Linkedin X-twitter Facebook Instagram Youtube

Author: CIO Times

CIO Times is a print and digital media platform that curate’s opinions, outlooks, and visions about the industries from their leaders. We strive to serve as a one-stop, reliable source of information from the industries we cater to and showcase their growth opportunities. https://theciotimes.com/

Amanda Gill: Shaping Future-Ready Organizations Through People, Purpose, and Leadership Excellence

Posted on by CIO Times

Our workplaces are being revamped faster than ever. Today’s most forward-thinking HR leaders are playing a central role in guiding that change. They are reimagining how organizations build culture, support employees, and prepare teams for a more digital and constantly evolving world of work. By bringing a balance in people’s priorities within the process of business transformation, these leaders are introducing smarter talent strategies and stronger employee experiences. Among these leaders is Amanda Gill, Chief People Officer, Dataprise, who is a dedicated professional to shoulder the people policy of the organization. It is safe to say she is a strategic voice for the organization.

Being a people-centric leader, she is known for nurturing strong teams. She shapes talent strategies and creates workplace cultures where people learn, grow, and thrive. She leads initiatives across hiring, retention, leadership development, and organizational growth, while working closely with business leaders to align people with strategy for aiming towards long-term goals.

Her experience spans talent acquisition, M&A integration, employer branding, process improvement, and workforce transformation, with a strong focus on using technology to create better employee and candidate experiences. She is also passionate about mentoring teams and developing future leaders.

Digital Excellence of Amanda Gill

Founded in 1995, Dataprise has grown into a trusted managed services and cybersecurity partner for organizations across the United States. Built on the belief that technology should help businesses perform at their very best, the company works closely with CIOs and IT leaders to deliver secure, reliable, and future-ready IT solutions. Its services span managed cybersecurity, disaster recovery as a service (DRaaS), cloud, infrastructure, mobility, and end-user support, all crafted to improve business performance.

With 24/7 monitoring, certified experts, offices nationwide, and a team of over 500 professionals, Dataprise today supports more than 2,000 clients in navigating an increasingly complex digital landscape.

Collective Growth

As a Chief People Officer, Amanda Gill places a strong focus on growth and development at every level of the organization. This also comprises leadership. She believes learning should be practical, relevant, and connected to real business challenges.

Programs like mentorship, shadowing, and high-potential initiatives are designed to support internal mobility and long-term growth. Amanda Gill also values open and honest communication, ensuring employees understand both successes and challenges. Success is a collective effort of the team for her, which takes the organization to newer heights.

Aligning Talent

Having dealt with talent across entrepreneurial, enterprise, and global environments, Amanda Gill believes success is shaped as much by mindset and cultural fit as by capability. Her experience has given her insight that even highly talented people can struggle in the wrong environment.

To her, great talent is about motivation, alignment, and finding the right environment where people can truly thrive.

Cultural Integration  

Amanda Gill believes the success of M&A integration depends far more on cultural alignment than financial logic alone. She has seen acquisitions driven mainly by IP, customers, or talent, where culture was overlooked. It often leads to difficult and short-lived integrations. While some teams adapt successfully, many struggle to sustain long-term success.

At Dataprise, a PE and VC-backed firm, cultural fit is a key factor in every acquisition. She sees successful deployment as critical to the company’s continued growth. While the process is never easy, the organization continues to refine its approach by focusing on strong support systems, transparency, and shared accountability to help teams succeed together.

People-centric Innovation

Similar to other sectors, as HR too becomes tech-enabled, Amanda Gill approaches innovation with a simple question in mind: Does it genuinely make work easier and better for employees, or does it simply add more complications? She recently led a full review of Human Resource’s technology landscape, consolidating systems and reducing the number of tools and platforms wherever possible as contracts expired, all to create a smoother experience to enable associates and managers alike.

She, along with her team at Dataprise, has automated every process they reasonably can while also reworking workflows that felt inefficient or difficult to scale. The team takes user experience seriously, consistently gathering feedback from managers and associates and applying it where it creates the most meaningful impact. She also believes in having honest conversations about what is no longer working, letting go of outdated practices in favor of better solutions, and following through on those decisions across the organization with consistency.

Accountable Leadership

She believes one of the biggest barriers organizations still overlook when attracting and retaining top-tier talent is hiring someone who simply is not the right cultural fit. In her experience, problems often arise when individuals lack the drive to stay hands-on in a fast-moving environment or are unwilling to step in and help when course correction is needed. She has also seen challenges from both extremes, whether leaders delegate everything or hold on too tightly instead of properly guiding, developing, and growing their teams.

Accountability matters just as much as capability. She believes that when a team struggles, leadership shares that responsibility. Mistakes are inevitable, but true accountability com

es from adapting quickly, learning through obstacles, and continuing to move the team toward success together despite the challenges along the way.  

Leadership Evolution

Amanda Gill’s transition into a broader CPO role was shaped by years spent working within large, global organizations where, although she did not oversee the full HR function, she was deeply connected to nearly every part of it. Anything related to attracting, hiring, retaining, developing, or moving talent internally had a direct impact on her team’s work each day. Her experience leading M&A integrations for talent acquisition across multiple companies and employee groups also gave her a strong foundation that naturally carried into her current responsibilities. She also developed a deep appreciation for strategy, change management, evaluating tools and processes, and, most importantly, nurturing strong teams.

She adds, “My talent acquisition and executive search experience play into everything I do regularly.  It is all about having the right people in the right place at the right time to continually grow a company.”

She is especially passionate about developing talent early in their careers, creating opportunities for people to grow, and helping shape future leaders along the way. She believes great leadership also requires learning to see challenges through different perspectives, listening to experts, and building real alignment through partnerships and feedback. With significant growth opportunities still ahead, she remains genuinely excited about what the future holds for both the company and its people.

Authentic Alignment

She believes authentic employer branding begins by connecting a company’s mission with its core values and competencies, then aligning those principles with strategic initiatives and measuring progress. She sees measuring progress as the most important part of the process. Amanda Gill also recognizes that this work happens within an environment that is constantly evolving. Even through change, she believes staying true to core values matters. She feels customer experience and associate experience are interconnected.

Skills Forward

In this robust, fast-paced sector, like cybersecurity and cloud services, she approaches workforce planning knowing the future skills landscape is always shifting. She leans on strong leadership at Dataprise, whose networks help her identify and attract talent pools. She has seen that many people are drawn to leaders who they trust and who genuinely invest in their growth and skill-building.

She states, “We invest in ongoing certifications and education by providing training and we sponsor certifications allowing our technical talent to learn more continually.”   

Career pathing is a key focus across most roles for her. Helping people develop in ways that feel meaningful to them is key to her. She also supports internal shadowing and mentorship programs, including clear pathways into incident response roles for those who qualify and complete the required training and certifications.

Cultural Alignment

Looking back at Amanda’s early years in executive search, she continues to believe that cultural fit and genuine desire are just as important as experience. While she often sees highly qualified and talented individuals with strong track records of success, she feels that the real difference lies in finding the right cultural alignment, the right level of drive, and clear alignment with the company’s mission and objectives. These factors together are what ultimately set people up for long-term success.

Provide the Right Support

Employee retention, in today’s competitive era, is not solely focused on compensation or progression. Amanda Gill believes transparency in the corporate objectives and how organizations track employees is crucial. She also shifts attention to having clear and attainable objectives, where employees foresee triumph with having accountability and strategic leadership for showing a path, which is of utmost importance.

She adds, “Creating an environment where our associates feel we have their backs, support them for the hard work they do, and hear their concerns; try to solve issues and enable them appropriately; empower them to make a difference.”

Key to retention is career pathing-providing opportunities for growth and enabling them to step up when the right opportunity presents.

Culture Foundations

As she foresees the future, she believes enduring organizational success is shaped by a culture built on strong leadership, clear objectives, and accountability with well-defined ownership, visibility, and metrics to track progress. She also places importance on enabling and empowering teams to identify, address, and resolve barriers that stand in their way.

She shares about Dataprise’s core values, saying, “Our core values-Passionate, Respectful, Ownership, Unified, Decisive- are not just words or an acronym (PROUD); they are how we treat others and how we want to be treated as we go about our business every day; how we treat our customers.”

Also Read: –CIO Times Magazine for more information

Steve Daly: A Technical Maestro Leading with Empathy and Being an Ideal Guide

Posted on by CIO Times

Microsoft, being the biggie it is, plays a pivotal role in helping businesses to get through today’s complex technology sector. The organization models itself as a strategic partner in transforming the powerful ecosystem it has nurtured. Microsoft 365, Azure, Dynamics 365, and more that are into solving real on-ground business challenges. Professionals who are associated with a giant organization like Microsoft are more than just technology partners. Leveraging technology from Microsoft, these professionals help reduce risk while improving collaboration and performing better in data-driven decision-making. We are elated to introduce you to a similar leader, Steve Daly, Senior Vice President of Solutions for Global Digital Transformation at New Era Technology. His 35 years of extensive experience in the technology sector have revolutionized how enterprises leverage cutting-edge technology to bring in unmatched growth and innovation.  

New Era Technology is the AI, application, and infrastructure partner that simplifies, secures, and scales technology across modern work environments. New Era has solutions and service capabilities in 150+ countries and all 50 U.S. States. An Exemplary Trajectory

Being the expert he is with a comprehensive experience, he is humble as he believes in showing up each day while figuring things out during intrinsic inflection points. He shares that his first real job was at Providian, where he was working with a sharp entrepreneurial team led by a group of 4 unit presidents. First half of the week, he would be engulfed in writing code, and the other half, he would be on the phone with his parents of college age children on the other side, trying to figure out how to pay their college fees. This split taught him: the best technology solutions come from actually understanding the humans who’ll use them. Not from requirements documents. From empathy.

