Yesterday, CEO Penny Herscher took the stage on the Women of the Channel West’s Power Panel with other female leaders in the tech industry: VMWare’s Laurie Evans, Symantec’s Jana Valenti and Google’s Francine Geller, to help women understand what the next big trends are in tech, and what they need to know so they can best position themselves for success.
While each woman had a different take on what the most important skill would be going forward—financial fluency, coding, or something else—they all agreed that it was important to be as well-rounded as possible. Each one of the panelists stated that their companies don’t want someone who is specific to one skill—they want a generalist. Lay a good foundation and it’s easier to climb farther.
They strongly emphasized having a plan, but being flexible enough to roll with the punches. Laurie Evans put it beautifully when she said, “Have a plan. But if life zigzags, that’s OK—just hang on for the ride.” All of the zigs and zags will give you the experience you need to both decide what it is that you want to do, and prepare you for anything that may come your way. Find strong mentors and form partnerships that will endure no matter the twists and turns.
Their advice boiled down to a few powerful statements: Articulate your vision. Enlist allies. Remain fully present. Be joyful. Be authentic.
It’s been a week since Gigaom Structure Data wrapped up, and I’m still processing a lot of what we learned, the great conversations that we had and following up with people we connected with.
It was a great conference! Here are the top 3 things that attendees learned about FirstRain when they stopped by our booth:
I’ve also gone back through the full video archive (thanks Gigaom!) and selected three videos that I’ve been sharing with my colleagues and some of our enterprise B2B customers thinking about big data projects:
Thanks again to all who stopped by! If you didn’t have a chance to stop by our booth, email d.barbosa@ignite.firstrain.com, so we can setup a time to discuss how FirstRain Personal Business Analytics can give you a big-data view on your customers and markets.
FirstRain is excited to announce that we are participating in this year’s Gigaom Structure Data Conference! The conference will be March 19-20 at Chelsea Piers in New York.
900+ big data practitioners, technologists and executives will descend on NYC to explore “how big data can drive business success.” Personal Business Analytics(TM) fits squarely into that subject matter, as we’re creating an area of big data analytics that is largely new to the customer intelligence landscape: getting highly personalized, relevant and timely information to business users. Our customers can now get a 360-degree view of their customers, markets and competitors, increasing revenue and solidifying their strategy.
You can also get a 25% discount on registration through FirstRain! Use code SPONSOR25 when you register, then come by and say hi!
We can’t wait to show the big data community what personal business analytics can do!
Yesterday, FirstRain CEO Penny Herscher was part of a panel discussion at the Ark Women Legal Forum in San Francisco. Speaking to a room of about 100 women, she and her co-panelists, Patricia Gillette, Partner, Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP (moderator); Kathi Lutton, Partner, Fish and Richardson; and Pamela Fulmer, Partner, Novak Druce Connolly Bove + Quigg LLP discussed how women are helping other women by forming “stiletto networks”—all-female groups to support each other professionally in a more safe and unthreatening environment.
The panel agreed that the most effective aspect of stiletto networks is that they are truly helpful to the women involved. They’re not a place to vent or complain; women come up with a concrete action plan and challenge each other intellectually as they navigate being leaders in the male-dominated fields of both Law and Tech. As Kathi stated at one point, “We interact with the world differently, and that’s OK. And it’s good to have a network of people to think through it.”
As Penny highlighted, it’s precisely for this reason that FirstRain has made a concerted effort to have a diverse leadership team: when you assemble a group of people with differing opinions and experiences, you end up being much more creative as a group—and more effective. As stiletto networks grow and empower the women involved, everyone—including businesses—benefits.
All of the panel discussion really boiled down to one idea, whether it’s women helping women or women interacting with men. Patricia said it perfectly—that empowering women is “about relationships—baby steps, and building relationships. It’s not going to happen overnight. You have to be in it for the long haul.”
We’re excited to announce that Penny has been invited to speak at the Ark Group Women Legal Forum on Wednesday, Feb. 5. The Women Legal Forum is advancing the increasingly important dialogue on gender diversity in the legal profession, while illustrating the business imperative for the retention and succession of female leadership.
Penny will take part in a panel discussion around the themes of the book Stiletto Network: Inside the Women’s Power Circles That Are Changing the Face of Business. The panel will focus on shedding light and sharing insight on models used in business that the legal profession can learn from and adopt.
For more information on the Ark Group Women Legal Forum and to see a complete list of speakers, please visit http://usa.ark-group.com/events-details.aspx?eid=142.
Ashutosh Joshi is FirstRain’s Principal Data Analytics Engineer. He attended The Big Boulder Initiative last month and learned some interesting things. Read on:
Last month the Big Boulder Initiative, organized by one of our vendors, Gnip came to San Francisco and I was lucky enough to go on behalf of my team. FirstRain is a Gnip Plugged in Partner and we consistently get great value from being part of the program and attending Gnip events.
