Austin, Texas

Tanner Darrell

Client Value Leader, Data Fabric · IBM

I help enterprise teams turn sprawling data estates into platforms that actually pay for themselves. The rest of my time goes into building things of my own: a real estate fund, a CRM consultancy, and a golf game I take far too seriously.

10+ years in enterprise software & cloud sales IBM · Microsoft · NTT DATA · Insight Founder, Pedernales Capital Group & BuyCRMNow
About

Results-oriented, and not just on paper

I'm a results-oriented sales leader with a background in business planning, technical solution design, and closing complex enterprise deals, the kind that involve legal, procurement, and three rounds of "let's circle back." I've spent my career on the data and cloud side of that world: licensing, migrations, platform modernization, and the negotiations that turn a stalled opportunity into a signed contract.

I started at IBM, moved into Microsoft's Azure business, spent time leading banking & financial services engagements at NTT DATA and Microsoft Services work at Insight, then came back to IBM to lead a Data Fabric territory in the US Select segment. Somewhere in there I got hooked on building things outside of a W-2. That is how Pedernales Capital Group and BuyCRMNow came to exist.

Off the clock: competitive amateur golfer, proud father of four incredible kids, and the guy who ends up running the group chat for every golf trip our crew takes.

Experience

Career

Aug 2026 to Present

Client Value Leader, Data Fabric

IBM

Own a Data Platform / Data Fabric territory across roughly ten US Select accounts, spanning Cloud Pak for Data, watsonx.data, and the integration work that connects them.

Apr 2025 to Aug 2026

Enterprise Solutions Executive

IBM · Signature Financial Services

Led enterprise software solutioning for a signature financial services book of business.

Jan 2023 to May 2025

Client Executive, IBM Cloud Platform

IBM

Drove cloud platform adoption and modernization deals for enterprise accounts.

Jul 2021 to Jun 2023

Client Services Director, Microsoft Services

Insight

Led Microsoft Services engagements out of Austin, TX.

Jul 2019 to Jul 2021

Director, Banking & Financial Services

NTT DATA Services

Led managed network and digital transformation engagements for banking and financial services clients.

Jan 2018 to Jul 2019

SSP, Azure Applications & Infrastructure

Microsoft

Drove sales and growth of the Azure platform, including apps, infrastructure, backup/DR, Active Directory, networking, storage, and security, in partnership with Microsoft's channel ecosystem.

2015 to 2019

Enterprise Software Solutions Specialist (CPDS)

IBM

Worked with F500 IBM customers on reinstatement, cloud conversion (PaaS/IaaS/SaaS), and hardware/software renewals, covering entitlement analysis, infrastructure analysis, and post-sale execution.

Beyond IBM

Ventures

Real Estate

Pedernales Capital Group

A real estate investment fund based in Driftwood, TX, investing across Texas, Georgia, Tennessee, Florida, South Carolina, Alabama, Arkansas, and Oklahoma.

pedernalescapitalgroup.com ↗
CRM Advisory

BuyCRMNow

A vendor-neutral CRM matching and sales process consultancy that helps companies find the right CRM for how they actually sell, plus training and implementation support.

buycrmnow.com ↗
Expertise

What I work in

Enterprise Sales

Complex deal negotiation Channel & partner sales Digital selling Executive presentations

Licensing & Commercial

PVU / VPC / RVU / AU S&S & trade-up structuring SaaS vs. perpetual TCO Subscription upgrades

Platforms

Cloud Pak for Data watsonx.data Azure infrastructure Cloud & data migration
Certifications

Credentials

IBM Certified Advocate, Cloud v22024
Microsoft Certified: Azure FundamentalsMicrosoft
Social Selling Digital Practitioner2018
Certificate in Professional Digital Selling2017
Web Developer Bootcamp (Full Stack)2018
Cloud & Cognitive Patterns2017
Bluemix Essentials2017
Blockchain Essentials2017
IBM Global Sales School2016
IBM Selling Profession Certification, Level I2016
Off the Clock

Golf, family, and the rest of it

On the course

Competitive amateur golfer playing close to scratch. I organize a handful of recurring golf trips for our crew, including the Aloha Cup Social Club and a rotating group we call BSS, and put together the full itinerary myself: courses, pairings, cost breakdowns, the works. Recent trips have taken us to Chambers Bay, Gamble Sands, Kiawah Island, and Turning Stone, with Bend, Oregon on the calendar for 2027. I also run a golf YouTube channel, Dad Loves Golf.

Aloha Cup Social Club Dad Loves Golf

Family & community

Father of four incredible children, the reason the golf trips have to be planned a year in advance.

  • Big Brothers Big Sisters of America
  • DFW Humane Society
  • Junior Achievement USA
  • Hunger Busters