Episode 38: Cybersecurity Awareness Month: Back to Basics

MATT RUNK

Vice President, Sales Mid-Atlantic

Matthew Runk, Vice President, Sales Mid-Atlantic, leads a regional sales team focused on the technology needs of our clients. Matt started with Presidio as an Account Manager and has since held numerous leadership positions. He has more than 25 years of experience in technology sales. He holds a Bachelor of Science from Shippensburg University and an MBA from Temple University.

BRIAN MAGGIACOMO

Vice President, Strategic Accounts/Media & Entertainment

Brian Maggiacomo is the Vice President of Sales, Strategic Accounts/Media & Entertainment, at Presidio. Brian has over 25 years of channel experience supporting the global, enterprise, public sector and commercial markets. Prior to joining Presidio in 2012, Maggiacomo was Vice President of Sales and partner at BlueWater Communications Group from 2006 until it was acquired by Presidio. Brian holds a bachelor’s degree of arts in political science from SUNY Cortland.

The people are very important here – our people drive our business.

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Meet Rob P

United States

What is a lesson that you’ve learned over the past few years?

The biggest lesson I’ve learned in the last two years is to take a step back sometimes and just reflect on what’s going on, what the situation is, and then the people and everybody involved in that situation or the business in general. It is important for me to take a step back and just reflect internally, how am I doing? Is there something I could be doing better? How can I help out my team better? How can I help out my business better?

What is Presidio’s culture like?

The people are very important here – our people drive our business. We work with a variety of people overcoming difficult problems and complex situations. Working through these challenges, you bond and become more of a family with everyone instead of just coworkers.

What’s energizing you in your work right now?

The people driving our success, and of course my own team, they’re amazing. I’m proud of things I’ve accomplished here, but I’m more proud of the things that they’ve accomplished here. I love seeing them grow. I love seeing them meet their career goals and I love seeing them be successful. With some of the great feedback I get from our customers, it makes me makes me feel like a proud father.

What is your superpower and how does it align to your work here at Presidio?

I’d have to say empathy. That’s empathy with our customers and understanding what they’re going through to help us drive them to their successful outcomes. It is important to have empathy and understanding of what they’re trying to go through so that we can help them.

The people are very important here – our people drive our business.

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Meet Eric B

United States

What keeps you at Presidio?

That culture is what keeps me at Presidio. Developing friendships, and learning about new technologies is also a huge reason I stay at Presidio. Many businesses don’t necessarily develop the latest technologies because they have budgets to consider and existing business to run. At Presidio, you learn the latest technologies as soon as they’re available, and you can then apply them to other customers over time, spreading that knowledge and eventually becoming seen as a subject matter expert in a specific field you’re passionate about.

Presidio encourages education in both technical and managerial skills, helping you become not just a better engineer but also a better person.

What energizes your work right now?

Artificial intelligence, especially in data center solutions, is what energizes my work right now. I want to understand how we can drive more of our customers to invest in data center solutions for artificial intelligence, not just to sell hardware but to enable their business through machine learning technologies.

We have entire teams in India specifically that can help businesses drive business intelligence, which will ultimately drive their revenue higher. This, in turn, leads to more data center solutions that they need. It’s very exciting

Do you have any special hobbies or talents?

I am a scout master for two troops, one that is all girl and one that is all boy. I think it is important for young people to learn about their community and strive to give back. It is equally important to learn about other cultures around the world. It’s a great way to learn how to lead. I have leveraged some of the skills and knowledge I learned through leading a scout group in projects here at Presidio.

Sometimes it seems as if there are more solutions than problems. On closer scrutiny, it turns out that many of today’s problems are a result of yesterday’s solutions.
— Thomas Sowell

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Meet Syd S

United States

In your personal life, what is/are your hobbies and why are you passionate about them?

I am an avid cyclist. I have been riding since my college days. I ride rode, mountain, and most recently – gravel biking. I have ridden in the deserts of Botswana, hills of Bosnia-Herzegovina, isles of Greece, shores of Europe and now seek out the trails of the United States.

How do your personal hobbies translate to the work you do at Presidio?

Like cycling, there are times where you are alone and times when with a group. So, you must either grind yourself up a hill or down a long, winding road on your own, or there are times when you have assistance from the group, who encourage you and can even “pull” you by riding in front and providing a wind break.

Do you have any goals you are working towards this year? Either personal or in your job?

I have reach one already. After 30+ years serving our great nation, the United States, in a military capacity, I, Colonel Shinn, retired in June 2023. My next goal is to be there and give away my daughters on their wedding days; so far, one down and one more to go. I figured the weddings would be enough for this year.

What is a quote that you live by?

I have a few and drove my Soldiers and family crazy with my colloquial sayings. But I suspect I really have two I live by.

Be Bold, Be Brief, Be Gone: which translates, be confident in what you are saying and know the facts to stand by them; speak succinctly but specifically when presenting your topic; and do not seek accolades of your accomplished speech on your topic but move on as any compliments or questions will follow.

Sometimes it seems as if there are more solutions than problems. On closer scrutiny, it turns out that many of today’s problems are a result of yesterday’s solutions. –Thomas Sowell

Make sure to understand the long-term ramifications of the choices and decisions one makes today. We humans, most of the time, want to solve the problem immediately, but the immediate may be the detriment of the distant. As a PM, I always need to understand how the potential decisions I make affect the future efforts to reach the goal.

Syd Posing with his wife

Being in a project management organization is a perfect fit for someone who loves to plan and pay close attention to detail. I love working with people and understanding the full scope of a project down to the smallest details.

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Meet Nikki B

United States

What attracted you to Presidio? And what keeps you here?

I enjoy the people I work with and learning all about the different applications and processes behind the scenes for Presidio. I appreciate the opportunity to create and improve internal IT processes for my team and help drive change within our organization.

What is it like working at Presidio?

“If you learn something new every day, you can teach something new every day.” – Martha Stewart I am lucky to learn new things daily here, which makes my job so exciting. I share that knowledge with my team, and we work together to update and improve our processes.

What is energizing your work right now?

There are so many new initiatives that the different teams want to do to improve their processes to serve our customers better, and this requires help from the IT team.

What is your superpower?

I am an over-the-top party planner. I love creating decorations and all the little touches myself. I own way more décor than I would like to admit. Pick a theme; I probably have a bin dedicated to it.

How does your superpower align with your work here at Presidio?

Being in a project management organization is a perfect fit for someone who loves to plan and pay close attention to detail. I love working with people and understanding the full scope of a project down to the smallest details.

Whether it’s a dusty old pair of cross-country skis or a state-of-the-art data center running mission-critical apps, there is always something new to learn and optimize.

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Meet Bill O

United States

What attracted you to Presidio? And what keeps you here?

Presidio acquired the successful local VAR I was working for and welcomed me into the Presidio family with open arms.  This move provided me with countless opportunities to learn new skills, meet new thought leaders, and expand my reach to new customers around the country.  Best of all, Presidio is one of the few “engineering first” IT solutions providers in the marketplace today, which is one of the things I love about working at Presidio.

What is energizing you and your work right now?

The biggest mystery for most of our customers is how to intelligently migrate their workloads to the various public cloud providers.  Considering there are now 7 “R”s to cloud migration, I don’t blame them!  My biggest focus right now is learning how to help customers migrate as cost-effectively as possible to the public cloud where it makes sense and modernize their on-premises infrastructure for everything else.

What’s energizing you in your work right now?

The people driving our success, and of course my own team, they’re amazing. I’m proud of things I’ve accomplished here, but I’m more proud of the things that they’ve accomplished here. I love seeing them grow. I love seeing them meet their career goals and I love seeing them be successful. With some of the great feedback I get from our customers, it makes me makes me feel like a proud father.

What is your superpower/special talent?

I am a hard-core cross-country skier. I recently became a PSIA-certified cross-country ski instructor at the Loppet Foundation, one of our local nonprofit outdoor adventure centers.  I teach private and group lessons to new and developing skiers from December through March while competing at a half dozen Midwest Nordic ski races.

How does superpower align with your work here at Presidio?

My passion is to positively impact people in learning new skills, refining their existing skills, and getting the most out of the equipment they have today.  Whether it’s a dusty old pair of cross-country skis or a state-of-the-art data center running mission-critical apps, there is always something new to learn and optimize.

Presidio has given me a long-term career and prospects for continued growth. Presidio provided, and continues to provide, me with the room to grow (personally and professionally) and develop through experience, education, and coaching.

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Meet Maria C

Ireland

What attracted you to Presidio? And what keeps you here?

Presidio has given me a long-term career and prospects for continued growth. Presidio provides me with the room to grow (personally and professionally) and develop through experience, education, and coaching. The management teams I have worked with take a genuine interest in your life, your experience with your colleagues and customers, and your career progression. 

What is it like working at Presidio?

No day is ever the same – the technologies, customers, and teams involved in projects I manage are constantly changing. It can be hectic at times, however, there is always a supportive environment, to discuss challenges and celebrate the wins, with peers or management.  

What is your superpower/special talent? How does superpower align to your work here at Presidio? 

Organization – I can organize any room or occasion.

I can think logically and quickly about how a schedule or plan should look, what information is needed, and how it should be stored so everyone who needs it has the access. Lists are my best friend. 