Upon joining Papa John’s, his skills fueled him more than he’d realize. He joined when they had stores of fewer than 500. He crafted the workflow systems that ran store development and management, which encompassed all operations. He also handled the team that launched PapaJohns.com, which was on Lotus Domino. E-commerce was integrated by the team before the playbook was even written by anyone.

Watching the systems he built to carry the weight of the company’s explosive growth and sometimes buckle under pressures he hadn’t fully anticipated was a turning point for Steve. That’s where enterprise architecture stopped being theoretical. It wasn’t about clean diagrams or polished strategy decks. It became something far more real: building systems strong enough to stretch, adapt, and keep going when the business demanded more than expected.

His path from there was anything but linear. He moved through consulting, media, startups, and government, gathering perspective with every chapter. He launched his own firm, Uptick Solutions, fueled by the same drive that shaped his early career. Later, as an Entrepreneur in Residence at UC, he found himself mentoring founders who reflected his younger self: ambitious, hopeful, and eager to leave a mark.

He adds, “Now I’m leading the global AI practice at New Era Technology, and honestly? It feels like everything before was preparation. Every technology wave—client-server, web, cloud, mobile, AI—requires the same fundamental skill: helping organizations see where things are heading before it’s obvious.”

Definite Output

As Senior Vice President of Solutions for Global Digital Transformation at New Era Technology, Steve’s job is as demanding as it is visionary. On paper, his mission sounds straightforward, but the reality is much more nuanced: he’s there to help global companies change in ways that actually move the needle. He isn’t interested in theoretical digital “fluff” or flashy slide decks; he’s focused on the kind of progress you can see in the data and feel in the daily operations.

Steve Daly’s world generally revolves around three big goals. He heads up the company’s global AI practice, guides clients through transformations that are built to last, and, most importantly, makes sure every project results in a tangible business win rather than just a nice presentation.

When it comes to AI, he lives and breathes the Microsoft ecosystem, specifically tools like Copilot Studio, Azure AI, and the Power Platform. But Steve Daly is the first to tell you that the real challenge isn’t the software. It’s helping a company move past the “AI is cool” phase and into the “AI is actually helping our bottom line” phase. That transition is often more of a human hurdle than a technical one.

Of course, transformation isn’t just about AI. It’s a complex balancing act of modernizing old applications, migrating to the cloud, and sometimes reinventing a company’s entire foundation. He works with many clients who are stuck in a tough spot: they’re running mission-critical operations on legacy systems while trying to embrace a future that demands a completely different way of thinking.

So, how does he make sure all this effort actually pays off? It comes down to a bit of healthy discipline. Steve Daly insists on defining what success looks like before a single line of code is ever written.

He adds, “I’ve developed AI envisioning workshops specifically to ground conversations in business problems, not technology wish lists.”

He sets clear metrics early and, perhaps most importantly, focuses on teaching the client’s own team how to manage the new systems. In Steve’s eyes, if a company is permanently dependent on outside consultants, it hasn’t really transformed; they’ve just traded one problem for another.

Faith Establishment

Steve Daly highlights three attributes that define a trusted Microsoft Solution Provider. Let’s see them one by one:

1. Technical depth

By in-depth technical knowledge, he means not just those who have logo certificates, but those who know everything about Microsoft. It includes: How Copilot Studio talks to Dataverse. How Azure AI services play with Power Platform. How Fabric changes everything about data strategy. This Microsoft lineup is powerful as it is deployed, but one needs people who authentically believe and know these components.

2. Business Acumen

This one bifurcates solution providers from implementers. Can you translate between technical capability and business strategy? Can you help clients see possibilities and constraints? Do you bring cross-industry pattern recognition that accelerates decisions?

He asserts, “If you can’t talk business outcomes in executive language, you’re just another vendor.”

3. Honest guidance

This one is the most crucial, he believes. The AI space right now is drowning in hype. Trusted partners tell clients what they need to hear, not what closes the deal. They recommend appropriate solutions even when expensive options would be more profitable. They acknowledge uncertainty instead of overselling.

He adds, “I’ve been in this industry long enough to see providers who nail the first two but fumble the third. Short-term, it works. Long-term, it always catches up with them.”

Solution-focused AI

He taps into the fact that there is a significant gap between a compelling AI demo and a production system that gives genuine results. Closing these AI initiatives is what his job actually is.

He envisions AI while posing these questions: What business problem is the team actually solving? Not “where can it use AI?” but “what’s the outcome it needs, and is AI the right tool?” Answers are both positive and negative.

When the hint comes as AI being the right answer, the team scrutinizes opportunities against reality, which includes data readiness, organizational capability, and integration complexity. Organizations that overlook this step often see bold pilots fade when real-world challenges surface.

The Microsoft ecosystem gives its team something invaluable: a trusted foundation. It allows them to move fast without cutting corners on security, compliance, or enterprise-grade requirements. Tools like Copilot Studio and Azure AI aren’t experimental add-ons; they’re built for real business environments, with the kind of governance many custom-built systems struggle to replicate. Over time, the team has developed particular expertise in crafting tailored RAG solutions that connect AI to a company’s own institutional knowledge. That’s often where the real differentiation happens, not in the tool itself, but in how intelligently it’s applied.

But technology alone isn’t enough. For him, measurement is non-negotiable. Before anything is built, clear baselines are established. After deployment, outcomes are tracked rigorously. AI that can’t demonstrate meaningful business impact won’t survive the next budgeting cycle, no matter how impressive it looks in a demo.

Tech Helps in Better Positioning

Steve’s team at New Era Technology meets the clients where they’re stuck and do not go with the analyst’s reports. The clientele of his team is already hustling with three situations he highlights:

  • keeping legacy systems alive because they still run critical operations
  • adopting cloud capabilities that require fundamentally different operational models
  • figuring out AI before competitors do. These aren’t separate initiatives.

Their AI practice wasn’t built in a boardroom; it was shaped in the field, alongside clients navigating real complexity. The frameworks they use today were tested in live environments, refined through trial, pressure, and results. Deep expertise in Microsoft Copilot, Power BI, and Fabric integration, and custom RAG solutions didn’t emerge because they sounded impressive; they emerged because clients needed practical answers. Each capability grew from solving a problem that couldn’t be ignored.

On modernization, the work is just as grounded. Legacy systems often carry years of history and hidden fragility. Moving them into composable, cloud-native architectures isn’t just a technical upgrade; it’s clearing the path for what comes next. AI can’t thrive on scattered data or brittle infrastructure. The modernization effort creates the stability and clarity that make intelligent systems actually useful.

What sets the team apart isn’t any single capability. It’s how naturally they connect the dots. AI, cloud, modernization, these aren’t separate conversations. They’re parts of the same journey. Instead of isolated projects, they design transformation roadmaps that build on each other, creating momentum and long-term value rather than short-term wins.

The Microsoft Fabric

Steve Daly reminds us that the biggest opportunity is helping enterprises channelize AI. Showing a live demo has become outdated as clients are in search of partners who integrate AI at scale, supervise it ideally, and are observers of the impact, while improving it continuously.

Microsoft Fabric has been undervalued. The merging of analytics and data engineering to deliver AI into a single platform disrupts what’s possible. Serious value appreciation will happen for those who develop genuine Fabric expertise and can help clients escape their fragmented data landscapes.

Copilot extensibility is another component. As Microsoft rolls out Copilot across its suite of applications, the demand for enterprise-specific customization is surging. Businesses are not seeking generic AI assistants; they require AI that understands their operations. Developing tailored Copilot solutions that embed organizational knowledge and workflows is an emerging practice area poised for significant growth.

Lastly, he points out that AI governance is shifting from “nice to have” to “show me your framework or we’re not buying.” Regulatory oversight, reputational concerns, and board-level inquiries are intensifying. Providers that enable clients to establish strong AI governance without stalling innovation are likely to see growing demand.

Progress Crafted

Providian and Papa John’s were the foundational paths for Steve’s skill set. He, to date, uses the skills he grasped there. At Providian, his thoughts on solutions were refreshed when he had to tackle working with an entrepreneurial leadership team and customer interaction simultaneously. As he’d said before, half the week he’d be setting systems with technical excellence, and the rest of the week he’d make plans to lessen parents’ burden about their children’s college fees. Ideal technical efficiency comes from a genuine understanding of human problems and not from specifications written in conference rooms. Technologists rely on requirements and documents, while he learned to build based on empathy.

At Papa John’s, the experience and learning were diverse but formative. Technology architecture isn’t about elegance; it is about systems that flex when business demands it. He grasped this when the brand was nearing 500 stores and was aligning the systems as it was about to reach the top.

He led the team that built the first PapaJohns.com. Work was ongoing with fragmented information, ideating based on spot learning, and steering through uncertainty. That experience of guiding organizations into new technological territory, where nobody really knows the answers yet, maps almost perfectly to leading AI implementations today. Different technology. Same leadership challenges.

An Eloquent Project

Uptick Solutions has liberated Steve Daly to provide solutions across IoT, cloud automation, CRM, BI, and high-scale web platforms. A project he holds close to his heart is See Words Reading. It’s an AI-driven reading education system that uses animated fonts to help readers sound out words. The technology is sophisticated, but that’s not crucial.

He highlights that reading is a basic foundational skill that some kids struggle with and face a large-scale impact on their education, careers, etc. The project is a guiding light to address this challenge.

The animated font technology makes phonics visible in ways traditional instruction can’t. Letters move and transform to show how sounds combine. For learners who struggled with abstract phonics rules, it creates moments of genuine understanding that previously seemed impossible. Watching early testing sessions, seeing that light bulb moment in kids who’d been frustrated, was profoundly rewarding.

He shares, “This project also exemplifies what I love about startup work. The founding team had deep expertise in reading education and instructional design. My contribution was helping them build technical foundations that could scale and translating their vision into architecture that would hold up.”

This partnership and deep domain knowledge met technical capability at the right time, which made it more valuable than technically complex for Steve.

