Thoughts on technology, leadership, security, infrastructure, automation, and the systems between them.
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Leadership
One of the themes that continues to stand out to me through the NC CGCIO program is how much the role of technology leadership has changed. Being an IT leader today isn’t just about keeping the network up, protecting systems, replacing hardware, or implementing the next piece of technology. Those things still matter...
Leadership
This month continued to challenge how I think about technology leadership. One idea in particular stuck with me: technology should not be the starting point of the conversation. The mission should be. As IT leaders, it is easy to talk about infrastructure, cybersecurity, cloud platforms, applications, integrations, and...
Cybersecurity
I heard this phrase today, and my cybersecurity brain immediately went somewhere else with it. In cybersecurity, the diggers are almost always ahead of the fillers. Someone discovers a vulnerability before there is a patch. Someone develops a new attack technique before there is a detection rule. Someone finds a way...
Leadership
The higher you climb in IT, the more human the job becomes. That's one of the concepts I've been reflecting on since beginning the CGCIO program. Early in an IT career, we tend to measure ourselves by technical ability. Can I fix it? Can I build it? Can I secure it? Can I keep it running? Those skills don't become less...
Technology
Any parent probably knows this phenomenon. Mom has told the kids three times to settle down. “Stop.” “Leave your brother alone.” “Guys, I mean it.” Then Dad walks into the room. “Enough.” Suddenly, everybody discovers the ability to hear. It isn’t necessarily that the kids respect Dad more or that Mom was wrong. Dad’s...
Leadership
You do not always get the hand you want. You get the hand you are dealt, and then you figure out how to make it work. The more I think about it, the more that feels like working in higher education. The difference is that we are not all holding the same cards. IT may be looking at cybersecurity, aging infrastructure...
Technology
If you've worked in higher education long enough, you've probably heard IT described as the "Department of No." I understand why that perception exists. Faculty are constantly discovering new ways to teach, collaborate, and engage students. Innovation should be encouraged. But innovation also needs stewardship. Every...
System
I've been thinking about a term I recently heard: digital dust. It's the data we continue to keep because nobody has decided whether it still has value. As IT leaders, we're often asked, "How long should we retain backups?" The discussion usually turns into storage costs, licensing, or cloud pricing. Those are...
Leadership
When our help desk had a vacancy, I had a decision to make. I could immediately redistribute the workload, or I could use it as an opportunity to learn. I chose the second option. For a period of time, every new help desk ticket was assigned to me first. Not because I intended to resolve every issue myself. My goal was...
Technology
Early in my career in IT, I believed technical skill was everything. The more you knew, the more valuable you were. If you could solve complex problems, troubleshoot systems, and understand the technical details better than others, success would follow. And to a degree, that was true. Technical skill builds...
Technology
One of the unexpected places I find myself thinking about leadership is while playing Fortnite with my son. Even though we are playing the same game and trying to achieve the same overall objective, we often approach it very differently. My approach is fairly direct. I want to land quickly, gather weapons, ammunition...
