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Helping weave a FastWeb
Eight million high school students are counting on Glenn Kapetansky.
As chief technology officer and vice president of FastWeb, Kapetansky oversees the
information technology operations of a company that helps students find college
scholarships, admissions and jobs. “I am in charge of all technology in the
company,” explained the 1981 computer science/mathematics graduate. “I oversee
technology from phones on the desks to our web site, and everything in between.”
FastWeb, a Chicago-based free service, matches students with information from national
experts on admissions, financial aid, money management, career planning, jobs and life
after college. The FastWeb database contains over eight million students, with up to
25,000 new users a day coming on-line. The company also houses information about 600,000
scholarships worth $1 billion, and an extensive college directory of more than 4,000.
As its name would indicate, FastWeb provides most of its service through the World Wide
Web. It does so through five different web sites devoted to special information areas, and
the total operation is listed among the top 300 sites in the country in size.
The web focus means Kapetansky plays a crucial role in the success of the company, and his
work is no small task. The essence of FastWeb is “matching” students with aid,
students with colleges, and students with jobs. These matches occur not only in real-time,
as the student visits his/her Message Center, but also even when the student is not on the
site. FastWeb updates their profiles on their birthday, school year, and compares against
newly entered deadlines and requirements. “We even send them e-mail if there’s
something we think they should see or an application deadline about to expire.”
“Managing that complexity is a very challenging task,” Kapetansky said. He
counts on a cadre of database developers, web designers, system and network
administrators, and project management teams. The non-technical outsider might be
surprised that Kapetansky’s information technology staff numbers fewer than 20
people.
Kapetansky’s team must make sure their system “listens, records and thinks about
the next question a client will need answered.” They strive to do it all with a
less-than-two-second delay in downloading a page over the internet.
Proprietary concerns limit how much of the FastWeb technical interworkings Kapetansky can
discuss. However, he did note he cannot celebrate only in technical achievement. “We
are proud of our technology solutions, but we realize it has to be usable to the student.
It must be smooth, unconfusing and clear to the user. We view the application of
technology as the finest art.
“We want to make our service a painless process for the student. We want to make our
site so they not only do it once, but they also come back.”
A key concern of Kapetansky’s work revolves around ethical concerns. “We must be
ferocious in protecting the students who have trusted us with their data.”
Kapetansky sees his job as more than a technical one. “We are doing a good service
for students and their families. I am applying my skills for a good cause serving a good
segment of people.”
Other experience for Kapetansky includes Bell Labs, MCI, and DMR Consulting Group. He has
been with FastWeb since 1999.
In looking to the future, Kapetansky sees his company and others facing decisions on how
to make use of new internet applications. “The internet can support more than just
the web,” he said. He cited other uses such as e-mail, wireless network devices, and
machine-to-machine talk. “We have to decide how to make use of them
appropriately.”
Another future area of concern deals with privacy issues. “I believe we’re going
to see an increased vigilance toward respecting people’s privacy,” Kapetansky
said. “Businesses are going to try and reach more people via the internet, and people
are going to guard their privacy more strongly. Companies in the middle of the two groups
will need to help filter contacts to protect people’s information and their
time.”
As he forges ahead in the technical information world, Kapetansky attributes some of his
abilities to his Rose-Hulman education. “Throughout my life, I have attended nine
different colleges. Rose-Hulman said: ‘You’re here for a purpose and we’re
going to teach you and measure ourselves against the success of our alumni.’ The
pragmatism of the Rose-Hulman education sets it apart from other colleges. At Rose-Hulman,
the emphasis was always on results. I carry that philosophy with me today.”
Eight million high school students are counting on it.
— by Bryan Taylor
 
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