Anne Baye Ericksen

 

 

COMPUTER SYSTEMS AREN’T JUST ABOUT COMBINING HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE; NOR ARE COMPUTER SPECIALISTS JUST PROGRAMMERS AND DESIGNERS.

 

Some of the top CIOs and senior technology executives gathered at the Gartner Symposium/ITxpo last fall to determine the most influential computer trends for 2015 and the immediate future thereafter. For example, they anticipate 3D printing to grow as much as 98 percent this year, and perhaps even double that growth in 2016. Of course, cloud computing should continue its expansion, too. Other interesting trends involve mobile computing, analytics, context-rich systems, and smart machines.

 

As promising as the trends are, job opportunities within the sector are equally impressive, as demonstrated by the following profiles.

 

MOTOROLA SOLUTIONS DIALS UP THE DIVERSITY

 

Gartner Symposium/ITxpo Trend: Context-Rich Systems

 

“By understanding the context of a user request, applications can not only adjust their security response but also adjust how information is delivered to the user, greatly simplifying an increasingly complex computing world.”

 

The name Motorola is frequently associated with cellphones and radios, but Motorola Solutions (www.motorolasolutions.com) reaches a vast customer base with a variety of communication demands. For example, the Schaumburg, Ill.-based corporation designs communication products specifically geared toward mission-critical entities, such as law enforcement, fire and medical first responders, government security, education, manufacturing, transportation, and utilities. As senior global marketing manager covering smart public safety solutions, Josie Slaughter markets the software used by 9-1-1 dispatchers instead of the everyday consumer, which carries a vital distinction in terms of customer needs and expectations.

 

“For me, it adds a sense of how important the job is. In my role, I help tell the story on how significant the dispatch center applications are in helping keep first responders safe,” Slaughter says.

 

During her 12 years with Motorola Solutions, Slaughter has worked in customer service, business, and product management. Although each area seems unrelated to marketing tasks, Slaughter regularly pulls from those experiences to create support materials and tools for sales teams and clients.

 

“Customer service turned out to be one of best places to start because I was interacting closely with customers and forming relationships, while learning how to listen attentively to resolve their problems. From customer service, I moved to a more technical product manager role overseeing Motorola Solutions’ base station product line. That role helped me dive deeper into the technical aspects and simplify the terminology that’s used to describe our products,” she says. “I also had an opportunity to work on the mobile phone portfolio where we launched 59 different cell phones in a year’s span across key accounts.

 

“Now, I heavily rely on my customer service, technical background, and product launch experience because marketing software can be complex in nature. I try to take that complexity and make the story simple,” she adds.

 

In a way, one could assume Slaughter was destined to join Motorola Solutions considering she grew up hearing about how much her father enjoyed his career with the company. “It was already in my blood in a way,” she quips. “He wanted me to follow in his direction. For me, though, I wanted to make sure it was a good fit.”

 

So, like any dedicated young job seeker, Slaughter investigated the organization, including shadowing employees on the job. That effort only confirmed what she’d been hearing from her dad all those years. “From a diversity standpoint, I saw myself in the company,” she says.

 

Still, after a few years, she wondered what opportunities existed elsewhere. So Slaughter accepted a job with another company, albeit only for a brief stint. “I did not see as many opportunities for growth,” she recalls. “I came back because there was a greater chance to further my marketing skills and I felt Motorola Solutions valued women and people of color.”

 

Since returning to Motorola Solutions, Slaughter has joined its Women’s Business Council, an internal group committed to increasing female representation, enhancing the workplace, and promoting professional development among employees. Through her membership, Slaughter met her mentor, who helped pave the path into marketing for her. And now Slaughter mentors others. “One of the biggest pieces of advice I give them is to network and move outside your comfort zone,” she states. “When you move outside your comfort zone and work hard, it helps you get to the level you need to succeed.”

 

QLOGIC QUESTIONS, “WHAT’S NEXT?”

 

Gartner Symposium/ITxpo Trend: Advanced, Pervasive, and Invisible Analytics

 

“Organizations need to manage how best to filter the huge amounts of data coming from the IoT, social media and wearable devices, and then deliver exactly the right information to the right person, at the right time.”

