The world of cryptocurrencies has seen no shortage of upheaval, but regulatory clarity that has arrived with recent legislation has created opportunities. Stablecoins are an area that’s seeing renewed interest in FinTech as a means of reducing friction for global payments. Jordan McKee, Sampath Sharma and Nathan Stovall return to the podcast with host Eric Hanselman to look at how stablecoins are being put to work and how they’re being used. For applications like cross border trade and the remittances trade, stablecoins can increase speed and potentially reduce costs. They can be considered another payment rail through which to conduct business. Stablecoins are not without challenges. There are regulatory imperatives to be met, like anti-money laundering (AML) and know your customer (KYC). Trust needs to be built in the market and education is needed around their potential benefits and risks. Traditional banks are getting involved, but they have additional stumbling blocks. There are technical hurdles, such as the readiness of backend systems to handle the higher precision values of stablecoins. And there are new concerns around custody risk, as handling wallets and the enhanced security required are new skills for many. The potential benefits and lucrative markets may give them enough incentive to take the plunge. More S&P Global Content: US banks maintain favorable earnings while confronting economic uncertainty Money20/20 Europe 2025: Key trends and developments Balance sheet, M&A and capital raising strategies for a volatile environment Next in Tech | Ep. 230: FinTech Advances Street Talk | Episode 142: Despite Looming Rate Cuts, Strong Deposit Franchises Still Take The Cake For S&P Global subscribers: Data Insight: Cross-border payments volume to surpass $17 trillion by 2030 Cross-Border Payments Market Monitor & Forecast - Data Visualization Cross-border payments, stablecoins generate buzz at a low-key Money20/20 Asia Tariffs create urgency for payment optimization strategies among large merchants, SMBs Credits: Host/Author: Eric Hanselman Guest: Jordan McKee, Sampath Sharma, Nathan Stovall Producer/Editor: Feranmi Adeoshun Published With Assistance From: Sophie Carr, Kyra Smith
Some might think that the metaverse has been a passing technology fad, but rumors of its demise are greatly exaggerated. While the language may have shifted to things like spatial computing and augmented reality, the technologies and use cases have been flourishing. Analysts Neil Barbour and Ian Hughes return to discuss recent study results and industrial metaverse progress with host Eric Hanselman. Companies are working to build a digital thread that runs through their organizations, linking the physical and virtual worlds. They’re leveraging digital twins to simulate operations and putting AI to work creating and populating the virtual environments in which they run. When gaming companies shift to building virtual large world models in partnership with defense contractors, the metaverse has clearly shifted gears. Virtual environments are being used for training as well as strategic planning. Smart phones are being integrated into retail space planning and assessment and emergency teams are playing Tetris to secure helicopter landing sites. The metaverse is alive and well and making some large steps forward. More S&P Global Content: 451 Digital Industries Insider Metaverse Survey: Nearly half of consumers interested in buying smart glasses Metaverse Digest: A look at Augmented World Expo, Snap updates Lens Studio As the Esports World Cup Wraps, Kagan Looks at the Growing Potential of Competitive Gaming For S&P Global Subscribers: Industrial metaverse adoption grows – Highlights from Metaverse B2B survey Metaverse Digest: Generative AI interactive world-building accelerates More consumers piling into virtual worlds – Highlights from Metaverse Consumer survey The dawn of industrial AI Credits: Host/Author: Eric Hanselman Guests: Neil Barbour, Ian Hughes Producer/Editor: Feranmi Adeoshun Published With Assistance From: Sophie Carr, Kyra Smith
