Tech expert says don't expect privacy

Technology and data strategies expert Missy Young said technology users should put great value on privacy but shouldn't expect a lot of it when using social media.

Young is the chief information officer for Switch, Inc., a global technology company based in Las Vegas that designs, constructs and operates data centers. She was the featured speaker for the Peter F. Secchia Breakfast Lecture October 3 at the L. William Seidman Center.

Young said privacy is important but it can only be controlled to a certain degree.

"Don't expect a lot of privacy if you use social media and be selective about what you put out there," Young said. "If you use online banking or purchase items online, a lot of your information is already out there."

Young shared staggering statistics like: 90 percent of the world's data was created in the last two years, an iPhone has more technology than it took to send someone to the moon and back, and 50 billion devices will be connected to the internet by 2020.

"Data matters. It has value if you can turn it into information," she explained. "eBay has never deleted any of its data from all of its auctions. Companies contact eBay to find out patterns about their products."

Young said every field of study uses technology and the key to increasing the number of women and minorities in the STEM fields starts in the home and in school. "They will have jobs that haven't even been invented yet," she said. 

She also emphasized the importance of students studying art. "We are passionate about the arts. Without art, STEM has no soul," she said.

Since joining Switch, Inc. in 2005, Young has held roles with leadership responsibilities for all sales operations and solutions. Prior to becoming a partner at Switch, she was director of sales engineering and Voice over Internet Protocol services for Mpower Communications. 

Young also served in senior sales engineering positions at ICG Communications, InteleNet Data Centers, and FirstWorld Communications. She is part of the Forbes Technology Council, an invite-only community for technology executives.

Young entered the industry in the dot-com days of the mid-90s as a network engineer through her Cisco, Microsoft and Novell certifications.

For more information about Peter F. Secchia Breakfast Lectures, contact the Seidman College of Business at (616) 331-7100.