Auditmacs

Each week on “CIOtv,” our host Mike Stockwell sits down with experts in the information technology world. This week, Mike sat down to talk with Paul Cash from Google. Visit https://auditmacs.com/ciotv-with-paul-cash-from-google/ to learn more

Each week on “CIOtv,” our host Jennifer Hopper sits down with experts in the information technology world. This week, Jennifer sat down to talk with David Reichard from Vaco. Vaco is how organizations get the talent solutions they really need – whether it’s bringing in a team to solve a specific business challenge or finding their next team member. To learn more,

Each week on “Tech Talk USA,” our host Kirk Brown sits down with experts in the information technology world. This week, Kirk sat down to talk to Chad Simpson from City Furniture. City Furniture is a Florida based retailer on a mission to change the way people live with beautiful home furnishings at incredible value. To learn more, visit https://www.cityfurniture.com. Short company description: Technology Company that sell furniture. What is your competitive differentiator?: Investment in Tech/ People/ Culture How did you get started in the technology field?: Tech always a hobby from middle school, building custom computers. Enjoy making processes easier / more efficient. What do you consider to be the biggest challenge when bridging the gap between IT and the overall business for most companies?: Alignment between the business needs / goals and the actual work being done by IT/Tech. What is the best or most worthwhile technology investment that you have made in the past 10 years?: Moving entire environment from on-prem to cloud. What are the areas of technology that you see as being the most impactful to the business world in the next 5 years?: Data & Analytics RPA / AI / ML Security

Each week on “Tech Talk USA,” our host Kirk Brown sits down with experts in the information technology world. This week, Kirk sat down to talk to Ron Sharon from Mercer Advisors. Mercer Advisors is a total wealth management firm that provides financial planning and investment management services. To learn more, visit https://www.merceradvisors.com. What is your competitive differentiator?: Personal service to our clients How did you get started in the technology field?: Braking and fixing electronics when I was a little kid What do you consider to be the biggest challenge when bridging the gap between IT and the overall business for most companies?: Understanding the value and the work needed for a good tech stack What are the areas of technology that you see as being the most impactful to the business world in the next 5 years?: Blockchain Brief description of what would you like to discuss on the show: CyberSecurity

Each week on “Tech Talk USA,” our host Jeff Hootselle sits down with experts in the information technology world. This week, Jeff spoke to Casey Hossa from Cardinal Innovations Healthcare. Using managed care makes more services available to more people, in a way that is cost-effective for the state and taxpayers. Since the organization’s founding, Cardinal Innovations Healthcare has been dedicated to improving the health and wellness of our members and their families in North Carolina. To learn more, visit https://www.cardinalinnovations.org Short company description: Medicaid payor for 20 counties in North Carolina. What is your competitive differentiator?: Behavioral Health and focused on the mind, body and spirit, working to be the best specialty payor for individuals with long term care needs such as developmentally disabled or substance abuse. How did you get started in the technology field?: I started as a developer working for one of the big consulting companies (Big 8). I was excited about the opportunity to build something that would be used and brings value to an organization. What do you consider to be the biggest challenge when bridging the gap between IT and the overall business for most companies?: The recognition that technology is not the differentiator, but the business model/process that is enabled through technology is the differentiator. Strategy and governance must become more adaptive and continual, and operating models must become more tightly integrated and agile to accelerate execution of solutions and refinements to deliver optimized operations and innovation. What is the best or most worthwhile technology investment that you have made in the past 10 years?: Digital cloud based delivery for mobility. Customer and employee interactions have significantly and permanently changed, becoming more mobile, virtual and distributed. IT leaders must apply a total experience strategy to drive differentiating digital transformation that creates superior interlinked experiences for customers and employees. What are the areas of technology that you see as being the most impactful to the business world in the next 5 years?: Data and Artificial intelligence (AI) is a catalyst for advanced process automation, human augmentation, and engagement. This will be unique to each organization's needs and strategy. Connecting physical environments including factories, offices, city blocks and neighborhoods will become “smart spaces” within which people will interact through multiple touchpoints and sensory channels for an increasingly ambient experience. We see these in small arenas like Disney or unique care organizations.

