Ten Thousand Feet, the OST Podcast

In this episode, we dive deep into the world of generative AI, exploring its hype, history, and real-world implications. Guests, Abby Breyer, Director of Experience Delivery, and Brian Partin, Enterprise Director, discuss how AI isn't as new as the recent media frenzy suggests—it's been evolving for thousands of years. They dissect the excitement surrounding AI, asking the pivotal question: what problem is AI looking to solve? Join us as we examine how AI, when applied thoughtfully, can be a powerful ally in solving complex human challenges when we keep people at the heart of the solution.Tune in now to hear their insightful and comical conversation.

In this episode, we sit down with Vervint's CIO, Jim VanderMey, and VP of Sales and Marketing, Kyle Nelson, as they evaluate the IT industry during the first half of 2024. Together, they analyze industry predictions and discuss feedback reported by clients and other stakeholders, including trends in cloud, AI, and data.Podcast host, Danielle Haskins, asks curious questions including: Is AI the villain or hero? Why isn't cloud living up to its promises? What risks are organizations facing following the Crowd Strike failure?Jim and Kyle dive further into these topics and give their predictions for the second half of the year.Tune in now to hear their responses.

Hear from Lutz Beck, CIO of Daimler Truck North America, as he joins Jake Trippel, Vervint's Director of Business Development, to discuss navigating business dynamics driven by AI innovation, data, agility, and evolving leadership roles. Enjoy!

In this episode of Ten Thousand Feet: The OST Podcast, we look back to the initial onset of the pandemic three years ago to examine the past and present state of company's digital transformation efforts. Join Aaron Kamphuis, Channel Partner Manager, and Lisa Helminiak, Principal Strategist, for an eye-opening conversation. Enjoy the episode!

In this episode of Ten Thousand Feet: The OST Podcast, we are joined by Allen Emerick, OST's Director of Strategy, and Chad Willaert, Principal Architect. Allen and Chad joined to discuss and define modernization vs. optimization in enterprise architecture and explore why organizations must have a sound digital backbone. Enjoy the episode!

In this episode of Ten Thousand Feet: The OST Podcast, we dive into the world of artificial intelligence. We are joined by OST CIO and co-founder Jim VanderMey and enterprise cloud architect Brian Partin. We'll define the term, discuss how clients are exploring the new technology and cover the benefits and limitations of AI.

In this podcast episode, OST CIO Jim VanderMey shares several highlights from the recent Hawaii International Conference on Systems Sciences. We talk about the future of artificial intelligence, how technology will (or won't) replace the work of humans and how the future of technology is not what you may think it is. Hit the play button and enjoy the episode!

In this episode of Ten Thousand Feet: The OST Podcast, Jesse David, Configuration Services Developer, and Alex Tweedy, IoT Architect, define and discuss digital twins. If you haven't heard this term before, we've got you covered. Learn more about the applications of digital twins, their potential advantages and how to begin engaging with this new technology. Hit the play button and enjoy the episode!

In this episode of Ten Thousand Feet: The OST Podcast, we talk to Richard Maloley, Sr. Security Consultant, about the most common IT cyber security threats businesses are facing, cloud security and a few of OST's differentiators in this space. Richard shares some of his own tips and techniques that he uses to stay safe and secure. He also explains the importance of conducting a security assessment.   Hit the play button and enjoy the episode! 

In this episode of Ten Thousand Feet: The OST Podcast, we talk to OST CIO and co-founder Jim VanderMey, as well as Principal Lisa Helminiak, about the ins and outs of Intranet vs. DEEP. If you haven't heard the term DEEP before in this context, we'll define it and provide practical applications for your own business. Enjoy the episode!

We all want it, but how do we get it? In this episode of Ten Thousand Feet: The OST Podcast, we speak to Hannah Staal, Talent Acquisition Lead, and Derek Fricano, Design Team Manager, about building a culture that lasts within an organization. How do you create a workforce that withstands change, from updating job titles to experiencing a global pandemic? Hannah and Derek discuss building career portfolios, creating dynamic teams and sustaining culture. Tap the play button to get started. Enjoy!

How do organizations form solid foundations and achieve longevity? In this episode of Ten Thousand Feet, the OST podcast, we speak to Aaron Kamphuis, Strategy Leader of Digital Business, and Allen Emerick, Strategy Leader of Digital Operations, to define the term “digital backbone” and discuss the people, processes and technology that make up an organization's digital backbone. Aaron and Allen also cover where to start as a business when looking to create a long-lasting future. Enjoy the episode!

