The Story of Software

Daniella Rhodes Lorenzo, Founding Member at Toqio, joins our podcast to talk about her experiences in growing her career and business.

The Guest - Daniella Rhodes Lorenzo, Founding Member at Toqio:
Daniella Rhodes Lorenzo is a Founding Member and the Director of Strategy and Innovation at Toqio, a fintech platform ​that gives companies the ability to create and launch fully branded banking or finance solutions as apps or on the web. Daniella has over 10 years of experience in the tech industry, and has been leading & growing software teams for the majority of her career.

Growing A Tech Company From The Ground Up:
Embarking on the journey of building a tech company from the ground up can be an exhilarating adventure that promises both challenges and rewards. There is a delicate balance between adopting a growth mindset and not compromising on your company culture and productivity. Let’s say it all goes well and now you are at the point of scaling a business; how do you approach growth and how do you structure a tech team that can maintain efficiency while growing? 

Some of the topics discussed in this episode include:

• How women in tech have to navigate the leadership landscape 
• Growing a technology-focused business from the ground up
• How to structure the tech team when scaling a business
• The challenges and opportunities that come with a large funding round

Listen to the Story of Software on any podcast platform of your choice. The Story of Software Podcast is produced by Zartis, a software services company. We hope you enjoy listening to this tech podcast and feel free to share any feedback with us: [email protected]

Daniel Gebler, CTO of Picnic, joins our podcast to talk about the intersection of tech and business teams and how to optimise collaboration across departments.

The Guest - Daniel Gebler, Founder & CTO, Picnic:

Daniel is the Chief Technology Officer and Founder of Picnic, the world’s fastest-growing online supermarket. Daniel has vast experience working across leadership roles leading engineering teams, and is currently responsible for the product and technology roadmap at Picnic. He also holds an MBA and a PhD in Computer Science. 

Enabling Cross-Departmental Collaboration:

Enabling collaboration between business and software departments in a company is crucial for achieving optimal results and driving innovation. Such collaboration ensures that software development aligns with the strategic goals and objectives of the business, leading to the development of software solutions that meet the specific needs of the organisation. But how is that alignment achieved? Which actions should companies take at the organisational and cultural levels to enable their teams?

Daniel joins us to discuss the intersection of tech and business teams, and how to optimise the collaboration between these departments. Some of the topics covered include:

• What are the necessary skills to work at the intersection of tech and business
• The effects of scaling on leadership at an organisational level
• Actions and values that can foster collaboration among teams
• The reverse mentoring method

Listen to the Story of Software on any podcast platform of your choice. The Story of Software Podcast is produced by Zartis. We hope you enjoy listening to this tech podcast and feel free to share any feedback with us: [email protected]

Daniel Flax, Head of Sales & Distribution Technology at MassMutual, joins our podcast to discuss the ever-growing role of technology in the financial services sector.

MassMutual is a Fortune 500 life insurance and financial services company founded in 1851. 

The Impact of Technology in Financial Services:

Technology plays a pivotal role in the financial services market, revolutionizing the way we manage money and conduct transactions and trade. With the advent of mobile banking, online trading platforms, and advanced analytics, technology empowers individuals and companies to have greater control over financial services and make informed decisions. But as technology continues to evolve, what new possibilities and disruptions will it bring to the financial world? How will emerging technologies shape the future of financial services, and what impact will they have on businesses and consumers alike?

Some of the topics covered in this episode are:

• The latest technological disruptions in the financial services industry
• Potential risks to look out for in the finance space in the near future
• Macroeconomics dependency and the effects of Covid-19 

Listen to the Story of Software on any podcast platform of your choice. The Story of Software Podcast is produced by Zartis. We hope you enjoy listening to this tech podcast and feel free to share any feedback with us: [email protected]

Nikolaos Tsanakas, Head of Software Development at Digital Automotive, shares his extensive experience in setting up DevOps teams practices, particularly for small and medium enterprises. 

