129. Identify Vendor Flags Using These Simple Questions with George Bica

George Bica

George is the Director of information technology at HZO, a global company that delivers world-class water-proof nanocoating solutions that safeguard electronics, electrical products & critical applications in an ever-changing market. His position in IT is the highest leadership position within the organization in charge of information technology operations and vision for the future direction. George leads multiple teams across the globe tasked with supporting business operations.

Identify Vendor Flags Using These Simple Questions with George Bica

Here at Dissecting Popular IT Nerds Podcast, our host, Phil Howard, is up and ready to roll–despite having caught the COVID-19 variant. Join him and guest George Bica, director of information technology, to identify common pitfalls and practices that George has noticed from managing over six people personally in a 500-employee tech business. Find out why you should better balance your home life as priority over work life, the best practices George has ever used as a director, and even how he managed to overcome the Great Firewall of China.

It’s a personal choice. You as a person have the responsibility to live first and then provide a living.

3 Key Takeaways

Listen To The Full Episode Below

Dissecting Popular IT Nerds

129. Identify Vendor Flags Using These Simple Questions with George Bica

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Episode Show Notes

[1:00] Phil has COVID!

[1:40] What George does on a daily basis

Dealing with vendors and large scale projects
Having a large IT staff outside of the US

[2:38] Is there a language gap working with staff outside of his country

Keeping communication simple
Headquarters in NC while manufacturing is conducted abroad

[3:40] Dealing with the Great Firewall of China

Overcoming it with a variety of methods
- Telecom China providers allow internet lines
Going through less checks and filtering than normal internet
- Using site-to-site VPNs and public clouds hosting
- “By using two layers, we can bypass most of the restrictions of the great Chinese firewall.” -George Bica

[6:20] How big is George’s team?

Six people report to George with 500 employees in the business

[7:15] From dentist to tech expert: How George got into the IT industry

It started in high school with his first computer experience
Living in Albania under the Iron Curtain in the early ’90s
The language variety in his home country

[9:20] Getting his first computer after the regime collapses in ’91

Playing chess on a black and white, 286 computer and falling in love
His parents visit family in the US and bringing back a Compac 486 for George
Less than 10 computers in a city of roughly 60,000 people
Comparing computers to punch cards

[12:31] What it was like being one of the first people with a computer

Mostly everyone was ambivalent to them
Playing Gorilla, Lemmings, and other basic built-in computer games

[13:45] His first gig: A famous Jeweler is looking for 3D engraving help

Creating wax molds out of a 3D engraver
- Pirro Jewelry

[16:00] George decided to drop dentistry as soon as he touched a computer

How George ends up an IT team leader in America
- He came to the US as an F1 student, funded by his father in 1996

[17:00] How he met his wife

Going to the college library to sign up for a Hotmail account
Getting an email from a friend in Philly
Speaking with them on the phone and visiting for Christmas
Marrying his wife!
Keeping his old email

[20:00] Are they on Microsoft Teams?

Yes – “Microsoft 365 is a big collaboration platform for us.” -George Bica
The utilization of the Cloud
Best practices George uses as IT director

[21:30] Questions you can ask to determine vendor flags

Compliance certifications
The biggest vendor cover-up George has experienced
HIPPA and PCI compliancy
If they follow any government compliance audit, what are their security practices, what is their disaster recovery, and how frequent do they do it?
“If you claim something to the customer, you better make sure you can back that up.” -George Bica

[25:10] How George manages a work/life balance

“It’s a personal choice. You as a person have responsibility to live first and then provide a living.” -George Bica
- His base line is 35 hours
- He uses one-on-one meetings with his team, 20 minutes each
- His Thursday group scrum
- He leaves a little early on Monday and Thursday to make up for the at-home meetings
- “If you are working consistently, 60 hours or more, that means you need to hire someone else. It’s a disservice to yourself to burn out.” -George Bica
  - This includes calls!

[29:00] Phil explains how IT work has only been around for 20 years

What’s the endgame for IT leaders according to George?
There are a lot of nuances to it
People are compartmentalizing departments that it becomes a turf
“I think the outlook in life should be such that you really think about your skillset around the line. How expendable are you compared to a hungry young man who’s willing to do it for less than you? You’re only option is to grow your skillset.” -George Bica
“Develop skillsets while you’re young. Make yourself learn the back end. And figure out your end goal based on that.” -George Bica
Nothing is static in this world; keep learning!

[34:20] How is the supply chain affecting George?

They don’t produce anything but are part of a larger manufacturing flow
Chip shortages and similar situations affect their lines
COVID’s affect on their bottom line
- Letting go of some team members because they shrunk as a business
- The hope for 2022
  - News of the $500 billion profit

[36:00] Is that profit just due to supply and demand?

Using the car industry as an example
- The price of a car between 2019 to 2022 has jumped up $35,000 on average
- George anticipates a flood of new cars in the near future

[38:45] One major piece of advice from George

For IT managers looking to get budgets filled: “If you want the bunny, ask for the donkey.” -George Bica
- Ask for a little more than you need
For the rest of the force: keep your work/life balance in mind
Pulling advice from The Four Hour Workweek by Timothy Ferriss
George and Philip talk about TikTok
- Taking on the role of benevolent dictator in his children’s lives

George Bica

Identify Vendor Flags Using These Simple Questions with George Bica

3 Key Takeaways

Listen To The Full Episode Below

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