Data Modelling

Steve Daly has modernized legacy systems into fast and composable architectures. The strategies that he integrates from outdated infrastructures to AI-readiness, and cloud-native platforms, he likes to call it ambition with pragmatism.

Substantial large-scale transformations lead to failure on the part of organizations. The projects feel dragged, budgets skyrocket, and stakeholder patience evaporates.

He shares, “But organizations that only do incremental improvements never get where they need to be. They’re perpetually catching up. Finding the middle ground is an art, not a science.”

His team begins by clearly soaking in the current situation, not only technically, but operationally too. The questions they go through are:

  • Which systems are actually critical versus just familiar?
  • Which processes are embedded in legacy platforms versus merely running on them?
  • Where is technical debt creating genuine business risk versus just annoying developers?

The answers to these decide what they handle first. The strangler pattern remains effective. It replaces legacy abilities with modern implementations while operations are ongoing in the background. Risk remains manageable, value accrues incrementally, and nobody has to bet the company.

For AI readiness, he places data architecture at the center. AI runs on accessible, well-governed data, yet in many legacy environments, information sits scattered across disconnected systems, riddled with inconsistent formats and little integration. Building a unified data foundation, often powered by Microsoft Fabric, becomes the critical path to making AI truly work.

But technology alone isn’t the finish line. He builds internal capability alongside delivery, ensuring teams can carry the momentum forward. Modernization isn’t a one-off project with a tidy end date; it’s a living capability. And lasting success depends on people who can keep evolving the platform long after the consultants step away.

Flexible Choices

Steve Daly points at startups and governments are facing opposite trends on a particular spectrum. Sensing both taught him everything about balance. Startups run on A/B testing, finesse in work requires patience. While you expect failures, he suggests celebrating them as long as the learning follows. This enables rapid innovation but can struggle with consistency when organizations scale.

In government, he found a world built on caution. Risk management shaped every move. Decisions traveled through layers of committees. The systems were designed to prevent expensive missteps, admirable in intent, but often so careful that progress slowed to a crawl. In that atmosphere, innovation didn’t die; it just struggled for oxygen.

Consulting taught him how to live between those extremes. He came to see that leadership isn’t about choosing speed or control, it’s about knowing when each matters. Some ideas need the urgency and freedom of a startup. Others carry stakes that demand patience and deep scrutiny. The difference often comes down to one question: if this goes wrong, how hard is it to undo?

So Steve Daly helps organizations create room to test and learn safe spaces where experimentation is encouraged while keeping mission-critical systems tightly governed. He pushes for clear signals that tell a team when a pilot is ready for the real world. And more than anything, he helps leaders build the judgment to shift gears at the right moment. Because in the end, frameworks fade. Sound judgment endures.

Intentional Camaraderie

Acknowledging high and ideal performance is central to Steve’s leadership. There are three principles that he relies on: trust, empathy, and execution.

Trust is basic. Efficient performing teams need psychological safety with confidence that intelligent risks won’t result in punishment when outcomes are uncertain. Establishing trust is being true to one’s word. Being transparent about challenges. Giving people genuine autonomy instead of micromanaging. And trusting their expertise even when their recommendations differ from your gut.

Empathy, for him, is acknowledging that the people behind the project have lives beyond the project. Each employee is motivated differently. Leading effectively requires understanding those differences. It means actually listening, not waiting for your turn to talk. Teams that feel genuinely understood give effort that transactionally-managed teams never match.

Execution brings it all together. Trust and empathy without results are insufficient. People need clarity about what success looks like, resources to achieve it, and accountability for outcomes. His duty is clearing hindrances, providing context, and ensuring alignment.

Steve Daly adds, “These principles matter even more for distributed global teams. The informal interactions that build trust in physical offices don’t happen automatically across time zones. You have to be intentional.”

Guiding Newbies

The majority of the founders Steve Daly collaborates with have domain expertise and vision, but haven’t spent careers building enterprise systems. Vision is clear, but knowledge and expertise are lacking.

This gap can be fatal, he reminds. Technology decisions that are made early on often determine whether startups scale successfully or diminish and require replenishment. Here are some questions that the new entrants should refer to:

  • Should they build or buy?
  • Which stack fits their use case and team?
  • How do they architect for scale they don’t have yet, without over-engineering for scale they may never need?
  • When should they hire technical leadership versus continue with contractors?

Context is the king in these questions, he highlights.

Steve Daly job is guiding founders through trade-offs they might not see. Having built systems across industries and across waves of technology, he sees patterns that first-time founders often can’t, at least not yet. Sometimes that perspective steers them away from costly missteps. Other times, it simply reassures them that their instincts are right and worth trusting.

But his real contribution goes beyond any single decision. He works to equip founders with the mental models to think technically for themselves. The goal isn’t dependence, it’s momentum. When leaders gain the confidence to navigate complexity on their own, they move faster and smarter. And when founders develop true technical fluency, even if they never write a line of code, the entire startup ecosystem grows stronger.

Embedded Intelligence

Steve Daly views Microsoft’s position in enterprise AI as uniquely powerful and strengthening with time. Copilot in Microsoft 365 is only the opening move. Soon, AI won’t feel like an add-on, but a native layer across every application, woven into the workflows organizations already depend on. The distinction between “using Microsoft” and “using AI” will simply fade.

Steve Daly sees Microsoft Fabric emerging as a default enterprise data platform, unifying analytics, data engineering, and AI in a way that finally addresses decades of fragmentation. As that foundation matures, AI becomes far more accessible.

Meanwhile, Copilot Studio and the Power Platform are putting sophisticated automation into the hands of business users. Innovation will accelerate, even as new governance challenges surface.

For enterprise leaders, his takeaway is straightforward: investments in the Microsoft ecosystem today grow more valuable as AI capabilities expand and integration makes adoption progressively easier.

Scaling AI Responsibly

At a moment when enterprises are moving from AI experimentation to real operational scale, he is focused on deepening his firm’s AI practice. The future, he believes, belongs to organizations that embed AI into core operations, not as scattered pilots, but as infrastructure. His energy is going into building the frameworks, governance models, and team capabilities that make that shift sustainable.

Responsible AI sits at the heart of that work. As capabilities expand, so do the risks. He is driven by the challenge of helping organizations deploy systems that are not only powerful but explainable and aligned with their values. It’s where technical depth meets judgment and where he feels most engaged.

Beyond delivery, he is investing in people. With decades of experience behind him, he sees his greatest leverage in mentoring teams, founders, and clients who will carry the work forward. Developing others, he has learned, outscales any individual contribution.

And in a field that never stands still, he remains intentionally curious. After thirty-five years, it’s that curiosity more than expertise that keeps him sharp and genuinely energized for what’s next.

Also Read: –CIO Times Magazine for more information

Andrew Raynes: Building a Village of Digital Wonderment While Keeping the Human Heart of Care

Posted on by CIO Times

In multiple continents and industries, chief information officers are redefining leadership without being in the limelight. They patiently stand at the crossroads of innovation, research, and strategy that create tangible and real-world impact. Their role is as human as it is technical to ensure progress is uniform and never slows down. When talking about these leaders, Andrew Raynes is a name we cannot forget. Chief Information Officer at Royal Papworth Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, there’s a lot to take inspiration from his extensive two-decade career trajectory across healthcare IT, public sector transformation, education, and advisory leadership.

The Knowledge Hunger

For sure, he can be referred to as a knowledge-hungry professional, as his journey suggests. He starts the conversation by questioning whether or not a standard career journey exists for anyone. He believes that Chief Information Officers (CIOs) must gather a wealth of experience and perspective to be successful. This includes coming from diverse disciplines from infrastructure, DevOps, governance, security, training, and transformation, as well as soft skills. While exposure to private- and public-sector methods of working to more formal qualifications and professional registration (e.g., BCS Fellowship, CHCIO, Fed-IP) is crucial, it can also uphold academic experience and rigour.

He shares, “Career growth is often non-linear, requiring exploration and often moves across or outside organisations to gain necessary exposure, including business and finance. From my own personal journey, my experience started as a hospital porter looking to gain an opportunity to work in tech.”

He was accustomed to the switches between working in the health and private sectors, including overseas, the former Community NHS, Primary Care, the Strategic Health Authority, and the NHS National Programme for IT. He joined Royal Papworth Hospital NHS Foundation Trust following his prior role as IT Programme Director at Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust. His experience included working as a consultant training health tech students in Canada, implementing IT in a GP-led practice at HMP Thameside on the Belmarsh Prison Estate, and Liquidlogic, a children and adult social care system in a Local Authority in Leicester. More recently, commencing the roll-out of the Shared Care Record in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough ICS, AI for diagnostic imaging, and the implementation of a new surgical robot at Royal Papworth.

He feels honoured and has a great sense of privilege. He works as executive director, CIO, and SIRO at Royal Papworth Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, which is a globally recognised top 100 specialist cardiothoracic centre of excellence, on the Cambridge Biomedical Campus. A graduate of the Saïd Business School Executive Leadership Programme, he personally invested in his journey, self-funding a master’s in healthcare informatics, specialising in education, and achieving CHIME Certified Healthcare Chief Information Officer status. Today, as a Fellow of the British Computer Society and a Leading Practitioner with the Federation of Informatics Professionals, he champions the professionalisation of IT in health and care. His voice features in outlets including the New Statesman. He opened the Health Innovation Conference, while his Digital team were part of the overall hospital effort to earn CQC ‘outstanding’ recognition in 2019 and the 2021 HTN Now Award in their response to Covid.

Empathy Wins

Selecting the right work opportunity is the key, as it lays the foundation for your future, Andrew Raynes stresses. Work doesn’t turn out to be as easy as one expects it to be. It is complex, rapid, and disruptive. Sometimes he creates his own opportunities; sometimes they arrive unexpectedly; other times, he simply looks ahead, quietly anticipating what comes next. He always envisioned himself as offering social benefit and value in society via his profession. His career started by chance as he had to take up the job of a hospital porter at the age of 17 upon losing his father in a tragic car accident. He remains thankful to his family and guiding leaders who guided him towards the right path ahead.

