IT Matters [Opkalla]

On this episode of the IT Matters Podcast, Keith and Aaron are joined by Jeff Roberts, Founder & CEO at Innovation Vista. Drawing from his extensive experience as a CIO and consultant, Jeff discusses common pitfalls organizations encounter with VCIO services and shares strategies for leveraging their potential to drive greater efficiency and success.Conversation Highlights:00:00 Introducing Jeff Roberts, founder and CEO of Innovation Vista[03:54] The genesis of Innovation Vista[05:36] Common missteps with fractional CIOs[11:06] Building trust in consulting engagements[24:40] A client’s IT transformation success story[28:18] Finding the right fit for each client[40:12] Managing risk effectively in a VCIO modelNotable Quotes:"Change has never been faster than it is right now, and it'll never be this slow again." - Jeff Roberts [37:32]"You have to go beyond efficiency. You really need to empower the entire business model and transform it." - Jeff Roberts [44:33]Connect with Jeff Roberts:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robertsjeff/Innovation Vista: https://innovationvista.com/The IT Matters Podcast is about IT matters and matters pertaining to IT. It is produced by Opkalla, a technology advisory firm that helps their clients navigate the confusion in the technology marketplace and choose the solution that is right for their business.

In this episode, Keith is joined by Glenn Hasteadt, IT Director at the County of Onslow, and Jess Levin, Technology Advisor at Opkalla. Glenn dives into the importance of building relationships and fostering trust with your IT team.Conversation Highlights:00:00 Introducing our guest, Glenn Hasteadt[02:48] IT teams gaining recognition[03:27] Fostering relationships between departments[04:51] Advice for new leaders[11:09] Practicing culture characteristics[24:30] The new generation of IT [32:01] Discussing culture changeNotable Quotes:"Your culture of your organization is how you think Sunday night with Monday coming." Glenn Hasteadt [24:05]"The change begins with the leader, not the other way around." Keith Hawkey [33:03]Connect With Glenn HasteadtLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ghasteadt/Keynote Speaking: https://powerincaring.com/The IT Matters Podcast is about IT matters and matters pertaining to IT. It is produced by Opkalla, a technology advisory firm that helps their clients navigate the confusion in the technology marketplace and choose the solution that is right for their business.

In this episode of the IT Matters podcast, host Keith Hawkey delves into the complexities of change management with Meridith Fix, the former CIO of Lendlease. Meridith shares her extensive experience and unique perspectives on how organizations can successfully navigate technology changes from a human-centric approach. Conversation Highlights:[00:00] Introducing our guest, Meridith[03:34] Building the foundations for a technology change[06:32] Navigating organizational changes[09:46] Cultivating continued learning[15:35] Understanding communication styles[24:59] Generative AI and change management[27:43] Meridith's message to IT leadersNotable Quotes:"People resist change out of fear, out of fear and distrust because our brains are wired to keep us safe. We have this sort of natural inclination to lean towards the status quo to prioritize the present." Meridith Fix [04:58]"One of my favorite quotes of all time is 'Be the change you want to see in the world.' I think that's what I would encourage IT leaders to be, really any leader." Meridith Fix [28:12]Connect With Meridith FixLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meridithfix/The IT Matters Podcast is about IT matters and matters pertaining to IT. It is produced by Opkalla, a technology advisory firm that helps their clients navigate the confusion in the technology marketplace and choose the solution that is right for their business.

In this episode, Keith is joined by Darrell Stinson, VP of IT & Security at Cohere Health, a software startup in the healthcare space. Darrell and Keith dive into a strategy for building and implementing security compliance plans for startups.Conversation Highlights:[00:39] Introducing our guest, Darrell Stinson[03:37] Darrell's journey with startups[05:51] Experimenting with open source technology[07:13] Strategizing in a new ecosystem[14:08] Evaluating MDR providers[20:35] Compliance requirements to adopt[24:23] Utilizing artificial intelligenceNotable Quotes:"Communication helps build your credibility, helps build your buy in, and people are more inclined to support decisions that you make." Darrell Stinson [16:55]"(Artificial Intelligence) is gonna give you an outline and then you can go and sprinkle Keith in it, you can go and sprinkle Darrell in it, and fill in the blanks with the things that are appropriate." Darrell Stinson [25:48]Connect With Darrell StinsonLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/darrell-j-stinson/The IT Matters Podcast is about IT matters and matters pertaining to IT. It is produced by Opkalla, a technology advisory firm that helps their clients navigate the confusion in the technology marketplace and choose the solution that is right for their business.

