[PODCAST] How Companies Can Use Technology and Big Data to Stay Ahead of Their Competition

About This Discussion:

This conversation with Karen Rhodes is nothing short of fascinating as we several different conversations. Karen's role has changed dramatically from starting out in the call center to now being an Account Chief Technologist with HPE.

We discussed the change in technology and security as IoT, along with other technology is being introduced at a rate that feels almost impossible to keep up with. We talked about corporate responsibilities in not just gathering data, but gathering the right information from it. We then talked about how corporations can make smarter decisions in adopting new technology, and actually bringing in the right technology.

There were a ton of nuggets from this one!

About Karen Rhodes:

Karen Rhodes is an Account Chief Technologist for Hewlett Packard Enterprise. Prior to joining HPE Karen spent 10 years in the Hosting industry working for The Planet and then Layered Technologies.  As the Chief Architect of Layered Technologies with 15,000+ HP servers in 7 datacenters and over 1% of all Internet websites, she focused the organizations strategy on hosting virtualization solutions based on VMware, Hyper-v,  KVM, Solaris and AppLogic/Xen based cloud environments.

Karen has spent the last 20 years in networking as an engineer/architect and has held the following certifications: Converged Infrastructure, Network Infrastructure and Wireless MASE, Security ASE, VCP3,4 and 5, CCNA, CCNP, CCDA, CCDP. She is a member of the network ambassadors team where she works with the cross EG  R&D Executive  team.

She can be reached on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rhodeskaren/

Here's the Official Breakdown:

2:00 - Where are new technologies coming from, and how does technology within the data center sit today? We learn a lot about what’s changing in how we gather data, and how the security landscape has changed.

4:10 - As technology and security have changed, where does a company begin to even fend off the new risks that are continually being introduced? (And hint, it’s not about the technology, it’s about the humans!)

6:20 - Why AI isn’t a bad thing, and in fact, it can be a really good thing, and how businesses need to approach introducing the technology to make sure their employees are excited about this vs. fearful of it.

7:35 - Taking a step back to truly understand the definition of AI, and why it’s not just a matter of robots, but what it really looks like to implement AI technology.

9:25 - As much as we want to create more thought-proving work for people and remove the mundane tasks from their workload, is this really a welcomed changed? And how does the motivation to help make these changes come to play?

11:41 - Breaking down the public sector industry. How innovative are they, and are they truly on the edge of cutting technology? And the big problem that’s been born with Big Data and IoT - Is the data really saying what it’s saying.

15:20 - The other big issue with Big Data in the Public Sector is how can people work together when it comes to gathering so much data from various resources

22:30 - Do politics have a play in data and what we do with the information we’re gathering?

23:10 - Does in-house vs. the cloud truly matter any more? And then Karen is kind enough to define AI vs. Machine Learning

26:40 - The problem in the corporate world where people are making huge decisions in technology spaces, but truly don’t understand the technology. And there’s a lot of wasted money being spent because of our current buzz word craze.

And the ONE question they simply need to stop and ask.

29:40 - Karen’s advice for business leaders to attempt to stay on top of all of this technology

33:55 - The questions decision-makers should learn to ask vendors before making huge decisions

35:05 - What’s the best way from high school into the technology career

37:20 - Why constantly learning is crucial for your career and business growth.

39:40 - The one thing the older generations sell themselves short on when it comes to learning new technology

Karen Rhodes - on LinkedIn --> https://www.linkedin.com/in/rhodeskaren/