Oh no! I’ve been put into a Top 100 Tech blogs to follow in 2013! Oh my!

We all know how these things go, content creators create content, votes happen whether strictly or arbitrarily and then BAM! You get placed on a list!

It’s kind of interesting, kind of flattering, and well, I’m sharing it here because it happened! Here is the snippet of me, and behind the more there are the 99 other blogs mentioned and referenced! I do wish you the best in finding good content here and without! :)

PKGuild by @CXI - Top 100 technology blogs of 2013! - Christopher Kusek

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When did Christopher get a new job as EMC Global Cloud and Virtualization Lead?!

You ever been there in a job interview where they might ask (the often contrived) “Where do you see yourself in 5 years?”  While I have honestly answered “Celebrating the 5 year anniversary of you asking me this question – Mitch Hedberg” , that doesn’t mean I do not have a ‘serious’ plan; something often overlooked by many who feel stuck and caught in the roles they pursue unable to see beyond the day let alone 5 years or beyond.

It is with no further adieu however, that I inform you I am currently *3* years into my 5 year plan, and I am ON TARGET and ON PATH!

Disclaimer: While I am indeed 3 years into my 5 year plan, I am –4- months into my new role, yea this post was LONG waited ;)

Introducing my new role: Global Cloud & Virtualization Lead, EMC Consulting

Disclaimer: I just call it Global Virtualization Lead because Cloud is waaaaay over used! :)

I know some of you might be saying the following:

  • Err, I thought you were already doing that.
  • DONT YOU WORK FOR CHAD?
  • I THOUGHT YOU WERE A vSPECIALIST
  • CAN YOU HELP ME WITH MY COMPUTER IT DOESN’T BOOT WHEN i BARK AT IT.

Yea, or something to that effect. I get that; but the fact of the matter is, I have recently changed roles (August 1st to be exact) and I’ve been busy planning things like #CXIParty and working in the role to actually write this blog post.   I didn’t want you to feel left out and I wanted to share with you some details of what this means for me, you, a ninja named gerald; all of that!

EMC has a Consulting Org?!?

Yea,  can you believe it?  More than just a consulting org but one with a fairly extensive portfolio helping drive major transformation in businesses big and small around the world.    Wow that almost sounds like a pitch, but no. It’s not, but THIS IS! (giggle, no I’m just kidding ;))

I am very fortunate to join this organization and to lead a team of some *extremely* sharp architects, engineers, consultants; VERY Smart people who get technology, business and strategy; All the sauce which makes really cool things possible!    Allow me to help break it down for you a little bit, because… I feel like I’m constantly re-figuring some things out at times so I continue to move in those directions of Yay… :)

For the most part, EMC Consulting is broken up into a few key groupings.   

  • Application Infrastructure (Things like App Migrations from Notes->Exchange/Sharepoint, AD Consolidation, AppV/VDI
  • A2D2 (App/Dev on .Net, Portal Development on Sharepoint, vFabric, Java/J2EE, Windows Azure, App Testing, etc
  • CVDC (Cloud & Virtual Data Center is broken up in to several discrete components)
    • Consolidation (Datacenter Transformation, Strategy, Migration, Re-Architecture, Decommissioning)
    • Cloud and Virtualization [Hey, that’s me! :)] (Virtual Infrastructure Rapid Transformation, P2V Factories, Operational Readiness, Strategy, etc)
    • IT Service Management [ITSM] (IT Service Catalogs, Financial Modeling, ITaaS Transformation)
    • Network (Network Design and Consolidation)

There are also other groups which I’m not including here (This is not intended to be a COMPREHENSIVE COMMERCIAL for EMC Consulting) but instead focused more so on my team and what *I* do. Yea, I’m vain like that.

Interestingly though across my team within the CVDC we have a series of solutions and offerings which provide significant overlap.  Which means we work together on a *lot* of things, and let me tell you.   These are some total ROCKSTARS to work with.   Both within the Leadership and to the highest and lowest ranks of the organization.   Which if you know anything about me, rockstardom = yay!

That being the case we’re working on a lot of cross-competency overlap items which are huge today and will also be even further transformational come 2012 (For those of you who are not so familiar with what they may be! :))  A popular item which we’ve spent a fair amount of time working is this little tool called Vblock, maybe you’ve heard of it.   But more than simply being a chunk of hardware, we take it to the Nth degree in scary cool proportions.    Think ‘massive chunk of metal which theoretically can transform your organization’ and add to it the whole depth and breadth of refined methodologies driven by experts in industry to Functionalize, Operationalize, Portalize and Deliver with a clear and conducive Go To Market strategy! (Though not Goat to Market!)

