John Wynn, Founder of Alto IT
"I have been passionate about technology all of my life and I remember from an early age watching Tomorrows World, marvelling about a future of flying cars and robot helpers. Since that time, the world has seen an unprecedented rate of change and I continue to feel excited about the possibilities ahead of us. I read of new innovations on a daily basis, and I spend much of my time acting as a technology evangelist, spreading the word of how data & technology can help companies and individuals improve the things that matter most to them.
I have been lucky in being able to turn my passion for technology into a career, working in the IT sector for over 20 years. This career has spanned the private and public sector, provided a wide range of opportunities and experiences across many disciplines ranging from Development and System Administration to Enterprise Architecture and Consultancy. I have achieved an Honours Degree and a host of professional accreditation along the way, including TOGAF, Prince2, ITIL etc. A summary of my CV and career history can be found on LinkedIn.
If you have an interesting project you wish to discuss, please contact me. I am always happy to explore new ideas, to talk about how data & technology can support real work problems and I'm availible to chat about interesting problems and innovation trends over coffee."
Interests & Study
Through my work as an EA Consultant and also in my free time as a hobbyist, I continually test new technologies and review the latest business trends so that I may apply this knowledge to the challenges I encounter with Alto IT. A few of the recent themes that have struck a cord with me are discussed below.
Big Data & Analytics
Big data is a broad term for work with data sets so large or complex that traditional data processing applications are inadequate and therefore new distributed databases are needed. While working with a client recently, I had the opportunity to experiment with Hadoop and I was asked to built a Hortonworks cluster to explore the capabilities it could offer my client. I have also worked with a number of clints to build modern data platforms within Azure Analytics. My experience in this domain has allowed me to gain a detailed understanding the big data, the Hadoop ecosystem, and the Azure Platform. This knowledge helps me guide and inform client project, to deliver real world benefits, and to avoid many of the common pitfalls.
Customer Engagement & CRM
I have led CRM projects for a number of clients, working with Salesforce, SAP Hybris, Oracle Siebel etc. and I have witness it evolve from traditional on-prem solutions, to cloud based CRMs, to fully blown ecosystems in their own rights. Recently I worked with a client to expolore the adoption of Apttus and ServiceMax (two key salesforce partners) to understand the capabilities these solutions offer above and beyond the core Saleforce functionality. Apptus is built upon the force.com platform to provide a comprehensive CQP tool set, while ServiceMax (also built upon the Force.com platform) provides an extensive Field Service Management solution.
Self Governing Organisations
After reading Reinventing Organizations by Frederic Lalaux I have become interested in self governing teams and how they can help to create more productive (and happier) organisations. Governance models such as Holacracy recognise that authority and decision-making are best distributed throughout an organisation. Companies embracing these practices have seen agility, efficiency, transparency, innovation, moral and accountability improve within their organisations so I continue to study this area to understand the proposed model and how best it can be implemented.
Achievements & Hobbies
Outside of work I have a number of hobbies and interests that allow me to relax, well perhaps 'relax' is the wrong word as most of them are athletic endeavours but they provide me with an alternative challenge to my professional life. I like to run, swim and cycling regularly and I take part in competitions as often as time allows. I also enjoy walking my dog, skiing, snowboarding, playing squash and football.
In September 2015 I swam across the Solent to raise funds for The Oakley Waterman Foundation along with 24 other volunteers. We swam from Stokes Bay to Ryde via two shipping channel markers (Browndown and Motherbank). The distance was approximately 4.5 miles (if I had managed to swim in a straight line), and I completed the journey in just under 3 hours.
The table below details some of the events I have taken part in over the past few years. Alongside these competitions I aim to take part in the Parkrun on a weekly basis and my times are avilible on Parkrun. My competition times are also availible on The Power of 10 which is a really good site for running analysis.
| Date | Event | Distance | Time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019, Jan | Stubbington 10k | 10k | 39:39 | Tough race, dragged around by Jacob! |
| 2018, June | Parkrun | 5k | 19:05 | Netley summer course |
| 2016, Dec | Portsmouth Coastal Marathon | 26 miles | 3:43:09 | Running under a friends registration. Tough race! |
| 2016, Oct | Great South Run | 10 miles | 1:08:58 | Great conditions |
| 2016, June | Blenheim Triathlon | Sprint | 1:28:00 | Sunny and hot |
| 2015, Sept | Isle of Wight Swim | 7 km | 3:00:00 (ish) | Cold and windy with 1.5m swells |
| 2015, Aug | Applemore Triathlon | Sprint | 1:17:13 | Started wet, cleared during cycle |
| 2014, April | Southampton Half Marathon | 13 miles | 1:36:27 | Hilly run |
| 2010, Aug | Applemore Triathlon | Sprint | 1:30:00 | |
| 2009, Aug | Applemore Triathlon | Sprint | 1:33:12 | 1st Triathlon |
Fancy a Coffee?
If you require architectural guidance, you wish to embark on a new business transformation initiative or you just wish to discuss a future opportunity over coffee, Alto IT are here to help! Give us a call or send us an email and we will get back to you as soon as possible to discuss how we can work together to start realising your goals!