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Tag: TechStrongCon

Maximizing Capabilities and the Importance of Value Stream Management

Even if we don’t use them to the full extent, applications shape our entire lives. And more than half the time we have no idea what our applications are capable of. On a daily basis, the average person uses seven to eight apps on their mobile phone. Throughout the week, the average person uses 30 applications. But, how many of those applications do we thoroughly know how to use? That’s where Eric Robertson, SVP strategic advisor and Tim Stiling, manager of product marketing from ConnectALL come in. Both are speakers and will be holding sessions at TechStrong Con 2021.

Tell us more about ConnectALL and what you’ve been up to lately.

Tim: We really want to try to figure out how we can best deliver value to our customers’ businesses. On a very basic level, ConnectALL helps customers connect their tools! Now once your tools are connected—what you do with it—that’s where the fun can begin. I know Lance Knight, our president and COO, he has a fun saying where he talks about how it’s almost like electricity. So the electricity itself—kind of like the connecting of tools—it’s cool, but in and of itself doesn’t do anything. It’s what you can do with the electricity.

To answer the second part of your question about what we’re up to lately, it’s really trying to find and figure out all those possibilities (synchronizing records, facilitating communication, triggering different actions, etc.) and making sure that our customers in the market are aware of it.

Digital transformation is at the top of the mind for every organization and as consumer consumer demands are changing, in what ways has this affected the value stream management (VSM) industry?

Eric: Companies are organizing their entire businesses around delivery of business goals that are essential to customers and are leveraging value streams as an essential part of their digital transformation mission. Basically this allows them to improve business IT integration and better manage changing priorities across different organizations. This is happening because we are seeing that organizational teams, the processes, the tools and tech platforms are constantly changing because they need to adapt to different conditions in the marketplace. As a result, value stream management is quickly being seen as essential for building, transforming, and optimizing those organizations’ technology enabled business models and that’s why it’s critical right now.

Value stream management has kind of been a buzz word in the tech industry recently. Can you share the true business value behind utilizing value stream management?

Tim: Ultimately with value stream management, it’s hard to say that this will lead to business value because business value could be different for every company. When it comes to value stream management, it’s more about the methodology and the mindset behind it. It’s all about this idea of continuous improvement. It helps you and your organization constantly drive toward your business goal by continuously improving and being better today than you were yesterday and better tomorrow than you are today.

Is VSM for every business? And if so, how can these businesses effectively start incorporating this solution into their overall business strategy and operations?

Tim: Value stream management is absolutely for every business because whether they know it or not, every business has value streams. In fact, everything we do has a value stream, even something as simple as making a cup of coffee.

One of the prevailing myths when it comes to value stream management is that it’s synonymous with DevOps or that you have to be in a DevOps transformation in order to be able to do it. Some organizations might be in an agile transformation or DevOps transformation—which is great, we aren’t saying don’t do that and do value stream management instead—VSM is a way to make that transformation more effective.

You might already have all you need on your desktop right now, but there’s a chance you’re missing that link between your applications. It’s important to understand your applications—how they can maximize your workflow and cut down on time. So if you’re feeling disconnected, reach out to ConnectALL to connect all of your apps and don’t miss TechStrong Con 2021.

Register today and tune in to Eric and Tim’s sessions on value stream management happening Wednesday, July 14 and Thursday, July 15. The clock is ticking!

July 13, 2021
A Special Message from Reddit Co-Founder Alexis Ohanian for TechStrong Con

As TechStrong Con approaches, Reddit Co-Founder Alexis Ohanian has shared an inspiring message for all developers and tech enthusiasts attending the virtual event. In the Cameo clip below, he reflects on his own journey in the tech realm and gives high praises to all the developers who spend every day doing the often “thankless” work that is building the technical infrastructure of the future.

Tech innovation continuously showcases how it can revolutionize society. Alexis expressed how grateful he is to be a part of the tech community and to build things that are shaping the world we live in. Reddit is a prime example of tech’s ability to transform people’s lives. It blossomed from a small startup 16 years ago to this globally-recognized social hub today, where people can go to communicate about shared passions and ideas.

John Willis of Red Hat, Ian Khan of Futuracy, Tracy Ragan of DeployHub, Stephen DeWitt of CloudBees, Caroline Wong of Cobalt and many other industry luminaries will also share their stories and lessons learned at TechStrong Con, on July 14 and 15.