Managing the capabilities of an organization’s workforce is challenging in the best of times, but the current upheaval created by AI technologies entering the workplace makes it all the more complex. The technologies that have put to work around this problem are many and varied and analyst Ethan Ray joins host Eric Hanselman to look at where we’ve come from and where we could be headed. There’s a rush to determine if new technologies are making workers more productive and what skills are needed to leverage them. Both a recent S&P Global study and the HR Tech conference showed some trends that could be transforming working environments. Workforce intelligence approaches are looking to build a wholistic picture of knowledge, skills and ability of employees and then do skills matching and development planning. As in other technology disciplines, a proliferation of tools has made many organizations’ efforts at workforce management complicated. It’s another place where many are considering integrated platforms that that can bring together HR, IT and financial teams to better understand the use of tools and resulting productivity. There are questions about what we can and what we should measure to truly understand efficiency and effectiveness. How can we understand what combination of skills and tools are generating the best financial outcomes? Better technology should hold the answer, but the path forward is not always clear. More S&P Global Content: AI upskilling: Navigating the urgent need for workforce transformation For S&P Global subscribers: Take 5: AI shakes up HR Workday strengthens standing in AI-driven frontline recruitment space with Paradox buy HR teams see AI as vital but face adoption barriers – Highlights from VotE: Workforce Pro… AI holds potential for workplace transformation, but employee concerns must be addressed – Highligh… MIT Manufacturing Day headlined by circular economy, workforce skills and modularity Credits: Host/Author: Eric Hanselman Guest: Ethan Ray Producer/Editor: Feranmi Adeoshun Published With Assistance From: Sophie Carr, Kyra Smith
Getting data to where it’s needed has always been an infrastructure challenge, but the scope and scale of the problem has become much more acute as data volumes rise and AI demands more. Research director Henry Baltazar returns to look at the latest results from the Voice of the Enterprise Data Migration study with host Eric Hanselman and reflect on how organizations are addressing the crunch in data movement. There’s been a significant increase in the number of enterprises reporting that they’ve moved to migrating petabytes of data and they’re now not only shifting to cloud, but moving between clouds, as well. They’re also enlisting the help of service providers more often, an indication that the scale of these activities requires professional support to manage risk. Data movement at this scale demands a shift in tactics and more are using physical transport, the shipping of storage media to cloud providers, to get the job done. They can’t risk the downtime needed for network transit, although network capacities are also rising. There are opportunities that cloudy environments present in managing data costs and new strategies that enterprises can put to work to lower not only costs, but risks, too. More S&P Global Content: Next in Tech | Ep. 234: Broadcom VMware Explore Conference Next in Tech | Ep. 224: Context Around MCP For S&P Global subscribers: Data Insight: Public cloud storage market to hit $56B by 2029 as data demand rises As data migration evolves, outage and security concerns grow Security concerns, large payloads are key challenges for data migration – Highlights from VotE: Sto… Credits: Host/Author: Eric Hanselman Guest: Henry Baltazar Producer/Editor: Feranmi Adeoshun Published With Assistance From: Sophie Carr, Kyra Smith
To get to the benefits that AI offers, organizations have to address their technology infrastructure in ways that are much broader than historical approaches. Senior analyst Greg Macatee joins host Eric Hanselman to delve into what’s required and what enterprises are identifying in the recent Voice of the Enterprise AI and Machine Learning study. Enterprises are struggling with raising the success levels of AI projects. Over 60% report moderate to severe challenges in achieving AI success. Bringing together the computational power and the right quality data in the right locations can be complicated in the hybrid environments that more are operating. It’s not just a matter of being more selective with use cases, AI requires a set of organizational skills that have to be honed. Starting small and iterating can reduce risk while building competency. Infrastructure has to shift in new ways, as well. Data management processes that can build the necessary data pipelines to feed AI applications bring together a broader set of tech disciplines. There are new wrinkles in AI infrastructure ecosystems, with new providers looking to address supply chain constraints, like the Neocloud or GPU as a Service (GPUaaS) providers. Even hyperscalers are looking to them to meet surging demand in a tight market. Those new options offer new choices, but enterprises need to match them with their AI goals. More S&P Global Content: Navigating the AI infrastructure landscape The path from LLMs to agentic AI Next in Tech | Ep. 225: Security for MCP For S&P Global Subscribers: AI infrastructure strategies evolve amid widespread data challenges – Highlights from VotE: AI & Machine Learning Generative AI Market Monitor & Forecast AI infrastructure: Trends, thoughts and a 2025 research agenda Credits: Host/Author: Eric Hanselman Guest: Greg Macatee Producer/Editor: Adam Kovalsky Published With Assistance From: Sophie Carr, Feranmi Adeoshun, Kyra Smith
