Tech Talks Daily

Two leading quantum companies – Honeywell Quantum Solutions and Cambridge Quantum Computing (CQC) – have merged to form a new business called Quantinuum. The new company combines Honeywell's expertise in quantum hardware with CQC's software capabilities. "Quantinuum is now the largest and most advanced integrated quantum computing company in the world," said Ilyas Khan, CEO of the new company and founder of Cambridge Quantum. Ilyas Khan, CEO of Quantinuum joins me on Tech Talks Daily to discuss the state of the quantum computing industry overall and Quantinuum's place in it. Ilyas also shares an inspirational origin story and being inspired by Stephen Hawking.

An "unprecedented" lack of tech skills is threatening the progress of digital transformation projects at more than two-thirds of companies worldwide. For example, did you know that the Asia Pacific region is bracing itself for a shortfall of 3 million unfilled cyber security positions? These skills shortages are creating opportunities for anyone to transition into a new tech career in anything from project management and coding to cyber security. Mark Wheatland from the Learning People joins me on Tech Talks Daily to discuss how anyone can make the switch to a career in tech. We also discuss recruiting challenges when no one has the two years of experience employers are searching for and why University IT degrees are not always fit for purpose. We talk about the right skills and qualifications people need to land their dream job in IT, coding, and project management. We also discuss the hot areas of shortages and skills gaps that are in the highest demand right now.

Bilal Baloch, Co-Founder & COO of Enquire.ai joins me on Tech Talks Daily. Enquire's technology is empowering Fortune 500 companies like Apple and Oracle through diverse knowledge and a complete range of perspectives, which has proven to be critical in the fight against misinformation. Bilal provides unique insights into how technologies within the digital media landscape are promoting the consumption of low-quality information. We discuss how social media networks are currently failing their users and the potential implications of spreading misinformation. We also talk about why there is a current lack of trust behind an abundance of data and what steps we need to ignite a wave of change. We also explore trends around the future of information consumption looks like what declining CNN & MSNBC TV ratings mean for the future of the news cycle. Finally, we chat about the development of up-and-coming technologies that are changing the way we use information to make decisions.

Not long after the shelling began in Ukraine, Daniil Cherkasskiy got a phone call from a close friend. The surrogate mother of his friend's twins, trapped in Kyiv, had given birth at 33 weeks. But, unfortunately, the babies were in dire need of preemie formula. Local pharmacies were blocked by Russian gunfire. Daniil began working through the night to help coordinate the delivery of the formula. Through a series of connections, he met Natalia, a real estate agent, and young mother. Instead of evacuating, she stayed, narrowly escaping shelling as she drove from pharmacy to pharmacy — risking her life for a stranger's babies. The first link of trust was established. That moment led to a launching of a Chicago nonprofit called Ukraine TrustChain, made up of primarily Ukrainian immigrants who are working to fund six teams on the ground in Ukraine to meet citizens' most critical daily needs – food for bomb shelters, sleeping pads, evacuations of senior homes, baby formula, etc. I invited Daniil on the podcast to learn more about his story and how the Ukraine TrustChain tech has facilitated the evacuation of more than 23,000 Ukrainian refugees. More info - https://www.ukrainetrustchain.org/

NETSCOUT, one of the leading cybersecurity and network diagnostics firms globally, recently revealed the findings of its bi-annual Threat Intelligence Report. The report provided insight and analysis into distributed-denial-of-service (DDoS) attack trends in 2021. I invited Richard Hummel, ASERT Threat Intelligence Lead for NETSCOUT, to join me on Tech Talks Daily to discuss the big takeaways from the report. Richard shares how DDoS-for-hire services are now more accessible to the public and the significant increase in computer manufacturers and computer storage manufacturing attacks. We also discuss the different types of attacks used and who the suspected attackers are. Finally, I learn more about which industries have been most targeted and what business leaders need to be aware of when it comes to DDoS attacks.

With hybrid work – or a flexible corporate environment that enables employees to operate both remotely and in a physical office – now a permanent professional fixture, workers have come to expect new levels of flexibility. However, employees now demand even more from their hybrid work experience – namely greater meeting equity. Simply defined, meeting equity ensures that remote employees receive the same level of engagement, collaboration and access to a meeting room experience as those who are physically seated around the table. As a new Barco ClickShare survey released today found, hybrid workers are growing more concerned about perceptions of an inequal and less productive meeting experience while apart from their colleagues, and many are going as far as to consider new opportunities at organizations where they believe they will be more included. The recently-released Barco ClickShare Hybrid Work Survey shows, businesses must now address the challenge of meeting equity in the hybrid environment. Simply defined, meeting equity ensures that remote employees receive the same level of engagement, collaboration and access to a meeting room experience as those who are physically seated around the table. The survey finds that nearly one in three workers struggle to feel heard during hybrid meetings, amplifying calls for improved meeting inclusion. In today's episode, Anthony Wright from Barco shares insights uncovered from the Hybrid Work Survey and reveals a few surprises.

