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Ramon Casillas, VP–Technology at Cvent Inc., Talks the Pages to Creativity and Allure Take No Bargain

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Ramon Casillas, VP–Technology at Cvent Inc., Talks the Pages to Creativity and Allure Take No Bargain CYBAGETIMES Bringing life to work Issue 21 | November 2017 News Magazine of Cybage Software Pvt. Ltd. Winning Partnerships: In Conversation: Nandan Ramon Dasannacharya Casillas VP–Business Development VP–Technology, Cvent Inc. Customer Meet: Travel Diaries: CYNAPSE 2017 Destination Explorer EDITOR'S NOTE Dear Reader, Every quarter stepped into is an opportunity to learn, Customer Meet and Leadership Summit; the hallways a pedestal to aspire for, and a podium to elevate your of learning, shared knowledge, and more. achievements acquired with time. CybageTimes is here Getting in touch with our adrenaline-fueled once again—your window to the Cybagian world. Cybagians, read on to know more on Sri-Lankan To begin with, we bring to you CEO Arun Nathani’s treats, Filipino waters, and some daring adventure memorable words that convey his humble yet activities. Cybagians traverse through India and enriching beginnings. across international boundaries this edition. Ramon Casillas, VP–Technology at Cvent Inc., talks The pages to creativity and allure take no bargain. about his beliefs and his relationship with Cybage, and Diwali, our festival of lights, has left us in awe yet Nandan Dasannacharya, VP–Client Engagement at again! CybageAsha and CybageKhushboo are on the Cybage, gives his insights on business development road to change while WE Care is Cybage’s motto for and a glimpse into his family life. Move along the rails, wellness across Cybagian ranks. dear reader. And as we draw towards the end of another year, the What’s life without some good times? CybageTimes Cybage Annual Bash beckons us to come together. takes you through all the highlights of the workshops, It’s time to shake a leg and skip a heartbeat… events, team outings, and more! Turn, read, savor! Happy reading, folks! 03 20 From the CEO's desk News & Accolades 04 21 Winning Partnerships: Human Resources Ramon Casillas Department 06 22 Customer Corporate Social Meet 2017 Responsibility 08 24 In Conversation: Travel Diaries Nandan Dasannacharya 10 26 Leadership Summit 2017 In the Spotlight 12 28 Tripometer Sports 14 31 CONTENTS Festive Coverage Leisure 2 | CYBAGETIMES | November 2017 From CEO's Desk Four medical students were waiting in Lesson: Sometimes, we overanalyze The two episodes have clashing the examination hall for their professor conditions. We might be thinking lessons. Why? The intent of the story to arrive and administer the test. Ten too much, while the catch may be an was not to illustrate the perils of too minutes before the end of the test, obvious one. much or too little thinking. Instead, the she finally arrived, limping. After objective was to illustrate the triumph apologizing profusely for coming The four students felt shortchanged— of truth over deceit. so late, she added, “Since the exam they had studied so hard and yet failed duration is nearly over, today’s test the exam. They decided to get back at The first episode was architected by has only one question; moreover, I will their professor by giving her a taste of the professor. The query was based on make it easier by allowing you to use her own medicine. So, on the date of truth. Therefore a simple right answer Google. The question is: Diagnose the the next test, they covered themselves existed. The students orchestrated the reason for my limp!” with grease and dirt and arrived late, second episode. The situation was with only ten minutes left for the test triggered by a deceit. Hence there was The four students surfed the Net to end. On reaching the examination no correct answer. furiously for the probable causes. The hall, the students said they had been to first one diagnosed it as a skeletal a wedding the previous night and on Speakers of truth have one authentic deformity, the second one attributed the way back, they got a flat tire and version. Those who lie are confused it to neuromuscular imbalance, the had to push the car back to campus. between multiple bogus versions. third one concluded it’s septic arthritis, Sometimes, it is this quality that sets and the fourth one pronounced it as The professor listened to their tale of apart professors from students in the femoral epiphysis. woe and again offered a short ten- examination hall of life. minute test; only this time she puts “Everybody got it wrong”, the professor them in different classrooms. The smiled as she delivered their F grade, test had only one question: Which tire and added, “If I had a preexisting burst? Options: (a) Front Left (b) Front medical condition, I would have left Right (c) Back Left (d) Back Right. early to arrive in time for the exam. I Sincerely, am