Top 50 CIO Influence Interviews: Insights from Industry Leaders

Presenting the most impactful interviews. The CIO Influence Team has meticulously curated a collection of top-tier conversations encompassing pivotal insights into DevOps culture, emerging technology trends, open-source cloud developments, and an insightful roundup of noteworthy IT-focused discussions. From Jake McClean’s exploration of endpoint management tools at Tanium to Hiroshi Imai’s insights into AI adoption in Japan with Qlik, and from Rosaria Silipo’s perspective on advancing data science adoption at KNIME to Richard Vibert’s predictions on the evolution of data security strategies at Metomic, these interviews offer invaluable glimpses into the forefront of technology innovation and strategic IT leadership. Dive into these conversations to gain actionable insights and stay ahead in the ever-evolving landscape of technology and business integration.

1. A Conversation with Eita Yanagisawa, Sony Semiconductor Solutions

Eita Yanagisawa, Senior General Manager of System Solution Business Division at Sony Semiconductor Solutions, the focus is on Sony’s pioneering image sensor technology and its impact on various industries. Yanagisawa emphasizes Sony’s commitment to innovation and highlights the significance of their AITRIOS platform in enabling partners and customers to leverage sensing technologies effectively. He discusses how AI integration, particularly through Sony’s IMX500 intelligent vision sensor and AITRIOS platform, is transforming edge devices, predictive maintenance, and user experiences.

2. Automation Insights from Erin Hamm from Comcast Technology Solutions

“According to me, automation and AI will tackle asset visibility in 2024.”

Erin Hamm, Field Chief Data Officer at Comcast Technology Solutions, the discussion centers on the challenges of compliance amidst evolving regulations and the role of automation, particularly in asset visibility. Hamm emphasizes the need for organizations to adapt to ever-changing compliance frameworks by leveraging peer-to-peer interactions and embracing technologies like generative AI. She highlights the significance of automation in streamlining processes for security and compliance teams, citing examples of how AI can expedite asset identification and intent determination.

3. Art Hu, SVP, on Advancing AI Adoption and Mitigating Risks from Lenovo

Art Hu, Lenovo’s SVP, Global CIO, and Services & Solutions Group CTO, the focus lies on the trajectory of AI and machine learning (AI/ML) technologies in 2024. Hu discusses Lenovo’s strategic approach towards integrating AI into their operations and supporting its adoption among clients, emphasizing the role of AI in computing capabilities and the emergence of ambient computing driven by Generative AI. He also addresses the importance of mitigating AI risks through robust governance policies, data quality assurance, and effective change management, highlighting the need for organizations to grasp the technology paradigm shift and align AI initiatives with broader organizational strategies to prevent strategic failures.

4. Interview of Jeff DeVerter from Rackspace Technology on AI Adoption 

Chief Technology Evangelist at Rackspace Technology, Jeff DeVerter, discussed the evolving expectations from Chief Information Officers (CIOs) and Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs) in leveraging AI to drive growth and innovation while ensuring security integration. DeVerter emphasizes the necessity for collaboration between CIOs and CISOs in delivering innovative and secure solutions. He also delves into the significance of edge computing and multi-cloud infrastructure in modernizing IT landscapes, citing examples from the financial services industry.

5. Rubrik’s Anneka Gupta Empowering Cyber Resilience with Generative AI

In an interview with Anneka Gupta, Chief Product Officer at Rubrik, the discussion centers around the pivotal role of AI, particularly generative AI, in bolstering cyber recovery and protection efforts. Anneka emphasizes the significance of Rubrik’s products in enabling organizations to recover swiftly after cyberattacks and enhance their cyber posture. The conversation delves into the challenges faced by organizations in combating cyber threats and the critical ingredients for building a robust cyber protection framework, including architecture, AI machine learning, and accelerated innovation. Gupta sheds light on the unique offerings of Rubrik for Amazon S3, providing insights into securing mission-critical data and facilitating rapid recovery at scale.

