Today, we are interviewing Craig MacKinder. He is an innovative and transformative IT executive. He has a vast experience of more than two decades. He provides IT management consulting for privately held corporations, government agencies, publicly traded companies, and individuals.
His IT leadership experience encompasses personnel management, operations management, and business administration as they relate to technology. He is a Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP). He has also earned industry certifications from Oracle, Microsoft, Redhat, VMWare, and more.
1. What inspires you?
From very early in life, I have this undying passion for finding technology solutions for business problems. I deliberately started looking out for different ways of making things more efficient and consistent in my own life. This led me to implement new technology, automate repetitive tasks, and analyze various events for a complete change.
2. Please tell us about the book you have authored.
In 2017, I wrote the book – Security and Privacy in an IT World: Managing and Meeting Online Regulatory Compliance in the 21st Century. This book addresses the concern that regulatory compliance is a major area of attention for IT managers and even for board of directors.
You can check out the book on Amazon.
3. Please tell us about your journey
I was the founder of Cleartech.net in Sacramento, California in 1999. Cleartech was an Internet Service Provider for nationwide dial-up points of presence (POP) and DSL Internet connectivity. Then, in 2008, I founded Total Tech Resource Corporation (TTR) in San Diego, California. I sold this managed services business in 2013 to WP Capital Partners. WP Capital Partners is an investment group from Orange County, California.
Total Tech Resource Corporation was then renamed to Blueshift Information Systems Inc. I also developed further proficiency at Blueshift in the areas of design and implementation of machine learning, Data Science, information security, Internet engineering, and large scale data systems.
Blueshift Information Systems Inc provides information technology consulting to executives, management for servers and systems, hosting for web applications and IT security assessments and mitigation.
In 2015, I co-founded Productivity Wave with Patrick Carney. We consolidated our complementary perspectives with our mutual passions for process improvements and systems when we founded Productivity Wave. I hold a seat on the Board of Directors and provide security, compliance, and technology expertise for Productivity Wave.
Currently, I am working as the CTO or Chief Technology Officer at C3 Metrics.
4. Which social media channels work best for promoting your work? What exactly do you do on the social media channel that makes it work for you?
I don’t actively participate in any social media. I made the decision to use other modes of communication and avoid social media sometime around 2012. It just felt like too much of a distraction from the meaningful communication that happens through other means.
5. What are the strategies that helped you become successful in your journey?
Clear communication and accuracy matter a lot in the success of a business venture. From start-ups and even through enterprise-level companies, you must have clear communications about the state of operations. As things change in the Company, communication facilitates the engagement of everyone involved. What was once planned and assumed can quickly change during day-to-day operations on any given day. Those plans and assumptions, if not accurately revised, updated, and communicated effectively, can lead the organization in the wrong direction. By clearly communicating updates, changes, and the current needs of the business, managers can effectively create more success in their companies.
6. Any message for our readers
My message is – Treat people with dignity
Businesses have needs and goals. However, the people are what make the business. So we first need to address the needs and goals of the people. I believe in treating people with dignity.
I have a genuine appreciation for what individuals bring to the group because my experience has taught me that life outside of work can bring its own set of challenges that impact our lives. After all, we work to live… not the other way around!
7. How can people connect with you?
People can reach out to me through my website at https://craigmackinder.com