Nikolaos is the Head of Software Development at Digital Automotive, a Munich-based company providing a strategy and sales management platform focused on the growth of automotive suppliers. Nikolaos has extensive experience in setting up DevOps teams practices, particularly for small and medium-sized enterprises. 

How To Set Up Successful DevOps Practices 

DevOps emerged as a response to the inefficiencies and bottlenecks created by traditional software development models. Recognizing the need for improved agility and collaboration, forward-thinking companies started integrating their development and operations teams, giving rise to the DevOps movement. However, we have witnessed many companies failing to set up successful DevOps processes and creating more bottlenecks for their teams. So, what constitutes a successful DevOps approach and which traps should companies avoid?

Some of the topics covered in this episode include:

• What does an optimal DevOps structure look like 
• The difference between DevOps structures in an SME vs a large enterprise
• When to start your DevOps journey as a company

Listen to the Story of Software on any podcast platform of your choice. The Story of Software Podcast is produced by Zartis. We hope you enjoy listening to this tech podcast and feel free to share any feedback with us: [email protected]

David Gregor, CTO at Denizen, shares his experiences in building and nurturing a healthy company culture in remote teams.

David Gregor is the Chief Technology Officer at Denizen, a Berlin-based company helping companies monetize unused office space by providing flexible workspaces for teams and individuals. David has over 10 years of experience in software engineering and he specializes in finding effective and efficient ways to meet business and customer needs. 

Creating A Sense of Company Culture Remotely:

Let’s be honest, the concept of a strong ‘company culture’ has been hard to grasp for some companies, even before the remote work revolution. So, it should not come as a surprise that many companies are struggling to create a sense of unity and retain their talent in today’s market. 

Some of the topics we cover in this episode are:

• Failure and success stories in setting a company culture remotely
• Should culture be changing with the team and times or stay constant
• How to avoid creating silos within teams
• How to deal with issues of performance in remote teams

Listen to the Story of Software on any podcast platform of your choice. The Story of Software Podcast is produced by Zartis. We hope you enjoy listening to this tech podcast and feel free to share any feedback with us: [email protected]

Alan Gleeson, CEO and Co-Founder at Contento, joins us to discuss how to compete in a market with well-established competitors, and the journey he is on with scaling his own company. Alan has extensive leadership experience and is passionate about helping Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) companies scale. 

Competing In A Crowded Market:

Standing out in a crowded market has grown to be a tough challenge in today's fiercely competitive business environment. As there are more companies than ever competing for customers' attention and loyalty, businesses must use targeted strategies to set themselves apart from the competition. Of course, there are many considerations to be taken into account for different businesses in different locations or industries. 

In this podcast episode, we try to understand how competition differs across different value propositions, and talk about different scaling strategies in a crowded market. 

Some of the questions answered in this episode are:

• Should a crowded market scare off entrepreneurs from entering a specific space?
• What are different strategies companies can deploy to set themselves apart?
• How can you gain customers’ trust when you enter a mature market with well-established competitors?
• Are there differences in the culture of competition across different countries?

Listen to the Story of Software on any podcast platform of your choice. The Story of Software Podcast is produced by Zartis. We hope you enjoy listening to this tech podcast and feel free to share any feedback with us: [email protected]

Toby O’Rourke, CTO at FundApps, joins us to discuss his experience in scaling software teams in a short period of time.

Toby is the Chief Technology Officer at FundApps, a software company providing automated compliance monitoring services to some of the world’s largest asset managers, hedge funds, and investment banks. With over 15 years of experience in software engineering, Toby has led agile teams and most recently designed consumer-facing, high-volume, transactional systems for the online cash gaming industry.

What does scaling a business mean?

Scaling happens across different intervals. You might be scaling your team's size or the number of services you offer. You might also be scaling your number of customers, which would require you to scale your teams in order to meet the demand.

If not done right, scaling can cause more harm than good. Without proper strategies and communication, many companies lose their culture as well as their team’s trust. 

