Go Beyond The Connection

The way we connect has changed. What was once backup-only wireless is now the backbone for business growth. In this episode of Go Beyond the Connection, Shawn Tinsley, Senior Director of IT at Dell Technologies, and Dave Idle, Chief Product Officer at Bigleaf Networks, share how wireless-first strategies are transforming enterprise IT.

Shawn and Dave bring deep experience from both the enterprise and product sides of networking. Together they explore how companies can shift from fragile, fixed lines to agile, service-layer connectivity that improves uptime, resilience, and customer experience.

1. Why wireless-first networks are now reliable enough for primary connectivity
2. How Bigleaf’s dynamic circuit bonding ensures uninterrupted applications during outages
3. Ways field and offshore teams benefit from 5G-enabled tablets and tools
4. How centralized dashboards let one engineer manage hundreds of sites
5. Why AI and machine learning are key to building responsive, self-healing networks
6. How intelligent monitoring helps businesses right-size bandwidth costs without losing performance

Shawn describes how 5G is moving beyond buzzwords to deliver tangible value, from replacing binders on offshore rigs with live tablets, to making real-time analytics possible at the edge. Dave explains how Bigleaf enables zero-touch failover, bonding multiple circuits so applications like point-of-sale, Teams, and IoT devices never skip a beat.

The conversation also explores the economics of bandwidth. Many companies use only a fraction of what they pay for, yet hesitate to cut back. With AI-driven traffic shaping and intelligent monitoring, enterprises can optimize network investments while boosting performance.

For lean IT teams, this shift is game-changing. Instead of rolling trucks or firefighting at every site, one engineer can manage an entire distributed footprint from a central dashboard. Automation, observability, and edge-ready resilience bring enterprise-grade reliability within reach for organizations of all sizes.

Shawn and Dave close with a clear call: don’t be afraid of wireless as your primary network. With the combination of 5G, hybrid WAN architectures, and intelligent automation, the technology is already outperforming legacy fiber in many scenarios.

Whether you’re responsible for dozens of remote offices, offshore operations, or just want to keep every transaction flowing no matter what, this episode will reshape how you think about connectivity.

Companies Mentioned: Nextel, Sprint, Verizon, Bigleaf Networks

Listen now and learn how to build a network strategy that scales with your business, not against it.

🔗 Explore more from this episode:

1. Edge to Enterprise: Where Networks Drive Business
2. Enterprise WAN Resilience with 5G
3. Empowering Field and Offshore Teams with Wireless-First Tools
4. Simplifying Multi-Site IT with Bigleaf Centralized Monitoring
5. Go Beyond the Connection on Captivate
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7. YouTube Podcast Playlist

AI is everywhere right now, but most teams still ask the same question: will it actually make our networks more reliable and our customers happier—or just add cost and complexity? In this episode of Go Beyond the Connection, we get blunt about where AI helps today, what’s still hype, and how to translate AI investments into real business outcomes.

Our guests bring both the innovation lens and the operator’s reality. Ajay Malik, Founder of StudioX AI, has built AI-driven systems across networking and edge use cases, turning noisy telemetry into clear decisions. Greg Davis, CEO of Bigleaf Networks, lives the reliability mandate daily, aligning network strategy to revenue, customer experience, and risk.

1. Where AI adds measurable value in networking today—noise reduction, anomaly detection, and faster root-cause analysis.
2. How to prove business impact using outcomes that executives care about: uptime, conversion, NPS, and ticket deflection.
3. What to fix first so AI can help: clean data, clear SLOs, and observable paths from issue to action.
4. The pitfalls to avoid: vendor buzzwords, “demo-only” wins, and models that drift without guardrails.
5. A practical roadmap for MSPs and IT teams to pilot, evaluate, and scale AI safely.

AI pays off when you can tie every suggested action to a clear reliability or customer outcome—otherwise it’s just more dashboards.

Budgets are tight. Talent is stretched. And every customer interaction depends on a stable, high-quality connection. AI can help, but only if you design for reliability and accountability first. Ajay and Greg lay out a pragmatic approach that you can start using this quarter: define the business goals, pick a narrow use case, measure rigorously, and scale what works.

1. How Ajay Malik & Greg Davis See AI Powering Business-Ready Networks
2. Practical AI for Network Reliability: Lessons from Ajay Malik & Greg Davis
3. How Leaders Measure AI Outcomes in IT and Networking
4. Avoiding AI Pitfalls in Networking: A Guide for IT Leaders
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The cheapest network isn’t the smartest choice. In this episode, Michael Pittman — CEO and Founder of Connected Solutions Group (CSG) — explains how to break out of the race to the bottom and invest in connectivity that actually moves the business forward.