DiMassimo Goldstein (DiGo) is the world's first creative agency focused exclusively on promoting better habits by building brands and businesses using Positive Behavior Change marketing. Becoming "Metamates" and dropping "news" from "feed" are just a few items off the long list of rebranding tactics Mark Zuckerberg has in mind as Facebook becomes Meta. But is it enough? Will this actually result in user habits that Zuckerberg is seeking for his vision of Meta? Mark DiMassimo, is the Founder & Creative Chief of DiGo, a creative agency promoting better habits by building businesses using Positive Behavior Change marketing. Mark joins me on Tech Talks Daily to take an in-depth look into the rebranding and marketing choices Facebook is making now, whether it's enough to change consumer habits, and ways to ensure not just behavior change, but positive behavior change among Meta users.

Camunda process orchestration software helps orchestrate complex business processes that span people, systems, and devices. With Camunda, business users collaborate with developers to model and automate end-to-end processes using BPMN-powered flowcharts that run with the speed, scale, and resiliency required to compete in today's digital-first world. Hundreds of enterprises such as Allianz, ING, and Vodafone design, automate, and improve mission-critical business processes with Camunda to drive digital transformation. Jakob Freund, CEO, and co-founder of process automation provider, Camunda, joins me on Tech Talks Daily in a conversation about the missed opportunity when organizations don't start small with automation and the criteria for organizations that can significantly benefit from bringing a Chief Automation Officer on board.

In February 2022, the UK Government released its 'Levelling Up' manifesto, revealing its plans to drive innovation and economic growth, while upskilling people and leading the way to a better society and more sustainable environment. In many ways, this is a microcosm of the wider world and organisations on all corners of the globe should too be striving to level up. Doing so is key to deliver digital products and services faster, to keep up with customer demands and remain competitive amid increased market pace and competition. IT is essential to this, but they in turn need the right architecture, underpinned by composable applications, which Gartner predicts will become a strategic objective for 60% of organisations by 2023, while 80% will use iterative, experimental methods like lean, agile and design-thinking for service design. To this end, IT / digital workflows will also play a pivotal role. So, in this podcast episode, we explore the non-negotiable need for workflows within organisations, and how companies can use the Now Platform to level up and empower their IT teams. Andy Lockard, Solutions, Development & Architecture Lead, Fujitsu, (ServiceNow) joins me on Tech Talks Daily in a discussion about these trends and much more.

Wade Ellery, Senior Solution Architect at Radiant Logic, joins me on Tech Talks Daily to discuss how many organizations have an identity management crisis without realizing it and what they can do to solve the problem? For many organizations, identity data exists in multiple forms across different locations (such as LDAP, AD, SQL, and web services), which creates a fragmented infrastructure within the organization, resulting in a deceleration of the time it takes to authenticate a user and the expansion of the organization's attack surface. Many organizations see current Identity Access Management solutions as incapable of meeting the demands of scalability, performance, and security needed in the work-from-anywhere era. So, what can be done to solve the identity management crisis experienced by organizations today? We discuss how many realize too late that they suffer from a fragmented infrastructure that results in a sprawl and why digital transformation has exacerbated organizations' current identity management problem. Finally I learn more about how using identity data fabric can help solve the identity sprawl problem.

Cybersecurity can seem complicated, but the truth is, many cyberattacks could be stopped with something very simple: improving password security. In fact, over the last two years, passwords were at the heart of some of the most high-profile breaches, including SolarWinds and Colonial Pipeline. And with an estimated 1 million passwords stolen every week, anyone could be the next target if they haven't taken steps to improve their password security. Darren James, a password security expert and Head of Internal IT at Specops Software, joins me on Tech Talks Daily. Darren discusses his role at Specops and what inspired him to pursue a career in security. We also discuss best practices that every business and individual should be using and why password breaches are so common.

IBM recently announced its fourth-quarter 2021 earnings results, which showcased significant growth in automation software, with revenue up 15 percent. Dinesh Nirmal, General Manager, of IBM Automation joins me on the Tech Talk Daily Podcast to discuss IBM's plans to accelerate automation adoption in 2022, We also discuss the following three key industry challenges and trends that businesses are facing today: Skills gap: Automation is helping close the skills gap by solving the shortage of data scientists and developers that the industry is currently experiencing. For example, new automation tools like Watson Orchestrate provide workers access to their own interactive AI to help them perform both mundane and mission-critical tasks faster – everything from scheduling meetings and procuring approvals to interacting with business systems and preparing proposals. Complexity of legacy systems: Many challenges arise for enterprises when dealing with the complexity of legacy systems. Instead of having to deal with the number of workloads, databases, platforms, storage systems, security models, and so on, businesses are looking for a one-stop-shop for automation across business automation and IT automation. Increasing digitization, fast: Automation has become the go-to solution to speed up the level of digitization in order to continue to grow at a competitive pace. By providing clients with a one-stop-shop for AI-powered automation powered by recent acquisitions of Turbonomic, MyInvenio, WDG Automation and Instana, IBM has created an easy pathway for our customers to embrace automation, making it one of the most beneficial technologies for businesses today on an industry-wide level.

Gianna Scorsone, General Manager and Head of North America at global technology company Aircall ($1B valuation), joins me on The Tech Talks Daily Podcast. We discuss the importance of mass personalization for business communications and how cloud-based, digital-first companies face fierce competition for customer loyalty. Potential and existing customer interactions with a company's sales and customer service team must be personalized and positive to distinguish a brand from similar products and services and continue driving sales growth. In the day and age of the Great Resignation and labor shortages, businesses are reassessing what's needed to retain and recruit employees. Gianna firmly believes employee retention is directly tied to the culture companies create in the workplace. As a GM, she believes in prioritizing people first, then sales. Finally, she offers advice to future sales leaders and women working in tech.

