Dr. Robert Blumofe (Bobby), EVP and CTO of Akamai Technologies, discusses where the bar has been set for digital transformation at the enterprise level and how organisations globally can keep pace with those setting the gold standard. We also discuss how those lagging in their digital journey can catch up without exposing their security infrastructures to risk.
We talk about the pivotal role that Zero Trust plays in defending against increasing cyber-attacks in the new world of work. Finally, we explore why the centralised cybersecurity model underpinned by a centralised technology stack is no longer effective against cyber threats that increasingly originate from the edge of a network.
Akamai is a cloud company that helps companies build, deliver, and secure digital experiences. The company has more than 8,000 employees worldwide and, in 2021, generated $3.5 billion globally. More than 50% of the Fortune 500 use Akamai’s products and services, and its customers include the likes of Lufthansa, Airbnb, and Honda.
As CTO, he guides Akamai’s technology strategy to assess new market opportunities and new platforms for innovation, explore adjacent segments for the business, influence the development of standards, work with Akamai’s largest customers, and convene technology leaders within the company to catalyze innovation and represent Akamai’s technology vision in the marketplace.
Previously, he led Akamai’s Platform organization and Enterprise Division. In leading the Platform organization, he was responsible for developing and operating the distributed system underlying all Akamai products and services. As General Manager of the Enterprise Division, he was responsible for creating and market adopting products and services for major enterprises to secure and improve performance for their users and applications as they move to the cloud.
Blumofe joined Akamai in 1999 to lead the company’s first performance team. While serving as one of Akamai’s chief architects, he was instrumental in the early design and development of the Akamai Intelligent Edge Platform, which now handles trillions of Internet requests daily. He led all of Akamai’s Networks and Operations groups from 2004 to 2021.
Prior to Akamai, Blumofe was an Associate Professor of Computer Science at the University of Texas at Austin. He is widely published in the areas of algorithms and systems for highly distributed and parallel computing. He holds a Ph.D. in Computer Science from MIT and a Bachelor of Science degree from Brown University.
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