IT Visionaries

There’s no bigger buzzword in technology than the term digital transformation. Stressed with the burden of fading legacy technologies, for years companies have viewed the process of upgrading their technology stack as a luxury rather than a necessity. Now, as more employees abide by work from home orders, that directive has shifted and those transformations are at the forefront of companies' needs. Christopher Rigg is the COO of EKI Digital, a company with the  mission of simplifying the daunting task of upgrading technology stacks through quantitative analysis. On this episode of IT Visionaries, Christopher discusses the growing need for putting the employee experience first, the war to accumulate and retain talent and why low-code offerings are helping organizations around the world operate efficiently.Main TakeawaysAnalysis by Paralysis: By taking a quantitative approach when looking at your tech stack, you can have a better understanding of the steps you need to take in order to successfully manage your digital transformation. Look past your legacy technologies and focus on the hard numbers so you can tell where you can spend money, what software you can eliminate, and focus on the areas of need.Retain Talent: In order to retain talent, you must deploy an employee experience that is seamless and efficient, but also one that is appealing. Focus on software that enables your employees to do their job where they are, and focus on the pieces of technology that make working remotely more appealing.No-Code, Low-Code: Low-code offerings are enabling organizations to operate at a much more efficient level. While engineering is a competitive field, by offering low-code opportunities, organizations can operate at a more efficient pace while deploying coders who might not be as skilled but have a better understanding of the organization---IT Visionaries is brought to you by the Salesforce Platform - the #1 cloud platform for digital transformation of every experience. Build connected experiences, empower every employee, and deliver continuous innovation - with the customer at the center of everything you do. Learn more at salesforce.com/platform -- This episode of IT Visionaries is brought to you by Meter - the company building better networks. Businesses today are frustrated with outdated providers, rigid pricing, and fragmented tools. Meter changes that with a single integrated solution that covers everything wired, wireless, and even cellular networking. They design the hardware, write the firmware, build the software, and manage it all so your team doesn't have to.That means you get fast, secure, and scalable connectivity without the complexity of juggling multiple providers. Thanks to meter for sponsoring. Go to meter.com/itv to book a demo.---IT Visionaries is made by the team at Mission.org. Learn more about our media studio and network of podcasts at mission.org. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

All good things must come to an end and on this episode of IT Visionaries,  after more than 200 episodes, countless conversations and numerous trips to the top of the Apple charts,  Ian Faison is stepping down as host of the show and passing the baton to  Albert Chou. Albert joins Ian to give some background on who he is and his background in tech and entrepreneurship, and then the two chat about the evolution of the show during its first two years, and the trends in the IT industry that are setting the stage for the future. Key TakeawaysYour Host For The Evening Is: After more than 220 episodes, Ian Faison is stepping down as host of IT Visionaries. In his place, Albert Chou will assume the role of host. Accelerating the Digital Agenda: Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, organizations were forced to accelerate their digital agendas. With more employees working remotely, along with more C-level executives feeling those same pains, employee experience has been put at the forefront of company needs. Digital transformations have moved from being a wish-list item to being a priority.Owning It: The employee experience takeover has quickly risen as a hot-button issue among the C-suite. But who should be taking ownership of a digital employee renaissance and what role does the CTO and CIO play in managing it?---IT Visionaries is brought to you by the Salesforce Customer 360 Platform - the #1 cloud platform for digital transformation of every experience. Build connected experiences, empower every employee, and deliver continuous innovation - with the customer at the center of everything you do. Learn more at salesforce.com/platform -- This episode of IT Visionaries is brought to you by Meter - the company building better networks. Businesses today are frustrated with outdated providers, rigid pricing, and fragmented tools. Meter changes that with a single integrated solution that covers everything wired, wireless, and even cellular networking. They design the hardware, write the firmware, build the software, and manage it all so your team doesn't have to.That means you get fast, secure, and scalable connectivity without the complexity of juggling multiple providers. Thanks to meter for sponsoring. Go to meter.com/itv to book a demo.---IT Visionaries is made by the team at Mission.org. Learn more about our media studio and network of podcasts at mission.org. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

