Podcast: Open source, open security with Brian Fox
Podcast – Episode 78:
Open source, open security
How tech attackers social engineering their way inworld
The open-source world is a wonderful democracy and meritocracy of innovation, software elements, and applications. Its creativity is incorporated into countless (if not all) major applications across the tech arena. But with it comes complexities. And in this podcast, we get to speak to Brian Fox, the CTO & Co-founder of Sonatype, about those complexities. In particular, the worrying world of security. Sonatype runs the central repository of Maven, where the world gets its open-source Java. A kind of Center of the open-source universe. Or at least one of them. Sonatype also focuses on developing a smarter, faster, and more secure software development for the open-source world and its clients.
“Focusing on solutions is very hard when you have all the new tech toys to play with. As anyone leading a group of developers, you’ll find that keeping the balance between the two is the key to continuous success.“
From his beginnings as a young techie with a penchant for coding, all the way to figuring out the hows and whys of tech leadership, Brian’s journey is filled with ups and downs, from which every tech leader would do well to learn from, and build on!
Key takeaways from the podcast are:
- The new attack vectors that hackers are using to get their grubby hands on your systems and data
- Visual analogies for software development and the software supply chain and how they create clarity on the mistakes that are being made in the tech industry
- The impact that the SolarWinds attack is having on the regulation and practices for the software development industry (especially for critical systems)
TLDR: Straight to the point
(Quick Links)
We all live busy lives, and sometimes a long podcast is too much of a time-footprint for our busy schedules. So, to help you get to the bit you’re more interested in, use our table of contents below. Quick links to help you get straight to the point.
1. From techie to leading – Brian's journey
2. The downsides of open source
3. His advice to aspiring tech leader
4. On the democratization of the web
5. How to create high-performing teams
6. David’s wish for the tech genie
7. Key takeaways for aspiring tech leaders
Transform your technology organization with IT Labs teams.
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Podcast: Connecting People to the Digital World with Andrew McCaughan
Podcast – Episode 77:
Connecting People to the Digital World
Using technology to bridge the gap between nationsworld
Tech leaders are committed to solving problems that pester man on a daily basis while also focus on improving the livelihoods of people – but what about the ones that have no access to tech? To the internet? To the millions of gigabytes of content on the internet? Enter Andrew McCaughan, CTO at BuffaloGrid.
This techie is hell-bent on bridging the gap between developed and emerging economies, by working on a tech solution that will allow people to connect and gain access to the amazing world of the internet, or as he likes to put it “connecting the next billion”.
“As a leader, you’re on the peak, and while peaks can be a lonely place, they don’t necessarily are – there’s tons of people in similar positions like you, both in terms of title and conditions. Reach out, and you’ll find what you need.“
TC sat down with Andrew to learn more about his goals, his journey from techie to tech leader, and how he manages his teams and makes sure they feel they’re in the right place, doing the right thing.
Key takeaways from this podcast:
- How being straight with what you can and can’t do breeds trust and support
- Why it’s okay to ask for help, even as a leader
- Why leaders should sometimes see themselves as facilitators
TLDR: Straight to the point
(Quick Links)
We all live busy lives, and sometimes a long podcast is too much of a time-footprint for our busy schedules. So, to help you get to the bit you’re more interested in, use our table of contents below. Quick links to help you get straight to the point.
1. Connecting the next billion
2. The challenges for this undertaking
3. Andrew the leader
4. What has worked and hasn’t work when leading teams
5. His wish for the Tech Genie
5. His key takeaway and advice for tech leaders
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Podcast: Digitalizing Sports Through Innovative Leadership with Skyler Seamans & Shane Emmons
Shane Emmons
Skyler Seamans
Podcast – Episode 76:
Digitalizing Sports Through Innovative Leadership
How to deliver high-quality products through adaptive management methods
Efficiency starts with leadership, and the best kind of leadership is the one built around the needs and capabilities of your teams. Meet Skyler Seamans and Shane Emmons, the two techies from TeamSnap – a company that provides spots management solutions. What got us really interested into these two and their company is their unique management method they invented, called Shape Up – a mixture of known Agile and Scrum methods which has made them a force to be reckoned.
“Success is only possible when you nurture your tenacity and persistence, even when things aren’t going as you’d expect, or you straight up fail. Get up, dust off, and do it again.” – Skyler Seamans
TC sat down with them to learn more about what they do, what drives them, and how their Shape Up method has helped them get to where they are now.