At this year’s virtual event, attendees will learn all about DevOps, AppSec, cloud-native technologies, digital transformation, the future of hybrid and the many ways in which technology continues to improve the human experience. There will be an expo hall lined with booths featuring interactive chats and downloadable resources. Attendees will have the opportunity to network with peers, participate in giveaways, join a yoga class, check out a mixology demo and more.

To see the full agenda and secure your free spot at the virtual event, visit the TechStrong Con website.

July 9, 2021
Change Is Knocking: The Future Readiness with Ian Khan

In preparation for TechStrong Con next week, MediaOps media guru Rebecca Auguste sat down with featured keynote speaker, CNN technology futurist, Forbes contributor and CEO and founder of Futuracy, Ian Khan to talk about future readiness.

A globally recognized technology futurist and creator of the Future Readiness Score, Ian will be hosting a live session at TechStrong Con, “The Art and Science of Future Readiness,” on July 15 at 11:45 a.m. (EDT). In this session, Ian will help put a realistic picture around what businesses need to do and must to not just survive but thrive and why a measurable method for success is key to purpose, growth and profitability. But, what is future readiness? What does a technology futurist do? And why is future readiness important to digital transformation?

As a stepping stone for what’s to come in next week’s live session, Ian’s interview with Rebecca not only sheds light on the questions above, but also how to make sense of the state of disruptive chaos in the world today. Modern technological change is impacting some businesses as it has never done so in the last 500 years. Within this era, the rules of success are somewhat different from what they were, even just 10 years ago, which is why Ian’s future readiness is as important as ever.

You can read more about future readiness on Ian’s website here, but he says, “the problem has been that future readiness is a misunderstood area of management and leadership. You ask somebody if they are future ready and they will possibly tell you about how many technologies they are using or not using and that’s just one part of it. Future readiness has to be at the highest level of importance in your business because it dictates and governs everything that is happening whether you’re selling, marketing, you’re a servicing client, it encompasses everything to help you grow.”

In addition to future readiness is your future readiness score. Ian says, “The future readiness score figures this out, helps you understand where do you stand with the respect of the systems of operation in the engagement category” and that, “organizations that are future ready have engagement mastered.” But it isn’t enough to read your readiness score. Ian is adamant that, “Your journey has to continue from there and you’ve got to keep on monitoring your future readiness score and work on improving it.”

So how can businesses not only keep up with all the changes, but find ways to anticipate future trends? The most important thing is that, “You’ve gotta be quick to adapt and to respond. You can’t just wait and get paralyzed from what’s happening out there. As a leader, your responsibility now is to be fast, responsive and to be quick to do anything that is required. You’ve also got to have phenomenal observational powers now where you’re looking at short-term, medium-term and long-term trends and identifying information that is coming from there and incorporating that into your business.”

Some advice Ian would give someone ready to start their journey with future readiness is that, “Change will continue happening to you. Change will continue knocking on the doors of your business. It’ll continue disrupting you and challenging you. Your sales models, your sales teams, there will always be competitors who will come up against your business so the environment is constantly going to change. Please expect that. Expect that every single day that you walk into work that you talk with your teams and customers and work with your customers to get them ready for change because that’s when they’ll love you. In order to make this golden exchange happen you’ve got to know what the change is, you’ve got to anticipate it, you’ve got to look into it. The future readiness score can help you do that. Or just being super aware of what’s happening in your world can do that. We’ve got to open our eyes to change, accept it, make it part of our everyday and success will knock at your doors.”

Begin your future readiness journey at TechStrong Con. To see the full agenda and secure your free spot at the virtual event, visit the TechStrong Con website.

July 9, 2021
A Data-Driven Approach to DevOps: Tips for Improving Speed and Scale

Data has an undeniable power in a business context — it can sway stakeholders, help identify pain points, and demonstrate how changes are making an impact on the company. As the creator of Jenkins, Kohsuke Kawaguchi has noticed from his conversations with business leaders in the industry that implementing a data-driven mindset can be a game changer in the DevOps journey.

While data may not initially seem like it provides a full enough picture for businesses to work with, it carries invaluable insights and a certain level of objectivity that allows for a smoother transition in the DevOps process. Additionally, adopting a data-driven approach helps to showcase the small wins in your DevOps journey that can help build more confidence and trust in the process.

