🌶️ Hot Fudge Sunday for 2025-01-05
This week, I spotlight talented professionals in my network who are #OpenToWork, sharing their LinkedIn profiles!
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Welcome to the latest Hot Fudge Daily. Each day of the week you get thematic value.
🌶️ Spicy Edition Sunday FREE (Hot Fudge Sunday weekly newsletter captures the best of Hot Fudge Daily and the most clicked links for the week.)
📈 Markets Monday $ (Hot Fudge Daily: What is moving markets and why does it matter for the week ahead?)
🔥 Hot Takes Tuesday $ (Hot Fudge Daily: Get fast unfiltered thoughts on news of the day with just a dash of snark.)
🤪 Wacky Wednesday $ (Hot Fudge Daily: Catch up on the wild and wooly memes from a variety of deep web #random channels.)
🔙 Throwback Thursday $ (Hot Fudge Daily: Examine recent news in a thought provoking Shot and Chaser format.)
✅ Final Thoughts Friday $ (Hot Fudge Daily: A clear eyed look back on the week that was and could have been.)
🔮 Sneak Peak Saturday $ (Hot Fudge Daily: Steady and sober unpacking of the slow news day where muted press releases and disclosure stories try to get buried before the weekend takes all the attention.)
🙏 And a big thanks to all our sponsors! 🙏(Scroll to the end…)
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#OpenToWork Weekly
I believe in #NeverSearchAlone. I also continue to participate in a #JSC.
Per our reader survey, each week, I’m going to be highlighting those in my network that are #OpenToWork by linking to their LinkedIn and quoting their LinkedIn About section. I strongly encourage my readers to view the LinkedIn profiles of these professionals, connect, and reach out to them.
Nathan Clyker
Successful Sales and Business Development Professional with a demonstrated 21 year history of working in the IT industry. Expert skills in Management, Sales, Enterprise Software and Hardware, Partner Management, Storage, Go-to-market Strategy creation/execution, and Sales Operations. Strong sales professional with a BS in International Business from University of Colorado, Denver and an intense focus on customer satisfaction via strong business and interpersonal relationships.
Source: Nathan Clyker
Gina (Gina Minks) Rosenthal
- Over 10 years’ experience as a global and fractional product marketing manager for global technology companies (up to 120K employees) as well as and startups.
- Over the last 5 years leading Digital Sunshine Solutions, generated over 150 blog posts, 26 case studies, and a range of messaging documents, launch plans, white papers, product datasheets, and solution briefs.
- Bootstrapped quarterly cross-company “Think Tanks” to create strong feedback loops between executives, product, marketing, and engineering teams.
- Created technical content and improved product positioning using sales and customer feedback. Served as the voice of the customer for enterprise clients exploring SaaS products.
- Planned, researched, and developed over twenty podcast episodes covering AI and infrastructure over two years.
The experience on my resume is definitely not traditional! But because there is a string connecting it all, I bring a unique blend of technical expertise and creative marketing strategy to the table. With over a decade of experience working with industry leaders like EMC, Dell, and VMware, I’ve honed an in-depth understanding of the challenges IT executives face—and more importantly, how to solve them. However, since I come from a sysadmin/operator audience, I easily craft messaging that resonates and builds trust with them too.
Founding and leading Digital Sunshine Solutions for five years is one of the most fulfilling and proudest milestones of my career. Over the last five years, our team executed six product launches, developed over 150 blog posts, 26 case studies, and countless white papers, solution briefs, and product datasheets. And our work drove real impact. One of our clients saw a 150% growth in their social media presence!
I’m passionate about innovation and collaboration, particularly in areas like artificial intelligence and infrastructure technology. I want to connect the dots between complex products and the human stories they power. I believe there is infinite power in connecting everyone, inside and outside of an organization.
If you're interested in telling the story of how your product turns customers in the hero of their own journey, let's talk!