Each week on “Tech Champions,” our host Daniel Beaty sits down with experts in the information technology world. This week, Daniel spoke to Keir Bradshaw from MERGE. Clients come to MERGE looking for a new way. For ideas and solutions that will make an impact. To learn more, visit https://mergeworld.com Short company description: Clients come to MERGE looking for a new way. For ideas and solutions that will make an impact. They’re strivers and we know them. We understand them. Because that’s who we are, too. Strivers with deep category expertise built over decades of experience. With outside perspective and services built for modern business challenges. And when we all come together, that's how you reach the next level. What was your first role in the technology field?: My very first role in technology was with an Alzheimer's research institute helping develop their digital properties in the early 2000's. I primarily worked in classic ASP, PHP and Flash AS2 at the time. What made the role unique is that I was over digital and traditional. This understanding of design principles and the underlying technology has be the foundation for my understanding that technology is an enabler for organizations to make a more "human" connection with their employees and consumers. What IT project are you most proud of?: Asking me this is like asking my favorite song, movie or book. There are many projects the come to mind and each is special to me for a different reason. That being said, there are a few that stand out. Working with a talented team of designers, developers and strategists, I was fortunate to help guide the development of the Sylvester Cancer Institute's SCAN360 tool (https://www.scan360.com). The obvious beauty of this application is the presentation of complex data and statistics presented in a way that empowers researchers, politicians and community advocates to better understand and explain the challenge of treating cancer across multiple geographic, economic and social areas. However, the underlying data models and architectural design is thing of beauty and something I think the whole SCAN team should be proud of. I have a dozen examples of solutions I've been lucky to be a part of that have connected people in need with the services and providers who can best help them, but SCAN360 definitely stands out. What is the biggest challenge that IT departments are facing today?: One of the biggest challenges I've seen in IT is the ability to scan and respond to the ever growing expectation of the consumer and the resulting needs from the marketing and sales teams within the organizations. Especially (though not uniquely) in healthcare, IT teams are faced with a multitude of vendors, platforms and technologies that often provide overlapping features or features that cannot be fully realized due to organizational or staffing limitations. This creates an extreme "technical" burden that can place organization at risk for overspending and underutilizing within their most important Martech tools. Who is someone you would consider a mentor?: I've been lucky enough to have two major mentors in my professional career. The first is my development manager, David Seabury, who taught me that an understanding and respect for all level of the technical stack, network, server, data, application, presentation, user experience, etc. is important to provide solutions that truly enable users and increase the eminence of an organization's brand. The second is my current boss and friend, Tom Brand. Tom has taught me so much about business, the impacts and power of technology and the power of storytelling, but the most important profession lesson he as taught me the is need to tie any and all technology initiative or project back to a business driver and a "need" within the user/consumer base.

Each week on “Tech Champions,” our host Daniel Beaty sits down with experts in the information technology world. This week, Daniel spoke to Shane Emmons from TeamSnap. TeamSnap is a Sports-centric Communication and Organization Platform for Teams, Clubs, Leagues, Associations, and National Governing Bodies. To learn more, visit https://www.teamsnap.com. Short company description: A Sports-centric Communication and Organization Platform for Teams, Clubs, Leagues, Associations, and National Governing Bodies. What was your first role in the technology field?: Junior Developer at a mid-sized, midwestern, Insurance Company. What IT project are you most proud of?: The creation of TeamSnap's Platform. What is the biggest challenge that IT departments are facing today?: Supporting remote workers distributed across the country in a effective manner. Who is someone you would consider a mentor?: The cofounders of TeamSnap, Andrew Berkowitz and Dave DuPont.

