Cloudera is a company that empowers people to transform complex data into clear and actionable insights. And Cloudera delivers an enterprise data cloud for any data, anywhere, from the Edge to AI. Pulse 2.0 interviewed Cloudera Field CTO and Cyber Security GTM Lead Carolyn Duby to learn more about the company.
Carolyn Duby’s Background
What is Carolyn Duby’s background? Duby said:
“My professional journey has spanned across various industries, touching on high-performance medical devices to cybersecurity and distributed big data solutions. My first role was at Cadre Technologies where I put my software engineering skills to practice and establish industry connections. This experience led me to co-founding Pathfinder Solutions, where I was able to wear various hats – working in development, marketing, sales, training and consulting. Then, at Dell SecureWorks, I specialized in real-time cybersecurity ingestion pipelines, deepening my understanding of reliability engineering and team leadership.”
“Joining Cloudera in 2021, I worked as a Solutions Engineer where I leveraged big data for business transformation. I advanced to the role of Field CTO where I now advise our clients on how to best leverage their data with AI-driven transformations.”
“As Cloudera’s Field CTO and Cyber Security GTM Lead, my primary responsibilities include aiding customers in constructing AI applications that are efficient, secure, and enhance brand reputation. I am deeply involved in implementing cyber-AI defense mechanisms within platforms, managing a global team to deliver cyber security streaming analytics products, and advising C-level and Director-level customers on data strategy. My role also encompasses cultivating multi-year trusted advisor relationships, improving sales efficiency through data, and supporting initiatives such as the executive briefing program and thought leadership materials.”
“Additionally, I drive growth in the Data In Motion portfolio, oversee the enablement of new growth teams, and advocate for customer success, where I have contributed $20+ million in renewal and expansion revenue.”
Favorite Memory
What has been your favorite memory working for the company so far? Duby shared:
“I love to solve problems for others and working at Cloudera allows me to do that each day. This role provides me with the opportunity to help customers solve some of the most challenging data problems across their respective industry, and I look forward to continuing to make a difference in this space.”
Core Products
What are the company’s core products and features? Duby explained:
“Cloudera is the only true hybrid platform for data, analytics, and AI, managing 100x more data than other cloud-only vendors. This positions Cloudera as a leader in transforming diverse data types across any public or private cloud into valuable, trusted insights. With our open data lakehouse, enterprises can achieve scalable and secure data management while maintaining privacy and ensuring responsible AI deployments.”
“Our AI-driven solutions, including Cloudera Machine Learning (CML), leverage this robust platform to overcome real-world challenges faced by enterprises in deploying machine learning and AI solutions. In addition to our strong lineup of products, we offer a comprehensive set of capabilities to initiate AI projects seamlessly. This includes Applied Model Prototypes (AMPs) and the Enterprise AI Fast Start service, designed to expedite results and demonstrate our commitment to client success. The world’s largest brands in financial services, insurance, media, manufacturing, and government trust Cloudera to use their data to tackle complex challenges today and in the future.”
Challenges Faced
What are the challenges facing your company and sector? Duby acknowledged:
“Large global companies are struggling with the challenge of how to use their data to help them run their businesses better. With more data than ever before and new data sources popping up daily, organizations have critical information dispersed and siloed across the business that they can’t trust or derive accurate insights from. Cloudera helps customers take back control of their data, analytics and AI with a unified platform based on openness. With Cloudera, enterprises can trust their data with unified governance and security across all environments.”
Evolution Of Cloudera’s Technology
How has the company’s technology evolved since its launch? Duby noted:
“When I joined the company in 2021, Cloudera was already experimenting in the AI space, which is part of what drew me in, however that isn’t where the company was founded. With the emergence of AI and other transformative technologies, Cloudera’s products have shifted to reflect a growing demand. Starting out as a collection of products related to cloud services and data processing, Cloudera has since expanded its offering to embrace AI, delivering the first true hybrid platform for data, analytics, and AI for scale, flexibility, and value.”
“Most recently, Cloudera announced three new capabilities that support both of our AI priorities: An AI-driven SQL assistant, a Business Intelligence (BI) chatbot that converses with your data, and an ML copilot that accelerates machine learning development – further demonstrating Cloudera’s commitment to integrating cutting-edge technologies with our solutions ensures that we remain customer obsessed, and our users are equipped to ride the next wave of enterprise AI and outpace the competition.”
Significant Milestones
What have been some of the company’s most significant recent milestones? Duby cited:
“This June, Cloudera announced its acquisition of Verta, deepening our IP and expanding our enterprise AI portfolio to meet the growing demand across the globe. The integration sets a new pace in the race for AI adoption and strengthens Cloudera’s AI model lifecycle capabilities so that our customers can operationalize AI faster. Cloudera also recently announced significant advancements in its open data lakehouse on private clouds and introduced three new AI Assistance (AI-driven SQL assistant, a Business Intelligence (BI) chatbot, and an ML copilot) – underscoring our commitment to integrating customer centric cutting-edge technologies.”
Customer Success Stories
When asking Duby about customer success stories, she highlighted:
“One notable success story involves a leading financial institution in Southeast Asia, recognized as the second largest financial services group in the region by assets and highly rated globally. Since 2015, this organization has harnessed advanced data platforms to consolidate data sources and integrate AI/ML capabilities. Their efforts led to the creation of a proprietary application that delivers over 100 personalized notifications through their mobile banking app. These notifications, which inform customers about opportunities such as new credit card offers or loan eligibility, have achieved up to a 50% click-through rate.”
“By enhancing their data platforms with private cloud solutions for secure and customizable data storage and processing and using AI/ML for data-driven decision-making, our solutions helped the organization increase its annual revenue by over SGD 100 million, nearly doubling campaign conversion rates, and providing highly personalized customer experiences across multiple communication channels.”
Differentiation From The Competition
What differentiates the company from its competition? Duby affirmed:
“Cloudera has 25+ exabytes of data under management and is the only true hybrid data platform that enables enterprises to analyze and bring GenAI models to their data wherever it lives (i.e., hybrid, multi-cloud, or on-premises). We do this by helping enterprises organize and manage large pools of data, called data lakes, efficiently and securely, so they can harness the power of that data, trust its accuracy, and rely on it for analysis and business decision making.”
Future Goals
What are some of your future goals while at Cloudera? Duby emphasized:
“A primary goal for me, while working at Cloudera, is to make the world a safer place by achieving significant advances in how customers detect and prevent cyber-attacks –which has been a major challenge across industries. I also want to continue my work in ensuring that our products are secure by design and accessible for everyone.”
Advice For Young Professionals Working With Cloud AI
Do you have any advice for young technology professionals working with Cloud AI platforms? Duby concluded:
“Young technology professionals who are just entering the field and are looking to enhance their skills with Cloud AI platforms should prioritize hands-on experience. Engaging directly with the tools and platforms is the most effective way to learn and understand the intricacies of AI. A great way to get experience is through online courses that provide accessible learning opportunities.”
“Additionally, pursuing certifications can be extremely beneficial for young professionals – an example of a great one is AWS’s. Certifications like these provide structured learning sessions and validate a potential employee’s skills.”
