Leslie Dalton: Unlocking the Performance of Memory Channels with Unmatchable Skillset

Formulus Black provides an innovative technology which is first to market for organizations that require the fastest application performance available. The company claims that its software solution, FORSA, should be considered when the bottom line is directly impacted by the performance speed of an organization's applications. Formulus Black's technology enables companies to bring storage from the current best–in–class NVME / SSD into the memory channel – a positive move from Tier 1 or 2 (slower storage) to Tier 0. Moving storage into the memory channel reduces the latency (distance to the data), so processing can happen significantly faster than what is possible today.   

 Up to this time, organizations haven't had this type of technology available. Most IT leaders understand the opportunity presented by the move to the memory channel; however, there are many obstacles. One of the key challenges is the ability to protect  data in DRAM. Using DRAM had always meant that if there was a power outage, the data would be lost forever. This was the main hurdle for IT leaders in moving storage to the memory channel.   

 When the first vendors to market provided 'in memory' databases, this represented a huge jump in technology. Challenges still existed, which relegated the new technology to the largest companies that could afford the expense. These solutions were for specific databases and not able to run other applications, which limited the products to a narrow niche of companies. Formulus Black takes running 'in memory' one step further. It brings storage into memory by providing all of the resiliency expected from traditional enterprise storage solutions, and enables any application or database, regardless of the version, to run storage in the memory channel for faster performance.  

As one watches the overall market, 'memory' is coming down in price and growing in size, making it more accessible and usable. Additionally, other persistent memory solutions have been introduced, such as Intel Optane PMem. FORSA (by Formulus Black) is application-agnostic, enabling customers to plug into any application/database where they truly require performance gains, and is flexible, able to work with either DRAM or Intel PMem depending on the organization's preference. FORSA brings storage, performance, and resilience to memory, and does not require any modifications to applications in order to leverage it as a solution. 

Formulus Black has also developed a cloud automation solution called FC2 that works with servers installed with FORSA. FC2 enables companies to quickly deploy an internal private cloud where end users can provision Linux–based virtual machines that use DRAM/PMEM as a fast-local instance storage device.  

 Accounts of Sophisticated Leadership 

Leslie Dalton, Vice President of Sales at Formulus Black, has been in sales for 30 years, with 23 years of experience in selling software. Her background before joining Formulus Black was in the backup and recovery sector for 16 years. She joined Formulus Black in April 2019 to lead software sales of FORSA as well as assist with marketing efforts. She states that being at a start-up lends itself to wearing many hats. "I usually focus on anything that touches the customer," says Leslie. "Sales is my primary focus, but following that is marketing, partnerships, POCs, case studies, and technical support. If it touches the customer, I am involved." 

 Leslie shares that Formulus Black's technology has been around for several years. According to her, the company has invested heavily in the development, engineering, and QA required to continuously improve FORSA. Leslie's role is to sell FORSA to companies all around the world. She explains that this involves selling directly to clients as well as working closely with the sales teams from Intel, AMD, and Lenovo. Leslie notes that having a product that can change the use of memory forever is the best part of her job. She also acknowledges that her strong technical team instills her with confidence in the solution and assures her faith in its potential and what it will provide to the company's clients.   

Focusing on Customers with Improved Communication 

Leslie recalls her first leadership role in 1994 as a sales manager for a five million dollar (and then 10 million dollar) district of a large, publicly traded US manufacturer. She says that she was inexperienced, and managing people 25 years older than her was a huge challenge. Leslie states her colleagues had doubted her ability to lead the team, owing to her minimal years of experience. 

 She remembers that she had to learn everything quickly and says that the best advice she received at the time was from another manager who said that when one manages people one should manage them differently based on each person. Leslie opines that some require extensive management, some need help here and there, and others may simply require support. She views that in the end, the best lesson she learned was when the customer is the focus, everything else will fall into place, and it certainly did. 

 Leslie recounts that in moving to a start-up back in 1997, she got more profound insights into how customer focus is critical, and taking rapid action is paramount. She says, "I find since I work with companies all over the world and have co-workers based across the globe, using Slack, Skype, email, and online meetings for effective communication becomes even more important." 

 Leslie reiterates that the key to success is to put oneself in the client's shoes, and then everything else will fall into place. She says that in a start-up where everything is moving so fast, having a straightforward process has proven to be extremely important.  

Innovation Through Enhanced Performance 

 In speaking about innovation, Leslie asserts that Formulus Black's solution is a new release to the market mix that has been around for several years. She believes the new launch to be more innovative, making it easier for clients to deploy the product in their environments. Leslie says, "we have had to do a lot of education and have now reached the prime time, where our clients are buying our solution to increase performance for their key applications." 

 Formulus Black's engineering team is focused on working towards the next release, adding enhancements and new builds. Leslie says that it is client feedback that drives FORSA's enhancements. The company's mission is to develop a product that plugs into a client's existing environment, is open to working with any application that needs a performance boost, and is flexible enough to work with both DRAM or Intel PMem. She adds that FORSA can significantly reduce costs, and mentions that Formulus Black makes it simple to test FORSA, so that clients can either try the product on their own servers, or test their system on the company's hosted FORSA servers to experience the performance improvement before buying.    

Executing Technology with Agility 

Leslie is aware that the industry has to keep pace with technology advancements, and she thus needs to stay abreast of technology and direction. For Leslie, the sense of urgency, speed, and focus are imperative. She says that these factors are fundamental for Formulus Black, which has developed a team approach where members rely on each other to do their very best. Apart from that, Leslie believes that the difference between today and years ago is that an executive from a large firm would once be highly regarded and considered the best, smartest, and brightest, and based on that would be elevated above the fray. Nowadays, however, if leaders are not willing to roll up their sleeves and do the work (especially in a start-up), then there is no room for them. Leslie finds nimble leaders that listen, understand, and can execute a must for successful companies.    

The Future Ahead                  

Leslie says that this is just the beginning, and she is excited to be at the forefront of how Formulus Black can use memory. She believes that it is not only exciting for the FORSA technology, but for the industry overall. There will be more vendors entering the market as the product line matures and defines its place. Customers know that memory is a key focus, and they need to utilize it in order to have the fastest performance and to stay relevant. Leslie asserts that memory is the new tier 0 storage.  

She points out that young minds are proliferating. They need instant gratification, and it is only going to get worse, which might be favorable for the Formulus Black! Their team is committed and nimble, values its customers, and will continue to develop technologies to fit demand. 

Advice to Young Entrepreneurs 

Leslie advises young entrepreneurs to understand their strengths, which will develop from what they enjoy. She deems this important, as once an individual realizes his abilities, he can determine which roles suit him the best.  

 She advises people not to consider their work as their everything, and to ignore the rest.  

 Leslie's philosophy is that when caught up in a disagreement with a co-worker, one must try and understand why that person thinks the way they do, as that will enable a person to empathize without getting angry and communicate more effectively.   

 Leslie believes one must always listen in order to learn. She states that in today's day and age, and especially in technology, one cannot master everything, and once a person thinks they can, then they are probably on their way out. Further, she encourages everyone to trust their gut and intuition.