The ITPro Podcast

How much do you know about open banking? The practice allows companies to share choice information with third parties for the benefit of businesses, but it has yet to be taken up by every bank on the market.NatWest is a frontrunner in this regard. Its Payit service allows businesses to process customer payments quickly and easily, all alongside the ability to securely share customer data with added data insightsBut how does Payit work? And what are its standout benefits?In this special edition of the ITPro Podcast, in association with NatWest, Jane and Rory are joined by Mark Brant, chief payments officer at NatWest Group, to explore the upsides and inner workings of NatWest Payit.https://www.payitbynatwest.com/itproPayit terms and conditions apply. Visit https://www.payitbynatwest.com/legal-hub. Your business must be based and trading in the UK with a turnover above £2M. You must be 18 years or older. Fees apply.

Energy usage in data centers is an increasingly Hot Topic, particularly with AI applications becoming more popular and widely used.While some organizations have talked up their commitment to renewables, such as solar or hydro, others have this month started to discuss a different, perhaps more controversial low carbon path.Elsewhere, a new rebellion against home working is beginning – and this time it's not CEOs or ministers leading the charge.In this episode, Jane is once again joined by Ross Kelly, ITPro’s news and analysis editor, to discuss the biggest stories of the past month.

When people talk about the environmental impacts of data centers, normally the discussion focuses on energy usage. It’s something we’ve talked about at several points this year already, with reference to growing efforts to house AI workloads in green data centers that run on renewable energy to reduce their carbon impact.But while we can generate nearly limitless amounts of green energy, there is a decidedly finite amount of water in the world – and unfortunately, most data centers need vast amounts of fresh water to cool hardware. Without care, big tech could push already drought-stricken communities to breaking point.In this episode, Jane and Rory unpack the growing problem of data center water use, how operators can tackle this, and how it will exacerbate environmental tensions in the near future.Read more:Data center water consumption is spiraling out of controlGoogle data centre soaks up a third of Oregon city's water supplyWhat is a green data center and why are they attracting big investment?Data center waste energy to heat homes in 'UK-first' schemeOVHcloud just open sourced its data center liquid cooling system — here’s whyAWS plans to be 'water positive' by 2030Microsoft lays out water-positive plans for next decade

What’s the biggest cybersecurity threat your business faces right now? Hopefully, an answer springs to mind, along with a list of the solutions you have in place to keep attackers at bay. But ask yourself this: do your employees know? And if the worst did happen, how confident are you that your workforce would know exactly how to respond?Cybersecurity education and training is one of the cornerstones of any enterprise security strategy, keeping companies looped in on the latest attack methods and helping employees foster a security-first mindset.But how receptive are employees to the various training methods, how can training keep up with new advancements such as AI, and where do vendors such as your managed security service provider fit into the mix?In this special edition of the ITPro Podcast, in association with Proofpoint, Jane and Rory are joined by Kevin Leusing, EMEA chief technologist at Proofpoint. Together, they discuss how firms can best use cybersecurity education and training to protect their workforce against the latest threats.Read more:https://bit.ly/proofpoint-cyber-awareness-kit2024 State of the Phish2024 Voice of the CISOWhy social engineering is such a problem and how your business can protect itselfOrganisations could soon be using generative AI to prevent phishing attacksNearly half of EMEA data breaches were due to internal blunders in 2023

Cybersecurity teams face a constant battle of ensuring their company is shored up in the right places. Facing down increasingly sophisticated and persistent threat actors, there’s every reason to focus on one’s perimeter to shield oneself against external threats.But insider threats – attacks carried out from within an organization’s environment – must also be part of any business’s security strategy. When the call is coming from inside the house, either via a hacker who’s secretly gained access or in the form of a disgruntled employee, security teams need to be ready to clamp down hard.In this episode, Jane and Rory welcome back Ross Kelly, ITPro’s news and analysis editor, to discuss the scale of these insider threats.Read more:Why you should always be wary of insider threatsNorth Korean insider attacks are skyrocketing – dozens of US firms didn't spot the hacker in their midstCyber firm KnowBe4 unknowingly hired a North Korean hacker – and it went exactly as you might thinkShould your business worry about North Korean cyber attacks?State-sponsored cyber attacks: The new frontierThe Verizon data breach that exposed 63,000 employees is a reminder of how a simple mistake can have costly implicationsPreventing deepfake attacks: How businesses can stay protectedHow Intel's FakeCatcher hopes to eradicate real-time deepfakesAI threats: The importance of a concrete strategy in fighting novel attacksWhy I think the Scarlett Johansson OpenAI scandal shows the danger of AI-generated voice content

Quantum computing is an exciting field of research that promises to revolutionize computing as we know it. Relying on quantum mechanics to process calculations much faster than conventional physics would allow a normal computer to, quantum computers could drive rapid breakthroughs in fields such as medicine or machine learning.But what are the specific ways in which quantum computing can help businesses and the world? And how long will it take for quantum computers to become widely used?In this episode, Rory speaks to Graeme Malcolm, CEO at M Squared Lasers and co-chair of the UK Quantum Technology Leadership Group, to unpack some of the immense potential of quantum computing including in the fight against climate change.Read more:What is quantum computing?The quantum computing sector needs to cut the hype and focus on responsible developmentUK government quantum investment welcomed by industryWhy quantum computing might be much closer to becoming a reality than we thinkWhat is the ‘steal now, crack later’ quantum computing threat?How quantum computing can fight climate changeUK government ramps up quantum funding in bid to drive commercial viabilityGoogle's greenhouse gas emissions have skyrocketed in the last five years – and soaring AI energy demand is the main culpritMicrosoft's AI-fueled data center rush caused carbon emissions to surge by 29% in 2023 — and now the tech giant could miss critical sustainability targets

For many, August has been all about getting away on holiday – stepping back from your desk, and putting on your email out of office. But others have spent the past month focused on how to ensure workers work longer hours and physically turn up to do their 9-5 on company soil.Eric Schmidt, former CEO at Google, has got into hot water over his claims that companies should ditch remote work schedules if they want to succeed. Schmidt even suggested that his former company was lagging in the generative AI race as a result of its focus on work-life balance.Also this month, companies competing in that very race have been closely watching the brewing California AI Bill, which seeks to improve the safety of publicly available AI models. How might these companies fare in the wake of the new laws?In this episode, Jane and Rory welcome back Ross Kelly, ITPro’s news and analysis editor, to explore the past month’s developments.