Matt Pullen, EVP, Managing Director, CyrusOne, joins me on Tech Talks Daily. The premier global data center real estate investment trust (REIT) has over 50 data centers worldwide, including a range of facilities in London, Dublin, and Frankfurt, and some exciting expansion plans in Europe. We discuss what the future data center will look like and how increased regulation and legislation will impact the landscape. Matt also shares his predictions for the future and explores sustainability in the industry, and I learn more about the founding of the Climate Neutral Data Centre Pact. About CyrusOne CyrusOne (NASDAQ: CONE) is a premier global REIT specializing in design, construction and operation of more than 50 high-performance data centers worldwide. The Company provides mission-critical facilities that ensure the continued operation of IT infrastructure for approximately 1,000 customers, including approximately 200 Fortune 1000 companies. A leader in hybrid-cloud and multi-cloud deployments, CyrusOne offers colocation, hyperscale, and build-to-suit environments that help customers enhance the strategic connection of their essential data infrastructure and support achievement of sustainability goals. CyrusOne data centers offer world-class flexibility, enabling clients to modernize, simplify, and rapidly respond to changing demand. Combining exceptional financial strength with a broad global footprint, CyrusOne provides customers with long-term stability and strategic advantage at scale.

In April, Chili Piper, the leading inbound conversion platform for sales and marketing teams, announced a Series B of $33M led by marquee VC, Tiger Global and includes Google's Gradient Ventures as an investor. After the ongoing onset of the pandemic, Chili Piper's co-founder and CEO, Nicolas Vandenberghe, was able to win over investors in just 20 minutes. Nicolas shares his origin story which includes a great anecdote of a conversation he had with Steve Jobs and his journey to ChiliPiper. I learn more about their playbook for success how customers can increase conversion and drive more leads with a "speed-to-lead" approach.

No matter who you are and what kind of organisations you've worked for, everyone knows the pressure to just get it done. It can be for the sake of stakeholders, the cause, or the bottom line, but the consequences are the same: eventually you amass organisational debt. Like technical debt, this has accelerated amid recent disruption, where the need to keep things moving, at any cost, was greater than ever. But if this isn't addressed, the knock-on effect on your culture, people and all-round effectiveness can be severe. Ultimately, everyone knows organisational debt is there, but no one wants to talk about it. However, this needs to change – and fast – if businesses are to rid themselves of complexity and inefficiency. So, herein lies the purpose of this podcast episode, where our experts will be exploring some of the key things to look out for to fathom if your organisation is suffering from this debt. Complete with a deep dive into the power of IT workflows and other ways to free yourself from these shackles, to empower your people and drive growth in the remainder of the year (and beyond). Jason Fowler, VP of HR for Fujitsu in Northern and Western Europe joins me on Tech Talks Daily to tackle the topic of Organisational Debt. With twenty years' experience in the technology sector, Jason has seen first-hand the impact that digitalisation has had, and continues to have, in disrupting organisations and their employees. He believes that in the era of total tech, the people capability of an organisation becomes the principal point of commercial differentiation – and it is the role of HR to create this.

Today's guest, Jay Gibb, is a former software engineer and the Founder and CEO of B2B SaaS company, CloudSponge. Together with his team, Jay has helped thousands of e-commerce store owners optimize their word-of-mouth sales since 2010. With a unique blend of tech expertise and soft skills, Jay is an expert at helping e-commerce stores build the right features to reduce customer acquisition costs and increase sales Jay joins me on Tech Talks Daily to share his story and the critical role that their products have played in the growth stories of household name tech companies like Airbnb, Nextdoor, GoFundMe, Morning Brew and Yelp.

Mahyar Raissi, co-founder and CEO of OpenPhone, an app-based phone service that is disrupting the antiquated and clunky business telecommunications market, joins me on Tech Talks Daily. OpenPhone replaces traditional business phones designed primarily for voice communication with intuitive and full-featured mobile and desktop applications. In the last five years, there has been an explosion in collaboration technologies, such as Slack and Zoom. However, there has been little innovation in phone services, particularly for startups and small businesses for which the phone remains the center of communications. As a result, SMBs typically have to choose between basic mobile services or expensive and complicated enterprise technologies until now. OpenPhone includes features such as messaging and collaborative tools to meet business needs and integrates with other productivity applications and tools on which businesses rely, such as HubSpot, Slack, email, and Zapier. Mahyar shares his inspiring origin story where he emigrated from Iran with his family and started OpenPhone three years ago through the Y Combinator program.

Arthur Woods is a social entrepreneur, LGBTQ+ advocate working at the intersection of equity and technology. He is the author of the nationwide best-selling book Hiring for Diversity and most recently co-founded Mathison, a venture-backed technological platform equipping employers with all they need to manage their diversity hiring efforts. He has delivered over 300 keynote speeches and is a three-time TEDx speaker. He has advised multiple brands over his career including Disney, Sonos, the Smithsonian, and many more. Arthur was named to Forbes 30 Under 30 and 40 Under 40 by BEQ. He is a World Economic Forum Global Shaper, GCT Entrepreneur in Residence, and many more! He was the lead of Google's Education and Schools division. Since then he has been at the forefront of developing platforms such as Imperative, Out in Tech & Social Impact 360, a collegiate social enterprise education program. Arthur joins me in a discussion about how technology can help companies reduce bias in hiring and the biggest problems in most companies' diversity hiring efforts. We also explore some helpful tools (free or paid) and strategies that HR teams can use to make better hiring decisions. I also learn more about the Equal Hiring Index® and how tech can help assess your full hiring and retention process to ensure equity and access.

