Sometimes you Gotta Look Fear in the Face to be a Braver, More Effective Leader.
I love to test my limits. I am not a risk taker by nature. I grew up in an environment where risk taking was not overly encouraged. Safe choices were the norm.
Yet the woman who raised me was extremely brave. My mother, a single mom, for many years had a risky life – not by her own choice. Circumstance put her there. She bravely raised me and figured stuff out as life propelled her forward. She didn’t have time to evaluate things deeply. She had to find a job quickly to support us after my dad left. She did what she had to do.
Safe choices she made were likely her only option most of the time. I get it now. Being practical was a survival strategy.
My life has luckily been different. I have a supportive husband who encourages me to be a risk taker. So has my mom since I have become an adult. Being happy is more important then being safe now.
Microsoft Canada invited me and the members of my community in Toronto to attend View from the Cloud Event where we were invited to participate in the CN Tower Edge Walk.
At first I declined the sky walk portion as I was too scared. However in the end, I decided that it was important to take advantage of the opportunity to do this amazing walk. When would I have such an amazing opportunity again? It was the right decision. The sky line at dusk was absolutely incredible. My all women team of walkers were just as blown away as I was by the sheer beauty of the experience. It was scary at first but slowly I become more comfortable with my fear (fear of heights) and trusted in the safety of the experience. CN Tower folks take our safety very serious.
Safety and Protection Always Comes First at Microsoft:
I have been using the Microsoft Cloud now for over a year now. I regularly use One Drive to store my files and share with my team.
We also use Yammer to manager our projects and to connect with our community. (think Facebook for Business)
I guess you can say I have been a successful early adopter of technology from day one. Microsoft execs spoke at length about the amazing security that surrounds the Cloud (the area that stores the Cloud precious data actually has a moat around it – like mid evil days!).
I have actually always felt safe and understand the extent which my data is kept safe (I almost find their safety measures too much at times but after the Apple leak I get why they are extra protective).
So Why are CANADA’S SMALL BUSINESSES Afraid? Lack of Understanding….
The Microsoft survey also revealed a significant split in perceptions and engagement on cloud-based solutions between small business and larger-sized enterprises:
- The Microsoft Canada survey found 65 per cent of senior executives do not feel secure in sharing their business data and information with a cloud services provider;
- Almost three-quarters (72 per cent) would be uncomfortable sharing confidential strategic plans in the cloud;
- 45 per cent feel their company’s information would be downright “unsafe” in the cloud.
- Overall, 43 per cent of Canadian business executives believe that the cloud is really only for large organizations – among small businesses, 45 per cent agree with that perception;
- 61 per cent of small business executives say they are not involved in or even talking about moving to cloud computing in their company, versus roughly three-quarters (74 per cent) of medium and large-sized business leaders who are;
- Execs at four in ten small companies (36 per cent) generally don’t know what cloud services are used for;
- And one-quarter of small business executives admit to “not having a clue” what cloud computing really is or does.
What’s Next ?
On October 20th, Microsoft announced the new G-series virtual machines, which, along with Premium Storage, will enable customers to run the most demanding workloads in the largest virtual machines available in the public cloud today. The Microsoft Cloud Platform System, powered by Dell, is the next step in hybrid cloud and brings Azure to the datacenter. In addition the Azure Marketplace offers a new way for startups and ISVs to connect with enterprises and Azure customers everywhere so their innovative solutions can be deployed in just a few clicks. Microsoft will announce that all Office 365 subscribers will receive unlimited OneDrive storage at no additional cost. Microsoft also announced yesterday that all Office 365 subscribers will receive unlimited OneDrive storage at no additional cost.
To learn more about Microsoft’s Cloud Solutions, register for the Microsoft Cloud & Mobility Summit: www.cloudandmobilitysummit.com
