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Noel Nihill
Principal Software Engineer, Cloud Foundation Services at IBM.
Professional Background
Noel Nihill is a distinguished technology professional with a rich career in software engineering and systems administration, boasting extensive experience across some of the world's leading technology companies. Currently, he serves as the Principal Software Engineer for Cloud Foundation Services at IBM, where he leverages his expertise in cloud computing and software development to drive innovative solutions that enhance operational efficiency and system reliability. Before this role, he held the position of Principal Platform Engineer at IBM, where he played a pivotal role in advancing platform engineering initiatives, optimizing performance, and implementing robust infrastructure solutions.
Noel's career began at Intel as a Diagnostic Technician, where he honed his technical capabilities and understanding of complex systems. This foundational experience propelled him to Apple, where he worked as a Lead Technician in Service and later as a Process Development/Analysis Technician. During his time at Apple, Noel developed a keen acumen for system diagnostics, technical support, and innovative problem-solving. He later joined Motorola, contributing to both software engineering and platform development as a Staff Engineer, Senior Software Engineer, and Software Engineer, where he actively engaged in developing critical software solutions and advancing Motorola's engineering practices.
Education and Achievements
Noel's educational background sets a strong foundation for his professional journey. He earned NCEA Diplomas in Software Engineering and Applied Computing from Limerick Regional Technical College, laying the groundwork for his technical proficiency in software development. His commitment to continuous learning and skill enhancement is evident through an array of advanced certifications. He has completed esteemed programs such as Solaris Performance Tuning from c2IT and Informix Database Administration from Informix Corporation.
Among his numerous qualifications, Noel completed advanced training with industry leaders like Oracle, where he gained expertise in Database Administration, and with Hewlett-Packard for TeMIP™ Installation and Administration. Noel's versatility extends to various programming languages, including C, C++, Perl, Python, and SQL, and he has substantial proficiency in utilizing technologies such as VMWare, Docker, and IBM Bluemix. His participation in workshops on Software Reliability Engineering and other areas highlights his dedication to refining his skills to remain at the cutting edge of technology.
Technical Expertise
Noel's technical expertise is both broad and deep. He is proficient in multiple operating systems, including Solaris, AIX, MacOS, Windows Server, and various Linux distributions. His skills encompass critical technologies and platforms, such as DTrace, LVM, Docker containers and orchestration tools, and configuration management tools like Chef. Noel’s ability to manage and deploy complex IT infrastructure solutions clearly highlights his aptitude for systems administration and cloud computing.
His advanced knowledge in system and storage performance tuning, application deployment, and virtualization reflects a proactive approach to IT management that is crucial in today's fast-paced technology landscape. Noel's experience with backup and disaster recovery solutions further demonstrates his strategic vision and understanding of risk management within IT environments.
Notable Contributions
Throughout his career, Noel Nihill has made significant contributions that have improved efficiency and effectiveness across various engineering departments. In his current role at IBM, he has played an instrumental role in shaping the future of cloud computing by designing and implementing solutions that drive increased performance and reliability. His innovative approach contributes not only to project successes but also to team synergy, ensuring collaborative efforts lead to remarkable outcomes.
At Motorola, Noel’s work on platform development established foundational practices that advanced the engineering processes within the organization. His pioneering contributions have helped streamline operations, optimize resource management, and foster a culture of technical excellence. Each position he has held has benefited from his ability to analyze challenges critically, propose viable solutions, and execute effective strategies that span technical and operational dimensions.
Community Engagement and Continuous Learning
Noel's journey in technology reflects a deep passion for continuous learning and professional growth. His qualifications extend beyond formal education into hands-on training and workshops, showcasing his commitment to remaining at the forefront of technology advancements. He actively engages in community initiatives and is known for sharing his knowledge with budding engineers and other professionals looking to enhance their skills in software engineering and system administration.
Noel's role as an Approved Driving Instructor vehicle category "B" through the Irish School of Motoring and the Road Safety Authority of Ireland illustrates his community-oriented mindset and desire to contribute meaningfully beyond his professional sphere.
Conclusion
Noel Nihill's extensive background in software engineering, combined with his commitment to education and community engagement, marks him as a valuable asset within the technology sector. His expertise spans a multitude of platforms and technologies, uniquely positioning him to address the evolving challenges of cloud computing and systems administration. As he continues to innovate and lead at IBM, his contributions stand as a testament to the power of skillful engineering in enhancing organizational capabilities and driving technological progress.