The annual gathering on infrastructure virtualization that is the VMware by Broadcom Explore conference has wrapped up and there are important takeaways from both the formal program and informal discussions. Analysts Jean Atelsek, Henry Baltazar and William Fellows join host Eric Hanselman to talk about their takes on the event. The newly integrated VMware Cloud Foundation 9.0 (VCF) suite has shipped and along with it a new approach to the product portfolio. AI-focused capabilities have been added as VMware aims to create a private cloud portfolio to rival the public cloud offerings. Higher level data services are the first service abstractions available, with the promise of more to come. In the new organizational structure, the Tanzu product offering is now in its own division in Broadcom. While that offers it independence, it’s also meant that in areas like AI functionality, there is some overlap between it and AI capabilities being built into VCF 9. The larger challenge for Broadcom is to motivate customers to fully implement VCF 9 and put all of its capabilities to work. More S&P Global Content: Next in Tech | Ep. 222: FinOps – Managing Cloud and AI Costs Next in Tech | Ep. 214: KubeCon and Cloud Native Next in Tech | Ep. 183: Exploring Broadcom VMware For S&P Global Subscribers: VMware Cloud Foundation 9.0 manifests Broadcom's vision for modern private cloud VMware Tanzu enhances support for generative AI and agents with Tanzu AI Solutions VMware remains dominant as organizations evaluate alternative virtualization technologies Credits: Host/Author: Eric Hanselman Guest: Jean Atelsek, Henry Baltazar, William Fellows Producer/Editor: Adam Kovalsky Published With Assistance From: Sophie Carr, Feranmi Adeoshun, Kyra Smith
Can you have too much data for an AI application? In the mad dash to collect the raw material for AI applications, it can be tempting to pull in as much as you can. Product manager Emily Jasper returns to the podcast with a set of recommendations for more strategic use of data with host Eric Hanselman. Just as it might not be wise to load up on everything on a buffet, being strategic about using the data that best suits the goals of your project can improve outcomes and help to manage risk. By understanding the data that you’re putting to work, you can bound the universe of outcomes and simplify the process of bringing it into the AI application pipeline. At the same time, the process of data governance becomes clearer when the sources are better understood. Bringing an understanding of the set of data resources that an enterprise has is critical and has to be accompanied by knowledge of the quality of that data. The principles of library sciences are back in focus in AI, as organizations work to curate data characteristics and provenance. As in so much of AI, matching the ecosystem of tools, data providers, and capabilities to the use cases being built is fundamental to project success. Managing risk in AI has become a process of bringing the right data to the right problem. More S&P Global Content: The path from LLMs to agentic AI Next in Tech | Ep. 224: Context Around MCP Next in Tech | Ep. 225: Security for MCP For S&P Global Subscribers: Data Management Market Monitor & Forecast Automation pervades data management practices – Highlights from VotE: Data & Analytics Technology Primer: Model Context Protocol explained The evolution of agentic process automation: Midyear market and technology update Pace of AI agent advancement could spur M&A in the sales automation market Credits: Host/Author: Eric Hanselman Guest: Emily Jasper Producer/Editor: Adam Kovalsky Published With Assistance From: Sophie Carr, Feranmi Adeoshun, Kyra Smith
