Cyber Security Training

Because your employees are the last line of defense in securing your network.

Social engineering is the number-one security threat to organizations today. With data breaches, ransomware, and cyber attacks becoming more advanced and sophisticated, traditional security controls are no longer enough to secure your network. All it takes is an employee unknowingly opening a suspicious email link to unleash ransomware that could infect all of your data.

That’s why Applied Connective has developed its own cyber security training platform. Through ongoing cycles of simulated, controlled phishing attempts, we’re able to test your employees, monitor, track, and analyze their interaction with the content, and identify at-risk users. Our cyber security training officer then analyzes these results and recommends training modules accordingly.

We place an adamant focus on employee education and vigilance because even one accidental click can compromise your entire network.

With our cyber security training services, you’ll get:

Periodic simulated phishing campaigns sent to your employees at your discretion
Comprehensive analysis reports at the conclusion of each campaign to identify “phish-prone” users
Recommendations and remediation based on our findings
Educational training modules designed to inform and ready your employees to defend against real phishing attempts
Standard 8-to-5 remote help desk
24/7 service and support from friendly, knowledgeable IT experts

To learn more about our highly effective cyber security training services and how they can benefit your business, call us at 866-358-0109 or submit the form below for more information.

Ed Knott

President

As President at Applied Connective, I am responsible for organizational direction and general oversight of all product/service areas.

My wife, Colleen, is an RN, and we have 3 children.
I grew up on a small farming/ranching operation north of Taylor, NE, and received my bachelor’s degree at Doane College.
Life is crazy busy, but if I get some free time, I like to enjoy it outdoors…preferably fishing or hunting.
Co-workers love my unrealistic but realistic expectations for task completion…
My wife would kill me if I volunteer for one more thing. I’m currently involved with or have been a member of Boone Central School Board, Teammates Advisory Board, Albion Citizens Advisory Board, Boone County Fitness Center Board.
I’m proud and privileged to work alongside some of the brightest and best individuals in the area.

Sara Rasmussen

IT Service Manager

My husband, Cody, and I have two daughters, two dogs, two donkeys, a mama cat, and sheep.
I’m originally from Albion and am happy to live around all our family and friends.
I’m fascinated by the medical field. I’ve worked in medical facilities and to keep my interest piqued, I became an EMT.
I enjoy learning how to fix/build things. All of my family and friends are gifted in a vast variety of things, so I feel I’m always learning something new from them.
Notification bubbles on phones/computers drive me crazy!

Justin Niewohner

AVS Project Manager

I install surveillance, security, Internet, phone, and audio systems to fit our customers’ needs.

My wife, Betsy, and I have two daughters, Julia and Emma.
I graduated from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 2010 with a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration.
I play in weekly leagues of golf, basketball, sand volleyball, and flag football throughout the year.
I am a “beer geek.” When we grocery shop, I spend at least 20 minutes (or until my wife tells me it’s time to go) in the wine and spirits section looking up beer ratings on BeerAdvocate before I make a purchase.
I am usually around a smoker on the weekends. I love barbecuing: pork butt, brisket, ribs, chicken, turkey, pork loin, etc.

Scott Whaley

Level 1 IT Technician

I’m part of the IT team at Applied Connective, so my days are spent setting up new PCs for customers; troubleshooting broken PCs, printers, etc., and installing new hardware.

I have experience in large steel construction and general IT.
I’m from Sioux Falls, SD, and studied political science at USD before moving to Albion in 2017.
I enjoy watching the Chicago Bears & Detroit Tigers.
I’ve been to all of the lower 48 states.
My family and close friends call me Scoot.
My guilty pleasure: I love to sing along to Jewel.
I could not live without Red Bull.
My favorite singer is Tom Petty, and I’ve seen him in concert three times.

Eric Henn

Wireless Technician

My job is to do whatever Ed tells me to. Just kidding…sort of. I am part of the wireless group, performing scouts, customer installations, infrastructure installation, tower maintenance, and wireless troubleshooting.

