May 04, 2023 | 2 min read

Exploring Hybrid Cloud Solutions with VMware’s Amanda Blevins

By: Patrick Emmons

Exploring Hybrid Cloud Solutions with VMware’s Amanda Blevins

How do I use cloud services intentionally? What might I build out on-prem? What might my edge architecture look like? – These are just some of the questions Amanda Blevins is hearing from technology leaders these days. Finding solutions to those challenges is a big part of her current role as Vice President and Chief Technology Officer of the Americas at VMware.

In this episode, Amanda shares her thoughts on the future of cloud technology and how to tame the “cloud chaos” by creating an intentional multi-cloud strategy that makes sense for your business. She also discusses accounting for talent availability in your infrastructure planning, leveraging existing team skillsets, and hiring appropriately. Listen in to hear this and more including Amanda’s insightful perspective on aligning personal interests with the strategic goals of your company.

  • (01:13) – VMware
  • (05:36) – Starting a career in the dot-com bubble
  • (09:20) – Lessons from a layoff
  • (11:33) – Authenticity and leadership
  • (13:18) – The move to Multi-Cloud
  • (16:08) – Avoiding “cloud chaos”
  • (17:57) – Setting an intentional cloud strategy
  • (22:03) – Factoring in talent availability

About Our Guest

Amanda Blevins is the Vice President and Chief Technology Officer of the Americas of VMware. She joined VMware as a senior systems engineer in 2010, and a few years later, she became the company’s first female principle systems engineer. Amanda is VMware’s first and only female chief technologist. She leverages her twenty-five years of industry experience and network to drive awareness and equality for women and all underrepresented people in technology fields. Amanda earned a bachelor’s degree in computer science from American Sentinel University and attended Vanderbilt University.

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About Patrick Emmons

If you can’t appreciate a good sports analogy, movie quote, or military reference, you may not want to work with him, but if you value honesty, integrity, and commitment to improvement, Patrick can certainly help take your business or your career to the next level. “Good enough,” is simply not in his vernacular. Pat’s passion is for relentlessly pushing himself and others to achieve full potential. Patrick Emmons is a graduate of St. Norbert College with a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science and Mathematics. Patrick co-founded Adage Technologies in 2001 and in 2015, founded DragonSpears as a spin-off dedicated to developing custom applications that improve speed, compliance and scalability of clients’ internal and customer-facing workflow processes. When he is not learning about new technology, running a better business, or becoming a stronger leader, he can be found coaching his kids’ (FIVE of them) baseball and lacrosse teams and praising his ever-so-patient wife for all her support.

Recent Episodes

We interview leaders from early-stage start-ups to billion-dollar enterprises who distill their lessons from their victories and their failures. Learn how these high-performing leaders organize their teams, establish a growth-minded culture, and leverage new technologies such as DevOps and Cloud.