From a porter, he went on to become a hospital switchboard operative, then as part of a team, implementing a Unix-based Patient Administration System (PAS) in the NHS in the mid-90s. He has simultaneously enjoyed many opportunities that have ignited the fire in him from EPR implementation teams, being an education and training lead for the National IT programme, and leading several high-profile projects.

He shares, “Hearing people’s stories, seeing kindness in action and adaptability, having a focus and achieving what has been set out, sometimes being able to put aside the distraction but to deliver something that really makes a difference.”

He reminds professionals to keep in mind the sustainability of technologies and make decisions that support the integration. For him, ultimately, transforming services through technology is more about change and improvement almost always involving people and processes.

Standards Aligned for optimal Integrations

Andrew Raynes is a mission-critical CIO and prefers striking a balance between innovation, cybersecurity, compliance, and patient safety. He also sees it as a challenge and has a focus on risk appetite to integrate innovation. He believes creativity should never be smothered, while also recognising the limits of pursuing innovation when it simply isn’t working, or worth reinventing. At times, innovation exists for an individual. One should be inclined to recreate the process till it adds significant value. Partnerships can prove beneficial in this space and help organisations in customised ways as needed. Ambition and innovation need to be in sync to know when to stop the integration of the same.

He says, “Set a scope, or is the innovation an open box.  Do you have something that will already fix the problem, therefore optimise as opposed to rip and replace may be a better strategy?  What’s more is not neglecting the tech stack, people, and whether the innovation is worth the effort in pursuing it if it doesn’t fix the issue.”

Innovation takes place in many ways, while it is also challenging to decide the level of innovation to leverage. He recalls a phrase from a respected colleague he met in Hong Kong who advised him in order to collaborate and to be a true partner; he needs to first have his own house in order. He understood the point well and started building on standards, enterprise, resilient architecture, and good integrations.

Digital Heart

For Andrew Raynes drew, the recent recognition is a “pinch-yourself” moment, a deeply humbling honour that he treats with genuine reverence rather than ego. He views these accolades not as a personal trophy but as a testament to the collective pulse of his team and the support network that carries the mission forward. His leadership is defined by a quiet but fierce love for the NHS, anchored by a philosophy that blends high-level purpose with a human touch, always ensuring that every pound spent translates into better care.

His roadmap for a digital-first NHS stays focused on:

  • Mastering the fundamentals: He believes in maximising digital solutions for staff and patients alike, empowering people with data they can actually use and tools that work as fast as the clinicians do.
  • Safety as a standard: Ensuring that every layer of service delivery is both safe and cybersecure.
  • Connecting the dots: Making seamless care a reality by integrating systems and processes across entire regions.
  • Fuelling the future: Pushing the boundaries of research and innovation through high-quality data and agile teams that excel in the “nitty-gritty” of deployment and testing.
  • Designing for the planet: Prioritising digital designs that are as environmentally sustainable as they are efficient.
  • Investing in people: Championing the professional growth of the Digital team, ensuring that as the technology evolves, the humans behind it do too.

Following Standardised Analogies

About sharing a digital transformation initiative that brought tangible outcomes, he thinks the key is the right technology for the right problem. He is intrigued by the skill that the records sharing capability has across systems, which enables the sharing of data and images. This is a more practical, affordable, and scalable approach for saving occupied clinicians. It has also helped in managing patients’ hours, helping to care for them. The most crucial one has been the launch of an internally built referral management system (PRIS3). The magic behind the transformation lies in a solution crafted by a development team that embraces the agility of low-code and no-code technology. While built for speed, the system is impressively scalable, now serving nine district general hospitals that all seamlessly refer into Royal Papworth.

For Andrew Raynes, the true breakthrough is how the adoption of rigorous standards, intelligent automation, and safe AI is finally dismantling the old barriers to information sharing, and the results are already beginning to surface in real-time.

 Most recent is the introduction of ambient voice and building on Royal Papworth’s rollout of T-Pro’s document workflow and speech recognition as a core part of its digital transformation journey to enhance patient care. Through its partnership with T-Pro, the Trust has established a strong and scalable digital documentation foundation. Exploring AI-powered documentation through solutions such as T-Pro Scribe, which captures clinical conversations in real time and transforms them into structured, high-quality clinical documentation, helping the broader ambition to move towards more intelligent, real-time, and patient-centred documentation practices

aligned to NHS standards, ensuring that AI innovation is introduced in a controlled, transparent, and clinically safe manner.

Alongside these advancements, there is a quiet but powerful shift taking place through the thoughtful adoption of intelligent automation. Not as a replacement for people, but as an enabler of them, automation is helping to remove the repetitive, time-consuming tasks that can so often weigh down frontline teams. From working with E18 and the Digital workforce their approach to streamlining administrative processes, improving data accuracy, and ensuring information flows reliably across systems creates the space for clinicians and staff to focus on what truly matters: patient care. In a system where every minute and every pound counts, this kind of transformation is not just about efficiency, but about restoring capacity, reducing friction, and supporting a more responsive, human-centered NHS.

Aside from the progression, Andrew Raynes remains adamant that the technology is only half the story; the real heart of the operation is the people. He watched with immense pride this year as his digital team took full ownership of their professional evolution. They didn’t just meet expectations; they went above and beyond for their own growth, ultimately securing prestigious gold accreditation with the BCS.

Experiences Mould

His diverse expertise in NHS Trusts, local government, and advisory roles has a grounding effect in crafting a wider capability and a sense of outlook. A one-sided approach to all doesn’t work as context is vital. Leadership direction-setting is also crucial. Who sets the direction, is it top down, down up, or much flatter, are some questions that need to be answered. When stepping back to look at the true weight of leadership Andrew Raynes finds himself fascinated by what it takes to move the needle within a vast, complex hierarchy. He often muses on how to spark a shared ambition, a future that people can truly feel, be warm to, and see themselves in while staying deeply honest about the inequalities that still hold so many back. For him, the real art of leadership is balancing that environment so that every person feels genuinely seen and supported, rather than managed by some distant, elitist machine. He believes the heart of the answer lies in meeting people exactly where they are, walking beside them on a journey that feels incremental, achievable, and humanly sustainable.

His philosophy is rooted in the belief that while every path must honour its unique local story, it should be anchored by steady standards and the simple ability to work together. This means meeting the trailblazers at their level, but more importantly, reaching back to pull others up to that same bar by getting the quiet, essential basics right first. He is the first to admit this is no easy feat; it demands a sincere investment of heart, steady leadership, and the patience to find a sensible, human rhythm of priority. Ultimately, he calls for a more compassionate lens, one that never loses sight of the “greatest need,” even when the financial reality is at its toughest.

Be A Learned CIO

The bridge between everyday work and IT now sits in the hands of the people using it, and Andrew Raynes is focusing on making that connection feel natural while balancing the technical load with the right partners. Different corners of the organisation often hold the real wisdom about the tools they use. For instance, a CIO isn’t expected to be a niche expert in every single app; they are more of a seasoned generalist from a world of transformation.

While those specialists exist across the business, the CIO’s true gift is painting a picture of why a solid digital foundation matters for the person on the frontline. They act as a storyteller for the board, not just a member, but an independent voice sharing global success stories to help. It is all about making the value feel real so the whole organisation truly wants to come on board.

Upcoming Trends to Consider

  • Cyber as standard and don’t underestimate the risk
  • Bar code scanning and rigorous adoption of GS1 standards
  • Interoperability and standards to support integration
  • Hybrid cloud
  • Modular standards-based technologies that work and fix genuine problems. 
  • Low-code, no-code rapid development apps,
  • Sustainable AI, agentic, and robotics

Long-term Vision

Implementing a culture of innovation, collaboration, and accountability is achieved by providing the right liberty to them. They are also governed such that they feel supported in decision-making and delivery. Too many meetings can hinder work development, have control of what’s a priority and what’s not, and handle engagement oversight. Challenges are stimulated when events and managing partners are inspired through technology.

He adds, “Explore the wider organisational structures to ensure a line of sight into the board so that it’s sighted on the developments and risks.” 

Steering Through Challenges

The ongoing challenges of handling multiple tasks at once, while prioritising what’s strategically important, what can be scheduled for later, and handling expectations. Doing everything together isn’t possible, so having a mechanism for streamlining the process is important.

He adds, “Set up tangible measures that you can navigate. Guardrails, which help manage the prioritisation process, are vital to survival and not biting off more than you can chew.”

He understands his technology foundation guides decisions; a Maslow-style hierarchy of digital needs clearly shows where investment must sit to sustain a resilient business.

Advice for the Future

Andrew Raynes advises to welcome new experiences with open arms, learn new things, and dive deep into unfamiliar areas.

He says, “Learn, remain humble and value your team, it’s they who make you successful.”  

Digital Soul

The leadership journey for Andrew Raynes continues, fuelled by a deep-seated heart to truly move the needle in the world of health and care technology. He remains hungry to build a foundation where healthcare feels like it belongs to everyone. By being a listener first, he shapes a strategy that is as ambitious as it is balanced, bringing a genuine sense of value to the whole system. He is someone who has fought for the many, making a sustainable difference while never forgetting that it’s the taxpayer funding these efforts to help the many, not just an elite few.

He says, “In my legacy, I would like to have made a difference. In moving the hospital, my ambition is to have created a village of digital wonderment at Royal Papworth.”

Technology that is truly connected finally breathes time back into care, adding soul to our teams and delivering for them. This is all lifted by a highly qualified, eager family of staff who stay progressive and keep growing, remaining a deeply precious asset to the organisation and the wider NHS, health and care system.


Also Read:- CIO Times Magazine for More information

How Is AI Reshaping Consumer Psychology in 2026?

