Rural electric co-ops and broadband providers keep small towns running, and behind many of them is a technology partner most people have never heard of. Doug Remboldt, President & CEO of NISC (National Information Solutions Cooperative), joins us from Fargo to talk about 36 years at a member-owned cooperative, the realities of serving some of the most remote communities in the country, and why a people-first approach shapes every decision, from culture and retention to how NISC puts AI to work.

In this conversation, Doug covers:

-How the co-op model lets NISC plan long-term instead of chasing quarterly earnings

-The Meridian merger and why one product means faster innovation

-Storm restoration when the nearest neighbor is five miles away

-Why 87 cents of every dollar goes to people, and voluntary turnover under 4%

-Servant leadership lessons from former CEO Vern Dosch

-Using AI to capture retiring employees' knowledge, with a human always in the loop

0:00 - Welcome from Fargo & meet Doug Remboldt

5:07 - What NISC does and why the co-op model matters

8:12 - Planning to stay two years and staying 36

10:31 - Four major technology shifts in one career

13:06 - The NISC and Meridian merger and the "why" behind it

17:47 - Serving rural America at less than one meter per mile

20:55 - 87 cents of every dollar and a culture built by employees

24:41 - The payday printer and what servant leadership really looks like

28:33 - AI with a human in the loop

35:07 - For fun: random questions

Guest: Doug Remboldt, President & CEO, NISC (National Information Solutions Cooperative)

🗨️ Mentioned in this episode: 
Meridian Cooperative — The technology coop that merged with NISC on August 1, 2026
Vern Dosch — Former NISC President & CEO and Doug's servant leadership mentor
Scott Klososky — Tech. speaker, author, & founding partner of Future Point of View
Tellwell Studios — The Fargo agency/studio where this episode was recorded

Connect with Doug: https://www.linkedin.com/in/doug-remboldt-4115b3b/

New episodes every other Wednesday.

Connect with us: 🌐 highpointnetworks.com 📱 LinkedIn, Instagram & Facebook: @highpointnetworks

Subscribe — Spotify | Apple Podcasts | YouTube | And wherever you listen.

Get to the Point is produced by High Point Networks for informational purposes only. Guests include High Point Networks professionals as well as subject matter experts from across the industry, each speaking from their own experience and expertise. Content shared is intended as general information and should be evaluated within the context of your specific organization and circumstances. Views expressed by outside guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of High Point Networks or its affiliates. High Point Networks assumes no liability for decisions or actions taken based on content discussed in this podcast.

Andrew Moore has spent more than 40 years in IT, and as Chief Information Officer at Colorado School of Mines, he's built a reputation for choosing disruption over the easy path. In this episode, Andrew shares his philosophy on the two types of CIOs — the ones who keep the lights on, and the ones who push for change — and how Mines' size and culture let IT move faster than most institutions. He also walks through how one simple frustration, not being able to connect to wifi between buildings, sparked a network overhaul that now reaches football stadiums, parking garages, and even a 100-year-old working mine.

It's a conversation about seeing the bigger picture, embracing your ability to effect change, and having the courage to move first.

Andrew Moore, Chief Information Officer, Colorado School of Mines
Andrew Moore became CIO at Colorado School of Mines in 2022, bringing IT and executive leadership experience from Chevron, Sun Microsystems, and Boulder Valley School District. He leads Mines' AI acceleration efforts and holds an MBA from the University of Colorado along with degrees in computer science and sociology. Andrew is also the mayor of Erie, Colorado.

Connect with Andrew: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewjmoore/

0:00 – Introduction & welcome
3:14 – Andrew's introduction: from Chevron and Sun Microsystems to Mines
6:52 – Two types of IT leaders: stability vs. disruption
9:08 – The wireless dead zone that started Mines' network overhaul
16:36 – How to bring disruptive ideas to life without losing the room
20:00 – Why equity drives Andrew's approach to connectivity and AI
25:06 – Competing with MIT and Stanford: Mines' AI-powered recruiting assistant
29:20 – Inside the Beck Venture Center, Labriola Innovation Hub, and McNeil Center
37:23 – The 30-hour workweek experiment
44:48 – Question from the Jar

🗨️ Mentioned in this episode:

