As founder, CEO, and editor-in-chief at Techstrong Group, Alan manages a broad array of businesses and brands, including Techstrong Media (DevOps.com, Security Boulevard, Cloud Native Now, Digital CxO, Techstrong.ai, Techstrong ITSM, and Techstrong TV), and Techstrong Learning. To do so and succeed, Alan has to be attuned to the world of technology, particularly DevOps, cybersecurity, cloud-native, and digital transformation. With almost 30 years of entrepreneurial experience, Alan has been instrumental in the success of several organizations. Shimel is an often-cited personality in the security and technology community and is a sought-after speaker at conferences and events. In addition to his writing, his DevOps Chat podcast and Techstrong TV audio and video appearances are widely followed. Alan attributes his success to the combination of a strong business background and a deep knowledge of technology. His legal background, long experience in the field, and New York street smarts combine to form a unique personality. Mr. Shimel is a graduate of St. John’s University with a Bachelor of Arts in Government and Politics, and holds a JD degree from NY Law School.

Alex Smith is Vice President & Practice Lead, Ecosystems, Channels, and Marketplaces at the Futurum Group. He is responsible for establishing and maintaining the Channels Research program as part of the overall Futurum GTM and Channels Practice. This includes overseeing the channel data rollout in the Futurum Intelligence Platform, primary research activities such as research boards and surveys, delivering thought-leading research reports, and advising clients on their indirect go-to-market strategies. Alex also supports the overall operations of the Futurum Research Business Unit, including P&L segmentation, sales & marketing alignment, and budget planning.

Before joining Futurum, Alex was VP of Channels & Enterprise Research at Canalys, where he led a multi-million dollar research organization with more than 20 analysts. He played an integral role in helping the Canalys research organization migrate into Omdia after having been acquired in 2023. He is an accomplished research leader, as well as an expert in indirect go-to-market strategies. He has delivered numerous keynotes at partner-facing conferences.

Alex is based in Portland, Oregon, but has lived in numerous places, including California, Canada, Saudi Arabia, Thailand, and the UK. He has a Bachelor's in Commerce and Finance Major from Dalhousie University, Halifax, Canada.

Ranked for the last six years in the Top 50 Business Thinkers in the world by Thinkers50, Tiffani Bova is a thought leader who Forbes says “reshapes our perception of growth.”

As both a practitioner and academic, she offers a unique perspective and has helped lead the tech industry through several evolutions over her nearly 30-year career as Salesforce’s former Growth and Innovation Evangelist, and previously as a Distinguished Analyst and Research Fellow at Gartner and a sales, marketing, and customer service executive for start-ups and Fortune 500 companies. She is the author of two Wall Street Journal bestsellers: GrowthIQ and The Experience Mindset.

Daniel is the CEO of The Futurum Group. Living his life at the intersection of people and technology, Daniel works with the world’s largest technology brands, exploring Digital Transformation and its influence on the enterprise.

From the leading edge of AI to global technology policy, Daniel makes the connections between business, people, and tech that are required for companies to benefit most from their technology investments. Daniel is a top 5 globally ranked industry analyst, and his ideas are regularly cited or shared in television appearances by CNBC, Bloomberg, Wall Street Journal, and hundreds of other sites around the world.

A 7x Best-Selling Author, including his most recent book, “Human/Machine.” Daniel is also a Forbes and MarketWatch (Dow Jones) contributor. An MBA and Former Graduate Adjunct Faculty, Daniel is an Austin, Texas, transplant after 40 years in Chicago. His speaking takes him around the world each year as he shares his vision of the role technology will play in our future.

Keith Kirkpatrick is a Research Director, Enterprise Software & Digital Workflows with The Futurum Group. His coverage area encompasses enterprise applications, platforms, and tools, and the technologies and tools that underpin them, including artificial intelligence, automation, and integration technologies. He has more than 25 years of experience in research, marketing, and consulting-based fields, and is frequently sought out by the vendor community and trade media for his insights and commentary.

Mitch Ashley is Vice President and Practice Lead, Software Lifecycle Engineering for The Futurum Group. Mitch has over 30+ years of experience as an entrepreneur, industry analyst, product development and IT leader, with expertise in software engineering, cybersecurity, DevOps, DevSecOps, cloud, and AI. Mitch comes to The Futurum Group through the acquisition of Techstrong Group (devops.com, securityboulevard.com, and techstrong.tv), where he serves as CTO and founder of Techstrong Research.

