BlueGranite’s tailored analytics solutions drive major business impact for clients. Key to our success is our deep bench of trusted technology experts – each with their own arena of expertise. As part of our Meet our Team blog series, today we’re introducing Leo Furlong: a longtime BlueGranite Solution Architect with an extensive background implementing on-premise and Azure cloud-based Digital Transformation strategies.
Leo holds a Master of Business Administration, Business Analysis degree from Georgia State University’s J. Mack Robinson College of Business. Prior to that, he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial Systems and Engineering from the elite Georgia Institute of Technology, consistently ranked among the top U.S. engineering schools. Though his former efforts in the classroom now inform his work, so do the efforts he once put in on the field; Leo was a college football defensive end for Georgia Tech. 
“The biggest thing I learned was time management – the ability to execute and plan around a lot of different topics,” the former Yellow Jackets player said, regarding trying to balance intense engineering classes with sports. “When schools starts, you’re putting in 40 hours a week into football; then you have to sprinkle in your classes and get your studying and your homework done.” He not only managed to do both and graduate, he then went back to school to earn his master’s degree at night over the course of four years, while working full time and parenting the first two of his three sons (he has a fourth on the way in just a few weeks!)
Besides time-management mastery, Leo’s time on and off the field also gave him a passion for self-improvement, with him often asking himself “How can I be better?” Part of the answer includes his commitment to continued education – earning the latest Microsoft, Databricks, and Hadoop developer certifications – as well as constantly learning from his BlueGranite peers.
“One of the things I find very valuable about BlueGranite is we have a whole collection of people that are just completely dedicated to modern BI, data platforms, and AI,” Leo said. “It’s fantastic to have a pool of my peers to be able to bounce ideas off of and to share our collected knowledge, really to the benefit of our clients.”
Leo began his career implementing logistics and warehouse management software; from there, he jumped into business intelligence, working as a Microsoft BI consultant since 2006. With more than a decade of experience spanning multiple industries and business intelligence projects, he finds he gravitates most toward Modern Data Platform builds – innovative software designs that form the foundation for secure, scalable advanced business analysis. He most enjoys consolidating, shaping, and modeling data for consumption, and he’s truly excited about the potential the cloud offers for data warehousing and analytics.
He notes the superiority of cloud “scalability, elasticity, and engineering for cost and velocity.”
“From executing over a decade worth of projects on-premises, versus executing projects in the cloud, we’re able to build and innovate so much faster,” Leo said. This allows for faster delivery, faster client feedback, greater value, and often major cost savings for clients – both in technology and delivery costs. Cloud-scale analytics allow unparalleled speed and storage, he added, and clients only pay for resources as they need them.
As for his limited free time, Leo spends most of it with his children. He’s still committed to fitness, spending time in his basement gym lifting weights and fitting in the occasional mixed martial arts class. And he’s also still a Georgia Tech football fan (albeit one who married into a University of Alabama football family.)
Contact BlueGranite today to learn more about how our team of experts can tackle your data needs to build value across your organization.
