Negotiate With It: Learn To Reduce Your It Expenses (microsoft, Salesforce, Oracle, Sap)

From solutions architecture to security, Gabe Gumbs brings wide and deep technical experience to his position as Chief Innovation Officer at Spirion. Today, he is leading the Spirion product team through strategic product development to create technologies that push data security forward in an increasingly complex digital world. Prior to his new position at Spirion, Gabe held a range of positions in security technology, including VP of Product Management at Spirion. Other prior positions include VP of Product Strategy at STEALTHbits Technologies, and Director of Research and Products at WhiteHat Security. Gabe also served on the Board of Advisors at eGRC.com.Show Notes:[01:16] Gabe shares his career journey and how he got into IT. His interest in technology actually began in high school.  [02:39] He started his IT career as a junior network admin.  About ten years ago he switched from the practitioner side to the solution provider side.  So now he builds security technologies and that is the core of what he f

Sri Koneru is the Global Technology leader with Worldwide Operations experience in Fortune 100 companies His industry and functional expertise includes retail, energy, and utilities, manufacturing, and technology. He is a motivated and customer-centric senior technology leader and business strategist with a track record of transforming organizations to deliver sustainable results and propel digital innovation. I champion cutting-edge technologies that increase customer engagement, grow the business, expand operational capabilities, improve efficiency and reduce costs.Show Notes:[01:08] Sri shares his career journey. He got an engineering degree and he knew he wanted to learn as much as he could. [02:20] It is all about people and relationships.  Work gets down through relationships.  [03:18] He was good in math and logic growing up so naturally, he leaned towards technology so that really paved his path into technology.  [04:13] Technology is a part of every business model.  You have to have some technical kn

Brian Watson is Principal at CIO Clarity Advisors. He previously served as VP of Enterprise Innovation at Traction Technology Partners, where he and his colleagues help companies source and vet the emerging technology companies that drive innovation and create competitive advantage. Brian is the author of Confessions of a Successful CIO: How the Best CIOs Tackle Their Toughest Business Challenges (Wiley, March 2014), which was a top-rated title on Amazon and has appeared on numerous “must-read” lists for current and aspiring IT leaders. He also served as Editor in Chief of CIO Insight. Brian has spoken and moderated CIO panels and fireside chats at IT leadership events across the U.S. Brian holds degrees from Bucknell University and Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism. He lives in Fairfield County, Conn, with his wife and two sons. Show Notes:[01:09] Brian shares his career journey. He is always looking for ways to help CIO’s tell their story or help CIO’s.  [04:01] Brian and Dan wrote their

Nathan was crucial in implementing cutting edge data infrastructure technologies such as DataRobot, Alteryx, and Snowflake. While at Symphony, Nathan was named a “Data Science Superhero” by DataRobot. Several years ago, Nathan was invited to lead the Healthcare User Group at Alteryx, a role he still holds today and is Core Certified in Alteryx Designer. He is also an AHIMA Certified Health Data Analyst and a HIMSS Certified Professional in Healthcare Information and Management Systems. Nathan shares so much of his knowledge about data analytics.  He shares tools his company has found most useful.  He always shares great starting points to start using data successfully in your organization.  Show Notes:[01:06] Nathan shares how he got into IT and specifically healthcare IT. He has worked in the IT space for almost 21 years from an analytics background.[02:37] He was a programmer for seven years and then he moved into data.[04:19] He loved technology from the beginning, but he loved building it. He likes that y

Dr. Cole has worked with a variety of clients ranging from Fortune 500 companies, to top international banks to the CIA. He has been the featured speaker at many security events and also has been interviewed by several chief media outlets such as CNN, CBS News, FOX News, and 60 Minutes.  We talk about what is working and what isn’t when it comes to IT and agriculture, focusing most of our conversation on artificial intelligence.Eric shares so much of his knowledge about business intelligence and cybersecurity.   He shares the biggest security risks for companies and ways to maintain top security with your workforce working from home.  He also shares practical steps any organization can take to be more proactive with their cybersecurity. Show Notes:[01:18] Eric shares how he got into IT and cybersecurity. He majored in computer science and decided to study cybersecurity. [03:13] He left the CIA because he was an entrepreneur at heart and he started his own company.  He helps companies be on the defense of cybe

