Podcast: IT Visionaries

Are data-driven decisions overrated? On this special roundtable episode, we challenge the conventional wisdom that more data always leads to better outcomes. Our guests, Kevin McEvilly, Andrew Fox, and Mike Della Porta, discuss the pitfalls of relying solely on analytics and the importance of human insight in crafting successful marketing strategies. Are you ready to rethink your approach?

On this episode, Andy Tay, Senior Managing Director, Cloud First Lead Accenture Cloud First, Accenture, discusses the critical role of digital transformation and AI readiness for businesses. He emphasizes the importance of establishing a strong digital core, which includes infrastructure, data strategies, and responsible AI practices, and he shares insights on the common pitfalls companies face when adopting AI and highlights successful case studies, particularly in the fast food industry.

On this episode, Janet Cinfio, Chief Information Officer of Acxiom, discusses the company's role in marketing intelligence and data management, the importance of balancing privacy with personalized marketing experiences, the need for responsible innovation in technology, and the significance of encouraging diversity in STEM careers.

On this episode, Ahmad Bahai, CTO of Texas Instruments, discusses the importance of innovation in the semiconductor industry and the challenges of meeting the increasing demands for faster, more efficient technology. He highlights the need for disruptive innovation to keep up with the exponential growth of data and the widening gap between hardware capabilities and demand. Bahai emphasizes the role of problem-solving and risk management in the innovation process, as well as the importance of talent and multidisciplinary approaches. He also touches on the power of human intuition and the limitations of AI in replicating it.

On this episode, Tony Lambert, CTO of TechSmith, discusses how TechSmith stays at the forefront of innovation by listening to customer needs, conducting research, and staying informed about industry trends. Plus, he explains why TechSmith has invested in content creation roles and how, in the future, video AI may be able to diagram manual skills, teach soft skills, and provide more advanced editing capabilities.

On this episode, Leslie Beavers, the acting Chief Information Officer for the Department of Defense, discusses the role and responsibilities of the Department of Defense (DoD) in defending the nation. The DoD is responsible for coordinating all IT efforts within the department, as well as warfighting command control and communications. With a budget of $60 billion annually and over 4 million people across the globe, Ms. Beavers emphasizes the importance of interoperability and integration within the department, as well as the need for a streamlined acquisition process and organizational change strategy.

On this episode, Sastry Durvasula, the Chief Information and Client Services Officer at TIAA, discusses how TIAA uses technology, including AI, to improve the retirement experience for its customers. He also digs into the challenges of integrating new sources of data and the need for companies to reimagine their approach to technology and innovation.

On this episode, Harpreet Suri, the CTO of K&L Gates, discusses the role of technology in the legal industry and how it is transforming the way law firms operate. She highlights the importance of ease of adoption and security when evaluating technology solutions for law firms, and she shares her insights on the future of the legal industry, including the use of AI in understanding slang, solving logical arguments, and sequencing screenshots, among other applications.

Babak Hodjat, CTO of AI at Cognizant, discusses the impact of advancements in AI and the factors that have enabled its rapid progress, including increased processing capacity, access to large amounts of data, and improved neural network architectures. Babak also highlights the importance of moving to the cloud and leveraging AI to make informed decisions.

On this episode, Prince Kohli, the CTO of Automation Anywhere, discusses the evolution of robotic process automation (RPA) and its impact on industries. He shares real-world examples of how RPA and AI have transformed processes and improved efficiency in various sectors, and he delves into the implementation of RPA and AI, data governance, and the future of automation.

On this episode, Mark Butler, CISO for Trace3, discusses the impact of AI on various industries, the challenges of AI governance, and the adoption of cloud services. He also delves into the application of AI in different sectors and the implications of cloud migration for companies with legacy infrastructure.

On this episode, Shelia Anderson, CIO of Aflac, delves into the use of technology to improve customer service, streamline processes, and enhance the overall experience for policyholders. The discussion also highlights the role of leadership in driving organizational change and the importance of transparency and education in decision-making. Plus, a discussion about the continuous improvement nature of AI and the need for trusted sources of data.

On this episode, Bill Waid, the Chief Product and Technology Officer of FICO, discusses the role of FICO and its products and services beyond the FICO score. He reveals how FICO applies artificial intelligence and machine learning in its decision-making processes. Plus, Bill explains how FICO's software division helps businesses operationalize analytics and make data-driven decisions.

In this conversation, Steve Stone, Head of Zero Labs at Rubrik, discusses the importance of data security and the challenges organizations face in managing and securing their data. He explains Rubrik's role as a data security company and how they provide backup, recovery, and analytics solutions to help organizations protect their data. Steve also highlights the growing problem of data growth and the impact of AI-generated data. He emphasizes the need for visibility into the data estate, the importance of securing data in a hybrid environment, and the role of proactive AI solutions in the future of data security.

In this conversation, Mike Hanley, the Chief Security Officer and SVP of Engineering at GitHub, discusses the transformation in security practices and the shift towards a distributed and zero trust approach. He emphasizes the importance of collaboration between security and engineering teams to enable great security outcomes. Mike also shares insights on managing concurrent projects and creating clarity around goals. He highlights the significance of empowering engineering teams and enabling creativity and expertise. Additionally, he expresses his excitement about the current state of the software space and the future of coding and learning, particularly with the impact of AI.

On this episode, Josh Lemos, the CISO at GitLab, discusses the role of GitLab in the software development lifecycle and how it helps companies build and ship secure software. He highlights the challenges in code reuse and security and emphasizes the importance of visibility and governance in software development. Josh also discusses the trust and explainability in AI and how AI can be leveraged for efficiency.

AIOps is becoming more and more important to enterprises, and that is only going to continue. On this episode, Jason Walker, the Chief Innovation Officer at Big Panda, discusses the role of AIOps in improving operations and problem resolution in enterprise applications. He explains how Big Panda uses data and AI to identify, alert, and solve problems in digital services and shares the challenges faced by organizations in understanding their technology ecosystem and how AIOps can help in gaining visibility and context.

We’ve been living in the cloud for a long time now, so why is it still so difficult to navigate the multi-cloud infrastructure? Indu Keri, SVP and GM Hybrid Multi-cloud at Nutanix, is trying to simplify that landscape and on this episode, he breaks down how.

Google made its name by changing the way the world uses the internet. Today, the company is still on the leading edge of innovation and Ritika Gunnar, the Sr. Director of Product Management, Databases at Google, is helping to shape the future of technology once more. On this episode, she dives deep into how, where, and why generative AI is going to revolutionize the way engineers build, how apps are developed, and how everyday work gets done.

So much of the way data is used happens without us even knowing it. And the power of data is beyond comprehension. At Teradata, Erica Hausheer and her team are trying to harness that power and make lives better — even if you don’t realize they’re doing it. On this episode, Erica details the ways data, AI, and other innovative technologies are transforming the way we live and work.