We're on summer break for the next two weeks, but we'll be back at the end of the month for the rundown and back at full speed throughout September and beyond.Thanks for listening!

Almost any business these days needs its own network to function – whether it’s for internal comms, interaction with the internet, or for controlling complex environments such as smart factory floors, business networks keep the wheels spinning at an enterprise level.But promises and delivery haven’t always lined up in the networking space, with the likes of 5G and gigabit broadband coming in later than planned and developments such as widespread, real-time edge computing emerging as more important than they might have been expected to be.In what directions are business networks headed, and which growing trends should we expect to define enterprise connectivity in the coming years?In this episode, Jane and Rory speak to Kerry Baker, lead industry analyst North America at Ookla, to explore the current network picture for enterprises.Read more:What are private 5G networks and can they transform the workplace?Why businesses are turning to private 5GOfcom approves 5G mmWave, but what are its benefits?What is 6G and how far are we from rollout?UK government to run Starlink trials in Snowdonia, Lake DistrictSpaceX given FCC nod to provide Starlink Wi-Fi to moving vehiclesNokia and Google score breakthrough in Android 13 network slicing

The IT outage that left passengers stranded, self checkouts non-functional, and IT professionals worldwide with an enormous headache dominated the news in July. The cost for those affected and the companies involved – CrowdStrike and Microsoft – is still being counted.In this episode of the ITPro Podcast, Jane is joined by ITPro’s news editor Ross Kelly to discuss what happened on 19 July, as well as news of Google’s attempt to buy cloud security outfit Wiz falling through and Japan finally winning its war against floppy disks.FootnotesGlobal IT outage caused by faulty CrowdStrike update could take ‘days and weeks’ to resolve, experts warnGlobal IT outage: CrowdStrike CEO confirms update "defect" as the source of mass disruptionMillions of devices bricked and $5.4 billion in losses: The cost of the CrowdStrike outage continues to mountIt's been two weeks since CrowdStrike caused a global IT outage – what lessons should we learn?Why the Wiz acquisition makes perfect sense for GoogleGoogle will need to find a new cloud security champion as Wiz backs out of $23 billion acquisitionHow cyber attacks damage mental healthCrowdStrike’s Falcon Sensor linked to Linux crashes, too • The Register

While the private sector makes a lucrative target for threat actors, the public sector is also under constant threat of cyber attacks.In October 2023, the British Library was hit by a major ransomware attack and the founder and CEO of the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) Ciaran Martin told the BBC that recent attacks on the UK’s National Health Service were not surprising given its outdated systems and cyber policies.But what might these updates look like? And on a national level, what can be done to protect the public sector from further attacks?In this episode, Jane and Rory speak to Jonathan Lee, public sector lead at Trend Micro, to discuss the attacks targeting the public sector and what can be done to stop them.

When it comes to some of the tech world’s most impressive offerings, high performance computing, also known as supercomputing, often rises to the top of the list. Referring to powerful systems used to crunch the most complex calculations or run incredibly demanding workloads, it’s a rapidly expanding field backed by significant investment.But what is high-performance computing really for? Where does exascale computing fit into the mix? And where might it be headed?

Every business will, at some point, be impacted by cyber attacks. Companies task security teams to prepare the first line of defense against cyber attacks, and most have plans in place for the damage they leave behind – be it data loss, encryption by ransomware operators, or large-scale service disruptions.But something that often goes unremarked upon in the wake of cyber attacks is the psychological, human effects of cyber attacks. When the dust settles, staff can be left with feelings of fear or shame, particularly those directly related to IT security.Who’s at risk of this harm? And what can leaders do to minimize the impact?In this episode, Jane and Rory speak to Parisa Bazl, head of user experience at data protection firm Commvault, to discuss the psychological harms that come with cyber attacks and what organizations can do to better support frontline IT staff.Read more:Why 'psychological safety' is so important for building a robust security cultureBuilding an incident response strategy in 2024The hidden cost of ransomware is more painful than many realizeWhy ransomware attacks happen to small businesses – and how to stop themThe end of ransomware payments: How businesses fit into the fightUK firms are failing miserably at data breach responsesData breach response: How to react when your business gets hitDell hacker claims they had access to systems for nearly three weeks

This classic episode of the ITPro Podcast was first published on 14 July 2023.When you consider the roles that hold influence over business decisions and operations, which come to mind? Doubtless, the CEO and CFO, as well as the COO if you have one. The CMO may also be there – but what about the CIO or CTO?The advent of cloud computing, bring your own device (BYOD), and increasing cyber security threats were all supposed to coincide with CIOs finally having their seat at the table. ITPro has published articles on exactly this trend.But it seems that in some areas, this shift is stalling or even reversing. In this episode, Jane and Rory are joined by Anthony Byrne, EY partner leading technology practice for the UK and Ireland to discuss what’s behind this regression and the changing role that CIOs must play.Read more:What is BYOD?Majority of CIOs plan to expand their IT teams despite shrinking budgetsWhy people management skills are key to being a CIOHow CIOs and CTOs can collaborate more effectivelyIT Pro Podcast: Are chief metaverse officers here to stay?Protecting CIOs' IT budgets is "paramount" in maintaining business growthWhy business leaders – not technologists – make the best CIOs