Nick is Vice President & Practice Lead, AI Platforms. He is a thought leader on the development, deployment, and adoption of AI — an area he has been researching for 25 years. Prior to joining Futurum, Nick was a Managing Analyst with S&P Global Market Intelligence, responsible for 451 Research’s coverage of Data, AI, Analytics, Information Security, and Risk. Nick became part of S&P Global through its 2019 acquisition of 451 Research, a pioneering analyst firm that Nick co-founded in 1999. He is a sought-after speaker and advisor, known for his expertise in the drivers of AI adoption, industry use cases, and the infrastructure behind its development and deployment. Nick also spent three years as a product marketing lead at Recommind (now part of OpenText), a machine learning-driven eDiscovery software company. Nick is based in London.

Fernando Montenegro serves as the Vice President & Practice Lead for Cybersecurity & Resilience at The Futurum Group. In this role, he leads the development and execution of the Cybersecurity research agenda, working closely with the team to drive the practice’s growth. His research focuses on addressing critical topics in modern cybersecurity. These include the multifaceted role of AI in cybersecurity, strategies for managing an ever-expanding attack surface, and the evolution of cybersecurity architectures toward more platform-oriented solutions.

Dion Hinchcliffe is a distinguished thought leader, IT expert, and enterprise architect, celebrated for his strategic advisory with Fortune 500 and Global 2000 companies. With over 25 years of experience, Dion works with the leadership teams of top enterprises, as well as leading tech companies, in bridging the gap between business and technology, focusing on enterprise AI, IT management, cloud computing, and digital business. He is a sought-after keynote speaker, industry analyst, and author, known for his insightful and in-depth contributions to digital strategy, IT topics, and digital transformation. Dion’s influence is particularly notable in the CIO community, where he engages actively with CIO roundtables and has been ranked numerous times as one of the top global influencers of Chief Information Officers. He also serves as an executive fellow at the SDA Bocconi Center for Digital Strategies.

Brad Shimmin is Vice President, Practice Lead, Data Intelligence, Analytics, & Infrastructure at Futurum, where he provides strategic direction and market analysis to help organizations maximize their investments in data and analytics. Currently, Brad is focused on helping companies establish an AI-first data strategy.

Laura Koetzle is the Head of Community Research for RSAC, where she and her colleagues produce independent thought-leading and member-driven research about, for, and in collaboration with the cybersecurity community.  Prior to joining RSAC, Laura spent 20+ years at Forrester Research, where she led the European research organization, the security and risk research group, and the infrastructure and operations research group globally. Laura has also served on the RSA Conference Program Committee since 2013.  Her work has enjoyed wide exposure in the media, including The Economist, The New York Times, and The Wall Street Journal.  Laura has also appeared on CNN, CNBC, and Reuters Television, and she is a frequent speaker at Information Security and executive conferences.

Research Director Olivier Blanchard covers Intelligent Devices for Futurum. In addition to having co-authored several books about digital transformation and AI with Futurum Group CEO Daniel Newman, Blanchard brings considerable experience demystifying new and emerging technologies, advising clients on how best to future-proof their organizations, and helping maximize the positive impacts of technology disruption while mitigating their potentially negative effects. Follow his extended analysis on X and LinkedIn.

Brendan is Research Director, Semiconductors, Supply Chain, and Emerging Tech. He advises clients on strategic initiatives and leads the Futurum Semiconductors Practice. He is an experienced tech industry analyst who has guided tech leaders in identifying market opportunities spanning edge processors, generative AI applications, and hyperscale data centers. 

Before joining Futurum, Brendan consulted with global AI leaders and served as a Senior Analyst in Emerging Technology Research at PitchBook. At PitchBook, he developed market intelligence tools for AI, highlighted by one of the industry’s most comprehensive AI semiconductor market landscapes encompassing both public and private companies. He has advised Fortune 100 tech giants, growth-stage innovators, global investors, and leading market research firms. Before PitchBook, he led research teams in tech investment banking and market research.

Brendan is based in Seattle, Washington. He has a Bachelor of Arts Degree from Amherst College.