Key takeaways from the episode:
- How assessing the size of problems can help you in finding solutions
- Why it’s important to get people behind ideas before implementing them
- Why methods that allow and encourage your employees to grow will always be a resounding success
TLDR: Straight to the point
(Quick Links)
We all live busy lives, and sometimes a long podcast is too much of a time-footprint for our busy schedules. So, to help you get to the bit you’re more interested in, use our table of contents below. Quick links to help you get straight to the point.
1. Skyler’s journey to becoming a tech leader
2. Shane’s passions and what drives him
3. What drives Skyler every day
4. The Shape Up process
6. the difficulty of implementing the Shape Up method
7. A wish for the Tech Genie
8. Key takeaways for tech leaders
Transform your technology organization with IT Labs teams.
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Podcast: Using Data to Create Beautiful Visualizations with Japjit Tulsi
Podcast – Episode 75:
Using Data to Create Beautiful Visualizations
How finding patterns in data and structuring it in the right way can help you take your game to the next levelworld
We have this idea of data that it’s a bulk of information that helps us make decisions in the virtual world, but can it be used for something like renovating buildings and improving the efficiency in the construction world? Enter Japjit Tulsi, the CTO at Matterport, a company which is dedicated to making spatial data a bit more likeable, and the world a bit better.
“If you’re passionate about something, and if you’re learning even just one new thing every day, you might not be at your best performance-wise, but you’ll always give it your best effort.“
Japjit’s journey is one that’s filled with many companies, both startups and large corporations, all which have helped him diversify his portfolio, and gain vast experience. He’s been in the industry for a quarter of a century now, and is one of the most impressive tech leaders we’ve had on our podcast:
Key takeaways from the podcast are:
- How having a list of dos and don’ts regarding leadership can help you become more consistent
- Why hiring right is more about time, rather than approach or skill
- How visualization of data can help spur the next big thing in tech
TLDR: Straight to the point
(Quick Links)
We all live busy lives, and sometimes a long podcast is too much of a time-footprint for our busy schedules. So, to help you get to the bit you’re more interested in, use our table of contents below. Quick links to help you get straight to the point.
1. Japjit’s journey and experience
2. Japjit the leader
3. The problem Matterport is solving in the market
4. What rocks Japjit’s boat
5. Japjit’s words of wisdom for aspiring tech leaders
6. His book recommendations
Transform your technology organization with IT Labs teams.
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Podcast: Simplifying Learning and Growth with Stepan Suvorov
Podcast – Episode 73:
Simplifying Learning and Growth
Why focusing on the learning process is more important than just the material to be learnedworld
Learning, we were taught, was all about having access to material, to content, to courses and all that – and while that’s true, with the ever-increasing availability of study materials now new questions arise – what about the process of learning? And one of the people looking to answer this question is Stepan Suvorov, CTO at Studytube, a company that offers courses to employees of companies, as well as offering services such as organizing learning activities, so everything one would need to get their game to the next level.
“Having a strong company culture is very important to understanding within the company, and creating it is all about presence, contact, and leadership. Without these three, creating a company culture will be very difficult.“
Here, TC picks Stepan’s brains on his road to becoming a CTO, his experience as a leader, and the change he has experienced along the way in terms of changing skills, changing titles, and roles. From his humble starts, all the way to what he’s doing right now, Stepan’s story is one that will definitely inspire many techies to the top.
Key takeaways from the podcast are:
- How to pivot from B2C to B2B, without nosediving to disaster by missing opportunities
- Why maintaining the resilience of the product helps scalability and maintainability
- How micromanagement does more harm than good in management
TLDR: Straight to the point
(Quick Links)
We all live busy lives, and sometimes a long podcast is too much of a time-footprint for our busy schedules. So, to help you get to the bit you’re more interested in, use our table of contents below. Quick links to help you get straight to the point.
1. Stepan’s Journey to becoming a CTO
2.What drives Stepan
3. How he leads his teams
4. Stepan’s approach to the constant changes in the tech world
6. Tips on creating teams that deliver
7. His advice for aspiring tech leaders
8. The key takeaway
Transform your technology organization with IT Labs teams.