6. Palo Alto Networks’ Anand Oswal shares about Network Security

Anand Oswal, Senior Vice President and GM of Network Security at Palo Alto Networks, discusses the launch of Strata Cloud Manager, an AI-powered zero trust management and operations solution aimed at preventing network disruptions and ensuring consistent security management across all form factors. Oswal explains how Strata Cloud Manager integrates AIOPS capabilities to transform data into actionable insights, facilitating predictive analytics and best practice analysis. He highlights the significance of AI and automation in driving digital transformation for IT organizations in 2023 and elaborates on the best practices in network security management supported by AI-powered analysis and reporting tools.

7. Interview of Nicole Carignan of Darktrace on AI to Combat Cyber Threats

Nicole Carignan, VP of Strategic Cyber AI at Darktrace, shares her journey in cybersecurity and the evolution of AI in threat detection and response. She highlights the rise of multi-stage payload attacks like “Quishing” utilizing QR code phishing, emphasizing the need for AI-driven solutions to combat evolving threats. Carignan discusses the challenges of social engineering attacks and the role of generative AI in automating sophisticated phishing efforts. She stresses the importance of using the “Right AI for the Right Job” and how Darktrace employs AI to address human error, cyber skills shortage, and supply chain risks. Additionally, she explores Darktrace’s approach to cybersecurity training using AI-generated attack simulations and the future of AI in incident response and data recovery, enabling organizations to build cyber resilience and respond effectively to complex attacks.

8. Insights from Tony Ureche from Google on Empowering Security with ChromeOS

Tony Ureche, Director of Product Management for Security, Identity, and Privacy in ChromeOS at Google, discusses ChromeOS’s evolution, emphasizing its focus on security and privacy. Ureche highlights ChromeOS’s security features, such as zero ransom attacks reported, end-to-end security from firmware to cloud, and seamless automatic updates, providing robust defense against cyber threats. He elaborates on ChromeOS Data Controls, enabling IT and security teams to protect data and prevent unauthorized access. Ureche also discusses ChromeOS’s partnership ecosystem, strengthening the Chrome Enterprise Connector framework, and addresses concerns about AI-assisted malware, emphasizing ChromeOS’s built-in defenses.

9. Francesco Brenna on IBM’s Collaboration with Microsoft

Francesco Brenna, Global VP & Senior Partner at IBM Consulting, discusses the evolution of IBM’s partnership with Microsoft, emphasizing their transition from competitors to fully integrated collaborators under the leadership of Arvind Krishna and Satya Nadella. He highlights the strategic investments made by both companies to enhance their partnership, such as creating centers of Microsoft competency and acquiring complementary businesses like Neudesic. Brenna shares insights into their latest collaboration on generative AI, unveiling the IBM Consulting Azure OpenAI offering designed to accelerate organizations’ AI journeys on Azure.

10. Cyber Risks in a Digitized Landscape from Ken Englund from EY 

Ken Englund, EY Americas Industry Markets Leader for Technology, Media, and Telecommunications (TMT), discusses the evolving challenges and opportunities in the technology sector amidst increasing digitization. Englund highlights the importance of addressing inherent cyber risks associated with delivering unique client experiences through connected data-driven approaches. He emphasizes the need for technology companies to prioritize security from the outset, leveraging strategies like Zero Trust Architecture and optimizing automation to mitigate existing and emerging threats.

11. Interview with Cloudflare’s John Engates on Cybersecurity Through Endpoint Protection and Network Segmentation

John Engates, Field Chief Technology Officer at Cloudflare, shares his journey from co-founding an Internet Service Provider to joining Cloudflare in 2021, driven by a passion for building a better Internet. Engates discusses Cloudflare’s role in bolstering information security and data protection, highlighting the company’s innovative solutions and advocacy efforts. He emphasizes the importance of endpoint security and network segmentation in mitigating cyber threats, underscoring Cloudflare’s commitment to shaping safer cyberspace through contributions to global cybersecurity forums and policy dialogues. Engates also explores the challenges posed by Shadow IT and outlines Cloudflare’s solutions for enhancing cloud security and addressing modern organizational vulnerabilities.

