The Tech Trek

Partha Chakraborty, security executive at Humana, joins host Amir Bormand in episode #230 of The Tech Trek. He and Amir explore the critical factors contributing to successful - and unsuccessful - cloud security projects.

Highlights

00:51 - Partha shares his perspective on what contributes to the successful adoption of Cloud security services.

09:20 -  What is the “Fail-Fast” approach, and how does it apply to Cloud Security?

15:46 - How to keep matrix teams aligned on Cloud transformation projects.

22:48 - Partha offers advice for dealing with common (cloud security) challenges when adopting the Cloud.

About:

Partha has over 20 years of cyber security leadership experience in the financial services and healthcare industry. An active speaker and panelist in major cyber security conferences worldwide, and frequently called in for views and interviews in electronic media like The Economist, UK. Very passionate about learning new technologies and writing on recent groundbreaking cyber trends. He is also the founder of the Cloud Security Practitioner Council, a practitioner-driven forum to create security guidelines for the industry. Partha sits on the advisory board of a few security startups like Oak9 and TrueFort and on the Dean's Board at the New Jersey Institute of Technology.

Currently, he is heading up security architecture, engineering, and cloud for Humana Inc, a Fortune 46 healthcare company. Prior to Humana, Partha held executive leadership roles with Bank of Montreal, JP Morgan Chase, Merrill Lynch, Bank of America, and Guardian Life Insurance Company. A CISSP, CCSP, CEH, CHFI certified security evangelist holding a Bachelor’s degree in engineering from NIT Rourkela, a Master's in Cyber Security from Western Governors University, another Master's in Technology Management from Columbia University, a cyber security professional certificate from Stanford University and executive CTO university credit program from Wharton Business School and the University of Pennsylvania. Currently researching security challenges in API, Microservices, Key, and posture management space. Partha also has two patents under his name for JP Morgan and Humana Inc.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/parthasarathi-chakraborty-baa24810/

Thank you so much for checking out this episode of The Tech Trek, and we would appreciate it if you would take a minute to rate and review us on your favorite podcast player.

Want to learn more about us? Head over at https://www.elevano.com

Have questions or want to cover specific topics with our future guests?

Please message me at  https://www.linkedin.com/in/amirbormand (Amir Bormand)

In this episode of The Tech Trek, host Amir Bormand interviews Roman Kleiner, the VP of Engineering at Egnyte. How and when do you decide to hire external talent when working on a task? When should you promote internally over hiring externally? These are just some of today’s topics.

Show Notes

00:50 - What factors cause companies to look for external help?

06:27 - Is it possible to seamlessly integrate external talent with your team?

11:03 - The pros and cons of letting internal talent handle a challenging task.

13:21 - How far does institutional knowledge go?

17:22 - Culture fit versus culture add when hiring externally.

About Our Guest:

Roman is a technical engineering leader specializing in rapidly building and scaling SaaS products. He brings a strong focus on execution, domain expertise, and operating at a global scale. Roman was responsible for building and expanding teams that took new cybersecurity products to market, which then saw growth into billions of daily transactions, and grew ARR from zero to seven figures.

Guest Social Media:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/romankleiner/

Thank you so much for checking out this episode of The Tech Trek, and we would appreciate it if you would take a minute to rate and review us on your favorite podcast player.

Want to learn more about us? Head over at https://www.elevano.com

Have questions or want to cover specific topics with our future guests?

Please message me at  https://www.linkedin.com/in/amirbormand (Amir Bormand)

Jonathan Villa, Practice Director of Cloud Security at GuidePoint, meets with host Amir Bormand in this episode of The Tech Trek. Jonathan shares his insights on how organizations can build effective Cloud security teams and adapt to a changing environment.

Highlights

2:29 - How to upskill your Security team for the Cloud.

7:46 - Best practices for integrating Cloud security.

11:21 - Which skills best equip you for Cloud Security?

14:02 - Working with Cloud Security for the first time.

19:21 - How do you start learning and training for Cloud Security?

About Our Guest:

For more than twenty-two years Jonathan (“JV”) has served as a hands-on leader in various roles throughout information technology and cyber security. JV has been responsible for the growth and leadership of a national cloud security practice and worked side-by-side with his team to deliver services across various verticals. JV has served as an advisor to startups providing CIO/CTO services and consulted with enterprise-level CIO, CTO, and CISO leaders.

Guest's Social Media:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathanvilla/

Thank you so much for checking out this episode of The Tech Trek, and we would appreciate it if you would take a minute to rate and review us on your favorite podcast player.

This episode of The Tech Trek features Vinod Ralhan, Director of Engineering at SurePrep. Vinod has immense experience managing projects and working with Microsoft Azure. He shares his best practices for using Azure for migration and modernization.