June has been a month filled with tech conferences. ITPro has covered events including HPE Discover, Splunk .conf24, Snowflake Data Summit, Cisco Live, Pegasystems Inspire, and Pure Accelerate, all held in Las Vegas, amid a busy season for the industry.But throughout the many hours of these events, with tens of thousands of attendees and swathes of product announcements, what have been some of the standout moments and recurring themes?In this episode, Jane and Rory welcome back Ross Kelly, ITPro’s news and analysis editor, to explore the past month’s many events.Read more:Generative AI is the name of the game again at HPE Discover, but don’t mistake it for a repeat of 2023Finally, an HPE AI solution that offers something for the channelSplunk expands its AI Assistant in observability, security pushExclusive: Splunk will play a key role in Cisco's AI plans, claims former CEO"Our job is not to screw up”: Cisco CEO Chuck Robbins vows to make Splunk ‘better’ following acquisitionDell doubles down on Nvidia partnership with ‘AI factories’ and models at the edgeDell Technologies doesn’t know where AI is headed – but it might be the honesty its partners needSustainable AI is key to Pure Storage — and Pure Accelerate 2024 will make that mission clearHow HPE plans to combat generative AI’s 'dirty secret'How Nvidia took the world by storm

With the generative AI gold rush continuing at speed in enterprise IT. Ranging from chatbots to AI training services, every provider is looking for that killer use case that makes it indispensable for AI.At HPE Discover 2024, the story has been no different. In collaboration with Nvidia, the company believes it has something unique to offer its enterprise customers.In this episode, recorded live at HPE Discover 2024 in Las Vegas, Jane speaks to Mohan Rajagopalan, general manager for Ezmeral Software at HPE, to explore the benefits of enterprise AI and the specific routes he sees for beneficial AI adoption.Read more:Exclusive: HPE CEO Antonio Neri says "simplicity of experience" key to AI innovationFinally, an HPE AI solution that offers something for the channelHPE’s drive for enterprise AI dominance continues with new Nvidia partnershipHPE talks up AI’s role in boosting server businessHPE Discover 2024 live: All the news and updates from the day-two keynoteHPE Partner Growth Summit 2024: What can we expect for the channel?Everything you need to know about HPEWhat is HPE GreenLake?

When Cisco announced it would be buying Splunk, doubts were raised over the company's future within its new home.Splunk .conf24, the company's annual conference, was a proving ground to see if these fears were well founded. According to ITPro's intrepid features editor, however, Splunk's brand is as strong as it ever was, with both Cisco's CEO and Splunk's GM offering reassurances that neither company's customers or partners will suffer in the wake of the acquisition.In this episode of the ITPro Podcast, Jane talks to Rory about his experiences attending the conference, where Splunk sits in Cisco's strategy, and if we're likely to see a .conf25.Splunk knows what it’s worth – .conf24 showed Cisco does tooExclusive: Splunk will play a key role in Cisco's AI plans, claims former CEOSplunk .conf24 live: All the news and announcements from the Las Vegas conference"Our job is not to screw up”: Cisco CEO Chuck Robbins vows to make Splunk ‘better’ following acquisition

One of the most unexpected things to happen in May was a sudden outage at the Australian pension fund UniSuper.After days of confusion and concern that the fund may have been hit by a cyber attack among its customer base, it emerged that Google Cloud had accidentally deleted UniSuper’s entire cloud subscription. We dive into what lessons businesses can learn from this freak event.Also in May, OpenAI trumpeted its goal to unlock so-called artificial general intelligence (AGI) through new advancements. But is such a thing even possible, and who would it benefit?

As the tech sector creates data at greater rates than ever before, using more cloud and on premise workloads, it’s more important than ever that firms consider their sustainability strategy and carbon footprint.Until the world has achieved net zero energy, every watt that goes into powering hardware and software adds to overall global emissions, with data center growth accounting for more and more global energy demand. Renewable energy and greater efficiency help with this but are not silver bullets.Breakthroughs in AI and quantum computing have put extra strain on data centers and thrown a spanner in the works when it comes to improvements in energy efficiency across the sector. In this episode, Jane and Rory discuss what the tech sector is doing to counteract this and whether the benefits of this new era can outweigh its carbon cost.

As enterprise AI becomes more widely adopted, businesses are being forced to examine whether their architecture is up to the task. The feverish hype around AI in the public cloud that started in November 2022 has given way to greater investment in open ecosystems for AI and smaller models run at a business’s edge.From chatbots stored on a laptop for offline use to AI handling data produced by sensors in smart manufacturing, there’s a huge range of ways to use AI at the edge. But where is customer demand when it comes to this new frontier for this technology, and how has their understanding of AI architecture changed since this time last year?In this episode, recorded live at Dell Technologies World 2024, Rory speaks to Dermot O’Connell, senior vice president for EMEA services at Dell Technologies, to learn more about the changes in approach to enterprise AI and how businesses can prepare themselves for the technology’s adoption.Read more:Dell Technologies World 2024 live: All the news and announcements from day-two"The big obstacle isn't anything technical": Dell CTO John Roese on why companies are failing on AI adoptionDell Technologies expands AI ecosystem with Microsoft, Hugging Face supportDell doubles down on Nvidia partnership with ‘AI factories’ and models at the edgeWhat is 'multi-cloud by design'?Google shows off new smaller generative AI tools and an AI agent on your phone

The LockBit ransomware group recently suffered another major blow at the hands of international law enforcement, as the UK’s NCA revealed the name and face of the group’s long-sought-after leader.Dmitry Khoroshev, known as ‘LockBitSupp’ on the dark web, was unmasked by the UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA) while the US Department of Justice announced a 26-count indictment against him.While this is a significant development in the fight against the group, what does it mean for LockBit in the long term and could it have lasting impacts on the ransomware landscape?In this episode, Jane and Rory speak to speaking to Solomon Klappholz, staff writer at ITPro and our resident expert on all things cyber security, to get us up to speed on the LockBit situation and explore what it means in more detail. Read more:LockBit mastermind unmasked by law enforcementLockBit could be done and dusted after NCA operation gained access to admin environments, source code, and affiliate infoFebruary rundown: LockBit takedown and ChatGPT woesLockBit rises from the ashes, but will it pack the same punch as before?The 'Big Three’ ransomware groups are losing their grip on the industry as gangs begin to fracture, study showsALPHV leak site seized by law enforcement as decryption tool releasedQakbot forced offline, but history suggests it probably won’t be foreverThis ransomware variant has now been used against 500 targets — here's what you need to knowWhat are the different types of ransomware?What you need to know about the new NCSC ransomware guidance“Security has to work together”: Cyber collaboration as a mission at CPX 2024The end of ransomware payments: How businesses fit into the fight