 

Although computer files contain bytes instead of papers, they still occupy space. And as computers, tablets, and mobile devices infiltrate our lives in greater numbers, running more and more programs and apps, those bytes are growing into heaps and heaps of data.

 

“There’s so much data out there; what are you going to do with it? I absolutely believe there’s a bright future in data science and data analytics. More and more companies are looking for those skill sets,” says Vina Leite, SVP of human resources for QLogic.

 

Having spent her 20-plus-year career with tech companies, Leite has seen how in-demand skills sets have evolved right along with the technology. “I started recruiting technical professionals in the mid-90s, just pre-Microsoft Outlook launch, so it was more hardware at the time,” she recalls.

 

Between then and now, she’s work ed with companies specializing in system integration, networking, platform support, and app support. As the technology advanced, so did Leite’s knowledge of computer systems. “I was fortunate to have learned everything you could learn about technology up to the app layer. However, I’ve always been fascinated with technology,” she admits.

 

Leite has also been fascinated with how diversity in the workforce can fuel technical innovation. “Diversity is not only about race and gender, but also about philosophy and thought processes. It’s hard to instill innovation when everyone is cut from the same cloth, to use a cliché,” she comments. “It’s imperative to future success.”

 

So when she received an invitation to join QLogic last year, one of the first things she did was examine its diversity profile. “I was pleasantly surprised by the amount of diversity here,” Leite says.

 

Headquartered in Aliso Viejo, CA, QLogic is recognized for its work with high-performance networking, delivering adapters, switches, routers, and ASICs for original equipment manufacturers, including Cisco, Dell, EMC, HP, IBM, and Oracle.

 

What really convinced Leite to switch employers, however, were the goals set by QLogic’s newly appointed CEO, Prasad Rampalli, who just happened to be her former colleague.

 

“Knowing [Rampalli] as well I as know him, I thought it would be a challenge. It’s a great opportunity to be part of some change. I could help initiate that change and build a team of great leaders,” she says. “What QLogic is going through is exciting. We are in a transformational aspect, and now we’re making investments in research and development.”

 

From a human resources perspective, Leite’s role is twofold during this transforming process. Of course, there’s recruiting talent, a perennial HR function; however, she’s also rebranding the department’s role within and outside the company. When Leite arrived, she discovered the existing HR department focused primarily on the perfunctory duties. “Here, it was very administrative. Many individuals’ experience with human resources has been more about governing and policing, and that’s the environment I walked into,” she remembers. “During my first month, I met with different groups and that was the perception they had of HR.”

 

She since has initiated multiple programs to cultivate a more proactive role in which human resources assists individuals and the organization in reaching professional and strategic goals. “I’m working with the HR team to build our competencies of the employee lifecycle, from hire to retire. That includes strategic employee engagement, surveys, and competency models,” she explains. “We’re going through a complete identity change, and with that we’re trying to change the culture. We have to be open with the employees because we’re hoping to retain top talent and also hire top talent in the industry.”

 

GSE SYSTEMS CREATES REAL-WORLD POSSIBILITIES

 

Gartner Symposium/ITxpo Trend: Context-Rich Systems

 

“Ubiquitous embedded intelligence combined with pervasive analytics will drive the development of systems that are alert to their surroundings and able to respond appropriately.”

 

What do chemical engineering and computer systems have in common? On the surface, maybe not very much, other than chemical engineers use programs to run calculations and other computational operations. But according to Ayotunde Olumide, the disciplines complement each other quite nicely, especially in the virtual world.

 

Olumide works as systems engineer III at GSE Systems (GSES), based in Sykesville, MD. For more than 40 years, GSES has designed simulations for power suppliers so operators could test various procedures and scenarios without incurring real-world costs or production slowdowns. “I’m taking real-life information and implementing it on a software basis. I try to recreate the physical process into a virtual one,” she says. “I like to play with the work and see our tools come to life. Sometimes it’s frustrating, but when it does what it’s supposed to do, wow, that’s rewarding.”

 

While studying for her degree in chemical engineering, Olumide wasn’t really thinking about a career in computer systems. She knew she could apply her knowledge to the energy industry, but not necessarily by creating software applications. “In chemical en - gineering, the traditional roles are physically in the power plants,” she offers. “Most chemical engineers won’t put ‘systems engineering’ in when doing a keyword job search.”