Source: Gina (Gina Minks) Rosenthal
Richard Arnesen
Who am I? I am a proven problem solver who has a history of digging in and savings my employers millions of dollars in savings over my career. I am a hard worker who can dig into the details but also communicate to the executive suite to gain the buy-in to implement a solution. In addition to system or process issues I am an expert in digging in and fixing poor performing teams. How can I help you solve a problem today? Feel free to contact me if you have any problems in the following areas:
- Program Delivery
- Infrastructure/Cloud
- Team Performance/Dynamics
- Application Reliability
- Strategic Roadmaps
- Transformation
- Leadership Development
- Managed Services
Source: Richard Arnesen
Janel Van Beek
For Humans: I intellectually help organizations and leaders grow and keep great teams, and lead change into the future. My favorite skills and experiences are strategy, program management, product, and organization and leadership effectiveness. My detailed resume is available here: https://www.francievanwirkus.com/resume
For Data Searches: Janel Van Beek (formerly Janel Lanza), SPC 6.0, FLMI, CCTP II, is a business strategist and certified Master Coach, helping people do what seems impossible. She is a digital transformation, OCM, leadership development, and product expert. She is strategy and business consultant. She has financial, health, entrepreneur, retail and services product experience. She has deep experience in strategy, change, instructional design and training as well as in being a turn-around people leader.
As founder of Francie Van Wirkus LLC, an executive coaching and private yoga business, Janel is a keynote speaker, author of several books and executive coach and strategist. She has strategic product and portfolio experience. Janel also has deep experience in investment training, organization effectiveness, human resources, and instructional design. She is a dual-certified yoga instructor for group and private classes, and is an Ironman triathlete. Each day, Janel aims to hang around with people who do epic sh*t.
Certifications and Training
- PESI Dialectical Behavioral Therapy and Mindfulness
- Globant Leadership Development
- Globant AI
- IC Agile ICP-ENT
- IC Agile ICP-CAT
- IC Agile- ICP-ORG
- Scaled Agile Framework SPC 6.0, 2015-present
- SAFe PMPO 5.0, Advanced Scrum Master, Lean Portfolio Management, Remote Trainer, LPM 5.1 AHF Agility Health Radar Facilitator, 2020
- CCTP I and II Certified Clinical Trauma Professional, 2020
- CPrime Product Agility: Discovery and Delivery, 2020
- Integrative Yoga Therapy Instructor 200 hour, 2020
- Harvard Business New Leader Program graduate, 2018
- Breakthrough Leader Program graduate, 2018
- Lean Greenbelt, 2015
- Personal Kanban, 2014
- Scrum Foundations, 2012
- PROSCI Change Management, 2011
- Certified Breakthrough Master Coach, 2006
- Certified Agency Trainer, 2001
- Past FINRA licenses 6, 7, 26 1998, 2000
- FLMI 1998
- ACS Customer Service 1998
Source: Janel Van Beek
Greg Phillips
At IBM, my focus as a Cloud Platform Leader has been on fostering strategic partnerships and driving innovative marketing strategies. With a strong background in corporate marketing and a hands-on approach to customer relationship management, my recent work has centered on extending IBM's cloud alliances globally.
The team has successfully leveraged my skills in strategic and online marketing to create impactful campaigns, positioning us at the forefront of cloud solutions. Our collaborative efforts have not only filled the sales funnel but also strengthened IBM's presence in the competitive cloud marketplace.
Source: Greg Phillips
Sheri Gearhart
Innovative Technology Architect | Solution Designer | Collaborative Leader
Passionate about driving technological innovation and delivering cutting-edge solutions, I thrive on exploring and implementing new technologies to solve complex problems. With a keen eye for evaluating the benefits of emerging tools within solution stacks, I excel in leading proofs of concept and translating technical insights into actionable strategies for stakeholders, maximizing the return on investment through increasing revenue. My strengths lie in developing comprehensive presentations, providing expert training, and fostering collaboration across diverse teams. As a natural leader, I inspire and influence through my technical expertise and vision, without the constraints of formal management roles. My ideal position leverages my skills in architecting solutions, knowledge sharing, and project leadership, while allowing me to focus on the technical aspects of innovation rather than sales-driven engagements.
I have held a wide array of positions throughout my career in technology. My path includes technical support, UNIX system administration, SAP Basis Administration, storage SAN architecture design and engineering, technical design analysis at customer sites, CTO, and system architecture spanning across on-premises and public/hybrid cloud platforms, Converged Systems and Hyper-Converged Systems. I have advanced knowledge of Dell EMC Storage, Dell EMC Data Protection, Cisco and Brocade SAN, Cisco UCS, and VMware vSphere. I hold several Dell EMC certifications, as well as ITIL and SAFe 4 Agilist certifications.