Michael leads CSG, a Verizon co‑sell partner known for turning “just connectivity” into outcomes. His team handles the messy middle: device configuration, staging and kitting, field installs, antenna placement, site surveys, and real‑time project visibility via API integrations. They also manufacture purpose‑built gear through their Catalyst (with a “K”) brand when off‑the‑shelf hardware leaves gaps. The goal is simple: deliver fiber‑like reliability with wireless‑first agility—at scale.

What you’ll learn

1. How to reframe price vs. value so MRC isn’t the only decision driver.
2. Why CX (every email, every handoff, every PM touch) is a competitive advantage.
3. Practical ways to de‑risk wireless‑first: site surveys, external antennas, dual‑SIM/Smart‑SIM failover, SD‑WAN path control.
4. How real‑time API visibility (staging status, IMEIs, MDM loads, shipments) builds trust and speeds rollouts.
5. Where 5G fixed wireless now rivals—or beats—wireline for speed, time‑to‑turn‑up, and multi‑site scale.

“When it comes to your connectivity, don’t just race to the bottom.” — Michael Pittman

Michael walks through common objections (“wireless isn’t as reliable,” “we can’t depend on a third party”) and shows how the toolset has changed. Modern antennas are cheaper and better. Carriers help fund enterprise‑grade site work. Dual‑SIM routers can auto‑failover to the best network. And with APIs and project transparency, third‑party deployment feels like an extension of your IT team—not a black box.

If you’ve ever felt pressure to pick the lowest bid, this conversation offers a different lens: align spend with uptime, app performance, and customer promise‑keeping. That’s how connectivity becomes a growth lever, not a commodity.

Listen & subscribe

1. 💹 Beyond the Bargain: Creating Network Value That Outlasts the Lowest Bid
2. 💸 Price vs Value in Network Connectivity
3. 🤝 How a Customer-Centric Approach Creates Competitive Advantage
4. 🛜 Making the Case for Investing in Reliable Connectivity
5. 📺 Watch the video episode YouTube Playlist
6. 📬 Subscribe to the LinkedIn Newsletter
7. 🎧 Listen on Captivate: Go Beyond the Connection
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When technology is moving faster than training programs and AI is rewriting job descriptions, how do leaders keep teams aligned, resilient, and ready for what’s next?

Paul Davis, Field CTO at NetApp, has spent his career at the intersection of systems, strategy, and human problem-solving—from rebuilding the Pentagon’s infrastructure after 9/11 to guiding enterprise sales conversations today. In this episode, he shares why redefining failure is essential to long-term success and how the CTO’s role differs from the CIO’s in shaping a company’s future.

Paul explains that while CIOs often focus on current operations, CTOs must bridge the gap between immediate execution and future readiness. That means asking tough questions about architecture, talent, and delivery assumptions—often before others are even thinking ahead. As a Field CTO, Paul blends technical credibility with business acumen to help sales teams connect product capabilities to customer outcomes.

You’ll also hear why “failing forward” is more than a catchphrase. For Paul, it’s a deliberate strategy to build resilient teams that can iterate quickly, learn from setbacks, and move on without carrying baggage from past mistakes. That mindset, he says, is what keeps organizations competitive in high-stakes markets.

AI is central to this discussion. Paul warns that without continuous upskilling, enterprise AI adoption can stall—or worse, introduce risk. He describes how legacy silos between infrastructure and application teams are holding companies back, and why breaking them down is critical for innovation, performance, and long-term cost savings.

Key learnings from this episode:

1. The CTO’s job is to translate strategy into technical roadmaps that serve both current needs and future goals.
2. Failing forward builds the resilience and psychological safety teams need to innovate at speed.
3. AI is a productivity multiplier only when guided by skilled, experienced teams.
4. Breaking down infrastructure-application silos improves uptime, innovation, and revenue.
5. Continuous upskilling protects both productivity and intellectual property in the AI era.

“A Field CTO can help people become aware that the silos of yesterday are not going to build the systems you want today or tomorrow.” – Paul Davis

If you lead technology strategy, manage high-performance teams, or need to align sales, product, and technical execution, this conversation is packed with actionable insight. Listen now to learn how you can strengthen your organization’s resilience, adapt faster to change, and turn failure into a strategic advantage.

Links:

1. Blog/Podbook: https://www.bigleaf.net/podcast-episodes/020-paul-davis/
2. YouTube Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLSnAvj9VfOKQ2ISXOUIAc3Jse8S3eJIde
3. LinkedIn Newsletter: https://www.linkedin.com/build-relation/newsletter-follow?entityUrn=7313431647520006144
4. Captivate Feed: https://feeds.captivate.fm/go-beyond-the-connection/

Kurt Shriner, Vice President of IT Infrastructure Management at Capital Bank, has spent nearly two decades in technology leadership. But it’s his background in psychology and live events that shapes his leadership style today. In this episode of Go Beyond the Connection, Kurt shares how psychological safety, internal marketing, and strategic roadmaps are helping him turn IT into a high-performing, growth-aligned force within the bank.