Some experts will tell you the first step in adopting AI is making sure your data is in order. But what about your skills? When it comes time to put AI in the hands of their workforce, leaders need to know that they’ll be able to hit the ground running and unlock productivity benefits without delay.Achieving this will involve investing in AI skills – but where should businesses begin and how far-reaching does this AI training need to be?In this episode, Jane and Rory speak to Arun ‘Rak’ Ramchandran, president and global head of consulting and GenAI practice at Hexaware, to explore how businesses can ensure their internal AI skills can meet growing demands and challenges.

April has been a month of both highs and lows. At the start of the month, AWS was ordered to pay $525 million in damages, after it was found to have infringed US patent law through some of its core cloud offerings.The month has also seen a high-profile cyber incident – a ransomware attack against Change Healthcare in which personal information was stolen.All of this has unfolded against the backdrop of more innovation in the AI space, with the launch of Llama 3 and news from Google Cloud Next having buoyed market interest.In this episode, Jane and Rory speak once again to Ross Kelly, ITPro’s news and analysis editor, to explore some of the month’s most notable news items.Read more:AWS fined $525 million after US court rules Amazon S3 storage, DynamoDB services infringed patentsChange Healthcare hit with second ransomware attack of 2024UnitedHealth Group admits to paying ransom after Change Healthcare cyber attackCitrix vulnerability behind Change Healthcare cyber attack, CEO claimsMeta's Llama 3 will force OpenAI and other AI giants to up their gameJust how open are the leading open source AI models?

As AI initiatives gather steam, the public and private sectors are assessing the level of investment necessary to unlock the value of the new technology. It’s clear that large funds and a strategic approach will be necessary to bring the workforce along with employers.The UK government has announced several billion pounds in collective funding for AI projects and infrastructure deemed necessary for expanding the UK’s AI sector. As governments around the world look to unlock AI success of their own, however, is the UK’s current approach enough?In this episode, Jane and Rory speak to Alex Case, senior director and government industry principal EMEA at Pegasystems to discuss how well the UK is positioning itself to take advantage of the growing AI market.Read more:UK competition watchdog says it has “very real concerns” over big tech AI dominanceUK AI regulation: Lawmakers reportedly eye a tighter approachMicrosoft believes the UK can become a "global leader in AI", but regulation needs fixingInvestment in UK AI firms plummeted last year despite the hype surrounding generative AIThe UK government’s AI goals are being stifled by ‘apocalyptic concerns’ over safety

The EU’s AI Act has been approved, bringing in sweeping requirements, controls, and regulations for the development and use of AI tools throughout the region.But what are the precise measures it brings in, how can businesses prepare for the new rules, and what are the penalties for non-compliance?In this episode, Rory speaks to Nader Henein, VP Analyst at Garner, to explore the implications of the EU AI Act, how companies can prepare for the measures it brings in, and what it means for AI use worldwide.Read more:How the EU AI Act compares to other international regulatory approachesHow will the EU AI Act affect businesses?EU hammers out deal on AI Act, but it may have missed the markFrance, Germany, and Italy align themselves on AI regulation, but the EU may not like itEuropean AI startups risk being “regulated out of existence” under EU AI actWhat is GDPR? Everything you need to know, from requirements to finesGDPR costs are forcing firms to rethink data strategies

This week has seen Google Cloud’s annual Next conference in full swing, with the hyperscaler having made major announcements on generative AI and the infrastructure necessary to support it.Having spent the past year playing catch-up with Microsoft and OpenAI, Google Cloud is now in a place where it’s ready to press its advantage in AI, years after the company first declared itself “AI first”. But has it succeeded in this mission, and if so – what are the tangible benefits for Google Cloud customers?In this episode, recorded live at Google Cloud Next 2024 Rory speaks to Bola Rotibi, Chief of Enterprise Research, CCS Insight, to explore some of the most notable trends at the event and unpack why Google has a strong advantage in the AI space.Read more:Google Cloud Next 2024: All the news and announcements liveGemini Code Assist could be Google's secret weapon to challenge GitHub CopilotGoogle Cloud doubles down on AI Hypercomputer amid sweeping compute upgradesGoogle Cloud targets ‘AI anywhere’ with Vertex AI AgentsAnthropic could be the champion AWS and Google needGoogle’s Hugging Face partnership shows the future of generative AI rests on open source collaborationMicrosoft Copilot review: AI baked into your appsYou’re going to have an AI copilot for everything you do – and you’ll probably hate it

March has been a month of concern for those in the cyber security community following revelations of extensive hacking campaigns carried out by state-backed groups.In the latter part of the month, it was reported that APT 31, a Chinese state-backed threat group, had accessed information on tens of millions of UK voters in a breach of the Electoral Commission. Threat actors had also targeted US politicians and businesses. What can we learn from the breach and how can organizations protect themselves against future state-backed threats?In this episode, Jane and Rory welcome back Ross Kelly, ITPro’s news and analysis editor, to explore the month’s cyber security developments.