If you ask most CIOs and CTOs what their biggest concern is, a majority of those leaders might respond with one simple question: How do we manage risk in a way that is effective and cost-efficient? Jon Siegler is the Chief Product Officer at LogicGate, a company that’s working to solve that very question with its platform. In this episode of IT Visionaries, Jon discusses how the platform is revolutionizing the risk-management industry, while putting its  customers at the center of attention. Main Takeaways Experience Matters: When deploying software, the customer experience and user interface has to be at the forefront of your thinking. As more and more CEOs become familiar with applications in the cloud, your software must adopt that same design thinking. Software has to be easily accessible and easily understandable. Feedback Loop: When launching products, it’s important to maintain some kind of feedback loop with customers. When LogicGate launches new products, they are tested time and time again before they are ever deployed. In order to keep these feedback loops open, deploy focus groups and continually send out surveys to constantly funnel in those insights. Budget Matters: Implementing security costs money, and, unfortunately, one of the biggest challenges companies face when it comes to governing risk is simply a lack of budget. Many risk and security departments lack the necessary funding in order to upscale their technology stack, which is a problem that needs to be solved with cooperation with other members of the C-Suite. --- IT Visionaries is brought to you by the Salesforce Customer 360 Platform - the #1 cloud platform for digital transformation of every experience. Build connected experiences, empower every employee, and deliver continuous innovation - with the customer at the center of everything you do. Learn more at salesforce.com/platform -- This episode of IT Visionaries is brought to you by Meter - the company building better networks. Businesses today are frustrated with outdated providers, rigid pricing, and fragmented tools. Meter changes that with a single integrated solution that covers everything wired, wireless, and even cellular networking. They design the hardware, write the firmware, build the software, and manage it all so your team doesn't have to.That means you get fast, secure, and scalable connectivity without the complexity of juggling multiple providers. Thanks to meter for sponsoring. Go to meter.com/itv to book a demo.---IT Visionaries is made by the team at Mission.org. Learn more about our media studio and network of podcasts at mission.org. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

When you ask Ted Elliott what gets him excited the answer is a simple one: DevOps. As the CEO of Copado, Ted is helping companies around the world realize how DevOps can assist their organizations, even if they don’t understand how to code. Ted joined IT Visionaries to discuss exactly how Copado is helping to democratize DevOps. Plus, Ted details how his platform, in assistance with Salesforce, is aiding in the fight against COVID-19 through contact tracing.  Main Takeaways Code for Coders: Historically, DevOps has been for coders using complex tools that only coders could understand. Copado’s software helps to eliminate that gap by allowing a whole new set of users into the equation. By setting up guidelines and processes, Copado is empowering basic end-users the ability to push code. Ideating Innovation: The leading benefit for Copado’s Salesforce integration is its ability to allow the end-user to iterate once the product has been delivered. Instead of forcing companies to plan for a release date and only that particular date, now the platform can constantly be updating. No More Silos: One of the biggest challenges surrounding DevOps today is that far too many developers operate in silos. When you operate in isolation, your ability to innovate is limited. Instead, work with multiple teams to develop solutions that benefit the platform and the client. --- IT Visionaries is brought to you by the Salesforce Customer 360 Platform - the #1 cloud platform for digital transformation of every experience. Build connected experiences, empower every employee, and deliver continuous innovation - with the customer at the center of everything you do. Learn more at salesforce.com/platform -- This episode of IT Visionaries is brought to you by Meter - the company building better networks. Businesses today are frustrated with outdated providers, rigid pricing, and fragmented tools. Meter changes that with a single integrated solution that covers everything wired, wireless, and even cellular networking. They design the hardware, write the firmware, build the software, and manage it all so your team doesn't have to.That means you get fast, secure, and scalable connectivity without the complexity of juggling multiple providers. Thanks to meter for sponsoring. Go to meter.com/itv to book a demo.---IT Visionaries is made by the team at Mission.org. Learn more about our media studio and network of podcasts at mission.org. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