Highlights

2:50 - Vinod recalls what his on-premises environments looked like before Azure.

4:36 - Which internal and external professionals can help with the transition?

8:09 - What sort of timeline can you expect when integrating Azure?

10:41 - Best practices for building your Azure implementation roadmap.

11:59 - How to hire the right people while implementing new technology.

16:09 - How to help your team adapt to Azure quickly

Guest:

Vinod Ralhan is a results-driven technology leader with 25+ years’ of experience in software architecture and development. A great mix of hands-on technical skills as well as management exposure. Implemented large-scale projects to impact the organization’s bottom line directly. Worked with off-shore development teams with proven results. Excellent communication skills. Believes in work-life balance, and when not at work, he spends time with family or swimming with his eleven-year-old daughter.

___

Thank you so much for checking out this episode of The Tech Trek, and we would appreciate it if you would take a minute to rate and review us on your favorite podcast player.

Want to learn more about us? Head over at https://www.elevano.com

Have questions or want to cover specific topics with our future guests?

Please message me at  https://www.linkedin.com/in/amirbormand (Amir Bormand)

Host Amir Bormand speaks with Leadership Coach Taha Hussain in Episode 226 of The Tech Trek. Taha started his career as a software engineer who made his way into management. Now, he helps teams and individuals improve their leadership skills.

Highlights:

2:05 - How can you motivate someone to try something they’re initially uncomfortable with? 

5:34 - Can a blameless culture help or hinder growth?

9:11 - Making time to learn new skills.

14:04 - How can leaders overcome their own fears?

22:36 -  Best practices for motivating people via 1 on 1’s.

Guest:

Taha Hussain is an accomplished executive leader with 20+ years of experience leading teams and delivering billions in value. He's a visionary leader with a philosophy on leadership and teamwork that's popular in the personal development community. Taha has held key leadership positions at companies such as Microsoft, Walmart, Yahoo, and startups. He holds a master's in software management from Carnegie Mellon University. As an executive coach, Taha helps individuals grow their leadership skills and transform their careers. His ultimate goal is to empower everyone to become the best version of themselves and make the world a better place.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/tahahussain/

___

Thank you so much for checking out this episode of The Tech Trek, and we would appreciate it if you would take a minute to rate and review us on your favorite podcast player.

Want to learn more about us? Head over at https://www.elevano.com

Have questions or want to cover specific topics with our future guests?

Please message me at  https://www.linkedin.com/in/amirbormand (Amir Bormand)

Host Amir Bormand speaks with Indy Khare, the Head of Engineering at Convex. Indy previously worked with Google to reach 1 billion users for Google Photos. Transitioning back to a startup has a host of challenges and opportunities that Indy is happy to discuss.

Highlights:

2:25 - Indy shares how he landed his position with Google.

8:26 - How to know if you should leave a large company for a startup.

11:04 - Learning which organization is right for you.

14:39 - Readjusting to a work environment with fewer resources.

17:03 - Why do talented people leave large companies in the first place?

Guest:

Indy is the Head of Engineering at Convex, a modern application platform with a database and backend. Before Convex, Indy helped build and grow Google Photos from 0 to 1 billion users. Indy is passionate about building great human experiences and how products fit into people’s lives.

Contact Indy:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/indrajitkhare/

https://twitter.com/ikhare

___

Thank you so much for checking out this episode of The Tech Trek, and we would appreciate it if you would take a minute to rate and review us on your favorite podcast player.

Want to learn more about us? Head over at https://www.elevano.com

Have questions or want to cover specific topics with our future guests?

Please message me at  https://www.linkedin.com/in/amirbormand (Amir Bormand)

Host Amir Bormand sits down with Paul Kocan in this episode of The Tech Trek. Paul is the Senior Director of Infrastructure Services at CCC Intelligent Solutions. Today, he shares his experience with promoting a culture of accountability on a company-wide scale.

Highlights

04:29 - Paul explains how “the power of focus” can strengthen infrastructure.

10:34 - Transparency makes all the difference regarding accountability.

18:00 - Here’s how leaders can support their teams when tackling new challenges.

20:43 - Can leaders increase their tolerance for mistakes and failures?

25:32 - How to effectively keep track of what works and doesn’t work for your team.

Guest: Paul Kocan

When they’re not at CCC, Paul is a devoted family man and loves spending time learning and discussing history, philosophy, and political theory.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paul-kocan-68b995/

___

Thank you so much for checking out this episode of The Tech Trek, and we would appreciate it if you would take a minute to rate and review us on your favorite podcast player.

Want to learn more about us? Head over at https://www.elevano.com

Have questions or want to cover specific topics with our future guests?

