All Tech Field Day Events

Meet Field Day Delegate – Andy Thurai

  1. Meet Field Day Delegate – Chris Arceneaux
  2. Meet Field Day Delegate – David Ball
  3. Meet Field Day Delegate – Alex Neihaus
  4. Meet Field Day Delegate – Denny Cherry
  5. Meet Field Day Delegate – Keith Townsend
  6. Meet Field Day Delegate – Brian Gleason
  7. Meet Field Day Delegate – Adam Post
  8. Meet Field Day Delegate: Nico Stein
  9. Meet Field Day Delegate – Tricia Howard
  10. Meet Field Day Delegate – Evan Mintzer
  11. Meet Field Day Delegate – Stephanie Ihezukwu
  12. Meet Field Day Delegate – Wes Milliron
  13. Meet Field Day Delegate – Shaun Bender
  14. Meet Field Day Delegate – Michael Davis
  15. Meet Field Day Delegate – Matt Callaway
  16. Meet Field Day Delegate – Scott Driver
  17. Meet Field Day Delegate – Dave Benham
  18. Meet Field Day Delegate – Manon (“Mae”) Lessard
  19. Meet Field Day Delegate – Haydn Andrews
  20. Meet Field Day Delegate – Timothy Dennehy
  21. Meet Field Day Delegate – François Vergès
  22. Meet Field Day Delegate – Jennifer (“JJ”) Minella
  23. Meet Field Day Delegate – Wences Michel
  24. Meet Field Day Delegate – Josh Fidel
  25. Meet Field Day Delegate – Chris Williams
  26. Meet Field Day Delegate – Kati Lehmuskoski
  27. Meet Field Day Delegate – A.J. Murray
  28. Meet Field Day Delegate – Josh Warcop
  29. Meet Field Day Delegate – Jeremy Schulman
  30. Meet Field Day Delegate – Micheline Murphy
  31. Meet Field Day Delegate – Scott Morris
  32. Meet Field Day Delegate – Remington Loose
  33. Meet Field Day Delegate – Stefan Fouant
  34. Meet Field Day Delegate – Bart Heungens
  35. Meet Field Day Delegate – Markus Leinonen
  36. Meet Field Day Delegate – Greg Ferro
  37. Meet Field Day Delegate – Gina Rosenthal
  38. Meet Field Day Delegate – Vuong Pham
  39. Meet Field Day Delegate – Ruairi McBride
  40. Meet Field Day Delegate – David Samuel Penaloza Seijas
  41. Meet Field Day Delegate – Faisal Khan
  42. Meet Field Day Delegate – Mary Fasang
  43. Meet Field Day Delegate – Kim Pedersen
  44. Meet Field Day Delegate – Tony Efantis
  45. Meet Field Day Delegate – Robb Boyd
  46. Meet Field Day Delegate – Jason Beshara
  47. Meet Field Day Delegate – Glenda Canfield
  48. Meet Field Day Delegate – Ben Mason
  49. Meet Field Day Delegate – Pieter-Jan Nefkens
  50. Meet Field Day Delegate – Tony Bradley
  51. Meet Field Day Delegate – Jim Jones
  52. Meet Field Day Delegate – Neil Anderson
  53. Meet Field Day Delegate – John Deegan
  54. Meet Field Day Delegate – Andy Thurai
  55. Meet Field Day Delegate – Calvin Hendryx-Parker
  56. Meet Field Day Delegate – Lariana Luy
  57. Meet Field Day Delegate – Kyle Jenner
  58. Meet Field Day Delegate – Dr. Avril Salter
  59. Meet Field Day Delegate – Shala Denise
  60. Meet Field Day Delegate – Jerod Santo
  61. Meet Field Day Delegate – Ben Story
  62. Meet Field Day Delegate – Chris Hildebrandt
  63. Meet Field Day Delegate – Scott Bollinger
  64. Meet Field Day Delegate – Phillip Sellers
  65. Meet Field Day Delegate – Steven Cortez
  66. Meet Field Day Delegate – Jason Collier
  67. Meet Field Day Delegate – Deirra Footman
  68. Meet Field Day Delegate – Jason Gintert
  69. Meet Field Day Delegate – Jamie Phillips
  70. Meet Field Day Delegate – Wolfgang Stief
  71. Meet Field Day Delegate – David Klee
  72. Meet Field Day Delegate – Chris Cummings
  73. Meet Field Day Delegate – Bryton Herdes
  74. Meet Field Day Delegate – Kerstin Stief
  75. Meet Field Day Delegate – Marc Staimer
  76. Meet Field Day Delegate – Demetrios Brinkmann
  77. Meet Field Day Delegate – Dan Jones
  78. Meet Field Day Delegate – Peter Mackenzie
  79. Meet Field Day Delegate – Mike Wade
  80. Meet Field Day Delegate – Rocky Gregory
  81. Meet Field Day Delegate – Landon Foster
  82. Meet Field Day Delegate – Firas Shaari
  83. Meet Field Day Delegate – Girard Kavelines
  84. Meet Field Day Delegate – Betty DuBois
  85. Meet Field Day Delegate – Craig Rodgers
  86. Meet Field Day Delegate – Tim Bertino
  87. Meet Field Day Delegate – Rati Jokhadze
  88. Meet Field Day Delegate – Vince Schuele
  89. Meet Field Day Delegate – Brian Knudtson
  90. Meet Field Day Delegate – Jim Czuprynski
  91. Meet Field Day Delegate – Lexie Cooper
  92. Meet Field Day Delegate – Martin Duggan
  93. Meet Field Day Delegate – Jordan Villarreal
  94. Meet Field Day Delegate – Dan Kelcher
  95. Meet Field Day Delegate – Paul Braren
  96. Meet Field Day Delegate – Chris Hayner
  97. Meet Field Day Delegate – Troy Martin
  98. Meet Field Day Delegate – Falko Banaszak
  99. Meet Field Day Delegate – Chris Reed
  100. Meet Field Day Delegate – Jay Stewart
  101. Meet Field Day Delegate – Charles Uneze
  102. Meet Field Day Delegate – Eric Stewart
  103. Meet the Field Day Delegate – Greg Grimes
  104. Meet Field Day Delegate – Kerry Kulp, Founding Partner at Velaspan
  105. Meet Field Day Delegate – Roy Chua, Founder and Principal at AvidThink
  106. Meet Matt Tyrer, Founder and Chief Analyst at the Competitive Corner
  107. Meet Mikael Korsgaard Jensen, Technology Specialists Team Lead at Kamstrup
  108. Meet W. Curtis Preston, aka Mr. Backup
  109. Meet Mike Bolitho, Wireless Engineer
  110. Meet Jon Hildebrand, Senior Product Architect at 11:11 Systems

