Walter Bigelow – Chief of IT Systems ATF&E – Mountain Man?

So, you think you know Walter Bigelow at ATF&E?  Former Army, DoD, and NASA, he’s the sober hand in Uncle Sam’s most combustible IT shop.  Well it’s a long way from his new-fangled office in NE Washington, D.C. to the top of Mount Rainier in Washington state – but that’s where Mr. Bigelow’s heading, again.  A real mountain man – not exactly the stereotype of a computer geek.  Explains why Walter and Simon Szykman hang together.

Head in the Clouds?
His appetite for cloud befits somebody with an appetite for heights.  He’s an active participant in the Cloud Computing Caucus Advisory Group.  That said, he couples vision with steely pragmatics.  Nobody knows the reality of how to manage a government IT operation better than Bigelow.  Yes, he can be a cynic – that’s why he’s my go-to expert on why the latest new-fangled IT idea will fall off the mountain in D.C.  His attitude, wit, and purchase on reality come through loud and clear in this latestZoom installment.

Motorhead?
One additional aspect on Walter, he likes to get oil under his fingernails.  We share an affinity for old British jalopies.  Walter rebuilt the gearbox on his MGB, on his kitchen table, a few days before his wedding.  Hardware problems don’t leave him stranded by the side of the road.

Go Bigelow
So, keep an ear open for news on Mr. Bigelow’s ascent.  At more than 14,000 feet, Mount Rainier is the loftiest peak in the lower 48.  It takes three days to reach the summit.  Read more about his journey in the latest installment of Zoom.