Please message me at  https://www.linkedin.com/in/amirbormand (Amir Bormand)

Is it possible for a team to think and act quickly without sacrificing quality? This episode of The Tech Trek delves into this ever-divisive topic. Host Amir Bormand asks Ross Desmond, Head of Software at Butlr, to share his insights and experience on building fast and functional teams.

Highlights:

03:57 - Here’s how to start building fast teams the right way.

06:55 - Ross recommends asking yourself this question before broadening your scope.

12:54 - How can you keep your teams focused as they separate and expand?

17:59 - Building confidence and trust with your team.

20:03 - Ross shares his insights for dealing with the errors and mistakes that your team might make.

Guest:

Ross Desmond is currently Head of Software for Butlr, previously a manager, robotics engineer, and software engineer at Amazon. His professional passion is developing people while delivering difficult projects. He finds we grow the most when working on hard problems together, and enjoy the challenges of management in these scenarios. In his spare time, he paraglides, snowboards/skis, and generally enjoys the outdoors.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rossdesmond/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ross.desmond

___

Thank you so much for checking out this episode of The Tech Trek, and we would appreciate it if you would take a minute to rate and review us on your favorite podcast player.

Want to learn more about us? Head over at https://www.elevano.com

Have questions or want to cover specific topics with our future guests?

Please message me at  https://www.linkedin.com/in/amirbormand (Amir Bormand)

Vijay Rudrappa joins The Tech Trek to share his extensive experience working with manufacturing-first organizations. Vijay is the Head of Security, Cloud, and DevOps at Lennox. Wearing many different hats over the years has granted Vijay unique insights.

Highlights:

05:48 - Vijay discusses how he’s helped companies transition into the tech space.

09:38 - Which priorities matter the most when a company transitions?

16:53 - How to ensure your team reaches targets and not just metrics.

21:40 - Here’s how you can effectively measure your metrics.

24:28 - What is a “center of excellence” team?

Guest

Technology Evangelist. I Live and Breathe "agile & automation".

Vijay enjoys bringing organization-wide transformations and helping teams realize their untapped potential.

Backed by 22 years of experience working at small, medium, and large organizations, he continues to leverage his technical expertise in areas of DevOps, Security, Infrastructure, Cloud, and Automation to solve problems, and develop work class products, in the most efficient and "secure" way.

He has led multi-site teams across the globe and has been responsible for innovations in the software development lifecycle, with 5+ times ROI and tens of millions in savings realization.

He is an active speaker in conferences, forums, and round table conferences on topics that he is passionate about such as:

Automation | DevOps | Cloud | Security | Infrastructure as Code | DevSecOps | CyberSecurity | SASE | Containerization | Microservices

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vijay-rudrappa/

___

Thank you so much for checking out this episode of The Tech Trek, and we would appreciate it if you would take a minute to rate and review us on your favorite podcast player.

Want to learn more about us? Head over at https://www.elevano.com

Have questions or want to cover specific topics with our future guests?

Please message me at  https://www.linkedin.com/in/amirbormand (Amir Bormand)

In today’s episode of The Tech Trek, host Amir Bormand talks with Atul Tulshibagwale, the Chief Technology Officer at SGNL. Amir and Atul discuss Open Standards and the various factors that contribute to the creation of new standards.

Highlights

03:39 - Atul explains what Open Standards are.

06:56 - How to determine if a phenomenon could be an Open Standard

11:35 - How can you encourage more people to support your ideas?

15:49 - What are some of the best ways to join in on a project, even if you have little experience?

20:17 - Atul shares his best practices for finding the right Standards body to contribute to.

Guest:

Atul Tulshibagwale is a federated identity pioneer and the inventor of CAEP. He provides technical leadership at SGNL. He conceptualized the Continuous Access Evaluation Protocol (CAEP), which forms the basis of the Shared Signals and Events working group in the OpenID Foundation. Prior to joining SGNL, he was a technical leader at Google where he focussed on access security. He was a co-founder and the CEO of Trustgenix (acquired by Hewlett Packard), where he defined the federation server, a concept that was later adopted by almost all identity vendors. He helped define open standards such as the Liberty Alliance and SAML 2.0. He continued with HP as the Director of the Federation. Prior to joining Google, Atul was at MobileIron as an Identity Architect.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tulshi/

___

Thank you so much for checking out this episode of The Tech Trek, and we would appreciate it if you would take a minute to rate and review us on your favorite podcast player.

Want to learn more about us? Head over at https://www.elevano.com

Have questions or want to cover specific topics with our future guests?

Please message me at  https://www.linkedin.com/in/amirbormand (Amir Bormand)