Jeff Aalto

My journey in cloud data solutions began in 2012 with AWS. Over the past 13 years, I've continually refined my approach to designing these solutions as capabilities have improved and expanded. In the last five years, I've served as the technical architect and implementation lead on several large Azure data projects. I really enjoy working in this fast-paced environment and creating solutions that evolve with new technologies.

I have always had a passion for analytics, and my technical skills developed out of necessity. After earning my MBA in Finance, I started my career teaching hedge fund associates, asset managers, investment bankers, and private equity associates how to use my company’s web tool and Excel plugin for financial modeling. Over the next 15 years, I became the Manager of Business Analytics, leading a team of three. I migrated analytics from Excel to more sophisticated solutions using tools like SAS and Analysis Services, and I was first introduced to cloud technologies when I transitioned to consulting. As I built larger solutions and led bigger teams, I gained experience in all aspects of cloud data solution design and development.

When I work with others, I encourage curiosity about what we are learning and why it matters. I motivate them to break problems down into smaller parts to understand the purpose of each step and the scenarios they address. My goal is to instill a thought process that enables them to tackle new challenges rather than just focusing on the problem at hand.

The greatest joy for me is witnessing someone I’ve mentored take the next step, identifying a new issue and crafting a solution that goes beyond previous patterns. I believe technology is an ever-expanding toolkit, and the ability to effectively learn and apply these tools to real problems is far more valuable than simply mimicking solutions without understanding.