William Hurley (or “whurley” as he prefers to be called) is a philanthropist, entrepreneur, and open-source advocate, whose work at Apple, IBM, and in the area of quantum computing is world-renowned. Picking up where we left off in part 1, SolarWinds Head Geek Leon Adato and whurley explore a range of topics – everything from the state of the tech industry in Austin; to career advice for those just starting out (as well as those who’ve been around the NOC a few times); to the things whurley wishes people would ask him. Give it a listen or read the transcript.  

SolarWinds TechPod

whurley | Quantum and Beyond

William Hurley (or “whurley” as he prefers to be called) is a philanthropist, entrepreneur, and open-source advocate, who’s achieved what many geeks only dream of, including critically recognized work at Apple, IBM, and CERN. He’s started and sold businesses; invented, invested, published, advised, and mentored. Currently, he’s best known his thoughts on—and experience with— quantum computing. SolarWinds Head Geek Leon Adato asks about the insights whurley’s gleaned from his work in quantum computing as it applies to everyday IT. But the conversation didn’t stop there. Listen in (or read the transcript) to find out more.  This podcast is provided for informational purposes only. © 2021 SolarWinds Worldwide, LLC. All rights reserved.

whurley | All Things Quantum

The DBA role is complex. Pitfalls exist everywhere you turn, and it can be difficult to survive and thrive. On this episode of TechPod, we'll help accidental DBAs become a DBA survivors with career advice from SolarWinds Head Geeks Thomas LaRock and Kevin Kline as well as Denny Cherry, CEO and founder, Denny Cherry & Associates. This podcast is provided for informational purposes only. © 2021 SolarWinds Worldwide, LLC. All rights reserved.

The Disappearing DBA: Career Advice From a Data Janitor

Lesley Carhart is recognized as one of the leading voices in digital forensics and cybersecurity. But her career began – and is still firmly rooted – with her service in the Guard and Reserves. She devotes a significant amount of time to helping others make the transition into tech, both within the armed services and as part of their transition to civilian life. Leslie sits down with Head Geek™ Leon Adato to discuss her professional and volunteer work and share some of her hard-won advice.  This podcast is provided for informational purposes only.  © 2021 SolarWinds Worldwide, LLC. All rights reserved.  

Lesley Carhart on Cybersecurity, IT Careers, and Service In and Out of the Military

The tech industry is booming, and there are many opportunities to transition from other career paths – or to change your path within tech. Join Head Geek Chrystal Taylor as she chats with tech professionals Ivan Bravo, Paul Guido, Jake Muszynski, and Marc Netterfield as they share their tech origin stories and discuss the challenges and benefits of having an unconventional background. They’ll share advice, anecdotes, and insights gained through their IT journeys and years of experience.  This podcast is provided for informational purposes only. © 2021 SolarWinds Worldwide, LLC. All rights reserved.  

Tech Career Origin Stories

While it may not be circled in red on many people’s calendars, SysAdmin Day holds a special place in the hearts of many IT professionals. Certainly, because everyone likes to be appreciated for what they do, but more so because SysAdmin day is a chance for tech practitioners not only to recognize and celebrate, but to also shine a light on the work we do and help the next generation of technologies see how systems administration is a vibrant, relevant, and important role in every organization. In this TechPod episode, we sit down with Kimberly Deal, Jennifer Aguilar, and Tannia Rodriguez – three sysadmins who’ve taken different paths to their current role – to hear how they got to this point in their career, what being a sysadmin means to them now, and what they see on the journey ahead.  

Celebrating SysAdmin Day 2021

 Automation has been a disaster for the traditional database administration (DBA) role. As more systems and processes are automated away with code, the need for DBAs decreases. In time, the role of a DBA may disappear altogether. This ongoing series will examine who DBAs are, what they do, and where they'll go once their job has been replaced by a handful of PowerShell scripts.      This episode will focus on defining the role of a DBA and discuss why they’re disappearing.  

The Disappearing DBA: Nobody Goes to School to Become a Data Janitor

CDW Technology Vice President and Chief Information Security Officer Ruben Chacon, SolarWinds® CISO and VP, Security Tim Brown, and SolarWinds Head Geek™ Thomas LaRock talk about what CISO need to know to face today’s escalating cybersecurity threats – and what it’s like to be in the “hot seat” when challenges inevitably arise. 