I‘m a hobby farmer…It’s like working in technology; it’s always changing. Every season there’s a new challenge or something new to forecast for.

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Meet Amanda B

United States

What is your superpower? How does this superpower align with your work here at Presidio?

I’m a hobby farmer. Farming is an adventure where you can have a lot of success and a lot of failures. The failures can either cost your family food or time, or money. I grow between 30 to 40 different crops on a very small scale, but managing all those different ecosystems is very challenging. Every year comes with failures. I’ve had to learn over the seasons what works best.

It’s like working in technology; it’s always changing. Every season there’s a new challenge or something new to forecast for. Is it going to be a wet or sunny year? Did we have a wet or dry spring? All these different factors come into it, and you must adapt.

Do you have a special talent?

I am a Smart Hula-Hooper. My hula hoop is an internet of things (IoT) LED hula hoop that creates light images while you’re using it. I use code to make the light modes and the remote control to change the settings. The hoop also gets software updates from the manufacturer when plugged into a PC.

What is the best career advice you have ever been given?

I had a sales coach who told me that I had the gift of gab and that I shouldn’t be afraid of it but rather that I should find power in it and use it to my benefit. Before in my life, I always feared speaking up, especially as a young woman working in tech. This advice helped me find my own and it helped me come into myself as a person and recognize that my opinions matter and what I say has value.

How do you view Presidio culture?

Presidio is probably my favorite company I’ve ever worked for. I think the reason for that is working at Presidio is kind of like watching words get written on a page while reading them out loud at the same time. So, you have input and output in the very same moment and that just creates this electricity and this vibe of everybody humming and buzzing.

Our team slogan is “do something great every day”. That is what I have felt since the day I joined.

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Meet Ramakrishnan H

India

What led you to Presidio?

Presidio hosted a local hackathon. They gave us a set of problems for us to solve and a time limit to see how many problems we could crack. The prize was an interview with the company. This challenge was a breakthrough, and many people like me were able to gain a foot in the door and provide meaningful contributions and skills. I was working for another company and knew, by participating in the hackathon, that I wanted to join Presidio.

What is it like working at Presidio?

I’m always challenged and I’m always on the lookout to learn new skills and find new things that I can do better. We are constantly receiving new opportunities to explore and there are endless opportunities. Our team slogan is “do something great every day”. That is what I have felt since the day I joined.

What is your superpower/unique talent?

I know the right questions to ask and every meeting I am in. This helps me immensely on finding the exact requirements for any given project. If it is for a customer working through pain points or a general call before I wrap up every meeting making sure I have asked the right questions. I have created a knack for asking the right questions over the journey of 7-plus years of experience. This helps me do my job much more efficiently.

Presidio has a variety of IT solutions and vendors. I never get bored working with only one technology/vendor. This opportunity allows me to continue to learn and obtain new certifications.

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Meet Vikki E

United States

Tell us about the road that led you to Presidio.

I was on the customer side of Presidio for about 15 years, and during that time I was introduced to the Presidio Contact Center team. During my time working with that team, I was amazed at how professional and easy to work with they were. When I finished up my customer side contract role, I decided to interview with the Presidio team I had been working with, and I have been here for the past 7 years.

What attracted you to Presidio?

What attracted me to Presidio was the family atmosphere that Presidio embodies. On both my team and in the greater company, the culture is all about people helping people. You can always reach out to anyone in the company and know that they have got your back

What is a tech trend that you are excited about?

Right now, I am excited about AI. Both from what we are doing on my team and for personal use. There is so much potential for what AI can do. On my team, we are just at the very beginning of utilizing Google’s AI to improve analytics, and it’s really exciting to kick off.

What is your hobby and how does it apply to the work you do at Presidio?

I consider myself a teacher, I have always loved teaching. I was a preschool teacher, and I think that set me up for success at Presidio. I think if I can teach preschoolers, I can handle anything! I also was a lecturer at the University of Denver, and I taught project management as well as soft skills. It was always great to see people grasp those concepts.

One thing that I carry on in my role at Presidio from being a teacher is staying updated with the trends so I can be as much of an expert as possible in training my team. I find that I learn a lot from my team too, that’s what teaching is all about.

The people are very important here – our people drive our business.

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Meet Angela P

United States

What is a lesson that you’ve learned over the past few years?

The biggest lesson I’ve learned in the last two years is to take a step back sometimes and just reflect on what’s going on, what the situation is, and then the people and everybody involved in that situation or the business in general. It is important for me to take a step back and just reflect internally, how am I doing? Is there something I could be doing better? How can I help out my team better? How can I help out my business better?

What is Presidio’s culture like?

The people are very important here – our people drive our business. We work with a variety of people overcoming difficult problems and complex situations. Working through these challenges, you bond and become more of a family with everyone instead of just coworkers.

What’s energizing you in your work right now?

The people driving our success, and of course my own team, they’re amazing. I’m proud of things I’ve accomplished here, but I’m more proud of the things that they’ve accomplished here. I love seeing them grow. I love seeing them meet their career goals and I love seeing them be successful. With some of the great feedback I get from our customers, it makes me makes me feel like a proud father.

What is your superpower and how does it align to your work here at Presidio?

I’d have to say empathy. That’s empathy with our customers and understanding what they’re going through to help us drive them to their successful outcomes. It is important to have empathy and understanding of what they’re trying to go through so that we can help them.

The people are very important here – our people drive our business.

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Meet Roger G

United States

How did you end up working at Presidio?

I’m originally from Cuba. After moving to the US, I worked for American Express for a year and got the opportunity to join Presidio. I started working for Southern Company, one of our major clients. I found out about Presidio through a recruitment company. Overall, I was very attracted to the talent and technology at Presidio.

What is the culture like at presidio?

The Presidio culture is amazing and very diverse. We have had a number of acquisitions over the past couple years, which I think has really contributed to the culture. We brought in new talent and ideas and fostered a creative and collaborative environment.

What’s energizing you right now?

Becoming a new father. The past few years have been challenging for everyone, being a father is rewarding. Potty training my daughter recently was a significant achievement!

Tell us about your special talent or hobby.

Two of the hobbies I enjoy are video games and martial arts.

How do your hobbies translate to your work at Presidio?

The discipline from martial arts complements the problem-solving skills needed in my role. Building characters and gaining experience in video games parallels my approach to work. It’s about arming myself with tools and preparing for what is ahead.

Traveling gives us a chance to interact with different people. When you interact with different people and cultures, you pick up on the energy and learn new things.

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Meet Renukha L

India

How do you view Presidio culture?

Presidio treats its employees like family. They help us with our careers goal as well as our personal goals. If I have any issues, I can openly speak with my manager. There is also a great sense of work/life balance.

What is it like working at Presidio?

Here at Presidio, I can learn across different practices and upskill my knowledge. I can continuously learn and am encouraged to take on new challenges to enhance my skills daily.

What’s inspires you and your work right now?

Traveling gives us a chance to interact with different people. When you interact with different people and cultures, you pick up on the energy and learn new things. These are life lessons no one can teach us. I visited a globally renowned theme park on a recent vacation to France. I was inspired and energized by the beauty of the park. When developing applications, I always ensure they are fully functional and, above all, visually appealing.

Presidio is a place where people are super energetic. It keeps you on your toes, and it’s super exciting to be among the team. There are always opportunities to grow and explore.

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Meet Vimal P

India

What attracted you to Presidio? And what keeps you here?

I was really looking for a new kind of challenge and for a company where I could show my impact. I came from a larger organization and couldn’t see how I impacted the company and what we did.

What is your superpower/special talent? How does it align with your work here at Presidio?

I love watching documentaries, following geopolitics, reading about diverse topics ranging from history to psychology and, most importantly, spending time with my family & children.

Being aware of the person on the other side of the conversation makes me think, feel and help them by whatever means I can. This has helped me build relationships with clients and the Presidio family. Reading on diverse topics has also enabled me to see things from different perspectives, look for opportunities and think long-term.

How do you view the Presidio culture?

Presidio is a place where people are super energetic. It keeps you on your toes, and it’s super exciting to be among the team. There are always opportunities to grow and explore. Another important point is the leadership is accessible and there to give feedback and help you continue to evolve.

When there’s an emergency, I typically will jump in. This really ties into being there for our customers when the worst happens.

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Meet Dave T

United States

What do you do at Presidio?

I get to meet with our clients to talk to them about cybersecurity, where they are today and where they need to be.

What drives you personally?

I was in the Marines for a long time, so I have always had a responsibility to act. When there’s an emergency, I typically will jump in. This really ties into being there for our customers when the worst happens. They must feel that comfort knowing they have somebody who does this for a living, they have somebody right here that knows exactly what is going to happen for the next six weeks while we handle this situation.

Our video crew caught up with Dave at our Global Exchange event to find out what he likes best about Presidio culture and the superpower he brings to Presidio.

Playing drums is a lot like working through projects, in that, you must have coordination between your own tasks as well as play in concert with your team/band. Only then will you be able to make great music or get seamless failover for your application workloads across DCs.

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Meet Steve D

United States

What attracted you to Presidio? And what keeps you here?

I was drawn to Presidio for its vast exposure to top engineering talent as well as a wide variety of new technology solutions. These same things keep me engaged along with the satisfaction of being able to truly help our clients.

