Software People Stories

In this episode, Tom Pierce, the president and founder of Integrated Information Systems (I2S), shares:Many in his family had been in military serviceIn his first assignment, being assigned to the analysis team because he has a background in math and computersGrabbing an opportunity to use a computer that was unusedDoing some simulation modeling solutionsLeaving the army in good terms and going back to schoolWorking for a defense contractor and then starting his own defense contracting firmLeveraging his experience in the military to solve civilian problemsSome generational differences in the approach to merge technology and processesHis experience of the rules and hierarchical models of working in the military, where, on the lighter side, ‘you cannot do anything without breaking some rule’Some examples of streaks of entrepreneurship that ran in his familyThe last straw that pushed him into entrepreneurship: a sense of frustration about how businesses were run and having his own values and ideas of how to run a companyNot compromising on the value of working with end usersHow tech fluency is more important than tech savvinessTom Pierce is the president and founder of Integrated Information Systems (I2S) of Louisville, Kentucky. He holds a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from Wake Forest University (1981) and a Master’s in Divinity (1993) from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. After serving as an officer in the US Army, Tom has been immersed in the design and support of manufacturing software, as well as in the data-driven analysis of business and financial systems, primarily in large manufacturing facilities within the Aerospace Defense sector. A self-described MRP philosopher and ERP contrarian, Tom is a passionate advocate of simple approaches to complex problems. As a stubbornly resolute moderate, his company seeks to promote intelligent integrity by avoiding the opposing traps of overly simplistic naivety and overly complicated sophistication. For roughly four decades, Tom has focused his career and his company on the pursuit of trustworthy clarity and practical understanding of information, which is the light of all human pursuits

I continue my conversation with Jeremy Snyder, the founder and CEO of FireTail.io, an end-to-end API security startup. Towards the end of the first part, I asked Jerermy ‘how a developer should think, when using APIS - with so many moving parts - from security and performance aspects’He answers that and continues to share his story relating to:The extensive experience his co-founder has with API based architectures and implementationsHow APIs can implement business functions or offer specific extracts of data held in applicationsFirst, understanding how APIs could be compromised, to pick the scope for what their company firetail should be addressingHow many breaches are related to authentication and authorizationWhy a zero-trust approach is very critical and the good practice of sharing only minimum data that needs to be sharedThe importance of central loggingHow he manages to get a good night’s sleep, while playing a very crucial role in the chain of enterprise security in an API based solutionHis personal practices to handle pressure at work and stay calmThe story behind naming their company firetailHow he developed an interest in learning many languagesJeremy asked me about my linguistic interestsHis career tipsSocial media: https://twitter.com/halffinn , https://www.linkedin.com/company/77663520 , https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeremysnyder/ Jeremy is the founder and CEO of FireTail.io, an end-to-end API security startup. Prior to FireTail, Jeremy worked in M&A at Rapid7, a global cyber leader, where he worked on the acquisitions of 3 companies during the pandemic. Jeremy previously led sales at DivvyCloud, one of the earliest cloud security posture management companies, and also led AWS sales in southeast Asia. Jeremy started his career with 13 years in cyber and IT operations. Jeremy has an MBA from Mason, a BA in computational linguistics from UNC, and has completed additional studies in Finland at Aalto University. Jeremy speaks 5 languages and has lived in 5 countries. Jeremy was once kicked off a train in central Sweden, and another time went several days without seeing another human, but did see lots of reindeer.Link to my podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ask-a-ciso/id1596056884

