470- Being 100% Correct Isn't Enough w/Devon Simmons

GUEST BIO

Devon Simmons once brought the C-suite a network overhaul that was "technically correct in every aspect." Four sites were moving off MPLS to SD-WAN, on Cisco Meraki, with the option of two ISPs at the cost of one and the redundancy the sites badly needed. The room understood it to a degree, but they were looking at the pricing on the paper. So he went back to the drawing board, put the ROI next to the upfront costs, and brought the outages: multiple a week, while the company spent thousands and thousands of dollars a month on MPLS. The project went ahead in phases, firewalls and switches first, once the business case was right. "That being 100% correct definitely isn't enough."

He opens on AI and data. The first question he hears is which AI tool to use, and nobody asks where the data is going. With a standard ChatGPT Pro subscription, he points out, you have to go into the settings and tell it not to train on your data. He wants AI subscriptions run through IT and the identity provider, without restricting anyone from the tools. He also shares how he connected Claude to their NetSuite ERP over MCP, and how it found a bug across several script deployments in an afternoon instead of a few days.

Then the path that got him here: shutting down every display computer at Cons Electronics as a kid, applying to Geek Squad from 16 in a button-down shirt and tie, and getting in at about 19 or 20 with half an A+ from trade school. He tells his own kids A+ first, "without a shadow of a doubt." He tells the story of an ERP module he had to abandon and why he's never a fan of buying on the promise of updates later, why he asks vendors for customer references, why security should be more than a line item, and his advice to his younger self: keep your ear to the ground and never stop learning.

Episode Show Notes

Navigate through key moments in this episode with timestamped highlights, from initial introductions to deep dives into real-world use cases and implementation strategies.

[00:00] Cold open

[00:52] Where is our data going?

[05:24] Claude, NetSuite and MCP

[13:27] Being 100% correct isn't enough

[14:41] Four sites, from MPLS to SD-WAN

[21:14] Back to the drawing board: outages and ROI

[27:29] From Compaq Presarios to Geek Squad

[32:25] A+ first, then pick a path

[39:24] Pulling the plug on an ERP module

[46:19] Security is more than a line item

[54:16] Keep your ear to the ground

[1:02:38] Proper planning, and learning to communicate

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Before the first meeting, put the upfront cost next to the ROI. A solution the C-suite can't digest won't get approved, however correct it is.

Bring the outage numbers and what the old circuits cost every month. For Devon, multiple outages a week against thousands a month on MPLS was the argument nobody could fight.

If the whole ask is too big, phase it. He started with firewalls and switches, and the project was approved once the business case was presented properly.

Don't buy a product on the promise of updates later. Ask the vendor to send the hardware so you can test it, and ask for a customer who uses the tool the way you would.

Before you pick an AI tool, find out where your data goes. Check settings like ChatGPT's training option, and run subscriptions through IT and your identity provider instead of blocking people.

470- Being 100% Correct Isn't Enough w/Devon Simmons