The Heller Report: Tech Leader Reading List: Call for recommendations!

Share your recommendations for the books you have recently read or listened to that have helped you as a business technology leader. We will publish a “recommended reading” list based on your responses in an upcoming issue.

Functionality is important. But it may not be the most important factor in selecting one system over another, argues Niel Nickolaisen, an IT advisor and Field CTO at Valcom Technologies. He writes: “The real question isn't whether a system can do what we need—it's whether we're evaluating the right things once functionality clears the bar. In my experience, most selection processes get this wrong.”

Homemade posters beseech neighbors for help in finding lost Luna and Kitty in towns all over. While microchips with owner data are a staple, a new AI-enabled system from Petco LoveLost, a free service from the pet supplies retailer, offers another means for reunions, The Washington Post reported. Owners share their pets’ photos and then “AI compares the pets’ features — including facial structure, coat pattern and ear shape — to photos of stray pets that have been spotted elsewhere,” the newspaper noted. It’s worked 200,000 times since 2021. Said one owner about her excited screams after receiving word that Sweetie, her Shih Tzu and Maltese mix was found: “The neighbors must’ve thought I was crazy."

Heller was recently retained to recruit a Chief Information Security Officer for Powerfleet, a global leader in the artificial intelligence of things (AIoT) software-as-a-service (SaaS) mobile asset industry. With more than 30 years of experience, Powerfleet unifies business operations through the ingestion, harmonization, and integration of data, irrespective of source, and delivers actionable insights to help companies save lives, time, and money. For this role, we identified Michael "Mick" Palmer, who most recently served as Vice President, Deputy Chief Information Security Officer at R1 RCM. Palmer holds B.S. and M.S. degrees from Roosevelt University. Congratulations, Mick!