Is your firm missing out on AI? It’s a question that has weighed heavy on the minds of tech leaders for the past 18 months and as new developments are announced leaders are presented with an ever-increasing buffet of AI products.While the pressure to commit to AI adoption can be intense, it’s essential that leaders integrate AI in a strategic fashion. But what does this mean in a practical sense and how can leaders match this need for caution against their fear of missing crucial AI opportunities?In this episode, Rory speaks to Sharon Mandell, CIO at Juniper Networks, to unpack how the expansion of AI is being handled by businesses, the response leaders can take to increased competition, and what forms AI will settle into at an enterprise level.Read more:The future of generative AI lies in open sourceThree open source large language models you can use todayBig Tech AI alliance has ‘almost zero’ chance of achieving goals, expert saysWhy not to invest in generative AI – for nowOpenAI's Sam Altman: Hallucinations are part of the “magic” of generative AIWill Nvidia's AI dominance shake up the public cloud ‘big three’?

This classic episode of the ITPro Podcast was first published on 9 June 2023.Quantum computing is an inevitable technology, with the private sector and nation-states racing to be the first to unlock its potential. While it can be used for all kinds of good, quantum computing could also be used to unravel critical systems.The UK is one of several nations investing in quantum computing, with its government having announced £900 million for its own exascale quantum computer. Stakes are high as we enter into what some have dubbed a ‘quantum arms race’, with the first to successfully crack encryption holding all the cards when it comes to its myriad use cases.In this episode, Rory and Jane speak to Tim Callan, chief experience officer at cyber security firm Sectigo, about the current state of quantum computing research and how the industry can prepare for this seismic shift.For more information, read the show notes here.

As technological innovations happen, it can be easy to forget that even the most complex systems rely on large networks of basic infrastructure to operate. At the most fundamental level, all tech products rely on effective data storage But this is easier said than done. Each byte of data has to be stored somewhere, on a rack, disk, tape, or flash device. As the world embraces hardware and software that creates data at an even faster rate, businesses will be forced to push the frontiers of data storage and evaluate their data management strategies.In this episode, Jane and Rory speak to Tom Coughlin, president and CEO of the IEEE, to learn more about how data storage will continue to evolve and what organizations can do to keep up with innovation in the space.Read more:​​​​Best SSDs 2023: The top NVMe and SATA drives around10 things to consider when buying an external hard disk-based storage deviceWhat is machine learning and why is it important?What is generative artificial intelligence (AI)?Who owns the data used to train AI?How to choose the right storage medium for your organization’s backup strategyThree keys to successful data managementStructured vs unstructured data management5 things to consider when selecting your next online storage providerHow close is glass data storage to scaled enterprise use?

The tech sector still has a long way to go when it comes to gender equality. While progress has been made over the years, women in tech face hurdles such as discrimination and outdated hiring processes. All of this works to drive women out of tech and uphold ingrained, sectoral biases.Female founders come up against these same challenges time and time again, which robs the industry of innovative firms and stems the flow of progress. For a more diverse sector, more work needs to be done on initiatives to support the next generation of women in tech.In this episode, Jane and Rory speak to Laura Hutton, co-founder and chief customer officer at Quantexa, to discuss women in tech and the role leaders can play in improving equality throughout the sector.Read more:From this week women across the UK will effectively work for free - and in tech it’s even worseFive common barriers holding back women in techUK deep tech companies have a serious diversity problemSurge in female computing degree applications shows the tide is slowly turning on tech sector gender diversityUK’s female AI founders receive six times less funding than male counterparts“Shoehorning” female tech workers into management roles could harm inclusivitySexism in the UK tech sector is rife and shows no sign of abatingTech workers fear generative AI could "drive women out the workforce"Women in tech are being forced out of work by the ‘motherhood penalty’Tech sector gender gap could take “nearly 300 years” to close without interventionMale workers say sexism in the tech industry is “rare” - women would disagreeFixing STEM's gender bias with more classroom intervention

February has been an eventful month in the tech sector as ransomware operator LockBit, which has accrued billions of dollars in ill-gotten gains in its approximately four-year history, was taken down by an international task force spearheaded by the UK’s National Crime Agency.Elsewhere, ChatGPT suffered a major setback as users noticed the industry-leading chatbot had taken to answering prompts with complete gibberish. Though the issue was fixed within a day of being reported, it has raised important questions about the reliability of the service and the technology that underlies it.In this episode, Jane and Rory welcome back Ross Kelly, ITPro’s news and analysis editor, to explore February’s big cyber security story and discuss what ChatGPT’s moment of madness means for generative AI.Read more:LockBit could be done and dusted after NCA operation gained access to admin environments, source code, and affiliate infoLockBit rises from the ashes, but will it pack the same punch as before?Life after LockBit: A fragmented landscape and wayward affiliates will still cause chaos for enterprisesEuropol takes down 'dangerous' Emotet botnetQakbot forced offline, but history suggests it probably won’t be foreverEverything we know so far about the rumored ALPHV 'takedown'History tells us ALPHV will likely recover from recent takedownLockBit remains most dangerous ransomware despite fall in attacksThe 'Big Three’ ransomware groups are losing their grip on the industry as gangs begin to fracture, study shows

STEM careers are often touted as those with the best prospects, but when it comes to job satisfaction things may not be quite so rosy. A stark number of workers in the tech industry are currently looking to move jobs – either into a different tech role or into another field entirely. Many more are facing the looming prospect of job cuts, while an increasing number are reporting poor working conditions. All this adds up to a disaffected and disengaged workforce – something leaders need to fix or risk losing valuable staff and the knowledge they hold.What can companies do to stem this issue, and how practical are these solutions? In this episode, Jane and Rory discuss the state of employee wellbeing in tech and how leaders can start to address issues such as burnout and turnover.Read more:How to combat high staff turnover in techAgile development is fading in popularity at large enterprises - and developer burnout is a key factorSurging cyber threats exacerbating security staff burnoutHybrid work means we’re burning out harder and faster than everA third of cyber security pros report crumbling work-life balanceCyber security professionals are exhausted, and it's putting firms at greater risk of attackFighting the ‘always on’ culture that’s savaging mental health in cyber securityBoosting mental health support in the workplaceUK's four-day week trial ends, leads to reduced burnout and sick daysThe company-wide benefits of mentorship in techGartner: Nearly half of cyber leaders to leave roles over mounting stressIT staff frustrated at rate of change in the workplaceFive ways to prevent digital transformation burnoutCan businesses use AI to beat burnout?AI employee monitoring will only burn bridges in the workplace