12. Brian Pawlowski from Quantum emphasizes Optimizing Data Management 

Brian Pawlowski, Chief Development Officer at Quantum, discusses the evolution of storage technology, emphasizing the importance of flexibility, adaptability, and cloud-native solutions for organizations to extract maximum value from their data. Pawlowski highlights Quantum’s role as a leader in video and unstructured data management, offering end-to-end solutions to store, manage, protect, and analyze unstructured data effectively. He emphasizes the challenges posed by the exponential growth of unstructured data and the need for storage technology to be simple, efficient, and resilient. Pawlowski underscores the benefits of cloud-native storage technology, enabling organizations to deploy solutions both on-premises and in the cloud seamlessly.

13. AT&T’s Theresa Lanowitz shares Insights on Edge Computing

Theresa Lanowitz, Head of Cybersecurity Evangelism at AT&T Business, emphasizes the need for organizations to move from internal IT/security organizations to ecosystems of edge partners for successful business outcomes and improved cost-effectiveness and resilience. Lanowitz discusses the challenges of data silos, shadow IT, and SaaS sprawl, highlighting the importance of cross-functional cooperation and integrating security into the decision-making process from the outset. She explains how edge computing is transforming industries by bringing computing closer to where data is generated and consumed, driving positive business outcomes such as real-time inventory management and smart warehousing.

14. Herb Kelsey’s Interview on Cybersecurity Through Zero Trust

Herb Kelsey, Federal Chief Technology Officer at Dell Technologies, traces his career journey from engineering at GE to serving as IBM’s first CTO for Cyber Security and later joining Dell in 2021. Kelsey underscores Dell’s commitment to prioritizing information security and data protection, with a focus on Zero Trust as the guiding principle. He discusses Dell’s role in promoting Zero Trust, highlighting initiatives such as integrating Zero Trust foundations across product portfolios and forming a Zero Trust ecosystem with over 30 technology and security companies. Kelsey addresses the challenges and opportunities associated with globally accepted zero-trust mandates, emphasizing the need for integration, migration, and expertise in adopting a zero-trust architecture.

15. Insights on Cloud Learning  from Reg Singh at Oracle NetSuite

Reg Singh, VP of Education Services & Customer Success Initiatives at Oracle NetSuite, elaborates on the role of NetSuite’s education services in enabling customers to harness the full potential of their platform. With a focus on personalized learning experiences, NetSuite’s offerings cater to diverse user needs, from foundational understanding to advanced skills development. Singh introduces NetSuite MyLearn, a digital learning platform designed to offer personalized learning paths and a customizable dashboard, facilitating efficient upskilling and training. Emphasizing the importance of ongoing education in driving user adoption and optimization, Singh advocates for CIOs to prioritize investments in cloud-based learning solutions, highlighting the value of certifications and continuous learning in maximizing returns on cloud technology investments.

16. Daniel Hays’s on 5G Landscape from PwC

Daniel Hays, Principal and 5G Expert at PwC highlights the challenges and opportunities surrounding the deployment and monetization of 5G technologies. While acknowledging the success of the 5G rollout in meeting industry expectations, Hays highlights the pressing need for the mobile industry to generate significant returns on their investments in 5G infrastructure and spectrum. He discusses the timeline for the 6G introduction, estimating it to be 5-7 years away, emphasizing the need for standardization and infrastructure upgrades. Hays explores the impact of Open RAN and AI-based connectivity on telecom strategies, stressing the importance of a generational upgrade for full Open RAN adoption.

17. Tableau Software’s Francois Ajenstat shares about Data-driven Decision Making

Francois Ajenstat, Chief Product Officer at Tableau Software, discusses the evolution of Tableau over the last few years, emphasizing its mission to help people see and understand data. Ajenstat highlights Tableau’s core offerings, including self-service BI, data management, embedded analytics, and augmented analytics, catering to diverse industries where data is pivotal. He underscores the importance of AI in transforming the analytics market, making data more accessible and approachable for all users. Ajenstat elaborates on Tableau’s latest enhancements, particularly its integration with Slack, which enhances data collaboration and proactivity within workflows. He emphasizes the benefits of using Slack with Tableau and Salesforce data, facilitating seamless data access and insights directly within daily tools.