Specialties: architectural design, BCDR, cisco, customer relations, erp, hp - ux, nas, storage engineering, san, storage networking, NVMe-oF protocols, Red Hat Linux, SUSE Linux, SAP Basis, Solaris, strategic planning, system administration, technical training, vendor relations, Veritas Netbackup, EMC and HP storage technologies
Source: Sheri Gearhart
Tamera Rousseau King
A highly skilled Technical Project Manager, Agile Product Owner, and people leader with a proven track record in managing large-scale marketing technology programs and building high-performing teams. Demonstrated ability to build strong cross-functional relationships to align on project scope, prioritize business requirements, and develop effective risk mitigation strategies, ensuring project goals were achieved on time and under budget. Adept at leveraging Agile methodologies to establish operational excellence, driving repeated success, and ensuring program accountability.
Source: Tamera Rousseau King
Ricardo Perez
With a deep-seated passion for pioneering virtualization solutions, my tenure at Dell EMC, Xerox, etc. has been marked by architecting and deploying PowerFlex and VxRail systems. My expertise lies in comprehensive lifecycle management, with a proven track record in steering projects from conception to completion, delivering high-performance and scalable virtual environments.
At the core of my professional journey is a commitment to innovation and excellence in infrastructure transformation. Collaborating with C-level executives, I've honed my skills in presenting project visions and strategies, while my fluency in English and Spanish enhances our team's ability to drive global initiatives. My credentials, including multiple VMware and Microsoft certifications, underscore my dedication to maintaining technical prowess in Systems Engineering.
Source: Ricardo Perez
Mike Berteletti, CISSP
Experienced Information Technology Professional with a broad and deep knowledge of many information technology products and services found in large enterprises to small and medium businesses. Specialties include Converged Infrastructure, Cloud Computing, Information Storage Solutions, Virtualization, Microsoft Windows Infrastructure, Information Systems Security, Enterprise Network Design, Data Protection, Business Continuity, Disaster Recovery, IT Strategy, IT Leadership, Business Liason and Career Development.
- ISC2 Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP)
- EMC Proven Professional Technology Architect
Source: Mike Berteletti, CISSP
Bob Lima, PMP
Experienced Senior Program Manager with 15+ years of successfully managing end-to-end lifecycles of large, cross-functional, and transformational programs. Expertise in delivering complex projects within scope, timeline, and budget while driving process improvements and ensuring strategic alignment with business goals. Adept at utilizing Agile, Waterfall, and Lean Six Sigma methodologies, with a proven ability to manage risks, resolve conflicts, and optimize resource allocation. Skilled communicator, capable of presenting technical concepts to senior leadership and influencing business decisions for maximizing ROI. A leader focused on mentorship, team empowerment, and continuous improvement. 323-513-6011
Source: Bob Lima, PMP
Chris Mojica
Seasoned technical sales professional and technologist with proven pre and post sales engineering experience. Experience includes supporting startups, system integrators, vendors, channel partners/VARs, OEMs and end customers. I am always open to Solutions Architect or Sales/Systems Engineering opportunities.
Technical backgrounds include the disciplines of HCI, Virtualization, Software Defined (SDN/SDS/SDC) storage area networks (SAN), network, and broadband technologies. Additionally, having supported various levels within multiple organizations demonstrates my ability to effectively conduct business and technical level discussions within each of these tiers.
Leveraging my knowledge, background and experience allows me to understand complex datacenter environments. This technical acumen allows me to propose creative solutions that maximize ROI and minimize TCO. Strong organizational skills and ability to support multiple projects allows me to meet multiple deadlines.
Source: Chris Mojica
Rich Green
I am an seasoned technology and sales professional who has worked in both pre-sales and post-sales roles and in Customer Operations roles over my career. I am a self starter who works well both independently and in a team environment. I have been successful at every step of my career - whether it was helping launch the Iridium Satellite System while at Motorola SATCOM or taking a startup Internet Service Provider (SoftAware) to the next level to be acquired or selling into Enterprise, SMB, and SLED customers at Hughes, EMC, Brocade, Broadcom and Faction. I have learned and utilized multiple skills during my career including objection handling, technical account management, storage area networks, IP networks, network-attached storage, and cloud fundamentals. I have also continued to learn new technologies such as AI fundamentals and cyber security fundamentals. I feel that I am an asset to any organization that I join. I am willing to relocate for the right opportunity. Specialties: Sales Engineering, Solution Engineering, SAN, LAN, Storage, Technical Sales, Account Management
Source: Rich Green
Matthew Leib
After many years as an engineer and presales architect, with specialties in data center, cloud, virtualization and most particularly storage, I've become noted for my writing and analytical expertise in those categories. My blogging has been ongoing since 2009, and I use those writing and focused IT value propositions to write for a number of analytics firms. I specialize in architectures surrounding Kubernetes, Converged and hyper-converged architectures in storage, cloud, AI, and virtualization, containers focused.