Posted on by CIO Times

As we enter 2026, the idea of what consumers want, desire, or need will depend on consumer psychology trends. Yes, this will play a major role in crafting branding strategies for high-stakes brands. Based on past consumer behavior, organizations are eagerly adapting to these shifts that will help enhance the efficiency of the customer experience. Brands have to evolve along with AI and the technology at hand.

According to Gartner, 11% of consumers are willing to let AI make purchase decisions on their behalf. Also, it has been highlighted that the percentage is increasing gradually. This shift is subtle but profound. Consumers may not always realize how deeply AI affects their choices, yet their expectations, emotions, and decision-making patterns are evolving faster than ever before.

From Choice Overload to Guided Decision-Making

For years, consumers struggled with too many options. Endless products, reviews, and opinions led to decision fatigue. AI has stepped in as a filter, curating, ranking, and recommending choices based on data rather than chance.

In 2026, many consumers no longer start with “What should I buy?” but with “What does the system recommend?” This behavioral change marks a turning point in market psychology. Trust is shifting from brands and advertisements toward algorithms perceived as efficient, neutral, and time-saving.

While this guidance reduces cognitive load, it also reshapes autonomy. Consumers feel relieved by fewer choices, yet increasingly dependent on AI-driven suggestions.

Trust Is Being Rewired

Trust has always been central to buying behavior, but AI has changed how it is built. Traditional trust markers- brand legacy, celebrity endorsements, or polished messaging carry less weight than before. Instead, consistency, relevance, and accuracy now drive credibility.

When AI systems deliver recommendations that repeatedly “get it right,” consumers develop emotional trust in the experience, not just the brand. This evolution in consumer psychology explains why users often trust a platform’s suggestion even when they cannot explain why.

However, this trust is fragile. One poorly timed recommendation or misuse of personal data can quickly break confidence, making transparency and ethical AI practices critical.

Personalization Is Now an Expectation, Not a Delight

What once felt impressive now feels normal. Personalized content, pricing, interfaces, and messaging are no longer optional; they are expected. In 2026, consumers perceive relevance as a basic requirement rather than a value-added feature.

AI-driven personalization has reshaped purchasing behavior by raising the emotional baseline. When brands fail to personalize, consumers interpret it as disinterest or incompetence. When personalization is done well, it creates a sense of being understood, seen, and respected. At the same time, over-personalization can feel intrusive. The modern consumer wants relevance without surveillance, creating a delicate balance brands must manage carefully.

Emotional Influence Is Becoming Invisible

AI does not persuade loudly. It persuades quietly. By optimizing timing, tone, and format, AI systems influence emotions without overt messaging. Content appears when consumers are most receptive, offers align with mood, and interfaces adapt to behavior patterns. This invisible influence is redefining the consumer mindset. Decisions feel self-directed, even when they are shaped by predictive systems.

Consumers believe they are choosing freely, which increases satisfaction and reduces resistance.  The ethical implication is significant. Influence without awareness requires responsibility. Brands that prioritize long-term trust over short-term conversion will stand out in this new landscape.

The Rise of Predictive Confidence

One notable shift in 2026 is predictive confidence, the belief that AI “knows” what will work. Consumers are more willing to try new products, services, or experiences when AI reduces perceived risk through data-backed suggestions.

This has altered shopper psychology around experimentation. People are less afraid of making the wrong choice because they feel supported by intelligent systems. As a result, discovery happens faster, loyalty forms differently, and switching costs feel lower. Brands now compete not only on value, but on how confidently they guide consumers forward.

Privacy Awareness Shapes Behavior

Despite growing reliance on AI, consumers are more aware of data usage than ever before. They understand that personalization comes at a cost, and many actively evaluate whether the exchange feels fair.

In 2026, consumer psychology reflects a dual mindset: convenience versus control. Consumers want smarter experiences, but also want clear boundaries. Brands that communicate data usage honestly and offer meaningful choices earn trust, while those that obscure or overreach face backlash. Privacy is no longer just a legal issue; it is a psychological one tied directly to brand perception.

Conclusion

AI is not changing consumers into something unrecognizable. It is amplifying existing human needs: ease, reassurance, relevance, and trust. The difference is speed and scale. Psychological shifts that once took decades now happen in years.

Brands that succeed in 2026 will be those that understand consumer psychology not as a static concept, but as a living system shaped by technology, culture, and ethics. AI is the tool, but empathy remains the strategy. The future belongs to brands that use intelligence to serve humans, not replace judgment. In a world guided by algorithms, the most powerful differentiator is still understanding how people feel, think, and choose.

Also Read:- Top 10 Agentic AI Companies in the USA

Privacy watchdog faults operator and Health NZ over Manage My Health breach

Posted on by CIO Times

New Zealand’s Privacy Commissioner has found that Te Whatu Ora Health NZ and Manage My Health Limited failed to meet their obligations to protect sensitive health information, following an investigation into what has been described as one of the country’s largest known data breaches affecting personal medical records. The findings relate to a cyberattack on the Manage My Health patient portal in December, which impacted nearly 100,000 people.

The Office of the Privacy Commissioner (OPC) concluded that both organisations breached Rule 5 of the Health Information Privacy Code, which requires adequate safeguards for personal health data. As a result, both are expected to receive compliance notices requiring them to demonstrate how they will address the identified security shortcomings.

Scale and nature of the breach

The inquiry found that approximately 99,416 patients were affected, a revised figure down from an earlier estimate of 126,000. Around 91% of those impacted were based in Northland, where Te Whatu Ora had a specific arrangement with Manage My Health to make certain hospital records available through the portal.

Attackers reportedly used valid but stolen patient credentials to access the system. Once inside, they were able to view and copy documents from thousands of other patient accounts. The compromise was limited to the portal’s “My Health Documents” module, but still exposed a wide range of sensitive data, including hospital discharge summaries, patient-uploaded documents, and personal identifiers such as names, dates of birth, National Health Index (NHI) numbers, addresses, email addresses, and phone numbers.

Security gaps and organisational failures

Investigators concluded the breach was not caused by a single failure at Manage My Health Limited, but rather a combination of security weaknesses that increased both the likelihood and impact of the attack. Although multifactor authentication was available, it was not mandatory. In addition, identity and access management controls and web security protections were found to be insufficiently robust.

Earlier testing had already identified recurring security risks that were not properly resolved before the incident. Manage My Health Limited also failed to detect the attackers’ activity internally and only became aware of the breach after being alerted by Te Whatu Ora.

The company has since made multifactor authentication compulsory, addressed the exploited vulnerability, and begun updating governance structures, policies, and contracts. However, the Privacy Commissioner has not yet independently verified these changes.

A separate Ministry of Health review, published shortly after, also concluded the breach was largely preventable, pointing to significant security control gaps, weaknesses in incident response, and poor communication planning.

Governance concerns and systemic response

The OPC also examined Te Whatu Ora’s Northland arrangement with Manage My Health, which enabled hospital data to be shared via the portal. It found that this exposed large volumes of sensitive information and required exceptionally strong governance, risk management, and oversight.

However, the inquiry identified shortcomings in due diligence, privacy risk assessments, contract design, and programme governance. There was also an overreliance on assurances from Manage My Health Limited, and no dedicated privacy or security representation on the project steering group. Contracts were described as not fit for purpose and lacking adequate protections for patient data.

In response, Te Whatu Ora has stopped the data flow from Northland to the portal following further due diligence. It is also enabling paper-based discharge summaries for Northland patients, strengthening procurement templates, and enhancing privacy and security assessment processes, alongside broader reviews of patient portal providers.

Oversight, legal reform, and future inquiries

The OPC noted that general practices were unlikely to be legally responsible for the stolen data, as they did not control the compromised module, though it warned responsibility could easily have fallen differently depending on circumstances.

The Commissioner called for stronger central oversight of health technology providers, arguing there is currently no unified system to verify supplier cybersecurity standards. It recommended that the Ministry of Health establish an ongoing national programme to assess vendor security, rather than relying on individual providers such as GP practices.

Ministry of Health Chief Medical Officer Dr Joe Bourne confirmed that all 26 recommendations from its own review—supported by independent assessments from Bastion Security Group and CyberCX—have been accepted. The ministry is now working towards a more consistent, system-wide approach to validating cybersecurity standards across the sector.

The OPC also recommended changes to the Privacy Act to make third-party providers directly accountable for safeguarding personal data when processing it on behalf of other organisations.

A second phase of the inquiry will examine consent practices, user transparency, data retention and deletion policies, and whether breach notifications were properly handled. Meanwhile, recent incidents involving MediMap in February and IntraCare in March highlight a wider pattern of cybersecurity challenges across New Zealand’s healthcare technology sector.New Zealand’s Privacy Commissioner has found that Te Whatu Ora Health New Zealand and Manage My Health Limited failed to meet their obligations to protect sensitive health information, following an investigation into what has been described as one of the country’s largest known data breaches affecting personal medical records. The findings relate to a cyberattack on the Manage My Health patient portal in December, which impacted nearly 100,000 people.

The Office of the Privacy Commissioner (OPC) concluded that both organisations breached Rule 5 of the Health Information Privacy Code, which requires adequate safeguards for personal health data. As a result, both are expected to receive compliance notices requiring them to demonstrate how they will address the identified security shortcomings.

Scale and nature of the breach

The inquiry found that approximately 99,416 patients were affected, a revised figure down from an earlier estimate of 126,000. Around 91% of those impacted were based in Northland, where Te Whatu Ora had a specific arrangement with Manage My Health to make certain hospital records available through the portal.

Attackers reportedly used valid but stolen patient credentials to access the system. Once inside, they were able to view and copy documents from thousands of other patient accounts. The compromise was limited to the portal’s “My Health Documents” module, but still exposed a wide range of sensitive data, including hospital discharge summaries, patient-uploaded documents, and personal identifiers such as names, dates of birth, National Health Index (NHI) numbers, addresses, email addresses, and phone numbers.