I graduated from Neligh-Oakdale high school in 2006 and Wayne State College in 2011 with a degree in K-12 Health/PE.
I have a wife named Alyssa and a daughter named Hazel. Alyssa is an RN at Boone County Heath Center and is the exact same person as me…only in a woman’s body.
I love the sport of wrestling and have been participating/coaching since I was 5.
I am a proud team member of “Buff’s Dairy,” the 2017 Neligh Men’s Bowling League Champions.
Until I was about 18, I thought the lyrics to “Smoke on the Water” were “Stone Covered Water.”
I do not like pizza cheese or cold cheese. All other cheese is fine.

Matt Zoucha

Wireless Technician

I am a wireless technician for Applied Connective. This involves customer installations, infrastructure installation, tower maintenance, and wireless troubleshooting.

I attended Doane and Wayne State for business and economics.
My wife, Brittany, and I are newly married (since December 2018).
Brittany and I own a small cow/calf operation together, so when I’m not working at Applied, you can find me farming or indulging my other obsession: my lawn.
I love puns a little too much. I use Scott as a test subject for those puns. The bigger the growl, the better the pun.
Heights used to be one of my biggest fears. Now I climb towers for a living.
I’ve been told that my laugh is unique and can be contagious.
I like to stay pretty involved locally. I’m a firefighter for the Nance County Fire Department, and I serve on the Nance County Fair Board.

Will Zoucha

Voice Manager

My duties as Voice Manager include the sales, service, and consultation of all things voice-related, along with the management of the voice department.

My wife, Megan, and I have two children, Aurora and Miles, and live three miles south of Fullerton. I grew up in Cedar Rapids, NE, and attended Wayne State College, which is where I met Megan.
Outside of the office, I try to spend as much of my free time with my family as possible. We like to work outside and sit around a fire and listen to music. The cold and snow of winter cramps our style, but we love Nebraska.
I get to work with my baby brother, Matt, and he enjoys it very much.
I like bowling, yard games, cards, and board games (even if it’s becoming harder and harder to find people willing to play with me). I am very competitive and have been informed that I am unpleasant to be around when having lost. Luckily, losing doesn’t happen very often.
During football season, my Sunday afternoons and evenings have been and will be marked as “busy” on my schedule for many years.

Nathan Niewohner

IT Project Manager

My wife, Ashley, and I are new parents to our son, Greyson. The three of us live in Elgin with our two dogs, Rex and Jayden.
I graduated from Northeast Community College with an Associate’s Degree of Applied Science in PC Support and Networking (and also had an equal amount of music classes for my degree in college).
I wish spiked hair and reversed upside-down visors would come back in style.
In my free time I enjoy cooking, grilling, baking, or anything that involves food.
One of my proudest accomplishments is passing the Nebraska Firefighter 1 certification.

Jessi Larson

Creative

My role here centers primarily on creative content development. I do the advertising, design, copywriting, website management, and social media for Applied Connective, and I work with clients in a few other services (website design and cyber security awareness training). I also coordinate our philanthropy efforts.

My husband Kyle, daughter Kacey, our yellow lab Huckleberry, and I live in Albion.
I studied Advertising (& English) at UNL and have worked in marketing, mostly as a project manager and copywriter/editor, before joining Applied in 2017.
I’m an Albion native, mostly Czech, double-jointed in one thumb, a professional fort-builder with my proteges (nieces and nephew), and still patiently waiting for “Mambo No. 6.”
My husband and I recreate different Christmas movie scenes for our holiday card every year—because we’re the jolliest bunch of [impersonators] this side of the nuthouse.
Family time is my “happy place.” And I’m a firm believer in the power of faith, gratitude, and 90s power ballads. ;)

Alex Herstedt

Telecom / IT Technician

As a Telecom/IT Technician, I work with traditional and hosted phone systems.

I’m married to my wonderful wife, Kaitlin, and we have two daughters and a son, Jillian, Abigail, and Matthew.
I have an AAS in Culinary Arts and Hospitality Management and a BS in Information Technology.
I was a chef for almost 8 years before switching career fields.
I like to collect ferrite cores to irritate one particular colleague here at work.
I’ve been serving in the National Guard since 2008.
I am an ordained minister through the Universal Life Church.

