The ITPro Podcast

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?