In this episode, I’m speaking with PwC's Cloud & Digital Lead Cenk Ozdemir, about cloud ROI—how it has changed from the early days of cost mitigation to a central pillar in how organizations enable new business models while streamlining business processes and speeding time-to-value for new products and services. But, to get the most ROI from your cloud strategy, you have to go back to basics. You need to understand why you went there in the first place. A surprising number of companies do not. Smart companies are reevaluating their reasons for going to cloud, what they wanted to get from it then and what they need to get from it now. Post-Covid-19, the era of cloud 2.0 has begun. Figuring out how to make the most of it is now the No.1 challenge for businesses—not whether they should be there or not. Cloud is an essential technology for every business regardless of size, geography or industry and will only become more important in the age of AI. Resource links:Cenk's LinkedIn page: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ozdemir/Company website: https://www.pwc.com/ Link to Allen’s website: http://www.techcopy.net If you would like to become a sponsor, please let Allen know at abernie182@gmail.com.

In this episode, I’m speaking with Guarav Sharma and Laila Kakar about how they used AI and app rationalization (10 ERPs into just one) to transform the procurement function of Africa’s MTN Group, a $12B telco, from a cost center to a profit center. To solve the many challenges they faced, MTN developed: An AI-powered chatbot that stays informed by observing a variety of company data streams Robotics process analytics focused on 15 high-impact business processes A recommendation engine focused on value generating opportunities, and A decision-support system based on game theory to supports negotiations with other vendors in complex multi-unit tenders in part by simulating 50+ million negotiation scenarios. Guarav is MTN’s senior manager for procurement excellence and Laila is MTN’s senior data analytics manager. Resource links:Guarav’s LinkedIn page: https://www.linkedin.com/in/supernegotiate/ Laila’s LinkedIn page: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laila-kakar/ Company website: https://www.mtn.com Link to Allen’s website http://TechCopy.net If you would like a shareable edited transcript of this episode, please contact Allen Bernard at abernie182@gmail.com. If you would like to become a sponsor, please let Allen know at the email address above.

"We can improve our IT stuff as much as we possibly want but if it doesn’t  somehow translate into some business gain then we’re really just wasting time and money.” – Carlos Casanova In today’s episode, I'm speaking with Forrester analyst Carlos Casanova about AIOps: What it is, who's using it and how it's being deployed to help businesses run more efficiently and effectively by prioritizing IT services delivery. Carlos along with Forrester analysts Glenn O'Donnell, Audrey Lynch and  Diane Lynch is the co-author of report “The 3 Stages of Preparation for AIOps” that lays out the foundational elements IT and business Leaders need to understand in order to introduce AIOps into their organizations. Resource links:Carlos' LinkedIn page: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carlosacasanova/Company website: https://www.forrester.com Link to Allen’s website http://TechCopy.net If you would like a shareable edited transcript of this episode, please contact Allen Bernard at abernie182@gmail.com. If you would like to become a sponsor, please let Allen know at the email address above.

“These are the emergent next wave of game changing technologies we need to pay attention to.” - Mike Fulton In this episode, I'm speaking with Mike Fulton, SVP and CIO at Vernovis, about the next wave of digital technologies that CIOs need to be thinking about today. These are the so-called DARQ technologies: distributed ledgers, AI, extended reality, and quantum computing. Because all of these will build on the SMAC technologies--social, mobile analytics, and cloud--that have gotten us to where we are today, their impact will likely be much greater than even SMAC has had to date. The key to making the most of these technologies will come down to seeing the forest and the trees to understand where and how these technologies can be applied to solve business problems. Resource links:Mike's LinkedIn page: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelfulton/Company website: https://www.vernovis.com Link to Allen’s website http://TechCopy.net If you would like a shareable edited transcript of this episode, please contact Allen Bernard at abernie182@gmail.com. If you would like to become a sponsor, please let Allen know at the email address above.