Each week on “Tech Champions,” our host Daniel Beaty sits down with experts in the information technology world. This week, Daniel spoke to Nate Larmore from MGAC. MGAC started in 1996 with three simple goals: to do the most interesting and challenging work, to have fun working together, and to build a successful business in the process. To learn more, visit https://www.mgac.com Short company description: Advisors and program managers for complex technology deployment projects. What was your first role in the technology field?: pulling cable for college credits What IT project are you most proud of?: the one I'm working on What is the biggest challenge that IT departments are facing today?: Operational demands have placed more weight than ever on the enterprise. Our clients are stretched thin with managing day-to-day business while being expected to quickly adapt to new demands. Who is someone you would consider a mentor?: One of the most well-rounded executives I've worked for at a consulting agency in the Pacific Northwest. He had a strong sense of strategy and took the time to nurture his direct reports to see technology less as a capital expense and more as a strategic tool to advance our client's business.

Each week on “Tech Champions,” our host Daniel Beaty sits down with experts in the information technology world. This week, Daniel spoke to Ron Sharon from Mercer Advisors. Mercer Advisors is a total wealth management firm that provides financial planning and investment management services. To learn more, visit https://www.merceradvisors.com Short company description: Mercer Advisors is a total wealth management firm that provides financial planning and investment management services. Mercer Advisors has a staff of over 550 in 50+ offices coast-to-coast includes financial advisors, attorneys, CPAs, and investment experts What was your first role in the technology field?: IT "Manager" for a 70 person company in Irvine California What IT project are you most proud of?: Finalizing Salesforce Migration, unknowingly preparing to work from home What is the biggest challenge that IT departments are facing today?: Security, cloud, working from home, training Who is someone you would consider a mentor?: Brief description of what would you like to discuss on the show: The importance of a Business Process to the Technology roadmap of the future

Each week on “Tech Champions,” our host Daniel Beaty sits down with experts in the information technology world. This week, Daniel spoke to Tim Dively from Peoples State Bank. Peoples State Bank is a community bank based out of Wausau Wisconsin with branches throughout central, northern, and southeastern Wisconsin (11 branches). To learn more, visit https://www.bankpeoples.com Short company description: Peoples State Bank is a community bank based out of Wausau Wisconsin with branches throughout central, northern, and southeastern Wisconsin (11 branches). $1.1B in assets What was your first role in the technology field?: IT helpdesk at a major insurance company. What IT project are you most proud of?: The implementation of a formal digital banking mindset throughout the bank. This involved various IT, marketing, and operational projects. What is the biggest challenge that IT departments are facing today?: Being able to forecast out longer than 6 months. Things are moving so much faster than before and disruption is all around us. IT departments need to plan to agile so they can anticipate and adapt to the changes by the regulators & compliance, the technology, cyber-security and protection of customer and institutional data, and their customer's desires. Brief description of what would you like to discuss on the show: I would like to discuss how community banks are adjusting to finding the balance of customer service from traditional in branch interactions, to all digital, to a mix of in branch and digital. We must be prepared to support whatever channel our customers prefer with the same level of service we historically have. That's our differentiator because the technology is the same from the big banks to fintechs to many community banks our size. The lines are becoming blurred as it relates to the skill sets needed for someone in IT and the technical skill sets needed by our bankers. That is an exciting evolution to me.

Each week on “Tech Talk USA,” our host Jeff Hootselle sits down with experts in the information technology world. This week, Jeff spoke to Mark Cusack from Yellowbrick Data. Yellowbrick provides a modern data warehouse for the hybrid cloud. To learn more, visit https://www.yellowbrick.com Short company description: Yellowbrick provides a modern data warehouse for the hybrid cloud. The company was founded in 2014, and we focus on solving the most complex data and analytics challenges at the largest enterprises. What is your competitive differentiator?: Yellowbrick's key differentiator is our industry-leading price/performance. We are typically 10-100x faster than competing data warehouses, and are typically a fifth of the cost. We also have the ability to deploy in private clouds, through public clouds and also at the network edge. Our ability to ingest streaming data at millions of records per second to support near real-time analytics use cases is also unrivaled. How did you get started in the technology field?: I got into large scale distributed computing during my PhD in theoretical physics. I went on to lead teams as a researcher in parallel and distributed simulation at the UK Ministry of Defence. I then joined a startup in the data warehousing space as co-founding developer which got acquired by Teradata. I've been in the data warehousing business for 15+ years. What do you consider to be the biggest challenge when bridging the gap between IT and the overall business for most companies?: One of the biggest challenges is ensuring that the business has the speed and agility it needs through its IT systems to be competitive while at the same time ensuring that there are IT guardrails in place to ensure security, privacy and governance of sensitive data. Getting this balance right can be tough. What is the best or most worthwhile technology investment that you have made in the past 10 years?: Without a doubt, it's the adoption of Kubernetes and investment in micro services architectures at Yellowbrick. This investment has set us up to be able to deploy our database software anywhere. In the cloud, at the edge and on our own specialized instance types. What are the areas of technology that you see as being the most impactful to the business world in the next 5 years?: An emerging area that I think is going to be particularly impactful is distributed cloud. Distributed cloud takes the public cloud software, hardware and services and deploys them everywhere, even at the IoT edge and in on-premises data centers. This provides a uniform set of services everywhere, all controlled through a single control plane. This will simplify the deployment of data and analytics and ensure that analytics is deployed closest to the data.