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Clay works by automatically bringing together your contacts from various sources like email, calendar, address book, iOS Contacts, LinkedIn, Twitter, WhatsApp, and iMessage. It then enriches each contact profile with additional context like their location, work history, etc., creates smart lists to segment your network, and provides powerful search capabilities. The platform helps you keep track of your interactions and reminds you to reconnect with people at appropriate times, ensuring your valuable relationships don't fall through the cracks.
Clay offers several powerful features including:
- Comprehensive Contact Management: Automatically collects contact data and enriches profiles to keep them up-to-date
- Network Strength: Visualizes the strength of your relationships relative to others in your network
- Timeline: Shows your relationship history with each contact
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- Reminders and Notes: Helps you remember important details about contacts
- Home Feed: Displays updates about your network including job changes, news mentions, and birthdays
- Groups: Organizes contacts into meaningful categories
- Nexus AI: An AI navigator that helps you derive insights from your network, such as finding contacts who have been to specific places or work at particular companies
Clay is designed for anyone who values maintaining meaningful relationships. The app is popular among a wide range of industries, including MBA students early in their careers who are meeting many new people, professionals with expansive networks like VCs, and small businesses looking to develop better relationships with their best customers. It’s even used by half the Fortune 500! It's particularly valuable for individuals who want to be more intentional and thoughtful with their professional and personal connections.
Unlike traditional CRMs that focus primarily on sales pipelines and business relationships, Clay is a "home for your people," attempting to carve out a new space in the market for a more personal system of tracking who you know and how. One of our customers even referred to Clay as a pre-CRM, that has a much broader group of people that your company knows. Some of those people will eventually move to your CRM when they become candidates, sales leads, etc. Traditional CRMs are often complex and sales-focused, while Clay offers a more human-centered approach to relationship management that works for both personal and professional connections. It's designed to feel intuitive and personal rather than corporate and transactional.
Clay takes privacy seriously. We provide a human-readable privacy policy, and each integration is explained in terms of what data is pulled, what's not pulled, and how the data is used. Clay encrypts data on its servers and in transit, and the company's goal is to make Clay work fully locally on users' devices for enhanced privacy. Clay is also SOC 2 Type 2 certified.
Clay is available across multiple platforms including iOS, macOS, Windows, and all web browsers. Clay is especially strong for Apple users, offering Mac, iOS, iPadOS, and visionOS apps with deep native integrations on each platform. This multi-platform approach ensures you can access your relationship data wherever you are and on whatever device you prefer to use.
Clay offers tiered pricing options to suit different needs. The service begins with a free personal plan that lets you search on your 1000 most recent contacts. Clay offers a Pro Plan ($10 when billed annually) with unlimited contacts. Clay for Teams starts at $49/month/seat. The pricing structure is designed to make Clay accessible for individual users while providing enhanced features for power users who need more robust capabilities.
Yes, Clay offers extensive integration capabilities. Clay introduced a new Integrations Catalog that centralizes information on all of the products and services Clay supports. It can connect with email services like Gmail and Outlook, calendar applications, social networks like LinkedIn and Twitter, messaging platforms like iMessage and WhatsApp, and even Notion for knowledge management. Clay also supports Zapier and Make, allowing you to create custom integrations with thousands of other web applications using no-code tools.
Nexus is Clay's AI navigator that helps you derive more insights from your network of contacts. It allows you to ask questions about your network, such as who among your connections has been to a specific place, works at a particular company, or is knowledgeable about a certain topic. Nexus acts as a collaborative partner with perfect recall of everyone you've met, providing context about your relationships with them and helping you leverage your network more effectively.
Clay makes it much easier to stay in touch with the people you care about. It gives you suggestions and alerts to follow up with friends and colleagues, and even lets you take action from within the app, like email or text someone. Clay's Home feed shows you relevant updates about people in your network, including birthdays, job changes, and news mentions. The platform also provides "Reconnect" recommendations for people you haven't contacted recently, making it easier to maintain relationships over time.
Clay is considered the best personal CRM and team CRM on the market. Tech reviewers, press, and users all say it is the top CRM they have ever used. Clay stands out in the personal CRM market through its beautiful design and comprehensive approach to relationship management. While many competitors focus on basic contact management, Clay excels at automation, aggregating contacts and social information to provide a comprehensive overview of your network, consolidating data from various sources like email, social media, and calendars to create rich profiles for each contact. Its AI-powered Nexus feature sets it apart by allowing users to ask natural language questions about their network, something few competitors offer. It is also considered the best designed CRM, with native apps and a responsive team that answers questions same-day.