In this episode, I’m speaking with Gamma Force Founder and CEO, Warner Moore about how to effectively manage cyber risk when resources are limited. All organizations are resource constrained when it comes to cyber. No can afford to keep throwing money at such a massive problem. Warner and I discuss how everyone can make better use of their cyber security resources: How do you get the biggest bang for the bucks you do have? What assets and data are truly at risk and which ones are not? How do you know? How do you decide? How do you prioritize your spend? What is an acceptable level of risk … and on down the list. Tune in for answers to these questions and many more insights from an industry veteran who helps companies make these decisions every day. Resource Links: Warner’s LinkedIn page: https://www.linkedin.com/in/warnermoore/ Company website: https://www.gammaforce.io Link to Allen’s website: https://www.TechCopy.net If you would like a shareable edited transcript of this episode, please contact Allen Bernard at abernie182@gmail.com. If you would like to become a sponsor, please let Allen know at the email address above.

In today’s episode I’m speaking with Scott Gerlach, chief security officer and Co-Founder of the cyber security firm StackHawk, about shifting cyber security left, the practice of moving the responsibility for ensuring secure applications out of production and closer to the developers actually creating the code. Shifting left helps repair the broken cyber security feedback loop between software developers and IT operations. It is faster, better, and cheaper to fix problems during the application development or update process. But that is not how most software shots run today.  There are a lot of reasons for this but chief among them is developers are not cyber security professionals. They do not have the knowledge or training they need to spot problems before they become vulnerabilities. Resource links: Scott’s LinkedIn page: https://www.linkedin.com/in/scott-gerlach-kaakaww/ Company website: https://www.stackhawk.com/   Link to Allen’s website: https://www.techcopy.net   If you would like a shareable edited transcript of this episode, please contact Allen Bernard at abernie182@gmail.com

In this episode, I’m speaking with Ulf Persson, the CEO of the intelligent document processing company ABBYY, about what it takes to lead digital transformation from the top down. Digital transformation today involves the bottom-up adoption of scalable new technologies, but it also requires top-down leadership to ensure that the technologies being introduced will integrate properly with existing systems – all while furthering the organization's goals. Ultimately, it is the job of the CEO to set the vision that informs those goals and gives decision-makers the frameworks they need to make better technology decisions faster. Resource links: Ulf’s LinkedIn page: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ulf-persson-10085a79/ Company website: https://www.abbyy.com/ Link to Allen’s website: http://TechCopy.net If you would like a shareable edited transcript of this episode, please contact Allen Bernard at abernie182@gmail.com.

In today’s episode I'm speaking with Tal Morgenstern, chief strategy officer and co-founder of Vulcan Cyber, about DevSecOps -- what it is, and how it's being used today to improve application security. We get into the complexities that are driving the need for placing security at the center of the software development process. We also explore some of the best practices and tools developers can use when implementing DevSecOps; as well as how the organization as a whole must change in order for these practices to make a material difference when applications move into production. Vulcan Cyber is a cyber security tools integration vendor. Resource links:Tal's LinkedIn page: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tal-morgenstern-b089b65/Company website: https://vulcan.io/ Link to Allen’s website: www.techcopy.net If you would like a shareable edited transcript of this episode, please contact Allen Bernard at abernie182@gmail.com.

In today's episode, I’m speaking with Ilona Simpson, Netskope’s CIO for EMEA about the changing nature of the modern CIO. In most organizations, CIOs today find themselves in the boardroom and on the front lines of emerging technology.   They are can no longer be just business-first technologists. They have to become master storytellers who’s main focus is ensuring that technology is used to move the organization from where it is to where it wants to be in the most cost effective manner possible. Netskope is a enterprise cloud security company that provides a range of cloud-based security solutions to many of the F100. Resource links: Ilona’s LinkedIn page: www.linkedin.com/in/ilonasimpson/ Company website: www.netskope.com Link to Allen’s website TechCopy.net If you would like a shareable edited transcript of this episode, please contact Allen Bernard at abernie182@gmail.com.