Whether it's designing a room layout, an office configuration or a vehicular layout, there are so many different opportunities for a consumer to be a part of the design process. In this episode of Ten Thousand Feet, the OST podcast, Scott Tykoski and Charles Lentz talk all things configuration services at OST.

When you hear the phrase Human Side of IoT, what does that mean? Whether you are blue sky innovation client or a client looking for your next generation innovation, you need to consider the human side of developing your connected product. In this episode, you'll hear from Jen Nowlin, Connected Products Business Line Leader and Lisa Helminiak, Design Principal, talking about the human side of IoT. Enjoy!

In the conclusion of our two-part episode on automation infrastructure, OST CIO Jim VanderMey and Sr. Engineer Allen Derusha talk about interoperability between systems. The two chat about RedFish, which allows for a unified approach. Learn more about the advantages of automation. Enjoy this episode!

In this episode of Ten Thousand Feet, OST CIO Jim VanderMey and Sr. Engineer Allen Derusha talk about automation infrastructure. Learn more about Allen's day-to-day responsibilities. VanderMey and Derusha chat about security and latency in the cloud. We'll also examine the question of making a cloud like atmosphere for private workloads. Tune in to the latest episode now!

OST, a Midwest-based digital and IT consultancy, acquired Texas-based cloud service provider Stratum Technology on December 31, 2021. For both organizations, the acquisition means that clients will have access to more support, experience and expertise than ever before. Learn more in this podcast episode about what's next. Enjoy!

In Episode 46 of Ten Thousand Feet, we are excited to welcome Jen Nowlin and Nick Young of OST's Connected Products Team! After their recent trip to Las Vegas for the AWS re:Invent conference, Jen and Nick discussed the latest and greatest announcements and insights, what you need to know about IoT and where connected products and AWS are headed in the future. Listen to this episode to get a recap of the event and what it was like to be back in person. Enjoy!

What does it mean to find your purpose at work? Why is it important? In this episode of Ten Thousand Feet, the OST podcast, we talk to OST President and CEO Meredith Bronk about how she makes time for reflection and celebration. Bronk also talks about how leaders have worked to maintain culture and collaboration with employees working in places across the country, and the globe. What does it mean to feel connected to something bigger than yourself? Explore these topics and more in this episode of our show. Enjoy!

In this episode of Ten Thousand Feet, Andy Van Solkema, OST's VP of Digital Strategy and Experience, looks into his crystal ball and offers his take on what the future of work looks like. The way he sees it, in the past, life used to fit into work. Now, work fits into life. How can people set up time to be creative and time for deep work? Does Andy see the work from home trend continuing? Tune in to the episode to find out all of this and more.

In this episode of Ten Thousand Feet, Data and Technology Leader and Architect Alex Tweedy shines a light on OST's new cost optimization offer. At the start of a cost optimization engagement, OST will work with clients to discover: what are your goals? Why did you launch a connected product in the first place? What is working well? Learn more about what a cost optimization engagement looks like, an exciting project Tweedy is working on and how he is using his prior experience every day on the job.

In this episode, we chat with OST's Andrea Bloemendaal about mobile accessibility. Learn more about web and industry standards as well as what technologies you can expect to see coming your way soon.

Renowned Leadership Coach and Author, Barbara Rapaport believes that the answers are always in the room. It's a tenet of her coaching practice and a thread that applies throughout her work locally, nationally and globally with leaders.Andrew Powell  sat down with Barbara to talk about leadership and  how she views its future in a post-pandemic world. For more information about Barbara, check out her website and make sure to check out her memoire, Reimagined. Enjoy! 

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, remote healthcare (also known as telehealth) was gaining some traction and popularity, but once the pandemic hit, remote doctor visits suddenly became the default.Telehealth expert Joe Brennan is confident that trend is here to stay. On this episode, Joe is interviewed by OST's CIO, Jim VanderMey. They discuss how telehealth is now simply considered healthcare and the implications of that paradigm shift. Joe recently joined forces with a healthcare company called TytoCare, which provides at-home diagnostic tools in addition to remote healthcare software. We’ll certainly be tracking his path ahead in this rapidly growing field. Enjoy!

Like most of you, we've spent the past year dialing into Zoom meetings to connect with coworkers, collaborate, plan our work and even record our podcasts. It's been a huge shift for us, but for people like Liam Martin, working remotely has been a way of life long before the pandemic.In this episode, we interview Liam Martin, the founder of TimeDoctor.com, Staff.com and the world's largest remote work conference, Running Remote. Liam believes that in the next five years, remote work with move from survival mode to scale mode and that more than 50% of hyper growth companies will be remote. When you consider that only 4% of the workforce was remote pre-pandemic, that's a very significant number. It was a fascinating conversation.And if you're interested in learning more about Running Remote (which is coming up on May 21st), visit runningremote.com.Enjoy!

