Whether you're an executive setting the strategy or an architect building the backbone, alignment is the key to turning transformation from a buzzword into results. Rick Hernandez, principal technical architect at EY, shares how to unlock shared vision and turn it into enterprise-wide data streaming success.

In this episode, Rick joins Joseph to explore how organizations can connect leadership ambition with technical execution. Exploring how top-down buy-in, clearly defined objectives, and strategic alignment with the right technology can give your organization “wings to a tiger.”

You’ll learn:

• How to directly map business pain points to streaming-first solutions
• How real-time infrastructure enables faster decisions and a competitive edge
• What happens when stakeholders discover their challenges are already solvable through streaming

If you're leading modernization efforts or championing real-time data, this episode is your guide for building momentum across teams.

About the Guest:
Rick Hernandez is a Principal Technical Architect at EY, specializing in enterprise architecture and digital transformation. He helps organizations implement innovative solutions and optimize IT strategies. Rick’s expertise includes architecture and development in middleware technologies, cloud integration work, business process management, enterprise application integration, and more.

Guest Highlight:
“Technology transformation is not for one area of a company. The overall company needs to actually change to do something better, differently, and more efficiently.”

Episode Timestamps:
*(01:00) - EY’s Data Streaming Strategy
*(05:30) -  Data Streaming Goodness: Having a Shared Vision
*(22:00) -   The Runbook: Tools & Tactics
*(26:45) -   Data Streaming Street Cred: Improve Data Streaming Adoption
*(31:10) - Quick Bytes
*(33:45) - Joseph’s Top 3 Takeaways

Dive Deeper into Data Streaming:

• EP1—Stream On: Unleashing Innovation with Data Streaming | Life Is But A Stream
• EP2—Processing Without Pause: Continuous Stream Processing and Apache Flink® | Life Is But A Stream
• EP3—The Connective Tissue: Shift Left to turn Data Chaos to Clarity | Life Is But A Stream

Links & Resources:

• Connect with Joseph: @thedatagiant
• Joseph’s LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/thedatagiant
• Rick’s LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/rick-hernandez-3298574
• Learn more at Confluent.io

Our Sponsor:

Your data shouldn’t be a problem to manage. It should be your superpower. The Confluent data streaming platform transforms organizations with trustworthy, real-time data that seamlessly spans your entire environment and powers innovation across every use case. Create smarter, deploy faster, and maximize efficiency with a true data streaming platform from the pioneers in data streaming. Learn more at confluent.io.