907: Enhancing the end-user experience is key to driving productivity, security, and scalability in today’s digital landscape. In this episode of Technovation, host Peter High speaks with Muneer Mirza, Director of End-User Computing at Amazon Web Services (AWS). Muneer shares his journey at Amazon, starting from his role in developing the company’s website to overseeing AWS’s end-user computing services. He provides an inside look at services like Amazon WorkSpaces, AppStream, and Secure Browser, and how these products address diverse customer needs. Muneer also delves into the challenges of balancing innovation with cybersecurity and cost management, a common struggle for tech and digital leaders. He shares AWS’s customer-centric approach to problem-solving and provides insights into the role of generative AI in cloud computing. This conversation is packed with practical advice for leaders navigating the complex world of cloud economics, cybersecurity, and technological innovation.
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905: With Generative AI becoming prevalent across industries, proper data management is also becoming more important than ever. In this episode of Technovation, Peter High speaks with Graeme Thompson, the Chief Information Officer at Informatica, a leader in AI-powered cloud data management. With over eight years at the helm of Informatica’s IT, information security, and data functions, Graeme has overseen the company’s digital transformation from a traditional software licensing model to a cloud-first, consumption-driven business. Graeme shares how Informatica empowers its clients to leverage data as a critical asset, driving business outcomes through trusted AI and automation solutions. He discusses the company’s AI initiatives, its hybrid and multi-cloud strategy, and real-world use cases that demonstrate the power of AI in automating processes and improving decision-making. Additionally, Graeme reflects on how peer collaboration within the IT community helps address common challenges, and he explores the future of AI in enterprise automation and beyond.
874: In the realm of payments, integrating an AI assistant can significantly streamline operations and ease the burden on support teams handling common customer inquiries. In this installment of Technovation, Shannon Johnston, Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer at Global Payments, explores the company’s focus on enhancing internal capabilities and automating processes. Specifically, she delves into the utilization of chatbots for customer service and co-pilots for development teams. Shannon highlights the benefits of these technologies in boosting performance and improving both customer and employee experiences. Additionally, she outlines the implementation of GenAI tools within her organization, stressing the importance of security and privacy. Looking ahead, Shannon discusses the ongoing evolution and refinement of these initiatives while reflecting on the key factors driving her career success.
872: Deploying AI or any new technology across an enterprise can quickly become time-consuming and expensive if not approached with a plan in mind. In this episode of Technovation, host Peter High interviews Deepika Rayala, the Chief Digital and Information Officer at Cornerstone OnDemand, and speaks with her about her ‘frugal IT’ approach and how she thinks about AI deployment at the company. Deepika shares insights into her role, focusing on IT operations, data, corporate security, and the implementation of Generative AI. She highlights key initiatives like the North Star program, which integrated multiple acquisitions through advanced IT infrastructure, and the AI innovation her team has deployed to enhance productivity across the company. Additionally, she covers the digital academy that she has helped develop to upskill and train employees on skills for the future. Deepika also touches on the future of hybrid work, the impact of generative AI and quantum computing, and her personal leadership philosophy characterized by authenticity, empathy, situational leadership, and resilience.
871: In the age of artificial intelligence, cybersecurity has become of utmost importance to protect private information and customer data. In this episode of Technovation, host Peter High speaks with Gafnit Amiga, leader of the security research group at Outshift by Cisco, where they delve into the evolving landscape of cloud and artificial intelligence security. Gafnit, having a substantial background in application and cloud security, shares her journey from Lightspin to Cisco, highlighting her team’s focus on identifying and mitigating potential security vulnerabilities in cloud services, Kubernetes, software supply chains, and AI. She shares insights on the unique challenges AI presents to security, the importance of observability, and the continuous game of staying ahead of threats. Gafnit also discusses the diversity and approach of her research team in tackling security challenges, reflecting on the transition from a startup to being part of Cisco, and offers advice to CIOs and CISOs on safeguarding against emerging security threats.
845: As with most industries, artificial intelligence has had an immeasurable impact on the entrepreneurial journey and the types of offerings being provided to enterprises from start-ups. In this episode of Technovation, Samsara co-founders Sanjit Biswas and John Bicket join Peter High in a conversation about the genesis story behind the company, its rationale for selling into physical operations, and how artificial intelligence is changing the start-up landscape. Both executives explain the role of AI at the company, the convergence of IT and OT within the industrial sector, and how they came to focus on the industrial sector when starting Samsara. They share how they overcame the learning curve associated with operating in an unfamiliar industry, the evolution of generative AI applications within the industrial sector, and how they’ve built their team with the right skills in technology. Finally, they share their lessons from scaling the business to become a publicly traded company, the trends in technology that are on their radar for the future, and the learnings they’ve taken away from their entrepreneurial journey.
829: As a technology leader within a tech company, an important advantage is acting as the first customer of its products to test them before offering them to customers. Salesforce, often cited as the first SaaS company, is no different. In this conversation, Juan Perez, CIO of Salesforce, shares his thoughts on serving peer CIOs in his role at the company and discusses the key priorities that have remained constant throughout his career. He delves into Salesforce’s mission in building technology to help customers succeed and highlights the potential applications of generative AI. In addition, he discusses the importance of maintaining technological modernity, cybersecurity, and people development. Juan also details his board responsibilities at The Hershey Company and shares valuable advice for aspiring board members. Finally, Juan reflects on his methods for championing diversity, equity, and inclusion at the firm, the critical leadership skills he learned at UPS, and the exciting trends in technology that have been on his roadmap for the future.
815: Papi Menon, Vice President and Chief Product Officer of Cisco’s incubation engine Outshift, discusses the innovation he is leading at the company and the process by which his team is scaling that innovation. He explains the skills he has on his team at Outshift and how he is developing that talent internally. Papi also describes the focus on cloud security, the platforms his team has built to help companies secure their cloud infrastructure, and the core pillars of these products. Finally, Papi touches on the cultural component of innovation, exploring use cases for artificial intelligence, and the secrets to his career success.
814: Rajan and Sesh joined us on a panel at our most recent Metis Strategy Digital Symposium to discuss the topic of data and AI strategy as enterprise change agents. Rajan shares insights about Intuit’s AI platform, how it drives new customer experiences, and its use in running and scaling business operations within the company. Sesh describes the main components of Western Digital’s AI strategy, his perspective on the change management part of the equation, and the importance of risk management and data governance. Finally, both executives talk about how they approach the adoption of AI and the most critical elements to keep in mind throughout the implementation process.
805: Ravi discusses his role as a CIO within a scaled technology organization and how he interacts with the CIO-level clients that the company serves. He explains the focus areas he prioritized when he joined the company including scalability, agility, and execution. He also describes the company’s Box-on-Box program where they pilot offerings internally as ‘customer zero’ and how this helps deliver better products and services for their clients. Finally, Ravi reflects on the keys to his career success, recounts his pathway into technology, and looks ahead at the trends in AI and cybersecurity.
