Open Sources | Rodrigues & Urlocker » How I Work: Matt Asay, VP of Business Development, Alfresco

May 14, 2006 | Comments: (0)

How I Work: Matt Asay, VP of Business Development, Alfresco

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What is your role? Vice President of Business Development at Alfresco, an open source Enterprise Content Management company. I'm responsible for US sales, partnerships, marketing, legal, and just about everything else. We're a startup. So everyone is responsible for everything. :-)

What is your computer setup? PowerBook G4 (PPC, not Intel). I converted to the Mac in my first year at Novell, when a Mac-freak boss nudged me to do so (when my ThinkPad was backordered). It took two weeks to get comfortable with it, and now I'd never consider going back.

Since I work from home (as I have for 6+ years), I use Comcast broadband with a Netgear wireless router (I won't use anything but Netgear). I have a wireless D-Link printer gateway for my HP 6MP (need to upgrade this soon, but the HP just keeps going and going and going - it's fantastic). I also use an Epson scanner as my fax machine (in conjunction with eFax). On this last point, I'd prefer to use a real fax machine, but I can't remember what a normal phone line looks like anymore. :-)

What desktop software applications do you use daily? Entourage (for email - it's the Mac equivalent of Outlook. Oh, and I use the excellent SpamSieve to make sure I read real email, and not spam), Google/Safari web browser (Use Camino for my SugarCRM, as it's sometimes flaky in Safari), iChat and Skype for IM, NetNewsWire (RSS), and Microsoft Office (PowerPoint and Word most often).

What websites do you visit every day? Google, primarily. Delta.com, Marriott.com, and Hertz.com for travel (which I do far too much). Zions.com, Chase.com, and AmericanExpress.com for finance (expense reports for all that travel). I also spend time on my three blog sites and my SugarCRM application. Lastly, I go to SoccerTV.net to see what I could be doing besides work. I'm sometimes tempted.

As you can see, I don't really use site/service aggregators (like Orbitz for travel): I prefer to go directly to the source of the service and pick up my information/service from it. However, for news I use NetNewsWire to aggregate my RSS feeds (1/3 of which are Arsenal related....

What mobile device or cell phone do you use? Treo 650. It's just about perfect for what I need (Email in a pinch, though not as a primary email device).

Do you use IM? More than I use a phone or email. I love IM. It's the best way to get hold of me. I have it on my Treo, in addition to my laptop, and use it as the fastest path to getting an update from someone. I use AIM primarily, but Alfresco uses Skype internally, and that is becoming a close second.

Do you use a VoIP phone? I do. Vonage. I also have an IPEVO Skype phone which I use more and more. I do keep a POTS line, but use it maybe once/day.

Do you have a personal organization theory? Not sure what this means, but I'm hyper-organized. I've always been anal retentive, and almost never let an email go unanswered on the day I receive it. I use a task list and my email inbox to tell me what I should be working on.

Since coming to Alfresco, I have sales responsibilities which means that any customer, at any time, that hits my voice mail or email inbox has immediate priority over everything else. In work, I prioritize as follows: Customer, Partner, Alfresco. I've gone for several days without answering calls from fellow Alfrescans, but I won't go more than two rings for a customer.

Beyond work, family is my top priority, though I'm sometimes not very good at behaving this way. Of late I've been getting better, and a field trip or soccer game will take precedence, unless simply not possible or deleterious to Alfresco, over my Alfresco work.

Anything else? I think it's important to read a lot, and to read great literature, and not waste time in front of the TV (or computer - I have problems with this last one). I travel constantly, which affords me a convenient time to read. I'm into Thomas Hardy, Charles Dickens, and other great English writers at present. I'll probably go back to Dostoevsky, Tolstoy, and these Russian writers next. I did my BA in English, so it's easy for me to care about books. But I get my best ideas from reading things completely unrelated to open source, software, and technology. I've yet to have any meaningful insight into my life after reading anything off the New York Times business best seller list (except Clayton Christensen's The Innovator's Dilemma).

Posted by Matt Asay on May 14, 2006 06:45 AM

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