Tips From West Virginia’s Industry Experts
By Kenzie Dye
As artificial intelligence (AI) and advanced technologies reshape the business landscape, organizations across West Virginia are exploring how to adopt these tools while managing risks and maximizing value. In this story, industry leaders share practical advice on cybersecurity, AI adoption and smart strategies for leveraging emerging technologies.
Advantage Technology
Chris May
Director of Security Solutions
What’s one cybersecurity risk most
organizations underestimate when
deploying AI or advanced tech solutions?
Answer:
“Many underestimate the data exposure risks associated with integrating AI, especially when connecting to third-party platforms or application programming interfaces. Sensitive data can be processed or stored without proper safeguards. Organizations should enforce strong encryption, access controls and vendor due diligence. Security reviews must be embedded early in AI initiatives, not treated as an afterthought.”
Alpha Innovations
Rich O’Brien
President
How should business leaders prioritize AI adoption when resources are limited and the technology is evolving so fast?
Answer:
“Start with high-impact, low-barrier use cases that align with your strategic goals, such as customer service automation, predictive analytics or internal process optimization. You don’t need a massive budget to begin; you need clarity, focus and a willingness to learn. Leveraging external expertise—whether through a managed service provider, local universities or innovation hubs—can provide critical support without heavy internal investment, allowing your team to focus on delivering business outcomes.”
DiGiT3 LLC
Wendy Goodenough
COO
What is the biggest gap you see within the business technology arena?
Answer:
“Businesses must take cyber threats seriously and take proactive steps to protect themselves. One seemingly innocent click by one employee can yield catastrophic consequences. Business leaders need to understand that cybersecurity awareness and compliance is more than a checkbox. These threats are real, and they are here to stay. Organizations of every size and industry should be aware of the nature and consequences of these threats, address their organizational weaknesses and make ongoing employee cyber awareness and education part of the fabric of their business culture. No individual or business is immune from attack.”
Juniper Networks
Rob Bannister
Healthcare Specialist – Virginia & West Virginia
How does an AI-powered virtual assistant transform network operations and customer support to deliver measurable improvements in efficiency and reliability?
Answer:
“AI engines provide next-generation customer support designed to simplify and optimize network operations. The AI assistant is a virtual team member providing extensive insight and guidance to IT staff via a natural language conversational interface. The AI engine saves operators time, effort and money with up to 90% fewer trouble tickets, 50% faster problem resolution and 85% fewer on-site visits. Users benefit from a network infrastructure that is more predictable, reliable and measurable.”
Netranom
Hampton Cokeley
CEO
Is AI safe to use with sensitive business data?
Answer:
“It depends on how and where you’re using it. Public tools like ChatGPT shouldn’t be used for confidential or regulated data unless you’re using an enterprise version with proper controls. Microsoft’s Copilot, for example, can be integrated securely inside your environment. The key is to treat AI like any other business tool: understand its permissions, review your data policies and don’t blindly upload anything you wouldn’t email without encryption.”
TSG
Wes Ebeling
Director of Web/App Services
Without a major commitment, how can I simply explore what AI can do for my business?
Answer:
A great example of taking that first step into business AI is uploading a spreadsheet to OpenAI or another selected AI service provider. Once AI has the spreadsheet loaded, it has the ability to read, analyze and report upon the data it was provided. The user can easily issue prompts to the AI using either formal or casual wording. AI can then provide a general analysis of what the data represents and a full list of what it can do with the data provided. Some AI services can even create visual charts and table-based reports when returning answers to the prompts.