What is energizing you and your work right now? What drives you?

The love of learning how things work. This is especially true with new technologies that I can lab up and experiment with to see how they can be used to solve a business challenge.

What is your superpower/special talent?

Music! I am a drummer and come from a very musical and artistic family. I have been on tour across the U.S. and Canada playing in previous bands and was even out on a month and a half long tour.

How does superpower align with your work here at Presidio?

Playing drums is a lot like working through projects, in that, you must have coordination between your own tasks as well as play in concert with your team/band. Only then will you be able to make great music or get seamless failover for your application workloads across DCs.

Life at Presidio is fast-paced, interesting, and full of great challenges. There is room to learn and grow, to really hone my skills on large project delivery.

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Meet Nate G

United Kingdom

What is life like at Presidio?

Life at Presidio is fast-paced, interesting, and full of great challenges. There is room to learn and grow, to really hone my skills on large project delivery.

What’s energizing you and your work right now? What drives you?

The opportunity to work on new technologies and working with customers to move to modern architectures. I love looking at the big picture and finding ways to optimize and modernize customer’s infrastructures.

What is your superpower/special talent?

Whenever I am not working, I enjoy being active and outdoors. I am a qualified rock climbing instructor and run a National Climbing competition. I also mountain bike, snowboard, ski and surf if the weather if good enough.

How does superpower align to your work here at Presidio?

I feel that the common thread between these activities is developing a skill through hard work, persistence and patience. These sports have also taught me how to assess risks and how to approach a difficult situation with a clear head and focus.

I am energized to bring new solutions and see growth in cloud delivery, which is the trajectory we want to be on for our customers.

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Meet Doug G

United States

What path led you to Presidio?

I was part of an acquisition, so my journey here was a little different. Presidio was one of our key partners, so it was a natural fit for us. My old company was all about the cloud, but now we can bring In a complete suite of services and capabilities for our clients.

What’s energizing you these days?

I am energized to bring new solutions and see growth in cloud delivery, which is the trajectory we want to be on for our customers. We get to see so much more of Presidio now after the acquisition. We get to provide greater value to our customers and engage more with all of our teams.

What is your superpower?

My superpowers have evolved over the years. Right now, I am focusing on being a manager and listening to the people reporting to me, my peers, and our customers and sellers. Focusing on management and collaboration are my superpowers right now.

Never has technology been so closely integrated – from carrier to cloud services, to app developers, to infrastructure service owners. The silos of the past are collapsing and just like the succession of life in nature, new growth is all around us.

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Meet Paul G

United States

What is energizing you and your work right now? What drives you?

I am energized by the generational shift we are currently undergoing. Never has technology been so closely integrated – from carrier to cloud services, to app developers, to infrastructure service owners. The silos of the past are collapsing and just like the succession of life in nature, new growth is all around us as the decentralized nature of work and personal life creates new technology paradigms.

Tell us about a tech trend you are excited about.

I am currently very excited about human-machine interfaces. AR and VR are starting to mainstream, and I think we will see direct brain interfaces commercialized in the next two decades. I am equally excited about the expansion of freedom throughout the world with technologies such as block chain absorbing political power that used to be held by nation states.

What is your superpower/special talent?

My superpower is the ability to dream big and manifest that dream into a practical reality. I brainstorm in VR, model in CAD, test my ideas with AR, and work with both new and classic tool sets to pull things from the virtual world into the real.

How does superpower align with your work here at Presidio?

I use this superpower for woodworking at home, but the same type of ability is fundamental to providing value for my customers. Instead of envisioning a piece of furniture trapped in wood, I can see a future for their businesses where technology alleviates the pain and pressure that comes from operating the technologies that drive their businesses.

See Paul G’s superpower at work below.

Here, everybody is looking for the best possible solution for the customer and making it as innovative and scalable as possible so the solution can be leveraged for years to come.

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Meet David H

United States

How is life at Presidio?

The culture here is as different as day and night from all the other previous roles I’ve ever had. Our culture at Presidio is about work-life balance.

What’s energizing you and your work right now? What drives you?

Everybody’s passion at work is really what energizes me. Everybody is looking for the best possible solution for the customer and making it as innovative and scalable as possible so the solution can be leveraged for years to come.

What is your superpower/special talent?

I did a small stint as an amateur MMA fighter. That experience alone, just being in a ring fighting, takes confidence. It gives you the boost in life to break through barriers you think you have.

Tell us about a tech trend you’re following.

The tech trend I’m really into right now is automation, especially when it comes to like cloud technologies. Being able to take the mundane things that engineers are used to doing day by day and being able to deliver that faster, more efficiently is exciting.

Photo: Dave H. back in his MMA fighting days.

Presidio has a variety of IT solutions and vendors. I never get bored working with only one technology/vendor. This opportunity allows me to continue to learn and obtain new certifications.

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Meet Andrzej Z

Ireland

Tell us about the road that led you to Presidio.

I arrived in Ireland in 2007 and worked as a chef for six years. I moved, completed IT courses, took an IT internship in the financial sector, and obtained a junior sysadmin role in the same company where I interned. Three years after, I joined Presidio.

What attracted you to Presidio? And what keeps you here?

Presidio has a variety of IT solutions and vendors. I always enjoy working with more than one technology/vendor. This opportunity allows me to continue to learn and obtain new certifications.

What is life like at Presidio?

Fun and rewarding!

What is your superpower/special talent?

Apart from doing IT after work, I play guitar and I’m a qualified pastry chef.

How does superpower align with your work here at Presidio?

My superpower gives me confidence in my abilities! Presidio also hosts bake-off charity events couple times a year where I participate.

Working on a car’s restoration – it is all about paying attention to detail, learning new skills, and not being afraid to take something apart so that you can put it back together better than it was. Those are all skills you must have to be successful in IT.

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Meet Tom L

United States

What do you do at Presidio?

I work with an exciting group focused on bringing new, diverse people into our world of IT and engineering while helping to increase the efficiency of our Presales organization. In addition, I serve as the Chairperson of the Presidio Distinguished Professionals (PDP) Program.

What attracted you to Presidio? And what keeps you here?

Everyone likes being part of a growing company and being able to do that with people you like to work with is what keeps me here. Many of the people that I work with have become friends outside of work. I’ve been given great opportunities here, and I always felt this company rewards positive, creative, and motivated people.

What is energizing you and your work right now? What drives you?

We are building a team of “early career” Presales Engineers who will become that next generation of senior superstars. We are recruiting talent based on attitude and aptitude and training them to help build their skills in all the aspects of technology that Presidio sells.

What is your superpower/special talent?

Outside of work, I am very active in the collector car world. I buy, sell, and restore cars – mostly pre-1972 cars, and most are pre-WW2. My oldest car is a 1912 Auburn, and I am currently restoring a 1959 Gemini Formula Jr race car.

How does superpower align with your work here at Presidio?

Working on a car’s restoration – it is all about paying attention to detail, learning new skills, and not being afraid to take something apart so that you can put it back together better than it was. Those are all skills you must have to be successful in IT.

At Presidio, we are storytelling and building a narrative. We are focused on helping customers achieve business outcomes.

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Meet Jake F

United States

What attracted you to Presidio?

My dad was previously a delivery engineer for Presidio and is now on the Inside Presales team. He told me, “Jake, this is a company where you can make your career, a company that is going to enable you,” and that’s how I got started here.

What’s energizing you and your work right now? What drives you?

Freedom. Right now, it is the freedom to explore innovative technology trends. I feel like a pioneer sometimes on the new frontier.

Our video crew caught up with Jake F. at our global Exchange event to find out what Jake likes best about Presidio and his superpower.

How does your superpower align to your work at Presidio

At Presidio, we talk to a customer, and at the end of the day, we are storytelling and building a narrative. We are focused on helping customers achieve business outcomes. My superpower is talking to customers and getting feedback to drive that narrative forward.

Tell us about the mental health matters Employee Resource Group.

I co-lead the Mental Health Matters ERG (Employee Resource Group). Mental health awareness is a topic that people want to talk to about, but it can be challenging to discuss. We all have a desire to talk about it (mental health). That’s why we have created this ERG – to serve as a common place where our employees could start the conversation, promote employee mental health and provide resources to aid in positive change.

Being up to speed with technology is a destination – my job is to help figure out the directions.

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Meet Leanna A

United States

What attracted you to Presidio? And what keeps you here?

I want to be able to support the local government, and I love being an IT Solutions provider. I was also inspired to join because my first and second levels of leadership were women, and my 3rd level was a person of color. I need to be able to see myself in a company.

What’s energizing you and your work right now?

My customers. I love knowing that I’m making a real difference in how we support my fellow Washingtonians. We can support them and make positive, REAL change.

What is your superpower/special talent?

Research! I call it “social media mining.” I’ve learned to research people/things/places ahead of time and learn SO MUCH. It’s really fun.

How does superpower align with your work here at Presidio?

I use this to understand my clients’ needs and who they are. It is important to know what drives your clients so you can be flexible to meet their needs where they are instead of pushing them to be where they SHOULD be. Being up to speed on technology is a destination – my job is to help figure out the directions.