18. Phil Brotherton and Tony Paikeday on NetApp-NVIDIA Partnership

In this comprehensive interview, Phil Brotherton, VP of Solutions and Alliances at NetApp, and Tony Paikeday, Sr. Director of Product Marketing, AI Systems at NVIDIA, shed light on the convergence of IT and AI at NetApp, emphasizing the transformative potential of AIOps solutions. They discuss NetApp’s Active IQ and its use of AI and ML techniques to optimize storage environments, highlighting the importance of actionable intelligence in enhancing storage administration and performance. The core vision of the NetApp-NVIDIA partnership revolves around enabling enterprises to leverage data-driven insights through turnkey AI data center solutions, exemplified by the recent certification of NetApp all-flash NVMe storage and BeeGFS parallel file system with NVIDIA DGX SuperPOD.

19.  Zendesk’s Wendy Johnstone on Trust and Innovation

Wendy Johnstone, Chief Operating Officer at Zendesk APAC, discusses the evolving role of CRMs and the significance of trust in customer relationships. Amidst the pandemic, agility and customer-centricity have become paramount, driving the need for seamless communication channels and personalized experiences. Johnstone highlights Zendesk’s conversational CRM approach, prioritizing conversations and leveraging automation to enhance efficiency and lower costs. Emphasizing the importance of data management and privacy, she underscores the need for ethical policies to build trust with customers. Looking ahead, Johnstone predicts the central role of AI in customer support, envisioning AI-first customer service by 2025 and a significant automation of front-line interactions by 2030, emphasizing the need for businesses to strategically integrate AI for sustainable growth.

20. Insights from Katie Drucker from AWS

Katie Drucker, Director and Global Leader of Business Development at AWS shares her perspective on nurturing startups and leveraging cloud technology. With a focus on providing comprehensive support tailored to each startup’s needs, AWS offers a range of programs, from early-stage initiatives like Activate to later-stage support through the AWS Global Startup Program. Drucker emphasizes the transformative impact of cloud computing on startup innovation, enabling rapid iteration and accessibility.

21. A Conversation about Automation with Jeremiah Stone from SnapLogic

Jeremiah Stone, CTO at SnapLogic, discusses the pivotal role of SnapLogic’s Intelligent Integration Platform in accelerating business agility through integration and automation. Stone’s journey, marked by a commitment to solving complex problems, underscores SnapLogic’s dedication to delivering impactful solutions. Amidst the pandemic, Stone emphasizes the importance of adaptation and highlights integration and automation as key enablers of organizational resilience. SnapLogic’s cloud-native platform, powered by AI and machine learning, simplifies data integration and optimization, empowering organizations to drive breakthrough business results.

22. BCG’s Ronny Fehling shares about NLP Solutions

Ronny Fehling, Partner, and Director at BCG GAMMA, sheds light on the intersection of AI, NLP, and process change management, emphasizing their profound impact on organizational workflows. Fehling’s journey, marked by a deep involvement in NLP solutions development, underscores BCG’s commitment to leveraging smart technologies for high-impact solutions. BCG GAMMA’s data science projects prioritize value generation, combining smart algorithms, AI, data engineering, and process change management to unlock client value.

23.  Understanding the Future of AI and the Cloud with Scott Toborg from Teradata

Scott Toborg, Director of Product Management Data Science and Advanced Analytics at Teradata, provides a comprehensive outlook on the synergy between AI, ML, and cloud technologies, emphasizing their pivotal role in driving enterprise innovation. With a wealth of experience spanning nearly three decades in data science, Toborg elucidates the transformative potential of AI/ML in mitigating the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, underscoring the need for wider adoption of technology-enabled solutions. Discussing Teradata’s recent integration with Microsoft Azure, Toborg elucidates how the convergence of big data, cloud computing, and AI Ops streamlines data analytics workloads, fostering agility and cost-efficiency for enterprises.