In today’s episode, I’m speaking with Alan Brill, Senior Managing Director in Kroll’s Cyber Risk Practice and an adjunct professor at Texas A&M School of Law. Alan was also part of the coding team that sent Apollo 11 astronauts to the moon. Also on the call is John Bennett, Global Head of Government Affairs in Kroll’s Cyber Risk Practice, and a former Assistant Director of the FBI. Today we’re going to be talking about why creating software that is secure by design, a relatively straightforward idea, can be so hard to achieve in the real world. Some of the topics we touch on in this episode include why business and competitive pressures can make it hard for management to prioritize cyber security. We explore what needs to change so that everyone in the software development life cycle -- from developers to the board -- understands that secure code is just as important as the features and functionalities they are trying to bring to Market We also touch on the need for standardizing software bills of materials and how they can be used to ensure the software that is being produced is meeting a minimum set of standards for security and transparency. LinkedIn pages: Alan Brill John Bennett Company website: www.kroll.com/en Link to Allen’s website: www.techcopy.net If you would like a shareable edited transcript of this episode, please contact Allen Bernard at abernie182@gmail.com.

In this week’s episode, I'm speaking with Forrester analyst Rowan Curran about the hottest Topic in tech today which is the AI chatbot ChatGPT. We're going to get into what it is, what it isn't (which is sentient or intelligent) and the outsized impact it is about to have on how we all interact with technology both at work and in our everyday lives. We talk about how no one really knows how its doing what it does under the hood. Experts have ideas but large language, generative AI models like ChatGPT appear to be drawing conclusions about the world around them without being taught. We also get into how it is advancing the state of Turning Bots, which is AI generated computer code, how it can be used by knowledge workers, chemists, engineers, developers and many others to do their jobs better. We take a look at what’s next for the technology, as well. It appears that multi-modal AI models that use visual and other forms of sensory data, not just text, are just on the horizon. Resource links: Rowan's LinkedIn page: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rowan-curran-33071618/ Company website: https://www.forrester.com/bold Link to Allen’s website http://www.TechCopy.net If you would like a shareable edited transcript of this episode, please contact Allen Bernard at abernie182@gmail.com.

In today’s episode, I’m speaking with Board CTO Nelson Petracek about the different enterprise use cases for distributed ledgers, which are often referred to as blockchains even though a blockchain is just one form of the technology. We also talk about why, despite years of hype, these technologies, which showed so much early promise haven’t really taken off. We also discuss some alternative technologies such as immutable databases that can be used to achieve similar results—without the management headaches inherent in a distributed ledger. Finally, we take a look ahead to identify where this technology may find a home and where its benefits really lie. Board is a provider of Intelligent Planning Solutions to over 2,000 organizations worldwide including H&M, BASF, Burberry, Toyota, and Coca-Cola. When this call was recorded in October of 2022, Nelson was the CTO of the business intelligence platform provider TIBCO. Resource links: Nelson's LinkedIn page: https://www.linkedin.com/in/npetrace/ Company website: https://www.board.com/en Link to Allen’s website https://www.techcopy.net If you would like a shareable edited transcript of this episode, please contact Allen Bernard at abernie182@gmail.com.

In this episode, I’m speaking with Bob Almond COO and founder of Full Armor about how to define and implement a zero trust cyber security architecture in your organization. We get into what’s driving the need for zero trust, how zero trust differs from traditional approach es to cyber security, how to define what zero trust looks like in your organization, what additional point solutions if any you’ll need since most of what you need you already have deployed, and then the mindset changes zero trust requires to be successful. Full Armor is a white labor developer of cyber security products for some of the biggest brands in the IT market.

In this episode, I'm speaking with Zohair Mehkri, director of digital twins at Flex, about how the company is using digital twins to do everything from modeling production environments to increasing top line growth by removing friction from the very start of their customer engagements. For one customer, Flex ran through 9 trillion – that's with a "T" - permutations of a production line to get it just right before building it. We also discuss the evolution of the digital twins, the technology’s current limitations, and where it is going.  Finally, we talk about lessons learned from Flex’s five year digitization journey as well as what type of changes are required to successfully deploy digital twins in your organization. Flex is a $26B global contract manufacturing firm with operations in 30 countries.

