Steven D Kann
36 Thelma Street
Roslyn Heights, NY 11577
+1.516.484.0644
Qualifications
Management
Experience in all aspects of technical management, including strategic and business planning, venture capital fundraising, project and operations management, recruiting, training, supervising and mentoring personnel.
Engineering
Significant abilities to discover and implement creative solutions to diverse problems. Experience in design, development, and operation of complex software systems. Ability to prioritize projects and conflicting goals within the realities of limited resources.
Technical Expertise
Experience building commercial real-time web-based software products. Strong interest and expertise building reliable and maintainable infrastructures from open source components such as linux (experience since 0.99.13), apache (intricate knowledge), and perl. Experience with computer security evaluations, and firewalls. Experience with designing, building and maintaining local and wide area networks.
Communications
Ability to communicate technical concepts to non-technical people, negotiate business deals, explain business needs and goals to technical people. Experience with pre-sales and post-sales support with high-profile clients.
Employment History
Horizon Live Distance Learning 1/98-present
New York, NY
Chief Engineer and Co-founder
HorizonLive is a pioneer in internet based distance learning. Our main product is a platform which enables real-time collaborative presentation and classes via the internet. A key design criteria for this product is that it work seamlessly across many platforms, through firewalls and low-bandwidth connections, and require no proprietary software downloads.
Since 1998, HorizonLive has grown from it's origins as a spin-out from a web-design firm to a 50 person organization with several million dollars in annual revenue. HorizonLive is backed by 2 rounds of venture capital, and armed with a prestigious client list.
At HorizonLive, I provided the technical direction for the company's product and infrastructure. This included the design of the product, and infrastructure to host the product, building development and operational teams, providing pre-sales and post-sale support, and participating in driving the corporate strategy.
i/o 360 digital design 10/95 - 1/98
New York, NY
Director of Systems and Technologies
i/o 360 was a cutting-edge digital design studio, which was born just before the Internet became lucrative, and was eventually merged with Rare Medium systems, a publicly traded roll-up.
At i/o 360, I served varying roles as technical leader, from management of staff, to do-it-yourself systems administration and programming. I acted as technical consultant in matters of internet security, infrastructure, and systems design for Fortune 500 companies like Dow Jones, First Data, Citibank, Reuters, Viacom, Sony, Fujitsu, CS First Boston, Time Warner and Delta Airlines.
I built and maintained the company's heterogeneous internal computing infrastructure, internet presence, security policy and implementations. I also developed and oversaw the development of early web applications for our clients and internal use.
Among the "odd jobs" performed at i/o 360 were the development of a set of video and MPEG device drivers for NetBSD, design and development of a dynamic custom web-site building engine, development of a "game-show" website for USA networks, and an experimental "retro" web site module called "Ascii World"
The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art 1/94 - 12/95
New York, NY
Senior Systems Administrator
At the Cooper Union, I served as senior systems administration, where I oversaw the building and maintenance of the computing laboratories for the university. These included about one hundred multi-platform workstations, and a dozen or so centralized Unix servers.
I introduced several innovations to the computing infrastructure, including: dual-boot workstations with the (then) very new Linux operating system, using custom-designed tools under Linux to maintain and clean-up the MS-Windows installations on the machines; and the design development and implementation of a reliable and secure NIS/yellow-pages replacement system called UAM (User Account Manager).
The Mount Sinai School of Medicine 5/95 - 12/95
New York, NY
Systems Administrator
At Mount Sinai, I administered a multi-platform workgroup for an experimental software design group. The systems included SunOS, Linux, MS-DOS/Windows, and Macintoshes. I set up stations, installed and maintained software, network, backup systems, and internet services.
The Board of Education of the City of New York 5/91 -6/94
Bronx, New York
Systems / Database Administrator
The school I worked in was for SIE I severely and profoundly retarded children. I developed and administered custom database software which automated BOE paperwork. I also installed and administered Apple EtherTalk network, taught teachers and school administrators Macintosh basics and Applications and worked with children on both computer and non-computer related tasks.
Adap-Tech 6/92 - 3/93
New York, NY
Founder and President
Adap-Tech was a small business I founded to build small electronic communications aids for handicapped children. After seeing the high-prices and low quality equipment in this marketplace, I believed I could do better. I obtained all necessary permits and paperwork, and then designed, built and sold electronic communications aids.
Education
The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art
New York, New York 10003
Bachelor of Science
Major: Interdisciplinary Engineering
Area of Concentration: Computer Engineering
Twice appeared on the Deans list:
Skills and Experience
Programming
Extensive experience designing and implementing dynamic and distributed web-based software systems.
Heavy experience with streaming media and real-time protocols.
Experience with languages including C, C++, Perl, Java, JavaScript, Bourne Shell, and SQL. Familiarity with languages including python, tcl/tk, lisp, prolog,
Multithreaded and real-time programming, kernel programming, debuggers and debugging techniques. Parsing, sorting and compiler design techniques.
Systems and Software
Extensive experience with Linux (since 1994), Apache, Perl, mod_perl, Embperl, and Solaris.
Familiarity with most types of UNIX hardware and software platforms, including Sun, SGI, Digital, and PC-compatible hardware, Solaris, SunOS, Linux, the BSDs (Free-, Net-, Open-, -i). Networking hardware including routers (Cisco, Ascend), switches, and wiring plant design.
Protocols, and Software Systems
Familiarity with most Internet Protocols and services, the IETF engineering process, security and encryption theory and practice.
Avocational
Shore Line Trolley Museum
At the Trolley Museum, I help to restore, maintain, and operate a fleet of 100 historical electric railway vehicles, ranging from 1878 NYC elevated cars, to many different street railway vehicles, to 1955 NYC Subway cars. I also work on educational exhibits, track and signaling systems.
References available upon request