 

Indeed, neither did she. In fact, Olumide hadn’t yet defined her career objectives when she heard about an opening at GSES. An alumnus contacted one of Olumide’s professors with news that GSES was interested in hiring chemical engineers, and the idea of combining her education with computers in a virtual manner piqued her interest. “When the prospect came along, I realized it was what I was looking for on the softer side,” she explains. “I like the softer side of chemical engineering.”

 

Olumide has been working at the company since graduating in 2007.

 

Today, Olumide categorizes her responsibilities into a few select functions. “A good part of my job is implementation,” she says. “We use software as a tool to implement the product we’re trying to develop within the customer’s requirements.”

 

Another category is customer relations. “I’m corresponding with customers and getting their feedback,” she says.

 

Olumide also documents the team’s efforts. “I’m corresponding with others on the task and tracking progress,” she says.

 

This part of her job is a relatively new category as she’s transitioning into a lead position. “There’s a challenge doing that rather than just the job on one’s own,” she notes.

 

After eight years with the company, Olumide admits she’s sensing it’s time to consider a professional move. “At some point I will have to narrow down where I want to take my career—the technical side of developing products or management, developing the team that develops the products,” she explains. “The good part about GSES is how much you get to grow. It’s a lot of being exposed to things and figuring out what I like and don’t like. From this [leadership] experience, though, I hope to filter out where I see myself in the next five years.”

 

ROCKWELL COLLINS CONTINUES TO REACH NEW HEIGHTS

 

Gartner Symposium/ITxpo Trend: Smart Machines

 

“Deep analytics applied to an understanding of context provide the preconditions for a world of smart machines. This foundation combines with advanced algorithms that allow systems to understand their environment, learn for themselves, and act autonomously.”

 

“Since I was a really young child, I’ve been fascinated by aircraft. Firemen or policemen might fascinate some children, but I was fascinated by pilots. That never left me,” admits Bruno Rwayitare.

 

Naturally, Rwayitare set his sights on becoming a professional pilot after high school. However, on the advice of his father, he decided instead to prepare for a land-based career. “He counseled me that I should learn a skill in addition to piloting,” he remembers.

 

Rwayitare chose to study computer science. “It turns out, I love computer science,” he comments.

 

Two years ago, Rwayitare was able to combine his two loves, joining Rockwell Collins Inc. as software engineer. The Cedar Rapids, Iowabased corporation’s electronics are installed in nearly every airline’s cockpits, including military aircraft. And recently, Rwayitare’s begun studying for a pilot’s license.

 

Although Rwayitare postponed his goal of becoming a pilot, the timing actually turned out to be fortuitous. Now, he applies his flight experience with his engineering duties. “I think there’s an advantage because I’ve experienced what pilots are looking for, like how bright they want the displays or how loud the alarms. In engineering, we work with algorithms and logic to create displays, and as I’ve learned to fly, it’s not only easier to design algorithms and logic, but to come up with better algorithms and logic,” he says.

 

Being a student pilot also has given Rwayitare a deeper appreciation for the technology involved in aircraft and the various functions carried out at each stage of flight. “When an aircraft is at 30,000 feet, 20 times per second the components are checking to make sure everything is on point. It’s checking to make sure the speed and altitude are correct 20 times a second; that’s insane,” he explains.

 

That level of responsibility is also why Rwayitare stresses the need to pair top-tier technical skills with a dedication to the software process. “There is systems engineering knowledge used. There’s software engineering knowledge used. There’s electrical engineering and mechanical engineering knowledge used. Any engineer can fit in here, but what I really think is needed most is passion,” he explains. “With everything that goes on in an aircraft, there’s zero room for error. You have to be committed to providing quality software.”

 

Rwayitare equally feels the company is committed to its workforce. “Rockwell Collins is the most interesting company I have worked for since starting my professional career,” he comments. “This is also the most diverse company I’ve been in since I started working. I’m from a different background and so are many others, and that makes me feel less intimidated and more willing to speak up,” says Rwayitare, who is originally from Rwanda. “I feel safe to express myself.”

 

In fact, Rwayitare often boasts to all who’ll listen about how welcomed and supportive he feels at work. “I want people to experience my happiness,” he concludes.