Secure by Design | The CISO Perspective

Paul Guido has worn several hats during his IT journey. But now he’s made the leap from deep-dive individual contributor to managing teams of the same kind of IT pros he was (and still is). There are lessons in that journey – not just for IT practitioners considering the next step of their career, but also managers who came to the job from a different (and non-technical) direction. We sit down with Paul to find out what insights and advice he has to help managers do a better job of leading their IT teams. 

From Monitoring Engineer to Leadership

 Hang around with IT folks for anything longer than your typical stand-up meeting and you’re likely to hear some variation of “Managers! Am I right?” Snark aside, as folks who design, deploy, and maintain monitoring solutions, we’ve got a choice: we can continue to dismiss and diminish people who don’t know about our discipline; or we can take the time to educate and inform them.    It’s in this spirit we are building spaces—from THWACK forums to conference talks to this podcast—created geared to answering the technical questions managers—those folks who both lead and represent the boots-on-the-ground monitoring engineers—might have.   

IT Monitoring Managing Up

 What drives technology innovation?  In the second part of our conversation with Dr. Robert Metcalfe, the co-founder of Ethernet and internet pioneer explains the relationship between innovation and freedom/prosperity, the importance of fostering an environment for technology innovation, and why he’d like to be known as more than “the father of Ethernet.” 

A Conversation with Robert Metcalfe (Part 2)

Dr. Robert Metcalfe is arguably one of the most influential pioneers of modern technology. In this episode of TechPod, the award-winning engineer relives the critical events that led to the invention of Ethernet and the development of Metcalfe’s Law. He also discusses the difference between invention and innovation, driving adoption of new technology, and the business landscape that helped form the internet as we know it today. 

A Conversation with Robert Metcalfe (Part 1)

 The recent SUNBURST cyberattack reveals new threats to the supply chains fueling today’s businesses. SolarWinds and FireEye have raised the alarm for leaders everywhere to reexamine their security, to prepare for threats, and to raise the standards of the supply chains on which they rely.    Join this episode of TechPod for a compelling discussion between SolarWinds® President and CEO Sudhakar Ramakrishna and FireEye CEO and Board Director Kevin Mandia, hosted by SolarWinds Head Geek Thomas LaRock. These leaders will share their unique insight into how organizations around the world should be thinking about securing their supply chains from highly sophisticated and targeted cyberattacks.    

Secure by Design | Securing the Supply Chain

 The recent SUNBURST cyberattack on the SolarWinds software build environment is a concerning new reality for the software industry, representing the increasingly sophisticated actions by outside nation-states on the supply chains and infrastructure on which we all rely. SolarWinds is committed to sharing our learnings about this attack broadly given the common development practices in the industry and our belief that transparency and cooperation are our best tools to help prevent and protect against future attacks.  Join us as SolarWinds® SVP, Engineering Lee McClendon, KPMG Director of Cyber Security Services Caleb Queern, and Head Geek Thomas LaRock discuss how SolarWinds is prioritizing security in its software build environment, and what the entire industry can learn about next-generation software development.  

Secure by Design | Securing the Software Development Build Environment

 Organizations were stopped in their tracks when the cyberattack occurred. When you’re focused on taking the right actions to protect your environment, your users, and your entire enterprise, solid counsel and assistance is critical. How do you get back to business?    Join SolarWinds® President and CEO Sudhakar Ramakrishna, Head Geek™ Thomas LaRock, and our key partners Greg Fetterhoff (Monalytic) and Bill Fitzpatrick (Loop1) as they share stories from their engagements with SolarWinds customers answering the challenge of the cyberattack—and getting back to business. From U.S. governmental agencies, to the Fortune 500, and all around the globe, they’ve helped clarify the confusion and focus on the future.    Sudhakar will share an overview of the Orion® Assistance Program SolarWinds created to:  Help customers get upgraded and updated  Get professional consulting help at no cost to them  Put our customers first    Greg will cover experiences from the federal government and enterprise level customers, and Bill will share stories from commercial customers around the globe. Both will address:  Considerations for companies responding to this cyberattack  What organizations have in common  The timeline to get back up and running  

Secure by Design – Helping Our Customers Get Back to Business

Join the brightest SolarWinds minds and IT industry influencers, as they cut through the jargon and give you the tools you need to grow and keep your tech knowledge razor-sharp. Come with questions—leave with actionable steps and practical insights. Have ideas for future episodes or topics? Tweet us @solarwinds using #TechPod.

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SolarWinds TechPod

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