In this episode, we look into ways to avoid such setbacks, and answer questions such as:

• What are the different scaling models companies can follow?
• How can companies ensure their approach to scaling is responsive to change?
• What can be done to protect a company’s culture while scaling fast?

Listen to the Story of Software on any podcast platform of your choice. The Story of Software Podcast is produced by Zartis. We hope you enjoy listening to this tech podcast and feel free to share any feedback with us: [email protected]

Roland Tritsch from Community.com shares his insights on leading remote software teams and how to get remote working right.

Roland is the Senior Director of Engineering at Community.com, a Santa Monica-based company redefining the way in which brands communicate with their customers via text. Roland is an experienced Senior Executive with a proven track record of building, transforming and leading high-energy, distributed, and culturally diverse technology organizations.

Remote Working and Software Teams:

When it comes to choosing the right mode of work for your developers, there is a wide spectrum of options, but #RemoteWork is making its stamp on modern software development teams. In this episode, we talk about leading software teams and how to successfully implement remote working in your company. We try to answer questions such as;

- What is the ideal working environment for a software engineer today?

- Are fully onsite jobs still a thing? Is the hybrid model better, or fully remote jobs for the win?

- What are some general misconceptions about remote work?

Needless to say, picking the right model alone isn’t enough. Whether your developers are onsite or fully remote, keeping engagement and retention high is the key to success. So, how do you go about it?

Listen to the Story of Software on any podcast platform of your choice. The Story of Software Podcast is produced by Zartis. We hope you enjoy listening to this tech podcast and feel free to share any feedback with us: [email protected]

Artem Kalaitan, CPO at Getvisibility, joins us to discuss best practices in Data Security and recent innovations in this space. 

Artem is the Chief Product Officer at Getvisibility, a leader in AI and Machine Learning for the classification, discovery, and protection of unstructured data. Artem is a domain expert in cybersecurity and data protection with years of experience in cybersecurity forensics, conducting investigations for government agencies, medical institutions, financial, insurance, and many multinational companies.

Data Security in 2023 and Beyond:

Data security remains a crucial concern in 2023, as the amount of sensitive information available continues to grow exponentially. With the rise of IoT and AI, there are now more avenues for cybercriminals to access valuable data, resulting in record numbers of regulations being pushed down on companies by governments. So, how are companies coping with this evolving landscape and how can software bridge the gap between regulations and actual compliance?

The topics covered in this episode include: 

• The main problems companies are facing in terms of their data security
• Best practices to follow in data security 
• Implementing a ‘healthy’ data security strategy across different industries
• The recent innovations in the data security space

Listen to the Story of Software on any podcast platform of your choice. The Story of Software Podcast is produced by Zartis. We hope you enjoy listening to this tech podcast and feel free to share any feedback with us: [email protected]

Jim Brandt, CTO at Best Practical Solution, joins our podcast to talk about the benefits and the future of open-source software within the tech industry.

Jim is a highly experienced product manager and tech leader. He is currently the Chief Technology Officer at Best Practical Solutions, a company developing an open-source Request Tracker for Incident Response (RTIR), ticket, and incident-tracking software. Jim shares his insights on the role that open-source software plays in the world today, and its future in software development.

Ins and Outs of Open Source Software Development:

Open source software has many advantages, such as being free to use and modify, and allowing for collaboration, transparency and customization. In theory, it makes developers better in handling complex interdependencies and finding a common ground with the wider open source community. However, what happens if the open-source software in question is adopted by a huge corporation with lots of resources and they start pouring in their developers’ time into it? How can we make sure that an open source software is not monopolized?  

Some of the topics covered in this episode include:

• The reasons behind the mistrust towards open-source software
• The security risks and secure development approaches to open-source libraries
• The benefits of having open source software developers
• The involvement of major corporations in open source software development

Listen to the Story of Software on any podcast platform of your choice. The Story of Software Podcast is produced by Zartis. We hope you enjoy listening to this tech podcast and feel free to share any feedback with us: [email protected]