Most of all, I discovered that in order to succeed with a product, you must truly get to know your customers and build something for them.

Customers get vested in certain paradigms of computing, and those large vendors will try to keep those customers in those paradigms of computing for as long as possible. That's where you basically get the term cash cow.

The CMO is expected to spend more on technology than the CIO by 2017.

I don't look at business as a zero-sum game. I don't. I've never seen it play out that way in our industry, and I think you innovate and you add value, deliver value back to customers, and you get value back from the world.

If there wasn't any competition, I'd be very worried, because it would mean we were not doing very well.

Learning how to interact with customers is something that anyone starting any business must master. It's an amazing opportunity to be able to learn the ropes at an established company and then employ your expertise at your own company.

Philanthropy isn't just about big gifts; it's about participation. It is about the grace that comes from working together.