24. Embracing the DIE Triad with Sounil Yu, CISO at JupiterOne

Sounil Yu, Chief Information Security Officer at JupiterOne, advocates for a contemporary approach to security assessments, emphasizing their continuity and immediate response to material deficiencies. With a focus on building “cattle” rather than “pets” in their asset management strategy, Yu highlights JupiterOne’s alignment with the DIE Triad (Distributed, Immutable, Ephemeral) and the platform’s role in reducing security risks. He stresses the importance of continuous assessment, drawing parallels to the US Secret Service’s real-time security posture adjustments for POTUS.

25. Salesforce’s  Dana Chery elevates Customer Interactions in the Interview

Dana Chery, VP of Product Marketing at Salesforce, discusses the critical role of digital-first customer experiences in today’s business landscape, emphasizing the need to exceed expectations across all touchpoints. Amid the pandemic, customer service underwent a profound evolution, with Service Cloud playing a pivotal role in facilitating remote operations and meeting heightened service demands. Chery outlines Salesforce’s vision for the future of CRM in contact centers, highlighting the transformative capabilities of Service Cloud Voice and Service Cloud Workforce Engagement in delivering personalized, efficient service experiences

26. Interview with Jonathan Brassington from Capgemini

Jonathan Brassington, EVP and Digital Customer Experience Practice Lead at Capgemini North America discusses the profound impact of AI-powered solutions on the growth of customer experience (CX) management across various domains and sectors. He highlights the evolution of CX technology, emphasizing integrated approaches, immersive technologies like AR, and the utilization of AI for predictive analytics and real-time interaction management. Brassington outlines the role of Capgemini in driving better CX initiatives during the pandemic, including facilitating direct-to-consumer transformations and leveraging AI for sales optimization and self-service options.

27. HubSpot’s Scott Brinker Talks about Enhancing Customer Experiences 

Scott Brinker, VP of Platform Ecosystem at HubSpot, highlights the evolving landscape of customer experience management amidst the pandemic, emphasizing the growing trend of businesses transitioning into media companies to capture valuable customer attention. With the proliferation of digital channels, brands are challenged to deliver relevant experiences while maintaining a human touch, prompting increased investments in customer service technology. Brinker underscores the importance of data analytics in informing customer experiences, advocating for collaboration between marketing, sales, and customer service teams to break down internal silos and prioritize the customer journey.

28. Amy White’s Insights on Revolutionizing Digital Reading 

Amy White, Director of Social Impact and Communications at Adobe, sheds light on leveraging technology for social good, emphasizing the transformative potential of digital tools in education and literacy. Amidst the challenges posed by the pandemic, Adobe has spearheaded initiatives like the Equity and Advancement Initiative and partnered with Google to launch The Readability Consortium (TRC), aiming to personalize digital reading experiences and address global literacy issues.

29. Digital Transformation with Rich Nanda from Deloitte

Rich Nanda, Principal at Deloitte and leader of the US Monitor Deloitte Strategy Practice underscores the importance of aligning digital investments with strategic priorities to drive organizational success. Drawing from his extensive experience in consumer goods and digital innovation, Nanda emphasizes the need for enterprises to embrace digital capabilities to foster agility, innovation, and resiliency, particularly in challenging times like the COVID-19 pandemic. Highlighting the evolving landscape of digital transformation, Nanda advocates for integrating digital and strategy planning processes to capitalize on emerging opportunities and stay competitive in the market.

30. Jude Boyle from Databricks Interview on Data Innovation

Jude Boyle, VP of Public Sector at Databricks, shares the transformative power of the Lakehouse architecture, encapsulating the best attributes of data warehouses and data lakes, to offer a unified solution for diverse data workloads. With a passion for enabling public sector missions, Boyle emphasizes Databricks’ commitment to delivering secure, performant platforms for driving vital missions, ranging from veteran support to healthcare fraud prevention. Discussing the evolution of enterprise data management, Boyle delineates Databricks’ pivotal role as the go-to platform for data lakehouse adoption, addressing the growing demand for real-time analytics and AI-driven insights. Leveraging the expanded FedRAMP authorization, Databricks empowers federal agencies to harness the full potential of the Lakehouse Platform while ensuring stringent security and compliance standards are met.