In this conversation, Jeremy Snyder, the founder and CEO of FireTail.io, an end-to-end API security startup, shares his professional journey and perspectives. Specifically, How he got into IT in the late 90s, when technology was coming into businessesEarly experience in Linux, VAX and Unix and implementing solutions for a translation agencyBeing responsible to evaluate, implement and integrate with various systems and thereby increasing the empathy for users and their situationsMoving to work with one of the solution providers and taking up tech support roles and trying his hand at software developmentGetting into and liking the infrastructure related rolesHis experience, as an IT infrastructure professional, of working with software developersThe ‘healthy’ struggle between the two roles and how IT teams would specify the environments to develop and deploy intoIT teams wanting to conserve resources and giving very limited capacities for developersDays when 98% availability was taken as acceptable and when crashes occurred, devs and IT teams would work overtime to find fault with the other teamStarting with Amazon AWS in 2010 when cloud computing was just evolvingUnderstanding the power of virtualized environments and why that needs a different way of thinking about data centers, getting away from the server-hugger mentalityThe need for users to develop trust in the cloud model of workingThe experience with gaining customer confidence in the cloud model in terms of stability, security etcThe harder aspect of addressing cultural issues triggered by fear of losing jobs by IT personnelTaking up other roles in smaller companies and understanding the security and vulnerability risks that companies could get exposed toPerimeter controls, endpoint protection, logging and monitoring etcFrom replicating data center structures to auto scaling infrastructure using containers and serverless architecturesThese resulting in more and more API based architecturesSocial media: https://twitter.com/halffinn https://www.linkedin.com/company/77663520 https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeremysnyder/ Jeremy is the founder and CEO of FireTail.io, an end-to-end API security startup. Prior to FireTail, Jeremy worked in M&A at Rapid7, a global cyber leader, where he worked on the acquisitions of 3 companies during the pandemic. Jeremy previously led sales at DivvyCloud, one of the earliest cloud security posture management companies, and also led AWS sales in southeast Asia. Jeremy started his career with 13 years in cyber and IT operations. Jeremy has an MBA from Mason, a BA in computational linguistics from UNC, and has completed additional studies in Finland at Aalto University. Jeremy speaks 5 languages and has lived in 5 countries. Jeremy was once kicked off a train in central Sweden, and another time went several days without seeing another human, but did see lots of reindeer. Link to my podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ask-a-ciso/id1596056884

In this episode, Gayatri Kalyanaraman is in conversation with Nanthakumar Arumugam who is a Technologist, Delivery Lead at ThoughtWorks and he’s a Quality Engineer and Financial Expert.In his career spanning over two decades, he shares very interesting stories –Nantha started his career as an instrumentation engineer within Polyester firm. His interest gravitated towards the PLC programming and that led him to join the software engineering full timeNantha joined Ready Test Go as a Quality engineer where he got his skill in the world of startup and certification worldNantha shares how the waterfall way of working had provided different domains and worked in 20 different programs in a very short period of timeHe also covers how he and his team ramped up on the domain and program rapidly Automation as a practice he gravitated to reduce the manual regression suite Nantha talks about the background on how Selenium tool came in as an antidote to the mercury tools (winrunner / loadrunner)Nantha shares his expertise on the passage of Automation CoE and a separate teamNantha talks about several hats he has worn in ThoughtWorks and shares the changes on how business interactions within TechnologyHe further shares the distance that’s reduced between business leads and access to leads to identify solution optionsNantha talks about the availability of tools that has made the business outcomes come out as soon as possibleNantha shares some of the key wisdom on how one has to build expertise in different facets of experience Nantha is the delivery lead and project manager in ThoughtWorks. He has been working with ThoughtWorks for a decade. He has played several roles including Quality Analyst, Quality Lead, Architect and Chennai Chapter lead prior to taking the current role. Nantha has done his PG in BITS Pilani and B.E. in University of Madras Nanthakumar can be contacted at https://www.linkedin.com/in/nanthakumara/

