CTO, Architect, Project Manager or Developer

  • Boutique technology services for the Mobile Enterprise 

The Mobile Enterprise is defined by roaming consumers (think iPhone or laptop users) of information services. This is your future, if not current reality. These cloud based services are powerful and ubiquitous but far from homogeneous or congruent.

This is the challenge: every business consumer has a favorite "app", yet the enterprise must maintain fiduciary governance over sensitive information as it moves through the private and public clouds. No one wants their SSN, credit card or medical record "lost", physically on a laptop or electronically in the cloud.

Power Utilities use the grid to safely deliver commoditized energy services to customers who only need to know what shape of electrical plug to use. Similarly, the Mobile Enterprise is an Information Utility using the internet to securely deliver commoditized cloud computing services. The “plug” for roaming IT consumers is a Virtual Information Platform™ (VIP).

I understand the complexities and nuances of the Mobile Enterprise and can help you manage what lies on the horizon.

  • Secure the Cloud in the palm of your hand

Enjoy profitable solutions through rational optimism, risk management and systematic implementation. I will guide you to increased value by taking the path of critical thinking and imagination. 

Hailing from the mountainous PNW (Pacific North West), my “trailhead” started, way-back, when I combined field science with DIY Z80 computers and genetic algorithms. Professionally, I continued with process engineering in manufacturing and then moved to mainstream information technology. 

My roles as a manufacturing project manager traversed staff, line and consulting positions. I then revisited an old track as a software development “sherpa” and advanced on to lead ascents into the “clouds”. Survival at “altitude” (creating enterprise software) necessitated the Lean project management tools of my earlier treks; think Agile without the attitude.

I can plan a first ascent, pick up a rope and lead, survive a storm and get everyone home with plenty of “reserves” for the next challenge. We will make a great team.

Founder:

  • Software Services:
    • iPhone development
    • Architecture & Business Analysis
    • Cocoa / Ruby / Rails MVC development
  • Consulting Services:
    • Mobile strategies
    • Virtual Information Platforms VIP's 
      • Cloud computing:
        • SaaS
        • PaaS
        • IaaS
      • Secure untethered virtual desktops
      • Identity Access Management
    • NoSQL Schemaless databases
    • Healthcare EMR's
    • Enterprise financials
    • SDLC 3 ⊕ {Lean : Agile : _UP}
    • Project Management
    • Product Mgt, design, valuation & audit
    • Disaster recovery planning

CTO D1Bru LLC 2007-2011

Boutique technology services for the Mobile Enterprise.

Startup or Enterprise, small or large, I succeed in a variety of roles and enjoy them all.

Management with a Lean bias that empowers each member in any size team. Providing solutions using a practical & non-zealous Software Delivery Life Cycle process (SDLC 3), using the best of Lean, Agile & _UP methodologies. Working as an agent, manager or implementer, I focus on the business need at the appropriate granularity for results. Putting a new set of eyes on green-field, redesign or acquisition projects and exploiting their opportunities.

 
Designing & sourcing Virtual Information Platforms (VIP's) for mobile practitioners in healthcare and other professions. Extending the enterprise MSP / SaaS model to a subscription platform that delivers applications as a service utility. Think enterprise app store and secure, maintenance-free, agnostic endpoint; all rolled into one service. VIP's provide a convenient solution for mobile consumers by allowing freedom of choice in endpoint devices while hiding the cost saving complexities of cloud computing.

Apps providing business advantage or instructional simulation. Aggregate enterprise information sources for tactical advantage. Animate space & time to provide JIT training for critical processes. Push information from deep within the business to exploit new opportunities; you can even reach for the ”clouds”.

We will make a great team, whether your "computer" is one ton, one ounce or light as a cloud.  details below...


CIO:

  • Enterprise SaaS
  • Secured hierarchical social network
  • Financial analytics / Business Intelligence

Chief Architect MedAxiom 2004-2006

Charting the 2nd generation of service.

Designed, sourced, negotiated and staffed the IT infrastructure for this medical information start-up. The development team spanned eight time zones. Three products exploited the information secured in a DB2 database via the web.   details below...


Enterprise IT Services:

  • Business Analyst & Developer
  • Lean SDLC
  • Diverse multi-industry customer base
    • Direct client contact
    • Large financial code bases
    • Large secured databases
    • Team education
  • J2EE, WebSphere & tools trainer

Systems Analyst Gate Petroleum 1995-2004

Custom solutions for unique business demands.

Full life cycle responsibility for numerous integration and customization projects using J. D. Edwards and Infinium Software packages with special emphasis on the Infinium Financial Suite.   details below...


Lean Business Process Re-Design:

  • Project Manager
  • Consultant & Facilitator
  • Engineering & Operations Responsibilitie
  • Diverse Manufacturing Environments:
    • Process
    • Job Shop
  • Activity-based costing

Staff → Line → Consultant 1985-1995

Bringing a Lean approach to the plant floor.

Lean re-design projects, tightening the gap between creation and consumption by providing Just In Time service to customers. Better communication. Lower costs. Happy customers. Successfully increased output and quality while decreasing cost. My time was split about evenly between automation projects and personnel  training.   details below... 