As organizations look to integrate AI tools into their business models, key questions will have to be answered around how this fits in with their wider strategy. This doesn’t just mean data analysis or adoption of generative AI tools, but less directly connected initiatives such as sustainability goals.The adoption of AI is also running up against concerns around skills. Many organizations, if not most, are yet to truly determine which roles and tasks can be augmented and improved by AI services. Additionally, there are questions among workers and employers alike as to what emerging AI-focused skills they will need to acquire to stay competitive in their field.In this episode:Jane speaks to Pauline Yau, UKI verticals sales director at Hewlett Packard Enterprise, to unpack the current trends around AI and what the future holds for AI in business.Rory and Jane discuss the significance of these trends and how this may pan out in 2024.Read more:Why cutting-edge innovation is killing the planetHow HPE plans to combat generative AI’s 'dirty secret'The AI skills gap is prompting a widespread rethink on workforce upskillingHow the metaverse is powering next-gen digital twinsDoes your business need a digital twin?ChatGPT vs chatbots: What’s the difference?Global power shortages mean data centers could struggle to shoulder the burden of energy-intensive generative AI demands in 2024Tech industry takes vast lead in green energy spending, biggest companies vie for top spotScotland could be the next big data center powerhouse, offering greener options, significant savings, and direct access to renewable energy“We’ve made savings of around 85%”: Embracing green energy for data centers by migrating to Iceland

It’s becoming something of a tradition for companies to ring in the new year with a wave of layoffs. In 2024, as in 2023, workforce reduction has been a major theme in the tech sector and beyond for January.As technologies such as AI take root, the nature and pace of layoffs is likely to change in the near future. Competing pressures of economic downturns and productivity shortfalls could change the tech workforce dramatically.In this episode, Jane and Rory are joined by Ross Kelly, ITPro’s news and analysis editor, to discuss the latest wave of tech sector layoffs, how they compare to previous years, and what this means for the future.Read more:Tech layoffs in 2024 show the ‘year of efficiency’ is here to stay, it just won't be quite as ruthlessCloudflare employee’s viral dismissal video offers a stark glimpse into the human cost of layoffsSundar Pichai’s “ambitious goals” for Google in 2024 rest on yet more layoffs as firm cuts hundreds of jobsThe reality of mass AI-linked job cuts is hereIBM’s CEO just said the quiet part out loud on AI-related job lossesIBM CEO in damage control mode after AI job loss commentsOnce again, PayPal starts the year with another round of job cutsWhat’s behind the wave of big tech layoffs in 2023?Microsoft seeks to ward off potential union action over AI job risksWith AI on the rise, is it time to join a union?First Microsoft union formed by ZeniMax workersThe tech industry needs to unionise now more than ever

If you’ve seen Oppenheimer, Dune, or Blade Runner 2049, then you’ve seen the work of DNEG. The British visual effects firm, formerly known as Double Negative, has had to contend with growing compute and data demands in its 26 year history, with thousands of hours of rendering required to bring the latest visuals from servers to the cinema screen. In recent years, DNEG’s legacy infrastructure began to feel the strain of this task, leading the firm to work with Red Hat to adopt a cloud-native approach.In this episode, Jane and Rory speak to Ian Abbott, software architect at DNEG, and Ollie Harding, software infrastructure architect at DNEG, to discuss how the visual effects firm has adopted a cloud-native approach to help its artists be more productive.Read more:How cloud-native agility helped DNEG level up its award-winning VFXCloud-native tools are becoming more popular in Europe than the USRed Hat launches OpenShift Platform Plus alongside new managed cloud servicesRed Hat unveils new application services toolbox for developers

Computers and technology have well and truly permeated our professional and private lives. While this has led to great strides in efficiency, opened up new opportunities for businesses and individuals, and helped us become more connected than ever before, there are also downsides.As the world becomes more digital and even menial tasks are increasingly outsourced to computer systems, a simultaneous shift in accountability and oversight needs to take place. Trust in computers is all too often automatic, with the pitfalls of this brought to life through the Horizon scandal in the UK. As we move to a future where AI is ubiquitous and computing permeates every level of life, how do we avoid a repeat of this kind of tragedy and move forward using AI in the most ethical way possible?In this episode, Jane and Rory discuss the fallibility of tech and why business leaders would do well to approach the data they receive from computer systems with a healthy dose of skepticism.Read more:Post Office Horizon scandal explained: Everything you need to knowOpenAI aims to reduce generative AI 'hallucinations' with new training methodOpenAI's Sam Altman: Hallucinations are part of the “magic” of generative AILabour must approach AI carefully to avoid repeating a Dutch disasterGovernment urged to save '555' Post Office workers from "financial ruin"Use of generative AI in the legal profession accelerating despite accuracy concernsWhat is ethical AI?

Business intelligence tools already help leaders learn more about the data that drives their business and make more informed decisions. BI dashboards, in particular, help business leaders quantify their successes and identify areas for improvement from one central point of access.When it comes to adopting AI effectively, proper oversight and understanding of your data can be of the utmost importance. On paper, there could be a strong role for a combination of BI and AI, with intelligent identification of patterns to inform IT leaders to a greater degree. But is it this simple in practice?In this episode, Jane and Rory speak to Nick Magnuson, Head of AI at Qlik, to find out how business intelligence and AI can be brought together most effectively and some of the main mistakes businesses make when it comes to integrating the two.Read more:What is Business Intelligence (BI)?What is a business intelligence analyst?Four business benefits of AI-powered analyticsWhat is data analytics?A lack of data maturity could hamper enterprise AI ambitions in 2024Is AI the future of everything?Three keys to successful data managementWhy not to invest in generative AI – for now