limping because the heel of my left Lesson: Sometimes, we don’t analyze Arun Nathani, CEO & MD shoe broke on the way.” situations. We might be thinking too little, and overlooking the catch. www.arunnathaniblog.com CYBAGETIMES | November 2017 | 3 Winning Partnerships AN ENGAGING In the ever-changing world of LEADER technology, how has your role evolved over the years? My role has changed a lot. I started as a Systems Integration Consultant, then a Developer, followed by Manager of DevOps and Quality Engineering teams, a champion for continuous improvement, and then an executive overseeing operations of hundreds of engineers in multiple offices across several countries. To be successful in software development, you need to be able to adapt to the changing landscape and the growth of your organization. What prime challenges do you face in your business? Any experience that you would like to share for the benefit of our readers? The biggest challenge for a successful organization is adapting to change. At Cvent, we have doubled our Technology team in two years. That is great news, but it comes with big challenges to maintain efficient operations. Someone Ramon Casillas is the Vice President of Technology at told me once that the maximum number Cvent Inc. of people you can use to efficiently , a leading provider of web-based software for the paint a door is two. You might want to meetings and events industry, since 2015. He is responsible go faster and add more people to the for the Global Program Management function and is in project, but you might end up slowing charge of the development process and project management it down. Similarly, as you grow at software development, you might not of over 60 sprint teams. He also overlooks technology realize that you are using your resources operations supporting budgeting, staff management, release inefficiently. So, whether it is process, management, and Technology Sales Engineering. training, or tooling, you have to monitor your landscape and ensure you adapt to Ramon joined MicroStrategy Inc. in 1999 and was associated changes to continue operating efficiently. with it for more than 14 years, working across progressively What, according to you, would be a senior roles from Director of Quality Engineering to Vice game-changing technology trend to President of Technology. He has an extensive experience of watch out for? more than 23 years in building enterprise software, leading I recently heard someone say that the direction of technology strategy and core development when you think about the future, you activities across various companies. He’s an engaging leader should not think about “what is going to change”, but “what is not going to with the proven ability to guide and mentor development change”, because serving the needs teams, solve challenges, and suggest and implement that are not going to change in 10 innovative solutions. years is where true innovation will come 4 | CYBAGETIMES | November 2017 from. With that in mind, and sticking to the enterprise software space, I think technologies that allow people to reduce the number of devices needed to do their jobs will potentially bring game-changing innovation. Wouldn’t it be great if all I needed to bring in my backpack while traveling would be a phone and headphones, and still do my work as if I were in my office? The key is in enabling the user to do all this without having to look at a tiny screen, fumble while typing on a tiny keyboard, or be limited to only some of the data he or she needs. What role do partners like Cybage play in contributing to Cvent’s success? Ramon with his family Cybage has been a great partner for Cvent. Our relationship allows us to react Have you visited India? If yes, how was your experience in terms of its culture, to business changes quickly. Whether it people, food, etc.? Any favorite city or place that you visited? is the need to accelerate a project and Yes, I have visited India twice so far, and I’m going back in January. I am originally from close a newly discovered market gap, or Mexico and I find a lot of similarities in India to what I see back home. I love the food respond to unexpected attrition, having and the people here. I have not had a lot of time to explore, but I look forward to a partner that can help you scale rapidly visiting more places and learning more about the country and its people in the future. and respond to change is critical. While building a team what are the Any message for young Cybagians? three main characteristics you look for? I would tell young Cybagians the same thing I tell my children. Find what you think you love to do and work hard to pursue your I always start with people skills. You opportunities in that area. Step up and own initiatives wherever want a team that has good tech skills, you feel there is a need that will help Cybage or its customers.
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