In this episode, Keith is joined by Chintan Patel, Chief Information Officer at National DCP, a supply chain management company serving the franchisees of Dunkin'. Chintan delves into the hurdles and opportunities she encounters in the logistics industry, highlighting the role of technology in overcoming these obstacles. Conversation Highlights:[00:41] Introducing our guest, Chintan Patel[02:16] High level challenges in the logistics industry[04:02] Technologies making an impact[07:35] Discussing remote labor opportunities[13:20] Artificial Intelligence and Operations[23:18] Lessons learned in digital transformation[32:06] Understanding your target audience[35:41] Chintan's message to IT leaders Notable Quotes:"At the end of the day, technology is a data journey from A to B, and how efficiently you get there." Chintan Patel [19:59]"Don't forget to sell for yourself, you've got to be your own marketing champion." Chintan Patel [36:15]Connect With Chintan PatelLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chintan-patel-atlanta/The IT Matters Podcast is about IT matters and matters pertaining to IT. It is produced by Opkalla, a technology advisory firm that helps their clients navigate the confusion in the technology marketplace and choose the solution that is right for their business.

In this episode, Keith and special guest Jesse are joined by Anthony Kent, VP of Information Technology at Four County EMC, an electric membership cooperative in North Carolina. Anthony shares insights into the technological advancements and challenges faced by electric cooperatives, particularly focusing on the integration of new technologies and AI into their operations.Conversation Highlights:[00:17] Introducing our guests, Anthony Kent and Jesse Erickson[01:17] How Jesse and Anthony met[02:46] Anthony's career journey and background[06:32] Explaining what an electric co-op is[09:18] Technologies impacting Anthony's role[15:27] AI in the EMC industry[19:30] Anthony's integration challenges[24:51] Learning from failures in his role[29:13] Innovations in the OT space[33:41] Anthony's message to IT leadersNotable Quotes:"You need to have some buffers in place to help protect yourself, your data, and your organization, but AI is here to stay. And it's going to be a bigger part of the future going forward." Anthony Kent [12:23]"Just keep moving along. We're all human. We all make mistakes. All we can do is just try to be better." Anthony Kent [34:53]Connect With Anthony KentLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anthony-k-b3ab0b5/Off the Wire: https://open.spotify.com/show/4hTvTSA935imZPY41wXS39?si=0c7eb684d6754b51The IT Matters Podcast is about IT matters and matters pertaining to IT. It is produced by Opkalla, a technology advisory firm that helps their clients navigate the confusion in the technology marketplace and choose the solution that is right for their business.

William MacMillan serves as the Chief Product Officer at Red Cell Partners, an incubation firm building rapidly-scalable technology-led companies. After nearly two decades of military service, he transitioned into the role of Chief Information Security Officer at the CIA, safeguarding our nation against cyber threats. In this episode, we discuss the process of implementing Zero Trust Architecture in your organization and its importance.Conversation Highlights:[00:23] Introducing our guest, William MacMillan[01:26] MacMillan's experience in the service[04:02] Transitioning to the CIA[06:14] CIA in the film industry[11:38] Origins of Zero Trust Architecture[18:09] Zero Trust Strategy in the CIA[26:19] The impacts of Generative AI[29:00] Introducing Red Cell Partners[34:45] Advice to young people interested in cyberNotable Quotes:"We're starting to see Gen AI harnessed in ways that are going to help the overworked and overwhelmed cyber defenders that need to operate a lot more efficiently." William MacMillan [28:05]"I can't emphasize enough, I don't know why people wouldn't want to work in cybersecurity. It's where the action is." William MacMillan [35:27]Resources Mentioned:Spycraft Entertainment: https://spycraftentertainment.com/Jerry O'SheaJohn SipherKari AmelungPhil ReillyConnect With William MacMillanLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/william-macmillan-b835714/The IT Matters Podcast is about IT matters and matters pertaining to IT. It is produced by Opkalla, a technology advisory firm that helps their clients navigate the confusion in the technology marketplace and choose the solution that is right for their business.

