April/May 2026 | maconmagazine.com 39
it's a little bit of both. I like to see
the data, and then I think there's
some instinct that's built over
time in making decisions. There
have been times where the data
was close, and the gut helped
me fall into place. So, in some
cases, it's really both. It's not one
or the other all the time.
CASSANDRA: I would say the
same. I also like to look at
historical data to make sure,
because something could have
happened prior to me being
there, or it could have been
something I might miss. I think
being able to look at all the
pieces together.
HEATHER: Yeah, the context of
the data for the time.
CHARLOTTE: I moved
professionally into IT about right
at 30 years ago. So, I've been
fortunate in the roles and duties I
currently have. There are defined
frameworks to go by, which are
defensible. Most of those are
federally published at NIST, in
the Department of Education.
So, utilizing those frameworks,
and then when you go with the
gut instincts you mentioned,
that's where the data comes into
play, and also the experience
that you have. That has evolved
over the years. The concept of
simple best practices are now
well-defined frameworks,
because there's more need for
compliance, risk management,
and even litigation awareness in
IT leadership roles now than
