Amy Protexter: Building Meaningful Connections at the Women in Cloud Summit

If you reflect on your own career journey, it’s likely there was a person or moment that changed the course of your path for the better. Maybe, it was a coworker who gave you sage advice or encouragement at the right moment, a former colleague that urged you into a new role, or even an individual who gave you tough criticism. Our paths are not walked in isolation. 

At Insight, we pride ourselves in being a company that builds meaningful connections — it’s the guiding principle for the people we interact with and the work we do. Personally, making a positive impact on one person’s career journey is a tremendous honor and joy. Through Women in Cloud, I hope that by sharing my own life and professional experiences, I can create meaningful connections and embolden women in their own life journey.

I think it’s important to support fellow women in their career paths — particularly in an industry that has, historically, been dominated by men. Today, women are finding their voice in technology, and that’s worth celebrating. I love communities like Women in Cloud because they grant me the opportunity to learn from, be inspired by, and share wisdom with fascinating women leaders. 

This year, at the Women in Cloud Summit 2020 in January, I will be visiting as an enthusiastic learner, but also a speaker who is there to share her thoughts and contribute to the collective success of the group.

My topic for the summit this year will be ‘High Performance Culture: Managing Multiple Generations.’ I will focus on how to support and ensure all teammates are working in an optimal environment, why trust and respect among all teammates is crucial and how meaningful results increase when you can achieve this kind of team culture. 

I love meeting people who have gone through dynamic and unexpected career paths. I myself have been a marketing leader in government, insurance, healthcare, education and technology.  It’s fascinating to see how individuals can take seemingly unlike skills and experiences and apply one to the other in creative, powerful ways. If your career has taken surprising twists and turns, seek me out at the summit. Let us chat, learn and contribute to each other’s growth. 

The Women in Cloud movement is amazing and empowering, and the growth and interest in this group continues to grow exponentially. I’m personally very excited to be part of the Summit once again and can’t wait to experience the same energy and fellowship last year’s event generated. It was definitely ‘fuel’ to help me get started in one of the most dynamic years of my career.  

Technology is at the forefront of any transformation, and every business is a technology business. At Insight, we are proud to live our core business values of Hunger, Heart and Harmony every day as we help our clients both manage their technology today, and transform to secure their futures. We’re all about helping our clients ‘run smarter’ and I think at the heart of Women in Cloud, it’s about running smarter, together. 

I look forward to meeting you at the Women in Cloud Summit 2020, and let us contribute for a women-led industry. We deserve to be at the forefront of change! Purchase tickets and to get more information visit the summit website, and don’t forget to apply the 20% discount code: JOINME@WIC

See you there! Take action by joining our online network to get engaged today!

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How to Master Your Business, Leadership, and Technology Skills in the Tech Industry

An industry as diverse as technology demands you to be up-to-date with everything. Technology does not fall prey to time and neither do the people who run the industry. Although it may seem futile, it is an essential task to always keep up with every new development. 

Technology is the definition of change. Every change in the industry is driven by the market. Customers are introduced to a piece of technology which then becomes an integral part of their daily life. It is, therefore, crucial to understand the market as well as the technology that will be the future of the industry. An industry which is diverse and dynamic can be overwhelming and it does have the tendency to throw people off guard and make them wonder, ‘How does one keep up with tech, where nothing stays the same?’ Trends and patterns are the answer. 

Technical skills often help build the base of the business. To enhance your technical skills and help your business grow into the future market, always keep one foot in the future. DARQ is the future of our industry according to Accenture’s Technology Vision 2019 reports. These are Distributed Ledger Technology (such as blockchain), Artificial Intelligence (AI), Extended Reality (including virtual and augmented reality), and Quantum Computing. Cloud Computing is another major player that is often forgotten. 

The business angle of the tech industry demands you to enhance your communication skills, planning, and financial management techniques. Due to a lack of ideas to incorporate passion into practical business skills in the industry, half the tech enterprises fail before they begin to make their mark. 

Leadership is an extension of business skills. A business leader is a friend, mentor and an employee of a company who are equipped with skill sets to drive change in their field. An employee often encounters executives who extract every ounce of work possible from them and leaves them with nothing to learn. While this may be profitable, this isn’t leadership.

There is no one skill set that is the key to creating the next Microsoft or Amazon. In fact, we are at a point in time where businesses need to focus on sustainable growth rather than just personal or monetary growth.

As a leader, one should often question their authority and learn to differentiate themselves from everybody at the table. It also becomes crucial to ensure contributions to the growth of employees and society at the same time. But how does one strike a balance between switching so many hats? The answer is always the same; Education & Skill Building, Community Building, and Economic Development. 

