Bruno Aziza

Over the past few years, organizations have been met with unforeseen
challenges that have required a shift in strategy and ways of thinking.
Many organizations have relied and continue to rely on cloud technology,
data, and artificial intelligence (AI) to help them navigate uncertain
times. However, while having data and the right technologies in place is
important, the ability to turn data into insights and insights into action is
where businesses see value begin to… Show more

Over the past few years, organizations have been met with unforeseen
challenges that have required a shift in strategy and ways of thinking.
Many organizations have relied and continue to rely on cloud technology,
data, and artificial intelligence (AI) to help them navigate uncertain
times. However, while having data and the right technologies in place is
important, the ability to turn data into insights and insights into action is
where businesses see value begin to materialize. Additionally, companies
that are harnessing the power of AI to augment data decision making
are further enhancing their capabilities, driving even more value, and
maximizing business impact. In fact, according to data gathered in this
report, “57% of leaders have an enterprise strategy for using AI to augment
decision making (versus just 17% of others).” Show less

“Data mesh” is a term that most vendors, educators, and data pundits seem to have landed on en masse to define one of the most disruptive trends of the data, AI, and analytics worlds. According to Google Trends, in 2021, “data mesh” overcame the “data lakehouse” that had, until now, been fairly popular in the industry.

January is a month CIOs often use to look back on the past year to build plans for the next. 2020 was a year like no other, and when Data Executives reflect on the “tech-celeration” their company experienced, they could find it challenging to prioritize opportunities for 2021 and beyond.

There is a lot to look forward to in 2021:

CIO budgets are expected to rise by at least 4% this year according to SiliconAngle and Enterprise Technology Research (ETR).
Almost 92% of… Show more

January is a month CIOs often use to look back on the past year to build plans for the next. 2020 was a year like no other, and when Data Executives reflect on the “tech-celeration” their company experienced, they could find it challenging to prioritize opportunities for 2021 and beyond.

There is a lot to look forward to in 2021:

CIO budgets are expected to rise by at least 4% this year according to SiliconAngle and Enterprise Technology Research (ETR).
Almost 92% of companies report that the pace of investment in Data and AI will continue to accelerate, and
This year is the “no turning back year” for Chief Data Officer (CDOs): 65% of companies now have one, according to the latest Big Data and AI Executive Survey.
Still, a lot needs to be solved: over 3/4 of executives admit they have not succeeded in building a data-driven organization and while investment in Big Data and AI remains high for 99% of them, results continue to lag.

In this post, I examine two phenomena that could make or break the future of CIOs. One is a favorable one. The other, a distracting one. I’ve labelled them the “Organizational Shuffle” and “VendorSpeak”. Let’s dive in! Show less

The 2020 prediction year is one like no other. This year has been a financial and emotional disaster for many and 2020 has tested us in ways we hope no year ever will.

Even as a recent Deloitte survey showed that 77% of CEOs reported that the COVID-19 crisis accelerated their digital transformation plans, attempting to predict anything at the moment seems almost unconscionable.

There are still too many questions: “how will we all recover from 2020?”, “how quickly will we… Show more

The 2020 prediction year is one like no other. This year has been a financial and emotional disaster for many and 2020 has tested us in ways we hope no year ever will.

Even as a recent Deloitte survey showed that 77% of CEOs reported that the COVID-19 crisis accelerated their digital transformation plans, attempting to predict anything at the moment seems almost unconscionable.

There are still too many questions: “how will we all recover from 2020?”, “how quickly will we return to normal?” and “what will “normal” even look like?”

This is why in this post, I try to look at 2 trends that I think are worth stepping back for and taking a long range approach to: “Augmented Intelligence” & “Composable and Intelligent Applications.” Show less

Unless the current market conditions haven’t affected your business, chances are your company’s culture has been put to the test recently. Just last week, the founders of AirBnb were challenged to reconcile their ideal of “treating employees as family” with the economic reality of having to enact layoffs.

This past week, Gartner issued a list of their 100 data analytics predictions through 2024.

If you subscribe to the idea that data, analytics and artificial intelligence will define the next era of technology innovation (I do), you might want to read through the list and align your strategy accordingly.

When we need to make difficult choices, like what stock to buy — or even easy ones, like which snack to nosh on — judgment is crucial.

Judgment is different from decision making. According to London Business School Professor Sir Andrew Likierman, judgement is the combination of personal qualities, relevant experience, and knowledge. Judgement is how we approach a problem.

And, inspecting the process we use to make decisions is a key step in helping us develop better judgment.… Show more

When we need to make difficult choices, like what stock to buy — or even easy ones, like which snack to nosh on — judgment is crucial.

Judgment is different from decision making. According to London Business School Professor Sir Andrew Likierman, judgement is the combination of personal qualities, relevant experience, and knowledge. Judgement is how we approach a problem.

And, inspecting the process we use to make decisions is a key step in helping us develop better judgment. What steps do you take when you make a decision? Show less

Making good decisions is hard. And often, it’s the process that’s behind your decision that needs the most help. How you develop judgment and good decision making habits matters. That’s why I’ve been looking around for simple tools that help better “decisioning” become a habit.

A picture might tell a 1,000 words but a great visual tool shares a lot more than that. It can grab your attention, inspire clear thinking, and help all of us act in smarter ways.