Here’s Leanna showing off another superpower, being an aerialist.

Think, work and achieve. Whatever I want to achieve, I start by just thinking about it, and then I start working towards it and that will help me to achieve it.

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Meet Manish S

India

What is your fondest memory you have at Presidio?

We had this one event called ‘Presidio One’. I met many of my brilliant colleagues there, it was an event filled with both technical and fun events. At the end, we had a ton of great new ideas and had become closer as a team and as a Presidio culture.

In your personal life, what is/are your hobbies and why are you passionate about them?

I love reading books and writing poems and articles. I have published my collection of poems in book form. Apart from this, I also love to share my knowledge with tech communities, and create YouTube videos and blogs to spread tech knowledge.

How do your personal hobbies translate to the work you do at Presidio?

My hobbies really help me get involved in the many initiatives at the Presidio. I love to write and have written several technical blogs for Presidio’s website, and I am currently volunteering for an India side blogging initiative. I love to accept challenges, which helps me in my project work. I love to take opportunities and work through them.

What is a quote that you live by?

“Think, work and achieve”, I live my life with this quote in mind. Whatever I want to achieve, I start by just thinking about it, and then I start working towards it and that will help me to achieve it.

Gratitude is the gateway to joy. I want my team to know I appreciate their contributions to our success.

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Meet Monica B

United States

What do you enjoy most about working for Presidio?

Hands down – the people!  Presidio has some of the best people in this industry within our organization.  I have had the fortune of making incredible connections at Presidio and working on remarkable teams.

How do you view Presidio culture?

Presidio has a great culture, and we are working to make it even better (together)! One thing I love about Presidio is that Presidio cares about the people that work here. We have a culture of people here who not only care but want Presidio to be the best and continuously make improvements to achieve that.

What’s a rule(s) that you live by?

There would be two. The first would be “Gratitude is the gateway to joy,” and the second is, “You miss 100% of the opportunities you don’t take.”

The gratitude quote – It is easy to get wrapped up in everything around you when there is always so much going on. I want my team to know I appreciate their contributions to our success as a business. I must also remind myself how grateful I am for everything I have around me.

The second rule is one that I am consistently adapting and learning to be braver and take my mom’s old advice….”The worst they can tell you is no…and if you are asking, you only have to gain and not lose.”

What inspires and drives you?

Making an impact. I want to make a difference. This is most likely because I was raised by a teacher. It’s hard for me to sit and do nothing. I want my kids to be proud of what I do (even when they don’t understand it). I love being a part of something bigger than myself and making contributions to help influence positive change for the future.

Life is all clouds. When a cloud comes in, good or bad, sit through it because it will change.

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Meet Angela L

United States

Why did you choose to work at Presidio?

Of all the places I interviewed, I know this might sound cliché… Presidio seemed like the happiest, most positive place. I got the impression the company is very team-oriented, and there are a ton of opportunities to grow personally and with the team.

In your personal life, what is/are your hobbies and why are you passionate about them?

I write young adult fantasy novels. As a parent, I often read the same stories my kids do! Reading was an activity that my son and I really enjoyed. There was one story I started telling him when he was very young, and one night I got to thinking, “What happened to the mother in the story?” So, I started writing it down. I shared it with my son, and he was so excited about it. Since then, the stories have continued, and now I have published five novels.

How do your personal hobbies translate to the work you do at Presidio?

I love creating stories that energize people and make them feel good. For my job at Presidio, when I can create something for someone on my team and it makes them smile, that makes me feel good.

What is a quote that you live by?

My husband and I attend silent retreats focusing on living in the now. Our teacher once said something that stuck with me. He said, “Life is all clouds.” When a cloud comes in, good or bad, sit through it because it will change. You can’t control a cloud up in the sky. You can’t grab onto it, change it, or force it into something it’s not. Mindfulness is letting go of the things you cannot control. Just like good and bad experiences in life, each moment is temporary. Live it, and let it pass.

Presidio has a variety of IT solutions and vendors. I never get bored working with only one technology/vendor. This opportunity allows me to continue to learn and obtain new certifications.

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Meet Alan H

Ireland

Why did I choose to work at Presidio?

I chose to work at Presidio because of their commitment to innovation and technology solutions. While my background lies in film, I completed my Masters in screenwriting in 2018, having worked in retail management throughout my Student life. Presidio’s emphasis on leveraging technology to drive business success resonated with me, as I saw an opportunity to apply my creative skills in a unique and meaningful way within the IT industry.

My hobbies and passion:

In my personal life, I am deeply passionate about filmmaking. I spend most waking moments outside of my day job working on my filmmaking, be it writing new scripts, chasing funding for the next project or indeed project managing the post production life of films already completed. I am passionate about telling stories about social injustice, with narratives that try to encapsulate the experiences of those living on the fringes of our society.

How my hobbies translate to my work at Presidio:

My passion for filmmaking translates well into my work at Presidio. Through my creative background, I bring a unique perspective to the team, enabling me to approach projects with a creative mindset. Whether it’s developing engaging team narratives or designing visually appealing presentations, my expertise in storytelling and visual communication allows me to add value to the projects I work on. The Boxing keeps me healthy and fit to tackle the everyday challenges we all face in the workplace.

Quote I live by:

“Never be the one to tell yourself no, let someone else do that”

We have a chance to really change the world. Everywhere I turn, I’m working with different SLED teams and there is a lot of energy, opportunity, and passion to provide solutions that impact our world. That excites me a lot.

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Meet Dan L

United States

What attracted you to Presidio?

I had heard quite a bit about Presidio. A well-renowned expert in the field talked to me about the unique things Presidio is doing, and the difference Presidio is making. As I researched it further, I was impressed with the level of talent, expertise, scope, involvement, and deep relationships that Presidio had with several state and local governments and the private sector.

What motivates you?

We have a chance to really change the world. Everywhere I turn, I’m working with different SLED teams and there is a lot of energy, opportunity, and passion to provide solutions that impact our world. That excites me a lot.

What is your superpower/special talent?

I love writing. I’ve been blogging in the industry for more than 15 years and write for Government Technology magazine. I write for CISO magazine. I’ve written three books. I just coauthored a book that was a bestseller on Amazon for six weeks.

How does superpower align with your work here at Presidio?

I’m passionate about writing and I really enjoy public speaking. So, being able to speak all over the world in front of different audiences to offer cybersecurity answers and solutions that really can help our clients aligns well with my superpower.

In addition to his work at Presidio, Dan is an accomplished writer. Read his recent blogs on GovTech.com.

Throughout my career I have worked on being passionate because people still buy from people.

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Meet Dave A

United States

What’s energizing you at work right now?

What is energizing me right now is having our team move away from sort of the traditional discussions and having more conversations around cloud, application development, and data.

Tell us about a tech trend you’re excited about.

Across the board, it’s the move to cloud. I’m excited for our team to be able to help customers innovate in the cloud. That’s the kind of cool trend I’m seeing out there. That’s our fun right now.

Our video crew recently caught up with Dave A. at our Global Exchange Sales event. We asked Dave what life is like at Presidio and the superpower he brings to Presidio.

It’s a community of individuals bringing their own talent trying to improve the business. We come together and are better together.

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Meet Camen M

United States

What attracted you to Presidio?

I wanted to see what it was like to be on the diversity side of tech companies. I’ve grown up knowing Presidio. My mom has worked at Presidio for 18 years, and all the individuals she’s working with have known me since high school. To see all of her co-workers still striving in this environment attracted me because I knew there was an opportunity for me to grow and come in to put my twist on what I would like to see in the diversity equity inclusion department.

How would you describe Presidio culture?

It is a welcoming culture. It’s a community of individuals bringing their own talent trying to improve the business. We come together and are better together. It is also an evolving culture as we go into bringing new people on and expanding internationally as well. We’re doing great things. We’re striving to make sure that our people are seen, heard, and valued.

What would you say is energizing you? What you’re in your role right now.

There’s so much negativity going on in this world. It’s important that I can come to work and try to create a positive atmosphere for individuals that may not have that environment anywhere else. I want to get to the space where we’re here at Presidio, and we’re able to realize that it takes one another to get results. What energizes me is getting up every day, knowing I have the autonomy to create new ideas, initiatives, and activities and partner with great people who can make these things come true.

What is your superpower or special talent that you bring to Presidio?

My special talent is interpersonal relationships. It goes back to me being an educator; it also goes back to growing up in a family of servant leaders. I also coach football. I’m here to serve. Being able to connect with different people from different backgrounds and come up with the same results is my superpower.

How we’re influencing people’s lives or clients’ lives is something that gets us jazzed up!

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Meet Rob K

United States

What is a lesson you have learned over the past few years?

I have learned that sometimes you must be forced into change. And the fact is, now, with all this acceleration of technology adoption, we’re in a state of perpetual change. You must be flexible.

What are some trends you are excited about?

Obviously, I have a ton of tech trends I am excited about! I am excited about sustainability and Diversity & Inclusion initiatives, specifically how we are making investments internally as an organization.

Our video crew recently caught up with Rob K. at our Global Exchange Sales event. We asked Rob what is energizing him at work right now and his superpower.

My work at Presidio benefits greatly from my positive energy and I believe it inspires others to be the best version of themselves!