Andy Thurai is coming to Cloud Field Day 8, which is happening July 15-17, 2020, as a first-time delegate! He is an independent consultant, analyst, and a thought leader in the emerging technology areas – AI, ML, Edge/IoT, and Cloud. Andy works with companies and advises on the GTM messaging and helps field teams sell to CxO technical executives by creating value-based messages and the problem it solves. 

Connect with Andy at @AndyThurai on Twitter or the Tech Field Day web site. Some of his work can be seen at www.thefieldcto.com.

How did you get into technology and IT?

Growing up in technology was intriguing to me. My father was an electrical engineer, and I followed his footsteps. I took some computer courses as electives and it fancied me. I got my first job at a decent pay, writing microprocessor code for PLCs. I was so amazed that it could handle huge turbines and massive electric grid. Innovation and technology have become part of my life since then.

What are your biggest challenges?

Given that I am starting out fresh doing independent consulting work, finding the right customers, and doing the right work is most challenging. Right now, I am tempted to accept everything that I come across. But, I am starting to qualify, ask questions, and make sure it is a right fit, before jumping in with two feet.

Where do you see IT going in the next 3-5 years?

At the pace IT is moving, it is hard to predict 3-5 years. Especially because the playing field is leveled with cheap compute power, any start-up with a vision can compete against the giants – IBM, SAP, Google, and Microsoft. Nothing is untouchable, and anything and everything should be questioned and challenged if it is done the “old way.”

What was your first computer and what was great about it? What is your go-to computer now?

Oh my gosh! Z80 processor. I used to write microprocessor code. No go-to computer, just a PC, or even a smartphone can do what you are looking to do. No favorites.

How do you manage your work/life balance?

Very difficult. Sometimes, I forcefully switch off my phone and sit in the backyard to watch the birds hanging around the bird feeder with a glass of wine and enjoy the nature! Hard when it is winter, and it is 6 months winter in the northeast 🙂

If you weren’t working in IT, what would you be doing instead?

Not sure. Something in the finance world? Maybe, a stock market analyst or a realtor or a politician.

Do you have any hobbies that you enjoy doing in your spare time? 

Help wife with gardening, build stuff, fix things in the house (after getting yelled at multiple times), enjoy working on my car, enjoy a glass of good wine, watch a good movie, listen to some relaxing music. Depends on the moment and my mood.

Do you have any hidden talents?

Not sure if it is a hidden talent, but I do a lot of stock trading. Exotic option spreads while limiting the risk. Has been good so far. Had a lousy stockbroker/financial consultant who did pathetic and I took over. Been very good so far.

If you could have dinner with anyone, living or dead, who would you choose and why?

Tough one to answer. For a one-time dinner, there is a long list of people I can think of. But on a consistent basis, my wife. She is a great cook, and we get to talk about anything…. always, something new comes up.

What was the last book you read?

I am not a big book reader. I read a lot of technical stuff in articles, eBooks, and WP, to keep up. I prefer to watch YouTube, movies, etc., instead of reading.

Who would you most like to swap places with for a day? It could be a celebrity, family member, animal, etc.

Hmmm..tough one. I always tend to gather other’s viewpoints and ask them what they think. Not sure if I even wanted to be someone else or swap places with strangely enough. Now that you put this thought in my mind, I am going to think every time when I meet someone interesting I am going to think what if I am him/her/it for a day, how would that feel, etc…..:)

What are you most excited about seeing at the event?

I’m looking forward to interacting with my fellow delegates, the opportunity to be in a private audience, and asking unfiltered questions to the vendor executives. Be part of the future not the past.

Thanks, Andy! This has been great to learn more about you. Cloud Field Day 8 is happening July 15-17, 2020. Mark your calendars, so you can catch the presentations live! 

About the author

Mel Zura

Mel Zura is the Operations Specialist at Gestalt IT. She assists in the day-to-day operations of Gestalt IT and Tech Field Day. Mel’s interests include sunny days, beautiful flowers, watching squirrels frolic, dogs, coffee, and music. She’s crazy about Tech Field Day and Tech Field Day delegates... and gifs! Go ahead, follow her on Twitter at @ZuraMel.

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