Q&A with Sangram Vajre, Co-founder & Chief Evangelist at Terminus

MEDIA 7 | December 5, 2019

Andrea Lechner-Becker, Chief Marketing Officer at LeadMD is an experienced Marketing and Sales Executive with a demonstrated history of working in the marketing and advertising industry. Skilled in Business Process, Marketo, Sales, Customer Relationship Management (CRM), and IT Service Management, Andrea is also a strong business development professional and a storyteller. MEDIA 7: What inspired you to get into marketing? ANDREA LECHNER: Frankly, not having better options. I originally attended the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse thinking I’d major in Archaeology. I wanted to be Indiana Jones! But, after visiting the archaeology building – i.e. the cold, dark basement of the science building – where a girl sat to piece together pieces of an old Native American vase, I knew archaeology was not going to be the right path for me. And so, without being good at science and a major in art or art history was unlikely to pay my bills, I decided to go into “business”. I originally registered as a management major, but took my first marketing class and thought it was more interesting and switched my sophomore year. That was pretty much it. I’d never been involved in business classes or DECA in high school – I didn’t really know what to do or what jobs in marketing were even possible. I dumb lucked myself into it really. M7: As a storyteller, do you relate the brand to a story or story to the brand? AL: Both? Neither? I think there are stories in every brand, because there are people working on the brand and people engaging with the brand and people using what the brand creates. People, most often a single person, are at the heart of great stories. You can start with the “point” of the story you’re trying to tell. Say you have a software that help accountants better create reports for board meetings. It’s likely you’ll want to tell a success story about an accountant getting promoted to CFO in part because your software helped better communicate their work product to the board. You could have the idea for that and go looking for that story in your customers. OR, you could hear that story, and say, “That’s amazing!” and share it with customers, partners and internal people. Stories are all around us – the most important thing is to keep your ears and eyes open for finding them.

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MEDIA 7 | November 21, 2019

Amy Barzdukas, EVP and Chief Marketing Officer at Poly is a marketing and communications leader with extensive experience in setting strategy, shifting perceptions, advising customers, digital marketing, revenue marketing, integrated marketing communications, and public relations in highly competitive product arenas. Amy is known for her ability to create and execute winning turnarounds on a global scale. MEDIA 7: What inspired you to get into marketing? AMY BARZDUKAS: I was always destined for marketing, even if I didn’t know it. As a child, I collected promotional brochures. I was fascinated by how the words and pictures were used to drive action. My first job was as an advertising copywriter, and I’ve never looked back. M7: How is Poly redefining the video conferencing experience for modern businesses? AB: We’re in an unprecedented time of change in our industry. Voice and video services are moving to the cloud, and companies are changing how they approach their communications needs. Poly is the largest provider of the devices – video conferencing, audio conferencing, headphones and desk phones – you use to connect to these services so you can collaborate with your colleagues. That uniquely positions us to shape the video conferencing experience, and we’re doing so in four ways. First, Poly has made both the Zoom Rooms and the Microsoft Teams video conferencing experience better than ever with our radically simple Poly Studio X video bars that deliver these experiences with no PC or Mac required. We’ve got decades of experience in understanding what makes meetings more human – for everyone in the room and those dialing in from other locations – and we’ve packed all of that into easy-to-install, easy-to-manage, and easy-to-use all-in-one powerhouses. Second, we are bringing the world of AV and video conferencing into the modern app economy. Our Studio X series and Poly G7500 video conferencing devices run a common platform that can be updated and enhanced through a series of regular software updates. This Poly platform, built on Android, can run applications like a smartphone does today. Third, Poly has introduced innovation that makes any video conference better. Our new Poly MeetingAI features use AI and machine learning to address the distractions that hit your senses in a meeting. We make it easier to hear what’s being said by blocking out the annoying noises that people make while talking, and we make it easier to see what’s going on in the room with the most advanced speaker tracking and framing, and our built-in production rules. Finally, we are pricing our solutions in a way that completely resets the calculations on what it costs to outfit a room. The Studio X30, for huddle room and smaller spaces, costs just about $2,100, including the Poly TC8 touch controller. All you add is the cloud service and a monitor, and you have a room up and running for under $2,500. That’s easily under the cost of other solutions and with better audio and video quality.

