If you want your business to succeed, you need the right combination of people, processes and technology to create the best solutions with the lowest amount of friction.
In the early and mid 90s, I provided custom information technology (IT) solutions for a variety of small- and medium-sized businesses. Although my first passion and work was with technology, and primarily with computers and networking specifically, my interests grew and expanded beyond IT into an increasingly more prominent field: information systems (IS).
IS, in contrast to IT, focuses more on businesses processes and systems implementation. In lay terms, I became more interested in building end-to-end solutions to meet business needs, than I was in dealing with technical issues like networks, cabling, printers, and hardware. As my work experience grew, so too did my knowledge and training in software development, web technologies and business systems architecture.
Over the span of a decade, I worked with a wide array of independent clients and businesses, some in contract-only roles, and some working full time on-site. The exposure to a range of fields such as Customer Service, Accounting, Order Entry, and Sales & Marketing gave me a unique edge in business development roles, and eventually led to me working with businesses and startups to help build and establish full end-to-end business solutions and information systems. I have continued in this work as an information systems manager, and as a CIO in the finance and insurance industry.
Through this, the single most important lesson I’ve learned is that a well functioning business has a blend of good people, strong processes, and well-implemented technology, and that’s precisely where I love to work: right in the center of the people, processes, and technologies required to help businesses succeed.