Technology & Tools Strategy

A large travel program had grown organically into a tangle of overlapping travel technology tools, shadow IT services, undocumented integrations, and inherited vendor relationships — all without a unified strategy. This lack of technology portfolio governance led to inconsistent security compliance and spiraling Azure costs. What was needed was a clear Azure migration strategy that provided architecture leadership rather than mere vendor management.

Led strategy and governance for the travel technology tools portfolio, which included booking tools, mobile apps, chatbots, data services, and supplier integrations. Developed an Azure migration strategy that facilitated rigorous build-vs-buy evaluations across six vendors, defining data contracts, SLAs, and reporting requirements for each. 

Designed and validated a federated authentication model that met the Secure Future Initiative requirements, enhancing technology portfolio governance and strengthening integrations between suppliers and corporate systems. 

Executed a full Azure environment migration, decommissioning legacy systems while also leading shadow IT inventory and service tree compliance efforts, including security reviews, privacy compliance, and managed identity transitions.

~50% reduction in Azure subscription run-rate costs achieved through an effective Azure migration strategy. A full shadow IT inventory has been documented and brought into governance, aligning with our technology portfolio governance objectives. A federated auth model has been deployed to meet enterprise security mandates. Vendor roadmaps have been synchronized with internal program needs across six platforms, ensuring that corporate interests are represented in product governance at the supplier level, particularly in relation to travel technology tools.

Technology debt in travel programs often remains invisible until significant issues arise, such as during a compliance audit, a data breach, or a failed integration. Implementing a proactive technology portfolio governance strategy is essential for risk mitigation and cost recovery. Travel programs that view their tech stack as a managed asset—rather than just a collection of vendor relationships—tend to outperform those that don't. Additionally, an effective Azure migration strategy can enhance the efficiency of travel technology tools, further optimizing program performance.