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MEDIA 7 | November 28, 2019

Ed Breault, Chief Marketing Officer at Aprimo is a marketer with over 18 years of industry experience. At Aprimo, Ed is responsible for the global brand and growth which includes all Paid/Owned/Earned media, Brand Experience, Product Marketing, Industry Marketing, Influencer Marketing, Strategic Communications, Content Marketing, Analyst Relations, Alliance Marketing, Public Relations, Events, Demand Generation and Account-Based Marketing. MEDIA 7: What’s your superpower? ED BREAULT: I would say it’s applying the full spectrum of art and science that is required in marketing today. Not just left or right brained, but whole-brained strategy. Being human yet data-driven and really understanding numbers and (the right) metrics to make connections to business drivers. Add storytelling to that, so I can effectively communicate to my team, the CEO and CFO as well as my Board of Directors on those metrics, and connecting all that we are doing in marketing to the mission of the business. Then quickly shifting gears to the art and creative aspects of marketing that are required to engage an audience and tell great commercial stories that take complex concepts and craft them in a way that is interesting for people to pay attention to. I have to be the ultimate point of truth for the brand. M7: At Aprimo, how have marketing leadership roles and responsibilities evolved over the past few years? EB: There are so many dimensions needed by marketing leaders today. There are several elements driving this evolution, it’s the new experience battlefront that is emerging and also marketers themselves driving changes. From a market perspective, there is a clear appetite for disruption and consumers are wanting more experiential elements to their buying experience and interactions with brands. Take a few direct to consumer disruptions like trialing products in-home, purchasing directly from a brand or even wanting to ensure that the producer’s trade practices are in line with the buyer’s or even a regulator’s for that matter. Then we want to try before we buy, and we emotionally care about the supply chain of products. Do we TRUST this brand to do business with them? Behind all of this is a story that needs to be told, and it is those marketers who know their audience well and make connections that will win the commercial game. Back to the marketer, there are so many diverse backgrounds that marketers bring now and I’m really intrigued by those who have unconventional backgrounds because they contribute something uniquely new to the field. I love hearing about the marketer’s journey.

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Emerging Technology

GlobeNewswire | August 29, 2023

Telos Corporation, a leading provider of cyber, cloud and enterprise security solutions for the world’s most security-conscious organizations, announced today a five-year contract with the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) for the Telos Automated Message Handling System (AMHS) to support the distribution and processing of various reports and other critical information. A widely-used organizational messaging solution in the U.S. Department of Defense, Telos AMHS supports organizations around the world, including the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Combatant Commands, Military Services, Defense Agencies and the Intelligence Community. Telos AMHS immediately routes incoming messages to the right desktop and creates an archive of all arriving traffic for future reference. AMHS also provides intuitive tools for searching and retrieving messages from the archive while protecting against unauthorized access, and offers an easy way to create, coordinate, and release outgoing messages. “DISA is one of our longest-standing customers, and we’re pleased to continue to support their organizational communications,” said John B. Wood, CEO and chairman, Telos. “Timely and secure message delivery is key to successful military operations, and we’re honored to be chosen to support this mission.” About Telos Corporation Telos Corporationempowers and protects the world’s most security- conscious organizations with solutions for continuous security assurance of individuals, systems, and information. Telos’ offerings include cybersecurity solutions for IT risk management and information security; cloud security solutions to protect cloud-based assets and enable continuous compliance with industry and government security standards; and enterprise security solutions for identity and access management, secure mobility, organizational messaging, and network management and defense. The company serves commercial enterprises, regulated industries and government customers around the world.

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Cybersecurity

PR Newswire | September 01, 2023

Aquia Inc., a Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) specializing in cloud and cybersecurity professional services, today announced it has been awarded a subcontract from Omni Federal to support its 3-year contract with the United States Department of Defense's (DoD's) Platform One Cloud Native Access Point (CNAP). CNAP is a cloud-based enterprise security framework with a zero trust architecture core that enables collaboration across the DoD landscape. The solution allows for simplified access to Amazon Web Services (AWS) GovCloud (IL 2/4/5) environments through a device-based zero trust approach to access. The platform removes the need for additional Virtual Private Networks (VPNs), Non-Classified Internet Protocol Router Network (NIPRNet) routing, and Defense Information Systems Agency Cloud Access Point (DISA CAP). It also enables the United States Air Force (USAF) to continue to advance its zero trust maturity, aligning with the cybersecurity executive order (EO) 14028 and federal and DoD zero trust strategies. "We feel privileged to support Platform One's CNAP team as they spearhead the transformation of cybersecurity practices within the U.S. government," said Savannah Burke, associate security engineer, Aquia. "During my time at AWS, I provided guidance and technical insight on cloud best practices to enterprise customers, and I look forward to bringing that expertise to the United States Air Force." This effort is one of several of Aquia's projects supporting Platform One services. Aquia also supports Platform One's Party Bus and Big Bang teams. About Aquia Inc. Aquia Inc. is a developer-centric company passionate about the intersection of security and velocity. We maintain a strong bias towards transformational work that disrupts the status quo — delivering elegant, modern solutions to cutting-edge cybersecurity problems. Founded by military veterans in 2021, we are a Service-Disabled, Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB). Our team has decades of experience driving transformational change across the public sector, enterprise businesses, and top-tier technology companies.