It's officially been a year since we all abruptly left the office to  shelter at home from COVID-19 and it's safe to say the way we work has changed forever. While some may be headed back in the office, many have embraced the flexibility of working remotely. Solutions Expert, Chad Willaert, and Chad Ruel, Cloud Solutions Architect make up OST's Modern Workplace team and help us break down the new security considerations for remote work. Enjoy! 

Managing your task list? Making dinner? Doing homework? The principles of the Agile Manifesto, while typically applied to accomplishing a development sprint, can apply to more than you think. On this episode, Andrew Powell interviews Elizabeth Wilson (who you'll recognize from past Ten Thousand Feet episodes on Agile) and Delivery Practice Team Lead, Brett Fitzgerald. As you'll hear on this episode, Elizabeth has recently joined the sales ranks at OST as a Global Account Manager and Brett is stepping into her role to lead OST's delivery practice. Elizabeth and Brett are passionate about using the principles of Agile in everyday practices like planning your work and even managing your family life.  Regardless of your role in the organization, we think you'll get something out of this episode. Enjoy! 

As IT evolves to deliver value to the business, product development is likely inevitable. But doing so successfully requires organizing in a way that you can both develop a great product AND support it.  Brian Hart, VP of IT Internal Business Solutions at Amway shares his insights on this topic and why it's really more of a practice than a destination. Brian is interviewed by OST's Chief Innovation Officer, Jim VanderMey - someone who knows quite a bit about this topic himself. Enjoy!

Zoom meetings, Slack conversations and Microsoft Teams have allowed us to continue to make progress in the Covid-19 era. They aren't new tools, but their usage has become more the rule than the exception.  They have allowed us to continue to build our work relationships and maintain momentum.But for those starting a new job, those tools are being relied on to create relationships where no momentum yet exists. This has been interesting at a OST, where we thrive on kitchen conversations and hallway hellos.On this episode, Andrew Powell interviews Tori Dean, OST's Talent Experience Consultant and 2020 hire to the Configuration Services team, Sabrina Brooks.Tori and Sabrina discuss remote onboarding from both perspectives and hypothesize what the future may bring for hiring and remote connection. Enjoy!

A zombie, while decidedly undead is certainly not alive. As we come off the Halloween season, we wanted to point out another kind of undead, yet not alive being: the IoT Zombie. On this episode, Andrew Powell interviews two of our connected product experts: Aaron Kamphuis and Jen Nowlin. Jen has been in IoT for 20 years, before it was really a ‘thing’ and is now a Principal Consultant at OST helping our clients guide their connected products efforts. Aaron is a Ten Thousand Feet veteran guest and the IoT Practice Manager at OST. We talk with them about how 60-70% companies consider their IoT projects unsuccessful, many of them falling into zombie territory, where they’re collecting data but not actually becoming smart. We discuss this trend and some ways forward if you find yourself in IoT Zombie territory. Enjoy! 

A significant amount time has passed since the dawn of Coronavirus. It's been long enough that we've moved through several phases of business change. It started with putting out fires and then reprioritizing efforts, allowing us to move into a new phase where we can respond to opportunity. Design Director, Brian Hauch, interviews VP of Digital Strategy and Experience at OST discuss this next phase of innovation and how companies can approach it. Enjoy!

There's a difference between making a product and designing a product experience. We all know what it's like to use something that you don't necessarily want to use again - and a key aspect of that is design. On this episode, we welcome Lisa Helminiak, Founder and CEO of Azul Seven, a design team based in Minneapolis that recently joined the OST family. We're happy to welcome Lisa and her team as they help us grow in the Minneapolis market, expanding our human-centered expertise in Digital Transformation. On this episode, Lisa is interviewed by Design Director, Brian Hauch. Brian is a thoughtful strategist and together they explore the benefits and tensions of products that bring design to the table.Please help us welcome Lisa and her team to OST and Enjoy!   

During the global recession of 2007 & 2008, Apple launched the iPhone and Netflix began their streaming services - two formative technologies of our lifetime that would go on to reshape our lives. As we move forward through this pandemic, companies are looking to harness that same creativity to innovate. A couple months ago, OST hosted a roundtable discussing how businesses can actually thrive in a time of uncertainty. On this episode of Ten Thousand Feet, Principal Consultant, Todd Jacobs and Practice Lead, Andrew Powell discuss this topic and why now is the perfect time to innovate. Enjoy!