Each week on “Tech Talk USA,” our host Jeff Hootselle sits down with experts in the information technology world. This week, Jeff spoke to Brad Williams from MoneySolver. MoneySolver partners with people to help them overcome the challenges and intimidation of tax issues, student loan debt and business finances. To learn more, visit https://www.moneysolver.org. Short company description: MoneySolver partners with people to help them overcome the challenges and intimidation of tax issues, student loan debt and business finances. What is your competitive differentiator?: We have been in business since 1997 and have no upfront retainer charges or hidden fees. We also have a very large team of attorneys and CPAs with direct IRS connections, resulting in quicker tax debt resolution. How did you get started in the technology field?: I was taking a year off of school between undergrad and law school and took a job with CSX. The battery of placement testing they administered, resulted in me being placed in an IT role. What do you consider to be the biggest challenge when bridging the gap between IT and the overall business for most companies?: The disconnect and lack of cross-functional understanding between business and IT, both at the executive and associate levels. What is the best or most worthwhile technology investment that you have made in the past 10 years?: Microsoft Dynamics 365 CRM What are the areas of technology that you see as being the most impactful to the business world in the next 5 years?: IOT, AI and adoption of 5G technology

Each week on “Tech Talk USA,” our host Jeff Hootselle sits down with experts in the information technology world. This week, Jeff spoke to David Linthicum from Deloitte. Deloitte is a top 5 consulting firm with offices worldwide, and engagements with most Global 2000 clients. To learn more, visit https://www2.deloitte.com/us/en.html Short company description: Deloitte is a top 5 consulting firm with offices worldwide, and engagements with most Global 2000 clients. What is your competitive differentiator?: Innovation is key, we're looking forward to what our clients needs will be. How did you get started in the technology field?: Computer hobbies in high school, leading to tech support jobs in college. What do you consider to be the biggest challenge when bridging the gap between IT and the overall business for most companies?: Communications. What is the best or most worthwhile technology investment that you have made in the past 10 years?: Invest in cloud computing skills prior to the emergence of the cloud computing market. What are the areas of technology that you see as being the most impactful to the business world in the next 5 years?: The ability to combat complexity around moving to cloud, and many cloud brands.

Each week on “Tech Champions,” our host Daniel Beaty sits down with experts in the information technology world. This week, Daniel spoke to Rocky Martinez from SmartStream Technologies. SmartStream is a recognized leader in financial transaction management solutions that enables firms to overcome their post trade processing issues through increased automation. To learn more, visit https://www.smartstream.com.