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Meet Gloria D

United States

What attracted you to Presidio? And what keeps you here?

I’ve been at Presidio for four years and having previously worked at various Cisco partners, I can confidently say Presidio is the best of the best. Presidio has a backing large enough to assist the most prestigious clients across many industries and is still agile enough to successfully drive internal change and serve our clients’ ever-changing needs.

What is it like working at Presidio?

Life at Presidio provides me with daily challenges, flexibility, and creativity.

What’s energizing you at work?

I get energized helping to create and lead programs that employees benefit from both personally and professionally. Seeing the value delivered through our training and enablement programs, firsthand, is rewarding and inspires me to continue growing!

What is your superpower/special talent?

My superpower is my infectious positive energy. I am extremely passionate, motivated, and enthusiastic with a love for life. My work at Presidio benefits greatly from my positive energy and I believe it inspires others to be the best version of themselves!

I have unlimited enthusiasm for just about everything. I love when a customer brings us a big problem. It is great to come in with fresh eyes to help solve that problem together.

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Meet Nate L

United States

What attracted you to Presidio? And what keeps you here?

We are in the business of solving problems for customers, so the work is always interesting and stimulating. The people I work with are incredible – everyone is so smart and talented, but at the same time, so friendly and enjoyable.

How is life at Presidio?

We employ some of the best engineering minds in the marketplace, so there is always demand for more work. With new products coming to market frequently, vendors routinely bring us their latest technology to pilot it in our labs. At the same time, there’s a strong sense of family here – our executives stress the importance of good work-life balance. It is a great work-hard / play-hard culture and a lot of fun.

What is energizing you and your work right now? What drives you?

The rate of change in new technology. You are always learning something new, so the job is never the same each day.

Tell us about a tech trend you are watching.

Medical researchers upload staggering amounts of complex data to the cloud and then run different analyses against it. I’ve helped a few Biotech companies with their cloud strategy and security, seeing how they’re using it to cure Alzheimer’s or fight cancer. It’s humbling when you realize you helped them to make an impact.

What is your super power? How does superpower align with your work here at Presidio?

I get really excited to learn new things, and I tend to pick up a lot of new hobbies. One is cooking – I can cook better than most grandmothers (sorry, Mimi). During the pandemic, I was cooking like we were at a restaurant 4 or 5 nights a week which was a lot of fun. I have unlimited enthusiasm for just about everything. I love when a customer brings us a big problem. It is great to come in with fresh eyes to help solve that problem together.

Pan seared Salmon linguine w ramp pesto bitter greens

I feel very valued here, and it is great to see the hard work noticed by management, who are always offering praise.

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Meet Gary M

Ireland

What attracted you to Presidio? What keeps you here?

All the people inside the business are friendly and welcoming. Presidio is also one of the top global digital solutions and services providers, so I knew it would be a fantastic opportunity to expand my skills and knowledge and to learn from some of the best. All the management and colleagues are extremely helpful, and understanding, and I feel privileged to work here.

What is it like working at Presidio?

Life is great here at Presidio. We have a great work/life balance. The management team is excellent and very accommodating. I am happy to be part of the Presidio team.

What is one thing that makes you proud to work here at Presidio?

The overall culture of the company. From my very first day, everyone was accommodating and approachable. It feels like one big family. I feel very valued here, and it is great to see the hard work noticed by management, who are always offering praise.

What is your superpower/unique talent?

My superpower/unique talent is kickboxing. I have been training in Kickboxing for the last 15 years. I am currently part of the Irish National Kickboxing Team. I am ranked number 2 in the world in the WAKO world rankings. Along with one of my teammates, we became the first two Senior Males in Irish Ring Sport history to win the Wako European Championships for Ireland. I aim to continue competing over the next few years and retire as an Irish Olympian.

What I do outside of Presidio, smashing through that concrete, having the right balance of technique and power and speed is what I bring to Presidio!

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Meet Julie R

United States

What do you do at Presidio?

I manage a whole bunch of awesome people that deliver great services to our customers. In addition to that, I run the team that configures and stages projects that ship from a centralized facility, so our engineers don’t have to be onsite.

What have you learned at Presidio?

I have learned to be resilient and to make sure that we adapt. You never know what kind of circumstances we are going to encounter. Our customers have changed a lot, so our engineering lives have changed a lot. We need to know If we’ve made a different choice or a decision that we need a change, that we can easily change it and start a different path.

What do you enjoy most about working at Presidio?

I love the people of Presidio. I believe in our mission and our core competencies. I see Presidio as an extended family.

Our video crew caught up with Julie at our global Exchange event to ask what life is like at Presidio and the superpower she brings to Presidio. Find out her answers by watching the video below!

Joining an Employee Resource Group really opens your community up and you start to see, I’m not the only one – I’m also everywhere in the company.

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Meet Melissa D

United States

What is your perspective on life at Presidio?

Regardless of whether you’re at the corporate, regional or working remote, you still get that very comfortable environment where everyone knows everyone’s name and if they don’t, they learn it. There is always a very welcoming environment. There is always an effort to create that connectivity between the teams. Just because we are in different places doesn’t mean we disconnect.

What is your superpower?

My superpower and probably my biggest motivator is just being a single mom so that the hat that comes with juggling your professional career, your personal life being a parent, and creating a solid foundation. I think that’s probably my superpower. But I also do have learning disabilities I’ve had to really cope with in my professional career. I look at those more as more of an advantage, though. It gives me the opportunity to see things from a different perspective and to effectively do my work probably differently than a lot of other people.

How does your superpower align to your work at Presidio?

That advantage allows me to step back and calculate things to make sense to me. I know naturally, if you ask me now to pull the data, it’ll take me a while to process. So I create platforms from scratch. I spend a lot of time at the forefront, creating a system that will help pull critical information as quickly as my colleagues need me to. It’s just it’s how I need to work, and it helps me do my job better. If I can do my job better, you get better results from me, and we all end up benefiting from that.

What has your experience been participating in our Employee Resource Groups?

As a person of color, as a woman in technology, it was very important for me to see other people who can identify similarly. Sometimes feels like you’re not as visible. Joining an ERG really opens your community up and you start to see, I’m not the only one – I’m also everywhere in the company. These resource groups are really giving a whole to a lot of different people that sometimes may not feel like they have a home.We want to continue along this path to give everyone a home that they can identify with.

“Do Something Great. Everyday!” This has been my mantra.

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Meet Arvind M

India

What is life like at Presidio?

Work and fun are inextricable at Presidio. The culture encourages people to engage in fun events while ensuring client deliverables are on track. We celebrate festivals by wearing traditional dress or having a potluck lunch as well.

What’s energizing you and your work right now? What drives you?

“Do Something Great. Everyday!” From the day I joined till now, this has been my mantra. I enjoy managing complex projects, architecting elegant solutions for customer problems, and raising the bar constantly with my team.

Tell us about a tech trend you’re watching.

AI/ML is picking up speed. One of my experiences has been automating golf scoring to replace a manual effort of a person. The solution used an intelligent system with cameras to process feeds and take appropriate actions. Businesses have started exploring what Machine Learning could solve.

What is your superpower/special talent? How does it align with your work here at Presidio?

My superpower is being resilient to challenges and having strong, persuasive skills to lead people. Being resilient helps me navigate and scale myself quickly, be it technical or managerial challenges. Along with my persuasive abilities, it has helped me mentor next-generation leaders within Presidio.

It’s a community of individuals bringing their own talent trying to improve the business. We come together and are better together.

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Meet Cyndi B

United States

Why did you join Presidio?

Presidio has an appetite for growth, and this stood out to me during the interview process. I love that the Presidio continued to focus on that through the pandemic. It is what sets us apart from our competition, and makes us stand out to our clients.

What keeps you here at Presidio?

The people keep me at Presidio. I don’t think of working at Presidio as a job, I think of it as it’s a career choice that I made. And I love it here. My long term plan is to remain here.

The team I work with closely really is a tight knit group, from the leadership team down to the individual market teams, whether as in California and the Pacific Northwest or Texas or the Midwest, everybody’s just really built really solid relationships. We make sure that one another achieve our goals, both personally and professionally.

What’s your special talent or hobby?

I have an award winning salsa! I competed in a contest about five years ago with a local radio station, and lo and behold, I was the sole winner for Southern California!

However, where I get passion from is my two grandkids. I am so happy to be a younger grandparent who has the energy and the ability to spend time with my grandkids and and appreciate them in their childhood in a different way than I appreciated spending time with my own children. I love being able to take a step back and enjoy my time with them and prioritize my time with them. It is what drives me every day.

How do your passions align with Presidio?

Prioritization. It is important to prioritize family time and the work I do here at Presidio. If I am with the kids, I prioritize that time. And then when it’s Presidio time, I prioritize that time. At the end of the day it is rewarding to see my team reach their goals, just like it is rewarding to laugh and play with my grandkids. It is important to have a healthy mix of work and life.

UJIMA

UJIMA is the BIPOC network serving Presidio employees of color. We create a safe space for employees of color to share their voice and experiences and engage in peer mentorship.

VETs

VETs provides career growth, networking, and resource to Presidio employees who identify as veterans or supporters of veterans. We are particularly focused on supporting veterans who are transitioning from the service to corporate life.