ZapBatt started with a simple experience that we have all been through, being stuck with a dead battery and having no time to charge it. Their story is centered around people who want to improve how we use energy, and how that impacts our planet. From backgrounds in waste energy regeneration, batteries for wildlife, e-bikes, and more, their team has helped shape the technology they have built and their impact on the world for both consumers and companies. Charlie Welch, founder, and CEO of ZapBatt joins me on Tech Talks Daily in a conversation about how they are creating a new kind of battery system to power a wide range of electrical products for both businesses and consumers. In addition to its software technology, I learn more about ZapBatt's utilizing unique battery chemistry with a nano-structured crystal compound called lithium-titanate. Compared to other batteries, a lithium-titanate battery charges faster lasts longer, and is better for the environment and the bottom line. Until now, this chemistry has mostly been used in large-scale infrastructure oil and gas projects and industrial applications.

Whether physical or digital, a good onboarding process should reflect and understand the needs, expectations, and – indeed – frustrations that come with being a fresh face. This is especially important for the key HR processes that accompany many of the critical first interactions a new hire has with their employer. George Dunnett from Zellis joins me on Tech Talks Daily about tech's role in transforming these processes. Zellis provides payroll, HR and managed services to UK and Ireland-based companies with over 500 employees. They are the largest business of this nature in the UK counting a third of the FTSE 100 as customers, serving over 5 million of our customers'​ employees and processing in excess of 60 million payslips a year. We discuss how hybrid working is positively changing the business landscape, but how many things are still missed that could be tweaked with good tech initiatives. We also explore where tech investments should go next.

To many organizations, endpoint detection and response (EDR) is seen as the latest cybersecurity innovation and the tool to keep their network safe. However, with attacks now only needing 60 seconds after executing to cause significant damage to an organization's network, EDR solutions give an organisation a false sense of security. With attackers now looking to cause as much damage as possible in the shortest time possible, security teams can no longer react to a cyberattack but must start preventing them altogether. So how can organizations start preventing cyberattacks and protecting themselves? Deep Instinct is the first company to apply deep learning to cybersecurity. Deep learning is inspired by the brain's ability to learn. Once a brain learns to identify an object, its identification becomes second nature. Similarly, as Deep Instinct's artificial brain learns to detect any type of cyber threat, its prediction capabilities become instinctive. As a result, zero-day and APT attacks are detected and prevented in real-time with unmatched accuracy. Chuck Everette joins me on Tech Talks Daily to discuss why EDR solutions are not secure enough to stop cyberattacks which have a low dwell time. and why prevention-first solutions will be the next layer in an organisation's security stack. Finally, we discuss how deep learning, a subset of AI, will shift an organisation's mindset from detecting and responding to cyberattacks to actually predicting and preventing them.

RJ Pittman is the CEO of Matterport, a leading company that develops digital twins. Think of it as a way to create a digital replica of the real world, where people can either visit locations virtually to keep track of their inventory. Matterport is also a company contributing to the metaverse conversation, which is a topic that will likely continue to evolve next year. RJ joins me in a conversation about using this technology across many verticals. We explore the role of digital twins across tourism, travel, and real estate and how it ties to a potential metaverse. I learn more about Matterport's spatial computing platform turns buildings into data making every space more valuable and accessible. Millions of buildings in more than 150 countries have been transformed into immersive Matterport digital twins to improve every part of the building lifecycle from planning, construction, and operations to documentation, appraisal, and marketing.

A 2021 EdScoop survey underwritten by Dell Technologies and Intel found that higher education officials believe the demand for AI training is outpacing both supply and the current ability of higher education institutions to meet that demand. Fifty-three percent of survey respondents suggested AI would account for the most significant increase in instructional demand over the next three years, and 50 percent said they would like support from a consortium/association of peer institutions. Intel, Dell Technologies and the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) recently announced the AI Incubator Network. The new initiative from Intel's AI for Workforce program will design and build artificial intelligence (AI) labs across the country by utilizing the expertise and industry connections of America's community college system. The partnership is opening applications for community colleges that would like to participate in the AI Incubator Network by designing and building their own AI incubators as physical laboratories, on virtual platforms or in hybridized models. Community colleges that join the AI Incubator Network can participate in discussions, connect on economic development, strategize on student engagement into AI programming, share lessons about student projects between the participating colleges. It will also gather best practices from the field of AI Incubation as identified by AACC, Intel, Dell and other industry partners. The labs will also provide students with more access to AI equipment, tools and resources, and foster the skills needed for future jobs. Carlos Contreras shares more information on the announcement along with Intel's 2030 Goals and the company's dedication to using tech as a force for good, underscoring its aim to make technology fully inclusive and to expand digital readiness worldwide.

imimobile, part of Webex by Cisco, provides cloud communications software and services that manage business-critical customer interactions at scale. Cisco Systems acquired the business in February 2021 and now forms an integral part of the Webex CX strategy. Since its foundation in 2000 at the start of the mobile internet era, the company has worked with many large enterprises across different industries to create superior customer experiences. Its API and low-code Communications Platform-as-a-Service (CPaaS) offering, Webex Connect, enables large enterprises to automate, orchestrate and monitor their customer interactions all on one platform. This helps businesses to lower costs, reduce complexity and accelerate IT roadmaps. I invited Ramy Riad on Tech Talks Daily to learn more about how they are helping businesses stay connected to their customers in a world where every touchpoint, on every channel, is an opportunity to deliver rich, engaging, intuitive experiences. A world where every interaction matters. We discuss the right strategies that can make it possible to employ a single platform to deliver next-level CX, the future of messaging, and how leaders can expedite their approach across digital channels with solutions like CPaaS.