The typical process of deploying technology has been one of enterprises designing infrastructure around vendor capabilities. The Open Networking Users Group (ONUG) was founded to reverse that equation and define enterprise requirements for technology and work with vendors to achieve them. Co-founder Nick Lippis joins host Eric Hanselman to talk about the approach that ONUG takes, the nature of its community and the work that they’re doing today. While their roots are in the networking world, they’ve expanded to address a wide range of enterprise concerns. The current collaborations include security related work in cloud and security operations automation, WAN connectivity and a reference architecture for AI infrastructure. The ONUG fall conference takes place in New York on October 22-23. More S&P Global Content: The ONUG fall conference The path from LLMs to agentic AI Next in Tech | Ep. 225: Security for MCP For S&P Global Subscribers: The evolution of agentic process automation: Midyear market and technology update Pace of AI agent advancement could spur M&A in the sales automation market 2025 will be pivotal for network APIs – Highlights from Communication and Network APIs Global Survey 2024 Use of open-source software driven by reliability, low cost – Highlights from VotE: DevOps Glimpses of cybersecurity talent development: Industry and community Credits: Host/Author: Eric Hanselman Guest: Nick Lippis, ONUG co-founder Producer/Editor: Adam Kovalsky Published With Assistance From: Sophie Carr, Feranmi Adeoshun, Kyra Smith
The annual “security summer camp” that is made up of the Black Hat and DefCon conferences is just past and the security analyst team, Scott Crawford, Dan Kennedy, Justin Lam and Mark Ehr, join host Eric Hanselman to examine what they saw and discuss the implications. Despite the heat of a Las Vegas summer, it’s become bigger than the two main conferences, with a number of side events, like B-Sides, there’s a lot going on. AI conversations are evolving and maturing. We’ve mostly moved beyond blaming user foibles for breaches, but AI is expanding the attack surface with new and more complex tactics for user manipulation. AI is lowering the barriers for attackers. The days of script kiddies have morphed into Claude Code-fueled attack development. The larger question is how security vendors are responding to AI risks. Claims that tier 1 security analysts should start looking for another job just seem irresponsible in the current environment. AI augmentation can reduce toil and digest the masses of events that security teams struggle to deal with today. At the same time, AI is scaling attack volumes. It’s the constant hegemony that’s always played out at the core of security. More S&P Global Content: RSAC Conference 2025: Breaking records at the threshold of uncertainty AI for security: Agentic AI will be a focus for security operations in 2025 Next in Tech | Ep. 215: RSA Conference Preview Deep Pocket Inspection: RSAC Innovation Sandbox Retrospective & Perspective Next in Tech | Ep. 227: Managed Security Services Next in Tech | Ep. 225: Security for MCP For S&P Global Subscribers: Use of GenAI security solutions has spiked, continued uptake projected – Highlights from VotE: Information Security Infosec spending projected to rise 27% on average in 2025 – Highlights from VotE: Information Security CNAPP in focus after large infosec acquisition – Highlights from VotE: Information Security Data Insight: Data security market to top $26B in 2029 Data Security Market Monitor & Forecast CNAPP matures into full-spectrum security solution Credits: Host/Author: Eric Hanselman Guests: Scott Crawford, Dan Kennedy, Justin Lam, Mark Ehr Producer/Editor: Adam Kovalsky Published With Assistance From: Sophie Carr, Feranmi Adeoshun, Kyra Smith
The FinTech market has seen considerable upheaval in activity and valuations. But spring may be coming to the funding winter that FinTech has seen and Jordan McKee and Sampath Sharma return to examine the green shoots with host Eric Hanselman. Data platforms, payment rails and insurance tech are seeing renewed interest, while riskier areas, like lending, are not seeing the same focus. FinTech companies are looking at addressing infrastructure and process challenges faced by the banking sector as they transition to the world of instant payments. Interest in cryptocurrency is roaring back, particularly in stablecoins. The U.S. GENIUS Act has delivered a framework for their use and opened the door to new experimentation. It’s another area where FinTech’s have an infrastructure opportunity, as a number of FinTech companies already have stablecoin experience and can put it to work for their banking partners. All of this and more will also be on the agenda for the upcoming Banking Infrastructure Modernization webinar at the link below. More S&P Global Content: Upcoming FinTech Webinar: Banking Infrastructure Modernization: Building for Instant Payments Money20/20 Europe 2025: Key trends and developments National Retail Federation looks to revitalize the modern commerce experience Fintech funding falls 42% to $35B in 2023, but downturn may be nearing end For S&P Global Subscribers: Tech Trend in Focus: Payment orchestration Cross-border payments, stablecoins generate buzz at a low-key Money20/20 Asia Real-time payments, stablecoins draw VC attention in Q3 2024 fintech funding 2025 Trends in Fintech Credits: Host/Author: Eric Hanselman Guests: Jordan McKee, Sampath Sharma Producer/Editor: Adam Kovalsky Published With Assistance From: Sophie Carr, Feranmi Adeoshun, Kyra Smith
