Keith Townsend, VMware | VMworld 2018
Channel: SiliconANGLE theCUBE
Date: 27/08/2018

Keith Townsend, @CTOAdvisor, Solutions Architect at VMware wits with Stu Miniman, @stu, and John Mark Troyer, @jtroyer, from VMworld 2018 in Las Vegas, NV.

#VMworld #theCUBE

https://siliconangle.com/2018/09/03/evolving-tech-enterprise-developers-ceos-vmworld/

Evolving tech in the enterprise: From developers to CEOs

Those helping to evolve tech in the enterprise must maintain a willingness to learn and grow, whether it’s a developer or a chief executive officer. However, that does not mean a developer, for instance, has to learn each new programming language released. Rather, it means they must remain adaptable to any new situation thrown their way.

For example, if the CEO asks that developer for a specific technology to be used, the developer needs to have the skills to answer with a high-level solution and figure out how to get to where the chief experience officer needs the team to be, explained Keith Townsend (pictured), solutions architect at VMware Inc. In essence, those in the tech industry need to understand the business processes of the company, and those in the business side need to understand some of the technology.

“If you learn that process, the technology bit falls into place,” Townsend said. Someone who understands systems architecture will be able to quickly adjust when faced with an issue and learn the tech they need from there, he added.

Townsend spoke with Stu Miniman (@stu) and John Troyer (@jtroyer), co-hosts of theCUBE, SiliconANGLE Media’s mobile livestreaming studio, during the VMworld conference in Las Vegas, Nevada. They discussed Townsend’s new role at VMware, as well as his insights into the company’s growing relationships within tech. (* Disclosure below.)

VMware takeaways from new partnerships
“One thing VMware learned from Amazon Web Services is how to add features every quarter,” Townsend said. In past years, the concept of new features being added even once a quarter from VMware was unheard of, he explained. But that mindset has changed to ensure the company’s clients stay fluid and dynamic.

“We have to get out of this mindset that IT is in this constant ops mode,” Townsend said.

Numerous updates that add minor changes are a fruitless endeavor. In order to truly move forward, the focus must be on releasing efficient, usable technology that doesn’t need endless attention, according to Townsend.

Finally, Townsend noted that VMware does not jump into partnerships lightly. The company seeks to find the right combination of partnerships and technologies “to help companies transition to this new digital age,” Townsend concluded.

Watch the complete video interview below, and be sure to check out more of SiliconANGLE’s and theCUBE’s coverage of the VMworld conference. (* Disclosure: VMware Inc. sponsored coverage of VMworld, and some segments on SiliconANGLE Media’s theCUBE are sponsored. Sponsors have no editorial control over content on theCUBE or SiliconANGLE.)