Paul Oppong is a leader in the project management & digital transformation space. I invited him to join me on Tech Talks Daily to discuss why more companies are beginning to embrace digital transformation and why it's key to their survival. We also talk about how to pivot and increase revenues through digital transformation. ABOUT PAUL: Paul Oppong is a project management consultant, author, and speaker specializing in digital transformation and leadership. He has a strong record of success in helping organizations meet the technology challenges of tomorrow in a wide range of sectors such as Aeronautics, Defence, Automotive, Transport, Financial Services, and Energy. In addition, he's delivered countless projects in big data and technology. Paul is also a published thought leader whose writing has appeared in The Project Times and The Business Analyst Times. In addition, he's written several books, including "The Future-Proof Business

Do the traditional "moats" around the legal services industry still exist? And is the legal industry still slow to embrace technology? I wanted to bust a few myths today and learn how the industry embraces technological change and does things differently. Today I want to explore the world of legal tech, document automation, negotiation, and analysis platforms. Giles Thompson, Head of Growth at Avvoka, a lawyer by trade (formerly Kirkland & Ellis and Herbert Smith Freehills) shares his story on Tech Talks Daily and how he is now a tech investor and entrepreneur. I ask if LegalTech is the next FinTech, and who/what will be the next DocuSign? We also discuss how many lawyers are beginning to ask why they still have to negotiate contracts over email, with track changes and several lawyers building a different future that makes their lives easier. I also learn how Avvoka is a document automation, negotiation and analytics tool designed to help law firms, in-house legal teams and businesses draft documents, negotiate them, and leverage data insights from that process to draft better documents and get to "yes" faster.

Carey Blunt, Global Head of ServiceNow Solutions at Fujitsu joins me in a conversation about diagnosing the symptoms (and solutions) of technical debt. In a nutshell, technical debt is the cost of additional rework caused by choosing an easy solution over a better approach that would take longer. It's something that is impacting a huge number of organisations, especially in the wake of all the disruption we've seen in recent years. But while this has likely been born out of necessity, if these burdens from the past aren't addressed, the repercussions for your future could be severe. As shown by the fact that for every hour spent on innovation, organisations spend three hours tackling technical debt. Even more worrying, however, is the recent study that revealed how 68% of organisations believed their technical debt would increase in 2022. So, to help organisations overcome this, this podcast will explore the main traits of technical debt to raise awareness among leaders who often fail to recognise the symptoms in their own business. But of course, like any good doctor, we won't just diagnose the symptoms, we'll also provide the cure – in the shape of thought leadership from our experts and a healthy dose of looking at the benefits of digital / IT workflows.

This is a highly challenging time for energy companies as we head towards a cleaner future that is only achievable through decarbonization and electrification. John Kochavatr, VP of IT & Supply Chain and CIO at Portland General Electric joins me on the Tech Talks Daily Podcast to share their story. Portland General Electric is a fully integrated energy company based in Portland, Oregon, with operations across the state. The company serves approximately 900,000 customers with a service area population of 2 million Oregonians in 51 cities. Oregon has some of the most ambitious clean energy targets in the U.S. – and PGE is committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions from power served to customers by 80% by 2030 and 100% by 2040. John shares how their path to reach these targets involves everyone working together - from their customers, regulators, stakeholders and technology providers. But how they have also participated in multiple ambitious projects to help us reach those targets, including our up-and-coming battery storage facility Wheatridge and the recently completed Integrated Operations Center (IOC). I learn more about how Portland General Electric sees technology in service of its larger mission of providing their customers with clean, safe and reliable energy. We also discuss some of the innovative ways they are currently using technology to improve reliability.

Richard Walters, CTO of autonomous integrated cloud security firm Censornet joins me on the Tech Talks Daily Podcast. Censornet provides mid-market organizations with the confidence and control of enterprise-grade cyber protection. Its platform integrates attack intel across email, web, and cloud to ensure their cyber defenses can react immediately, whether it's day or night. The company has more than 1,500 customers globally, including several standout names such as Fever-Tree, the National Portrait Gallery, Hallmark Hotels, and Thatchers Cider. We discuss why attacks on critical infrastructure are on the rise and why ransomware will be the next security threat to cause human casualties. In addition, we also discuss the ABC of cybersecurity will be Activity, Behaviour, and Context and why we are moving a step closer to Walled gardens to protect data.