This my dear friends is merely the TIP of the Iceberg, but it has been a ROCKSTAR Journey so far and that journey is going to continue WELL into 2012.

Where has this role taken you so far?

I know a number of you follow my Foursquare history among any other number of Services out there where you see WHAT I’m doing and WHERE I am.     Here is a basic sampling of some of the places I’ve been since I took on this new role.  I’ll also try to do this Chronologically. :)   This is also just part of the journey.   This will continue.  Oh and FYI.  With proper justification and good reason…  I could always visit you (if you’re a customer ;)) If there’s a User Group or something you’d like me to attend as well, so long as I can get a meeting in the area I could probably attend! :)

  • Hartford, Connecticut
  • Las Vegas (VMworld! :))
  • Detroit, Michigan
  • Memphis, Tennessee
  • Los Angeles, California
  • Franklin, Massachusetts
  • Bangalore, India (With Stopovers in Frankfurt, Germany; and Dubai – but only in the airport)
  • Singapore (With a return stop over for an hour in Japan)
  • Boston, Massachusetts
  • New York City, New York

Where will the future take me? I already know I’ll be going to the following

  • Seattle (Well, Redmond) Washington
  • Vancouver, Canada
  • Kansas City (I’m not sure Kansas or Missouri ;))
  • And who knows where else for the rest of the year.

So as you can probably tell … Yea, you’ll see a whole series on “Optimal Traveling tools” and further tips and tricks beyond my recent “Accelerate Intl Travel and Airport tips to avoid getting fondled by the TSA!” post I put out! :)

What to expect from you in this new role

I know that some of you are still waiting for my Career Blog Post, 2012 Predictions, Details on your Book coming out Dec 6th, EMC Consulting Exposed, and any other number of blog posts which you can clearly know and expect.  Yea, that’ll be coming.  As will also my break out to my trip to India where I introduce you to my India Team! And my local North America – where I introduce you to them too! :)

And now, so I don’t have an excuse to PUT publishing this off any more. I’m going to run with it.  You can find out the rest later, Cats off to ya! :)

Hi, I’m Christopher Kusek and I’m severely shy, Oh.. TechEd?!

I think it’s important to make this particular distinction because a lot of people are obviously very confused about me in general!   So I’ll try to set the record straight!

For those of you who do not know me, I am extremely shy (Okay, not ultra-terribly-masterfully whereby I won’t leave the house) but I’m pretty damn shy!   Put me in a setting where I don’t know a single person, and I’ll be that guy off in the corner all alone :(  [That is an accurate representation…]

So the first thing you’re going to say is.. “Bus Tour? TechEd?! Dancing on Stage at Jam Sessions? I totally saw you with a tambourine jamming to Joey Snow! …Aren’t you a user group leader?!  You totally gave me a voucher, and my friend and interrogated me if I was an IT Pro or Developer!  Stop Yelling USB Drive sizes and throwing them to me?!” 

Okay, I’m not sure there were people who didn’t want the random swag (I tell you, dancing and handing out vouchers mid-strut is pretty cool ;))

But it bears sharing, that I like a number of people… are contextually shy.  Or respectively… Contextually NOT shy (Tech!shy?) :)    Yes, it is true.  If I don’t know anyone in a ‘crowded bar’ or something in some type of social setting I am –screwed!- hands down!   But apply an ‘assumption’ to the context  “There is a somewhat chance or probability… that they might ALSO be involved in technology?!” (It helps if you’re at a Technical Conference, or conference after party) and then all bets are off!

I like many people suffer from a condition known as “I don’t want to bother you on the off chance that we share absolutely nothing in common”  The fact that every single person in the world uses technology in one shape or form is not enough to override this feature, because just because you’re a ‘consumer’, does not mean you are a ‘user’ or beyond.    So, wearing a geek shirt usually raises the bar “ooh, potential geek! lets engage them!”

For the 2000+ or so people I met and talked to this past week, don’t go thinking I’m all mr sociable (the action, not the cracker)  because of what you saw me do, infact you can do it yourself, just commit to being ‘socially acceptable in mutually underlying company’ = win? :)

So, if it’s not a technical conference or technical event I likely won’t approach you (Great, right? ;)) so feel free to approach me, I’m very approachable albeit often oblivious :)   Who knows if I’ll break the Tech!shy to reach into other contexts, if that happens, oh my! :)

Oh, and I had an absolutely amazing time meeting each and every one of you! Especially you guys: Detroit, Ottawa, Tampa and DC – You guys were great :)