WONDER

WONDER is a supportive community for women of diverse backgrounds to advance their skills and grow their leadership potential. We seek to foster an environment that promotes innovation, safety, trust, and acceptance.

PRIDE

Pride is a community where LGBTQ employees and allies can come together to create community, promote awareness, and celebrate diversity.

Mental Health Matters

Mental Health Matters is focused on promoting employee mental health by raising awareness, reducing stigma, and sharing resources and guidance amongst peers.

I‘m a hobby farmer…It’s like working in technology; it’s always changing. Every season there’s a new challenge or something new to forecast for.

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Meet Amanda B

United States

What is your superpower? How does this superpower align with your work here at Presidio?

I’m a hobby farmer. Farming is an adventure where you can have a lot of success and a lot of failures. The failures can either cost your family food or time, or money. I grow between 30 to 40 different crops on a very small scale, but managing all those different ecosystems is very challenging. Every year comes with failures. I’ve had to learn over the seasons what works best.

It’s like working in technology; it’s always changing. Every season there’s a new challenge or something new to forecast for. Is it going to be a wet or sunny year? Did we have a wet or dry spring? All these different factors come into it, and you must adapt.

Do you have a special talent?

I am a Smart Hula-Hooper. My hula hoop is an internet of things (IoT) LED hula hoop that creates light images while you’re using it. I use code to make the light modes and the remote control to change the settings. The hoop also gets software updates from the manufacturer when plugged into a PC.

What is the best career advice you have ever been given?

I had a sales coach who told me that I had the gift of gab and that I shouldn’t be afraid of it but rather that I should find power in it and use it to my benefit. Before in my life, I always feared speaking up, especially as a young woman working in tech. This advice helped me find my own and it helped me come into myself as a person and recognize that my opinions matter and what I say has value.

How do you view Presidio culture?

Presidio is probably my favorite company I’ve ever worked for. I think the reason for that is working at Presidio is kind of like watching words get written on a page while reading them out loud at the same time. So, you have input and output in the very same moment and that just creates this electricity and this vibe of everybody humming and buzzing.

What I do outside of Presidio, smashing through that concrete, having the right balance of technique and power and speed is what I bring to Presidio!

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Meet Julie R

United States

What do you do at Presidio?

I manage a whole bunch of awesome people that deliver great services to our customers. In addition to that, I run the team that configures and stages projects that ship from a centralized facility, so our engineers don’t have to be onsite.

What have you learned at Presidio?

I have learned to be resilient and to make sure that we adapt. You never know what kind of circumstances we are going to encounter. Our customers have changed a lot, so our engineering lives have changed a lot. We need to know If we’ve made a different choice or a decision that we need a change, that we can easily change it and start a different path.

What do you enjoy most about working at Presidio?

I love the people of Presidio. I believe in our mission and our core competencies. I see Presidio as an extended family.

Our video crew caught up with Julie at our global Exchange event to ask what life is like at Presidio and the superpower she brings to Presidio. Find out her answers by watching the video below!

Phil Filippelli

Director, Strategy and Innovation at Presidio

Phil Filippelli, Director, Strategy and Innovation, leads Presidio’s Innovation Practice helping clients such as the NHL achieve their digital transformation goals. He has more than three decades of experience successfully delivering desired business outcomes through technology. Phil is a developer at heart and has led teams across a variety of industries in creating and implementing innovative and leading-edge solutions. Prior to joining Presidio, he was Vice President of Innovation at EHE Health, and held technology leadership roles at CVS Health and TD Synnex. He holds a Bachelor of Science from Central Connecticut State University and lives in Tampa, FL.

George Santa

Client VP at Presidio

George Santa, Client VP at Presidio, is focused on helping clients align their business with the right technology to drive meaningful outcomes. He partners closely with customers such as the NHL to drive digital transformation and help them meet their goals. George joined Presidio in 2007 as a Senior Account Manager. He earned a Bachelors of Arts from Tufts University and lives with him family in New York.

David Lehanski

NHL Executive Vice President, Business Development & Innovation

David Lehanski is the Executive Vice President of Business Development & Innovation for the National Hockey League, responsible for leading the League’s technology and innovation initiatives through the establishment of corporate partnerships, state-of-the-art technology solutions and new revenue.

Lehanski joined the NHL in 2005 and has been instrumental in building the most advanced technology solutions in sports. He has been a key driver in establishing the League’s world class technology infrastructure through creating partnerships with tech giants Apple, Amazon Web Services (AWS), SAP, Sportradar, Rogers and Verizon. These partnerships and tremendous advancements in technology and innovation have not only well positioned the NHL to expand and advance both the game and the fan experience, but they have also helped to fuel the League’s remarkable business growth and record revenues.

Lehanski has been at the forefront of the development and implementation of the NHL’s innovative EDGE (Puck and Player Tracking) technology, which received a prestigious Alpha Award for Best Sports Innovation at the 2022 MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference. Under Lehanski’s leadership, the League and NHL EDGE made history alongside ESPN and the Disney Channel with the NHL Big City Greens Classic, the first-ever live, animated NHL game telecast, featuring the Washington Capitals vs. New York Rangers. The hugely popular NHL Big City Greens Classic demonstrated how data from NHL EDGE can create entirely new fan experiences for a younger audience in collaboration with best-in-class partners.

Over the past several seasons, Lehanski has been focused on developing new solutions with industry-leading technology providers including Apple, AWS, SAP, Sportradar, Rogers and Verizon to improve and enhance the game for players, coaches and officials, as well as for fans and for the League’s broadcast and corporate partners. This has included the debut of AWS’s Shot and Save analytics and Face-Off Probability and leveraging Verizon’s cutting-edge 5G technology in-arena.

Lehanski was instrumental in the creation and implementation of the NHL’s groundbreaking in-arena coaching system introduced in 2017 – in collaboration with Apple – delivering real-time video highlights to coaches on the benches of every NHL arena. He also helped to develop the next phase of the NHL’s in-arena coaching system with the launch of the SAP-NHL Coaching Insights App for iPad, providing access to real-time, customized data and player statistics during the game on home and away benches in all 32 arenas.

Inside the NHL, Lehanski leads the NHL’s internal Innovation Team. Made up of internal experts from business development, strategy and information technology, the Innovation Team helps to advance the game of hockey by developing and implementing technology-driven solutions focused on the business and the game. Under Lehanski’s leadership, the Innovation Team has hosted three Technology Showcases – one during CES in Las Vegas in 2019 at T-Mobile Arena showcasing Puck and Player Technology, the second in 2022 at Prudential Center in New Jersey, demonstrating how the League can leverage 5G technology, and the most recent in March 2023 at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle, exploring new experiences leveraging cloud technology. Each showcase was a pilot of futuristic technology solutions being developed by the NHL in collaboration with several leading technology providers to enhance the in-arena and at-home viewing experience.

Since joining the League in 2005, Lehanski has played an important role in the League’s path to close to $6 billion in annual revenues, establishing landmark partnerships for the NHL with some of the biggest global brands including AWS, Verizon, Apple, SAP, Dunkin, Honda, PepsiCo, Geico, Discover, Enterprise, Cisco, and MillerCoors, among many others. Lehanski was also one of the drivers in the League’s progressive approach to sports betting, helping to secure strategic partnerships with sportsbooks including MGM Resorts International, FanDuel and Caesars.

Before joining the NHL, Lehanski served as Vice President of Marketing Solutions at Clear Channel Advantage where he worked with Fortune 500 advertisers/marketers to develop, sell, and activate fully integrated media/marketing solutions that leveraged all of Clear Channel’s assets. Previously, Lehanski was the co-founder and Vice President of HallOfSports.com, an online company focused on the distribution of sports memorabilia and collectibles with a long-term goal of consolidating the industry. He also spent several years as a consultant on the agency side at SFX Sports and Clarion Sports & Entertainment.

Lehanski was named to SportsBusiness Journal’s Forty Under 40 Class of 2012, recognizing executives for excellence and innovation in their industry before the age of 40. He earned a B.A. with a major in economics from Bowdoin College and currently resides in Ridgewood, NJ with his wife Alison and two sons, Eddie and Leo.

Our team slogan is “do something great every day”. That is what I have felt since the day I joined.

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Ramakrishnan H

India

What led you to Presidio?

Presidio hosted a local hackathon. They gave us a set of problems for us to solve and a time limit to see how many problems we could crack. The prize was an interview with the company. This challenge was a breakthrough, and many people like me were able to gain a foot in the door and provide meaningful contributions and skills. I was working for another company and knew, by participating in the hackathon, that I wanted to join Presidio.

What is it like working at Presidio?

I’m always challenged and I’m always on the lookout to learn new skills and find new things that I can do better. We are constantly receiving new opportunities to explore and there are endless opportunities. Our team slogan is “do something great every day”. That is what I have felt since the day I joined.

What is your superpower/unique talent?

I know the right questions to ask and every meeting I am in. This helps me immensely on finding the exact requirements for any given project. If it is for a customer working through pain points or a general call before I wrap up every meeting making sure I have asked the right questions. I have created a knack for asking the right questions over the journey of 7-plus years of experience. This helps me do my job much more efficiently.

Traveling gives us a chance to interact with different people. When you interact with different people and cultures, you pick up on the energy and learn new things.