Cody Banzhaf

IT Systems Engineer

As an IT Systems Engineer, my job is to evaluate, monitor, and enhance IT infrastructure with an emphasis on availability, reliability, scalability, security, data confidentiality, and system integrity.

My wife, Stephanie, and I have two daughters, Annabelle and Claire, and a dog named Cletus.
We enjoy a variety of outdoor camping activities, including camping and boating.
I am a former GM and raid leader of a successful WoW guild.
I’ve been the recipient of multiple Nebraska Master Angler Awards over the years.
When I was younger, I had a SWEET mullet—of which my coworkers absolutely insist I supply photographic evidence.
In 2002, I was the Nebraska State Wrestling Champion.

Weston Ray

General Technician

My role as a general technician at Applied Connective involves the installation of video surveillance, security, Internet, and phones, along with pathways and running cables just to name a few of our many duties.

I am happily married to my wife of 7 years, Kelli Ray, who is a PA at Boone County Health Center in Albion.
We have been blessed with three children, Sawyer, Harlow, and Asher, along with two Yorkies, Louie and Macie.
I’m ambidextrous.
I’m an avid hunter and have taken two Boone & Crocket Bucks.
I enjoy golf, but baseball has always been my favorite sport. Growing up, if you couldn’t find me, all you had to do was look for the closest diamond. Speaking of baseball, I’m a HUGE Cubs fan.

Ryan Robinson

AVS Service Technician

I provide and coordinate technical services and support to infrastructure, access control, surveillance, and AVS clients.

I live on our family farm near Cedar Rapids, NE (yes, Nebraska has a Cedar Rapids too!) along with my wife, Sarah, our daughter, Reagan, our dog, Wolfe, two cats, and a farm full of cows and horses.
I have a degree in Architectural Drafting and also have a strong ag background from growing up on the farm.
I love spending time with my family, whether it be taking an evening drive, playing with the dog in the yard, or just relaxing at night watching our favorite shows and listening to our favorite music.
I’m a HUGE Dwight Yoakam fan! I’ve also managed to get my wife hooked and am currently doing my best to mold my daughter to follow me into Dwight Yoakam fandom. This makes family road trips more like a Dwight Concert!
My hobbies are few, but I can’t get enough of them. Hunting and woodworking are passions of mine. They require patience, adaptability, skill, attention to detail, and the ability to always keep your end-goal in sight—and I apply those skills to all aspects of my life, particularly when implementing today’s high-tech solutions for our customers.
My mantra is “Improvise, Adapt, and Overcome.” If you’re ever in a tough spot, just remember those three things!

Chris Carraher

IT Technician

I’m an IT Technician at Applied Connective, so my job is to provide support in the form of hardware installations and assist customers with their desktop, software, and hardware needs.

I live on the family farm west of Spalding and am helping out my parents whenever possible.
I graduated college with a degree in Psychology with a focus on Education and Development.
I enjoy spending time outdoors hunting, fishing and camping.
I really like fish, choosing to spend most of my free time out fishing or tinkering on aquariums. Creating a balanced ecosystem and watching generations of fish thrive in it is extremely gratifying.
When I was little I wanted to grow up to be Elvis Presley. Though I never became The King, I was part of the UNL Varsity Men’s Chorus and spent a summer on tour in Europe.

Matt Childress

I am a level 1 tech here at Applied Connective, so I perform a variety of IT-related duties.

I graduated from Midland University with a degree in Business Administration, concentration in Management Information Systems.
I grew up in Colorado Springs, but after meeting my wife, Brittany, in college, decided move back to her hometown: Albion.
I enjoy spending my time aimlessly walking around Menard’s.
I am a huge baseball fan. My favorite team is the Colorado Rockies.
I am slowly but surely becoming a Boone Central Cardinal fan, and I am probably the annoying and way-too-intense guy that you hear yelling at the game.
I buy Ranch dressing by the gallon, because I basically drink it with my meals.

Eric Petsche

General Technician

My role as a general technician at Applied Connective is primarily to work with the AVS crew to install and configure surveillance, security, Internet, and voice technologies.