Continued... Boutique technology services for the Mobile Enterprise.

In 2010, my primary engagement involved the design and vendor selection of an end-to-end IT solution for small physician practices (using cloud technologies and agnostic endpoint devices, i.e. iPads) supporting EMR, PMS and other back office / collaboration applications.

This same VIP architecture (less the medical applications) is applicable to many professional firms and enterprise customers needing secure, roaming, BYOC laptops.

* Public Clouds: Google App Engine, Force.com & Amazon Web Services 
* Low cost private cloud infrastructure & platform bundles 
* SaaS Remote Monitoring & Mgt (RMM) for cloud infrastructures 
* Hybrid cloud Identify Access Mgt (IAM) solutions using OAuth, SAML, OpenID, Two-factor authentication & audit
* Single Sign On (SSO) 
* Secure untethered virtual desktops supported by a hybrid cloud platform 
* Veterans Affairs (VA) Electronic Medical Records: WorldVistA & Schemaless databases: MUMPS / GT.M 
* Many other 1-5 physician SaaS EMR’s & Practice Mgt Systems

Other minor 2010 projects included Rails & iOS maintenance.

Instructional Simulation & Animation software, consistently applying a Model View Controller (MVC) architecture across web languages. 


In-house iPhone Apps: Design, develop and market SMF Tai Chi™ for the iPhone & iPod touch. An instructional animation implementing Web Kit, Core Graphics and Core Animation using a deep, hierarchical Layer structure with 60,000 lines of code.

In the iTunes App Store early, (less than 3,000 paid apps) I know how the system works:
* Lean / Agile Project Mgt:  Pivotal Tracker, BaseCamp, Google Apps
* Paper Prototyping & Story Cards
* SCMS: Git, FogBugz, ZenDesk
* iPhone Skill Set: Objective C, Cocoa Touch, iPhone SDK's, Xcode, Interface Builder, Instruments, Clang
* 3D Graphics: Cheetah3D, SketchUp

* Intensive training at the first, week long, Big Nerd Ranch iPhone programming class with Joe Conway and Aaron Hillegass in September, 2008. 
* Java ME MIDP (Mobile Information Device Profile) development in 2002. 
* Learning the "Mac Way" at Apple's World Wide Developers Conference in 2006, 2007 & 2009.

Before the iPhone steamroller, I was creating Ruby plug-ins for Google SketchUp® and integrating the viewer into OS X's Cocoa desktop thus, giving 3D form to the data landscape.



Continued... Charting the 2nd generation of service.

1. The knowledge base provided multimedia content to customers and collaboration tools for the editorial staff. 
2. The survey and reporting systems provided benchmarking metrics for process, compensation and financial data. 
3. The data warehouse and business intelligence systems transformed the benchmarking metrics into an insightful analysis tool providing answers to "what if".

Major BI vendors (Business Objects, Cognos & Hyperion) as well as portal offerings (WebSphere & others) were vetted for buy versus build analysis. In the end, a co-development deal was struck which reduced the immediate project cost and TCO by an order of magnitude. On the platform side, several virtualization architectures were vetted for front & back-end processes running i5/OS, Linux and Windows operating systems.



Continued... Custom solutions for unique business demands.

IBM Power System (formerly known as System i, i5, iSeries or AS/400) expertise in security, database design and application development:
* DB2, SQL, RPG IV, ILE Framework, J2EE, WebSphere, OS security & maintenance
* UML Use Cases & CRC cards
* Technical speaker at Infinium World User Conferences in 2003 & 2004
* Occasional consultant to Janson Industries for programmer training in RPG, Java & WebSphere

Most recently, integrated a browser based document management system with Infinium Accounts Payables. The document store resided in an System i optical jukebox and the DMS was a Windows .Net application. The cross-platform design provided multiple access venues and the lowest licensing fees. I provided single keystroke access from Infinium AP to scanned documents with Client Access 5250 plug-ins, DB2 stored procedures and Windows scripting. 

Other projects used SOA's for inter-organization data exchange or extracts to data cubes via ODBC, JDBC & WSDL / SOAP.

Finally, some projects altered or augmented core Infinium / JDE features to solve unique business demands. Many of these changes were adopted into the vendors commercial code base.
 


Continued... Bringing a Lean approach to the plant floor.

Preventive Maintenance Engineer: 
DBA, Analytics & Networking:
Equipment up-time tracking, modeling, asset & repair parts inventory control.
* SmallTalk

Project Engineer: 
Computer Automation:
PLC's, energy management, hydraulics, & waste water reclamation.

Project Manager: 
Coordinating plant wide shutdowns for repair & expansion. 

Nine months of “building” for an intensive 24/7 week of construction and equipment installation by staff & outside vendors. All lines running for first shift on Monday!


Cross-Functional Process Re-Design Facilitator: 
All phases of the Lean / Total Quality Management (and TQM descendants) practice.
Think Lean, Agile or XP process improvement.

Operations Manager: Empowering people with the information and technology to create products that meet customer specifications.

Process Consultant: Use objective data, institutional knowledge, direct communication and quick iteration to add value to bill of materials, inventory and finished goods.