New Hire Will Help Government and Education Customers Leverage Cloud Technologies
GERMANTOWN, MD (PRWEB) AUGUST 08, 2014 – Planet Technologies, the leading Microsoft consulting and services company, announced today that Bob Ballard has joined the company as Principal Cloud Strategist. Ballard will provide expertise to Planet’s government and education customers to develop strategy to leverage cloud services in support of their organizational mission.
Ballard comes to Planet with nearly 14 years of experience at Microsoft, serving most recently as Chief IT Strategist for State and Local Government. He has led some of the most strategic victories for Microsoft in both the commercial and public sector, starting with enterprise wins versus IBM and Novell, leading early efforts in the unified communication business, and finally, as one of the first cloud-focused resources in the company covering Public Sector. Ballard has had his largest impact in the cloud business as a key contributor in most of the large state-wide Office 365 wins over the last 4 years totaling nearly 1.5 million seats.
“We are excited to add someone with Bob’s skill set and experience to the already outstanding team at Planet Technologies. He is well respected by the industry, his peers, and customers alike,” says Scott Tucker, President and CEO, Planet Technologies.
Ballard’s knowledge of both the Cloud business and how to leverage it with state and local government customers is well known in the industry. Jeff Tozzi, General Manager of the State and Local Government Business at Microsoft, says, “Bob’s deep knowledge of the U.S. State & Local Government vertical, combined with his experience working on some of the most complex cloud migrations, make him a strong asset to an organization looking to show leadership in the transformation of the future in government and technology… his impact on the industry is significant-whether he is driving strategy, handling complex sales processes or serving as a mentor.”
Javier Vasquez, Sr., Microsoft Director of State and Local Government Cloud Business says, “I’ve worked with Bob for several years in a variety of leadership capacities, both as an informal mentor as well as in formal sales team leadership. He has the deepest understanding of the critical requirements of government customers as they evaluate and move to the cloud. I continue to seek his advice on initiatives as we evolve our cloud service. In my experience, Bob is one of a handful of leaders who intrinsically understands the government cloud market.”
About Planet Technologies
Planet Technologies, the leading Microsoft services and cloud solutions partner, provides integration and customization of Microsoft technologies and data center solutions for federal, state and local government and commercial clients. Planet has been awarded Microsoft Federal Partner of the Year an unprecedented six times, Microsoft State and Local Partner of the Year four times and is the Microsoft Windows Partner of the Year award winner four consecutive years. Planet is certified with seven gold competencies and eight silver. Visit us at http://www.go-planet.com and on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.