Latest news with #DennisKozak
Forbes
03-07-2025
- Business
- Forbes
Why CEOs Really Do Need To Be Customer Zero
Dennis Kozak is the Chief Executive Officer at Ivanti, responsible for the company's overall strategic direction and growth. A colleague once brilliantly suggested staying in your own guestroom for a night to see what your guests really experience. After all, a nice mattress gets overshadowed quickly if car headlights keep waking you up—and you wouldn't know that if you didn't sleep there. Being Customer Zero is the equivalent of sleeping in your guest room every night. My first week as CEO, I didn't need to get briefed on our products because I lived in them. I insisted our IT team set me up with the same experience our customers have—not a special executive version, not a sanitized demo, but the real thing. That decision revealed more about our business than a hundred PowerPoint presentations ever could. But too many tech leaders remain disconnected from the day-to-day reality of using their own solutions. They see polished demos and curated metrics but miss the friction points that frustrate actual users. CEOs as Customer Zero is not a marketing stunt. It's not a charming talking point. It's a necessity for effective leadership and operations. Establishing A Real Ownership Mentality Throughout my career, I've distinguished between what I call owner mentality versus renter mentality. Renters make decisions based on short-term convenience. Owners invest in understanding every aspect of their property because they're committed to its long-term value. Customer Zero cultivates this ownership mentality throughout the organization. When your marketing team struggles with the same UX issues your customers face, those "minor bugs" suddenly become urgent priorities. When your sales team relies on your security solutions to protect sensitive deals, product promises transform into personal commitments. What Being Customer Zero Looks Like In Practice At my company, we put this approach to the test during extraordinary circumstances. When we rapidly grew to 3,200 employees through several strategic acquisitions, we faced exactly the kind of challenges our customers deal with: We remotely managed and provisioned around 3,000 devices globally while deprovisioning approximately 2,000 devices—all during peak pandemic disruption. Our team generated over 22,000 tickets on our platform, with automatic resolution and self-help functionality reclaiming substantial bandwidth for our IT support team. We implemented our own DevSecOps processes, scanning our code for vulnerabilities and prioritizing critical security issues—the same workflow we recommend to customers. The results weren't always comfortable, but they were invaluable. Our teams delivered unfiltered, candid feedback about functionality and user experience. We made changes accordingly, often discovering issues no focus group would have uncovered. How Being Customer Zero Drives Transformation Being Customer Zero drives three critical transformations: Like many of our customers, our company has on-premises products moving to the cloud. By experiencing this migration firsthand, we get immediate feedback on gaps between these environments. When you acquire different solutions with varying technology stacks, integration becomes critical. Our Customer Zero program evaluates these integrations through day-to-day use, testing both single-pane-of-glass management and API functionality. Nothing builds credibility like saying, "We rely on this so heavily that our business would collapse without it." Customer Zero creates authentic conviction in both sales teams and customers. How To Become Customer Zero For Your Own Company If you're considering implementing your own Customer Zero initiative, start with these practical approaches: • Champion universal adoption at the executive level. • Create formal feedback channels between internal users and development. • Measure and track internal usage metrics as seriously as customer metrics. • Document both successes and pain points for transparent customer conversations. • Prioritize internal user experience issues in your development backlogs. The most crucial element? Commitment to authenticity. If your team discovers limitations, fix them before expecting customers to adapt around them. Checking Your Ego At The Door Let's be honest: Becoming Customer Zero can be humbling. Maybe really humbling. You'll discover rough edges in your products. You'll experience frustrations your customers have silently endured. You might even question past decisions about product priorities. That discomfort is exactly the point. It forces your organization to confront reality rather than marketing aspirations. To make it work, you have to check your ego at the door. This approach has transformed how we innovate. Our teams now operate at the leading edge—managing complex IT data while leveraging AI and automation capabilities because our own business depends on them working flawlessly. Every executive should regularly ask: Would I bet my business on my own product today? If the answer makes you hem and haw even a little bit, you've identified your most pressing priority. The greatest gift you can give customers isn't another feature—it's the confidence that comes from knowing you trust your solutions enough to build your own success upon them. Forbes Business Council is the foremost growth and networking organization for business owners and leaders. Do I qualify?
