I started last month as the newest member of Forrester’s infrastructure and operations (I&O) team. Lauren Nelson recently moved from analyst to research diretor on the I&O team, and I will be taking over her cloud management coverage.

I’ve been in high tech for almost my entire life; in fact, I’m a Silicon Valley baby. That’s right — I grew up in Cupertino, where Apple was a parking lot away from my elementary school. Since then, I haven’t strayed far from tech. I earned two engineering degrees (chemical and electrical) and have spent most of my career as an electrical engineer doing circuit design. Several years ago, I pivoted to a new technical challenge as an industry analyst covering innovative technologies. My last role was at PTC working on its corporate strategy team. And now, my latest tech challenge: cloud.

Now, I could rave about my excitement in joining Forrester (!) or boast about how honored I am to be working among some of the top analyst minds in tech, but I won’t. Instead, I want to talk about something bigger than me, because it’s on the mind of every company that works in or around technology.

Whether a company is using cloud for internal processes or for deploying products or services, cloud has become one of the most impactful set of technologies of all time and has dominated the conversation over the past 10 years. Its reach and influence can be seen across all verticals: finance, healthcare, manufacturing, software . . . and the list goes on. It’s an integral part infused into and enabling our daily lives, whether it’s through social media, email, smart assistants, shopping online, or even storing personal photos. But despite all of its impact and the major investments underway, companies still struggle with plan execution and evolution, articulating business cases, skill development, governance, and aligning to corporate-level strategies. Much can be done to further help companies master their cloud strategy and usage. To say I’m excited about helping enterprises achieve this clarity and progress is an understatement.

This is where I get to step in. Joining my other cloud colleagues at Forrester, I will be covering topics in cloud management such as:

  • High-performance computing (HPC)
  • Hybrid cloud management
  • Cloud migration, portability, and interoperability
  • Cloud cost monitoring and optimization
  • Open source cloud projects
  • Defining cloud metrics
  • Enterprise cloud standard
  • Gauging cloud maturity

Keep in mind that my coverage area can change as the industry evolves. My bio page will be the best place to look for my latest coverage topics and upcoming research.

In the near term, topics I will be writing about are:

  • The cloud skills gap
  • High-performance computing in the cloud
  • Adoption profiles for private cloud
  • Top 10 facts everyone should know on private cloud

I am so happy to be a part of Forrester covering such a hot and exciting topic. Find me at a conference or book me for an inquiry, briefing, or advisory, and let’s talk cloud!