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What do you think will emerge as the
technology trend of 2020 and why?
Simplification. My opinion is that we
have gotten to the point where the level
of complexity you have to deal with is
explosive and untenable. This complexity
definitely needs to be reduced and by a
large amount. Kubernetes is an example of
great technology that has so many spinning
wheels and moving parts. As a result, it is
difficult to manage and operate unless you
have a large number of staff dedicated to
the technology.
What do you currently identify as
the major areas of investment in
your industry?
It is really difficult to say. Like most
technology sectors, there is a great level of
marketing buzz in the database space. A lot
of money has been invested in this which
is creating a lot of movement, although it
is not clear in which direction or for what
benefit. We are focused on continually
developing and expanding our offerings for
the benefit of our user community, which is
the source of our growth.
How do you deal with stress and
unwind outside of the office?
“
WE ARE FOCUSED
ON CONTINUALLY
DEVELOPING AND
EXPANDING OUR
OFFERINGS FOR
THE BENEFIT
OF OUR USER
COMMUNITY,
WHICH IS THE
SOURCE OF OUR
GROWTH.
If you could go back and change one
career decision, what would it be?
Like many entrepreneurs, at the beginning
on my management career I made some
decisions that led down the wrong path.
Fortunately, I have had the opportunity to
correct many of these early decisions.
Over time, I think I am getting better at
leaving my work at the office. I certainly
have not perfected this, although I can
say that most of the time, I succeed in
separating myself from work when I go
home at the end of the day. One example is when we created the first
version of our RavenDB database product. At
the time, we had a handful of highly talented
and dedicated developers. Instead of taking
our time and relying on internal resources,
we rushed the development by using outside
parts to make the database work, which
didn’t turn out to be the best decision.
I enjoy reading and taking long walks with
my dogs. I also enjoy spending time with
my family. A few years later, we developed the fourth
version of our database product. Before
beginning the development, we made a long
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INTELLIGENTCIO
list of nearly 100 improvements that we
wanted to incorporate in the new version. We
properly planned the development activities
and for a period of nearly two years, our
sales failed to grow as most of our internal
resources were dedicated to building the best
database product possible. The outcome was
a new version that we were really proud of
and it exceeded my personal expectations.
What are the region-specific
challenges when implementing
new technologies in Europe?
GDPR is the obvious answer to this. This topic
is covered so widely, there is really no need
to elaborate or explain further.
What changes to your job role have
you seen in the last year and how do
you see these developing in the next
12 months?
As our company grows, I find myself
doing less coding and more managing. Last
year, we achieved 30% growth and, as a
result, I have had to spend more time on
sales and marketing. However, my priority
will always be developing the best database
on the market and serving our growing
customer base.
What advice would you offer
somebody aspiring to obtain a
C-level position in your industry?
Technical qualities are great, although
people skills are more important at C-level.
It’s very common to see people who don’t
invest any time in this area. They take the
approach of ‘I know my technology. I know
how to make things work so I can make
things happen automatically.’
To succeed at C-Level, your people skills need
to match your technical abilities. n
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