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CIO Profiles: Brian Lillie Of EquinixCIO Profiles: Brian Lillie Of Equinix
This CIO looks to the venture community for insight into the latest technologies.
3 Min Read
information Green - April 8, 2013
information Green
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Career Track
Brian LillieCIO, Equinix |
How long at Equinix: Almost five years at this data center company.
Career accomplishment I'm most proud of: One person who used to work for me is now a CIO at JDSU, another is a VP of IT at Twitter and several more are on their way. Seeing people who have been direct reports become CIOs and be successful in their careers is very rewarding.
Decision I wish I could do over: I've had a wonderful career and life, but it hasn't always been easy. I wish I'd focused more on emotional intelligence and figured out the importance of high-quality relationships and empathy earlier in my career. Soft skills really do matter.
On The Job
Size of IT team: About 160 people, including software product development.
Top initiatives
Vision
How I give my team room to innovate: Innovation is critical. I encourage team members to experiment with new technologies, processes and procedures, and I give them budget and time to do it. We have links to the venture community and review companies in their portfolios in order to get insight into the newest technologies.
The most disruptive force in my industry: There's no question cloud computing will change the way IT and business deliver. It's as much about business model transformation as it is technology. It's a new business model that also enables other new business models.
What I need from tech vendors: I want to understand how to make information flow more seamlessly between private and public environments. Also, be flexible in offering customers multiple ways to buy your services.
The most common cause when IT projects go wrong: Usually, it's due to a lack of business alignment. It can be hard for IT people to say no. Sometimes we overcommit without setting expectations properly.
Personal
The fastest way into my doghouse: Stealing credit
Favorite band: The Eagles
Best book read recently: Blink, by Malcolm Gladwell
Last vacation: Vacation? What's that?
Favorite app: Color Splash, which lets you manipulate color in photos
If I weren't a CIO, I'd be ... a teacher and a sports coach for kids, and an executive coach
Ranked No. 45 in the 2012 
About the Author
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