Meet Matt Valentine, MD of Aruba UK&I
Matt Valentine is the Managing Director at Aruba UK&I.
How do you set yourself apart from other businesses in your industry?
Well, Aruba was originally founded in Santa Clara, California, in 2002 before we saw the opportunity for Aruba to run the networking arm of Hewlett Packard Enterprise. Hence the acquisition in 2015. Continuing that legacy of Silicon Valley entrepreneurial spirit and innovation has been key to our ongoing culture in Aruba.
Today, it’s our mission to deliver innovative solutions that harness the power of data at the Edge, where we see data is made and used. As such, a major focus of ours has been the development of our edge-to-cloud security integration for the Aruba Edge Services Platform (ESP).
With ESP customers can apply granular-level, identity-based security policy from edge to cloud and safely connect and protect both users and devices. This enables new business outcomes and dynamic customer and user experiences, to unlock our customer’s ideas, whilst keeping them secure.
What’s the most common problem your customers approach you with?
At the moment the most common problem is helping customers to reimagine their workplace as they rekindle a sense of what normality is now. Customers know that the world of work has evolved, and for many, it is an opportunity to innovate. The question after what workspace needs to look like is how will companies uncover new market opportunities faster and more effectively than their competition.
We also get feedback that a high proportion of workers want to work hybrid for the foreseeable future. So, our goal is to see how we can help make that work for customers and our own business, and how can we help IT deliver a more distributed, remotely automated, and secure network.
How does technological advancement speak to the strategic direction of your business?
Innovation has always been the heart of HPE and Aruba’s culture. We have aimed for a mix of approaches, as the pace of disruption and opportunity for technological advancement has gone hand in hand in recent years. I see a set of strategic enablers to achieve this, that others can also consider:
Fostering internal innovation is core to our DNA – we look at near term and long-term opportunities and align R&D budget to achieve those objectives in house.
Enter into Corporate Ventures to help identify the best-emerging start-ups. In today's fast-changing technology marketplace, most companies can't reinvent a diverse portfolio fast enough to keep pace. To harness a broader innovation ecosystem, we designed and launched Pathfinder, a venture investment and partnership program.
Uncover relevant acquisitions to strengthen capabilities and acquire innovation. Aruba has made several acquisitions that are directly aligned with our strategy and bolster our portfolio for the benefit of our customers, and competitive differentiation.
What are some ways in which you are breaking data and analytics to find opportunity / strengthen processes?
Typically, customers are exploring location services to improve employee and customer experiences, whilst improving productivity. The use cases are far-reaching here but range from simple ideas like finding your way to complex use cases like creating fully automated ticketless, cashless, tailored experiences and itineraries for a customer’s visit.
Another way we’ve been strengthening processes has been through the introduction of Aruba ESP, the industry’s first AI-powered, cloud-native platform that predicts and resolves problems at the network edge before they happen. The platform was built on AIOps, Zero Trust network security and a Unified Infrastructure for workers no matter their location be that campus, data centre, branch or remote. It can continuously analyse data across domains, identifying anomalies and self-optimising. It is the culmination of years of innovation and R&D.
How have you seen the need for richer analytics and data evolve over the years?
Undoubtedly. Collecting and using data to good effect is now vital to any organisation’s agility. I see many organisations evolving what I call a ‘proof of value’ from the data they can collect. That is, to turn it into meaningful advancement for customers of their organisation – or to make more informed choices.
We now refer to Connect, Protect, Analyse and Act in the latest solutions we are generating for customers.
What can other companies learn from good practices in agile software development to get better in creating value?
It’s the key from turning your business from static to dynamic. It’s also about the speed at which you can implement new ideas and features via your software tools. I see this in how Aruba has evolved Aruba Central, our cloud management system as an example. We have been able to accelerate the release of remote management, monitoring and deployment tools that were previously performed on-site. It’s a simple example of why your in-house, or chosen partners software development, becomes essential.
What advice would you give to other companies wanting to harness the power of technology to create a positive impact?
You have to get the fundamentals right. By this, I mean making sure technology like your network is up to scratch. This is especially true now, as through necessity many of us work remotely. Many companies have upended the idea that working location is tied to a formal office.
I also see greater demand for the customer’s network infrastructure. For companies to even begin thinking about harnessing technology they first must make sure their employees working remotely have the same enterprise-level experience as those working in the office, and that customers can access applications and services in key locations to interact with your services, or research and buy your products.
Hiring the right team is vital in any business. What are your top three tips for hiring and developing engineering talent?
I think you are right. So, my hiring tips are;
Blend your workforce with a balance of experience and up and coming talent. The diversity of thinking will benefit your organisation to unlock different ideas, alongside providing a breadth of knowledge on industry topics and legacy deployments.
Ongoing training is an essential part. Although it has to be tailored to the specific needs of the team, otherwise they won’t spend their time on the development opportunities you invest in.
Finally, you have to offer opportunities to foster innovation in your culture. Good ideas can come from anywhere in an organisation, so be open minded. It is also important to make sure to recognise employee’s work – they want to see their contributions acknowledged and praised. If you don’t they’ll look towards greener pastures.
I would add that for new ventures, timing is also key. A great idea implemented at the right time is a real win/win to generate value for your organisation or revenue from the top talent in your engineering teams.