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Emerging Technology, Infrastructure

GlobeNewswire | August 28, 2023

ProcedureFlow, the next-generation knowledge management software, and Carahsoft Technology Corp., The Trusted Government IT Solutions Provider®, today announced a partnership. Under the agreement, Carahsoft will serve as ProcedureFlow’s Master Government Aggregator®, making its platform available to the Public Sector through Carahsoft’s reseller partners and National Cooperative Purchasing Alliance (NCPA), OMNIA Partners, E&I Cooperative Services Contract and The Quilt contracts. “We are excited to work with Carahsoft and its extensive reseller partner network to expand our Public Sector customer base and increase our visibility in the market,” said Dan Keddy, Sr. Director Partner Sales and Channel Management at ProcedureFlow. “The improved process visual flows that ProcedureFlow’s knowledge management software provides will allow Public Sector customers to simplify their processes and promote efficiency within their organizations.” ProcedureFlow is a secure, cloud-based environment uniquely designed for the modern workplace that eliminates the need for traditional training methods, such as lengthy manuals or text-heavy documentation, and creates a single source of truth for all organizational information. By centralizing people, processes and technology, ProcedureFlow facilitates an integrated approach for identifying, capturing, evaluating, retrieving and sharing all information and processes in a visual manner, reducing barriers caused by traditional training methods. ProcedureFlow’s next-generation procedural knowledge management software simplifies the ways employees navigate processes and increase employee proficiency, while also providing employers insight into employee performance and quality adherence. Improved process visual flows give organizations the ability to create, collaborate, share and track procedures for easier end-to-end management and offer valuable insights that support the optimization of operational efficiency. “We are excited to add ProcedureFlow’s solutions to our portfolio and begin offering our customers access to its next-generation knowledge management software,” said Zak Kennedy, Contact Center Solutions Leader at Carahsoft. “Government and Public Sector agencies are tasked with conveying massive amounts of information to their employees about a diverse array of topics on a daily basis. We look forward to collaborating with ProcedureFlow and our reseller partners to enable our Public Sector customers to transform their processes, improve efficiency and enhance public services they provide.” The Technology Training portfolio at Carahsoft offers industry-leading solutions that enable Public Sector customers to achieve digital transformation and utilize technology more efficiently. Carahsoft offers training programs and services that help the Public Sector stay current with IT trends and certifications to progress their agency’s mission. Learn more about Carahsoft’s Training Technology Solutions here. About Carahsoft Carahsoft Technology Corp. is The Trusted Government IT Solutions Provider®, supporting Public Sector organizations across Federal, State and Local Government agencies and Education and Healthcare markets. As the Master Government Aggregator® for our vendor partners, we deliver solutions for Technology Training, Customer Experience, Cybersecurity, MultiCloud, DevSecOps, Big Data, Artificial Intelligence, Open Source and more. Working with resellers, systems integrators and consultants, our sales and marketing teams provide industry leading IT products, services and training through hundreds of contract vehicles. Visit us at www.carahsoft.com. About ProcedureFlow A Knowledge Management software uniquely designed for the modern workplace. ProcedureFlow simplifies the way employees navigate organizational processes to accelerate proficiency. Our improved process flows allow you to create, organize, update, share, and track procedures for easier end-to-end management. ProcedureFlow digitizes your operations to create a single source of truth for company processes. This allows employees to access the information they need in a highly consumable, visual, and easily updatable format. With ProcedureFlow, companies can create a high performing culture by improving training and proficiency and boosting employee confidence from day one.

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