Security gaps and organisational failures

Investigators concluded the breach was not caused by a single failure at Manage My Health Limited, but rather a combination of security weaknesses that increased both the likelihood and impact of the attack. Although multifactor authentication was available, it was not mandatory. In addition, identity and access management controls and web security protections were found to be insufficiently robust.

Earlier testing had already identified recurring security risks that were not properly resolved before the incident. Manage My Health Limited also failed to detect the attackers’ activity internally and only became aware of the breach after being alerted by Te Whatu Ora.

The company has since made multifactor authentication compulsory, addressed the exploited vulnerability, and begun updating governance structures, policies, and contracts. However, the Privacy Commissioner has not yet independently verified these changes.

A separate Ministry of Health review, published shortly after, also concluded the breach was largely preventable, pointing to significant security control gaps, weaknesses in incident response, and poor communication planning.

Governance concerns and systemic response

The OPC also examined Te Whatu Ora’s Northland arrangement with Manage My Health, which enabled hospital data to be shared via the portal. It found that this exposed large volumes of sensitive information and required exceptionally strong governance, risk management, and oversight.

However, the inquiry identified shortcomings in due diligence, privacy risk assessments, contract design, and programme governance. There was also an overreliance on assurances from Manage My Health Limited, and no dedicated privacy or security representation on the project steering group. Contracts were described as not fit for purpose and lacking adequate protections for patient data.

In response, Te Whatu Ora has stopped the data flow from Northland to the portal following further due diligence. It is also enabling paper-based discharge summaries for Northland patients, strengthening procurement templates, and enhancing privacy and security assessment processes, alongside broader reviews of patient portal providers.

Oversight, legal reform, and future inquiries

The OPC noted that general practices were unlikely to be legally responsible for the stolen data, as they did not control the compromised module, though it warned responsibility could easily have fallen differently depending on circumstances.

The Commissioner called for stronger central oversight of health technology providers, arguing there is currently no unified system to verify supplier cybersecurity standards. It is recommended that the Ministry of Health establish an ongoing national programme to assess vendor security, rather than relying on individual providers such as GP practices.

Ministry of Health Chief Medical Officer Dr Joe Bourne confirmed that all 26 recommendations from its own review—supported by independent assessments from Bastion Security Group and CyberCX—have been accepted. The ministry is now working towards a more consistent, system-wide approach to validating cybersecurity standards across the sector.

The OPC also recommended changes to the Privacy Act to make third-party providers directly accountable for safeguarding personal data when processing it on behalf of other organisations.

A second phase of the inquiry will examine consent practices, user transparency, data retention and deletion policies, and whether breach notifications were properly handled. Meanwhile, recent incidents involving MediMap in February and IntraCare in March highlight a wider pattern of cybersecurity challenges across New Zealand’s healthcare technology sector.

Also Read:- Kroger Pharmacy: Your Neighborhood’s Trusted Health Partner with Reliable Hours

Kyle Mathis: Turning Resilience Into Impact, Advancing Universal Language Access Through Technology and Inclusion

Posted on by CIO Times

Resilient entrepreneurs are the heartbeat of progress. They are the ones who turn obstacles into opportunities and setbacks into strategies. A true example of this is Kyle Mathis, Founder at World Linguistics. He has built an inspiring entrepreneurial journey, one that evolved from overcoming personal challenges to establishing a globally recognized digital enterprise. His path reflects how resilience and strategic learning can transform adversity into lasting professional success.

He explains that resilience played a defining role in shaping his growth as an entrepreneur, guiding him through each turning point of his journey. Having been mentored by exceptional teachers who introduced him to Spanish, marketing, and interpersonal communication, he developed a foundation that enabled him to build an online platform now impacting thousands of people worldwide.

A major turning point came when Kyle overcame homelessness, an experience that strengthened his resolve and deepened his commitment to building something meaningful. Another decisive moment arrived unexpectedly when he received advice to focus his YouTube outreach on countries like India and Bangladesh. Acting on that insight, he built a refined website that soon began attracting a global user base.

Further progress came when he was accepted into a leading U.S. university, where he balanced academic pursuits with business development. By launching online surveys for market research and product feedback, he refined his offerings and cultivated a digital following exceeding 30,000 subscribers, eventually converting many into paying users.

The journey reached another milestone when he signed a business contract and an MoU with a nonprofit organization in India, enabling cross-promotion of his YouTube content. This collaboration expanded his audience, enhanced his entrepreneurial credibility, and significantly boosted both user engagement and revenue.

Through these pivotal experiences, he demonstrates how perseverance, learning, and global partnerships can turn personal challenges into a foundation for enduring entrepreneurial impact.

Innovative Leadership

As an award-winning founder with multiple international partnerships, he defines innovation in language education and EdTech as the ability to make a meaningful difference by combining excellence in service with strategic application of diverse skill sets. To him, true innovation goes beyond technology; it lies in delivering measurable results for students while ensuring sustainable business growth.

Kyle emphasizes that in today’s competitive, fast-paced digital marketplace, exceptional customer service is not just an advantage but a necessity. A business cannot thrive without offerings that stand out through quality, value, and genuine impact. His philosophy reflects a pragmatic understanding of entrepreneurship: that success in EdTech requires both empathy and execution. In an industry where many face frustration and uncertainty, he believes that respect for learners and commitment to service form the foundation of enduring innovation.

Through this perspective, he continues to redefine how education and technology intersect, transforming linguistic learning into a dynamic, results-driven experience that prioritizes both human connection and business resilience.

Digital Inclusion

By effectively leveraging tools like Meta, Google Ads, and Canva, he envisions digital marketing as a powerful equalizer in expanding access to education across underserved markets. He believes that as long as billions of people remain connected to the internet, paid digital campaigns can reach audiences historically excluded from traditional learning opportunities.

Kyle emphasizes that these platforms not only enhance visibility but also help create inclusive, user-friendly ecosystems for learners seeking affordable language education. By integrating diverse international payment options from UnionPay and Cash App to PayPal and ACH transfers, educational platforms can remove financial barriers that often limit global participation.

In his view, the continued evolution of digital marketing technologies will play a transformative role in making education more inclusive, borderless, and accessible, bridging opportunity gaps and empowering learners worldwide.

Evolving Vision

The original vision behind World Linguistics was rooted in the goal of making education universally accessible creating engaging, easy-to-understand video content that could reach learners across the globe, especially those in underserved communities. Over time, that vision evolved into a broader mission focused on enhancing product quality and elevating brand standards to deliver a more professional and impactful learning experience.

Through continuous refinement of content and the development of advanced, user-friendly websites, he expanded the platform’s global reach and engagement. Strategic investments in targeted digital advertising further amplified visibility, enabling World Linguistics to connect with a growing international audience while staying true to its founding purpose of accessible, high-quality education for all.

Collaborative Global Impact

Establishing partnerships with NGOs and global organizations has played a pivotal role in advancing his mission to make second-language education accessible to all seven billion people worldwide. These collaborations not only help promote World Linguistics’ educational videos and services but also provide essential support in generating the capital required to sustain and scale the company’s initiatives.

Kyle Mathis values the synergy that comes from working closely with his startup team and partner organizations, engaging in ongoing discussions about emerging technologies, product innovation, and strategic implementation. Through these collective efforts, he continues to transform his global vision into tangible impact expanding opportunities for learners everywhere to connect through language.

 Human-Centered Learning

As a nontraditional college graduate with a strong foundation in communication, Kyle Mathis applies his deep understanding of human interaction to design learning experiences that are both engaging and personalized. His approach centers on creating human-focused, learner-driven education, where the quality of content and user experience determines long-term success and retention.

He believes that maintaining top-tier product standards requires not only relevance and accessibility but also adaptability. By keeping lessons age-appropriate and integrating artificial intelligence to customize learning for each individual’s unique needs, he ensures that every learner regardless of background has access to a high-quality, tailored educational journey.

Resilience Through Adversity

His entrepreneurial journey, marked by resilience and the determination to rise above homelessness, embodies powerful lessons in perseverance and leadership that he hopes others will embrace. He believes success begins with clarity and guidance, encouraging aspiring entrepreneurs to map out their goals with the help of a mentor or coach and to take decisive, consistent action toward realizing those ambitions.

Kyle Mathis also emphasizes that every individual’s path is unique, and personal circumstances should guide life choices rather than imitation. While his own experience involved navigating hardship, he cautions against viewing adversity as a prerequisite for growth. Instead, he highlights the importance of vision, persistence, and alignment keeping one’s purpose front and center and remaining open to meaningful connections. Over time, Kyle believes that this unwavering focus draws the right people and opportunities needed to turn ambition into lasting achievement.

Investor Confidence

In his view, the key to earning investor confidence at the seed stage lies in demonstrating both adaptability and commitment to innovation. He believes that actively listening to and implementing investor feedback signals a founder’s willingness to refine ideas and improve the product in alignment with market needs.

He emphasizes that investors ultimately seek confidence in a founder’s execution and accountability the assurance that their capital will generate measurable value and returns. By thoughtfully integrating constructive feedback, provided it aligns with the company’s long-term vision, he builds credibility as a leader focused on continuous improvement. This approach not only strengthens trust with investors but also reinforces his reputation for innovation, discipline, and results-driven growth in the EdTech ecosystem.

AI Revolution

Kyle Mathis believes that artificial intelligence will be the most transformative force shaping the future of global language learning. Tools such as ChatGPT and Perplexity, he explains, are already redefining how educators and learners interact creating smarter, more adaptive, and accessible learning environments.

In his perspective, the integration of AI technologies has the potential to revolutionize education systems worldwide, ensuring continuity and safety even in times of crisis, as seen during the COVID-19 pandemic. By embracing these innovations, he envisions a future where technology not only enhances linguistic education but also fosters a more resilient, inclusive, and personalized learning ecosystem for students everywhere.

Visibility Through Service

He views media representation not as a pursuit of personal recognition but as a strategic opportunity to serve customers and build trust. For him, every feature or publication serves as a platform to communicate his mission authentically and connect with audiences who resonate with his purpose.

