Lakeside Software Appoints Daniel Salinas as COO to Drive AI-Powered Digital Experience Growth

Daniel Salinas has returned to Lakeside Software as Chief Operating Officer, where he will oversee global Sales, Customer Success, Customer Support, and Business Development. With over 25 years of enterprise IT leadership experience, including 18 years at IBM in technical, sales, and management roles, Salinas brings a combination of deep technical insight and business execution expertise to his new position. He holds a Bachelor of Engineering in Computer Engineering and Electrical Engineering from the University of Michigan and an MBA from the Ross School of Business.

Salinas previously served as Vice President of Business Development at Lakeside Software in 2010, working directly with CEO Mike Schumacher to establish the company as a leader in digital experience and desktop analytics. After expanding his impact as Chief Revenue Officer at Relay Network and later at Nobl9, his return comes at a critical time as Lakeside evolves to meet the needs of today's hybrid, fast-paced workplace. The company is shifting focus from reactive support functions toward site reliability engineering principles, where success is measured by predictability, automation, and resilience.

As COO, Salinas emphasizes building operational muscle to scale efficiently while maintaining customer focus. His role involves connecting operational execution with customer voice, ensuring that growth doesn't distance the company from the clients who drive its success. This approach is particularly important in the SaaS environment where customer outcomes must remain central to every decision. Lakeside's technology helps transform IT from a behind-the-scenes function into a business hero by providing visibility and intelligence that prevents problems rather than just reacting to them.

The practical impact of Lakeside's approach is demonstrated through real-world examples. One major bank used Lakeside's endpoint sensors to analyze real-world usage data before a planned refresh of 7,000 laptops. The data revealed that only 600 devices actually needed replacement, saving approximately $9 million that could be redirected to other projects. Another organization leveraged sensors and automation to prevent more than 205,000 help desk tickets monthly by monitoring device data, scanning for anomalies, and automatically deploying fixes.

Salinas brings leadership lessons from his diverse career, including a metaphor from his niece's track and field experience with hurdles. He views leadership as coaching people over obstacles rather than avoiding them, whether those challenges involve budget constraints, organizational silos, or skill gaps. This philosophy aligns with Lakeside's mission to create what he calls invisible IT solutions that work seamlessly in the background while delivering measurable outcomes in productivity and cost savings that justify IT budgets and demonstrate clear business value.