31. Russell McMahon and Aaron Kalb’s Interview on Future Data Leaders

Russell McMahon, Associate Professor at the University of Cincinnati, and Aaron Kalb, Co-founder and Chief Strategy Officer at Alation, the focus is on the Data Intelligence Project, aimed at accelerating innovations and research in data analytics and data science. McMahon shares his journey in data science education and highlights the importance of blending real-world experience with classroom learning. Kalb explains Alation’s role in the initiative, providing students and faculty access to their platform to enhance data literacy and practical skills. The project aims to broaden its reach to more universities globally, introducing an off-the-shelf curriculum and partnerships with technology firms. Both experts foresee AI’s long-lasting impact on education, with data skills becoming a basic expectation in the future. They envision the project expanding beyond classrooms to labs, fostering faculty research, and preparing students for data-driven careers.

32. LogRhythm’s Andrew Hollister Interview on SIEM Solutions

Andrew Holliste, CISO & VP Labs R&Dr of LogRhythm discusses the evolution of Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) solutions, emphasizing their role in providing complete visibility across organizations to detect and respond to cyber threats swiftly. He highlights the increasing demand for cloud-based SIEM delivery and integration with other cloud offerings, emphasizing the importance of SIEM in the Zero Trust approach. Hollister explores the future of SIEM platforms with AI and machine learning capabilities, envisioning their role in assisting SOC analysts and enhancing threat detection. He shares his passion for cybersecurity analytics and the excitement around technologies like ML and Zero Trust. Hollister reflects on the pandemic’s impact on the threat landscape, emphasizing the need for vigilance in remote working environments.

33. Cindy Provin from Entrust Shares on AI for Enhanced Security 

Cindy Provind,  SVP and General Manager, of Identity and Data Security at Entrust discusses emerging trends in data integration and transformation, emphasizing the risks posed by distributed multi-cloud environments and privileged access schemes. She highlights the challenges organizations face in maintaining control over critical data and underscores the importance of encryption and scalable key management. Cindy defines data literacy in the context of security and stresses the role of cryptography in protecting data confidentiality and integrity. Regarding security management skills, she emphasizes the need for talent capable of not only collecting and analyzing data but also safeguarding it throughout its lifecycle.

34. Advancing Cybersecurity Strategies: Insights from Aaron Bugal at Sophos

Aaron Bugal, Field Chief Technology Officer for Asia Pacific and Japan (APJ) at Sophos, discusses the importance of asset inventory and management in building a holistic Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA) model. He highlights Sophos’ Managed Detection and Response (MDR) solution, which has seen significant success in enhancing cyber resilience and enabling businesses to focus on core functions. Bugal elaborates on Sophos Central’s unique features and capabilities, emphasizing its role in providing a unified console for managing various cybersecurity solutions and delivering synchronized security. He addresses the challenges posed by AI-powered ransomware attacks and underscores Sophos Central’s proactive approach to leveraging AI research to strengthen defenses.

35. Interview with Mathivanan Venkatachalam from ManageEngine

Mathivanan Venkatachalam, VP of Product Management at ManageEngine, outlines his role in shaping the strategic vision and product experience across IT operations management (ITOM) and unified endpoint management and security portfolios. He emphasizes the necessity for enterprises to build a global data fabric with advanced analytics to manage distributed IT environments effectively. ManageEngine integrates IT operations management with application security, automation, and analytics, providing a single view for enterprise IT operations and enabling efficient decision-making and capacity planning.

36. Victoria Phillips from Avionos Interview about Digital Transformation

Victoria Phillips, COO at Avionos, delineates her role in delivering tangible business outcomes for clients through a comprehensive array of digital commerce and marketing services. She underscores the company’s adaptability during the pandemic, catering to the surging demand for commerce solutions by introducing offerings like the Quick Start option, facilitating a seamless transition to online transactions for businesses grappling with remote work challenges. Phillips elucidates Avionos’s agile approach in redefining methodologies to deliver both complex custom projects and simplified solutions efficiently.