1. Psychological safety is a growth strategy. When engineers feel safe speaking up, retention improves and issues surface earlier—before they become costly.
2. IT must market itself. Kurt treats his 18-month roadmap like a campaign—public, strategic, and tied to specific KPIs. It earns trust, headcount, and budget.
3. Leadership starts with listening. Kurt leads through mentorship and empathy, building trust through check-ins, ownership, and collaborative decision-making.
4. You can’t be everywhere—so control the intake. By routing all support requests through himself, Kurt shields his engineers from constant context-switching and keeps projects on track.
5. Tailored advocacy earns a seat at the table. Whether talking to a CFO, CRO, or COO, Kurt speaks their language—connecting tech outcomes to the metrics they care about.

If you're an IT leader looking to shift how your department is seen, this episode is a playbook for reframing IT’s role—from reactive support to proactive growth partner. Learn how Kurt earns trust across departments, retains top talent, and builds transparency into every project milestone.

1. Episode Page
2. YouTube Playlist
3. LinkedIn Newsletter
4. Captivate Audio Feed

What if your IT department wasn’t just a support desk—but a driver of revenue, reputation, and resilience?

In this episode of Go Beyond the Connection, Jon Manes, Vice President of Information Technology at Mambo Seafood Restaurants, shares how he transformed IT into a revenue partner by building support systems that treat frontline staff like internal customers. With over 20 years of experience in restaurant technology, Jon brings clarity and urgency to what restaurant IT really needs—empathy, speed, and strategic influence.

He walks through the infrastructure that keeps operations running even when fiber lines go down, explains why “wireless-first” is now a business imperative, and shows how real-time guest feedback can power a culture of accountability across the company.

What you’ll learn:

1. How dual connectivity and power redundancy protect every dollar earned at the point of sale
2. Why fast, empathetic IT support directly impacts customer experience
3. How cross-departmental leadership buy-in makes IT a growth driver
4. The role of AI and loyalty programs in restaurant innovation
5. Why respecting internal teammates like guests builds long-term success

"We are not a support department. We are not a cost center. We are a direct connection to customer experience, revenue growth. We support every single department and enable them." – Jon Manes

If you’ve ever wondered how IT can lead—not just support—this episode is your blueprint.

Listen now:

🔗 Full Blog + Podbook: https://www.bigleaf.net/podcast-episodes/018-jon-manes/

▶️ YouTube Video Podcast Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLSnAvj9VfOKQ2ISXOUIAc3Jse8S3eJIde

📰 Subscribe to the LinkedIn Newsletter: https://www.linkedin.com/build-relation/newsletter-follow?entityUrn=7313431647520006144

🎧 Captivate Audio Feed: https://feeds.captivate.fm/go-beyond-the-connection/

When your infrastructure can’t expand any further, you don’t just add hardware—you rethink everything.

Chris Crist, Chief Information Officer at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, joins Go Beyond the Connection to explain how a wireless-first strategy became the foundation for nonstop operations at the world’s busiest airport.

With over 108 million passengers annually and a complex campus that rivals a small city, ATL needed a network capable of more than just keeping up. Chris shares how they hit a hard limit on physical cabling—and turned it into a catalyst for innovation.

Key learnings from this episode:

• Why traditional cabling reached its breaking point—and what came next
• 
  
• How distributed antenna systems (DAS) and upgraded Wi-Fi support 24,000+ concurrent users
• 
  
• What biometric boarding and AI-powered security mean for real-time operations
• 
  
• The role of CIOs in business alignment and infrastructure resiliency
• 
  
• How to build hot-standby data centers and redundant distribution frames into the network fabric

“We have to become more efficient with what we have. It’s through technology that we’re going to make that work—and we’ll need to rely more on wireless capabilities to do that.” – Chris Crist

This episode is packed with actionable insights for IT leaders managing complex operations, constrained environments, or growing digital footprints. Whether you’re in aviation, healthcare, retail, or manufacturing, Chris’s wireless-first roadmap offers practical takeaways for building resilient, scalable infrastructure.

🎧 Read the blog

 ▶️ Watch the full episode

📬 Subscribe to the LinkedIn newsletter

🎙️ Audio-only feed on Captivate

 👤Chris Crist on Linkedin

 🏢Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta Airport (ATL)

What’s the hidden cost of internal misalignment in tech companies? According to Jordan Liebman, it’s not just friction—it’s lost growth, missed customer outcomes, and a lack of clarity across the business.

