On the lighter side of things , we ask the industry experts what makes them tick . . . .
. . . GET TO KNOW . . .
Woody Sessoms , Chief Business Officer , Graphiant
When Woody Sessoms retired from the tech scene ‘ wild horses ’ weren ’ t going to get him back in the saddle .
You retired four years ago ; what compelled you to jump back into the workforce ?
But those horses picked up the pace – leading him to Graphiant Networks .
Woody ’ s now Graphiant ’ s Chief Business Officer at Graphiant , responsible for leading business development and strategic partnerships .
Woody spent 25 years at Cisco Systems , serving in various global leadership positions . Most recently , he was Senior Vice President of Cisco ’ s Global Service Provider Business . Prior to that , he was responsible for Cisco ’ s Global Enterprise Business . These responsibilities , he says , gave him a deep understanding of worldwide people , cultures and practices . Before Cisco , Woody spent time at Burlington Industries , Rolm , IBM , and Siemens .
What first made you think of a career in technology ?
I saw the amazing productivity and differentiation technology was driving in the workplace and I wanted to be a part of this revolution that was happening . This was right at the beginning of mini and personal computing .
When I retired , I didn ’ t really know what would come next . But I did know it wouldn ’ t be a C-level role in another tech start-up . After a long career of helping companies like Cisco change the world , I had “ been there , done that .” It would take wild horses for me to change my mind . And then , I was introduced to Graphiant Networks .
I was working as an advisor to Graphiant and began to see all of the positive disruptions that Graphiant could enable . I had never seen a solution with so much promise in driving both top-line revenue for SPs and cost out for SPs and Enterprise . I also felt that Graphiant ’ s business model would thrive in today ’ s market .
What do you think is the current hot technology talking point ?
AI gets a lot of press , and deservedly so , but it gets back to what can impact your business , what can differentiate you in your marketplace and what determines the winners . It ’ s all about making people money , saving them money and securing their data and brand .
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