While advertising is a fundamental part of business, the creator economy has become a fundamental part of advertising. Analyst Zach Ciampa joins host Eric Hanselman to explore the many facets of which it’s composed and look at the market impacts. Businesses are working to balance the mix of paid, earned and owned content that they’re putting to work to establish, guide and strengthen their brands. The process of influencing buying behavior and brand loyalty and the media mix as part of it continues to evolve. While TikTok may be the view that many have of user generated content (UGC), it’s a much richer palette that businesses can use. Social media has become a large part of advertising, in no small part because of the allure of virality. But is this just gambling on an outcome? The human connection of social media and its people-first nature can have great power, but can be challenging to manage. Technology is being thrown at it in various forms, from influencer management platforms, to agency-driven tech M&A. AI has a role to play, but the human aspect is often the most powerful. More S&P Global Content: Next in Tech | Ep. 228: Advertising and Tech National Retail Federation looks to revitalize the modern commerce experience Kagan Media and Telecom Summit For S&P Global Subscribers: Payments composability, optimization and resilience are top merchant priorities – Highlights from VotE: Customer Experience & Commerce Technology Primer: Building the digital foundation for retail transformation Convenience, flexibility, speed drive consumer behavior – Highlights from VoCUL: Connected Customer Key takeaways from Shoptalk Spring 2025 Credits: Host/Author: Eric Hanselman Guests: Zach Ciampa Producer/Editor: Adam Kovalsky Published With Assistance From: Sophie Carr, Feranmi Adeoshun, Kyra Smith
Advertising is fundamental part of business and it’s one that has been buffeted by the impacts of technology in both the path to markets and the management of its delivery. Creating a brand reputation and influencing consumers is the core function and analyst Natalie Colakides and Ian Whittaker, managing director of Liberty Sky Advisors, join host Eric Hanselman to discuss the nuances of advertising and technology’s evolution around it. Shifts in media have had a profound effect - the reach of linear television media has decreased significantly, while digital advertising options have expanded. Businesses are looking to blend linear and streaming advertising, but it can be complex to make an effective distinction. There is significant global variation in media consumption and advertising potential. While the UK was the first market where digital spending overtook traditional, the European market is diverging from patterns in the U.S.. Many businesses are looking to AdTech to make the process more efficient, but there are limits its capabilities. Agencies still have a significant role to play, but the advertising buying and planning that has been a big part of their business could be under threat from advances delivered by AI. Enterprises have a lot to wrestle with, but they need to keep focused on the fundamental task of winning hearts and minds. More S&P Global Content: Kagan Media and Telecom Summit event link For S&P Global subscribers: Big Four ad agencies see mixed results due to macro uncertainty A sneak preview of the Kagan Media & Telecom Summit 2025 See it in charts: TV Networks, June 2025 Credits: Host/Author: Eric Hanselman Guests: Natalie Colakides, Ian Whittaker Producer/Editor: Adam Kovalsky Published With Assistance From: Sophie Carr, Feranmi Adeoshun, Kyra Smith