In this episode, Gayatri Kalyanaraman is in conversation with Saikat Chakrabarty who is a Technologist, Director, Engineering at Mihup and he’s a AI/ML and Computer Vision Enthusiast.In his career spanning over a decade, he has been a Telecom engineer, prompt engineering, Interaction designer and conversational AI. Saikat is working in the pioneering world of building AI tools that map the man machine and the personHe’s working in the contact center engineering by understanding the questions and asks from our customersSaikat started his career in creating software for LTE within 4G Telecom providers and says that he has not looked back from thereSaikat’s team in Mihup creates the analysis of the several thousand conversations between the customer and contact center and understand the sentiment of the userListen to the conversation on how the vernacular language support is being created in the AI platform to build accuracyUnderstand that initial days you have to choose the right place to work and always stay invested in oneselfSaikat also talks about his mantra of “Don't choose an easy path and continue to learn”Saikat talks about his interests in Medical and Computer science and Brain networks are working. Saikat believes that the future bet is lying on medical access across the globeSaikat says that software changes in months not years - you have to keep yourself updated daily and that’s the only way to stay relevant He’s also deep believer of the growth of the technology in Tier 3 cities within India given the organizations changing to remote first or HybridSaikat has been instrumental in Mihup's success as one of the leading Conversational AI companies in India. He leads the entire tech organisation at Mihup, with a team of almost 20 people working under him, ranging from Devops to MLEs, overseeing the end to end development and shipping of the Mihup products.Saikat Chakrabarty is a dynamic leader and Senior Engineering Manager at Mihup, a pioneering conversational AI platform founded in 2016. Mihup's revolutionary approach empowers individuals to seamlessly interact with the digital world while prioritizing inclusivity and accessibility, regardless of language, accent, or dialect.Technical Leadership:At Mihup, Saikat has successfully managed and mentored cross-functional teams in machine learning, R&D, product development and DevOps. His expertise in managing the development of Mihup's conversational AI products has positioned him as a trusted leader in the industry. With a deep understanding of a wide range of technologies, including Java (Spring Boot), NodeJs, Golang, Angular, Python, RabbitMQ, PostgreSQL, Redis, Kubernetes, and more, Saikat has played a pivotal role in building highly scalable cloud microservices and optimizing premise-based applications.Diverse Experience:Saikat's wealth of experience extends beyond his role at Mihup. He has previously worked with renowned companies like Lexmark and Polaris Network Inc., where he honed his skills and passion for AI/ML and computer vision. His contributions to these cutting-edge fields have resulted in 2 patents and 6 paper publications, consolidating his exceptional knowledge and expertise.Recognition and Awards:Saikat's exceptional contributions and dedication to his craft have earned him notable accolades throughout his career. Notably, he was awarded the prestigious Digital Transformation Award at Lexmark Focus-2-Future, alongside the Manager Appreciation Award and several other commendations. At Mihup, he has regularly been the recipient of special rewards for his undying passion and dedication towards delivering products that customers love to use.Saikat can be contacted at Saikat Chakrabarty:

In this episode, I continue my conversation with Presenjit Sarkar, who is a Technologist, Innovator, Disruptor - and  distinguished engineer with Rubrik inc.In his career spanning over 25 years, he has been a researcher, inventor, startup founder among other key roles he has played.I asked Prasenjit, if an entrepreneur should take outside help in building teams and people..The answer to that question and a lot more in the second part of the conversation.Today, he talks about:Taking professional support to build a psychological profile of a new hireThe importance of reaching out to references and understand any challenges the candidates facedHow he finds time to manage multiple things and also stay current on technology, competition etcWhy one should not try to do everything oneself, particularly the founders, rather focus on the core strengthsHis thoughts on data protection and data qualitySome career tips for roles related to data scienceI asked Prasenjit in building teams and people, if an entrepreneur should take outside help..The answer to that question and a lot more in the second part of the conversation.Stay tuned in for the next episode.Prasenjit Sarkar is a Distinguished Engineer at Rubrik responsible for the architecture and development of relational, NoSQL, and Big Data backup and recovery products. He has previously led initiatives to formulate product strategy, deliver industry-leading backup and recovery features, and superior performance at scales of thousands of databases.https://www.linkedin.com/in/psarkar24/On X - @psarkar24

In this episode, Sivaguru is in conversation with Presenjit Sarkar, who is a Technologist, Innovator, Disruptor - and  distinguished engineer with Rubrik inc.In his career spanning over 25 years, he has been a researcher, inventor, startup founder among other key roles he has played.Today, he talks about:His background, growing up years in IndiaDoing his PhD and moving to corporate research, as he is more of a hands on personAfter about 15 years with IBM, as a successful research scientist, left to start a companyGetting enterprise customers and then getting acquired by another companyHaving experience in large, small companies, startups, connected to academiaWorking in storage, big data management, backup and recovery spaceMoving from data protection to data securityThe experience of shifting from academics to corporateHow research focuses on thought leadership, while the priority in corporate is about market leadershipThe pleasures and pains of founding a startupThe feelings when one’s startup is acquired by someone elseAspects of chemistry and work styles that play out in acquisitionsThe need to be pragmatic, accept decisions, adjust and move aheadTips to manage one’s personal stresses and some techniques that have worked for him, particularly during transitionsHis tips for motivating people, and sharing your founder’s vision and excitement with the team that joins youManaging people, their aspirations and expectation, ambitions - is more difficult to manageThe answer to that question and a lot more in the second part of the conversation.Stay tuned in for the next episode.Prasenjit Sarkar is a Distinguished Engineer at Rubrik responsible for the architecture and development of relational, NoSQL, and Big Data backup and recovery products. He has previously led initiatives to formulate product strategy, deliver industry-leading backup and recovery features, and superior performance at scales of thousands of databases.https://www.linkedin.com/in/psarkar24/On X - @psarkar24