Each week on “Tech Champions,” our host Daniel Beaty sits down with experts in the information technology world. This week, Daniel spoke to Joe Shepley from Ankura Consulting. Ankura Consulting is an industry leading advisory consulting firm headquartered in Washington D.C. with more than 1,550 professionals in 37 global offices. Whether a client is facing an immediate challenge to its business, trying to opportunistically increase the value of their company, or protect against future risks, Ankura designs, develops, and executes tailored solutions by assembling the right combination of expertise. To learn more, visit https://ankura.com. Short company description: Ankura Consulting is an industry leading advisory consulting firm headquartered in Washington D.C. with more than 1,550 professionals in 37 global offices. Whether a client is facing an immediate challenge to its business, trying to opportunistically increase the value of their company, or protect against future risks, Ankura designs, develops, and executes tailored solutions by assembling the right combination of expertise. What was your first role in the technology field?: I worked at Kaplan Professional in the early 2000s as an editor and taught myself how to code (first VB6 then Java), which allowed me to move into IT as a business analyst and project manager. What IT project are you most proud of?: I led an engagement to redesign the product development process for a large manufacturer, which included a ground-up re-design of the target SharePoint environment and using file analytics to find legacy content, enrich it with metadata, and migrate it to the new environment. It was nearly a 24-month effort involving 50+ stakeholders globally and was an absolute success for the client. What is the biggest challenge that IT departments are facing today?: Information management. Who is someone you would consider a mentor?: Chris Cotteleer. He was a partner at the first consulting firm I worked for. He helped me make the transition from corporate IT to consulting and really taught me what it meant to be a true consultant and serve clients.

Each week on “Tech Champions,” our host Daniel Beaty sits down with experts in the information technology world. This week, Daniel spoke to Christos Kalantzis from SecurityScorecard. SecurityScorecard is the global leader in cybersecurity ratings and the only service with over a million companies continuously rated. To learn more, visit https://securityscorecard.com. Short company description: SecurityScorecard is the global leader in cybersecurity ratings and the only service with over a million companies continuously rated. SecurityScorecard’s patented rating technology is used by over 1,000 organizations for self-monitoring, third-party risk management, board reporting, and cyber insurance underwriting; making all organizations more resilient by allowing them to easily find and fix cybersecurity risks across their externally facing digital footprint. SecurityScorecard is the only provider of instant risk ratings that automatically map to vendor cybersecurity questionnaire responses - providing a true 360 degree view of risk.

Each week on “Tech Champions,” our host Daniel Beaty sits down with experts in the information technology world. This week, Daniel spoke to Michael Parks from Spire Investment Properties. Spire Investment Properties is a multifamily real estate investing firm helping people in our investor group to acquire cash producing apartment buildings to supplement their income or retire early. To learn more, visit https://spireinvestmentproperties.com. Short company description: Spire Investment Properties is a multifamily real estate investing firm helping people in our investor group to acquire cash producing apartment buildings to supplement their income or retire early.

Each week on “Tech Champions,” our host Daniel Beaty sits down with experts in the information technology world. This week, Daniel spoke to Jim Walker from UiPath. UiPath started in 2005 as a 10-people team based in Bucharest. Now, UiPath is the world's leading RPA software company. To learn more, visit https://www.uipath.com. Short company description: We see boundless potential in the way we live and making work better for all what we strive to achieve. Automation driving the way we work is a goal so that employees can work smarter and clients/citizens can received smarter services. We take bold risks, always striving for humility so that we remain open to even greater possibilities. We erase boundaries between ourselves and our customers through continuously shared learning and growth. Our successes aren’t merely linked, they’re inseparably fused. We accelerate our efforts so that we can innovate and evolve with speed. We are defined by diversity of all kinds, open in the way we listen, honest in the way we speak, voracious in our appetite for understanding unique viewpoints and experiences. We believe in using the transformative power of automation to liberate the boundless potential of people. What was your first role in the technology field?: My first role was helping deploy a global defense platform and training Solaris and Unix security and systems administration for the Dept of Defense. Then I served as Deputy IT Ops at the counter drug task force in Key West. Deployed early collaboration tool in the middle east for the Dept of Defense, served as Operations Chief at the Missile Defense Agency in Washington DC and Huntsville, AL. Finally, I was the Deputy CIO for the NASA Shared Services Center. What IT project are you most proud of?: Along with my team we identified the value of robotic process automation for government use and deployed the first robot (named George Washington) in the federal government. That first robot has kicked off a government-wide use of RPA at more than 100 agencies or departments. Instead of a technology that creates more work we finally see we can take the robot out of people. What is the biggest challenge that IT departments are facing today?: IT department - what in the Wizard of Oz there was a question about who was behind the curtain. IT has been (necessarily so) behind the curtain for years. In the outstanding book THE WORLD IS FLAT and more in THANKS FOR BEING LATE it is clear IT is going to be democratized. IT departments have to be the guardians with respect to cyber security but also the enablers with respect to technologies. Work from home creates new issues, cell phones (BYOD) creates issues, automation creates issues yet is all creates incredible new opportunities. Additionally, their 2nd and 3rd challenges would be is automation a band-aid and the expense of legacy migrations. Who is someone you would consider a mentor?: As I have moved from agency to agency I cannot distinguish mentors. My Ops lead at the counter drug center taught me as much as the CIO of MDA and the NASA CIO. Each taught something different. I think the most influential leadership guidance I received was from writer John Maxwell. His writings so insightful and impactful that I think everyone should consider his works.