Women in Cloud is a community that strives to bring these three crucial elements together to ensure the overall growth of an individual as well as society. Women In Cloud focuses on bringing together and nurturing women leaders in tech who contribute to society with their business and technological skills. The community’s aim is to expand our reach to build women leaders all over the world and to create $1 billion in economic contribution. 

If you are interested to be a part of Women in Cloud and learn to enhance all your skills to improve the business as well as contribute to the society with passionate leaders, stay tuned for more exciting announcements regarding our flagship event.

 

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The Secret to Making Powerful Alliances

We as human beings with the ability to converse and build relationships often tend to forget the power of connection and communication.

“The world is such a small place,” are words often thrown around when we meet somebody with a mutual connection. As a matter of fact, mutual connections are how we expand our presence in society and build alliances.

But why is it important to build alliances and relationships with people?
Networking and making alliances is not just about exchanging information. While the hot term “networking” is in trend, the process of building mutually benefitting relationships have been in use for a long time now. Most people assume networking is important for a better career opportunity or to create a business transaction, however more often than not, people tend to forget that powerful alliances contribute to a better society.

Microsoft Inspire is an annual tech event that brings close to forty thousand people together from the industry. Forty thousand people get to cross paths with a diverse network of people and businesses from the world of technology sharing their knowledge and turning it into action. Events like Inspire make people noticeable. A sense of belonging in society is created with people who share a similar thought process as the one you might share. People often go home with a different thought process and higher creative intellect. A major boost in self-confidence and status through support from other people is also a healthy consequence of these events.

Although the benefits sound very cliché, all these traits promote people to think differently and create an impact that is bigger than them.

Kristen Miller’s college dreams were ruined by Computer Science 101 during her time at the University of Illinois. While throughout college she maintained a 4.0 GPA as a psychology major, a “C” broke her streak. To this day she says, “I could not differentiate between magicians and technologists! I found it extremely difficult to understand the essence of technology.”

Today, however, Miller is a leader in the tech world as a CEO of Stylyze, a Seattle-based software-as-a-service startup focused on the home décor and interior design industries. Kristen Miller’s entrepreneurial journey dates back to her college days and she has found four companies since then including Stylyze.

What changed for Miller? She found her belonging. While one might hate or love something, it becomes important to find the right place to grow. Networking is important, but networking with the right people to find an ideal place for your growth is the key.
Kristen discovered Women in Cloud and realized that is where she can grow and overcome her bitter relationship with technology to build one of Seattle’s most successful startups as a psychology major!

Women in Cloud leaders made it their purpose to reposition themselves and help Kristen and everybody else who joins the community, as individuals who are not just building cloud businesses but contributing to an inclusive economy to create a billion-dollar impact all over the world.

A sense of belonging brings to light a purpose that is bigger than just you. While building power alliances are important for personal and professional growth, it is essential that you find the right fit for you. 7 billion people will not be impacted if you build alliances and network with 100 people. But you might just impact 1000 lives if you meet one right person. That is the secret people often tend to ignore.

Therefore, find your network and find people you belong with. Look for people who inspire you and who share an idea that is similar to yours and yet, who tend to take you out of your comfort zone. Because you just might find your purpose to make your society a better place than when you found it.

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Collaborative Action: Coming Together to Create Impact in the Lives of a Family Affected by Hurricane Dorian

Hurricane Dorian was a devastating force that seriously impacted the lives of so many in the Abaco and Grand Bahama Islands of the Bahamas.The islands were ripped apart, leaving a desperate and desolate situation, including the family members of one of our own team members, Raisa Noelle.

Some of her family members were missing for days as the storm ripped through their islands. As of yesterday September 5, Raisa’s 10 family members in both Abaco and Grand Bahama have finally all been found, but some of them are now homeless, seeking refuge, and in need of medical care due to Hurricane Dorian’s assault on their normal lives.

But that was not going to be the end of this story. We at Women in Cloud made a call out to the community to band together to take care of one of our own by giving to make a significant change in their lives.

While her family in Nassau was working to send supplies and clothing on the mailboat, many, needed to relocate quite quickly to Nassau or other islands. We asked for your support to help them start fresh in the midst of this tragedy.

This hurricane, the worst of its kind in the history of The Bahamas has leftover 2,000 people missing, 13,000+ homes have been completely destroyed, and 60,000+ people are without running water, electricity, food, and other basic amenities.

Our mission was to reach a goal of $5,000, to provide $500 worth of relief to each of Raisa’s family members and help them to safely get to another location when able.

As of September 24, we are delighted to report that we have reached the goal of $5,000!

“I have always gone through life with the idea that problems should be kept private and if anything ever happens, just figure it out for yourself. Women in Cloud as a whole has completely shaken my belief system for the better. In addition to just being a mix of good people all working to change the world for female entrepreneurs, seeing the community come together for me brought tears to my eyes. I can’t begin to thank all of you enough. I am so moved by people even reaching out to check on me and my family after the storm. This is unbelievable. You all are absolutely incredible. Thank you so much. I know my family will really appreciate it.” – Raisa Noelle

Thanks to the 45 donors that made it possible in just 17 days. Your kindness has been overwhelming.

