The son of Greek immigrants, Ermis Sfakiyanudis is a civil engineer by training, which means he can talk in a technical lingo that would baffle the less informed.
But what Sfakiyanudis has set out to do is find uncomplicated solutions to the nerve-racking problems many computer technicians working on large networks face everyday.
As chief executive officer at Annapolis-based eTelemetry Inc., Sfakiyanudis has moved the company from a start-up looking for clients in 2004 to one that recently won several industry awards for its products and got $4 million in funding on Sept. 26 to help expand into new markets. He co-founded the company in 1999 with Alan Schunemann.
“We are a niche player,” Sfakiyanudis said.
“We monitor how a network is being used and bringing that information up to the decision-makers.”
A key part of the task seems basic such as putting a name to the (computer) address assigned to each computer user. That means, for example, that the network monitors know that it is Sally in accounting whose computer is acting up instead of some anonymous computer address frustrating an anonymous user.
Sounds simple but by using eTelemetry?s Locate systems, that kind of information can cut hours out of diagnosing a problem.
“Initially I was skeptical about eTelemetry?s Locate,” says Tony Davis, manager of network services and the technology officer at Potomac Hospital in Virginia. Davis was one of the early adopters of the eTelemetry service.
“Oftentimes you know you have a problem but you need to identify exactly where it is coming from,” Davis said.
He estimates that eTelemetry has saved the hospital five to 10 hours a week in locating problems. The company also has equipment that allows a company to monitor all Internet activity of employees.
ETelemetry is the latest venture for Sfakiyanudis. He is also the founder of Sigma Engineering, which remains profitable and growing under the guidance of a hand-picked management team.
Sfakiyanudis is also chairman of the board for the Anne Arundel Economic Development Corporation. He helped launch and is on the board of the Chesapeake Innovation Center, a technology incubator in Annapolis focused on Homeland Defense. He is on the board of BankAnnapolis. He has a civil engineering degree from the University of Maryland.
Ermis Sfakiyanudis
» First job: Civil engineer
» Education/credentials: Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering, University of Maryland, registered professional engineer in Maryland
» Best job perk: Working with my team every day
» Daily e-mails received: 40 to 50
» Daily voice mails received: About five
» Essential Web sites: www.money.cnn.com and www.gizmodo.com
» Career objective: To make eTelemetry products the standard for business
» Favorite gadget: Motorola Q
» Hometown: Saskatoon, Saskatchewan; raised in Annapolis
» Birthdate: July 31, 1968
» Original aspiration: Real-estate development
» Sports/hobbies: Soccer, editing my home movies
