Back in September, StorMagic announced that it had appointed a new CEO – Danial Beer. Danial comes to StorMagic with more than 25 years of senior management experience in the global software industry, where he successfully transformed and grew numerous multinational software companies and divisions. He previously held executive positions at GFI Software, YOUI Labs, and IBM.
We spent some time getting to know our new CEO, both professionally and personally, and finding out more about his vision and goals for StorMagic. Read on to learn more…
Q: Welcome to StorMagic Danial! What are your top three priorities as CEO of StorMagic for the next 12 months?
A: StorMagic has tremendous strengths – a massive multi-billion dollar market with a mid-double digit CAGR, uniquely differentiated products that work exceptionally well, and marquee customers that validate our position and on which to build. The things we require for growth are a) growth funding, b) strategic focus, and c) operational excellence. Those are the immediate priorities. As a fourth, I would equally add people – hire, retain, motivate, and develop.
Q: With edge computing being one of the main markets that StorMagic develops solutions and services for, what is the most significant trend you expect to see in the edge computing market in 2022?
A: Decentralized or edge computing was often chosen just to reduce reliance on network links (availability, bandwidth, etc.), not to replace the “smarts” at the center, such as analytics (often via AI and ML). But driven by IoT and 5G, as well as the general explosive growth in data, processing and analytics (again ML and AI) at the edge will become increasingly refined to push decisions to the edge in real time.
Q: And, looking specifically at StorMagic, where do you see the company in five years?
A: StorMagic will be a leading “data” company, not just storage. We will have deep capabilities to store, use (including analyze), and protect data, forever.
Q: Exciting times! On to your background – what’s the best professional advice you’ve ever received?
A: Don’t be the smartest person in the room. Success is built on teams, and good leaders understand they need to surround themselves with exceptional people that challenge, augment and help the collective grow. You cannot individualistically drive everything, and scale. So be confident, yet humble enough to not be intimidated by equal or greater talent.
Q: Great advice! Tell us about your first job.
A: My first job was designing and building major infrastructure – airports, bridges, transit. I spent the first four years of my career as a Civil Engineer in a consulting engineering firm.
Q: Lastly, what do you like to do on the weekends?
A: Leisure time is all about family and being active. Winter it’s skiing and hockey, summer it’s lakeside at the cottage, paddle boarding, water skiing and swimming.
We are excited to have Danial onboard and look forward to seeing the impact he has on StorMagic and how he will help us continue to grow. Click here to learn more about StorMagic, Danial Beer, and the rest of our Executive Leadership Team.