In the interview below, Kohsuke teases his session, “Go Data Driven With Your DevOps: 5 Tips for Improving Speed and Scale,” at TechStrong Con. On July 15, Kohsuke, along with fellow Launchable Co-Founder Harpreet Singh, will provide tips on how a data-driven approach to DevOps can help improve speed and scale.

To see the full agenda and secure your free spot at the virtual event, visit the TechStrong Con website.

July 8, 2021
No More Status Quo: Disruption and Reinvention through The Entrepreneur’s Weekly Nietzsche

Everyday we’re reinventing ourselves. Whether we’re reinventing knowledge through learning, or technology through development, nothing stays stagnant and disruption makes sure of that.

In a TechStrong TV segment, MediaOps Co-Founder and Editor-in-Chief Alan Shimel sits down with Brad Feld, current managing director at Foundry Group and author of “The Entrepreneur’s Weekly Nietzsche: A Book for Disruptors” to discuss this reinvention and the importance of disruptors.

If you’re not familiar with Brad Feld, he’s a well known venture capitalist and author who’s had his hand in the startup community as an author and founder of TechStars, a capital market company. He teamed up with Dave Jilk, a former partner of Feld Technologies, Brad’s very first company.

To cycle back to the word “disruptor,” it’s one Brad wants you to hang on to. He says, “Anybody who is involved in being a disruptor of an industry whether you’re a founder or a leader or an employee of a company, we like to think this is applicable to what you’re doing.”

Because of their focus on disruptors, it’s only fitting that Brad and Dave chose to concentrate on one of the most disruptive philosopher’s in history: Friedrich Nietzche. As Brad says, “In the 1860s to the 1890s, when he wrote the body of his work, Nietzsche was very disruptive to the status quo – of everything.” Like Nietzche, if you’re an entrepreneur or in the tech community today, you’re challenging conformity and reinventing the world.

While this book is intended for entrepreneurs, you certainly don’t have to be one to enjoy this book. “Entrepreneurial thinking is valuable for everybody in all aspects of life. Doesn’t mean you have to be an entrepreneur but the kind of mindset of an entrepreneur is powerful to understand,” says Feld. If you’re a disruptor, or simply enjoy learning, you’ll get a lot from this book.

And if you’re worried about not understanding the philosophy component, fear not. “The Entrepreneur’s Weekly Nietzsche: A Book for Disruptors” is incredibly accessible. Brad uses very small quotes (one to three sentences) from Nietzsche and translates it into contemporary English. After each quote is a short essay intended to “provoke thought, not tell you the answer.” As Brad says, “One of the meta goals of this book is not to tell people what to do. It’s to stimulate thinking.”

As a bonus to most quotes and essays, there’s actually a narrative written by an entrepreneur (some famous, some not-so-famous) discussing their experience and what they thought of when Brad and Dave gave them the quote.

With 52 different topics, this book is not meant to be gobbled down. While you can, you’ll get a lot more out of it when you dip-in and dip-out of areas that you’re interested in. Feld and Jilk’s hope is to simply get people to think: “We’re trying to help people stimulate thought around these ideas. Presumably any one of these topics is something you can ponder and meditate on.”

“The Entrepreneur’s Weekly Nietzsche” isn’t an untouchable academic piece, rather a relatable reflection of the human experience. Talking about the importance of including his own experience in the book, Brad emphasizes, “I don’t write books for a living. I’m a venture capitalist for a living. I write books because I love to write, I love to read and I love to think. My motivation for the writing is part of my own experience learning.”

Whether you choose to read a chapter a week or every few weeks, Brad and Alan recommend you take each chapter on its own. Think about it and internalize it before moving on. And if you’re able to re-read chapters, that’s even better. “Today, what I find myself doing when I do these talks is I’m reading these quotes again and I’m discovering new things in the quotes and what they make me think,” says Brad. “Again, not trying to tell me the absolute truth from the quote, but the thought that it then stimulates.”

If you’re into learning, disrupting or the entrepreneurial mindset, check out “The Entrepreneur’s Weekly Nietzsche: A Book for Disruptors” and attend Brad’s session at TechStrong Con 2021 Virtual Summit, on June 14, to enter his book giveaway.

June 30, 2021