The meet was attended by about 20 companies of varying size – from large companies to a few start-ups with less than 10 employees – all Gnip customers. The conference started with Gnip CEO Chris Moody giving an introductory talk about the objectives and agenda of the conference. What was different about this conference, compared to others that I’ve attended, were its objectives. The goal of the meeting was to discuss what the biggest obstacles, current and future, facing the social-data industry and what steps could be taken to remove those obstacles (boulders). Gnip recognized that it was in a unique position to understand the concerns of both the publishers – the creators of social data like Twitter and Facebook – and the companies who, like FirstRain, use that content to deliver high-value business solutions. A main focus of the Boulder Initiative events is to reach out to its customers to identify the problems they, and the industry in general, face, and to brainstorm solutions to them.
Several problems were proposed, but the biggest that emerged were:
1. Cost of Data
2. Ethics of Data Use
3. ROI to be achieved
4. Access to data
We broke up into teams and discussed short- and long-term steps to be taken around each of these areas. The problem that I found most interesting was the problem of access to data. There is so much data out there, but the access to that data is restricted to those that can afford to license the expensive pipelines. Also, because the data is costly, the primary focus of those accessing the data tends to be turning a profit. Having freer access to the data would lead to more innovation, bringing down the cost of data creation as well–which could be facilitated if the publishers could grant limited/free access to academia or non-profits.
The social data industry is in its infancy, and is still figuring out all the advantages and pitfalls of the different decisions it makes. Gnip’s Big Boulder Initiative events are valuable because they introduce standardization around social data. This includes the different properties of data, like the chain of custody and control that each individual element – the creator, publisher and multiple levels of consumers – can have over the data at different stages of data analytics and the finished product, to the ways to access the data and the rights of the consumer. It was a great to be a part of this process of discussing and proposing standards that hopefully will facilitate more innovation in an up-and-coming industry.
Unlike many other vendor conferences I have attended, it was’t about Gnip giving us demos of their latest features and then trying to sell them with a day of presentations pushing products–It turned out to be quite the contrary. At the end of the event, a board of 3 attendees was elected and they along with 9 similar board members from three more Big Boulder Initiatives around the country were tasked with acting on the solutions proposed in the conference. All in all, a good day for partners and, most importantly, long term for the users that use our services leveraging social data.
Just kidding! Let’s all just sit back and take a breath. You’re done. For now…
FirstRain had a pretty awesome DF13. We met over 1,200 people at our booth in the Cloud Expo, had a lot of in-depth discussions, and many booth visitors were very interested in setting up time after the show to learn more about how we can help them “Step into Their Customer’s Reality.”
Penny hosted two panel discussions focused on customer testimonials on Monday and Wednesday, with QTS and Cisco, respectively. These sessions were well-attended and generated a ton of great questions from the attendees. YY also led a very successful Table Talk on Tuesday about FirstRain and how to make a great app (she should know… have you SEEN FirstRain for Touch?)
Led by Chassis the Drink-Serving Robot, our booth staff had fun and worked hard. We loved getting to meet everyone and show off our FirstRain products… and had a great time explaining what a fitbit is. And what you could use those cute flip-flops for (you squeeze them!). The potentially best part of DF13 is how people reacted to Chassis. For some, you could see the trepidation and fear in their eyes as they skirted around him. Others seemed confused as they poked and prodded poor Chassis (it’s ok, he probably liked it). And I can’t even count how many pictures we took for people!
We also gave over 600 demos, which means that FirstRain will donate $1,200 to Soles4Souls to help with the relief efforts in the Philippines. We’re so happy to be able to help!
The biggest thing our customers confirmed during our many meetings and demos is that in today’s ever changing world they need ongoing real-time data analytics across the web. Salespeople need to really know their customer, and marketers need to truly understand their markets–in order to help their customers AND themselves. Like Marc Benioff repeatedly expressed, a customer-focused company is good for everyone involved, and having a firm grasp on the critical events affecting your customers is the first (and biggest) step!
So thanks to everyone for coming by our booth–see you again in 321 days!
Imagine it’s 2025, downtown San Francisco is pulsating with large inflatable structures that seem to grow from the ground. Customers have had their ‘revolution’ and the Internet of things is no longer an idea–there is now a platform for “listening and acting on information from connected devices by creating a workflow around not only identifying the anomaly within a device, but also figuring out what to do with the anomaly.” Developers can now deploy to a range of social, mobile, and connected devices. Platform services include 10X more API functionality then one ever thought possible. Developers can build customer apps, wearable apps, product apps, whatever apps they want in a scalable flexible platform. It is now the era of the “Internet of Customers.”
But proliferation of global and social business web information has made accurate insight into the business an intractable problem because companies and markets change every day. Robots, that were supposed to assist humans in everyday tasks, are still not a reality.
