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Friday 10th February 2012

From “didn’t have a clue” to “all about DB2”

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From “didn’t have a clue” to “all about DB2”

Posted by Guest Blogger 18 August 2010 Careers |  Guest blogger |  Technology Written by Laura Hood.

This is my first blog for womenintechnology.co.uk and I’m delighted to be given the chance to contribute as a guest blogger.  In this blog I plan to share with you my thoughts on being a bit of an “outsider” working in the world of technology, current database industry trends and the relationship between a highly technical team of consultants and the (not so technical but always learning!) marketing department.

Prior to my current role, which I’ve been in for nearly three years now, my exposure to the world of high tech business was pretty much nil.  I’ve certainly never been a technophobe and as a marketing manager I’ve had to adapt to new technology and working practices with SEO, email marketing and social marketing amongst others but nothing prepared me for the leap into the astonishingly large and complex marketplace of database technology.

At first I really didn’t have a clue when it came to database technology!  It was a fairly steep learning curve for me.  I’ve always found it helpful to relate IT issues back to my view on the world from a marketing perspective!  I can now really appreciate the direct link between marketing and IT.  In order for organisations to provide reliable customer service the IT side of their business is absolutely vital.  For example, if we’re talking about the need for 24/7 availability, which is a growing requirement for many organisations, this is an IT challenge but a marketing necessity!

The RDBMS (Relational Database Management System) market is constantly evolving and new technologies are brought to market all the time.  As an organisation which deals with IBM technology we are used to fast-paced change.  In addition, the market has seen many high profile acquisitions over the last couple of years including SAP’s acquisition of Sybase and Oracle’s acquisition of SUN Microsystems which has changed the landscape of the market significantly.       

Aside from the technology, one of the biggest lessons I’ve learned since entering this market is to ask questions.  When I’m faced with the latest IT acronym or a new technology release which I’m struggling to understand, I’m no longer afraid of putting my hand up and asking for help and a less technical explanation!  It has actually been rather liberating to go into such a technical industry with no technical background because I’ve been given the freedom to learn and ask lots of questions.

When I look back now I’m really proud of how much I’ve learned and how far I’ve come.  I would really encourage other women who aren’t from a technology background but are thinking of taking their career in that direction – whether it be marketing, sales or another business role – to go for it!  You’ll be amazed how quickly you’re doing “geek speak” with the best of them! 


Laura Hood is the Marketing Manager at Triton Consulting, a leading provider of IBM Information Management consultancy in the UK.

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1 comment
I've worked alongside you in the Triton Consulting Sales Department for over 2 years now and I'd like to say that I've been most impressed with your "geek speak". Your Geek section on the Triton website has generated a spectacular level of interest and was an absolutely brilliant idea.
Posted by Brian Ashley, Date 19 August 2010, 07:30 AM
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