Brennan Manion serves as a Senior Account Executive at Red Canary, a Managed Detection Response service providing 24/7/365 protection for their customers. Through Red Canary's innovative approach, which integrates AI and human expertise, organizations can effectively mitigate cyber threats while minimizing false positives, providing peace of mind in an ever-evolving threat landscape. In this episode, we discuss the significance of MDR and the intricate differences between EDR, MDR, and XDR.Conversation Highlights:[01:39] Introducing our guest, Brennan Manion[07:12] Defining MDR[12:30] Discussing the origin of Red Canary[13:32] Adopting a cloud-first model[15:39] False positives in MDR[18:09] Comparing EDR, MDR, and XDR[21:16] Partnering with Red Canary[24:25] Leveraging AI in MDR services[27:10] Brennan's message to IT leadersNotable Quotes:"The number one core value at Red Canary is we do what's right for the customer." Brennan Manion [15:19]"If you feel strong about something, push the button. You'd be surprised at the amount of greatness that you can bring the world." Brennan Manion [28:30]Connect With Brennan ManionLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brennan-manion-5a916639/The IT Matters Podcast is about IT matters and matters pertaining to IT. It is produced by Opkalla, a technology advisory firm that helps their clients navigate the confusion in the technology marketplace and choose the solution that is right for their business.

Todd Capriotti serves as the Chief Information Officer of Wahiawa General Hospital, a community-owned, non-profit hospital serving Central Oahu and Oahu's North Shore. Hand-picked as the first-ever CIO for Wahiawa, Todd pioneered a comprehensive transformation strategy, reversing a 5+ year negative trend of delivery outages and service interruptions. In this episode, we discuss the unique challenges of revamping IT infrastructure and cybersecurity protocols in the healthcare industry.Conversation Highlights:[01:02] Introducing our guest, Todd Capriotti[06:08] Solution providers in Hawaii[09:15] Accepting the CIO role at Wahiawa[10:36] Todd's biggest struggles in the role[16:32] Aligning with the other C-Suite leaders[19:48] Stretching the IT budget in a non-profit[23:07] Protecting data in the healthcare system[26:42] Discussing public cloud service[30:12] Todd's message to IT leadersNotable Quotes:"We have to fix the infrastructure before we can worry about fixing security." Todd Capriotti [14:24]"It's not about being right. It's about getting it done correctly." Todd Capriotti [32:23]Connect With Todd CapriottiLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/todd-capriotti/The IT Matters Podcast is about IT matters and matters pertaining to IT. It is produced by Opkalla, a technology advisory firm that helps their clients navigate the confusion in the technology marketplace and choose the solution that is right for their business.

Kristopher Moniz serves as the National Data & Analytics Lead for Centric Consulting, an international management consulting firm with unmatched expertise in business transformation, AI strategy, cyber risk management, technology implementation and adoption. Kristopher's focus is helping his clients tackle their Data & Analytics challenges, specifically in the insurance industry, where he has concentrated the last fifteen years of his career. Today we discuss the importance of a data strategy in your organization and the steps to building one.Conversation Highlights:[00:40] Microsoft Copilot updates [02:14] Introducing our guest, Kristopher Moniz[04:23] Explaining data strategy[09:49] Building an organizational data strategy[13:36] Utilizing a business plan[23:04] Data and AI[25:27] Security risks with LLMs[30:19] Compliance laws in the modern landscape[34:39] Cloud first approach[39:19] Emerging tech in data and analytics[42:12] Kristopher's message to IT leadersNotable Quotes:"You can't have AI without data." Aaron Bock [23:33]"Every bit of data has value, you just don't know exactly what that value is yet." Kristopher Moniz [43:16]Connect With Kristopher MonizLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristophermoniz/The IT Matters Podcast is about IT matters and matters pertaining to IT. It is produced by Opkalla, a technology advisory firm that helps their clients navigate the confusion in the technology marketplace and choose the solution that is right for their business.