Brian Coughlin is a Sr. Technology Strategist at Sprint. For over 20 years, he has worked in high technology computer systems, starting from programming Apple II computers in high school to present day where there are computers embedded in a multitude of modern devices.
Networked computer systems become a staple for him starting in 1989 using AppleLink, at the time a novel GUI-driven online service, in his first computer-related job as a technician at ComputerLand. Then things really picked up when he used Archie to conduct research via the Internet in 1992, and basically there was no turning back.
At PBS in early 1993, Brian ordered its original T-1 line and leased its first Cisco router from PSINet. PBS at the time was early to adopt and get onto the Internet - it had its pbs.org domain well established, and a full class B IP address block. It was a great time to work at an already great institution. By the time he left PBS in 1996, he had seen HDTV trial systems, sent e-mails over PBS' satellite links nationwide, conducted demonstrations on Capitol Hill and at the FCC, and was serving web pages straight off of the Mac sitting on his desk.
In 1995, Brian had the opportunity to be one of the first group of employees to join Bell Atlantic's new internet services division. In the time he spent there, the unit went from ground zero to having over 100,000 users, and got to work with pioneering technology companies of the day like Netscape, SGI, and Sun Microsystems.
In 1998, Brian joined Sun after being impressed by the Sun people and technology he encountered at that time. Sun's slogan "The Network is the Computer" was already inherent in everything Brian had worked on in most of the 1990s. At Sun, initially Brian worked in telecommunications systems with many pioneering Internet service providers. Later Brian shifted focus to embedded Java and other Sun software technology, working with Sun partners to better empower their products to become connected and capable on the Internet.
In 2006, Brian took a new opportunity to work at Sprint, which had recently merged with Nextel. Working as a Technology Strategist in the Technology Devlepment team, he is researching mobile applications & the devices needed to run them. This area is what Bill Joy calls the 'Here Web', and its value to everyone is compounding quickly.
Brian has a BS in Electrical Engineering from Catholic University of America granted in 1990, which he attended on a 4 year full-tuition academic scholarship, and is a member of IEEE.
Brian resides with his family in Reston, VA.
More information is available at Brian's website at http://volley.net