Dan Willey is the CIO of Wilbur-Ellis. Doug Farrington is the Digital Officer for BASF, North America. Ernie Chappell is the founder and president of EFC Systems. We talk about what is working and what isn’t when it comes to IT and agriculture.  We focus most of our conversation on artificial intelligence. Show Notes:[01:26] Dan shares how he got into IT and agriculture. He grew up in a rural area so agriculture was very appealing to him. He loves the connectivity with those that help us eat.[02:39] Doug shares how he got into agriculture and IT. His interest in IT started when his dad brought a computer home. He grew up farming so agriculture seemed like a good fit.[04:45] Ernie shares how he got started in IT and agriculture.  This space is perfect for him because in his teenage years he loved visiting his relative’s farm. So it is the perfect intersection for his love of agriculture, finance, and technology.[07:48] There are still a lot of opportunities where we are at.  There are opportunities to become m

Mo formerly held leadership positions including Executive Director at EY, and Partner at IBM, Capco, and Accenture. He is a senior executive with 25+ years of management consulting experience and has successfully managed IT projects in Financial Services, Electronics & High Tech., Energy & Natural Resources, Chemicals, Lodging, Media & Entertainment, Pharmaceuticals, and Professional Services. Mo has published many Business Intelligence and Data Warehouse articles in several industry journals including DM Review, B-EYE Network, and BI Review. He is an effective communicator across all levels of an organization — adept at building delivery organizations and mobilizing and managing multicultural, international teams. He has extensive experience delivering information management, data warehouse, and business intelligence solutions. Mo leads the Data Engineering practice at EKI which brings AI-driven data solutions to help clients identify, build, and commercialize the value of data for competitive an

Brian serves as CEO of Torch.AI and has more than 20 years of experience leading mission-driven, high growth, technology-focused companies.  Torch.AI helps leading organizations leverage artificial intelligence in a unique way via a proprietary enterprise data management software solution. Prior to Torch. AI, Brian launched or acquired several companies all focused on technology-enabled services and data connectivity. His companies serve nearly 1,300 clients and have been recognized as Small Business of the Year by the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce.Brian shares so much of his knowledge about artificial intelligence.   He shares the problems companies are facing that inhibit the use of AI.  He also shares practical steps for getting started with AI in your company.  Show Notes:[00:27] Brian is the CEO of Torch.AI.[01:38] He left his company at the time and started his own company.  Within 3 years, he was so successful he had the opportunity to buy his last employee.[02:14] Brian shares his journey an

Dave Burrill is a senior executive (President, COO, CIO), entrepreneur, author, speaker, board director, and advisor. He’s been part of three successful tech companies taking each from co-founding or early stage to exit (1 IPO, 2 acquisitions) that have earned national recognition for innovation and growth. Dave is a trusted C-Suite advisor and peer with the expertise to cross disciplines from finance, operations, and IT to sales and marketing. He has over 30 years of technology project management experience leading successful teams for clients ranging from start-ups to Fortune 50.Dave shares so many great insights for avoiding IT failures.  He shares his experiences with IT failures including common problems like communication and processes and how proper questioning can eliminate these problems.  We also talk about the importance of using checklists to drive successful IT projects.  Show Notes:[00:30] Dave is the Managing Director at IT's about What.[02:48] He learned a lot from his vast past experiences.  

Brian is a computer scientist and entrepreneur. He is the CEO of Gillware, a company he started eighteen years ago.  During those 18 years, he has been helping businesses get out of IT disasters especially data loss situations.  Brian has been working with his brother Wes for the last twelve years.  Brian currently runs Gillware doing the most traditional data disasters.  Wes is the vice president of product at their sister company Tetra Defense. Tetra Defense focuses on cyber specific disaster and disaster prevention.   Brian and Wes share current trends, misconceptions, and attacks they are seeing in our current times.  They also share beginning steps to take if your company is attacked.  We wrap up by discussing the importance of a disaster recovery plan.  They share what you really need in your disaster recovery plan and how often it should be reevaluated.  Show Notes:[00:59] Brian is a computer scientist and entrepreneur.  [02:16] Wes is the vice president of product at Tetra Defense.  [02:53] With 25-30