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Podcast: Enabling Dreams One Transaction at a Time with David King
Podcast – Episode 74:
Enabling Dreams One Transaction at a Time
Simplifying cash flow to enable people to be more mobile and achieve their goalsworld
There’s tons of payment methods and processors out there, but how many of them actually have their focus on transactions that are a make or break for users? Could be many, but one that really stands out is Flywire. And on the doings of this company, we have its CTO, David King, who sat down with our TC Gill to share the story of Flywire, and of course, his own journey in the world of tech.
“Feel free to jump in a role, a technology, or a product, and dive deep. Let it engulf you. That’s the way you can see the real value you can deliver by working on a product or a service. Doing technology for technology’s sake is a dead end for you and your business.“
From his beginnings in academia, through his start in IT, all the way to him becoming a tech leader, there’s simply not much that David King hasn’t done. He became a leader with no leader-training, but has grown into the role, learning how to delegate and trust teams, and through it, grow and develop brands.
Key takeaways from the podcast are:
- How transforming from techie to leader is all about getting away from the single contributor mindset
- How customer feedback can help you drive products and services forward
- Why alignment at the top is more important than alignment at the bottom
TLDR: Straight to the point
(Quick Links)
We all live busy lives, and sometimes a long podcast is too much of a time-footprint for our busy schedules. So, to help you get to the bit you’re more interested in, use our table of contents below. Quick links to help you get straight to the point.
1. How David became a CTO – the journey
2.The mistakes he’s learned from
3. David the leader – how he does it
4. What keeps David up at night
5. How David assembles high-performing teams
6. His advice to aspiring tech leaders
7. His key takeaway
Transform your technology organization with IT Labs teams.
Reach out to us.
Podcast: Reshaping the Probate Industry with John Catnach
Podcast – Episode 72:
Reshaping the Probate Industry
Making life less challenging in emotional times
End-of-life is a challenging time for loved ones. The bereavement process is difficult at the best of times, adding further challenges when the legal and financial questions arise from the event. Well, the guest we have on this podcast is working hard to make this smoother. John Catnach, the CTO of Exizent, is working hard with his team to create a smoother and more efficient process. It reduces time to find information, provides it to all the relevant parties, and eliminates duplication of information. This solution that Exizent is providing is a great example of how technology can make people’s lives easier, even in the most trying of times.
“Staying in touch with your team, what they do, how they feel, and how they think – is the path to creating a close-knit bunch of people that will work together amazingly. Be the catalyst in your team.“
John’s experience and success is what made him a very interesting prospect to sit down and learn more about the hows and whys of the tech world, and we did just that. The results? Just click play.
Key takeaways from the podcast are:
- Just how complex the bereavement process can be and how Exizent is providing a solution to that.
- The art of over-communication when working remotely (especially in the COVID-19 era)
- The importance of making yourself expendable so you can be agile, nimble, and free in your career with ease and elegance (not being so important you become pigeon holed into a project)
TLDR: Straight to the point
(Quick Links)
We all live busy lives, and sometimes a long podcast is too much of a time-footprint for our busy schedules. So, to help you get to the bit you’re more interested in, use our table of contents below. Quick links to help you get straight to the point.
1. Introducing the podcast and the guest
2. The heaviness of the corporate world
3. The problem Exizent is solving
4. What's John’s passion on the tech field?
5. Code Club and STEM ambassador
6. John’s leadership purpose
7. John’s opinion on using emojis for communication
8. Unit testing
9. John’s book recommendations
10. A wish to the tech genie
11. Key takeaways from the podcast
Transform your technology organization with IT Labs teams.
Reach out to us.
Podcast: Major pivot to Major success with Eoin O’Brien
Podcast – Episode 71:
Major pivot to Major success
Tracking assets and people for workflow visibility, predictability, and efficiencyworld
In business development and in particular start-ups, we talk about pivoting whenever the situation has changed or an even better idea has appeared. One that solves a real problem and pain point in the real world.
Well, our guest in this episode of CTO Confessions, Eoin O’Brien, tells about a huge pivot that led to an immense success. He is the CTO of Tracworx, a company that offers a cloud-hosted Wi-Fi-based patient flow management and asset tracking solution. This is all in the spirit of improving operational efficiency within organizations. Eoin joins us to share his leadership and start-up journey and lessons learned so far.
“Take a human-centered approach in everything you build, otherwise you risk ending up with something that’s technically impressive, but no one will want to use.“
Key takeaways from the podcast with Eoin are:
- How having a varied set of leaders allows for a blend of leadership that can create a solid foundation for success.