In this episode, I’m speaking with Stephen Schroth, executive vice president and enterprise design officer for KeyBank, about how to use design thinking to achieve the best business outcomes from your digital transformation efforts. KeyBank is a Cleveland-based $1.9B financial services company with 18,000 employees in 15 states. Today's episode will cover, among other things: What design thinking isHow it is applied to digital transformationHow putting users at the center of the solution leads to better business outcomesThe questions executives need to askReal world examples of design thinking

In this episode, I'm back with Brian Shea CIO of MedOne Healthcare Partners in Columbus, Ohio to talk about the impact cyber is having on organization’s ability to engage in digital transformation. We talk about making cyber an integral part of your corporate DNA, the panacea effect of too many cyber tools, how cyber vendors can make solving the cyber security problem more difficult, how to balance security and performance and host of other issues important to the day-to-day performance of high-functioning organizations. MedOne is the largest hospital medicine practice in central Ohio.  Link to Brian's scorecard podcast: https://anchor.fm/dashboard/episode/e1pejkl

In this episode, I talk with Brian Shea CIO of MedOne Healthcare Partners in Columbus, Ohio about how to implement a cyber security scorecard he developed that improves your overall cyber security posture and future readiness.  Brian uses the standard red, yellow, green indicators of the scorecard to track where the organization is up-to-date and where it needs to improve. The scorecard also serves as a handy tool to quickly show other c-suiters and the board where they stand regarding cyber. Finally, Brian discusses how you can develop and similar scorecard and approach to use in your organization. MedOne is the largest hospital medicine practice in central Ohio.

In this episode, I'm speaking with Julian Llorente, the director of data privacy at Tealium, about the impact data privacy is having on the ability of organizations worldwide to innovate with digital technologies.  We discuss the impact of GDPR and challenges created by newly emerging privacy regulations in the U.S. We talk about the impact of data privacy on the ability to get and keep customer trust as well as the difficulties privacy creates for Agile developers. We also talk about the business value of strong privacy practices even in emerging markets and how you can managed privacy issues through the creation of multi-disciplinary teams that keep your organization on the right side of regulators and your customers. Tealium is a customer data integration platform provider with over 850 customers around the globe.

In this episode, I’m speaking with Sanjay Srivastava, chief digital strategist for Genpact, about how to execute the four elements of any successful digital transformation initiative – proof of concept, scaling a pilot to production, cultural change management, and building a data foundation. Digital transformation projects fail for many reasons, so getting each of these elements right is the key to the success of your efforts. Genpact is a $4B professional services firm with over 100,000 employees doing business in 30 countries. Topics covered include: Digital transformation is all about competitive advantage and delivering a different value propositionMost digital transformation projects fail when they are scaled from pilot to productionTreating data as its own asset class is critical to business success today Resources links: LinkedIn for Sanjay: www.linkedin.com/in/sanjaysrivastava/ Genpact's website: www.genpact.com Link to Allen's website: TechCopy.net If you would like an shareable, edited transcript of this episode, please contact Allen Bernard at abernie182@gmail.com.

In this episode, I'm speaking with Nicola Morini Bianzino, Global Chief Technology Officer at EY about how he is using AI, a data fabric, digital process twins, and lots of trial and error to find business process optimization opportunities that would otherwise go unnoticed.  EY is a $45B tax and advisory company with 360,000 associates worldwide.  Topics covered include: How digital process twins differ from business process automationHow data sits at the core of their effortsHow CXOs can get started with process twins inside their organizations Resources links: LinkedIn for Nicola: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicola-morini-bianzino-8888a4/ EY website: https://www.ey.com/en_us Link to Allen’s website https://www.TechCopy.net If you would like an shareable, edited transcript of this episode, please contact Allen Bernard at abernie182@gmail.com.