Kim Weins is the Vice President of Cloud Strategy at Flexera, where she helps build awareness of its award-winning cloud management solution. She has held executive marketing positions at a variety of enterprise software startups as well as public software companies. Most recently, as Senior Vice President of Marketing at OpenLogic, she helped evangelize and drive demand for open source and cloud technologies at large enterprises worldwide. She has also consulted as interim CMO at a variety of high-growth startups. Kim received a B.S. in engineering from Duke University.Kim discusses the Flexera 2020 State of the Cloud Report. Kim also shares strategies that companies can use to manage multi-clouds and find and remove cloud waste.Show Notes:[01:01] Kim shares how she got into the enterprise software industry. She is now working closely with CIOs.[01:32] 2012 was the first year the State of the Cloud report came out.[04:05] Private cloud means to have most of the characteristics of the public cloud in a privat

Sammy Basu is the founder of Careful Security.  He helps businesses reduce their CyberSecurity risks without impacting user experience. He uses his experience of working at Fortune 100 companies for the last 20 years to make sure security is seamless. CyberSecurity can be successful only when people adopt and accept it as part of normal business operations.Sammy shares so much great information and I know you are going to get a great value out of this episode. Sammy shares six key steps that companies should take right now to protect their business.  He also shares many practical and basic steps you can take right now to protect your personal and professional workspaces.  Show Notes:[00:52] Sammy shares how he got into cybersecurity. He started in the early 2000s as a network administrator. [02:21] People attack things that are more widely used.[03:34] With security we have to identify the nature of the business.  Security is built on the culture of the company.  [06:09] A security professional has to be a cr

Scott Howitt has over 30 years of experience in aligning information technology (IT) with business strategies and initiatives. He is experienced and successful in both Fortune 100 and internet start-up environments.Scott shares so much great information about cybersecurity and technology.  We talk about ways to be more informed about cybersecurity threats and where to start with protecting your businesses.  Scott shares about the importance of cybersecurity with many people still working from home because of COVID-19.   Show Notes:[01:07] Sometimes cybersecurity is for protecting against annoying threats and sometimes it is for protecting against catastrophic threats.  [01:21] Scott shares how he got into the IT world.  He started in physics and moved into the IT world.  [03:42] Often we don’t realize the importance of security until we have our first security incident.  [05:12] Security needs to be baked into good engineering because that way it is not something you are thinking about as you are developing a

Today we have Patrick McClory joining us. Patrick is the founder and CEO of IntrospectData. He brings a great deal of experience and expertise across multiple industries. He has focused a lot on artificial intelligence and machine learning. Patrick has been writing code, managing DevOps, and designing scalable application infrastructures for over ten years. Before founding IntrospectData, he served as a Sr. Consultant for Amazon Web Services, a Platform Engineer with DataPipe, CTO of DualSpark, and more. Patrick shares so much great information about data, AI, ML, and technology in general.  We talk about remote working, tools for better efficiency, and ethics in AI and ML.   We specifically talk about the misconceptions and steps for getting started using AI. He has so many great insights. Show Notes:[01:06] Patrick started his experience in software engineering and as cloud became a thing he found his home there.[02:33] He found the software world was fascinating to him. He thought he was going to be a doct

Tom’s trusted reputation as a leader in the industry has been achieved through a naturally influential and charismatic style coupled with the dedication to delivering a promised vision through the implementation of a robust business strategy. Identifying a strong need for digital transformation in the AEC industry, Tom joined Keross in 2020 to combine his talents and deep industry knowledge with Keross’ advanced digital capability. He is passionate about advocating for firms to gather and leverage their data effectively to derive such value as to provide a clear competitive advantage.We had a great conversation. Tom shares so much great information about consolidating data so that companies can act on the data and achieve their intended outcome. He also shares some key things leaders should be doing to implement a curiosity centered environment driven by data. Show Notes:[00:26] Tom Hasker is the CEO of Keross. He has over 24 years of management and development experience in multiple industries.[01:04] Tom sh