Mark Curtis, Head of Innovation and Thought Leadership at Accenture Interactive returns to the Tech Talks Daily podcast. Mark is a serial entrepreneur and innovator. His first company, Curtis Hoy, pioneered radio sales promotion from 1989. Highlights included introducing fixed frequency low-cost radios as a sampling driver for the Pepsi taste test, bringing drive-in movies to the UK for the first time ever (Diet Pepsi) and designing the first marketing use of virtual reality in 1993 (for a Unilever brand). Today's episode discusses how the Metaverse and its technology could impact brands and customers. In addition, we talk about how this is expanding beyond just the gaming community – designers, digital product developers, creatives, and technologists will play a central role in virtual world-building and content placement, as everything is 3D-based. However, as brands seek to capitalize on the opportunities presented by the Metaverse, ethics around behavior manipulation, sustainability, and accessibility for all must remain front of mind. Finally, we discuss the democratization of access might lead to a new wealth of shared cultural experiences and new economies.

WiFi has increasingly become a critical need for both consumers and enterprises over the years, and technology has needed to evolve to address these new experiences for all. WiFi 6 and WiFi 6E are fast becoming mainstream, and there is a growing need to improve performance. Just when you thought you were on top of the game, WiFi 7 is now within tangible reach, and it's expected to bring next-level wireless connectivity and performance to all. So today, I have invited Andy Davidson, senior director of technology planning, at Quualcom in a discussion about What is WiFi 7? And why it's already shaping up to be the next big thing in connectivity. Andy also shares how Qualcomm is at the forefront of WiFi evolution, driving the standards and technology to meet the aspirations of the ever-growing customers, devices, applications, and services.

CD Baby is an artist-services platform that makes it easy for independent musicians to distribute, promote, and monetize their music so they can thrive outside the major-label system. Built on the belief that every artist should be able to pursue their vision without compromise and have an equal opportunity to be heard, CD Baby's distribution services, self-promotion tools, and educational initiatives are designed to increase artist autonomy and empower independent artists to build their audiences without corporate assistance. Home to over 1 million artists and more than 10 million tracks, CD Baby has paid out over $1 billion in royalties to artists since its founding in 1998. However, with all the recent startup posturing, model shuffling, and race-to-the-bottom pricing in music distribution, it's time to take a step back and think, what is the role of a music distributor? Kevin Breuner shares his philosophy on what it means to be a music distributor in 2022.

Nik Froehlich is the CEO and Founder of Saritasa, a full-service mobile web, software, AR/VR, and IoT development brand. Today, he discusses the unique position of working with developers post-Covid, how the mobile and app development industry has changed, and trends that he's seen in working with some household name brands. One unique brand that they've worked with is: iHeartRadio. For their annual music festival, Saritasa's team was tasked with creating an immersive 'earthquake experience'. They've also created apps for BJs and other restaurants across the US and world. But where did it all begin? In 1987, he started a sidewalk repair company, and that is when he realized the real power of technology; and how he can use tech to scale a business. He created a database and a CRM to run this new business. Utilizing technology, he eventually grew the company to cover over 20 branches in 9 states across the country.

All In The Loop creates virtual, hybrid, and in-person event solutions. The company supports thousands of events in over 45 counties, and they pride themselves on delivering an outstanding event experience with their unique events technology platforms. Whether your event is virtual, in-person or somewhere in between, their versatile mobile apps and virtual event platforms can be tailored to your requirements. In 2020, the event industry was decimated by the pandemic. All in the Loop were forced to evolve its offering to cater for the rapidly emerging virtual event market. They positioned themselves to serve remote working audiences. By partnering with its homegrown streaming technology, they were very quickly able to provide a virtual event solution for their clients. All In The Loop designed and launched virtual rooms for attendees to view live presentations, which became the industry standard. Today, they pride themselves in supporting thousands of events worldwide, whether in-person, hybrid, or virtual. Lawrence Gillward shares their journey and how their technology is transforming events.

Agreena was founded within the industry by visionary farmers and fintech-savvies. What originated as an online commodity trading marketplace has become one of the first carbon farming platforms in the pan-European landscape. Using a set of core principles to regenerate soil, the company's unique vertically integrated solution suggests putting the farmer first – backing with the knowledge, support, and incentives to implement sustainable ag practices at scale. In 2021 alone, Agreena serves more than 150 farmers in eight countries; and more than 50,000 hectares of farmland yielding regeneratively. Verified to the ISO 14064-2 standard, AgreenaCarbon is based on a yearly harvest cycle, with the data capture process giving farmers the opportunity for payouts from year one. Simon Haldrup, Co-founder & CEO, Agreena, joins me in a conversation about how we are entering an exciting phase of climate action where both farmers and innovation are stepping center-stage as discussions move toward removing carbon from the atmosphere. We discuss the Carbon Farming Initiative and how it emphasizes public funding to spur growth and create more certainty for landowners to participate. With new funding on the horizon for carbon farming through mechanisms such as the CAP eco schemes, I learn more about how it will be essential to ensure that all programs are designed to complement what has already been created through incentives from the private sector and voluntary carbon market. With plans to develop a carbon removal certification, the European Commission is currently positioning itself to take a leading role; getting measures in place from a governing body can ensure transparency and environmental integrity of the market. Now is the time that requires collaboration and activation across all stakeholders – public, private, academic, civic – all hands in the soil. We discuss how technology will bring all this together.