Effective security management has never been simple and the expanded threat landscape enhanced by AI has only widened the gap between defenders and attackers. Scott Crawford and Greg Zwakman return to discuss the managed security services market with host Eric Hanselman. Security services have been an option for enterprises since the earliest days of IT, but the need for more depth and breadth in security operations has changed market dynamics and the enterprise security calculus. Part of this shift is driven by the scope and scale of security operations. Expanded attack surfaces with more devices, more SaaS applications and hybrid infrastructure can be all the more difficult to secure. Integrated security operations patterns, like Managed Detection and Response (MDR) can provide more comprehensive services and ones that are targeted at delivering improved security outcomes, rather than just operational support. Changing security requirements are driving M&A activity, as well. Where services had been an augmentation to vendor products, some vendors now see them as a critical part of their portfolio and a key to platform aspirations. Zscaler’s acquisition of Red Canary and Sophos’ pick up of SecureWorks are some of the more notable transactions in this trend. Security management has shifted front of security markets. More S&P Global Content: AI for security: Agentic AI will be a focus for security operations in 2025 The evolution of security platforms – 6 centers of gravity shaping the market For S&P Global subscribers: Managed Security Services Market Monitor & Forecast For sale: MDR vendors 2025 Trends in Information Security Ending SecureWorks' search for a suitor, Sophos takes it off Dell's hands Zscaler expands its platform play into a new market by reaching for Red Canary Credits: Host/Author: Eric Hanselman Guests: Scott Crawford, Greg Zwakman Producer/Editor: Adam Kovalsky Published With Assistance From: Sophie Carr, Feranmi Adeoshun, Kyra Smith
The annual Kagan Media and Telecom Summit in New York is in the books and it not only covered a lot of market activity, but it was also surrounded by a number of media and sports rights headlines. Justin Nielson, Eric Keith, Scott Robson and Seth Shafer joined host Eric Hanselman to look at what was covered in the expansive event and the time around it. There were big shifts in media rights and a couple of sports team sales that led to lively discussions. Networks are balking at some of the lofty prices for sports media rights in the face of streaming services’ higher demand. The realignment of regional sports coverage is still shaking out, as well. Media consolidation keeps hovering, but will it always be next year’s prospect? Macroeconomic uncertainty seems to be playing a role and the pendulum on cord cutting seems to be swinging back around. In broadband, the reset of the BEAD program has states scrambling to reapply under the new, much tighter deadline. Will this drive fixed wireless access (FWA)? Satellite is still a possibility in remote regions, but costs may hold it back. Private equity activity in fiber networks could be reaching a tipping point, as their investments mature and operators’ partners shift strategies. There was a lot in store and much more to come. More S&P Global Content: Kagan Media and Telecom Summit event link For S&P Global subscribers: A sneak preview of the Kagan Media & Telecom Summit 2025 See it in charts: TV Networks, June 2025 Comcast strikes sports network deal; Streaming services expand sports viewing New media rights deal a slam dunk for the NBA Kagan Media & Telecom Summit 2025: Broadband panel discussion Credits: Host/Author: Eric Hanselman Guests: Justin Nielson, Erik Keith, Scott Robson, Seth Shafer Producer/Editor: Adam Kovalsky Published With Assistance From: Sophie Carr, Feranmi Adeoshun, Kyra Smith
The Model Context Protocol (MCP) specification has helped to accelerate access to a wide range of data sources for AI applications. But there are questions about the security and trust implications around a protocol that is still in its infancy. Scott Crawford and Justin Lam return to the podcast to examine the concerns that have been raised and changes that are underway in the specification with host Eric Hanselman. The previous episode introduced MCP and some of the market forces that are in play. Security considerations didn’t appear to be fully sorted out in the first version of the specification, but more work is being done to move beyond the OAuth-based approach. Automating the data access process can be powerful, but also fraught with the potential for abuse. The larger questions in MCP revolve around understanding risk and establishing trust. Data exposure has been a constant concern in AI, but the more complex issues exist in the integrity of the data that’s being used. AI technology is moving forward rapidly and adversaries that are looking to compromise it and moving right along with these advances. More S&P Global Content: The 2025 Generative AI Outlook Next in Tech | Ep. 224: Context Around MCP For S&P Global Subscribers: Technology Primer: Model Context Protocol explained Databases and analytic services get the agentic AI treatment at Google Cloud Next 2025 IT Insider 3: A roundup for IT decision-makers Credits: Host/Author: Eric Hanselman Guests: Scott Crawford, Justin Lam Producer/Editor: Adam Kovalsky Published With Assistance From: Sophie Carr, Feranmi Adeoshun, Kyra Smith