But wait, it is not 2025 but 2013, and Dreamforce is happening, and while salesforce.com has managed to crack many of the items listed above, all but for the last two- and that is where their partner, FirstRain comes into play…
So after you see the amazing inflatable structure and listen to the Salesforce 1 annoucement, come by booth #N1924 to see how FirstRain delivers into the salesforce platform real-time analytics for true business insights. All while visiting with Chassis the Drinking Serving Robot- because everyday tasks like pouring a drink should by now be fully controlled by a robot, no?
Stop by, get a picture with Chassis, and have a drink on FirstRain.
Moscone North Booth #N1924, Expo Hours:
Monday 12pm-8pm (Possible Dance-off with @TooSaasy during opening reception 6-8pm?? No Twerking allowed!)
Tuesday 2pm-5pm
Wednesday 9am-5pm
Thursday 9am – 2pm
We’ve made a big fuss about what we’ve got going on at Dreamforce. But one thing that hasn’t gotten a whole lot of airtime is the Table Talk that our intrepid COO, YY Lee, is running on Tuesday. And we think it’s really interesting!
YY will lead a discussion about how enterprise mobility and BYOD have dramatically shifted the work-life landscape, giving enterprises an incredible opportunity to take advantage of how connected people are. With the amount of personal time people spend time on their smartphones and tablets, however, enterprises need to think about how they fit into the multitasking employee’s mobile world.
The discussion will cover the opportunities that the constantly connected environment presents to enterprises. She’ll address the differences between enterprise and consumer apps, what enterprise apps can learn from the consumer world and how to reconcile the two spaces to turn BYOD and multitasking into revenue for your company.
This topic is even more relevant now with the release of Salesforce One! So swing by her table to learn a thing or two about how to make a kick-ass enterprise mobile app.
Become a Mobile Hero: How to Turn BYOD and Multitasking into Revenue
Tuesday, Nov. 19
Yerba Buena Garden, Main Tent, Table 8
11:30-1:20 pm
Step into Your Customer’s Reality with FirstRain
FirstRain is ready and excited for Dreamforce—and we want to see you there! We’re doing a lot from Sunday to Thursday, so take a look below to see everything we’ve got going on… then follow us @FirstRain!
Booth hours are:
Monday 12:00pm – 8:00pm
Tuesday 2:00pm – 5:00pm
Wednesday 9:00am – 5:00pm
Thursday 9:00am – 2:00pm
Our booth is going to be our home base, and we’ve got some great activities going on constantly. Swing by Booth N1924 to:
Want more? We’re hosting some great sessions and talks at Dreamforce this year. Come see how our customers changed their sales and marketing game:
Women in Technology Table Talk: Achieving Effective Communication
Time & Location: Monday, Nov. 18th: 10:30–11:00 AM | Moscone Center West, Women in Technology Salon
How can women take a seat at the table with other developers and make sure their ideas are heard? Join us at the Women in Technology Salon for an informal talk, featuring Penny Herscher from FirstRain and Lori Williams from Appirio, on how to get your message across with confidence and persuasion.
Changing Sales: How Enterprise Sales Use Customer Insights To Drive Sales Growth
Time & Location: Monday, Nov. 18th: 3:00-3:30 PM | San Francisco Marriott Marquis, Foothill G1 + G2
Arming your sales team with insights and analytics within salesforce.com that actually drive growth and improve sales productivity is one of the biggest challenges most enterprises face—but is essential for positive ROI. Join FirstRain CEO Penny Herscher and Quality Technology Services’ VP Sales Operations Chris Oberkfell as they discuss how QTS is addressing this challenge.
Become a Mobile Hero: How to Turn BYOD and Multitasking into Revenue
Time & Location: Tuesday, Nov. 19th: 11:30 AM-1:30 PM | Yerba Buena Garden, Main Tent, Table 8
Enterprise mobility and BYOD have dramatically shifted the work-life landscape, giving enterprises an incredible opportunity to take advantage of how connected people are. With the amount of personal time people spend time on their smartphones and tablets, however, enterprises need to think about how they fit into the multitasking employee’s mobile world.
YY Lee, COO of FirstRain, will lead a discussion about the opportunities that the constantly connected environment presents to enterprises. She’ll address the differences between enterprise and consumer apps, what enterprise apps can learn from the consumer world and how to reconcile the two spaces to turn BYOD and multitasking into revenue for your company.
New Reality: How Big Data Insights Help Cisco Stay on Top of Its Marketing Game
Time & Location: Palace Hotel, Presidio | Wednesday, Nov. 20th: 10:30-11:00 AM
Empowering strategic marketers to take action in a changing market is challenging, especially in today’s post-recession economy—but to compete, it’s essential. Join us as Cisco’s Charlie Treadwell and Zunesis’ Evan Escobedo discuss with FirstRain CEO Penny Herscher how Cisco uses a revolutionary market insights solution to develop and implement their go-to-market strategy.
We’d also love to meet with you. Schedule some time now!