37. Cloudentity’s Interview on Zero Trust Frameworks with Jasen Meece

Jasen Meece, Former CEO of Cloudentity, emphasizes the imperative of adopting Zero Trust frameworks in 2021, driven by the accelerated shift to remote work amid the COVID-19 pandemic and the escalating cyber threat landscape. He underscores the necessity for all users to undergo authentication and authorization, regardless of their location within the enterprise network, to safeguard against security breaches, which are often exacerbated by human error. Meece also discusses the role of AI and machine learning in mitigating bot-related risks and crimes, highlighting the importance of managing and protecting the identities of automated bots to prevent data compromise.

38.  VMware and NVIDIA Partnership: Insights from Matt Coppinger

Matt Coppinger, Director AR/VR at VMware, discusses the collaboration with NVIDIA around their CloudXR SDK, enabling streaming of AR/VR workloads to standalone headsets like Oculus Quest via VMware vSphere. He highlights the opportunities in AR/VR for immersive training, remote assistance, design visualization, and remote collaboration, emphasizing the benefits across various industries including retail, healthcare, and oil and gas. Coppinger explains the challenges of rendering high-fidelity digital twins on mobile devices for AR applications and the role of streaming in overcoming these limitations.

39. Interview with Rajendra Prasad from Accenture

Rajendra Prasad, Global Automation Lead at Accenture, discusses his role in driving efficiency across IT technology services and implementing the AI-driven, intelligent automation platform Accenture myWizard. He emphasizes the accelerated adoption of intelligent automation amid COVID-19, with a focus on hyper-automation to stabilize critical business operations. Prasad explains how myWizard’s data science engine reduces IT operational costs by leveraging vast data-driven intelligence and AI. He predicts that AI, ML, and automation will revolutionize DevOps capabilities, highlighting Accenture’s technology partnerships and collaborations with academic institutions. Prasad shares insights from Accenture’s Future Systems research, emphasizing the importance of automation in creating resilient and digitally secure systems.

40.  Interview on Business Resilience in the Cloud Industry with Anant Adya from Infosys

Anant Adya, SVP at Infosys, highlights the evolving landscape of cloud and infosec industries, emphasizing the rapid adoption of cloud technologies by organizations worldwide driven by the pandemic. Adya stresses the importance of prioritizing security management policies before investing in cloud technologies to ensure smooth operations and efficient risk mitigation. He discusses his role’s evolution during the pandemic crisis, focusing on business resilience and competitiveness. Adya advocates for sharing knowledge and learning among teams working with cloud technologies to foster a collaborative future for the industry.

41. Interview on Evolving Data Security Strategies with Richard Vibert from Metomic

Richard Vibert, CEO at Metomic, discusses the evolving role of data security teams, highlighting the importance of understanding where sensitive data is stored across various platforms beyond traditional data warehouses. He predicts that in 2024, companies will expand their focus to encompass all cloud vendors and SaaS applications, enhancing their ability to detect and protect sensitive data from a unified platform. Vibert also emphasizes the seamless integration of Data Security Posture Management (DSPM) tools with other security solutions, enabling improved operational efficiency and holistic measurement of security performance.

42. KNIME’s Rosaria Silipo Interview on Advancing Data Science Adoption

In an interview with Rosaria Silipo, VP of Data Science Evangelism at KNIME, she discusses her role as a data science evangelist, emphasizing the importance of teaching and spreading awareness about data science through various channels. Silipo reflects on her career journey and underscores the significance of curiosity and innovation in navigating the rapidly evolving field of data science. She elaborates on KNIME’s approach to merging advanced analytics into user-friendly interfaces, highlighting the process of simplifying complex solutions for end-users. Silipo shares compelling use cases, including anomaly detection in predictive maintenance, showcasing KNIME’s ability to derive business value from data science projects.

43. Empowering Data Integration and Analytics with Qlik: Insights from Hiroshi Imai

Hiroshi Imai, Country Manager at Qlik Japan, he discusses his role in driving Qlik’s business growth in Japan and improving data literacy through their end-to-end data platform. Imai highlights the evolution of the data integration market, emphasizing the importance of real-time data for decision-making, especially amid global challenges like the pandemic and market fluctuations. He also touches upon Qlik’s collaboration with Hitachi Omika Japan, focusing on how Qlik analytics aids in risk analysis and decision-making. Imai elaborates on the unique needs of supply chain data and how Qlik-Talend offers solutions to address these challenges efficiently. He underscores Qlik’s standout features in data integration and analytics, emphasizing their current AI capabilities and customer-centric approach.