Fast Company
25-06-2025
- Business
- Fast Company
The power of a customer-first strategy
I would argue that the most important indicator of a brand's health is customer loyalty. For leaders, building and sustaining strong customer loyalty is the holy grail. Leaders talk a lot about how to win customer loyalty, and sometimes that could mean getting caught up in chasing the newest shiny object, silver bullet, or trend. To avoid that chase, I've made a point of rooting myself in an approach that sounds basic on the surface, but is truly transformative: making customers the true center of every decision. This isn't a reactive strategy during tough times—it's a proactive philosophy that builds resilience and clarity before you need it. When you remain centered on prioritizing customer needs and experiences, you create a foundation of trust and understanding that fosters long-term loyalty. The human connection in a digital world Technology has improved access to customers in a lot of ways, but it has also created distance. I got to thinking about this after reading a recent LinkedIn post from my colleague Dennis Kozak, written after he toured colleges with his daughter. He said his daughter could sense 'which interactions felt authentic versus those that were rote, detached, and rehearsed.' These were in-person interactions, which should be immune to detachment. But we've all become so accustomed to digitally-driven detachment that it seems our interpersonal standards have shifted. The innate ability to detect authenticity isn't limited to campus tours—it's fundamental to every interaction, especially customer interactions. I am all for the efficiencies gained from AI chatbots, automated systems, and digital interfaces, yet there needs to be a balance between technology and the human element to effectively build true connections. When everyone uses the same technology solutions, genuine human engagement becomes your true differentiator. Demonstrating your ability to understand and connect is crucial in maintaining strong connections with others and is ultimately best left to people, not machines. These qualities foster loyalty, trust, and genuine relationships. Use values as your customer compass The principles that guide your personal decisions should extend to how you prioritize customer needs. I've found that grounding myself in integrity, authenticity, and teamwork creates a framework for customer-centric decision making. Integrity means doing what's right for customers, even—and especially —when facing tough choices and challenging times. Making customers central means that the choice becomes clear if you are making hard choices that prioritize their needs over short-term business interests. Every commitment represents an opportunity to demonstrate that you genuinely value their success as much as your own. 'Authenticity' kind of sounds like corporate buzz speak, but to me, it's very real. It shows up as consistency between what you promise and what you deliver. Back on campus, Dennis said people can immediately tell which representatives were 'passionate about the school and genuinely wanted her to be part of it versus those monotoning from a script while thinking about how soon they could be done with the conversation.' We've all had customer experiences where we felt like the person on the other side was just going through the motions, right? And I hope we've all had the opposite experience, too, when we truly felt seen and heard, like our experience mattered. What a difference! See beyond immediate transactions One great (or terrible) interaction can make or break a customer relationship, but the strongest customer relationships are built over time with consistent engagement. These bonds form when you demonstrate understanding beyond the immediate problem. For example, if a customer contacts your company because they're frustrated about a glitch, it's important to address the glitch. But it's not just about the glitch. It's about the lost productivity, the time spent needing to find contact info and reach out, and concerns about whether they can trust the product in the future. What can you do about that? Technology can actually enhance this understanding when applied thoughtfully. While AI raises legitimate concerns about depersonalization, I've found it can be an unexpected ally in customer centricity when used to augment rather than replace human judgment. By synthesizing different viewpoints from across the organization, we develop more effective responses that truly address customer needs when responding to complex situations. Technology can improve the functional aspects of customer experiences while humans address the intangible elements. Humanize the digital experience As technology continues to rise toward dominance, I think we're at an inflection point: Do we allow digital efficiency to create emotional distance, or deliberately design human connection into every touchpoint? This balance between humans and machines doesn't happen accidentally. It requires deliberately designing customer journeys that incorporate genuine human touchpoints at pivotal moments—especially during those times when trust is tested and either strengthened or broken. When you put customer needs first in good times and in bad (not to sound like wedding vows here!), customers trust that their needs remain your priority, no matter what. These customers are so much more likely to ride out tough times with you and not only stay loyal to the company, but serve as vocal brand advocates who share their experience with others. Now that is the holy grail.