Kyle Mathis believes that visibility gains meaning only when it drives impact, and that comes from leading with service rather than self-promotion. By sharing stories that highlight value, purpose, and measurable outcomes, he transforms media exposure into a tool for education and engagement proving that true influence in business is built through credibility, integrity, and contribution, not vanity.

Authentic Engagement

Kyle Mathis believes that consistent, high-quality content creation is essential for modern entrepreneurs seeking to build trust, reach, and authenticity in the digital era. By showing up regularly and delivering value-driven content, entrepreneurs strengthen their connection with audiences and demonstrate both expertise and reliability.

He emphasizes that authenticity emerges naturally when creators have a deep understanding of their subject matter, allowing them to communicate with confidence and purpose. Through this balance of consistency, knowledge, and sincerity, he views content creation as one of the most powerful tools for establishing long-term credibility and meaningful engagement in today’s competitive digital landscape.

Universal Language Access

Kyle Mathi’s long-term vision for World Linguistics is to expand global accessibility in language education and close the achievement gap by addressing the needs of diverse learners through technology-driven innovation. He aims to leverage tools such as Google Ads, Meta Ads, Zoom, andCanva to build a scalable, profitable, and inclusive learning platform that connects students worldwide with affordable, high-quality lessons.

He believes that while technology will continue to evolve, adaptability remains essential. As new tools emerge, World Linguistics will stay ahead by embracing change and integrating next-generation digital solutions to enhance user experience and educational impact.

At the core of his mission is a deep commitment to equity and human rights a belief that every individual, regardless of geography or background, deserves access to transformative education. By combining technology, global partnerships, and purposeful storytelling, he envisions a future where learning languages is not a privilege, but a universal right.

Also Read:- CIO Times Magazine for more information

5 Commercial Furniture Mistakes That Cost Restaurants More Than They Realize

Posted on by CIO Times

Menu quality and staffing get most of the attention during restaurant planning. Furniture decisions tend to get squeezed into the final stages, often with whatever budget remains. That habit is expensive. The wrong seating raises replacement costs, slows table turnover, and gives guests a quiet reason to choose somewhere else. These five Commercial Furniture Mistakes show up repeatedly across food service businesses, and each one carries a financial consequence that compounds well past the original purchase date.

Most Important Commercial Furniture Mistakes

1. Prioritizing Price Over Durability

1.1 Low Cost Rarely Stays Low

Affordable furniture feels like smart budgeting on paper. In a busy dining room, pieces built to residential standards rarely survive the daily load. Frames crack, joints loosen, and upholstery starts splitting within the first year.

Replacing chairs and tables every twelve to eighteen months costs considerably more than buying commercial-grade pieces from the start. Operators who skip that math often find themselves spending twice over, once on the original purchase and again on emergency replacements mid-season.

2. Ignoring the Local Climate and Environment

2.1 Materials React to Conditions

A humid coastal restaurant and a dry inland one need fundamentally different materials. Wood warps in moisture-heavy air. Certain metals rust faster than expected. Some upholstery fabrics trap heat or absorb humidity in ways that accelerate breakdown.

Operators sourcing commercial furniture in Dallas need to account for the region’s intense heat and strong sun exposure, especially for patio seating. UV-resistant finishes and moisture-tolerant frames are not optional extras in that climate; they are baseline requirements for pieces expected to last more than a single season.

3. Choosing Style Over Function

3.1 Aesthetics Do Not Replace Comfort

A chair that photographs well but offers no lumbar support is a liability in a dining room. Guests notice discomfort before they notice design, and that physical experience shapes whether they return.

3.2 Turnover Depends on Seating Design

Seat depth, chair height, and cushion firmness all send signals about pace. Fast-casual concepts benefit from firmer seating that naturally encourages guests to move along. Fine dining spaces need the opposite. Selecting furniture without considering service rhythm is a structural mismatch that affects revenue directly.

4. Overlooking Space Planning

4.1 Wrong Sizes Create Bottlenecks

Oversized furniture shrinks capacity and creates traffic problems. Pieces that are too small make a room feel bare and unwelcoming. Either outcome affects the guest experience in ways that are hard to reverse without a full reorder.

Accurate planning requires precise floor measurements and a realistic picture of staff movement patterns. Servers need clear paths between tables. Guests need enough separation to feel comfortable. Sorting these issues out before placing an order prevents costly reconfigurations down the line.

4.2 Flexibility Gets Overlooked

A fixed layout limits how well a space handles private events or seasonal volume swings. Stackable chairs and modular table configurations let operators reshape the floor without significant investment. For restaurants that host buyouts or see sharp seasonal peaks, that adaptability has a direct effect on revenue capacity.

5. Skipping Commercial-Grade Certifications

5.1 Certifications Signal Structural Reliability

The label “commercial furniture” does not guarantee consistent quality across suppliers. Certifications from bodies like the Business and Institutional Furniture Manufacturers Association confirm that pieces have been tested for load capacity, joint stability, and sustained daily use.

Purchasing uncertified pieces to trim costs creates real liability exposure. A chair that fails under a seated guest can result in an injury claim, and the legal and reputational costs of that scenario far outweigh any savings made at the point of purchase. Documentation should always be requested before finalizing supplier agreements.

Conclusion

These Commercial Furniture Mistakes share a common pattern: each one appears to save money or time in the short term, then surfaces as a larger problem months later. Durability gaps, climate mismatches, comfort trade-offs, poor sizing, and missing certifications all carry costs that show up long after the delivery date. Treating furniture as a considered investment, rather than a budget line to compress, leads to lower long-term spending, fewer operational disruptions, and a dining environment that holds up to the demands of daily service.


Also Read: – 8 Questions Worth Asking Before Trusting Any Furniture Store With a Major Purchase

Concrete Screws vs. Anchors: A Practical Guide for Masonry Fastening That Holds

Posted on by CIO Times

Masonry fastening seems routine until weight, base condition, and service demands start pulling against each other. Concrete screws and anchors both secure parts to brick, block, and poured concrete, yet each relies on a different holding method. That difference affects drilling, grip, removal, and long-term stability. A practical comparison helps crews avoid fractured edges, loose supports, and wasted labor. Better choices also support safer mounting for rails, fixtures, pipe clamps, and light structural hardware.

Why the Choice Matters

A poor fastener choice can weaken the substrate, slow the crew, or complicate later repairs. On repeat masonry work, installers often compare hole size, holding action, and removal needs before ordering bulk concrete screws, because fixture swaps, service access, and layout changes all influence the right pick. Those factors matter most in concrete, brick, and block, where density shifts can alter grip, drilling speed, and long-term holding under moisture or vibration.

How Concrete Screws Hold

Concrete screws cut threads into a pre-drilled hole as they enter the masonry. That direct bite creates holding power without a sleeve, adhesive, or expansion clip. Many crews choose them for light to medium-duty attachments. Typical uses include conduit straps, framing track, electrical boxes, and support brackets. Removal is usually straightforward, which helps when alignment changes appear after rough-in or final placement needs correction.

How Anchors Hold?

Anchors depend on expansion, friction, or bonding inside the drilled opening. Wedge, sleeve, and adhesive styles each respond differently under tension and shear. Many anchor types handle heavier loads than screws can manage. That added strength often brings slower setup and tighter drilling tolerance. After placement, some versions are difficult to remove cleanly, which matters when repair access or future replacement is part of the plan.

Substrate Changes the Decision

Base material should guide the first choice before diameter or head style enters the discussion. Poured concrete usually provides the most predictable grip. Hollow block can reduce the effective holding area, especially with expansion products. Brick varies by age, firing, and density. Stone may drill slowly and chip near edges. A fastener that performs well on one surface may lose strength or damage another.

Installation Time and Tool Needs

Concrete screws need a correctly sized pilot hole and steady driving pressure. Many boxes include the matching bit, which reduces guesswork at the site. Anchors can involve extra steps, such as inserting sleeves, setting wedges, or waiting for the adhesive to cure. That difference affects labor more than unit price on many jobs. Faster installation matters when crews repeat the same attachment across long runs.

Serviceability After the First Install

Future access often separates a smart selection from a short-term fix. Concrete screws can usually be removed with standard tools, which helps during maintenance or repositioning. Many anchors, by contrast, remain in place after hardware comes off. That can leave metal inside the wall or force another hole nearby. For facility work, serviceability can be as important as initial holding strength.

Moisture, Coating, and Wear

Corrosion resistance deserves close attention wherever water, cleaning agents, or outdoor exposure can reach the fastener. Coated concrete screws are common for general masonry work, and ceramic finishes are often chosen for added protection. Some anchor materials also resist corrosion well, though exact performance depends on alloy and setting method. A firm hold means little if rust reduces thread contact or weakens exposed hardware over time.

When Screws Make More Sense

Concrete screws fit projects that need speed, clean removal, and consistent light to medium-duty holding. They work well for repeated installs where crews standardize a few lengths and diameters. That approach simplifies inventory control and cuts sizing errors. In non-cracked concrete and in many block applications, they offer a useful balance of grip, labor savings, and later access without extra setting parts.

When Anchors Earn the Extra Work

Anchors make sense where higher loads, sustained tension, or stricter structural demands push past a screw’s practical range. Heavy rail supports, large equipment mounts, and critical safety connections often justify the extra installation effort. Proper embedment, spacing, and edge distance become especially important in those cases. A stronger system on paper still needs the right substrate and clean drilling to perform as expected.

Conclusion

The best masonry fastener is rarely the strongest item in a catalog. It is the one that matches load, surface condition, installation pace, and future service needs without adding unnecessary complications. Concrete screws offer speed, clean thread cutting, and easier removal for many everyday tasks. Anchors remain useful where heavier demands require more aggressive holding action. Careful selection keeps each attachment secure, efficient, and easier to trust over time.

