Bill Miller, SVP & CIO of NetApp

Episode Overview

Among other topics, Bill discusses the following issues with Metis Strategy:

• Bill’s role in NetApp’s transformation from a data storage to a data management company
• NetApp’s internal product testing initiatives: Customer-1 and NetApp on NetApp
• The development of NetApp’s Data Fabric for seamlessly managing data
• The valuable feedback loop created when your CIO or IT peers are your customers
• How a culture of fraternity and flexibility encourages innovation
• The three topics on every CIO’s mind
• The importance of civility and collaboration for successfully running an IT department in a tech organization
• Pre-working the First 100 Days plan
• Eye on the Trends: Companies utilizing a hybrid of cloud-based utilities; Pay-as-you-go cloud model

Bill Miller’s Biography

Bill Miller is Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer at NetApp. He joined the $5 billion organization late last year to support and advance the company’s ongoing transformation.

Prior to joining NetApp, Bill was the CIO of Broadcom and of Harris Corporation. He also founded and led Sabal Systems, a high-tech consultancy firm.

Bill is active on multiple executive boards. He provides CIO advisory input for the dean of engineering at the University of Central Florida, for Information Systems Associates at the University of California, Los Angeles, and for the University of California, Irvine’s Center for Digital Transformation. He also provides advisory input for the Information Management Forum, a consortium of IT leadership.

Bill earned a Bachelor of Science in engineering from Loyola University and a Master of Science in Material Science and Engineering from the University of Virginia. He also holds an MBA from the University of Central Florida.

I recently caught up with Bill in his office in Sunnyvale, CA. Our conversation covers World Class IT Principle Four, IT-Business Partnerships, as Bill discusses NetApp’s Customer-1 and NetApp on NetApp programs, and, as Bill describes both his role in driving business-wide strategy and the comprehensive role an IT team must play in a technology-centric enterprise. Bill also discusses his strategy for getting ready for his First 100 Days at NetApp, shares his insights on trends around cloud-computing, and throughout the interview highlights how a cooperative and supportive business culture enables innovation.

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