On the lighter side of things, we ask Anthony Daniel, Regional Director – Australia, New Zealand and Pacific Islands, WatchGuard Technologies, what makes him tick.
What would you describe as your most memorable achievement?
Making the President’s Club for the first time back in 2011, while working for Vocus, was a big deal for me. In the sales game, it’s the highest of the highs and nothing is more rewarding than receiving that recognition. I strive to get there every year if I can and have managed it four times since, most recently in 2019, while working for SolarWinds. My aim will be continue to add on to the previous successes each year moving forward.
What first made you think of a career in technology?
Growing up, technology was massive in my household. My older brother was one of the first to have the Nokia 1011 mobile. It was a big brick but, back in 1992, the coolest thing ever.
When he left it on the table, I’d go and play around with it. There wasn’t anything you could do besides make calls but having it in your hand and walking around with it was a buzz. I still have a drawers full of old model mobile phones.
Then, in high school, there was a subject called information and technology and in one of the lessons we covered Silicon Valley. A video was shown and talked about Paul Allen and Bill Gates and how they created Microsoft, and Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak with Apple, and Larry Ellison with Oracle. I was inspired by their mix of innovation, creativity and business acumen, and after that, I started being a bit of a geek.
What style of management philosophy do you employ with your current position?
I believe in empowering my team by setting clear objectives and metrics for success, and then working collaboratively with them to create programs and implement tactics that will help achieve our goals. It’s important to take your team on a journey and this helps achieves their goals and the business objectives.
What do you think is the current hot technology talking point?
Cybersecurity, automation and integration and cloud migration. Cybersecurity is number one. People knew it was important a couple of years ago but they weren’t motivated to act. Now, hackers are getting smarter and we’re seeing a lot of breaches. With the US government issuing executive orders about improving national cybersecurity, companies are realizing things are getting pretty serious and you have to have a solution.
How do you deal with stress and unwind outside the office?
Going to the gym five or six times a week helps me switch off and focus on myself. I love weight training and basketball, which I try to play at least twice a week. Last year was my final year playing state League; now it is just scrimmaging with friends on Sundays and playing Wednesday nights for a local club.
I also enjoy sampling new cuisines and cultures. A few years back when I had my first trip to Singapore, I was able to experience their chilli mud crab and if you are a fan of seafood I do recommend it with their Singapore slinger as a drink on the side.
If you could go back and change one career decision, what would it be?
All careers have their ups and downs, but the key is to learn as much as possible along the way. I’m very happy with where I’m at today, and wish that I’d gotten into sales a little sooner because I enjoy it so much. My career began as a network engineer, first at a telecoms company, and then at Oracle.
When the opportunity to join WatchGuard became available it was a no brainer for me. The business is a well-recognized network and computer security vendor with over 25 years’ experience in providing the best of its class from network to endpoint security.
What do you currently identify as the major areas of investment in your industry?
Cybersecurity is going off. We’re seeing everyone from SMEs to enterprise customers investing in firewalls and multi-factor authentication and endpoint security. Industries that have historically regarded themselves as low risk have stopped being complacent. That’s good because hackers aren’t biased. Data is data, and no company is too small to be hacked or held to ransom. Solutions such as our WatchGuard Passport allow users to authenticate, protect and prevent attacks from hitting networks and support businesses to protect their intellectual property.
What are the region specific challenges when implementing new technologies in APAC?
My region at WatchGuard is Australia and New Zealand. One of the historical challenges, at least where cybersecurity was concerned, was persuading companies to focus on benefits rather than cost. A lot of companies as a whole were short-sighted and didn’t want to spend the money but eventually it gets to the point where they realize they’re vulnerable and have to act. Considering the advanced threats companies face today, the bare minimum is simply not enough. Enterprises need to implement security from network to endpoint, giving a multi-layer security solution in place. This will assist and at least be a good foundation for companies to be future proof.
What changes to your job role have you seen in the last year and how do you see these developing in the next 12 months?
Not having face to face interaction with staff and partners, and our customers, has been the biggest thing. It’s been good to be able to carry on doing business virtually but seeing people in person fosters a different sort of business relationship. There are no screen freezes or dodgy connections and you can really see how business is going and get a feel for how you can assist.
Hopefully, the vaccine roll-out will allow us to get back to semi-normality and I’ll be able to resume that contact. As soon as it becomes feasible, I’ll be traveling to every state in Australia, going to New Zealand and catching up with my boss at WatchGuard’s Seattle headquarters.
What advice would you offer to someone aspiring to obtain a C-level position in your industry?
Gain industry experience early and make sure you love the industry. Having a great mentor is also really important. My former boss from my telco industry days showed me the ropes, in terms of managing a team and a business; she helped me to understand how a good leader leverages all the elements of an organization and gets everyone working together to achieve an outcome. And my father’s example has always inspired me. He came to Australia in early 1970s, saved up to buy a service station and worked six days a week for 45 years. A work ethic like his will take you a long way.
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