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Siroui Mushegian, CIO at Barracuda, shares how she’s building a smart, secure foundation for AI—-from setting up an AI council, to governing agents, and creating employee guidelines that protect innovation. She also shares how AI is transforming IT operations and unlocking new levels of productivity across the enterprise. About the Guest:  Siroui Mushegian is the Chief Information Officer (CIO) at Barracuda. Siroui joined Barracuda most recently from BlackLine, where she was responsible for all aspects of BlackLine's internal corporate IT. Before BlackLine, she held executive IT leadership roles at PBS’s WNET New York Public Media, the NBA, Ralph Lauren, and Time, Inc. Bringing more than 20 years of executive and IT leadership experience, Siroui has successfully built strong operational environments that eliminate technology silos, elevated the maturity and impact of technology within her enterprises and delivered measurable and scalable business outcomes. Siroui holds a Master of Business Administration in Management and Strategy from Fordham University’s Gabelli School of Business and a bachelor’s in mathematics and finance from University of Connecticut. Timestamps: *(04:10) -  Skills for Future CIOs *(07:00) -  Barracuda’s AI and Automation Projects *(08:50) -  Tips for AI Security  *(33:25) -   The Importance of Community and Collaboration Guest Highlights: “ A lot of people are worried they are going to work themselves right out of a job. It remains very important for us to keep our position as thought leaders to hold that mantle high.” “ Your partnerships with your colleagues and leaders across the enterprise will help you get more done than any AI agent will.” “ I love the concept of the education we're getting ready to roll out  in a curated way to people who are going to take these tools and come up with solutions that I could never in my life think of because I don't sit in their shoes every day.” Get Connected: * Siroui Mushegian on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/siroui-mushegian/] * Ian Faison on LinkedIn [http://www.linkedin.com/in/ianfaison/] Resources: * Learn more about Barracuda: barracuda.com [http://barracuda.com] * Hungry for more tech talk? Check out these past episodes: * Ep 58 - AI-Driven Workplace Transformation [https://ciopod.com/podcasts/ai-driven-workplace-transformation/] * Ep 57 - The CIO Roadmap to Executive Leadership [https://ciopod.com/podcasts/the-cio-roadmap-to-executive-leadership/] * Ep 56 - Best Proactive Cybersecurity Strategies for CIOs [https://ciopod.com/podcasts/best-proactive-cybersecurity-strategies-for-cios/] * Learn more about Caspian Studios: caspianstudios.com [http://www.caspianstudios.com] Can’t get enough AI? Check out The New Automation Mindset Podcast [https://www.workato.com/podcast] for more in-depth conversations about strategies leadership in AI, automation, and orchestration. Brought to you by the automation experts at Workato. Start Listening: www.workato.com/podcast [https://www.workato.com/podcast]

Saket Srivastava is the Chief Information Officer at work management platform Asana. Saket oversees Asana's IT organization, including optimizing technology systems and processes, connecting technology strategy to overarching business strategy, and ensuring that technology infrastructure supports organizational goals. Previously, Saket held executive positions at Square, Guidewire Software, and other leading technology companies. Saket holds a Master of Computer Applications (MCA) from the Institute of Management Technology, Ghaziabad, and an MBA from UC Berkeley's Haas School of Business. Timestamps: *(01:30) -  Asana's Impact and Internal Operation *(08:15) -  AI and Employee Experience *(13:25) -  Collaboration and Cross-Departmental Partnership *(19:05) -  Future Trends and Skills Guest Highlights: “When you add business understanding with technology understanding, that makes a deadly combination where you can serve and help move the needle for your business.” “The reality is we get sold all the time, every day. When you show up as a practitioner, as a peer, and you're ready to talk about the good, the bad, the ugly, there's a lot of power.” “ Good news is bad news being delivered early. It's so important to be able to create a healthy environment where you can talk about those risks.” Get Connected: * Saket Srivastava on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/saket-srivastava-84069711/] * Ian Faison on LinkedIn [http://www.linkedin.com/in/ianfaison/] Resources: * Learn more about Asana: http://asana.com/ [http://asana.com/] * Hungry for more tech talk? Check out these past episodes: * Ep 57 - The CIO Roadmap to Executive Leadership [https://ciopod.com/podcasts/the-cio-roadmap-to-executive-leadership/] * Ep 