Trends in Technology and Their Impact on Developing Software Products

The rapid pace of technological advancement is transforming industries and disrupting established practices. In this monthly PNSQC meetup, we have invited a panel of leaders in the IT industry that will explore emerging trends in technology and examine their implications for developing software products. Is developing faster always better? From the proliferation of artificial intelligence and machine learning to the rise of cloud computing, DevOps, and microservices architectures, new technologies introduce novel challenges and opportunities for developing quality products. Businesses and users always want better products faster, but is it possible?

PNSQC is forging a new partnership with the Technology Association of Oregon (TAO) to bring our communities together, share knowledge, and activities. Our experienced panel of experts from TAO will dive into the cutting-edge developments shaping the tech landscape and discuss their real-world impacts on developing quality products. Attendees will gain valuable insights into staying ahead of the curve, mitigating risks, and capitalizing on the potential of technological innovation.

This will be a hybrid meetup, both online and in person at the McMenamins on NE Broadway in Portland, OR. Food provided!

Biographies of speakers and panelists

Caroline Wong

Caroline Wong is the Chief Strategy Officer at Cobalt. She has 19+ years of cybersecurity leadership, including practitioner, product, and consulting roles. Caroline authored the popular textbook, Security Metrics: A Beginner’s Guide. She teaches cybersecurity courses on LinkedIn Learning and hosts the Humans of InfoSec podcast.

L.C. Miller (she/they)

LC is a dynamic Program Manager with over ten years in IT and operations management. She's a pro at driving project performance, improving business processes, and implementing tech solutions. With a background in Agile methodologies and Scrum Master facilitation, she excels at leading cross-functional teams and optimizing workflows.

Her career took a pivotal turn in 2017 when she discovered Salesforce. Since then, LC has been a go-to guide for Sales, Service, Marketing, and IT teams, helping them simplify processes and unlock Salesforce's potential. She's all about continuous improvement and a growth mindset, seeing tech as a key to transformation.

LC's specialties include Process Improvement, Salesforce, Lean Six Sigma, Agile, AI, and User Enablement & Adoption. She loves building strong relationships and making technology work for everyone.

Alex Bynum

Alex is an IT & Security Manager at People Data Labs. His career began with an internship at a hospital, inspiring him to pursue a degree in biomedical engineering. He later worked as a quality engineer at a large med tech company, where he took on increasing responsibilities and helped open a European headquarters in Amsterdam, spending six years in Europe, including two in Frankfurt, Germany.

Upon returning to the US, Alex leveraged his compliance and program management skills to make a career change and join a healthcare startup’s Information Security team. Fast forward years later and he now runs IT & Security for a Data-as-a-Service (DaaS) company.

Alex lives with his wife, Jacqueline, and their two daughters, Nelson and Jorja, in NW Portland, Oregon.

Benjamin Lee

Benjamin Lee devoted his education to understanding the intersection of disability and societal barriers that cause that disability. Working with the National Federation of the Blind and the broader Neurodiverse community, Ben sought to address the employment gap found in those populations by driving the product management of accessible AI driven job platforms. Next, Ben focused on digital change management in the non-profit outdoor education and conservation sector. There he refined his program and product management to launch a $600k SaaS platform for the Colorado Mountain Club.

After the successful launch of the project, Ben took time to recover his mental health and after rock climbing and camping across the country he found his greatest and most fulfilling challenge yet. Starting a video game studio with the sole purpose of tearing through all of the responsibilities in your life and syncing up your inner child with the joys of the world. Immortal Funk Games will create experiences that shatter your expectations. Learn about their latest project at immortalfunkgames.com where you will witness FAIRIES riding DOGS while wearing SWEATERS. FREE YOURSELF. LIVE LIKE A FUNK.