In this episode of Go Beyond the Connection, Jordan—a marketing executive with leadership roles at Verizon, BlueJeans, and Konica Minolta—shares how tech teams can achieve more by working together across functions. With decades of experience translating customer needs into brand and business impact, Jordan outlines how marketing must act as the voice of the customer inside the company.

His message? Alignment isn’t optional—it’s the foundation for sustainable growth.

Key Learnings:

1. Marketing is the conductor. Jordan sees marketing as the cross-functional hub translating customer needs to every department—from product to finance.
2. Content must invite participation. In a saturated market, the brands that win are those that start conversations, not monologues.
3. Design for internal and external customers. True collaboration means building experiences that support both teams and buyers.
4. Misalignment is silent sabotage. It shows up as slow decisions, finger-pointing, and missed KPIs—but it can be solved through radical transparency and shared goals.
5. Growth requires orchestration. High-performing tech teams operate like a synchronized system, with marketing playing the role of connector and catalyst.

Quote:

“Customer-obsessed silos don’t just slow you down—they kill momentum and confuse the customer.” — Jordan Liebman

If you're leading through complexity or scaling a tech business, this episode offers a practical roadmap to align your teams around what really matters.

🎧 Full blog recap: https://www.bigleaf.net/podcast-episodes/015-jordan-liebman/

▶️ Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLSnAvj9VfOKQ2ISXOUIAc3Jse8S3eJIde

📬 LinkedIn Newsletter: https://www.linkedin.com/build-relation/newsletter-follow?entityUrn=7313431647520006144

🎙️ Audio Feed on Captivate: https://feeds.captivate.fm/go-beyond-the-connection/

👤 Guest: Jordan Liebman: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jordanliebman/

What does it take to keep a fully remote company running smoothly—at scale? Cal Krome, Head of IT at Calm, joins Go Beyond the Connection to share his approach to building trust, deploying cloud-first systems, and designing IT processes that actually help people.

With a background that spans everything from solo IT support to launching 40+ global offices at Lyft, Cal offers a refreshingly human perspective on what modern IT leadership looks like. It's not about locking everything down—it’s about empowering your people with secure, seamless access and planning ahead so the road stays smooth as you grow.

Key learnings from this episode include:

1. Why IT has to earn trust just like any other team
2. How automation supports scale in onboarding and offboarding
3. The value of cloud-first infrastructure in remote environments
4. The role of AI in modern IT workflows—and where it's heading
5. Why IT shouldn’t be the reason a deal doesn’t close

Quote highlight:

“You never want to be in the place where you’re putting out fires. Your goal should always be to build fire sprinklers well in advance.”

1. 🎧 Check out the full episode blog recap
2. ▶️ Watch all episodes
3. 📬 Subscribe to our newsletter
4. 🎙️ Captivate feed
5. 👤 Connect with Cal Krome
6. 🏢 Learn more about Calm

Additional Reading:

1. Bridging the Trust Gap: How IT and Executives Can Align for Scalable Growth
2. Device Trust and Access Control: The Future of Secure Remote Work
3. Calm IT in a Chaotic World: How Cal Krome Trains Non-Technical Teams for Tech Resilience
4. Scaling Smart from Day One: What Cal Krome Learned Supporting Lyft’s Explosive Growth

When it comes to network strategy, Ajay Malik doesn’t just follow trends—he helps define them. With a background spanning Wi-Fi Alliance, Google, Cisco, and more, Ajay brings unmatched expertise to the intersection of wireless networking and AI.

As CEO of StudioX, he’s advising organizations across industries on how to build more resilient, intelligent infrastructures that do more than just connect—they reason, adapt, and optimize in real time.

Key Learnings:

1. Why wireless-first is no longer optional—it’s foundational
2. How AI enables autonomous networking and real-time optimization
3. The real-world benefits of moving from wired to AI-managed wireless networks
4. What “customer experience” really means in a connected business
5. What system engineers need to know now about AI’s role in their future

Quote:

"Wi-Fi is not just a technology—it’s a business acceleration strategy." — Ajay Malik

🎧 Blog Recap › https://www.bigleaf.net/podcast-episodes/014-ajay-malik/

▶️ Watch the Episode › https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLSnAvj9VfOKQ2ISXOUIAc3Jse8S3eJIde

📬 Subscribe to the Newsletter › https://www.linkedin.com/build-relation/newsletter-follow?entityUrn=7313431647520006144

🎙️ Listen on Captivate › https://feeds.captivate.fm/go-beyond-the-connection/

🔗 Connect with Ajay Malik › https://www.linkedin.com/in/artofai