This classic episode of the ITPro Podcast was first published on 6 January 2023.Passwords can be tricky at the best of times. Proper password hygiene is one of the most important factors in endpoint security, as it keeps sensitive data secure and prevents threat actors from getting into important systems. Despite the risks, the use of weak or recycled passwords continues to be a problem even amongst IT professionals and remembering too many unique passwords is a strain. While systems such as multi-factor authentication have been used as an extra layer of security, groups like the FIDO Alliance and World Wide Web Consortium have been working to make passwords a thing of the past, in favour of more secure methods.This week, we spoke to Richard Meeus, EMEA director of security & technology strategy for Akamai Technologies, to explore the solutions driving secure sign ons, and how the sector can adapt to this change.Read more:Revealed: The top 200 most common passwords of 2022If not passwords then what?What are biometrics?What is two-factor authentication?What is multi-factor authentication (MFA) fatigue and how do you defend against attacks?How to implement passwordless authenticationBest password managersBest free password managersThe sooner the FIDO Alliance can shut down passwords, the betterWill FIDO passwordless authentication save cyber security?The top 12 password-cracking techniques used by hackers

The UK’s data privacy landscape has long come with strict responsibilities for businesses, requiring detailed justifications for all customer data stored and processed. After the UK formally exited the European Union in 2020, the UK retained regulations for controllers and processors via the UK GDPR which sits alongside the Data Protection Act 2018.Businesses have often criticized the red tape present within GDPR, arguing that it holds them back from carrying out the core functions of their business model. In response, the UK government has repeatedly backed the creation of a bill that would reform to UK data protection law and while this has been subject to some false starts, it is now underway as the Data Protection and Digital Information (DPDI) Bill.In this episode, Jane and Rory speak to Chris Combemale, CEO at the Data and Marketing Association and chair of the Government’s Business Advisory Group on reforms, to learn how the DPDI could improve UK innovation and where it differs from other laws.

As business leaders reflect on the past 12 months and look forward to what the next might hold, a number of trends and technologies stand out. While AI is dead set to continue its large role in 2024, the impact of high-performance computing (HPC), the spread of new 5G technologies, and the pernicious role that increasingly sophisticated fraud tech will play is also worth exploring.For this new year’s edition of the podcast, Jane and Rory eschew predictions to focus on the top trends from this year that will continue to play a part in 2024.Read more:What is exascale computing?UK supercomputer boom as HPE and Dell receive funding for new AI clusterOfcom approves 5G mmWave, but what are its benefits?What are private 5G networks and can they transform the workplace?IBM CEO in damage control mode after AI job loss commentsThe reality of mass AI-linked job cuts is hereAI job risks: Skilled workers are most likely to lose out to artificial intelligence in UKWhy AI could be a legal nightmare for years to comeWho owns the data used to train AI?Real-time deepfakes are becoming a serious threatHow Intel's FaceCatcher hopes to eradicate real-time deepfakesC-suites consider quantum a serious threat and "amazing" deepfake attacks are just 'months away'Microsoft's VALL-E will usher in a new era of cyber crime

So much has happened this year, not least in the areas of AI and social media, but at the same time some events have been some notable omissions. While generative AI has taken the world by storm, there is still much to prove about its business use cases and how it should be regulated. Security and hardware are also in a similar place to previous years, with the same threats and designs coming to the surface in 2023 in place of any revolutionary shifts.For this festive episode of the podcast, Jane and Rory discuss the biggest things that didn't happen this year, from things that were promised but didn't come to fruition or even events that have been awaited for years and still failed to show up in 2023.Read more:EU hammers out deal on AI Act, but it may have missed the markFrance, Germany, and Italy align themselves on AI regulation, but the EU may not like itWhy AI could be a legal nightmare for years to comeThe UK's hollow AI Safety Summit has only emphasized global dividesThe time has come to say arrivederci to the all-in-one PCThe AI-powered PC: From personal computer to personal companionWhy 2024 won’t be the year of AR, VR or any kind of immersive techWhat are the most-targeted industries for cyber attacks?Twitter's employee 'revolt' sparks survival concerns for a platform crumbling from within

Machine learning (ML) has been a field of research for more than 50 years, and as a subset of artificial intelligence has also been the focus of great innovation in that time. Many businesses use machine learning throughout their stack and some will have relied upon ML frameworks without realizing it. With the rise in popularity of newer forms of AI developments such as generative AI, however, some have questioned the extent to which traditional approaches such as machine learning algorithms still have a place in the tech industry. In this episode Jane speaks to Sascha Heyer, senior machine learning engineer at DoiT, to explore whether ML still has a role to play in a world that is more interested in conversational AI.Read more:What is machine learning and why is it important?Machine learning vs data science: What’s the difference?Machine learning vs deep learning vs neural networks: What’s the difference?Machine learning vs AI vs NLP: What are the differences?Seven reasons why machine learning is a good careerMachine learning vs statistics: What’s the difference?

The promise of algorithms and AI has always been simple at its core. Workers can automate manual and laborious tasks, to free up their time for more complex or meaningful activities.This comes under scrutiny in some fields more than others. For example, the use of algorithmic processing in HR and hiring has had some very public horror stories in the past few years. While one could theoretically use the perfect algorithm to quickly pick the best hires out of a stack of applications according to their relevant qualifications, in practice algorithms can entrench existing biases in the data on which they were trained or expose candidates to digital discrimination.In this episode, Jane and Rory speak to Tom Cornell, senior I/O psychology consultant at HireVue to explore the dos and don’ts of hiring algorithms and question whether an algorithm can ever be truly objective.Read more:What is an algorithm?How ableist algorithms dominate digital spacesHired by machines: Exploring recruitment's machine-driven futureWhat is ethical AI?Workday hit with claims its AI hiring systems are discriminatoryWhat are the pros and cons of AI?How biased is your app?