I’m a born-and-raised Boone County native.
I went to elementary school in Petersburg, high school at Boone Central here in Albion, graduated with a degree in business administration from Southeast Community College in Lincoln, and moved back to Petersburg in 2015.
My wife, Tori, and I have known each other since junior high, and we are happily married with two daughters, Jade and Lexi.
As a kid in tee ball, I’ve was dubbed “Pockets” because I’d run the bases with my hands in my pockets, and it continues to be a nickname I hear often today.
I’m a die-hard Green Bay Packers fan.

Kris Wright

General Technician

My role as General Technician includes installation and troubleshooting of door access and camera security systems.

I have been married to my my wife, Jamie, for 17 years and have two wonderful children, Lauryn and Kaleb
I’ve spent the last 11 years as a residential and small business technician for cable contractor for Cox communications and, recently, Eagle Communications here in the Albion area.
I enjoy helping coach my kids sporting events and, when not coaching, traveling to watch them play.
My favorite past-time—besides sitting in my chair—is grilling. There is nothing better then being outside smoking a pork butt or beef brisket all day.

Oscar Bonilla

Level 1 IT Technician

As a Level 1 IT Tech, I do some IT work for businesses, such as setting up computers on a domain.

I was born and raised in Columbus, Nebraska. I married the love of my life on June 24th, 2017. We welcomed our first son (Julian) on January 7th, 2018 and our first daughter (Juliette) on June 5th, 2019.
I recently graduated from Wayne State College. I am bilingual, fluent in both English and Spanish.
I prefer Samsung products, especially over Apple.
Before joining the Applied Connective Technologies family, I would build floors for semi-trailers. Also, I would attach refrigeration units on trailers and install trailer skirts/farings.
My perfect breakfast used to be Poptarts and Dr. Pepper.

Mikki Mangus

General Accountant

Some of my duties as General Accountant include payroll, accounts receivable, accounts payable and reconciliation. I am happy that I am part of the Applied Connective Team.

I live in Albion with my husband Tom. Between the two of use we have six kids, three boys & three girls, kind of like the Brady Bunch.
I have been doing payroll, bookkeeping, and income tax preparation for nearly 25 years. I enjoy working with numbers and the challenges that go along with it.
I love spending time with family, cooking, and being outdoors. When all six kids are home, it gets loud, crazy, and fun.
During the summer, I spend almost every weekend at Calamus lake, boating, fishing, and camping.
Mikki is actually my nickname. My real name is Antoinette.
My guilty pleasure is Snickers ice cream bars.

Grady Higgins

Level 1 IT Technician

I assist customers with IT-related problems by answering questions on the helpdesk and working with customers to resolve the problems they have. I also assist advanced technicians with tasks for experience and faster project completion.

I live in Newman Grove with my wife Cara and our daughter Caitlyn. I originally grew up in Grand Island and left after high school to enlist in the US Air Force. My wife’s family is from the Newman Grove area, and we love being able to call it home.
In the USAF, I trained as a Communications-Computer Systems Operator and learned computer maintenance and repair with some network administration. I’ve worked for 12 years as a 911 dispatcher helping the public.
Ever since leaving the military, computers and computer gaming have been hobbies that I enjoy.
Genealogy is another hobby I have gotten into the last few years, and it has become more of an addiction than hobby!
I come from a family with lots of military and public safety history and we are always proud to serve near and far.
My wife and I have the same cousins. We enjoy the fact that our families have known each other before we were born as my aunt and Cara’s uncle married.

Eric Beckman

AVS Technician

My role as a general technician at Applied Connective is primarily to work with the AVS crew to install and configure surveillance, security, Internet, and voice technologies.

I graduated from Elgin Public in 2002 and never attended college.
I still live in Elgin with my wife Anney of 15 years along with our children Jeslynn, Taylor, and Benson.
I ran my own trucking business for 14 years until I decided to head in a different direction in life.
I really enjoy working with my hands, especially building things or taking stuff apart to see how it works and putting it back together.
I have been a Kansas City Chiefs fan for a long time (even though they were terrible for most of it), so in the fall, I try to spend all weekend watching football!

Kelsi Havlovic

IT Technician

I am a Level 1 IT Technician at Applied Connective, so my role is to perform a variety of IT-related duties to different customers.

