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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 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.

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

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 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 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?: Inovation 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 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 seen 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 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 worker 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 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”...

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.