So, see below my top 10… Show more

Making good decisions is hard. And often, it’s the process that’s behind your decision that needs the most help. How you develop judgment and good decision making habits matters. That’s why I’ve been looking around for simple tools that help better “decisioning” become a habit.

A picture might tell a 1,000 words but a great visual tool shares a lot more than that. It can grab your attention, inspire clear thinking, and help all of us act in smarter ways.

So, see below my top 10 tools. Which is your favorite? Show less

Remember January 2010? You didn’t have an iPad. You couldn’t ‘call an Uber.’ And there is a very good chance you were still relying on paper maps to get places: turn-by-turn navigation was only made available on the iPhone in 2012.

When I was in business school, I learned that most companies were often not in the “business” they appeared to be. It is indeed comfortable to categorize a company’s business by its industry: transportation, financial services, manufacturing...etc.

But, if you truly want to understand a company’s direction and build an investment strategy that aligns with it, then

Silicon Valley is bubbling these days. Uber recently raised $3.5B (that’s right, that’s B for Billions). Almost 60% of San Francisco’s houses are now valued above $1M (fewer than 20% were just a few years ago). And the US National Basketball (featuring major Golden State Warriors players) just came back from the olympics with a golden medal.

If you live in Silicon Valley right now, you’re driving to work to the tune’s of DJ Khaled’s famous hit song: “All I Do is Win”.....But....

We recently saw two critical developments in the big data and analytics space. Tableau (DATA) released earnings and missed their forecast by $0.05; their stock dropped 5 percent. Then Hortonworks (HDP) announced a revenue miss that sent the stock into a downward spiral.

What’s going on with the business intelligence (BI) and Hadoop space? Should we run for the hills, far away from the BI and big data space before it implodes?!

If you’ve been following the market for the last week, I’m sure you’ve noticed it’s been a pretty rough week for tech stocks. Two stocks, in particular, were hit unexpectedly hard this past Thursday: LinkedIn Corporation (NASDAQ: LNKD) and Tableau (NASDAQ: DATA) lost close to half their value over the span of 48 hours.

I’ve been in the tech sector for more than two decades. I’ve worked at scrappy startups and global tech companies. I’ve read many books on entrepreneurship, from Steve Blank to Peter Thiel. They all have great lessons, but if you read the columns of online Silicon Valley publications or take the soundbites you hear at tech meetups as guidance, beware. There is a lot of sensationalism and oversimplification out there. Many sound great, but most are wrong.

Here are my three favorite… Show more

I’ve been in the tech sector for more than two decades. I’ve worked at scrappy startups and global tech companies. I’ve read many books on entrepreneurship, from Steve Blank to Peter Thiel. They all have great lessons, but if you read the columns of online Silicon Valley publications or take the soundbites you hear at tech meetups as guidance, beware. There is a lot of sensationalism and oversimplification out there. Many sound great, but most are wrong.

Here are my three favorite misconceptions:
Failure is great.
Steve Jobs is god.
The best startups are started by 20-somethings. Show less

Former Microsoft executive and business intelligence industry veteran Aziza joined AtScale earlier this year, and he's laying the groundwork for the big data startup's channel strategy. AtScale's software links widely used business analytics tools with Hadoop.

When Marc Andreessen wrote his famous “Software is eating the world” memo a few years ago, people might not have understood how fast the technology industry would progress. Of course, Nobel Prize winner Niels Bohr (Physics, 1922) had it right when he said, tongue in cheek, “It’s hard to make predictions, especially about the future.” Predictions are indeed a tricky business. Every December, we read the essays of wannabe predictors who have studied the patterns of the past to predict the… Show more

When Marc Andreessen wrote his famous “Software is eating the world” memo a few years ago, people might not have understood how fast the technology industry would progress. Of course, Nobel Prize winner Niels Bohr (Physics, 1922) had it right when he said, tongue in cheek, “It’s hard to make predictions, especially about the future.” Predictions are indeed a tricky business. Every December, we read the essays of wannabe predictors who have studied the patterns of the past to predict the future. Most of them end up being wrong, either because their vision is too narrow in time or because, as science has shown, human overconfidence gets in the way. Show less

When it comes time to hire a head of marketing, many of the tech entrepreneurs I’ve worked with and advised imagine bringing on someone who’s a master of SEO and A/B testing, who will drive millions of new visitors to their website. They may see a role for the CMO beyond this — perhaps they’ll ask their job candidates “How will YOUR marketing take advantage of big data...

Admit it, you are dying to jump off and “do a startup.” Whether you are currently at Microsoft or at Amazon, you’ve been reading the crazy stories of entrepreneurs committing everything to a new idea in their desire to change the world.

I read the same stories. And my night time reading included the works of Steve Blank, Guy Kawasaki and Eric Ries. Luckily...

In this groundbreaking guide, authors Bruno Aziza and Joey Fitts explain the competitive advantage experienced by organizations that create and manage a "Culture of Performance". This book is backed up by first-hand accounts from companies who are winning by building accountability, intelligence, and informed decision-making into their organizational DNA. The book provides a blue-print and a methodology that readers can use to take their organization to the next level.

I am not a financial advisor. Please do not use the below to make any financial decision.

I just finished reading Confessions of a Crypto Millionaire and the book made me think about cryptocurrency in a new and different way. If, like me, you’ve been thinking that cryptocurrency is a scam that helps flash traders or drug dealers make a quick buck, you need to read about Dan Conway’s journey.