When you’re six years old and your dad says, ‘Take these discs and reformat the hard drive to this computer,’ you know you’re destined for a career in technology. Those were the words Joe Lennon heard in his youth, and today, Joe is the co-founder and CTO of Workvivo, a company that is helping employees communicate with their peers, while staying actively engaged with their employer. Joe joined IT Visionaries to discuss how the platform assisted companies in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, and he explains why employee retention is a fight companies didn’t see coming and how it affects the future of work. Main Takeaways Time to Engage: One of the big challenges facing companies is how they can get employees to engage. If employees have the opportunity to communicate with their peers in ways they are familiar with outside of work, the chances for engagement rise dramatically, so facilitating that communication is worth investing in.  Employee Retention: As job-seeking becomes easier and more employees feel empowered to find new opportunities, companies must shift their focus to how they can align their core values with their employees. If employees don’t feel as if the company they work for is making an impact in their life and in society, they are less likely to stay with the company. Future of Work: When more companies empower employees with the ability to work remotely, fewer companies will be able to deploy traditional office environments. Instead, focus on giving your employees the tools they need to do their job from anywhere and at any time. --- IT Visionaries is brought to you by the Salesforce Customer 360 Platform - the #1 cloud platform for digital transformation of every experience. Build connected experiences, empower every employee, and deliver continuous innovation - with the customer at the center of everything you do. Learn more at salesforce.com/platform -- This episode of IT Visionaries is brought to you by Meter - the company building better networks. Businesses today are frustrated with outdated providers, rigid pricing, and fragmented tools. Meter changes that with a single integrated solution that covers everything wired, wireless, and even cellular networking. They design the hardware, write the firmware, build the software, and manage it all so your team doesn't have to.That means you get fast, secure, and scalable connectivity without the complexity of juggling multiple providers. Thanks to meter for sponsoring. Go to meter.com/itv to book a demo.---IT Visionaries is made by the team at Mission.org. Learn more about our media studio and network of podcasts at mission.org. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

When you’re a multi-time CTO, like Ryan Donovan, your objective is a simple one: find the next challenge that coincides with a mission that excites you. As the Chief Technology Officer at Hootsuite, the world leader in social media management, Ryan believes he has found that challenge. Ryan joined IT Visionaries for a discussion centered around how he manages a global staff from the comfort of his home. Plus he explains the difference between being a first-time CTO to an experienced C-suite executive, and the struggles of managing scale. Main Takeaways Share the Pain: When you manage a global team, make sure you are not just catering to one time zone or one set of employees. If one employee is remote, your entire team is remote. Make sure your meetings and get-togethers reflect that.  Don’t Stop Communicating: When managing through a crisis, make sure your communication increases. When Hootsuite had to deploy work from home orders, they were in constant contact with their employees, deploying new policies and then updating employees on those policies. So, You’re New Here?: When you take over as CTO and you have your sights set on changing things, make that change an impactful one. Find solutions that can make the experience better for you employees and consumers. -- This episode of IT Visionaries is brought to you by Meter - the company building better networks. Businesses today are frustrated with outdated providers, rigid pricing, and fragmented tools. Meter changes that with a single integrated solution that covers everything wired, wireless, and even cellular networking. They design the hardware, write the firmware, build the software, and manage it all so your team doesn't have to.That means you get fast, secure, and scalable connectivity without the complexity of juggling multiple providers. Thanks to meter for sponsoring. Go to meter.com/itv to book a demo.---IT Visionaries is made by the team at Mission.org. Learn more about our media studio and network of podcasts at mission.org. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