Susana Alvarez Vitale | Silvia Ammerman | Sampada Basarkar | Harsha Bennur | Shari Burk | Stuart Butler | Holly Condos | Karen Fassio | Katy Forster | Dina Grimstead | Dominic Halpin | Sue Hill | Edwin & Elizabeth Hincapie | Russell Janney | Patricia Keiran | Sheryl Kline | Vinay Kumar | Erica Leigh | Cathy Light | Claire Lindsey | Maureen Lindsey | Sharon Martinez | Lena May | Alecia May | Karlaida Morales | Rohit Nallapeta | Colleen O’Brien | Erin Papworth | Natee Pretikul | Michelle Pruitt | Linda Rose | Alejandrina Salaverria | Melissa Strawn | Stacy Tatem | Peter Thomsen | Frank Valdivieso | Elisabeth Vanderveldt | Chaitra Vedullapalli | Wendy White | Kate Whitman | Anonymous | Anonymous | Anonymous | Anonymous | Anonymous

Here are just some of the ways that your GoFundMe donations helped:

  • LifeStraws for those without access to clean water
  • School fees for a young boy that had to relocate and start at a new school
  • Rent for a single mother that lost her home
  • Clothes for a relative that was left with only the clothes on her back
  • Flights for four people and their pets to relocate to another island
  • One month’s worth of pet food for five dogs and nine cats

With all your help, we have been able to make a positive impact on the lives of those who really need it.

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Why Cloud Knowledge Needs to be Turned into Action

In recent times, cloud computing has become a commodity to organizations all over the world. Most companies use cloud computing in one form or another because of the efficiency it offers. However, most companies have yet to recognize and unleash the full potential of the cloud.   

A new report from The Economist Intelligence Unit and IBM found that among 572 business leaders surveyed, almost three-fourths indicate their companies have piloted, adopted or substantially implemented cloud in their organizations yet, only 38% cite cloud as a leading priority for the entire company. Rather, cloud is still viewed by many as an IT solution, with 62% citing cloud as a leading priority for their IT organizations. (Forbes) 

While cost-cutting is a crucial reason for the growth of cloud computing, there are other usages cloud plays in the disruptive innovation of the IT sector. Hence, it is extremely important for companies today not just to incorporate cloud computing but acquire knowledge about the technology to utilize its fullest potential. 

Today, most companies use cloud technology for file storage or backup or as a means for disaster recovery; the basic mundane use of cloud, which kick-started the growth of the cloud industry. However, plenty of other options like Online Marketplaces, Ecosystem Connectivity, Artificial Intelligence, Large-scale market adaptability, and scalability remains largely unexplored by various small and mid-level businesses simply due to lack of knowledge and the ability to turn knowledge into action. 

That being said, it would not be completely true to believe that cloud knowledge isn’t being put to action. Cloud Hyperscalers like Microsoft, IBM, Google, and Amazon not only display cloud innovations in their products but they also offer software to businesses that echo their needs. The knowledge and resources these organizations possess about the cloud are immense, and hence it becomes inevitable that the profitable numbers are kept aside and this piece technology is used for the greater good of the society. 

Women in Cloud recognizes the importance of empowering businesses through technology for a better society. With Microsoft and IBM leaders on board, the community offers cloud tech support to businesses led by women like Stylyze Inc, a B2B Retail SaaS platform to enhance product catalog that curates like a personalized stylist and RightSciences, a B2B SaaS platform to develop plant-based patch formulation for hyper-personalized medicine delivery.

Knowledge is an asset in the tech-driven world we are a part of today. While knowledge is available all around us, the power to tap into the knowledge and channel it into action lies with few.

There are various ways knowledge can be converted into collective action. Women in Cloud particularly focuses on making an impact in the following ways;

  • Providing and supporting access to customers, funding, and resources
  • Accelerating businesses through policy resources and readiness 
  • Striving to create and spread innovative solutions, partnerships and communities

 Hence, knowledge management and information dissemination become vital for sustainable growth.

Cloud computing is a technological innovation that can be used for improving lives in society. An estimate suggests that Cloud will provide the digital infrastructure of tomorrow’s cities, where an estimated 6 billion of the world’s population will live by 2045. 

It is safe to say that in the near future, Cloud computing is going to be a bigger part of our lives than it already is. Therefore, it is important to not just acquire knowledge about cloud computing to all types of businesses but to utilize technology for a better technologically-enabled society should be the goal. 

With that thought, stay tuned for the next blog about how to make powerful alliances to further your business or personal goals.

 

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