- Why pivoting is not just a cool jazz dance move, it’s an important and potentially high return business tool
- How to build a good strong, resilient team around you, so your business has resilience in tough times
TLDR: Straight to the point
(Quick Links)
We all live busy lives, and sometimes a long podcast is too much of a time-footprint for our busy schedules. So, to help you get to the bit you’re more interested in, use our table of contents below. Quick links to help you get straight to the point.
1. Introducing the podcast and the guest
2. How did the company adapt to COVID times?
3. Eoin’s journey to becoming a tech leader
4. Tracworx’s growth plan
5. Eoin’s passion that gets him going
6. Eoin’s leadership style
7. Eoin’s opinion on using emojis
8. Engineering challenges in the company
9. Eoin’s advice to aspiring tech leaders out there
10. Key takeaways from the podcast
Transform your technology organization with IT Labs teams.
Reach out to us.
Podcast: For the love of data with Arend-Jan Nijhuis
Podcast – Episode 70:
For the love of data
Leading innovation and learning in the data spaceworld
There are mountain ranges of it! There are oceans of it! Not only do we climb the mountains, but we also swim in it as well. Yes! We are talking about data. And yes, it’s an understatement to say there is a bit of it about. To help us tech leaders get clarity on this bonkers situation, we have Arend-Jan Nijhuis, a data expert who joins us on CTO Confessions, to share his experience and some tips about how to harness its potential. Also, some sharing of cases where the use of data went curly at the edges and created a huge undesirable impact.
“Data is all about perspectives – each one leads to its own unique conclusion, but the one thing to remember is that as leaders, we should always keep the business perspective in mind.“
Key takeaways from the podcast with Arend are:
- How companies and governments are using big data and the pitfalls and benefits of using it
- The gravitation towards harmonized systems so data can be shared in standardized forms
- Some tips on outsourcing (Arends experience)
- The importance of multidisciplinary teams so that innovation can emerge from the exportation of data
- The role of an analytical translator to help understand and use the data
TLDR: Straight to the point
(Quick Links)
We all live busy lives, and sometimes a long podcast is too much of a time-footprint for our busy schedules. So, to help you get to the bit you’re more interested in, use our table of contents below. Quick links to help you get straight to the point.
1. Introducing the guest and the podcast
2. The journey to becoming a tech leader
3. Arend’s advice for inspiring tech leaders
4. Why is Data so important?
5. Data projects gone horribly wrong
6. Using AI/ML to process data
7. Tips on leading teams
8. Arend’s wish from the tech genie
9. Key takeaways from the podcast
Transform your technology organization with IT Labs teams.
Reach out to us.
Podcast: Tech'ing up the last-mile with Lachlan Laycock
Podcast – Episode 69:
Tech’ing up the last-mile
Advanced and efficient delivery through geo-localized couriersworld
We are all served by them in these modern times. Those helpful men and women bringing our orders to our homesteads. The complexity of this last logistical mile becomes evident as one scales, and constraints become evident. Expected costs are being driven down, and time to deliver ever smaller.
In this episode, we speak to the CTO of Stuart, a company in this space; Lachlan Laycock joins us to celebrate his lessons learnt and his team’s efforts.
“Before you get any help, you need to know what you need help for – a trait that’s really underappreciated and not so talked about, but as leaders we need to be fully aware of this as this reasoning can be the backbone of every successful project.“
TC sat down with Lachlan to learn more about his exciting journey in the tech world, the challenges he’s facing as a CTO, and how he leads his team every day.
Key takeaways from the podcast are:
- Making your life easier as a leader by employing people better than you
- How using data sharpens the edge of the competitive blade
- The importance of addressing the really good, the bad, and the damn right ugly. Those towers-of-knowledge and toxic members of your team
TLDR: Straight to the point
(Quick Links)
We all live busy lives, and sometimes a long podcast is too much of a time-footprint for our busy schedules. So, to help you get to the bit you’re more interested in, use our table of contents below. Quick links to help you get straight to the point.
1. Introducing the podcast and the guest
2. Becoming a tech leader
3. The logistic chain
4. Key challenges around optimization
5. Lachlan’s leadership style
6. Dealing with COVID 19 times
7. Using technologies such as AI/ML
8. Lachlan’s book recommendations
9. Stopping for a moment to plan ahead
10. Key takeaways from the podcast