If you ask Sasha Siddhartha, there are three core barriers that have prevented consumers from living a healthier lifestyle: price, geography, and information. Now, as the co-founder and CTO of Thrive Market, Sasha is working to eliminate those barriers in order to provide consumers with healthier options, all at the click of a mouse. On this episode of IT Visionaries, Sasha discusses the role Thrive Market plays in assisting consumers on their personal health journey and why the grocery industry is making big strides in eCommerce. Main Takeaways Think Big, But Also Small: Big companies offer tremendous opportunity to learn how to build for scale, high commitment to quality, and rigorous repeatable processes, which are all things that can be undervalued with start-ups. Take advantage of the knowledge available to you about what made those companies successful and then tweak it to fit your business. It’s In the Details...Kind of: When you are building a company from the ground up, you can’t be focused on one particular function. Instead, focus on the big picture. Don’t get bogged down with minute details. You have to constantly be thinking about what is on the horizon. We’re The Three Best Friends: Finding the right business partner is key to any company's success. When you’re scouting individuals to go to work with, make sure they know the industry well and make sure they are someone you want to battle with through the good times and the bad times.  --- IT Visionaries is brought to you by the Salesforce Customer 360 Platform - the #1 cloud platform for digital transformation of every experience. Build connected experiences, empower every employee, and deliver continuous innovation - with the customer at the center of everything you do. Learn more at salesforce.com/platform -- This episode of IT Visionaries is brought to you by Meter - the company building better networks. Businesses today are frustrated with outdated providers, rigid pricing, and fragmented tools. Meter changes that with a single integrated solution that covers everything wired, wireless, and even cellular networking. They design the hardware, write the firmware, build the software, and manage it all so your team doesn't have to.That means you get fast, secure, and scalable connectivity without the complexity of juggling multiple providers. Thanks to meter for sponsoring. Go to meter.com/itv to book a demo.---IT Visionaries is made by the team at Mission.org. Learn more about our media studio and network of podcasts at mission.org. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Sean McDermott likes to say that his claim to fame is that he sent the very first email at the US Department of Justice. And while he enjoys being a part of that footnote in IT history, Sean — now the Founder and CEO of Windward Consulting Group — admits that the tech industry has come a long way since then, and it continues to evolve. Right now, the industry finds itself at an intersection — the government and the private sector have never needed IT more than they do today, and it’s a CIOs job to bring tech where it’s needed most. On this episode of IT Visionaries, Sean discusses the role his company plays in assisting large organizations at scale, solve their IT issues. Plus he explains what CIOs are looking for in today's climate and the future of technology in the workspace. Main Takeaways   You Gotta Spend Money To Make Money: One of the key struggles most CIOs are encountering is the rising cost of IT departments. While the demand for new technology and people to implement this technology continues to grow, the allocated budgets don’t always reflect the demand. Is the Perimeter Secure?: The number one thing that remains top of mind for all technology leaders is the need to have a safe and secure network. As companies have gone remote, the need for IT operations departments to maintain a safe and secure network has never been more important.   So, How About Some Change?: While IT departments are at the forefront of innovation, they still fulfill a lot of the same rudimentary requests — solving ticket requests, security concerns, and employee setup. Artificial intelligence, once fully integrated into IT workflows, will have a greater impact on the rate of evolution within the IT space. --- IT Visionaries is brought to you by the Salesforce Customer 360 Platform - the #1 cloud platform for digital transformation of every experience. Build connected experiences, empower every employee, and deliver continuous innovation - with the customer at the center of everything you do. Learn more at salesforce.com/platform -- This episode of IT Visionaries is brought to you by Meter - the company building better networks. Businesses today are frustrated with outdated providers, rigid pricing, and fragmented tools. Meter changes that with a single integrated solution that covers everything wired, wireless, and even cellular networking. They design the hardware, write the firmware, build the software, and manage it all so your team doesn't have to.That means you get fast, secure, and scalable connectivity without the complexity of juggling multiple providers. Thanks to meter for sponsoring. Go to meter.com/itv to book a demo.---IT Visionaries is made by the team at Mission.org. Learn more about our media studio and network of podcasts at mission.org. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Intro Through the first half of 2020, the United States has reported nearly 30,000 gun violence deaths to date. And if you ask Rob Huberty, that number is 30,000 too many. As a former Navy SEAL turned entrepreneur, the rising levels of gun violence each year frustrates him, but now as the Chief Operating Officer of ZeroEyes, Rob is doing something about those numbers. Rob says, “When you see something you think you need, you go create it.” So he did. On this episode of IT Visionaries, Rob discusses how he’s helping to prevent shootings at first sight, rather than first shot. And he also details his journey from a NAVY SEAL to the private sector and the challenges of running a business. Key Takeaways Learning on the Fly: When you embark on the start-up journey, you have to be prepared for anything and willing to do the unglamorous jobs in order to move the business forward.  Be Diligent, Be Patient: When developing datasets for A.I., you have to be both diligent and patient. It’s going to take time to develop the system and teach the algorithm what it needs to look for. Be prepared to put in long hours to ensure your training the system effectively. A Little Less Reactive, A Little More Proactive: Security systems are important, but very reactive. If you’re just deploying basic security systems, you are not preventing a problem — you’re just capturing it. It’s important to be proactive. --- IT Visionaries is brought to you by the Salesforce Customer 360 Platform - the #1 cloud platform for digital transformation of every experience. Build connected experiences, empower every employee, and deliver continuous innovation - with the customer at the center of everything you do. Learn more at salesforce.com/platform -- This episode of IT Visionaries is brought to you by Meter - the company building better networks. Businesses today are frustrated with outdated providers, rigid pricing, and fragmented tools. Meter changes that with a single integrated solution that covers everything wired, wireless, and even cellular networking. They design the hardware, write the firmware, build the software, and manage it all so your team doesn't have to.That means you get fast, secure, and scalable connectivity without the complexity of juggling multiple providers. Thanks to meter for sponsoring. Go to meter.com/itv to book a demo.---IT Visionaries is made by the team at Mission.org. Learn more about our media studio and network of podcasts at mission.org. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Digital transformation is a buzzword that’s fun to say hard to grasp. As more and more organizations embark on these technological journeys, are they really being led by the proper steward?  Rich Penkoski, the CEO of Markets for Deloitte Consulting, believes that in order for companies to have a smooth transition,you have to think of it as  a process that involves two key members of the C-Suite. On this episode of IT Visionaries Rich discusses why the CIO and CFO need to play an important role in any digital journey, and how the relationship between those roles continues to evolve. Plus, he digs into the acceleration of the digital agenda brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. Main Takeaways A Growing Bond: The relationship between the CIO and CFO continues to grow in importance, especially when it comes to finding creative solutions to manage ROI while finding agile solutions Roads? Where We’re Going We Don’t Need Roads: The pace at which companies are being forced to implement digital transformations has been expedited. Because the process has been sped up, there is a tremendous burden being put on access to capital. Apple Easy, Google Fast:  IT professionals must now perform their work under the assumption that software must be easy and fast. Because of this new mindset, IT professionals must have a broader understanding of the profession, while being able to freely move across technologies. --- IT Visionaries is brought to you by the Salesforce Customer 360 Platform - the #1 cloud platform for digital transformation of every experience. Build connected experiences, empower every employee, and deliver continuous innovation - with the customer at the center of everything you do. Learn more at salesforce.com/platform -- This episode of IT Visionaries is brought to you by Meter - the company building better networks. Businesses today are frustrated with outdated providers, rigid pricing, and fragmented tools. Meter changes that with a single integrated solution that covers everything wired, wireless, and even cellular networking. They design the hardware, write the firmware, build the software, and manage it all so your team doesn't have to.That means you get fast, secure, and scalable connectivity without the complexity of juggling multiple providers. Thanks to meter for sponsoring. Go to meter.com/itv to book a demo.---IT Visionaries is made by the team at Mission.org. Learn more about our media studio and network of podcasts at mission.org. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.