44. Jake McClean’s Interview on Elevating Endpoint Management

Jake McClean, Chief Information Officer at Tanium, shares insights into his role at Tanium and his journey before joining the company, emphasizing Tanium’s position as a provider of comprehensive endpoint management tools. McClean discusses major transformations in the IT security landscape, highlighting the emergence of self-service technologies and low-code tools that have revolutionized information worker productivity. He elaborates on Tanium’s core offerings, pioneering the Converged Endpoint Management (XEM) category, and emphasizes the importance of assessing risk profiles before investing in technology.

45. JumpCloud’s Antoine Jebara Interview on IT Management 

Antoine Jebara, Co-Founder and GM, of MSP Products at JumpCloud, the focus is on JumpCloud’s core offerings as an open directory platform enabling IT admins and MSPs to manage users’ identities, access, and devices from a unified platform. Jebara discusses overcoming challenges faced by SMEs in managing IT infrastructure and highlights JumpCloud’s role in providing a secure and frictionless way for users to access applications from any location and device. Additionally, he emphasizes the importance of establishing partnerships focused on creating value for customers, discusses future trends in IT security and the hybrid workplace model, and shares insights on the efficacy of product-led growth models and the future of AI and automation-led IT management in hybrid and remote workplaces.

46. Cloud Security Insights from Craig Hinkley, CEO of CloudBolt

Craig Hinkley, CEO of CloudBolt, focuses on the role of AI and automation in bolstering cloud security and revolutionizing cloud management practices. Hinkley emphasizes the importance of total visibility into cloud-related activities and the need for cross-cloud visibility and interoperability to manage multi-cloud environments effectively. He discusses the link between cloud automation and FinOps, highlighting how they work together to control and optimize cloud costs.

47. Interview with Graeme Thompson from Informatica

Graeme Thompson, Chief Information Officer at Informatica, the focus is on leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) to drive the company’s comprehensive data management platform. Thompson discusses the role of AI, particularly the AI engine CLAIRE, in powering metadata-driven intelligent data management. He emphasizes the importance of AI in enhancing data quality and accessibility, enabling Informatica to deliver trusted, reliable data to its customers. Thompson also addresses the challenges facing modern CIOs, highlighting the need for a shift towards cross-functional collaboration and data-driven decision-making.

48. DataStax’s Ed Anuff Shares about Driving Real-Time Innovation

Ed Anuff, Chief Product Officer at DataStax, talks about enabling enterprises to harness the power of real-time data and build high-growth applications at scale across any cloud environment. Anuff discusses DataStax’s offerings, including Astra DB, a serverless, multi-cloud database service optimized for real-time applications, and Astra Streaming, a managed messaging and event streaming service. He highlights DataStax’s recent acquisition of Kaskada, a machine learning company, to enhance its AI capabilities, emphasizing the importance of real-time machine learning for delivering impactful AI-driven applications.

49. Interview with Neil Kole from Boomi

Neil Kole, former Chief Information Officer at Boomi, the focus is on leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) to drive IT operations (ITOps) and cybersecurity management. Kole discusses the challenges modern CIOs face, emphasizing the need to innovate and respond to business demands amidst increasing application complexity. He highlights Boomi’s low-code integration platform as a service (iPaaS) as a solution for streamlining connectivity requests and enabling innovation. Boomi’s core offerings, spanning various industries, prioritize simplifying complexity and unlocking business outcomes through automation and intelligent connectivity.

50. Insights from Liz Rutgersson from Merkle

Liz Rutgersson, former Chief Media Officer at Merkle, the focus is on the intersection of data privacy and customer experience in the tech industry. Rutgersson emphasizes the importance of finding a balance between user protection and a compelling customer experience, especially as consumer demands for transparency and personalization increase. She predicts continued challenges for major tech players amid economic instability and inflation, leading to a reevaluation of budgets and performance expectations.

In the End