Today, we're celebrating National IT Professionals Day to show our appreciation for those who work tirelessly in Information Technology! National IT Professionals Day was started over 20 years ago to honor the hardworking professionals who work endlessly to keep our systems running. Through their contributions, from curating software solutions, to maintaining hardware systems, to troubleshooting all sorts of complex network issues, IT professionals are crucial to any company across the globe. Thank you for all that you do and continue to do!
To celebrate National IT Professionals Day, we interviewed Palo Alto Networks' Hanford Choy on his role within IT. Read on to learn more..
Welcome, Hanford! Can you give us a brief bio on yourself, your position and career thus far?
HC: I’m a Palo Alto Networks Product Manager for Customer Support Portal, which is an exciting role as we transition CSP from an under-appreciated SaaS tool into a competitive weapon for PANW.
Q: What made you decide to get into the IT field?
HC: I was an unhappy, under enthused undergrad at Cal Poly, majoring in Electrical Engineering, when I took one introductory computer science class, learning how to write software. I was instantly hooked. With techniques such as functional decomposition and stepwise refinement, I learned to build big projects.
While building each software component, in my mind’s eye, I found I could literally see blocks of code being added to a house under construction - block by block. This metaphor also helped me understand the need to build a solid foundation to support useful aesthetically pleasing walls and windows – all simply by typing on a keyboard.
This excitement, and later when I began to build complex products as a Product Manager, remains with me today. My heart rate beats a little faster when I sit at my keyboard to write code, talk to customers before writing a Product Requirements Document, developing UI mocks, or seeing the glee in customers’ eyes when I introduce them to software my team built.
Surprisingly, my heart rate also beats a little faster when I became an engineering manager, mentoring my team to build software that provides solid value and benefits. I love working with software engineers, who are more often than not, among the smartest people I know. I love getting them excited about helping customers.
I shudder to think what my decades-long career would have been like if it were not for that first programming class.
Q: Describe two things that you enjoy about working in IT.
HC: I especially enjoy writing Product Requirements Documents, to solve customers’ pain points from scratch. Being in the business of innovation, I start with a blank piece of digital paper, and begin to walk customers’ journeys to experience what they experience.
Using the same techniques I learned from building complex software systems, I build each PRD block by block. Designing UI mocks helps me understand the customer experience and their pain points.
Stepwise refinement teaches me if I run into a wall, I can back out, attack a problem differently, which may, or may not, lead to a solution and possibly a different architecture. Without these tools, though, I can’t fathom how I would be able to build enterprise-class solutions to remove customers’ pain points.
I also love talking to customers, which is more akin to a crime scene investigator than a product management interview. Customers often don’t understand why they get frustrated, or how to translate their frustration into working software. Root cause is often hidden behind layers of unintended obfuscation by prior product managers and developers, or more likely, teams trying to build software too quickly. Asking “five whys” questions is a good go-to tool, and a heavy dose of empathy never hurts. I love my job!
Q: What’s a misconception that people often have about IT professionals?
HC: A common misconception is IT professionals are one-dimensional nerds. We’re as diverse as any cohort. One of my colleagues races motorcycles competitively. Others are amazing musicians. Another is an imaginative and innovative foodie who can whip up fine cuisine to rival high-end restaurants. I love martial arts, competed as a black belt in one of the first tournaments to combine strikes and grappling before MMA. I’m also learning from my foodie friend to up my Food Network culinary skills.
Q: What do you enjoy doing in your spare time?
HC: Golf. Like martial arts, the more I’m relaxed, the better my golf, which belies the advantage I get if I’m able to somehow generate the force to hit 300 yard drives. Just a little stress, which might come simply from being in a tournament, can cause havoc in my golf swing. The mental discipline to lower my golf handicap is an exciting endeavor.
Thank you to Hanford Choy for a glimpse into his IT world and a big thanks to all the hardworking IT individuals and teams who are essential for keeping their employees, partners and customers around the world running smoothly!
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