→ R1 research institution — Carnegie Classification for universities with the highest level of research activity: https://carnegieclassifications.acenet.edu/
→ The Beck Venture Center — Mines' on-campus hub supporting student entrepreneurs, including a pitch room for venture capital: https://ventures.mines.edu/
→ Labriola Innovation Hub — Mines' student makerspace with a metal shop, wood shop, and 3D printing: https://labriola.mines.edu/
→ McNeil Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation — Mines' student-focused center for entrepreneurship education and venture support: https://mcneil.mines.edu/
→ Edgar Mine — Mines' historic teaching mine near Idaho Springs, used for hands-on instruction: https://mining.mines.edu/edgar-experimental-mine/
→ ConnectME — Andrew's internet-access equity program from his time at Boulder Valley School District: https://www.bvsd.org/departments/information-technology/connect-me
→ Duolingo: https://www.duolingo.com/ (yes, you can learn Klingon!)

New episodes every other Wednesday.

Connect with us: 🌐 highpointnetworks.com 📱 LinkedIn, Instagram & Facebook: @highpointnetworks

Subscribe — Spotify | Apple Podcasts | YouTube | And wherever you listen.

Get to the Point is produced by High Point Networks for informational purposes only. Guests include High Point Networks professionals as well as subject matter experts from across the industry, each speaking from their own experience and expertise. Content shared is intended as general information and should be evaluated within the context of your specific organization and circumstances. Views expressed by outside guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of High Point Networks or its affiliates. High Point Networks assumes no liability for decisions or actions taken based on content discussed in this podcast.

Cyber insurance isn't a safety net you buy once and forget (or...it really shouldn't be). Rather, it's a living part of your security posture. Yet, most businesses don't realize how little their policy actually covers until after a breach has already occurred.

In this episode, Andy and Brandi sit down with Travis Kroger, Cyber Insurance Practice Lead at UKON, to pull back the curtain on what cyber coverage really means, how to read between the lines of a policy, and why the affordable market we're in right now won't last. Travis brings a rare "no-nonsense" perspective that bridges the tech and insurance worlds, making this a conversation IT leaders and business decision-makers alike will want to hear.

0:00 - Welcome & introducing Travis Kroger
3:03 - Tell me something good
10:02 - Why cyber insurance may be priced lower than it should be
14:12 - Why insurance and IT security should be one strategy
16:12 - The biggest coverage gaps IT leaders don't know about
22:12 - The "hidden menu" of cyber insurance
27:36 - How to spot a strong policy vs. a weak one
35:48 - What to do in the first minutes of a cyber incident
39:06 - Travis's role as a wholesale broker

🗨️ Mentioned in this episode:

→ MFA — multi-factor authentication
→ WTF — wire transfer fraud, one of the most common cyber insurance claims
→ DFIR — Digital Forensics and Incident Response
→ Tech E&O — Technology Errors & Omissions insurance
→ Surplus lines market — where most cyber policies are written, giving carriers more flexibility than the state-admitted market

*A note on stats: Travis referenced some industry comparisons from memory during our conversation (fire frequency, cyberattack frequency); treat those as illustrative rather than precise figures. The core point he's making, that cyber risk is more frequent than most businesses assume, holds regardless of the exact numbers.

Connect with Travis: LinkedIn — www.linkedin.com/in/traviskroger | Email: travis@ukon.com

_____

Footer (already there):

Connect with us: 🌐 highpointnetworks.com 📱 LinkedIn, Instagram & Facebook: @highpointnetworks

Subscribe — Spotify | Apple Podcasts | YouTube | And wherever you listen.

New episodes every other Wednesday.

Connect with us: 🌐 highpointnetworks.com 📱 LinkedIn, Instagram & Facebook: @highpointnetworks

Subscribe — Spotify | Apple Podcasts | YouTube | And wherever you listen.

Get to the Point is produced by High Point Networks for informational purposes only. Guests include High Point Networks professionals as well as subject matter experts from across the industry, each speaking from their own experience and expertise. Content shared is intended as general information and should be evaluated within the context of your specific organization and circumstances. Views expressed by outside guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of High Point Networks or its affiliates. High Point Networks assumes no liability for decisions or actions taken based on content discussed in this podcast.