The download: What's up in the Department of Information Systems

Four things you should know: Faculty startup Teuvonet Technologies has developed machine learning systems that are embedded in hardware platforms. The U.S. News & World Report graduate, undergraduate, and online program rankings put four IS programs in the top 20. ASU ranked No. 6 out of 10 public and private universities in the U.S. in technology-sector hires. The launch of the new tech consulting credential is fast-approaching.

Four things you should know: Faculty startup Teuvonet Technologies has developed machine learning systems that are embedded in hardware platforms. The U.S. News & World Report graduate, undergraduate, and online program rankings put four IS programs in the top 20. ASU ranked No. 6 out of 10 public and private universities in the U.S. in technology-sector hires. The launch of the new tech consulting credential is fast-approaching.

Cloud-free data processing

Faculty startup Teuvonet Technologies (teuvonet.com), founded and led by Professor of Information Systems Asim Roy, develops machine learning systems that are embedded in GPUs (graphics processing units), FPGAs (field programmable gate arrays), and other types of hardware platforms. Such embedded systems can learn in real-time from streaming data at the edge of IoT and don’t need to transfer data to the cloud for learning.

"It's designed to gather large amounts of data through sensors and to process that data in real-time to make predictions," explains Roy. "The system can use the analysis to change the actions of the sensor or convey the information to another system, such as a mobile device."

Roy says applications could include predicting component failure in aircraft, agriculture, manufacturing, transportation or infrastructure, or predicting the onset of medical problems or failure in medical equipment. Teuvonet is working on a version of the technology that can be programmed in the field based on the desired application. Once this is complete, it plans to partner with advanced technology companies to create new products that would learn in real-time from streaming sensor data at the edge of IoT.

The ASU Catalyst Fund managed by Arizona Technology Enterprises invested $50,000 in the research for the startup, titled “On-line Edge Computing for the Industrial Internet with Large-scale Hypersphere Networks.” As ASU's tech transfer arm, it's accelerating the development of this university-created technology to move it toward the marketplace. The fund's money comes from a combination of Proposition 301 funds and the ASU Research Park's Strategic Initiative Fund.

"Without financial support from the fund on prototyping and proof of concept for ideas, continuing the Teuvonet research would stall," Roy says.

U.S. News & World Report rankings

The U.S. News & World Report rankings for the 2021 Best Undergraduate Business Programs nationally came out in September, and management information systems ranked No. 12. The graduate-level “specialties” lists announced in March placed W. P. Carey No. 11 in business analytics and No. 13 in information systems. The Best Online Business Analytics MBA Programs released in January placed the school’s Online Master of Science in Business Analytics (MS-BA) in the No. 2 spot.

The tech giants are calling

In a recent survey by the talent company SHL, ASU ranked No. 6 out of 10 public and private universities in the U.S. in technology-sector hires, with 8,320 graduates now working at some of the largest tech companies across the country, including Amazon and Apple. ASU outranked Carnegie Mellon University; Georgia Institute of Technology; University of California, Los Angeles; and the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.

Among the public universities on the list, ASU ranked No. 4 — outperforming Pennsylvania State University, University Park; Texas A&M University, College Station; and Purdue University, West Lafayette.

ASU ranked No. 3 on Amazon’s list, employing 1,711 graduates, and besting the University of California, Berkeley. As for Apple, the SHL survey ranked ASU No. 6, surpassing the University of California, Davis, and University of California, San Diego. Apple employs 813 ASU graduates.

The future looks promising, too. Computer and information technology jobs are projected to grow 11% from 2019 to 2029 — faster than the national average for all occupations, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The BLS estimates that the median annual salary in this field is more than $88,000.

W. P. Carey offers a number of technology-related degrees, including:

• An undergraduate degree in business data analytics
• An undergraduate degree in computer information systems
• A master's degree in information systems management
• An online master's degree in business analytics
• An online master's degree in information systems management

And W. P. Carey added a Professional Credential in Tech Consulting that launches in spring 2021.

New tech consulting credential

Students can complete the new Professional Credential in Tech Consulting 100% online over the spring 2021 semester. It uniquely provides master’s-degree level instruction from information systems faculty and nine credit hours toward an Online Master of Science in Information Systems Management (Online MS-ISM) program, which students can begin as early as fall 2021.

“One of the very first ‘stackable’ credentials available for an information management degree provides our program and our students — as well as the companies who hire and employ them — a distinct competitive advantage,” says Dan Mazzola, director of the MS-ISM program and clinical associate professor.

Building practical skills for in-demand careers, the credential includes courses in business process and workflow analysis, enterprise systems, and IT services and project management.