Each week on “Tech Talk USA,” our host Jeff Hootselle sits down with experts in the information technology world. This week, Jeff spoke to Andrey Stryukov from CountBOX. CountBOX has been providing cloud-based retail analytics solutions since 2008. Their business was born out of passion for technology and people, and they continue to develop industry-leading solutions that help transform businesses worldwide. To learn more, visit https://countbox.us.

Each week on “Tech Talk USA,” our host Jeff Hootselle sits down with experts in the information technology world. This week, Jeff spoke to Danielle Arnone from Reckitt Benkiser. Reckitt Benkiser is a manufactures hygiene, health and nutrition products. To learn more, visit http://www.rb.com.

Each week on “Tech Talk USA,” our host Jeff Hootselle sits down with experts in the information technology world. This week, Jeff spoke to Kathleen Moriarty from the Center for Internet Security. The Center for Internet Security (CIS) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, formed in October, 2000. Its mission is to "identify, develop, validate, promote, and sustain best practice solutions for cyber defense and build and lead communities to enable an environment of trust in cyberspace. To learn more, visit https://www.cisecurity.org. Short company description: The Center for Internet Security (CIS) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, formed in October, 2000. Its mission is to "identify, develop, validate, promote, and sustain best practice solutions for cyber defense and build and lead communities to enable an environment of trust in cyberspace. What is your competitive differentiator?: The Center for Internet Security’s mission includes making security possible for businesses of all sizes, which is also a passion of mine and many others at CIS. CIS’s work to improve security for State, Local, Tribal, and Territorial (SLTT) networks opens up the opportunity with work with vendors, building in security aligned to the CIS Controls and CIS Benchmarks. We’re at a pivotal time where built-in security is becoming essential and vendors are looking to ensure customers trust their products and services. As such, our differentiator is trust in our controls and benchmarks that provide assurance that systems and applications are as expected. If there’s a variance from expected controls or benchmarks, this enables detection capabilities against this allow-list for policy and measurement values. How did you get started in the technology field?: I need to credit a professor from my undergraduate school, Prof. Matthews. He nudged me several times to take computer courses along with my Mathematics curriculum and I eventually began to enjoy them. Next was a mentor from an internship at the Watervliet Arsenal. He encouraged me to take a job at PSINet, the first commercial service provider, while I worked on my Masters degree. It was the diverse experience set gained at PSINet that really gave me a solid background in networking, system administration, and security. What do you consider to be the biggest challenge when bridging the gap between IT and the overall business for most companies?: Architectural patterns that do not scale, resulting in the need for add on products instead of built-in security along with the additional resources to manage these products. I do see a way forward as described in, “Transforming Information Security: Optimizing Five Concurrent Trends to Reduce Resource Drain”. Emerald Publishing Ltd. 2020. What is the best or most worthwhile technology investment that you have made in the past 10 years?: Having been on the research and development side for the last 10 years, influencing how we create architectural patterns that scale has been the most important time investment. This involves working with engineers through standards and internal development, teaching, and publishing blogs and a book. What are the areas of technology that you see as being the most impactful to the business world in the next 5 years?: Security and IT management should become more of a supporting function that just works and requires fewer resources to manage. Some of this will be due to the increased use of service providers as security is bolstered and some due to changes in the architectural patterns for deploying and managing both IT and security.