56 - Best Proactive Cybersecurity Strategies for CIOs [https://ciopod.com/podcasts/best-proactive-cybersecurity-strategies-for-cios/] * Ep 55 - Engineering Leadership for Scale, Agility, and Momentum [https://ciopod.com/podcasts/engineering-leadership-for-scale-agility-and-momentum-with-jason-lafollette-of-yext/] * Learn more about Caspian Studios: caspianstudios.com [http://www.caspianstudios.com] Can’t get enough AI? Check out The New Automation Mindset Podcast [https://www.workato.com/podcast] for more in-depth conversations about strategies leadership in AI, automation, and orchestration. Brought to you by the automation experts at Workato. Start Listening: www.workato.com/podcast [https://www.workato.com/podcast]

Rich Horwath, CEO of Strategic Thinking Institute and best-selling author, shares strategies that help CIOs to elevate their strategic thinking—providing a roadmap for transitioning from technical leaders to visionary business executives. Drawing from his advisory work with top-tier technology leaders, Horwoth breaks down the critical skills needed to move beyond operational management and position themselves as strong CEO candidates. About the Guest:  Rich Horwath is the founder and CEO of the Strategic Thinking Institute where he facilitates strategy workshops to help executive leadership teams think, plan, and act strategically to set direction, create advantage, and maximize their leadership performance. He is a New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestselling author of eight books on strategic thinking, including his new book: STRATEGIC: The Skill to Set Direction, Create Advantage, and Achieve Executive Excellence. He’s published two articles in the Harvard Business Review this past year and has helped more than one million leaders develop their strategic thinking and planning skills over the past two decades in pursuit of his vision to teach the world to be strategic. Timestamps: *(01:35) - The CIO to CEO Journey *(07:25) - Innovation and Competitive Strategy *(28:45) - Future State Thinking for CIOs *(44:05) - Transitioning from CIO to CEO Guest Highlights: “The great CIOs understand that it's not about copying. It's about creating and innovating by understanding the competition.” "If you're really being strategic, you're going to tick a lot of people off internally and externally." “What are we trying to achieve? And how are we going to do it? So planning can be too complex sometimes, but it boils down to those two questions.” Get Connected: * Rich Horwath on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/richhorwath [http://www.linkedin.com/in/richhorwath] * Ian Faison on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/ianfaison [http://www.linkedin.com/in/ianfaison/] Resources: * Learn more about the Strategic Thinking Institute: www.strategyskills.com [http://www.strategyskills.com] * Hungry for more tech talk? Check out these past episodes: * Ep 56 - Best Proactive Cybersecurity Strategies for CIOs [https://ciopod.com/podcasts/best-proactive-cybersecurity-strategies-for-cios/] * Ep 55 - Engineering Leadership for Scale, Agility, and Momentum [https://ciopod.com/podcasts/engineering-leadership-for-scale-agility-and-momentum-with-jason-lafollette-of-yext/] * Ep 54 - AI Business Strategy for CIOs [https://ciopod.com/podcasts/ai-business-strategy-for-cios-with-naveen-zutshi-of-databricks/] * Learn more about Caspian Studios: www.caspianstudios.com [http://www.caspianstudios.com] Can’t get enough AI? Check out The New Automation Mindset Podcast [https://www.workato.com/podcast]for more in-depth conversations about strategies leadership in AI, automation, and orchestration. Brought to you by the automation experts at Workato. Start Listening: www.workato.com/podcast [https://www.workato.com/podcast]

Carl Froggett, CIO at Deep Instinct, breaks down the AI-driven disruptions reshaping the cybersecurity landscape. From navigating complex security architectures to busting big data myths, Carl offers strategic advice for CIOs and CISOs on staying one step ahead in a rapidly evolving tech world. About the Guest:  Carl Froggett, CIO of Deep Instinct, brings nearly 30 years of experience to the role. Previously, as Head of Global Infrastructure Defense and CISO Cybersecurity Services at Citi, he led risk reduction efforts across devices and networks in 100+ countries. Now, he oversees Deep Instinct’s infrastructure growth, internal systems, security, and processes to support global expansion and strategic partnerships. Timestamps: *(08:10) - The Impact of AI on Cybersecurity *(25:45) - Rising IT Spending and Persistent Breaches *(28:00) - Challenges and Strategies for Modern CIOs and CISOs *(32:10) - The Future of Cybersecurity and Deep Learning Guest Highlights: “It takes a level of leadership to say, ‘Hey, our investment over here has been great for the last 5, 6, 7, or 10 years, but that is no longer good enough. We need to replace, we need to reinvest, and we need to retrain.’” “We need to be more aggressive on the front-foot as the defenders. Just protecting your endpoint is not enough—your endpoint's the last resort. If your endpoint fails, game over.” “When opportunity knocks, you say, ‘Come on in.’ It doesn't matter if it’s a role that you were hired to do and it's outside of that role, say yes and get involved. More experience leads to you knowing more people.” Get Connected: * Carl Froggett on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/carlfroggett [http://www.linkedin.com/in/carlfroggett] * Ian Faison on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/ianfaison [http://www.linkedin.com/in/ianfaison/] Resources: * Learn more about Deep Instinct: www.deepinstinct.com [http://www.deepinstinct.com] * Hungry for more tech talk? Check out these past episodes: * Ep 55 - Engineering Leadership for Scale, Agility, and Momentum [https://ciopod.com/podcasts/engineering-leadership-for-scale-agility-and-momentum-with-jason-lafollette-of-yext/] * Ep 54 - AI Business Strategy for CIOs [https://ciopod.com/podcasts/ai-business-strategy-for-cios-with-naveen-zutshi-of-databricks/] * Ep 53 - Business-First IT in the AI Era [https://ciopod.com/podcasts/business-first-it-in-the-ai-era-with-cisco-sanchez-of-qualcomm/] * Learn more about Caspian Studios: www.caspianstudios.com [http://www.caspianstudios.com] Can’t get enough AI? Check out The New Automation Mindset Podcast [https://www.workato.com/podcast] for more in-depth conversations about strategies leadership in AI, automation, and orchestration. Brought to you by the automation experts at Workato.  Start Listening: www.workato.com/podcast [https://www.workato.com/podcast]

Jason LaFollette, CTO at Yext, shares his product-driven approach to leading agile teams, maintaining tech debt, and using a “top-down, bottom-up” style to keep productivity and momentum high. About the Guest:  Jason LaFollette is Yext's Chief of Technology. Jason joined the company in 2014 and built out the enterprise consulting side of the business before moving over to product engineering and technology. Prior to joining Yext, Jason was CEO and co-founder of Citrrus, a professional services company specializing in mobile app development and wearable devices, which Yext acquired as the company's first acquisition.  Timestamps: *(02:30) - Understanding Yext's Business Model *(04:55) - Leadership and Team Management Strategies *(14:20) - Scaling and Technical Debt Management *(24:00) - Adopting New Technologies and AI Guest Highlights: “What I'm looking for is momentum with the teams, momentum with the people, momentum with the systems. If you get fixated on the tactical parts... It's a false sense that you're doing something great, but you’ll hit a ceiling quickly in terms of productivity.” “We only want process when it accelerates us… Once we've proven that we know how to do it manually by keeping smart and talented people in the loop and making good situational decisions is our secret sauce to scale with a lot less pain.” “If something is important to us, the company, or the management team and we aren't measuring and watching it, other people aren't going to value it either. I've come to adopt a mix of top-down and bottom-up leadership where we can't have all-of-one or all-of-the-other, or everything falls apart.” Get Connected: * Jason LaFollette on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/jasonlafollette [http://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonlafollette/] * Ian Faison on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/ianfaison [http://www.linkedin.com/in/ianfaison/] Resources: * Learn more about Yext: www.yext.com [http://www.yext.com] * Hungry for more tech talk? Check out these past episodes: * Ep 54 - AI Business Strategy for CIOs [https://ciopod.com/podcasts/ai-business-strategy-for-cios-with-naveen-zutshi-of-databricks/] * Ep 53 - Business-First IT in the AI Era [https://ciopod.com/podcasts/business-first-it-in-the-ai-era-with-cisco-sanchez-of-qualcomm/] * Ep 52 - Empowering Citizen Developers and Reshaping Business with AI [https://ciopod.com/podcasts/empowering-citizen-developers-and-reshaping-business-with-ai-with-carter-busse-of-workato/] * Learn more about Caspian Studios: www.caspianstudios.com [http://www.caspianstudios.com] Can’t get enough AI? Check out The New Automation Mindset Podcast [https://www.workato.com/podcast] for more in-depth conversations about strategies leadership in AI, automation, and orchestration. Brought to you by the automation experts at Workato.  Start Listening: www.workato.com/podcast [https://www.workato.com/podcast]