I attended Northeast Community College and graduated with an associate’s degree in Information Technology in Cisco Networking and Internet Security. I am currently completing my bachelor’s degree in Cybersecurity through Bellevue University. I worked in Omaha in an IT department for 2 years before moving to the area.
I have one niece named Harper. She is one year old and enjoys spending time with her auntie.
I am OBSESSED with shoes. I only have like 75 pairs.
I grew up in a small town called Prague, which has a population of about 300 people.
I have a sister named Mikala and a dog named Oppi.
My favorite thing to do is go shopping, attend concerts, and spend time with my family and friends.

Chase Thieman

AVS Technician

My role as an AVS technician at Applied Connective is to work with the AVS team to install and configure surveillance, security, internet, and voice technologies.

I went to Boone Central from preschool all the way through high school, graduating in 2020. I was raised in Petersburg and plan on living there my whole life.
I enjoy spending my free time outdoors doing activities like hunting, fishing, working on the farm, hiking, and many more activities.
I’m a big-time Husker fan and enjoy watching all their games no matter what sport it is.
My favorite outdoor activity is hunting, and I spend most of evening either hunting or preparing to hunt (checking trail cameras, practicing archery, and hanging tree stands).
The only vegetables I like are corn and potatoes.

Jarod Dendinger

Business Development

My role here at Applied Connective centers on business development, so that involves assisting our team in focusing on value-added processes as well as leveraging technology to provide solutions for our business partners that support them in continued success and growth.

I have been married to my lovely wife, Shelby, since 2016. We have a two year old daughter named, Elliot, who currently is really into Scooby Doo, Trolls, and Frozen. We have a furry son who is 6 years old, Dennis the Goldendoodle. I grew up in Norfolk, NE and went to a high school that shall not be named. (Go Knights!) I graduated from the University of Nebraska at Omaha and majored in Management Information Systems.
I have worked in IT for 14 years (2006) and have had the privilege of working in many different facets of IT. I have dabbled in helpdesk support, networking, industrial automation, development, organizational change management, and corporate business system (ERP) implementation.
I took 10 years of piano lessons growing up, and played bass guitar in a band “Rhymes with Orange” with my two older brothers – Eric and Jake (I’m the youngest of three). (Check us out on Spotify!)
I grew up on an acreage in the middle of Norfolk, NE where my Dad continues to grow some of the best sweet corn in Northeast Nebraska. The sweet corn business really took off when me and my older brother would sell it door to door around our neighborhood with our garden tractor and trailer.
I absolutely love being near or on any body of water, when I get to go fishing that is an added bonus. I spend as much time as I possibly can in the summer up at our family cabin on the Missouri River.
Similar to Will, I like bowling, darts, yard games, cards and board games. I know he has troubles finding people to join him, so if he ever reads this, I would gladly participate with him.

Colton Mazour

AVS Technician

My role as an AVS technician at Applied Connective is to work with the AVS team to install and configure surveillance, security, internet, and voice technologies.

I was raised in Albion with my 5 siblings, one of which transcribed the sentence you are currently reading.
I enjoy reading, hunting, horse riding, and sports.
Macgruber is a cinematic masterpiece.
Death is Coltonly afraid of me.
My motto is “Fortune favors the bold.”

Curt Hart

IT Technician

My role here at Applied Connective is to provide support to our customers by diagnosing, repairing, and maintaining hardware and software components to ensure the smooth and secure operation of computer network systems.