Also Read:- Cio Times Magazine for more information

Belle Lenz Joins TLC to Drive Strategic Communications Growth

Posted on by CIO Times

Veteran communications executive Belle Lenz has joined TLC (Toni Lee Communications) as President, marking a significant leadership expansion for the independent communications consultancy as it continues to experience strong client growth and organizational momentum. With nearly three decades of industry presence, TLC has built a reputation for delivering strategic public relations and integrated communications solutions, and Lenz’s appointment further strengthens the agency’s leadership capabilities during a period of accelerated evolution within the communications industry.

In her new role, Lenz will work closely with agency clients as a senior strategic advisor, helping organizations navigate brand positioning, reputation management, executive visibility, thought leadership, and integrated communications planning. She will also collaborate with internal account teams to develop impactful public relations programs designed to align business objectives with long-term brand credibility and audience engagement.

Strengthening Strategic Communications Leadership

Lenz brings extensive experience across global communications, media strategy, and brand development. Before joining TLC, she served as Senior Vice President and Head of Global Communications at IPG’s Mediahub, where she played a key role in supporting the agency’s transformational growth and international expansion under IPG Mediabrands. Her leadership contributed to strengthening Mediahub’s industry visibility, positioning, and market influence during a period of significant organizational development.

Throughout her career, Lenz has also held senior communications and marketing positions with globally recognized organizations including iProspect, Dentsu, and Havas Media. Beginning her journey in boutique public relations agencies in New York, she developed a strong foundation in storytelling, media relations, and strategic communications before evolving into leadership roles within large-scale global agency environments.

A Modern Perspective on Public Relations

According to Toni Lee, Founder and CEO of TLC, Lenz’s ability to deeply understand client businesses and connect communications strategy with measurable business impact makes her a valuable addition to the agency’s leadership team. Her expertise spans not only traditional public relations but also integrated communications strategies that support long-term organizational growth and reputation building.

Lenz also emphasized the growing importance of strategic communications in today’s rapidly changing digital environment. She highlighted that in an era increasingly shaped by artificial intelligence and content saturation, earned media and authentic storytelling have become essential differentiators for brands seeking credibility, discoverability, and lasting trust among audiences and decision-makers.

Supporting TLC’s Continued Growth

As the communications landscape continues to evolve, TLC remains focused on helping brands create meaningful visibility through strategic public relations and integrated marketing initiatives. The appointment of Belle Lenz reflects the agency’s broader commitment to strengthening leadership expertise while continuing to deliver thoughtful, business-driven communications strategies for clients across industries.

With her extensive agency experience, strategic insight, and reputation-focused approach, Belle Lenz is expected to play a pivotal role in shaping the next phase of growth and innovation at TLC.

Also Read:- Top 10 Telecom Companies in the US

Top 10 Telecom Companies in the US

Posted on by CIO Times

The US Telecom industry is transforming faster than ever. From ultra-fast 5G networks to nationwide broadband expansion, leading providers are transforming how people connect, work, and stream every day. As demand for seamless digital experiences continues to rise, competition among telecom companies has become more intense than ever. In the context of telecom companies, according to the Pew Research Center, most Americans now depend heavily on smartphones and the internet as digitalization is growing.

This growing digital reliance is pushing providers to deliver at faster speeds, stronger coverage, and smarter solutions across the country. Today, we are here to discuss which brands truly dominate the telecom sector in 2026. Read on:

The Best 10 Telecom Companies in the US

Top 10 Telecom Companies in the US | CIO Times Magazine

1. AT&T

Headquarters: Texas, USA

Founded: 1885

No of Employees: 1,33,030

Revenue:  US$125.65 billion

Having grown into a conglomerate company, AT&T is a pioneer of a wide range of communication services when it comes to telecom companies in the US list. This goes without saying, actually. Not only in the US, but around the world, its services include data or broadband services, wireless communications, managed networking, and digital video services. As of now, it is the dominant communication company and provider of mobile phone services in the US.  

Top 10 Telecom Companies in the US | CIO Times Magazine

2. Verizon

Headquarters: New York

Founded: 1983

No of Employees: 89,900

Revenue:  US$138.2 billion

In the list of telecom companies in the US, this one is a healthy competitor to AT&T. It has the second-largest telecom network in terms of revenue figures. It has an unshifted focus on everyday consumers; it offers mobile services, prepaid plans, broadband internet, and smart devices. In the stock market, this one is regarded as a reliable, dividend-yielding stock. But carries some amount of risk according to market functioning. It is a flagbearer of ESG principles that focus on digital inclusion, bridging the digital divide, and transitioning toward net-zero operations.

Top 10 Telecom Companies in the US | CIO Times Magazine

3. Comcast Corporation

Headquarters: Philadelphia

Founded: 1963

No of Employees: 1,79,000

Revenue: US$123.7 billion

Considering the telecom companies, Comcast Corporation is a technology, global media, and telecommunications organization leading through two core divisions: Connectivity & Platforms. These include smartphones, internet, and cable TV. It also includes content experiences like studios, theme parks, & streaming. The defining trait can be highlighted as its ownership of both a distribution network and the content they themselves sell. This strategy allows the company to have authority over the entire value chain, from production to the consumers’ viewing.  

Top 10 Telecom Companies in the US | CIO Times Magazine

4. T-Mobile US

Headquarters: Washington, US.

Founded: 1994

No of Employees: 75,000

Revenue: US$88.3 billion

Known for its Un-carrier strategy, this is one of the most famous wireless companies in the US. Debunking the conventional obligations, the organization started crafting simpler, cheaper, and more customer-friendly plans. Initiating this strategy in 2013, this became a competitive advantage for the company & saved a lot of customers from frustrations. It permitted customers to upgrade phones seamlessly as it eliminated long-term contracts, reduced hidden costs, and offered unlimited data plans.

Top 10 Telecom Companies in the US | CIO Times Magazine

5. CenturyLink

Headquarters: Louisiana, US

Founded: 1930

No of Employees: 25,000

Revenue: US$17.48 billion

The company primarily provides telecommunication and IT services and functions as a brand and a subsidiary of Lumen Technologies. It grew through acquisitions while it absorbed major telecom companies like Embarq and Qwest. The parent company changed its name officially to be known as Lumen Technologies and maintained CenturyLink as a small business & consumer brand. It is well recognized for high-speed fiber optic and DSL internet, digital voice (landline/VoIP), and TV services to residential and small business customers.    

Top 10 Telecom Companies in the US | CIO Times Magazine

6. Dish Network

Headquarters: Colorado, US

Founded: 1980

No of Employees: 14,200

Dish Network is one of the prominent telecom companies in the US. It became widely known for delivering affordable satellite TV services, especially in the rural and remote areas where cable connectivity was limited. Over these years, the organization expanded beyond television through streaming platforms like Sling TV and wireless services such as Boost Mobile. 

Top 10 Telecom Companies in the US | CIO Times Magazine

7. Sprint Corporation

Headquarters: Kansas, US

Founded: 1899

No of Employees: 28,500

Revenue:  US$33.60 billion

Popularly known as Sprint, it is one of the telecom companies that provides telecommunications services and is a web access supplier. It has a client base of 59.7 million clients, being the versatile system administrator. It also offers remote voice, messaging, and broadband services through its different brands under the Boost Mobile, Virgin Mobile, and Assurance Wireless brands.   

Top 10 Telecom Companies in the US | CIO Times Magazine

8. Qualcomm

Headquarters: San Diego

Founded: 1985

No of Employees: 52,000

Revenue: US$44.28 billion

A leading American telecommunications and semiconductors company known for driving innovation in wireless technology. It has become a key player in the global telecom ecosystem through its advanced mobile processors, 5G infrastructure technologies, and wireless communication solutions. It is best known for powering many of the world’s smartphones with its Snapdragon processors while also contributing significantly to the development of 5G connectivity. Among the list of telecom companies, Qualcomm supports faster mobile networks, improved device performance, and more reliable digital communication across industries.

Top 10 Telecom Companies in the US | CIO Times Magazine

9. US Cellular

Headquarters: Chicago, Illinois, US

Founded: 1983

No of Employees: 4,800

Revenue: US$4.02 billion

The organization claims to be the fifth biggest remote broadcast communications organization in the United States. It is consistent in maintaining a client base of 5 million across 426 markets in the 23 US states. It also has its own central command in Chicago, Illinois. It started as an auxiliary of Telephone and Data Systems (TDS), Inc., which still possesses an 84% stake. In the list of telecom companies in the US, it stands out due to its commitment to improving connectivity in underserved communities. The company has consistently invested in network modernization, expanded 5G capabilities, and enhanced mobile experiences to support the growing digital needs of consumers and businesses alike. 

Top 10 Telecom Companies in the US | CIO Times Magazine

10. Cox Communications

Headquarters: Atlanta, GA, US

Founded: 1962

No of Employees: 20,000

Revenue: US$80 billion

Cox Communications has emerged as one of the most influential broadband and telecom companies in the United States, delivering advanced internet, digital entertainment, smart home, and business communication solutions to millions of customers nationwide. As a privately owned company with decades of industry experience, it has built a strong reputation for combining technological innovation with customer-focused connectivity services.

The company’s continued investments in fiber-powered broadband infrastructure and next-generation network capabilities have contributed significantly to improving digital accessibility across American communities. From supporting remote work and virtual education to enabling seamless streaming and cloud-based business operations, it plays a vital role in strengthening everyday digital experiences.

Also Read:- Telecom: Telecommunications or Telecom is the exchange of information

About CIO Times

CIO Times is a print and digital media platform that curate’s opinions, outlooks, and visions about the industries from their leaders. We strive to serve as a one-stop, reliable source of information from the industries we cater to and showcase their growth opportunities.
Linkedin X-twitter Facebook Instagram Youtube

Latest Exclusive Interview

Women's Empowerment

Connect With Us

Chat with sales

Email : info@theciotimes.com
accounts@theciotimes.com
Phone : +1 302-956-9636

Legal

© 2026 CIO Times Media and Tech LLC