BYU Team Wins Security Track at AIS Competition

PROVO, Utah – Apr 30, 2014 – Challenging coursework and diligent study helped a team of Brigham Young University students take first place at the Association for Information Systems Student Competition for the third year running.

The team of four information systems students came out on top in the IT security track of this year’s competition for their case to improve an organization’s business controls and processes. Team members credit their education in the school’s information systems program for the big win.

“Lessons from class and the Association for Information Systems club prepared us to create our case proposal and refine our presentation for the judges,” says Zach Ennis, one of the winning students. “All that hard work paid off, and we were able to represent the school well.”

The Marriott School of Management team consisted of information systems juniors Brittany Coon, from Meridian, Idaho; Ennis, from Springfield, Ore.; Ian Jones, from Pleasant Grove, Utah; and Anna Masimkina, from Yekaterinburg, Russia. Working together after classes, the students completed their case in two weeks.

Tom Meservy, a Brigham Young University professor of information systems, believes the team’s consistent effort facilitated their first-place finish.

“The initiative of this group of students in and out of classes has paid real dividends,” Meservy says. “The discipline and dedication required for the information systems program at BYU helps our students do well in endeavors across the board, from competitions to job placement.”

Faculty and industry judges selected the team to be one of four finalists, along with groups from Bentley University, Utah State University and Arizona State University. The four teams then refined their work before presenting at the final competition in Tempe, Ariz., where BYU took first place.

“I was nervous when we found out we were finalists since BYU teams had already won two years in a row,” Coon says. “Several students said to us, ‘You’ve got to keep the tradition going!’ With lots of training we were able to do that.”

The Marriott School is located at Brigham Young University, the largest privately owned, church-sponsored university in the United States. The school has nationally recognized programs in accounting, business management, public management, information systems and entrepreneurship. The school’s mission is to prepare men and women of faith, character and professional ability for positions of leadership throughout the world. Approximately 3,000 students are enrolled in the Marriott School’s graduate and undergraduate programs.