Linking generative AI models to the agents that are going to use them now has a standard for queries, the Model Context Protocol (MCP). Suddenly all sorts of things are vying to be your data source of choice. What could go wrong? Analysts Jean Atelsek, James Curtis and Henry Baltazar join host Eric Hanselman to provide an introduction to what MCP is, what all the fuss is about and where this is headed. Since Anthropic released the standard in November of 2024, there has been significant progress in expanding and clarifying it, but it is still very much a work in progress. Database providers and storage vendors have been the obvious participants and many others are joining in. The larger questions are around ensuring trust and transparency in this market. Basic authentication has been worked out, but more sophisticated authorization mechanisms need to be defined. The mad dash is already leading to M&A activity, with storage vendors looking to expand their opportunities and maintain their relevance. Microsoft has released its MCP definition and Google has created an agent-to-agent (A2A) protocol for direct agent interactions. There are many pieces that are coming together to enable fully agentic operations and there is still a lot of work to be done. More S&P Global Content: The 2025 Generative AI Outlook For S&P Global subscribers: Technology Primer: Model Context Protocol explained Databases and analytic services get the agentic AI treatment at Google Cloud Next 2025 IT Insider 3: A roundup for IT decision-makers Credits: Host/Author: Eric Hanselman Guests: Jean Atelsek, James Curtis, Henry Baltazar Producer/Editor: Adam Kovalsky Published With Assistance From: Sophie Carr, Feranmi Adeoshun, Kyra Smith
Developer experience is one of the areas where AI applications are showing significant return on investment, but there are significant hurdles to overcome in both changing established development patterns, as well as integrating AI tooling. Analyst Jean Atelsek and AWS vice president for developer experience Deepak Singh join host Eric Hanselman to explore the current state of AI code assistance and look at where it’s headed. Auto-complete, where the next bit of a line of code is filled in for a programmer, has been evolving over a number of years, but the arrival of agents to augment code generation and task automation is being to revolutionize software development. Changing development patterns is hard, but the benefits offer strong incentives to change habits. Where early uses had AI engines generate smaller code snippets that developers integrated, that’s changing to having AI tackle full functions that are then reviewed and corrected. Tooling around AI implementations are tailoring they way in which they interact with individual developers, enhancing their experience. Application modernization is an area where AI can shine, as it can assess a massive codebase whose authors are no longer available and provide not only documentation, but also prioritize recoding efforts. It’s a task where the hours required for manual assessment can be daunting and error prone. Leveraging AI code generation securely requires that organizations have sufficiently secure development pipelines. Mitigating risks from confabulation and errors in AI generated code is the same process as ought to be in place for human coders, an area where some less mature organizations may have some catching up to do. More S&P Global Content: The 2025 Generative AI Outlook For S&P Global subscribers: Can generative AI modernize legacy code bases? It depends Tech Trend in Focus: Generative AI in programming Generative AI Market Monitor & Forecast Credits: Host/Author: Eric Hanselman Guests: Jean Atelsek, Deepak Singh Producer/Editor: Adam Kovalsky Published With Assistance From: Sophie Carr, Feranmi Adeoshun, Kyra Smith
Managing IT costs has always been challenging and the FinOps movement is working to tackle this problem. Analysts Jean Atelsek and Melanie Posey return to the podcast to discuss their research and what they saw at the FinOps X conference with host Eric Hanselman. Cost angst has been exacerbated by the move to cloud. The shift from capital expense to operational expense has been a complicated transition for many. The infrastructure spending growth that being driven by AI initiatives has only just begun, but is already concerning. As cloud costs have become material expenses, more focus has been put on managing them. There are a host of startups that are looking to provide tools and cloud providers all have some form of cost management