My STC Network Launch Delayed

1 April 2011: Further update from Hillary Hart on STC's Notebook blog: http://notebook.stc.org/from-the-hart-following-up-on-yesterdays-blog/

31 March 2011: Update from Hillary Hart on STC's Notebook blog: http://notebook.stc.org/from-the-hart-blogging-with-hillary-hart-2

29 March 2011: The staff and board of STC are eager to release the next phase of the website, the “My STC Network.” In an effort to complete the website integration as quickly as possible, our development and communications teams have been holding off on making any announcements about the site until all the technical work has been completed. We had hoped to announce the launch of the My STC Network early next week.

Yesterday, two unauthorized STC members located and logged in to the staging website that was undergoing testing. Because we are in the process of integrating current member usernames and passwords, these individuals were able to use their existing credentials to enter an area of the site where custom Web services were being finalized and our team was running system checks. These individuals also broadcast the URL of this website on Twitter, which compromised the security of our controlled environment and led our developers to lock down the site and suspend testing. We have had to take the additional step of moving the site to a new URL where we can complete the work that was interrupted by this intrusion. These activities have cost the Society additional expenses and delays, including lost testing time and staff and developer hours analyzing and rectifying the situation.

With these new delays, our anticipated launch of the My STC Network has been pushed back to the week of 11 April 2011. We will make another announcement next week with further details about the launch.