Each week on “Tech Talk USA,” our host Jeff Hootselle sits down with experts in the information technology world. This week, Jeff spoke to Ross Young from Caterpillar Financial. Caterpillar Financial is the banking arm of the greater Caterpillar company. They help you to acquire a new or used machine, protect your investment beyond the warranty or tap into the equity in your equipment to move your business forward. To learn more, visit https://www.cat.com/en_US/support/financing-protection.html. Short company description: We do loans, warranties, and insurance products for all Caterpillar equipment What is your competitive differentiator?: Caterpillar is the leading Construction Equipment Manufacturer in the world How did you get started in the technology field?: Got a B.S. in Computer Science What do you consider to be the biggest challenge when bridging the gap between IT and the overall business for most companies?: Talent What is the best or most worthwhile technology investment that you have made in the past 10 years?: RASP

Each week on “Tech Champions,” our host Daniel Beaty sits down with experts in the information technology world. This week, Daniel spoke to Tyrone Watson-Ferguson from Security Bank of Kansas City. Security Bank of Kansas City is locally owned and operated, born from a single idea - a local bank serving the community's needs. To learn more, visit https://www.securitybankkc.com. What was your first role in the technology field?: Production support analyst. What IT project are you most proud of?: I was part of a team that converted a payment system from mainframe to distributed. What is the biggest challenge that IT departments are facing today?: Simplicity, everything is becoming more and more complex and intertwined.

Each week on “Tech Champions,” our host Daniel Beaty sits down with experts in the information technology world. This week, Daniel spoke to Scott DeAngelis from Selby Jennings. Selby Jennings is an international specialist recruitment firm for banking, technology, and financial services. To learn more, visit https://www.selbyjennings.com. Short company description: Selby Jennings is an international specialist recruitment firm for banking, technology, and financial services. We specialize in sourcing mid, senior, and executive level talent. For more than 15 years, we have given clients and candidates peace of mind that the recruitment process is in expert hands. What was your first role in the technology field?: I have been recruiting within the Financial Technology Sales space for over 3 years now. During that time, I have placed dozens of candidates who have shaped the Tech Sales landscape and sold solutions such as trading platforms, digital consulting, alternative data, and more broad SaaS solutions. What IT project are you most proud of?: I've not worked directly in IT. That being said, it is always rewarding when we are able to build out a team and watch as a business transforms from a little known underdog to a company with substantial market share and reputation that precedes it. Who is someone you would consider a mentor?: Dylan Pany - Head of our Los Angeles office.

Each week on “Tech Talk USA,” our host Jeff Hootselle sits down with experts in the information technology world. This week, Jeff spoke to Bron McCall from Extra Space Storage. Extra Space Storage, headquartered in Salt Lake City, is the second largest self-storage operator in the US. To learn more, visit https://www.extraspace.com Short company description: Extra Space Storage, headquartered in Salt Lake City, is the second largest self-storage operator in the US. As of December 31, 2020, the Company owned and/or operated 1,921 self-storage properties, which comprise approximately 1.4 million units and approximately 149.2 million square feet of rentable storage space offering customers conveniently located and secure storage units across the country, including boat storage, RV storage and business storage. What is your competitive differentiator?: Our differentiators are the quality of our portfolio of properties and the customer experience we offer. How did you get started in the technology field?: Went to college to become a computer programmer. Over my career my responsibilities continued to grow. What do you consider to be the biggest challenge when bridging the gap between IT and the overall business for most companies?: I think the challenge for most companies is understanding how technology can deliver the outcomes they strive for and then the IT leadership and vision to actually execute on and deliver those outcomes. What is the best or most worthwhile technology investment that you have made in the past 10 years?: Moving to the cloud, I'm 90% there now at Extra Space and by end of year I'll be 100%. The cloud offers so many advantages. What are the areas of technology that you see as being the most impactful to the business world in the next 5 years?: Automation. I realize this is really broad but what I mean is the automation of not only IT tasks like the datacenter, CICD, quality, but other parts of the business, call center, accounting, etc.