Keith Basil

Commander
DISC Type : D

VP & GM, Edge Business Unit at SUSE

Washington DC-Baltimore Area, United States

Overview

Keith Basil is the VP & General Manager of the Edge Business Unit at SUSE, where he leads product management, strategy, and marketing. A Bachelor of Science graduate from Norfolk State University, he has deep expertise in Kubernetes, cloud security, and edge architectures. Colleagues describe him as visionary, charismatic, and approachable.

Deeply committed to education and community, Keith serves on the advisory boards for both Old Dominion Universitys Computer Science program and the Norfolk State University Research and Innovation Foundation. He actively fosters growth in the tech community, taking pride in mentoring the next generation of professionals.

He is a multi-time book author and holds patents for innovative cloud hardware designs, including a "Wall mounted cloud chassis. "

Personality Overview

Impact-Driven

Very Quick

Strong-Willed

More than the product, they care about the effectiveness of the product.  They are not focused on building rapport and relationships. They like to be in a position where they can control the conversation and terms.

Topics They Care About

Cloud-Native Edge
He leads the SUSE Edge business unit, has co-authored a book on the topic, and frequently speaks about edge computing's role in various industries like retail and telecom.
Industrial IoT
He led the recent acquisition of Losant to transform SUSE into a full-stack Industrial IoT leader, focusing on the intersection of the digital and physical worlds.
Open Source Innovation
A core part of his work at SUSE, he is a proponent of using open source to drive innovation, from Linux and Kubernetes to new edge and Telco Cloud solutions.

Media Appearances

Deploying IoT at the Edge | SUSE's Keith Basil | Internet of Things Podcast. Featured in Spotify – Internet of Things Podcast

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Exclusive: SUSE enters SaaS space with acquisition of IoT vendor Losant. Featured in SDxCentral

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SUSE Edge upgrade targets Kubernetes and Linux at the edge. Featured in Network World

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Work History

3-2022
VP & GM, Edge Business Unit at SUSE
12-2020 - 3-2022
Vice President of Product, Cloud Native Infrastructure at SUSE
9-2020 - 12-2020
VP, Product (acquired by SUSE) at Rancher Labs
7-2020 - 9-2020
VP, Edge Solutions at Rancher Labs
6-2020
Founder/CEO and Decentralized Cloud Advocate at Fourth Cloud

Education

Bachelor of Science (BS) from Norfolk State University

More Information

Social Presence :

Prographics :

Exp : 31 Location : Washington DC-Baltimore Area, United States Job Level : Senior Designation : VP & GM, Edge Business Unit at SUSE
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Insights For Selling To Keith

During A Call Or A Meeting

DO's

  • Speak about competitive differentiation that your product offers
  • Get to the point quickly instead of spending time doing small talk
  • When negotiating terms, help them build an impression that they are the ones calling the shots

DONT's

  • Do not spend too much time focusing on product tech or features
  • Avoid being a storyteller and don’t try to oversell
  • Do not hesitate from asking counter questions, just avoid challenging their authority

When Cold Calling

When Writing An Email

While Negotiating & Closing

    The secret to closing fast with Keith is

  • Conviction around the impact matters the most to them, followed by a sense of achievement and ROI.
  • Will you ever get a clear answer from Keith

  • If they decide not to use your product, they will say no clearly.

Insights For Deal Planning

    How fast (or slow) will Keith move?

  • They can take decisions very fast if you manage to convince them.
  • Can Keith take some risk or not?

  • The risks don’t matter much to them.

You And Keith

Personality Compatibility


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