tooling. The shift to virtualization opened the door to optimization, but was one that only few walked through. Efforts at charge-back and show-back accounting created better visibility, but FinOps is looking to take things a step further by identifying costs early in the development cycle. Putting the vast quantities of operational data that cloud throws off to work requires a new focus. It’s another area where AI can help businesses work their way out of the looming costs that AI applications create. It requires bringing together lines of business, development teams and IT operations, but the benefits could be significant. More S&P Global Content: Webinar: AI Has Swallowed the Tech Industry: Indigestion to Follow? Cloud Shifts podcast For S&P Global Subscribers: FinOps Foundation showcases Scopes initiatives, user deployment experiences at FinOps X Day FinOps adoption expands as generative AI amplifies public cloud cost challenges – Highlights from VotE: Cloud, Hosting & Managed Services and Cloud Native FinOps Market Monitor & Forecast Credits: Host/Author: Eric Hanselman Guests: Jean Atelsek, Melanie Posey, Producer/Editor: Adam Kovalsky Published With Assistance From: Sophie Carr, Feranmi Adeoshun, Kyra Smith
A set of questions are being asked about whether the velocity of datacenter build outs is wavering. Analyst Dan Thompson returns to the podcast to explore the realities of the market with host Eric Hanselman. There are some facts that raised the questions, including Microsoft demurring on some datacenter projects, and they have fueled concerns that the heady pace might slacken. The DeepSeek model’s debut with claims of lower training requirements spooked the tech markets in January. There have been layoffs. Are these harbingers of AI doom? In the same way that DeepSeek signaled the next phase of optimization in AI models, datacenter markets can be expected to adjust over time. The difference is that the time scales for the two areas are vastly different. With AI ecosystems seemingly cycling daily, the multiyear scheduling of datacenters might appear glacial by comparison. But it’s a market influenced by many factors, including a complex supply chain. Capital spending across hyperscale cloud providers remains healthy and maintains an eye on a future with much greater density of AI functionality. We’re still a long way from a correction. More S&P Global Content: Powering AI – Opportunities, tensions in datacenter and energy markets For S&P Global subscribers: Truths about how the power sector can (and cannot) respond to datacenter needs Potential impacts of DeepSeek on datacenters and energy demand 2025 US datacenters and nuclear energy report Credits: Host/Author: Eric Hanselman Guests: Dan Thompson Producer/Editor: Adam Kovalsky Published With Assistance From: Sophie Carr, Feranmi Adeoshun, Kyra Smith
In the rush to build out AI applications, a full understanding of the dynamics of personal data management can be difficult to achieve. As we kick off Pride Month, the complexities of personal data handling deserve more attention and Emily Jasper and Alan Moore join host Eric Hanselman to discuss the concerns and approaches to address privacy issues. Enterprises accumulate both operational and self-reported personal data, some with regulatory requirements for collection and reporting and some in support of employee development. Is that data the new oil that can fuel their efforts, the new water that can leak or the new plutonium that can be powerful, but also dangerous? With many systems accumulating data, it can be difficult to ensure that right data is in the right places. Data migration is hard, but can be necessary in technology transitions. Data is the raw material that builds AI value, but personal data increases the risks of not only expose, but of creating presumptions by AI models of association and affiliation. There are additional risks in inadequate datasets for training. As we’ve pointed out in previous episodes, organizations need to be aware of how well their training data reflects the populations they intend to serve. More S&P Global Content: Webinar: Winning the Ad Dollar: Data-Driven Sales Enablement Next in Tech | Ep. 213: AI and Privacy Next in Tech | Ep. 204: Ethical AI Data For S&P Global subscribers: Safeguarding privacy in the AI era – Highlights from VotE: Data & Analytics 2025 Trends in Workforce Productivity & Collaboration Ask the Analyst: Retail tech — personalization without friction 2025 Trends in Data, AI & Analytics Credits: Host/Author: Eric Hanselman Guests: Emily Jasper, Alan Moore Producer/Editor: Adam Kovalsky Published With Assistance From: Sophie Carr, Feranmi Adeoshun, Kyra Smith