DroneShield is a worldwide leader in counter-UAS security and technology. The company develops pre-eminent UAS security solutions that protect people, organizations and critical infrastructure from intrusion from UAS threats. Its leadership brings world-class expertise in engineering and physics, combined with deep experience in defence, intelligence, and aerospace. I wanted to learn more about how this anti-drone company uses AI to jam or shoot drones out of the sky. Matt McCrann, US CEO of DroneShield (DRSHF), breaks down types of attacks, potential risk, rise in drone use age, etc. Matt elaborates on both the benefits and downfalls of drone use and discusses how the use of drones will shift the type of attacks we see in modern warfare. But most importantly, he also provides insights on how destructive attacks can be prevented.

UiPath is a leading robotic process automation (RPA) software company. Renzo Taal designs and manages the company's growth strategy for the EMEA region in close collaboration with the senior leadership team and has been recognized as one of the most influential young business leaders in the EMEA. We discuss the importance of retaining and attracting talent with automation education and how to best implement automation upskilling and reskilling programs within the context of the current job market. Finally, Renzo shares his story and how an increased awareness of the power of UiPath's end-to-end automation platform coupled with solid execution by the team resulted in a fiscal third-quarter ARR of $818 million, an increase of 58 percent year-over-year.

Rob Ellis from Thales joins me in discussing the rise of the sovereign cloud. We discuss how data sovereignty is not just about localization; it's ensuring that nation-states can store their data in their own country and control access to it. There are now more than 1,800 data compliance laws companies must comply with on a global scale. I learn how this surge in regulation is creating a shift towards the containment and localisation of data and why we will see this more and more in the years to come. The public will become increasingly aware of these challenges too, with individual data sovereignty on the horizon. This will allow individuals to control where their data is and how it is used, strengthening the correlation between identity and data protection. Finally, we discuss how it's likely that more tech giants will build localized data centers to circumnavigate geographical barriers to business. This in turn will lead to an increasing level of investment from global cloud providers in the cloud infrastructure of nation-states, driving forward their ongoing digital transformation journey.

Cybersecurity vulnerabilities have been plaguing supply chains across industries. According to an analysis conducted by BSI, ransomware attacks on the supply chain have increased by 66 percent in the last three years, expediting the concern of cybersecurity for private companies. Considering these attacks range from targeting the sea modality to the trucking modality, tools to combat the threat of cyber-attacks on the supply chain have solidified in the last year, making it a central part of the United States cybersecurity policy. Mark Brown, Global Managing Director, Digital Trust Consulting Services at BSI joins me in a conversation about all this, along with cybersecurity risk and trends that are emerging along with how we can better prepare, Mark Brown joined BSI in February of 2021 as the Global Managing Director of the Consulting Services, Cyber Security, and Information Security business. In his role, Mark drives a new global focus on emerging technologies and risks such as IoT and Operational Technology (OT), increased cloud adoption, RPA Security, 5G security, and the CISO desire to achieve central management over the new converged digital arena, positioning cyber security as a business enabler. With over 25 years of in the industry, Mark brings a wealth of knowledge on the expanding cybersecurity marketplace as organizations grapple with digital transformation and addressing new technologies that bring new business risks. Mark has previously held global leadership roles across industry and professional services, including tenures as Global CISO at SABMiller plc, and Global CIO/CTO at Spectris plc, as well as leadership roles as a Partner at Wipro Ltd., and Ernst & Young (EY) LLP.

The COVID-19 pandemic has added many layers of complexity to the workplace, as companies are increasingly relying on technology to establish secure remote work capabilities. Since a multi-cloud IT infrastructure can provide exceptional benefits, including optimizing cost performance, avoiding vendor lock-in, and increasing reliability by distributing assets in the event of an IT crisis, it's no wonder so many companies are racing to adopt multi-cloud solutions. However, this rush to migrate sensitive data and business functions from on-premises to multiple clouds is leaving many organizations ill-prepared for security and compliance issues. Gartner has predicted that by 2025, 90% of the organizations that fail to control public cloud use will inappropriately share sensitive data. Companies that fail to employ security guardrails when planning a cloud migration are severely increasing their risk of misconfigurations that can lead to devastating security and compliance incidents. Keith Neilson, Technical Evangelist at CloudSphere joins me on Tech Talks Daily to discuss how companies can maintain a competitive edge and keep company data secure by leveraging a more agile cyber asset management approach.

Paddy Padmanabhan is the Founder and CEO of Damo Consulting Inc., a digital transformation and growth advisory firm focused on the healthcare sector. For over 20 years, Paddy has had a distinguished career in leadership roles working extensively as a technology strategist and trusted advisor to C-suite executives in large health systems and digital health firms. Paddy is also the author of the best-selling book Healthcare Digital Transformation - How Consumerism, Technology, and Pandemic are Accelerating the Future and The Big Unlock – Harnessing Data and Growing Digital Health Businesses in a Value-based Care Era. We discuss the top digital priorities for health systems today and the Digital transformation trends driving healthcare in 2022. We also talk about developing enterprise digital roadmaps and digital maturity in healthcare.

Trace Network Labs is creating an ecosystem that will allow an individual to create their own exclusive virtual space, live their lives, and roam freely across. They aim to enable the evolution of the luxury lifestyle for the metaverses as the boundaries between real and virtual continue to blur. Lokesh Rao discusses how the Metaverse will change the way people connect with others and express themselves through clothing, accessories, etc. We also discuss what this will mean for consumers and brands and how NFTs will continue to revolutionize the fashion industry. We also talk about how technology has changed and influenced fashion over recent years and what we might expect from the convergence of blockchain and fashion.

