Tech-Surfers LLC
Thirty years navigating technology's waves —
I help organizations ride the ones ahead.
I'm Ken Gahagan, a technology executive turned independent builder. I take on select engagements where deep experience, broad perspective, and a genuine bias toward getting things done make a meaningful difference.
What I bring
Enterprise-grade thinking
Three decades across mainframes, networks, enterprise infrastructure, and software R&D — including 23 years at SAS Institute, where I ended as Vice President of Compute and Data Services. I've led large teams, stewarded significant budgets, and delivered systems that organizations stake their operations on.
A builder's perspective
I'm not just an advisor — I'm currently building products. That includes working directly with AI tools at every stage of development. I understand the genuine capabilities and the real limitations, and I help organizations leverage AI in ways that actually serve their business goals — not just chase the trend.
Breadth that connects dots
From IBM mainframes and COBOL to cloud-native compute; from call center systems to VP-level R&D strategy. I thrive at the intersection of disciplines — the kind of problem where someone needs to see the whole board, synthesize across domains, and move.
Currently building
I'm actively developing two software products and working on some infrastructure automation tooling. Details as they're ready for the world.
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