Yahoo
02-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Ivanti Announces Successful Refinancing and New Capital Infusion to Support Key Strategic Initiatives
Optimized Capital Structure Bolsters Ability to Invest Across Full Spectrum of IT, Network Security, and Exposure Management to Empower Customers' Business Goals SALT LAKE CITY, May 02, 2025--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Ivanti, an enterprise software company that provides a comprehensive IT and security cloud-based platform, announced today that it has successfully closed a refinancing transaction. This was achieved with the support of an overwhelming majority of its existing lenders. As part of this transaction, Ivanti raised $350 million of new capital and extended the maturity of its existing debt facilities to 2029, bolstering its liquidity position and financial flexibility to support the Company's key strategic initiatives. The transaction was open to all holders of its existing first lien and second lien term loans. "We greatly appreciate the broad-based support from investors across our capital structure to reach this positive outcome, demonstrating their continued confidence in our business," said Dennis Kozak, CEO of Ivanti. "With additional capital and extended debt maturities, we believe that we are well positioned to progress our ongoing transformation, provide customers with improved capabilities and security, and deliver long-term success." Over the past year, Ivanti has made substantial advancements to its products and processes, and the Company's strengthened financial foundation is expected to enhance its ability to invest across its solutions to empower customers' business goals and provide seamless, flexible solutions that are built to address the evolving threat landscape. Ivanti is backed by Clearlake Capital Group, L.P., Charlesbank Capital Partners, LLC, and TA Associates. Kirkland & Ellis LLP and Evercore Group LLC are serving as legal and financial advisors to Ivanti. About Ivanti Ivanti is an enterprise software company that provides a comprehensive IT and security cloud-based platform. Ivanti provides software solutions that scale with our customers' needs to help enable IT and Security to improve operational efficiency while reducing costs and proactively reducing security risk. The Ivanti Neurons platform is cloud-native and is designed as a foundation of unified and reusable services and tools for consistent visibility, scalability and secure solution delivery. Over 34,000 customers, including 85 of the Fortune 100, have chosen Ivanti to meet challenges head-on with its end-to-end solutions. At Ivanti, we strive to create an environment where all perspectives are heard, respected and valued and we are committed to a more sustainable future for our customers, partners, employees and the planet. For more information, visit and follow @GoIvanti. View source version on Contacts press@ Sign in to access your portfolio
Business Wire
02-05-2025
- Business
- Business Wire
Ivanti Announces Successful Refinancing and New Capital Infusion to Support Key Strategic Initiatives
SALT LAKE CITY--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Ivanti, an enterprise software company that provides a comprehensive IT and security cloud-based platform, announced today that it has successfully closed a refinancing transaction. This was achieved with the support of an overwhelming majority of its existing lenders. Ivanti raised $350 million of new capital and extended the maturity of its existing debt facilities to 2029, bolstering its liquidity position and financial flexibility to support the Company's key strategic initiatives Share As part of this transaction, Ivanti raised $350 million of new capital and extended the maturity of its existing debt facilities to 2029, bolstering its liquidity position and financial flexibility to support the Company's key strategic initiatives. The transaction was open to all holders of its existing first lien and second lien term loans. 'We greatly appreciate the broad-based support from investors across our capital structure to reach this positive outcome, demonstrating their continued confidence in our business,' said Dennis Kozak, CEO of Ivanti. 'With additional capital and extended debt maturities, we believe that we are well positioned to progress our ongoing transformation, provide customers with improved capabilities and security, and deliver long-term success.' Over the past year, Ivanti has made substantial advancements to its products and processes, and the Company's strengthened financial foundation is expected to enhance its ability to invest across its solutions to empower customers' business goals and provide seamless, flexible solutions that are built to address the evolving threat landscape. Ivanti is backed by Clearlake Capital Group, L.P., Charlesbank Capital Partners, LLC, and TA Associates. Kirkland & Ellis LLP and Evercore Group LLC are serving as legal and financial advisors to Ivanti. About Ivanti Ivanti is an enterprise software company that provides a comprehensive IT and security cloud-based platform. Ivanti provides software solutions that scale with our customers' needs to help enable IT and Security to improve operational efficiency while reducing costs and proactively reducing security risk. The Ivanti Neurons platform is cloud-native and is designed as a foundation of unified and reusable services and tools for consistent visibility, scalability and secure solution delivery. Over 34,000 customers, including 85 of the Fortune 100, have chosen Ivanti to meet challenges head-on with its end-to-end solutions. At Ivanti, we strive to create an environment where all perspectives are heard, respected and valued and we are committed to a more sustainable future for our customers, partners, employees and the planet. For more information, visit and follow @GoIvanti.