It’s been a whirlwind month, and not in the way that one might have predicted. Opening with the UK’s AI Safety Summit and ending with the anniversary of ChatGPT, November was already set to be a big month for the field of AI, particularly when it came to global legislation. As the month progressed, it turned out that November had even more planned, in the form of a huge upheaval at OpenAI.In this episode, Jane and Rory look at some of the standout moments of November 2023 and draw a line between them all to pick out a trend for the month.Read more:UK aims to be an AI leader with November safety summitCan the UK's AI Safety Summit succeed?Bletchley Declaration draws cautious approvalThe UK's hollow AI Safety Summit has only emphasized global dividesRishi Sunak’s stance on AI goes against the demands of businessesSam Altman joins Microsoft to lead new “advanced AI research team”OpenAI chaos: What next for Sam Altman and the beleaguered tech darling?Sam Altman makes triumphant return to OpenAI after days of chaosSalesforce looks to poach outbound OpenAI staff with "full cash" compensation offer

It’s now been four years since the ITPro Podcast’s first episode and so much has changed in that time.Across almost every sector, we're working in different ways, in different places, and through the use of different hardware and software. Remote work and AI have unsettled our idea of the office and the working day, while promises such as the metaverse have flared and burned.In this special 200th episode, Jane and Rory take a look back at how far we've come since 2019.Read more:CEOs are living in dreamland if they think staff will return to the office five days a week“Zoom bombing” sends Zoom stock plummetingGenerative AI could be the key to delivering a four-day working weekUK's four-day week trial ends, leads to reduced burnout and sick daysWhy Zoom’s backtrack on remote work confirms that the ‘new normal’ is no moreAre we in the middle of a generative AI bubble?What ChatGPT’s latest updates mean for business usersOpenAI tool previously thought 'too dangerous' for the public goes generally availableWhy AI could be a legal nightmare for years to comeIs the UK falling behind the EU on AI regulation?​​Meta Quest Pro preview: Meet Meta's 'laptop killer'Metaverse-obsessed tech giants are losing the plotWhy 2024 won’t be the year of AR, VR or any kind of immersive tech

Not so long ago, the public cloud boom was in full swing and businesses were moving workloads in numbers thanks to its reputation for low costs and scalability. Today, many businesses have reassessed the size or scope of their public cloud investment. While the benefits of the public cloud remain clear, multi-cloud and hybrid cloud have their attractive qualities with some organizations choosing to entirely repatriate to a private cloud or on-premises infrastructure.The moves come as businesses face an uncertain cloud landscape. Many in the IT sector are battling skill shortages or struggling to convince stakeholders to spend money on cloud resources. Faced with these challenges, they are seeking ways to alleviate these challenges and get a return on investment from their cloud strategy.Recorded live at VMware Explore, Rory is joined by Martin Hosken, chief technologist EMEA at VMware, to discuss FinOps, shifting cloud strategy, and just what the benefits of cloud repatriation are.Read more:What is cloud repatriation?What is multi-cloud?Why cloud repatriation is a ‘fallacy’How to embark on your cloud repatriation journey37 Signals says it saved $1 million by abandoning cloud infrastructureVMware unveils slew of new cloud data management and recovery tools

Generative AI has powerful applications as a source for knowledge acquisition, as it can be used quickly and coherently to produce text outputs on almost any subject.Many generative AI models are also capable of producing efficient code in the programming language of a user’s choice or assessing the viability of pre-written code. The wide availability of these models is something with which academic institutions have already had to grapple in the past year alone. Tools such as ChatGPT put traditional assessment methods such as written coursework or take-home exams at risk, but also act as powerful assistants for computing students looking to improve their programming skills.In this episode Jane is joined by Prashanth Chandrasekar, CEO of Stack Overflow, to discuss how AI can change education and digital innovation.For more information:Record computing degree applications driven by AI interest, says BCSA-level results 2023: What’s driving the uptake in computing degrees?What is ChatGPT and what does it mean for businesses?Over-reliance on ChatGPT could harm worker performanceDevelopers more likely to introduce security vulnerabilities in code when using AI assistantsChatGPT gives wrong answers to programming questions more than 50% of the timeStack Overflow temporarily bans ChatGPT from platform

Getting data in order can have a huge effect on whether businesses can harness the power of AI. Where your data is stored, in what form, as well as where and how it is processed, really can make the difference between successful and unsuccessful implementations of the technology.At NetApp Insight, these challenges were placed front and center, with a strong focus on the concerns of customers regarding data in the cloud and how it can be best harnessed by firms to power and provide context to their generative AI models.In this episode, Jane and Rory are joined by Ross Kelly, ITPro News Editor, to hear about NetApp’s strategy on AI and hybrid cloud, and what he learned from his 1:1 with the company’s CEO, George Kurian.For more information:What is generative artificial intelligence (AI)?NetApp CEO: Hybrid cloud will be the only way to capitalize on generative AINetApp aims to become ‘true data pipeline’ for enterprises with latest AI updatesNetApp Insight 2023: All the news and announcementsIn the age of AI, leaders need to scrap “monolithic” data transformationsStorage, sustainability, and AI in the spotlight at Pure Storage Accelerate 2023Pure Storage: Generative AI has a friend in flash

Automation and localization can both lighten the load for businesses in different ways. Without proper localization, a company may find one of its subsidiaries in breach of a regional tax code or data competency requirement. Without automation, businesses can languish with manual tasks and find themselves unable to expand and achieve the kind of worldwide growth for which they are aiming.The onset of AI has also changed this equation dramatically, crossing over with both automation and localization and bringing its fundamental implementation curve.In this episode, recorded live at SuiteWorld 2023, Rory is joined by James Chisham, VP of product management at NetSuite, to give examples of where automation and localization have been used to address business problems, and to question where AI can fit in the mix.For more information:NetSuite aims to be a ‘global local solution’, set to double down on automationNetSuite aims to bolster finance teams with new AI planning toolsOracle unveils ‘sovereign cloud’ region for EU customers amid lingering sovereignty worriesSlack says automation can save every employee a month of work per year