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Renukha L

India

How do you view Presidio culture?

Presidio treats its employees like family. They help us with our careers goal as well as our personal goals. If I have any issues, I can openly speak with my manager. There is also a great sense of work/life balance.

What is it like working at Presidio?

Here at Presidio, I can learn across different practices and upskill my knowledge. I can continuously learn and am encouraged to take on new challenges to enhance my skills daily.

What’s inspires you and your work right now?

Traveling gives us a chance to interact with different people. When you interact with different people and cultures, you pick up on the energy and learn new things. These are life lessons no one can teach us. I visited a globally renowned theme park on a recent vacation to France. I was inspired and energized by the beauty of the park. When developing applications, I always ensure they are fully functional and, above all, visually appealing.

Presidio has a variety of IT solutions and vendors. I never get bored working with only one technology/vendor. This opportunity allows me to continue to learn and obtain new certifications.

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Meet Alan H

Ireland

Why did I choose to work at Presidio?

I chose to work at Presidio because of their commitment to innovation and technology solutions. While my background lies in film, I completed my Masters in screenwriting in 2018, having worked in retail management throughout my Student life. Presidio’s emphasis on leveraging technology to drive business success resonated with me, as I saw an opportunity to apply my creative skills in a unique and meaningful way within the IT industry.

My hobbies and passion:

In my personal life, I am deeply passionate about filmmaking. I spend most waking moments outside of my day job working on my filmmaking, be it writing new scripts, chasing funding for the next project or indeed project managing the post production life of films already completed. I am passionate about telling stories about social injustice, with narratives that try to encapsulate the experiences of those living on the fringes of our society.

How my hobbies translate to my work at Presidio:

My passion for filmmaking translates well into my work at Presidio. Through my creative background, I bring a unique perspective to the team, enabling me to approach projects with a creative mindset. Whether it’s developing engaging team narratives or designing visually appealing presentations, my expertise in storytelling and visual communication allows me to add value to the projects I work on. The Boxing keeps me healthy and fit to tackle the everyday challenges we all face in the workplace.

Quote I live by:

“Never be the one to tell yourself no, let someone else do that”

Dennis Milewski

VP, IT Infrastructure & Support Services Delaware North

An Emmy Award-winning IT executive with an expansive background across sports broadcast media, sports venues, and hospitality sectors, currently leading the charge in Infrastructure and Services at Delaware North, a global hospitality powerhouse. This seasoned professional combines a rich history of technological innovation and strategic leadership to enhance operational efficiencies, guest experiences, and service delivery. With a keen eye for cutting-edge solutions and a commitment to excellence, they play a pivotal role in maintaining Delaware North’s reputation as a leader in the hospitality industry, ensuring the seamless integration of technology and services across its diverse portfolio.

Kenneth Dougherty

Vice President, North America Storage Platforms and Solutions Sales Dell Technologies

Ken Dougherty is Vice President, North America Sales, Storage, Platforms and Solutions for Dell Technologies. Ken brings 20-plus years of experience leading sales at storage and enterprise software companies, Ken excels at building high performance sales teams and driving significant revenue growth. Prior to joining Dell EMC, Ken served as Vice President of North America Sales at Kaminario leading direct and indirect sales. Prior to Kaminario, Ken led the HP Big Data sales organization for the Eastern U.S. and Canadian markets where his team delivered double digit growth and consistently overachieved sales goals throughout his six-year tenure.

In 2011, while at HP, he was recognized as Global Sales Leader of the Year. Ken also led the Eastern and Canadian Region at Compellent, establishing new markets and delivering triple digit revenue growth. Ken began his sales career and spent 10 years at Storage Tek in various sales and sales management positions. Ken and his wife, Kendra, live in Hopkinton with their four children: Tyler, Chase, Brooke and Mary-Kate.

Ron Kenney

Vice President of Solutions Architecture Presidio

Ron Kenney, Vice President of Solutions Architecture, is responsible for the Presales Engineering organization in the North. As a Presidio Distinguished Engineer, Ron is a thought leader contributing to the development of transformational, next-generation solutions for Presidio’s clients across the organization. Ron has held multiple engineering and leadership positions since joining Presidio in 2008 including Network and Security Architect, Solutions Architect, Principal Consultant and Engineering Delivery VP.

Scott Stout

VP, Security Sales Cisco

Vice President, Americas Security Sales Cisco As VP of Americas Security Sales, Scott is responsible for leading growth in the United States, Canada, and Latin America go-to-market, strategy, and execution across the security portfolio. His team’s focus is to help customers reduce their risk profile and drive top customer and partner business outcomes with a security platform approach. Before joining Cisco, Scott held sales and leadership positions for 20+ years at Imperva, Forcepoint, Palo Alto Networks, most recently serving as VP of Americas Sales at Deep Instinct.

Prior to that, he spent nine years at Palo Alto Networks in several sales leadership positions, including overseeing sales execution and operations as VP in the Global Account organization. Scott is a graduate of Drexel University and currently resides in sunny Delray Beach, Florida. Scott and his wife, Alice, met in college and are very proud parents of Abby and CJ, students at Texas Christian University.

Frank LoBello

CISO and Head of Infrastructure - Abrams Capital Management, LLC

Frank LoBello is a seasoned technologist with over twenty years of experience. He currently holds the role of CISO and Head of Infrastructure for Abrams Capital Management where he oversees all of the underlying technology and cybersecurity initiatives. He has been with Abrams since 2009 and has lead the firm through many major projects including multiple datacenter moves, SASE implementation, and cloud migrations. Whenever he can escape his busy schedule, Frank can be found on the golf course, bike trail, or local car show. He is also an avid gamer and enjoys many modern and classic titles.

Peter Vittands

VP of Cybersecurity and IT - Evolv Technology

Peter Vittands is seasoned cybersecurity and IT leader with 25+ years experience leading security to enable business success and currently operates as the VP of Cybersecurity and IT at Evolv Technology.

Evolv’s mission is to make the world a safer place for people to gather. Evolv is privileged to help their customers mitigate risk and keep the public safe using industry-leading AI-powered detection solutions.

Michael Kelly

AVP IT Infrastructure Operations - NETSCOUT Systems

Michael Kelly is a seasoned IT Professional with 30+ years of experience across a number of technology functions. He has spent the past 13 years managing a diverse set of IT Operations teams for NETSCOUT. Prior to joining NETSCOUT, Michael held a similar role for 12 years at EBSCO Publishing. I’m proud to say that my partnership with my friends at Presidio has been instrumental to my success.

Joe Galvin

Director - Cisco

Joe is an experienced sales professional with a passion for building strong, collaborative teams and driving results. He thrives in dynamic environments and has a proven track record of success in sales, particularly within the technology industry. Currently, Joe is a proud leader at Cisco Systems, a global leader in networking and communications technology.

Larry Primatello

Director, Cloud & Network Architecture - ElevateBio

Reporting to the CIO/Director of IT Larry Primatello is a Senior IT manager specializing in leading enterprise IT infrastructure and information security teams.

Joel Vengco

SVP and Chief Information & Digital Officer - Hartford HealthCare

Joel L. Vengco is the Senior Vice President of ITS and Chief Information and Digital Officer (CIDO) at Hartford HealthCare (HHC) where he leads all technology operations and services, enterprise applications, and data and digital transformation initiatives across 8 hospitals, over 400 clinical sites, and 36K employees. Mr. Vengco has over 20+ years of informatics, technology, and healthcare innovation experience and is focused on harnessing the power of data and digital to transform care delivery to be more a personalized and orchestrated experience for patients.

Jennifer Salinas

SVP, General Counsel, Corporate Secretary & Acting CIO - Cerence

Jennifer is an executive leader for conversational AI for the automotive and greater mobility ecosystem with 25+ years of experience in the technology space. Leading and implementing iterative, transformative remapping of people, processes and technology to AI company’s top and evolving business needs, including systems, cybersecurity, cloud/tech infrastructure, procurement, project management and end-user support.

Brian Fortin

VP, Infrastructure & Cloud Services - FM Global

Brian Fortin serves as Vice President of the Infrastructure & Cloud Services division of FM Global’s Strategy & Business Enablement organization. Brian brings more than 30 years of experience in leading & transforming information technology environments and building long-term partnerships with business and technology stakeholders. In his current role, Brian is responsible for defining and developing enterprise-wide strategies to ensure the ongoing and future alignment of technology for modern cloud/DevSecOps, core infrastructure, cyber-security solutions, IT Service management and user-enabling technologies. In his free time Brian enjoys hiking, running, reading, travel and spending time with his three children.

Tom Ryan

Enterprise District Sales Manager - Dell Technologies

Tom is a passionate and accountable sales leader with a proven track record of partnering along side our customers to deliver successful outcomes. His current team is responsible for Dell Technologies’ Enterprise Preferred accounts in the Northeast. Tom and his wife, Meghan, currently reside in Boston. Outside of work, Tom’s hobbies include golf, sporting events, and family time in the Cape.