My wife (Faith) and I have two sons (Taber, born on 10/9/13, and Kiply, born on 1/25/20) and a rabbit (Brownie White, born sometime in 2019).
As a kid I would always love getting new toys and electronics so I could take them apart and build something else out of them. Some of the more notable of these ‘inventions’ included:
- a satellite dish that I hooked up to a black and white television and successfully picked up audio from a telephone answering machine service as well as orders from a drive through restaurant across town
- a robot that had moving arms and spoke, a time travel device that the police department mistook for a bomb
- and a ‘virtual sound shack’ for my Super Nintendo – I sent pictures and schematics of this in to Nintendo and received an official letter back from Nintendo North America.
I am originally from Fremont and graduated from Archbishop Bergan Catholic High School in 2002. I took all of the computer courses at my high school by the time I was a sophomore and ended up being sent to the local community college for more advanced courses as well as being tasked with helping to teach courses and maintain the high school’s network & website.
After high school, I went to Iowa Western Community College for a summer of radio practicum and then switched to Computer Science. I also took online courses in Network Security through the University of Advancing Technology while I was employed by a defense contractor for the United States federal government from 2004-2006. And in 2010 I received a specialty certificate in sound recording from Metro Community College. Currently, I am taking an ethical hacking/cyber security course online.
I have been in bands since I was 13 (lead vocals, guitar, synthesizer) and I owned my own business for awhile that did professional mixing & editing of audio (among other things). I have worked with audio in one way or another for about twenty years.
A few fun facts my wife provided about me: Every year for his birthday, his parents get him a DQ ice cream cake; he’s great at composing, editing, and playing music, and he used to race a sports car.

Brigette Burbach

Operations Manager

My wife (Faith) and I have two sons (Taber, born on 10/9/13, and Kiply, born on 1/25/20) and a rabbit (Brownie White, born sometime in 2019).
As a kid I would always love getting new toys and electronics so I could take them apart and build something else out of them. Some of the more notable of these ‘inventions’ included:
- a satellite dish that I hooked up to a black and white television and successfully picked up audio from a telephone answering machine service as well as orders from a drive through restaurant across town
- a robot that had moving arms and spoke, a time travel device that the police department mistook for a bomb
- and a ‘virtual sound shack’ for my Super Nintendo – I sent pictures and schematics of this in to Nintendo and received an official letter back from Nintendo North America.
I am originally from Fremont and graduated from Archbishop Bergan Catholic High School in 2002. I took all of the computer courses at my high school by the time I was a sophomore and ended up being sent to the local community college for more advanced courses as well as being tasked with helping to teach courses and maintain the high school’s network & website.
After high school, I went to Iowa Western Community College for a summer of radio practicum and then switched to Computer Science. I also took online courses in Network Security through the University of Advancing Technology while I was employed by a defense contractor for the United States federal government from 2004-2006. And in 2010 I received a specialty certificate in sound recording from Metro Community College. Currently, I am taking an ethical hacking/cyber security course online.
I have been in bands since I was 13 (lead vocals, guitar, synthesizer) and I owned my own business for awhile that did professional mixing & editing of audio (among other things). I have worked with audio in one way or another for about twenty years.
A few fun facts my wife provided about me: Every year for his birthday, his parents get him a DQ ice cream cake; he’s great at composing, editing, and playing music, and he used to race a sports car.

Casey Schalk

AVS Technician

My role as a general technician at Applied Connective is primarily to work with the AVS crew to install and configure surveillance, internet, security, and voice technologies.

I’m a Boone County native, born and raised.
I went to elementary, junior high, and high school in Cedar Rapids and graduated from Southeast Community College in Lincoln with an associate’s degree in Fire Protection before moving home to Cedar in 2011.
My wife and I have known each other since being young tikes. We got married in 2017 and started our own little family, adding two boys, Riggins and Pierce.
I am a die-hard Detroit Lions fan (even through the 0-16 season)! Not many people would stick around to see the bad (and the really bad) and continue to cheer on the same team for a lifetime. I would say a “bucket list” item for me is to live to see the Lions make the Super Bowl.

Michael Briseño

Level 1 IT Technician

As a level 1 IT Technician, I provide general desktop and printer support for clients. I ensure computer systems are running smoothly by diagnosing, repairing, and maintaining hardware and software components.

I was born and raised in Long Beach, California. In 2014, I moved to Nebraska with my wife.
I love playing the piano.
On the weekends, I work on my project car to get it ready for the track.
I like to collect toy collectibles from the 90s.
I enjoying playing trading card games.

Cyber Security Training

Because your employees are the last line of defense in securing your network.

We place an adamant focus on employee education and vigilance because even one accidental click can compromise your entire network.

With our cyber security training services, you’ll get:

Want to Know More?

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