Blog & Tools

Popular Resources
  1. Company culture and support helps Hope Vande Kop continue to excel
    Hope Vande Kop has been with SDN Communications for more than 20 years but she’s far from doing the same thing every day. She enjoys opportunities to learn new things and gain new skills. And she gets that at SDN.
  2. Venture general manager, a true leader, retires
    When Randy Houdek retired as CEO and general manager of Venture Communications Cooperative at the end of November - after 33 years with the company - the state lost a respected leader with deep influence in the telecommunications industry.
  3. Keeping healthcare accessible in rural South Dakota
    Horizon Health Care operates 32 clinics in 22 communities across South Dakota, providing crucial healthcare to rural residents. SDN Communications and its members want to make sure Horizon can continue this important work.
  4. Severe weather reminds businesses to practice response plans
    When disaster strikes, communication is everything. If emergency responders and healthcare facilities can’t communicate, lives are at risk. If companies can’t communicate with customers, business is threatened. The list goes on.
  5. Artist encourages connecting with SculptureWalk exhibits by looking within
    SculptureWalk Sioux Falls not only draws art lovers and people alike from across the country, it is the largest annual exhibit of public sculptures in the world and is even bigger this year. The 2022 collection, which is the 19th annual display, has the most pieces in the event’s history at 69 sculptures. You can find a large number of them along Phillips Avenue in Downtown Sioux Falls, but also as far away as the Cathedral District and 8th & Railroad.
  6. More than an intern, at SDN, I was a valued member of the team
    As a student studying at South Dakota State University, we were bombarded with encouragement to attend job/internship fairs the day we stepped on campus. I never understood why I should attend as a freshman who barely has his life together, until now.
  7. Cybersecurity benefits of a hardened data center
    When it comes to cybersecurity, not all threats are virtual. Physical security remains just as important to keeping your company’s data safe and accessible to authorized persons in today’s digital environment. A hardened data center can add depth to your defense.
  8. Lifetime of experience and connections bring Vernon Brown back to his alma mater
    Every company faces stiff workforce competition these days. SDN Communications is no different. Unfortunately for us, we’re losing a veteran employee who helped build our brand into what it is today. Vernon Brown will be joining South Dakota State University’s leadership team as the associate vice president of external affairs.
  9. Latest Cyber Threat Report offers good news and pandemic perspective
    After a rapidly increasing number of cyberattacks during the first half of 2021, attacks were down over 10% for the year from 2020, which was the worst year on record for cyberattacks.
  10. Reaping what he sowed: Mark Shlanta’s name lives on at new Technology Park
    Mark knew little to nothing about farming, but when he spearheaded the company’s effort to buy a farmstead just northwest of Sioux Falls and transform it into a data center and future technology park, he got involved in every detail of the acreage.
  11. Small business, techies and executives - the 2022 Cybersecurity Conference appeals to them all
    The fifth annual Cybersecurity Conference in Sioux Falls will help arm business owners with the cybersecurity knowledge and resources they need to protect their bottom line and customers
  12. Former long-time SDN Board President Bryan Roth loses fight with cancer
    Long-time SDN Board President Bryan Roth died on Labor Day after battling cancer for years. As the general manager of TrioTel Communications in Salem, he served on the SDN board for 19 years and helped shepherd the company’s remarkable growth.
  13. SDN mourns loss of board member Rod Bowar of Kennebec
    SDN Communications and its Member Companies mourn the loss of long-time board member Rod Bowar, owner of Kennebec Telephone Company.
  14. Digging into Silver City - ReConnect gets under way
    Crews have broken ground on the first of two major projects to lay 85 miles of fiber in the Black Hills, bringing connectivity along Highway 385 from Hill City to Lead/Deadwood and three communities like never before.
  15. From hospitality to telecom, Megan Greenfield is building relationships
    She’s still learning the telecommunications lingo. But Megan Greenfield enjoys building relationships with people and that lines up perfectly with her new role as a Network Account Executive at SDN Communications.
  16. Who needs 3 satellites when you have ReConnect?
    Even with the three satellites and a cell booster, making a cell phone call in Silver City is inconsistent. It makes running businesses challenging to say the least. Luckily, things are about to get easier thanks to ReConnect.
  17. Internet is coming to Sioux Falls’ neighboring communities
    Alliance was awarded a little more than $6 million to expand its broadband fiber network farther into the southern Canton area. The expansion will bring consistent, high-speed internet services to the Larsons for the first time since they bought their acreage 10 years ago.
  18. Up-And-Comer: Graham Beynon
    Graham Beynon, a software engineering manager at SDN Communications, was recently featured in SiouxFalls.Business, as an Up-And-Comer in the community and leadership roles with the company.
  19. Amber Hopper’s relationship building approach benefits SDN customers
    Fostering relationships has been key to Amber Hopper’s personal life and career, whether on the court or over the phone. She built a career that started in athletics and pivoted to telecommunications - an unusual transition that will become clear in this article.
  20. SDN Communications' membership elects three new industry leaders
    SDN Communications’ member/owners elected board leadership, including three new leaders to the board of managers.