Intelligent Tech Channels Issue 37 | Page 62

It ’ s crucial that my team and I speak to our partners regularly and take their feedback on board to ensure that we ’ re building strong , lasting relationships with these companies .
– starting to come out the other side of the pandemic , there will be high demand on the channel to provide solutions that can best help customers to manage this change . Offerings that are leading the way in Digital Transformation , yet that are simple to implement and simple to use , will be top of the priority list for channel partners , as customers will be looking for a smooth transition to the next ‘ new normal ’.
With this in mind , the onus is on us to help our partners understand the market and how it is evolving from data protection to intelligent data services . This shift will dramatically increase both our and our partners ’ target market to a US $ 42 billion industry by 2024 .
What is your management philosophy ?
Having a clearly defined management philosophy is critical to my leadership of Commvault ’ s Global Partner Organisation and our joint success with our partners . I rely on nine key principles that guide all of my decisions :
• Always have the team ’ s and partners ’ best interests in mind and heart
• Have a plan and keep it simple
• Communicate it literally
• Provide context and seek candid feedback
• Be visible
• Ensure healthy candour – seek it
• Be humble
• Positive energy
• Have fun , life is short
Offerings that are leading the way in Digital Transformation , yet that are simple to implement and simple to use , will be top of the priority list for channel partners .
When you look back at your career what has been the most memorable achievement ?
A large milestone in my career has been my involvement in building EMC , now Dell EMC ’ s partner foundation . We started from scratch and grew it into a multi-billion-dollar partner-centric storage business .
What made you think of a career in technology ?
Growing up , I ’ ve always had a passion for technology . During college , I studied finance and marketing and as I graduated and looked at my first career move , it was clear to me it would be in technology , combining my passion for that field with my strong education . I started with EMC very soon after graduation and had the opportunity to grow with the company for over 25 years .
What do you think will be the hot technology talking point of 2021 ?
Software-as-a-Service models and intelligent data services will be the biggest trends we ’ re going to see this year in technology . If the pandemic has taught our industry anything , it ’ s that customers need solutions that are as flexible as they themselves are in the current situation . Being able to easily sign up to a solution , have it ready to use almost instantly and have the ability to scale this up and down , whenever required , is a game changer .
We recently discussed this during our FutureReady Investor Event and urge all readers to listen in , as we discussed intelligent data services and the latest trends for 2021 .
What are your personal interests and where do you like to spend most of your time after work ?
My wife is a professional NASCAR driver and supporting her at races takes up a lot of my spare time . Both her and I are also pursuing our pilot ’ s licences and in our downtime , we enjoy a range of activities in the mountains of North Carolina . •
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