situation, criminals posed as legitimate businesses to acquire data files on more than 100,000 people. At LexisNexis, 310,000 people may have had their information taken by someone who illegally obtained access to the data by using the IDs and passwords of legitimate customers. At Boston College, hackers gained access to a server hosted by an outside contractor that was used to solicit alumni donations and contained confidential data on 120,000 alumni.
In the wake of these situations, many of these organizations, including ChoicePoint and LexisNexis, have taken immediate action to restrict access to confidential consumer information, such as Social Security numbers and driver's license numbers. Current regulations in the data brokerage industry also are under federal review. Unfortunately, the cause of the security breach in each situation is different, reinforcing the importance of ensuring your business has the appropriate operating standards and procedures in place, as well as the necessary hardware and software to maintain networks and data security.
To help prevent a security breach in your business, be sure you review your network topology for the appropriate network design, including Internet configuration (VPN, firewalls, encryption, and password schemes) and utilization. You should also review all possible routes of access to your network for a potential security breach. Confidential data within the organization needs to be identified and protected on your networks from general or unauthorized access. Data transmitted electronically needs to be reviewed for maximum security protection, utilizing encryption techniques and secured communication links for transport. Finally, periodic audits should be done to ensure compliance with security procedures.
What unique services does Pearl Technology provide?
At Pearl Technology, we strive to differentiate ourselves by relentlessly providing customers with quality, responsive service. We specialize in IT network infrastructure solutions with options ranging from strategic and high-level network design to preventative wellness solutions for both networks and desktops. We offer complete voice and data network solutions, as well as IP telephony, wireless, and other mobility and productivity solutions. In addition, we're partnered with and designated as authorized warranty service providers for the broadest range of technology partners in central Illinois. Our partners include Cisco, Hewlett Packard, IBM, Lexmark, and Toshiba, which allows us to provide you with unparalleled, unbiased quality technology options.
What changes do you envision with business technology in the next five years?
I believe, from both a business and consumer standpoint, the trend will continue toward creating a culture in which customers and employees will expect real-time responsiveness to their needs-basically, the ability to access information where and when they need it. Mobile devices will continue to proliferate and expand, which will create the need for increased urgency in IT system responses.
Businesses will want to take advantage of the digitized data (voice, video) options that business applications will increasingly utilize as technology continues to advance. There will be increased focus on systems integration and data quality initiatives. The trend will continue from customer relationship management to a higher level of customer data integration, where data from all systems within an organization will be integrated into one single view of a customer.
How will technology be used in our homes in the next five years?
Home technology will continue to take advantage of increased consumer Internet connectivity and networked home access with new capabilities in entertainment, as well as in home management functions. For example, on-demand media will continue to evolve, and homes will increasingly be enabled with Smart Home technology to functionally manage home appliances-from heating and cooling to video cameras-via the Web or network access. Home offices also will continue to benefit from communication and network integration advances that will allow them to operate as true virtual extensions of the corporate workspace.
How do you balance work/family/life issues?
My husband, who also has a full-time career, understands and supports me maintaining a good balance between work, family, and life issues. Although it sounds basic, we find we're at our best when we incorporate regular exercise and a healthy diet into our daily routines.
Technology does help us in managing our daily to-do list, as we both utilize electronic calendars and lists, but it also makes our "unplugged" time even more important. Right now, the highest priority for our free time is spending it with our seven-year-old daughter. Fortunately, if we ever find ourselves getting off balance, her comments and behavior serve as a pretty good barometer, and we can quickly get on course again.
I'm also very fortunate to be working at a company that values family. While there's never a lack of work to do, they also understand that employees must balance their lives to be able to do their best at work. Our president and CEO, Gary Pearl, continually says, "It's all about the people," and the company continues to provide support for the realities of working families. For example, Pearl recently opened an on-site fitness center for employees, making it a very appealing and convenient option for fitting exercise into employees' crowded schedules.TPW