IT Visionaries

At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, companies around the world were asking the same question: How do I mobilize my workforce and give them the tools and skills they need to work from home? GitHub employs more than 1,000 employees, all of whom work remotely. So we invited their CTO, Jason Warner, back to the program to discuss how he advised companies on adapting to their new normal. And he gave some best practices he’s learned about leading through a crisis, and explained why GitHub is one step closer to achieving its mission.

Key Takeaways

• In many cases, once a company and its leaders became comfortable with remote environments, they begin to embrace it
• It’s important to be transparent and honest with your employees during a crisis — they are struggling and need to be given the truth of the situation in order to realistically set expectations
• GitHub’s mission is to make sure every developer has access to its software, and as the company continues to expand its reach, it is getting closer and closer to achieving that goal

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Marcus Carey (Twitter, LinkedIn), the founder and CEO of Threatcare, actually grew up in Texas with very little access to technology. But that changed when he joined the Navy and went into cryptology. While serving the country, Marcus worked with the most advanced tech in the world. And, when his service time was finished, he stayed in the field working in various government agencies for a number of years.

At Threatcare, Marcus applies the lessons he’s learned along the way to help his customers secure their data and test their cybersecurity. In this interview, he and Ian talk about what it means to be a white-hat hacker versus a black-hat hacker, creating automated technology, and finding your superpower.

Topics Discussed: Technology, cryptography, white-hat hacking, black-hat hacking, cybersecurity, entrepreneurship, leadership.

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Is it the concept or the process that truly sets great companies apart from the rest? Borya Shakhnovich, the CEO of the workflow automation company airSlate, suggests that entrepreneurs are better served improving on an imperfect idea rather than trying to create the perfect one. Tune in to hear about the “kaizen” approach that airSlate takes toward innovation.

Tune in to learn:

• About airSlate (04:15)
• About the “kaizen” approach to building software at airSlate (19:13)
• How Borya measures success at airSlate (24:05)
• About Borya’s leadership style (28:54)

IT Visionaries is brought to you by Salesforce Platform. If you love the thought leadership on this podcast, Salesforce has even more meaty IT thoughts to chew on. Take your company to the next level with in-depth research and trends right in your inbox. Subscribe to a newsletter tailored to your role at Salesforce.com/newsletter.

Mission.org is a media studio producing content for world-class clients. Learn more at mission.org.

The information superhighway was a term coined in the 90s, but it’s still a useful term in 2020. Never before has the internet been more accessible — or more needed — than it is today. But even with technological advancements such as connected devices in most homes and accessible network connections in many cities and towns, there still remains almost a third of households in the United States that don’t have access to the internet.

Morgan Kurk is the CTO of Commscope, a company you’ve probably never heard of, but one that more than likely powers the internet lines that run to your home. Morgan joined IT Visionaries to discuss the growing digital divide across the country, how the information superhighway actually works, and why some types of data lines that power your internet connection are on their way out.

Main Takeaways

• There’s a Lag: Currently one of the biggest issues surrounding communication networks is that of latency. While the lag experienced in Zoom calls and movie buffering is annoying, the bigger issue actually revolves around software. Most internet-based software is designed to operate at the highest capacity and if networks can’t keep up, consumers are going to experience vexing results.
• A Growing Divide: Currently a third of the continental United States is without access to broadband internet. But there are two ways companies are working to close this gap: the first is through a subsidized government internet, and the second is through a series of satellites that will help provide access to more rural areas.
• Converging Network: Currently, a lot of internet infrastructures are going through a convergence. Whether it’s a network like 5G, a coax or fiber line, many of the networks these sources operate on are converging to operate more efficiently with one another.

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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

The IT world has many talented innovators, but they often work with outdated or overly complex software systems. Kit Colbert, the Chief Technology Officer at VMware, asserts that the virtualization company is helping set the table for these developers to flourish. Tune in to hear Kit explain how the synergistic relationship between VMware and its customers creates an “ecosystem” of innovation.

Mention:

• “Top Data Security Trends for 2022” (Salesforce research report)

Tune in to learn:

• What VMware does (05:47)
• What Kit has seen as effective practices to oversee various technologies (12:43)
• What Kit is excited about in the VM industry (24:18)
• About Kit’s experience with vMotion (38:45)

IT Visionaries is brought to you by Salesforce Platform. If you love the thought leadership on this podcast, Salesforce has even more meaty IT thoughts to chew on. Take your company to the next level with in-depth research and trends right in your inbox. Subscribe to a newsletter tailored to your role at Salesforce.com/newsletter.

Mission.org is a media studio producing content for world-class clients. Learn more at mission.org.