Source: Matthew Leib
Michael Joffe
Dynamic global technology leader and Military veteran. P&L responsibility for business lines ranging from $10M to $150M in annual recurring revenue—direct management of high-performing teams ranging from 10 to 75 professionals across the globe. Exceptional at driving growth with Series C, PE-backed, and large-cap multi-national companies. Extensive experience with technology solution co-creation and GTM execution across the OEM, ISV, and SaaS ecosystems.
Source: Michael Joffe
Colleen Coll
"Allow myself to introduce...myself." - Austin Powers
Ever feel like you're juggling flaming torches planning events—trying to keep all the details in the air while something’s always about to catch fire? Yep, I’ve been there. Events have a way of throwing curveballs, and when tech and tools aren’t playing nice, chaos can easily take over.
That’s where I come in. I love turning event madness into magic. Whether it’s on-site event coverage using digital media, live reporting, or behind-the-scenes management, I make sure everything runs like clockwork. I’m also a huge fan of using There.App, which simplifies on-location event management by keeping everyone in sync and streamlining the entire process, so no detail gets lost in the shuffle.
From tech conferences to startup launches, I capture the moments that matter and keep things smooth, whether it's happening live or behind the scenes. And when I’m not on the ground, I’m writing—blogs, articles, and ghostwriting for tech leaders to tell the bigger story behind the event, brand, or mission.
So, let’s make your next event one to remember, with every detail in place and every moment captured. Reach out! I’m always game for a brainstorm or a quick chat about how to make your event shine (without all the stress).
Source: Colleen Coll
Karl Edwards, PMP
An innovative, strategic and results-oriented technical program manager and network strategist with twenty-two years of experience in the telecommunications and technology industries. I can interact with and contribute to technical discussions with engineers as well as communicate program updates, strategy and roadmap to senior executives. For the last seven years at Cox Communications, I managed the three largest and most strategic programs within the technology portfolio: DOCSIS 3.1 program, Remote PHY program and DOCSIS 4.0 program. I have an inherent bias for action and have successfully operated in an environment where I managed cross-functional and cross-organizational teams without authority every day.
Hot Fudge Daily Digest
📈 Markets Monday for 2024-12-30
As a reminder, this is an end of day snapshot…
Quick Recap
For Market Monday, I continue to look at the same key indicator that I take from a simple Yahoo Finance webpage each week. It’s how I look at things through the lens of the closing bell on Monday.
Last week:
This week:
Previously, I decided on a view from Yahoo Finance. For example, this was a view of intraday in Technology which usually gets around a dozen or so interesting companies when the market is moving and a smaller handful of companies when the market is not moving as much.
If you are using Yahoo Applied Filters for Stocks screener you can bookmark your own heat map view.
% Change in Price (Intraday):greater than 4
Region: United States
Market Cap (Intraday): Mid Cap and Large Cap and Mega Cap
Price (Intraday):greater than or equal 5
Volume:greater than 15000
Sector: Technology
Industry: Software—Infrastructure and Information Technology Services and Computer Hardware and Software—Application and Communication Equipment and Electronics & Computer Distribution and Consumer Electronics and Electronic Components and Scientific & Technical Instruments and Semiconductor Equipment & Materials and Semiconductors
🔥 Hot Takes Tuesday for 2024-12-31
Two hot takes on stories that caught my eye on Tuesday.
⭐ + ⚠️ Success is demonstrated by being spammed. Trust is demonstrated by being exploited.
Techmeme: Researchers find 4.5M “stars” on GitHub repos they suspect are fake; in July, Check Point found a network of inauthentic users starring repos containing malware (Bill Toulas/BleepingComputer)
By Bill Toulas / BleepingComputer. View the full context on Techmeme.
💰 + ☁️ I’ve worked with dozens of folks at WWT and Softchoice in my career and this combination was more about when not if and there is no why beyond making good dollars and sense.
Techmeme: St. Louis-based tech services company World Wide Technology agrees to acquire Canadian IT provider Softchoice in an all-cash deal valuing the latter at ~CA$1.8B (Kyle Wiggers/TechCrunch)
By Kyle Wiggers / TechCrunch. View the full context on Techmeme.
🤪 Wacky Wednesday for 2025-01-01
Each Wednesday I go through dozens of Slack communities.
I then select the most interesting shared links.