X as a service (XaaS) has become a popular consumption model for organizations. There are a lot of benefits including variable costs, flexibility, and freeing up resources to create and innovate. On this episode, OST's new VP of Enterprise Solutions, Mitch Prust joins Account Executive, Dan Frank to discuss XaaS. They break down the considerations and dive in to HPE's Greenlake Cloud Services. Enjoy!

This episode is part two of Meredith Bronk’s interview with entrepreneur and innovator, Shannon Cohen.On this half of our interview, we discussed racial equity in America and how organizations can move forward genuinely and authentically to be part of a solution from the place they are today. In light of possibly the largest movement in U.S. history, Shannon shares her advice on how to move forward powerfully and support black lives and racial equity from where you stand.Enjoy!

"The people who left your office before the pandemic are not the same people who are coming back."Shannon Cohen, Founder and CEO of Shannon Cohen, Inc., her company focused on helping leaders thrive at the intersection of joy and purpose. Shannon is an author, a speaker and also runs an online retail shop with greeting cards and other inspirational goods. Shannon is joined Meredith Bronk on the first part of a two-episode series discussing Emotional Intelligence and specifically how leaders can support themselves and their teams on the heels of the COVID-19 pandemic.Shannon and Meredith discuss the importance of seeing the people who make up our teams as whole people and innovating while in pandemic. Shannon was a treasure to have on and we know you'll love hearing from her on both episodes.Shannon is hosting a Virtual Rockstar Woman Brunch in September to provide strategy, inspiration and healing moments to uplift and ignite women leaders. Visit Shannons' Website for more information and tickets.

At OST, we talk about being a people-first organization. We value our employees and our families so much that it's baked into our company values. OST's Diversity, Equity and Inclusion committee (DEI) exists to help OST deliver on that mission for all employees, especially those that haven't been traditionally represented in technology industry.On this episode, we talk with Kiran Sood Patel, Dave VandeWaa and Hannah Staal, core members of the DEI team about what initiatives they have underway and what's changed for them with the growing movement toward racial justice in our country.In the episode, Kiran reads OST's  Statement on Diversity that now appears on all of OST's job postings. Here it is in entirety: You matter! Your experiences matter, your journey with OST matters, and your success matters. People drive all our achievements, and we know that taking care of each other takes care of everything else. Because everyone matters, we strive to promote diversity, equity and inclusion within our company, the work we do and our communities. We’ll surely face challenges along the way. And we’ll all continually learn from them to build a caring culture true to our guiding principles: honor, delight, serve, embrace, and learn.We don't take this commitment lightly and will share more about how this conversation and activity is evolving at OST. Enjoy!

On this episode, we share the second half of our conversation around Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) with John Vancil and Dave Trayers.This part is all about implementation. John & Dave have consulted on several ERP implementations and share a few common pitfalls and tips to set you up for a successful launch.Enjoy!

Enterprise Resource Planning. It's possibly one of the largest enterprise software categories in existence, helping businesses manage day-to-day activities from a single database. OST's resident ERP experts, John Vancil and Dave Trayers discuss all things ERP in our two-part ERP series. This is the first intallment, featuring an overview of ERP and how we help companies select the right ERP Solution. The second installment will focus on tips for implementation and common pitfalls. Enjoy! 

The time for telehealth has arrived, and along with it, a global pandemic. Telehealth expert, Joe Brennan, and OST's CIO, Jim VanderMey have a discussion about what coronavirus has done to the telehealth industry. They cover why hospitals are scrambling to implement remote visits and ways to take advantage of this change in healthcare needs. Enjoy

A couple months ago, working remote was a perk. While definitely gaining momentum, it was still considered a luxury for most companies...one that they hadn't totally figured out how to support at scale. But, times changed. Quickly.On this episode, we talk with Elizabeth Wilson, our resident SAFe & agile expert about the challenges and opportunities companies face with suddenly being forced apart to work remotely. Elizabeth is interviewed by Andrew Powell, OST's Application Development Practice Manager, who is far from a stranger when it comes to helping remote teams work together. Be well and please reach out if we can help you navigate these weird times. Enjoy!

Launching new technology is almost never easy, but it's particularly nuanced in the healthcare space. Rightfully so, as doctors and patients often rely on these technologies in critical ways.That's why regional health system, ProMedica, partnered with the healthcare technology experts at Kapios Health to launch new technology that improves patient care. On this episode, we talk with the President of Kapios Health, Justin Hammerling. Justin walks us through the benefits and challenges of operating a technology companies inside a large regional health system. He is interviewed by OST's Chief Innovation Officer, Jim VanderMey. Enjoy!

