At this point, you don’t really need to read much more, but since you are likely the type to want to know more, I shall share. Alfresco and I have parted ways. I greatly enjoyed my time at Alfresco, I learned quite a bit, and I met some amazing people. Alfresco was my first return to a major vendor since the 90s and I enjoyed it. They have a solid vision, good people, and amazing technology. I will be watching their growth with interest.

As for me, I am free to fully explore my options, but first…a vacation.

Still working on the details of what that entails, but I am sure that one or two oceans will be involved. I haven’t had a real vacation in years as I’ve shifted from one job to another with no break twice now.

This time, I’m going to take some time to relax.

Of course, I cannot vacation forever. Even during my vacation, I will likely be sending posts up into the void and answering email. The joy will be doing it on my schedule.

As for afterwards? Some people have already asked me and I thought I would share where my brain is leading…

Simply put, I want to work somewhere that makes me think, surrounded by people that like to think. Sounds silly, doesn’t it?

Well, there is more to it than that. I want to be somewhere where I can make a difference in the industry. I had that at AIIM and I definitely had that at Alfresco.

What do those two things add up to? Well, pretty sure I’m not ready to return to the system integrator ranks. I had a great run there but part of my push to the cloud has been to make that job more enjoyable. Not quite ready to deal with the realities of how fast the storage array is performing or why that is important.

I’ve been asked if I would return to a vendor. The answer is Of course! That hasn’t changed. Like anything, it is position and company dependent. A team with a solid vision, good leadership, and the skills to execute is always exciting to join. My rule is the same as it has always been, “If I believe in it, I am in.”

Of course, the thing that I am leaning towards is a role as an analyst or strategic consultant. I like to dig into things to get to the truth and help people find the path to success. Those have always been my most rewarding experiences. I hear you have to have opinions in those roles and I have a few of those to go around.

Of course, that is stuff for later. I definitely don’t have to make a decision yet so I am going to recharge the batteries, chat with friends and family, and generally remind myself of why I do this.

For now, the real question is Daytona, Malibu, or both?