This will always be a safe for work list. 🙈
Sitters and Standers
The American worker divide: Those who sit, and those who stand
Cats playing with robots proves a winning combo in novel art installation - Ars Technica
Cat Royale project explores what it takes to trust a robot to look after beloved pets.
30 years ago Tomorrow's World predicted 2025 - how did it do?
From space junk gel to hologram surgery, the team had lots of intriguing predictions. Which, if any, came true?
🔙 Throwback Thursday for 2025-01-02
Long ago in the late 1990s, I was deeply involved in telecommunications. Specifically, this was my early career working with Internet Service Providers (ISPs).
At that time, facilities based broadband providers were just beginning to take hold in the United States. The shift from dialup to ISDN to DSL, Cable, and Fixed Wireless broadband was amazing.
Of course, open competition in the market is a big part of what made business in the United States successful. By 2005, the term “Net Neutrality” came into the lexicon.
Network Neutrality Wouldn't Matter If There Was Real Competition | Techdirt
There’s been a lot of talk about net neutrality lately, and whether or not the government should require internet service providers to let their users connect to any application or service on…
Of course, the United States is a big place and a really young experiment as nation go. So, getting broadband everywhere was a very big deal and it was often a story of a digital divide — and it still is even in 2025.
As my career in telecom progressed, I came to appreciate how essential broadband would be and how stark the differences are for those without access to broadband. And now, the early attempts at eliminating aspects of the digital divide will need to modernize as laws of the land in the United States.
Techmeme: A US appeals court rules the FCC did not have legal authority to reinstate net neutrality rules; incoming FCC chair Brendan Carr opposed the 2024 reinstatement (David Shepardson/Reuters)
By David Shepardson / Reuters. View the full context on Techmeme.
✅ Final Thoughts Friday for 2025-01-03
The tech news stories that caught my eye this week both included a staggering reference to $80B.
🤖 + 🤯 First, $80B of new Microsoft AI data centers… in 2025.
Techmeme: Microsoft says it expects to spend $80B in FY 2025 on the construction of data centers that can handle AI workloads, with 50%+ of the spending in the US (Jordan Novet/CNBC)
By Jordan Novet / CNBC. View the full context on Techmeme.
🍪 + 🤯 Second, $80B+ in car chips… per year!
Techmeme: As Beijing pushes for self-sufficiency in the $80B+ per year car chip business, sources say the use of homemade chips in Chinese cars has risen to around 15% (Wall Street Journal)
From Wall Street Journal. View the full context on Techmeme.
🔮 Sneak Peak Saturday for 2025-01-04
By Friday, everything seems to be reaching the peak of getting news turned in before a deadline or dread-line. It sometimes seems like we reach a fever pitch in news coverage throughout the week.
Peak 🏔️ vs. Peek 👀
Then there is a trope, cliché, or bromide about slow news days and the quietly mentioned news updates sent on a Friday — to try and sneak it past wider coverage. Or, in a nutshell, peak patronizing publishing.
In that spirit, here are a few stories that you might have missed on the slow news of a Friday.
Insert Let's See Who This Really Is Meme
Techmeme: The US sanctions Beijing-based cybersecurity company Integrity Technology over its alleged links to China-backed hacking group Flax Typhoon (Carly Page/TechCrunch)
By Carly Page / TechCrunch. View the full context on Techmeme.
Insert Ceiling Cat Meme
Techmeme: Sources: Chinese state-sponsored hackers accessed senior US Treasury officials' computers but did not breach the department's email system and classified data (Bloomberg)
From Bloomberg. View the full context on Techmeme.
Insert We're All Trying To Find The Guy Who Did This Meme
Techmeme: Apple agrees to pay $95M to settle a lawsuit claiming it recorded private conversations after Siri was unintentionally activated and shared the data with others (Jonathan Stempel/Reuters)
By Jonathan Stempel / Reuters. View the full context on Techmeme.
Insert That Wasn't Me, That Was Patricia Meme
Techmeme: After backlash, Meta says newly viral AI profiles on Facebook and Instagram were created in 2023 in “an early experiment”, and it is deleting the profiles (Jason Koebler/404 Media)
By Jason Koebler / 404 Media. View the full context on Techmeme.
Insert Anthony Adams Rubbing Hands Meme
Techmeme: PitchBook: generative AI companies worldwide raised $56B from VCs in 2024 across 885 deals, up 192% from 2023, with startups outside the US raising just $6.2B (Kyle Wiggers/TechCrunch)
By Kyle Wiggers / TechCrunch. View the full context on Techmeme.
Note: Some images via Unsplash
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