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In 2012, 30-year IT industry veteran Mark Leary founded The First Tracks as a research, analysis, and consulting firm focused on disruptive network technologies and industry-changing solutions. Prior to leading The First Tracks, Mr. Leary worked for Cisco Systems for 12 years where he formulated and executed market and business development activities relating to Cisco’s core technology systems (routers, switches, and IOS), application networking services, and sustainable Green IT solutions. Before his work at Cisco, Mr. Leary was Vice President – Networking Industry Research & Consulting at IDC (International Data Corporation). Over his 13 years at IDC, Mr. Leary functioned as industry analyst and IT consultant to Fortune 500 companies, networking and computing system suppliers, software vendors, service providers, and the investment community. Some of his most prominent accomplishments in the industry include driving adoption of new technologies and best practices within Fortune 5000 networks; authoring technology and business articles for such publications as The New York Times, Computerworld, and Network World; and evangelizing “The Network” across the world – from private executive briefings to public seminars, panels, and conference sessions. Mr. Leary received a Bachelor of Science degree in computer science, as well as an MBA in business strategy & planning from Boston College.