One of the top industries experiencing the change and opportunities of digitization is Manufacturing. From new efficiencies and possibilities, to an unprecedented connection with their customers, business today is not what it once was.On this episode, we get into that topic with Pat Carey, Senior Vice President of Strategic Growth at Stratasys, the global leader in 3D printing and additive manufacturing. In addition to being a manufacturer themselves, Stratysys sells to manufacturers all around the world, giving them a valuable perspective on the industry's growth and change.Pat is interviewed by OST's Vice President of Sales and Marketing, Lisa Jilek who, before coming to OST, was formerly a Senior Director of Sales Operations.Enjoy!

CES, formerly known as the Consumer Electronics Show is a behemoth of a conference that takes over Las Vegas, Nevada in January every year.Several OSTers attended CES this year and came back with some interesting takeaways. On this episode, Andrew Powell interviews OST Design Lead, Chris Chiles and Sr. UX Designer, Bethany Boyd.From their favorite connected kitchen to a robotic cat litter box, they cover it all.Enjoy!

This is the second episode in our MedTalk series where we interview professionals in the medical field both on the delivery side and the clinical side. Through these interviews, we hear more about their story, their field and how they are dealing with the shift to digital.This time we talk with Dr. Scott Brasseur, an Internal Medicine Physician practicing at Spectrum Health. Dr. Brasseur shares his thoughts on the impact of technology on care delivery, an idea to improve the UX of healthcare technology and a story that fundamentally shifted how he views healthcare.MedTalk is hosted by Aaron Shaver, PHD, OST's Director of Healthcare and Life Sciences. Enjoy!

So you had an innovative idea. You followed all the right processes and through a lot of hard work and a little luck, you found that it's feasible, viable AND desirable to your customers. But now comes the hard part: scaling that new idea or product throughout your organization.On this episode, CIO Jim VanderMey and Design Director, Brian Hauch discuss a common issue with innovation teams: scaling digital innovations across your organization. Brian & Jim share four tips for change agents to make their ideas spread: Create Urgency to Drive AttentionStorytelling: Moving from My Story or Our StoryCreate a Coalition of the WillingDemonstrate ProgressListen in to hear these explained in detail and help your next digital innovation scale. 

Are you interested in digital innovations in a healthcare setting? If so, our new MedTalk series is for you. As OST works with many health systems on their IT Infrastructure and Digital Ecosystem, we're excited to interview experts in the medical field as part of this series. On it, we will feature health professionals to learn more about their experience with technology and digital innovations in their respective fields. On this episode we talk with Dr. Andrew Parsons, a board certified general surgeon who has been specially trained in robotic-assisted surgery.Dr. Parsons is interviewed by Aaron Shaver, Director of Healthcare and Life Sciences at OST.Enjoy! 

Company culture can be a true competitive advantage. But how do you grow without losing the parts of your culture that made you successful in the first place? On this episode we talk with Tamara Iakiri, OST's Director of Talent Experience. Tamara has been with OST through several growth periods, starting when the company had just 50 employees through now with over 265 people across multiple locations. Tamara is interviewed by Andrew Powell, the Application Development Practice Manager.Tamara and Andrew discuss OST's unique view on talent experience and the systems we've put in place to help our culture expand and grow.Enjoy!

In 2019, 29% of senior management roles are held by women, the highest number ever on record, but there is still so much opportunity for women to have a seat at the table. OST's VP of Sales & Marketing, Lisa Jilek, moderated a panel with four female leaders at Twin Cities Startup Week in Minneapolis.  Joining her was: Beth Klawitter - Sr Director Customer Success & Operations, Attivo NetworksKathleen Miner - VP Solutions Marketing, Thomson ReutersTammylynne Jonas - Global CIO, Self Esteem BrandsTonia Teasley - VP & General Manager, Capella UniversityDuring this panel, they discussed lessons they have learned, what has worked, what continues to be a challenge, and ways they have gained influence in an organization.Enjoy!

While we've used many different delivery frameworks over the years, OST has grown quite fond of SAFe (Scaled Agile Framework for Enterprise) as a way of bringing business and IT together to move faster and create value.If you've done any research on this methodology, you might be a bit overwhelmed with what it is, how it works and how to get started, so we recorded a quick episode to break it down for you.On this episode, we interview Elizabeth Wilson (Wilson, as we call her) who has helped implement SAFe at several companies while also helping 30+ OST employees get their SAFe certifications.We have experienced the first-hand benefits of working in this cross-functional way and think it's worth considering for your organization.Enjoy!