On our kick-off episode for season two we have a wonderful guest with us today, Ralph Loura. Ralph is the SVP and CIO at Lumentum.  He has over 25 years of experience as an IT leader. Ralph Loura is Lumentum’s Senior Vice President IT and Chief Information Officer. Loura joined Lumentum in October 2018 with a rich history of senior IT leadership where he directed IT organizations executing programs in business intelligence, operations, and customer relationship management. Before Lumentum, Loura has served over 25 years as an IT leader with premier companies in technology and consumer products including Rodan + Fields, Hewlett-Packard (HP) Enterprise Group, Clorox, Symbol Technologies, Cisco, and Lucent TechnologiesWe had a great conversation. Ralph shares a phrase he uses with his team about being a lens and what that means as an IT leader.   He also shares some key things leaders should be doing and the current initiatives his company is trying to tackle.  Show Notes:[00:50] Ralph has served for over 25 yea

An IT strategy is crucial for businesses to provide an overall direction and plan for the business.  In this episode, Jim Maholic talks about how to create an IT strategy and the importance of evaluating your current state and planning for a high-performing future state.Jim Maholic has 30 plus years in IT leadership and is an Amazon bestselling author. He has consulted with many of the largest and most prestigious companies in North and South America across numerous industries. Jim’s career has included two stints as a CIO, executive positions with Big Four and regional consulting firms, and leadership roles with enterprise software companies. His professional focus has been developing IT strategies that align with clients' core strategic business objectives.Jim is a really insightful and fascinating guy. We had a great conversation. He shares practical strategies a company or enterprise can take to get started with IT strategy. Be sure to check out Jim’s books, IT Strategy and Business Cases that Mean Busine

Bill Schmarzo is regarded as one of the top Digital Transformation influencers on big data and data science. His career spans over 30 years in data warehousing, BI and advanced analytics before joining Hitachi Vantara, Bill served as CTO of Big Data at Dell EMC and VP of Analytics at Yahoo! He is the author of “The Art of Thinking Like a Data Scientist,” “Big Data: Understanding How Data Powers Big Business” and “Big Data MBA: Driving Business Strategies with Data Science.” Bill has a Bachelor's degree in math, computer science and business administration from Coe College and his MBA from the University of Iowa. He is an avid blogger and in 2019 was ranked the #4 Big Data influencer, #4 Data Science, and #6 Digital Transformation influencer worldwide by Onalytica.Bill is a fascinating and really insightful guy. We had a great conversation. He shares steps and practical advice you can use to integrate big data into your business and make huge transformations. Armed with the insights from big data, companies ca

State of the CIO, hosted by Dan Kelly of The Negotiator Guru, was created as a philanthropic exercise that shares knowledge from high-level CIOs. Intentionally informal and unscripted, Kelly and guests discuss key topics that are most pressing in their minds. Topics can range from the more operational side of the business, what projects guests are working on and the importance of soft skills. Kelly is a fan of mentorships, advisors, continuously learning and challenging himself. The majority of the leaders he speaks to share that same vision.Key Takeaways:The State of the CIO is a philanthropic, knowledge-sharing platform for high-level CIOs to speak informally and on key topics that are most pressing in their mindsThe podcast allows knowledge sharing horizontally and vertically across different organizations globallyListeners can request speaking topics and specific guests by sending an email to dan@thenegotiator.guru

It’s no secret that the role of the CIO has changed over the past few years, but understanding leadership transitions is what separates average CIOs from the greats. Tony Gerth, author, clinical professor and principal of ABG Executive Advisors, conducted a study on how CIOs transition into new appointments and how long it takes for them to gain mastery of the job. Gerth learned that regardless of the transition style, CIOs will experience taking charge of a new role over the course of three distinct, overlapping phases: the entry, stabilization and renewal phase. It’s important to manage the transition period of a CIO properly in order to be a great leader. Gerth shares what CIOs should accomplish during each phase of transition, how to be a great CIO instead of just average and the top three reasons why CIOs are unsuccessful in this week’s episode.Key Takeaways:Gerth constructed research on how CIOs transition into a new appointment and how long it takes them to gain mastery of the job in that organization