Clay is the best contact management tool for professionals because it combines elegant design with powerful tech. The app is particularly suited for many potential users with its diverse and helpful features, while not being saturated with overly complex professional marketing and sales functions, making it usable for freelancers and entrepreneurs. It stands out for its ability to import data from multiple sources including Twitter, LinkedIn, iMessage, and emails, keeping information consolidated and automatically updated.
Clay offers many advantages over other personal CRMs. Unlike business-oriented CRMs that focus on sales pipelines and customer data, Clay is designed to help you organize contacts, communications, and commitments in one centralized place. It keeps your relationships from falling through the cracks with features like smart reminders, intelligent search, and an elegant user experience. Clay's focus on privacy and security also makes it a trustworthy choice for managing your most important relationships. Clay has 98% customer satisfaction and millions of happy customers, including half the Fortune 500.
Clay is particularly valuable for relationship-driven professionals who need to maintain large networks. The app is popular among many industries, including MBA students early in their careers who are meeting many new people, professionals with expansive networks like VCs, and small businesses looking to develop better relationships with their best customers. Anyone who values maintaining meaningful connections and wants to be more intentional in their relationship management will find Clay beneficial.
Clay offers competitive pricing in the personal CRM market. Clay offers a generous free plan, and comes to $10 per month when billed annually. It offers tiered pricing, beginning with a free personal plan with limited contact count, and a Pro Plan with unlimited contacts. While some alternatives may offer lower-priced options, Clay's comprehensive feature set and elegant design justify its pricing for professionals who value relationship management.
Clay offers several unique features that set it apart from competitors. Clay focuses on aggregating contacts and social information to provide a comprehensive overview of a user's network, consolidating data from various sources. Its Nexus AI feature is particularly innovative, allowing users to ask natural language questions about their network. Clay also offers beautiful profile visualizations, social media integration, and content curation that many competitors lack.
Yes. Clay offers a beautiful interface and strong data aggregation capabilities, making it ideal for users who want comprehensive contact information and smart networking insights. Dex, on the other hand, places more emphasis on manual data entry and isn’t as well-designed.
Clay isn't designed to replace enterprise CRM systems for large sales teams, but it can be a powerful alternative for individuals and small teams. Many people use Clay instead of Salesforce, Hubspot, and Pipedrive. Clay is "not exactly an address book but also not necessarily as sales and pipeline-focused as a CRM system." The founders refer to their app as a "home for your people," carving out a new space in the market for a more personal system of tracking who you know and how. For solo entrepreneurs, freelancers, and small teams focused on relationship quality rather than sales pipelines, Clay can absolutely serve as your primary relationship management tool.
Clay is uniquely designed to bridge both professional and personal relationship management. Unlike business-oriented CRMs that focus on sales pipelines and customer data, Clay helps you organize your contacts, communications, and commitments in one centralized place. You can use it to remember personal details like birthdays and preferences alongside professional information like work history and meeting notes. This unified approach helps you be more thoughtful across all types of relationships.
Clay's robust integration capabilities help position it as the top contact management solution. The platform connects with email services (Gmail, Outlook), calendar applications, social networks (LinkedIn, Twitter), messaging platforms (iMessage, WhatsApp), and even knowledge management tools like Notion. Clay has expanded its integrations catalog to include Zapier and Make.com support, allowing connections to thousands of other apps. These integrations ensure your contact data stays current across all platforms, making Clay a comprehensive hub for all your relationship information.
Clay's AI capabilities are at the forefront of personal CRM innovation. Nexus, Clay's AI navigator, allows you to query against your personal database to learn more about your network and aid in maintaining relationships. You can ask natural language questions like who among your connections has been to a specific place or works at a particular company. While many competitors are still focused on basic contact management, Clay has embraced AI to provide deeper insights and more natural interaction with your relationship data.
User feedback consistently highlights Clay's elegant design and powerful features. Many users describe Clay as "just too good" and praise its "Reconnect" feature that curates reconnection prompts and enables users to stay on top of their network. Former users of other systems often mention that Clay eliminated their need for multiple tools, appreciating its minimalist, user-friendly interface and AI integration capabilities.