Cornelius Honour

VP IT Infrastructure & Operations - DFW International Airport

Cornelius is an accomplished professional with extensive expertise in overseeing IT infrastructure and operations. Currently serving as the AVP of IT Infrastructure and Operations for DFW International Airport, Cornelius excels in telecommunications, system engineering, network management, and life safety systems. With a strong background in managing access control, CCTV systems, and public and private airport Wi-Fi, cellular, and radio networks, Cornelius is recognized for implementing robust IT solutions that ensure seamless operations and enhance security measures.

Steven Reis

CTO - COCC

As Senior Vice President & Chief Technology Officer, Steve Reis plays a critical role in leading technology and infrastructure initiatives at COCC. Since joining COCC in 2008, Steve has held many different roles, starting as a Security DBA and leading to his current position, in which he is responsible for the COCC technology footprint and for ensuring infrastructure is ready for new client additions and new product offerings.

Steve has forecasted and strategically expanded COCC’s operations to ensure that COCC remains a top-tier technology organization. His technical ability coupled with his leadership and commitment to client service have made him an integral player at COCC. Steve has continually demonstrated that he can and will seek out the best technical solutions for COCC while keeping service levels top notch.

Lennox Brown

CIO - New England Biolabs

Lennox is a seasoned technology executive with 25+ years of consulting and corporate experience. He drives IT organizations to focus on value while delivering outstanding service to the company’s employees and customers. He has broad business acumen including in-depth expertise in operations, product management, supply chain, shared services and information technology. Within technology, Lennox has been responsible for all aspects of running a global IT organization, including application development, infrastructure operations, business intelligence, engineering support, and cyber-security.

Konstantine Titov

Director, Cloud & Network Architecture - ElevateBio

Konstantine is the new Director of Cloud & Network Architecture at ElevateBio with nearly 20 years of experiences in networks and systems. His most recent position was with Center for Breakthrough Medicines where he was a Senior Solutions Architect. Prior to this Konstantine was the Critical Infra Lead at Takeda. Given the critical operational and information security aspect to this role, Konstantine will be reporting to Todd Hiser, Senior Director, IT Infrastructure and Operations, as part of leadership team, and dotted line reporting to Christian Hammer, Vice President, Head of Information Security IT.

Alberto Martini

SVP, Global IT Procurement & Contracts - IGT Global Solutions

Global SVP of IT Procurement, Communications, and Contract for office of the CIO. Responsible for CIO’s global budget across all technology.

Matt Rafuse

Sales Director

Matt has worked in various sales positions over his 13+ years here at Presidio. The last 6 have been spent leading a team of 11 well tenured Account Managers as a Sales Director here in New England. Matt & his wife Julie currently reside in Portsmouth, NH. They are enjoying the empty nest lifestyle with their only daughter off at Bentley University in Waltham, MA.

Eric Laliberte

Sales Director

Eric currently leads an experienced team of 7 sales professionals that align to our valued customers within Connecticut. Prior to joining Presidio in 2020, Eric spent nearly 10 years with Dell-EMC working with customers throughout New England. Eric earned a degree in Economics from Wheaton College and is a father to (3) daughters with his wife Laura.

ERIC VOGELPOHL

Field CTO

Eric Vogelpohl brings 25 years of leadership and innovation in the IT sector, focusing on cloud services and advanced data analytics. His career spans significant roles, beginning with tours in enterprise IT at a major natural gas firm, where he honed his skills in the practical application of technology solutions to complex business challenges.

Eric served as the Managing Director of Tech and Strategy at a leading Seattle-based data and AI engineering firm for 6 years. In this role, he oversaw the adoption of cutting-edge data management and AI technologies and methodologies, demonstrating a keen ability to merge technical prowess with strategic vision.

Since early 2023, Eric has focused purely on both the underlying technologies and the practical business applications of Generative AI (GenAI).

Currently, as the Field Chief Technology Officer (CTO) at Presidio, Eric is dedicated to guiding Fortune 500 companies through the evolving landscape of Data and the use of GenAI. His role encompasses a blend of architectural expertise and strategic leadership, enabling him to effectively navigate and influence the future of technology in business.

Eric has an MBA from Oklahoma State University.

Kevin Dowdie

VP Director of Information Technology - GEI Consultants

Kevin has 20 years of Project Management and Business Consulting, Infrastructure management, administration and engineering. He’s worked in various industries including software development, healthcare, government, banking, insurance and AEC. Prior to GEI Kevin worked for companies including Liberty Mutual, TSA, Citizens Bank, Philips and more. Kevin has been with GEI going on 10 years.

Lewis Sharpe

Chief Architect - NETSCOUT Systems

Lewis Sharpe is the Chief Architect at NETSCOUT Systems, a leading provider of service assurance, security, and business analytics. He has been in the IT industry for over 20 years and has extensive experience in leading-edge technologies. His focus is on getting the most out of these technologies to drive business impact and help to develop innovative products.

Caitie Kelley

PDM - AWS

Caitie is the lead Partner Development Manager for Presidio based out of Boston, MA, managing the relationship between AWS and Presidio. Prior to her almost 4 years at AWS, she spent time focusing on Strategic partner devlopment at Zerto and Navisite. Her Technology career began at EMC in the Channel. In her free time, you can find her coaching youth Basketball and Softball.

Bill Burns

Senior Director - AWS

Bill Burns represents Amazon Web Services’ Worldwide Government, Education, and Healthcare Business. Bill is the Senior Manager for Higher Education and Healthcare accounts in Boston, leading a cross-functional team that consists of Account Managers, Consultants, Architects and Solutions Managers. Bill has spent the last 2 decades focused on helping Public Sector and Higher Education customers modernize, optimize and secure their enterprises.

George O'Connor

Sales Director

George O’Connor currently manages a talented group of 9 sales professionals working with our valued customers in the New England region. George has been with Presidio for 5 years, prior he spent 10 years in Enterprise sales roles at both RSA Security & VMware (with a mobile app start up sprinkled in). George is a graduate of Bentley University & earned his MBA in ’09.& He’s a grateful married father of 3 with 2 boys at Villanova &a daughter in high school. In his spare time you can find him playing the drums or performing his side hustle as a janitorial services engineer for his wife’s Fitness Studio.

Ronan Fitzmaurice

Head of Information Security & Technology - Alkermes

Ronan is a seasoned professional with over 25 years of expertise in Information Technology. As the current Head of Information Security and Technology at Alkermes, Ronan plays a pivotal role in safeguarding and advancing the technological infrastructure critical to the company’s operations. With a wealth of experience, Ronan has successfully navigated the evolving landscape of IT, implementing robust security measures and innovative technologies. Ronan is committed to ensuring the seamless integration of cutting-edge solutions in the pharma/biotech sector, contributing significantly to the intersection of technology and life sciences. A proven team leader and business partner with a track record of aligning Information Security, IT strategies and business needs in enterprise implementations, mergers, and acquisitions

KEVIN FLEURIE

Senior Vice President of Sales, Digital Business Solutions & Services

Kevin Fleurie is Senior Vice President of Sales, Digital Business Solutions & Services. He joined Presidio in 2009 as an account manager and has held leadership roles such as VP of Sales for the Public Sector and now heads up the Sales strategy for our cloud and digital go-to-market teams. Kevin holds a degree in business management from Colby Sawyer College.

Dan O’Brien

Chief Solutions Officer

Dan O’Brien, Chief Solutions Officer, is responsible for Presidio’s comprehensive portfolio of technology capabilities including the development of offerings, strategic vendor alignment, presales and solutions architects as well as strategic acquisitions. Prior to joining Presidio in 2021, he was SVP of Global Commercial Presales at EMC where he started his career as a Hardware Engineer and rapidly progressed through their presales engineering organization holding various leadership and strategy roles. Dan holds a Bachelor’s degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Worcester Polytechnic Institute.

BRYAN CALDER

Senior Vice President of Sales, Northeast

Bryan Calder, Senior Vice President of Sales, Northeast is responsible for helping customers digitally transform and leading a regional team of outcome focused sales professionals. He joined Presidio in 2016 and has more than 20 years of experience in technology sales. Bryan graduated from Merrimack College and holds a bachelor’s degree in business management.

ROBERT KIM

Chief Technology Officer

Robert Kim, Chief Technology Officer at Presidio advises clients on how to accelerate digital transformation and use technology to drive organizational outcomes. He evaluates IT trends and clients’ specific challenges with the goal of optimizing key business processes to improve end-user experiences, accelerate innovation and create market differentiation. Prior to joining Presidio in 2016, Rob held leadership positions at technology management and consulting firms, with roles in sales engineering, business development, operational excellence, and financial management. He graduated from Penn State with a Bachelor’s Science and earned his MBA at Drexel University.

Robert Shannon

Senior Director, Infrastructure - Vertex Pharmaceuticals

A passionate, self-motivated, Global IT professional, leading IT infrastructure and operations for international corporations through organizational growth and change. Specializes in the planning, design, and implementation of global technology solutions for corporations within the life sciences and consumer goods sectors. Strong understanding of infrastructure technologies and Manufacturing systems with a cloud-first mindset to help deliver on Operational Excellence and Service Level Management.

Experience building high-performance I&O organizations, through sourcing, retainment and external recruitment, while leading global alignment. Created scalable and secure infrastructure and services, leaning on automation and consolidation to optimize costs.

Brian Perkins<

Episode 38: Cybersecurity Awareness Month: Back to Basics

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