In this episode, Gayatri Kalyanaraman has the conversation with Kamala Srinivasan who is a Technologist, Founder & CEO, Upahara, and women in tech influencer.In her career spanning over 25 years, she has been a STEM engineer, fintech developer, women in tech influencer and startup founder among other key roles she has played.Kamala grew up in a home with professors and engineers she recalls how having a clean room with AC blasting made her fascinated with the technology industryKamala shares her experiences of introducing reverse mentoring in India to enable senior people understand the pulse of the young people Started her career in the early 90s in the technology industry and worked in the financial sector Shares her decision making nugget to create a calculated move with the family onboard as well as a clear timeKamala shares that one needs to take care of self be it in your physical and mental stateKamala talks about her experience in fintech companies in India and US and how she found very less women in her age group. This made her take a call in the non-profit organizationKamala talks about creating ethically viable future and gives examples for thatKamala shares how her company is an app in your mobile phone to provide the application to connect people in need with people who would like to give. Her firm Upahara.com provides that service and she wants to share more about the firm in the future She shares some of the her book recommendation and philosophies that has helped her groundKamala shares tips on networking that listeners can help stay connected and learning from othersA technologist and an exec coach with more than 20 years of experience in both nonprofit organizations and technology industries. Kamala’s broad areas of expertise include global technology product delivery and operations, go-to-market strategy, digital transformation, and SAAS in Fintech, retail, legal, and media.Kamala’s expertise in non-profit and philanthropic fields, and in information technology has led her to seek a solution using emerging technology to create a robust platform that serves the needs of both donors and charitable organizations: a personalized, curated, discovery-based interface, connecting organizations and donors without extensive effort on both sides, like Fintech investment management products. www.linkedin.com/in/kamalasrinivasan/ https://twitter.com/Kamalasrini

In this episode, my co-host Gayatri continues her conversation with Dan Balcauski, founder and chief pricing officer at product tranquility, a company that helps high-volume B2B SaaS CEOs define pricing and packaging for new productsGayatri asked him what challenges he faced when he became a consultantDan sharesHow he did a solo backpacking around the world and the transformational experiences he gotHow he had to talk himself away from self-talk that would shoot any ideas for entrepreneurshipWanting to explore a ‘brain for hire’ model, to see if he could sell his expertiseValidating the niche to be in - of SaaS pricing advisoryWhy he did not consider a model of being a fractional product manager role, as a consultantWhat some of the inflexion points in his career have beenHow he has been able to support global clients, remotelyHis advice for young professionals who want to take up product management as a careerDan Balcauski, the founder and Chief Pricing Officer at Product Tranquility, dispels B2B SaaS Pricing Illusions.Dan is an expert in helping high-volume B2B SaaS CEOs define pricing and packaging for new products. He has 15 years of experience managing multiple products throughout their life cycles, from start-ups to publicly traded multinationals. A fun fact about him: before founding the company, he took a sabbatical and completed a solo, round-the-world expedition to 21 countries.Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/balcauski/

In this episode, my co-host Gayatri is in conversation with Dan Balcauski, founder and chief pricing officer at product tranquility, a company that helps high-volume B2B SaaS CEOs define pricing and packaging for new productsIn this conversation he talks aboutHis student days in 1999, the peak dotcom eraGot a job in Austin, TexasGetting into engineering manager role, which included envisioning product roadmapsDeveloping an interest in articulating value of solutions Signing up for an MBA and doing work on pricingSeeing some of the mistakes made by others during mergers and acquisitionsSetting up his company about 4 years agoHow he learns from other experts and booksHis views and recommendations on pricing and inflationThe impact of Covid on pricing patterns in hardware and softwareListen on!Gayatri asked him what challenges he faced when he became a consultantThe answer to that question and a lot more interesting stuff in the next episode.Dan Balcauski, the founder and Chief Pricing Officer at Product Tranquility, dispels B2B SaaS Pricing Illusions.Dan is an expert in helping high-volume B2B SaaS CEOs define pricing and packaging for new products. He has 15 years of experience managing multiple products throughout their life cycles, from start-ups to publicly traded multinationals. A fun fact about him: before founding the company, he took a sabbatical and completed a solo, round-the-world expedition to 21 countries.Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/balcauski/