- What do you do here at RBN?
My job is to ensure that our clients our delighted by our services and that we constantly strive to deliver the maximum value as RBN. As VP of Client Engagement, I get involved right from the Sales Cycle with the customer through project delivery, closure and subsequent potential transition to the MSP team.
What makes this exciting is that every client situation is unique — our clients have different objectives and constraints that demand innovative solutions. We are fortunate at RBN that we can bring to bear our diverse skillsets through the Cloud Development LifeCycle (CDLC) to ensure we are meeting our client’s needs.
- What was your background prior to joining the RBN team? What led you to come work here?
My career in IT has encompassed Software Product Development, Technology Consulting and, most recently, Corporate IT at a Fortune 10 firm. I started my career working as a Software Engineer at Digital Equipment Corporation (Maynard, Mass.) and, since then, my career has taken me to stints in Atlanta, London, Italy, Toronto, India and Detroit!
As an IT professional, our challenge is to stay abreast of the latest trends in technology and ensure our skillsets are keeping up. This was my main driver in joining RBN — I think everyone realizes that the benefits of Public Cloud are strongly compelling and that this will be the dominant paradigm of how IT services get delivered in the future.
- What things do you look for in your workplace?
The most important thing for me is ensuring that we have a culture of customer focus and teamwork. Obviously, no business can run without customers, so that is priority #1. Secondly, IT is a team sport — we are out our best when we become “greater than the sum of our parts” by excellent collaboration, communication and working together as one.
- What’s your favorite thing about your job?
The flexibility that my work environment offers. I have a long commute and typically work one day from home — with our collaboration tools this works out just as productive. Also, I enjoy the fact that our employees have diverse interests and eclectic backgrounds.
- What is your office nickname, and how did you earn it?
I’m the guy at the office known for vegetarian cuisine, gourmet coffee and being the only tie-wearer!
- If you could switch your job with anyone else within RBN, whose job would you want and why?
I would love to get “my hands dirty” and be a Cloud Solutions Engineer!
- What advice would you give anyone starting out in the industry?
Learn, get certified, get experience!
- Three words to best describe you:
Calm, professional, and organized!
- What has been your favorite project you’ve worked on at RBN?
All of our projects have been unique experiences. In terms of recent engagements that comes to mind, we worked on cloud-enabling a company for accelerating the development of their autonomous driving technology. It was really interesting to have a front row seat to something that is dramatically going to affect how we look at vehicle-based mobility over the next couple of decades!
- If you were the subject of a movie about your life, what would the title of the movie be, what genre, and what actor would you like to play you?
“Dr. Strange” — I would play the title role to work against the forces of the “server huggers” to herald the new age of ubiquitous, free computing, networking and storage. Benedict Cumberbatch would be my actor of choice!
- What do you do for fun outside of work?
I like to travel with the family. I also enjoy photography and especially nature photography.
- What was the last song you listened to on your smartphone? Or what’s on the last playlist you listened to?
I generally listen to archival music — private recordings of musical performances in intimate settings when the artiste is not putting on a commercial show as much as just sharing their art as a musician.
- What would you most like to tell yourself at age 13?
Invest in stock of the internet giants (Amazon, Google, etc)!