Nomad Futurist Nomad Futurist

In this freewheeling podcast Carrie Goetz talks about her extensive career in IT.


Goetz recounts her accidental entry into the world of technology. Originally a theater education major, she shifted to architecture which led her to writing code for AUTO-CAD. She quickly realized that she would get paid more as a programmer than as architect. She next took on a project in the then nascent field of networking. 


Goetz fell in love with the constantly changing challenges of tech and has fearlessly pursued each opportunity that has presented itself. This has resulted in a long and distinguished career as an IT executive, consultant, mentor and international keynote speaker with over 250 publications in 69 countries. 


Goetz is particularly excited by the Smart City projects she is currently involved with. She discusses issues of governance and the challenges posed by the trade-off between privacy and security.


As a pioneering woman in technology, Goetz has spearheaded initiatives to support women in tech as well as promoting diversity across various IT industries. She also discusses how this COVID moment is having positive implications for women in the workforce. 


Because of the ubiquity of 5G and Edge, Goetz is extremely optimistic about the opportunities for young people in tech.


“The data centers will be everywhere. The jobs will be everywhere. These jobs are coming to a city near you.” 


And despite the advances in AI and robotics, she does not see a time when the human workforce will be obsolete as “somebody will still have to program the robots!”


Goetz’s generosity and enthusiasm are infectious as she encourages newbies to make their own way.


“If you have a good idea, stick with it!


If one path doesn’t work, find a different path!”


 


 

Mary Jane Horne  is a holistic thinker and problem-solver with over 30 years of domestic and international network and operational experience in the technology, media and telecommunications industries.


A computer/electrical engineer by training, Horne started out at New England Telephone (now Verizon) where she learned the value of moving around as much as possible at the lowest levels of management and acquiring a comprehensive understanding of how a business works.


“Having the ability to take a step back so that you can see the bigger picture and how it affects everyone else in the company is an important thing to learn. People who are exceptionally good at it can write their own ticket!”


She also learned the importance of being able to demonstrate her value as a leader through a combination of business and process analysis, seeing what works and what doesn’t, making recommendations and becoming the one who gets it all done. 


In this podcast, Horne discusses her approach to business transformation, the value and power of listening and collaboration, and the importance of leading by example. She shares her success stories and encourages others to take chances and follow new opportunities. 


Horne is optimistic about what she sees as the endless opportunities in tech and encourages newbies to go into the tech sector. 


“You can learn along the way. Tech is always changing, evolving. We need people who can think about the big picture, who are creative, innovative and can embrace change. It’s a lot of fun!”

From the halls of Julliard to the world of critical infrastructure, twin brothers Zachary Smith and Jacob Smith have been orchestrating their careers and approaching business through a balanced left and right-brain strategy that includes discipline, learning, rules, creativity, problem-solving and an openness to integrating “outside voices.”


Innovating at the intersection of hardware and software and known in the industry as the founders of Packet, now an Equinix Company, the brothers started off as musicians, before transitioning from music to the technology space. Zach left his double bass behind twenty years ago to start a web hosting business for his music friends. Jacob became involved in the technology space much later, after a career as a professional bassoonist and a digital marketer. 


In 2014, the brothers decided to try a venture together, their first joint effort since starting a lawn mowing business together as kids! They co-founded Packet, a company focused on the automation of infrastructure with Zach as CEO and Jacob as CMO. Their mission was to create a more efficient model for how technology is bought, sold, consumed and leveraged. The time was right as the world of specialized hardware was becoming more important even while users were being abstracted away from it. On top of that, there was an impending generational shift in the profile of buyers—from IT-focused buyers to developers or software-focused buyers.


This #NomadFuturist podcast unveils their incredible journey, passions and insights about what it takes to be successful entrepreneurs in the world of critical infrastructure—both on a professional and personal level. They offer the following advice for those interested in transitioning into the space:


“Anytime is a good time to enter the tech space as technology is changing so fast. You must be willing to ask questions and be the dumbest person in the room. Then surround yourself with people who are way smarter than you and figure out what you can do better than them!”

Amy Marks is Head of Industrialized Construction Strategy and Evangelism for Autodesk Inc, an American multinational software corporation. Before joining Autodesk, Ms. Marks, known as the Queen of Prefab, was the CEO of XSite Modular where she pioneered a path to becoming the world’s preeminent prefabrication consultant. Marks defined the language and process that has been adopted by companies, countries and builders around the world to enable prefabrication. Her work at XSite focused on large scale adoption involving primarily tech-focused clients. This led her into Critical Infrastructure projects such as data centers and small sub-sea cable landing stations..


In this #NomadFuturist podcast, Marks shares the fascinating story of her career path and how by “being where no one else is” she acquired the skills that allowed her to achieve success. She credits her experience as a rugby player “ I’m going to go the shortest distance possible to get what I want” as being a foundational experience in her development.


She also discusses her challenges as a female executive having to operate in male-dominated industries and the ways these experiences have shaped her.


Marks ends by encouraging newbies in the workforce to focus on acquiring skills that will further their career and to insist on their own authenticity as they follow their path.

From cartophargy and a desire to build maps during the 80’s recession lead Gary to teach soccer and learning Cobol. Learning early on that programming wasn’t his forte, yet being an excellent communicator was imperative has helped him excel in his career. It is not always talent that makes one the MVP; it is collaboration and teamwork.  One doesn’t have to be silky silk; being the backbone of your team is the most critical task in bringing the best out of others, which brings the best out of you. 


“For decades, we’ve been discussing a “connected planet.” We can now finally say that it’s within our sights. Today, 51% of the world’s population has Internet access; and although some may still only have dial-up or modem access to broadband, we’re making great strides.”


A connected planet means a lot more than being able to connect with loved ones or business associates; it involves changes to business processes and the very models they are built on, bridging cultures and bringing economic prosperity to under-served regions, applying technology to agriculture to end world hunger, advances in medicine to cure incurable diseases, and so much more. The implementation of 5G and the automation of vehicles, not to mention AI and deep learning technologies, make them available to anyone who has a browser and a smart device. This means that the lack of formal education and available capital is becoming less important for developers, dreamers and innovators no matter where they live or call home.


We’re in a state where we are always on, always available, and always accessible data across a wide range of devices. Gary believes the crux of this is standardization on IP and the provisioning of highly resilient and available storage and computing services.  Talking about what you can do with the data, that’s exciting – that’s real disruption.  

To a Technology outsider, it may seem like everyone is “technical.” Internet giants dominate the job market, and online startups are a dime a dozen, and there aren’t very many women in tech. Working in tech is not just about coding. It’s about all aspects of one's career. Tech is a hot sector, and it’s exciting to see more women getting involved. But let’s not count our chickens before they hatch. We still have a long way to go before we reach gender equality at the core of the industry, and the recent boom of “women in tech” might be misleading. 


“In the face of the disruptive forces changing the working world, organizations need to become much more adaptable to rapid change — and they need their people to be flexible and agile to match, at a time when it’s getting harder to a source, manage, motivate and retain talent while controlling costs.


Lead like a woman, Michell Hyde, an expert in Information Technology modernization, talks about taking disparate data points and normalizing them to see patterns and pathways.  Tune in as she discusses her entrepreneurial journey, and find out why she holds on to the best advice she has ever received: be confident!