Steve Neat, GM EMEA of a large Enterprise Data Catalog and Data Governance company called Alation, joins me in a conversation about Data Intelligence. IDC recently coined the term to mean a system that delivers trustworthy, reliable data. We discuss how Alation is credited with creating the data catalog product category, how this relates to data intelligence, and why a number of the world's best known brands are now turning to data intelligence to create a more data-driven culture. I learn how an ability to better understand and trust data across an organization leads to creating communities around data where people can reach out to each other and share information.

We all care about climate change - but it's not always easy to know what to do about it. So what are the best things we can do - and how can we quantify our impact? Treepoints is the easiest way to do good and earn rewards along the way. With Treepoints, not only will you offset your carbon footprint, but you'll support projects that deliver life-changing benefits to vulnerable communities and local ecosystems. Treepoints had raised £150k to help us reach our goal of planting 67 million trees (one for every UK resident) within the next five years. But I wanted to learn more about how technology brings all this to life. Jacob Wedderburn-Day returns to the podcast to talk about all this and much more.

Building on Shopify and selling on Facebook won't work anymore for the brands as this is just pushing CAC through the roof, leaving brands struggling for profitability and growth. Organically reimagining commerce is the only way for digitally native brands to win in every normal. dotkonnekt is building the industry's first Experiential Commerce platform, purpose-built for brands to grow their D2C channel organically. How? By converging Content, Community, and Commerce and scripting a composable and unique experience for their customers visiting their site. The commerce platforms that exist today, Shopify's of the world were built for Retailers and SMB's, hence brands feel stuck, with no room for creativity, in their templatized and monolithic architectures. Started amid a pandemic last year by 2 retail enthusiasts & industry veterans Dhiraj (in Bangalore) & Chandan (in the US), who in their previous avatars have led this space for 2.5 decades.

The recent pandemic response has elevated the importance of simplified administration of UCC platforms like Teams to senior management who are navigating a highly complex hybrid working environment with increasingly distributed workforces. However, the fragmentation of technology in the UCC space has actually led to a disunification of communications, meaning that the challenge for businesses now is to re-unify and automate management and user administration, freeing admin specialists to do the work they need to do, and employees to work, collaborate and innovate. Kurmi is a company that works with the likes of Verizon, NTT, Orange, BP, L'Oreal, BNP Paribas, etc to handle the automated provisioning of around 5 million people worldwide to ensure that employees have the tools and platforms they need to get working ASAP. Eric Olson, VP Sales Americas joins me in a conversation about the multitude of different platforms like Teams, Google, Avaya, Cisco etc, and collaboration tools that organizations need to navigate. We also discuss how things like 'the great resignation' and hybrid working have created greater pressure for admin teams and why automation can alleviate the burden.

Lara Hodgson is the CEO and co-founder of Now®️, a fintech startup enabling minority-owned small businesses to grow through its invoice payment solution that redefines how and when companies get paid. Lara also serves as an Entrepreneur in Residence at Harvard Business School and is an internationally recognized speaker, leading seminars on creativity, innovation, and access to capital. Lara joins me on Tech Talks Daily to share lessons from the growing pains of starting her own small business with Stacey Abrams and their guide for entrepreneurs highlighted in their upcoming book, Level Up. In 2010, they created NowAccount because they were sick of waiting for their customers to pay. Initially, they celebrated when they landed a big contract, but weeks and weeks would pass and payment would still be outstanding. They needed working capital to continue business operations and their cash was tied up in their invoices. Everyone told them to get a line of credit or try factoring, and they thought, "Why should we have to borrow money or factor when we are the free bank to our customers? There had to be a better way!" I also learn more about her entrepreneurial journey as a female founder and startup story about how and why she co-founded Now®️. Finally, we discuss the ongoing effects of COVID-19 on small businesses and the importance of supporting small, minority-owned businesses.

Darren Person joins me on Tech Talks Daily. As Global CIO, Darren leads NPD's Technology Group, encompassing the company's operations and technology organizations, and is responsible for spearheading the development of NPD's next-generation platform, addressing clients' needs through innovations in data and analytics. Today's episode explores the opportunities beyond Silicon Valley, and we discuss where to find the best tech jobs across America. Darren also shares advice on how to find the right company to further your career in tech and shares tips on why a career in technology is the best investment you can make. Finally, we discuss the importance of data-driven decision-making across organizations, and the guest offers some strategic advice for CIOs on building a future-proof tech workforce.

Founded in 2015, Roboze was created to redesign the global supply chain through its patented ultra-precise 3D printing technology for super materials, leveraging a proprietary CARBON PEEK material - the highest performing 3D printing super polymer in the entire industry. Roboze currently works with GE, Bosch, Airbus, and other global organizations across space, energy/sustainable energy, medical, manufacturing, and more to design and create end-use parts. The company recently released the world's largest 3D printer equipped with a heated chamber for the fast production of incredibly strong non-metallic parts and is the creator of additive manufacturing systems with the highest accuracy and repeatability in the world. I invited Alessio Lorusso onto Tech Talks Daily to learn more about his tech startup story, 3D printing, and much more.