Rick Viscomi, the Binghamton University alumnus who created the class-planning website www.BingBuilder.com while an undergraduate at BU, is behind the software design for the new Internet start-up company MiMedia, which is a mix between an online computer back-up service and a media player for mobile devices.
The website gives students 250 gigabytes of online storage space with which to back up files, and has a portal that allows students to access their important documents or play back media such as music, videos and photos, according to Viscomi, who is now a junior software engineer at MiMedia. These files can be accessed through the MiMedia application that is available for iPhones and iPads.
“The gist is that students rely heavily on their computers for work and entertainment, and securing the data while keeping it portable is a major concern,” Viscomi said.
In his sophomore year at BU, Viscomi developed the website BingBuilder in order to help students plan their class schedules, an experience that he says was good preparation for his current job.
“My up-all-night schedule and constant feature development showed me how fun and rewarding a start-up could be,” Viscomi said. “The technical skills I learned from the excellent faculty in the Watson School’s computer science department are in use every day at work.”
Viscomi also said he can remember having occasionally lost files due to computer crashes, which demonstrated to him the importance of a service such as MiMedia.
“[Computer crashes] happen to everyone, and the work lost is irreplaceable,” he said. “MiMedia is a great tool for students because it addresses concerns such as data security, ubiquity, accessibility and social sharing.”
In May 2010, MiMedia raised $3.7 million in funding from angel investors, nearly twice its original goal of $2 million, according to information from their website.
Viscomi said he hoped that students “make the move to secure their digital life with MiMedia.” He said that the website uses National Security Agency-level encryption to secure the data and redundant storage, that is, backing up multiple copies of the same information, to avoid data loss.
MiMedia worked with Drexel University to create a promotion for students, which was released earlier this month. Students who take advantage can receive a semester of MiMedia free of cost or commitment, according to Fred Clark, one of MiMedia’s three founders.
Clark said that Drexel’s student services offices agreed to promote MiMedia due to the free offer.
“When signing up for the free trial, we don’t ask for a credit card number,” Clark said. “We only ask for an e-mail address and name.”
Viscomi visited BU’s Career Development Center to receive help with his rèsumè, formatting and wording.
“The rèsumè is the first thing any company asks for,” Viscomi said. “I definitely got a lot of good, practical advice from them.”
Bill McCarthy, associate director of the CDC, said the CDC aims to support students on the way to success.
“Our goal is to help students follow their ambitions,” McCarthy said. “We help them to understand what skills and interests they have and help convert those into career success.”