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May 27, 2022•1 min
The ITPro Podcast
The ITPro Podcast is a weekly show for technology professionals and business leaders. Each week hosts Rory Bathgate and Jane McCallion are joined by an expert guest to take a deep dive into the most important issues for the IT community. New episodes premiere every Friday. Visit itpro.com/uk/the-it-pro-podcast for more information, or follow ITPro on LinkedIn for regular updates.
Episodes
How Singapore became a data centre powerhouse
Singapore’s dominance in the data centre market, helped in no small part by the country’s keen investment in technology, is undeniable. But, for one of the smallest countries in the world, what are the ramifications of such a large investment and what can businesses learn from Singapore’s approach to tech? This week, Adam Shepherd is joined by IT Pro Staff Writer and our resident APAC specialist Zach Marzouk, who explains exactly why Singapore is such an interesting case study for national tech ...
May 20, 2022•28 min
Solving SMB challenges through tech
Running a small business has always been a demanding task, but recent circumstances - from the coronavirus pandemic to the advent of Brexit - have come together to make it more challenging than ever before. An increasing number of SMBs, however, are turning to technologies such as cloud and AI to help address these issues. This week, we’re joined by Aaron Harris, CTO for UK-based cloud financial software firm Sage, to talk about the state of the UK’s small-business market, the role technology pl...
May 13, 2022•33 min
How to scale your tech platform
Building an application from scratch isn’t exactly easy. Startups wishing to create a digital platform for their business will need to contend with technical recruitment, infrastructure choices and the numerous headaches inherent in the development process. However, even once your platform has been built, the struggle still isn’t over. As your business grows, your platform will need to scale too, and managing this process without reinventing your architecture from the ground up can be challengin...
May 06, 2022•32 min
Building a smart factory
Technologies like IoT, AI and big data analytics have been forecast to have enormous impacts across a variety of sectors, and one industry that's particularly ripe for transformation is the manufacturing sector. With a huge amount of operational and IT complexity to manage, factories and supply chains can benefit from digitisation in a number of ways. The process of transforming a factory through digital technology is a complex one, with many moving parts, but the combination of modern cloud pla...
Apr 29, 2022•22 min
Is planned obsolescence real?
The spectre of so-called ‘planned obsolescence’ has been hovering around the tech industry for years, with quasi-conspiracy theories claiming that manufacturers intentionally cripple their own products after a certain period in order to coax customers into purchasing an upgrade. However, while the comparatively short lifespan of most tech products remains a bone of contention among users, this may be less sinister plot and more a natural result of the industry’s relentless pursuit of better spec...
Apr 22, 2022•32 min
How to perfect your remote working setup
The question of whether we need to go back to the office has a polarising one, and one of the main arguments for reopening traditional workspaces has been that some employees aren’t equipped for efficient or comfortable home working. Hybrid working isn’t going anywhere though, and just a few minor tweaks can make your home environment much more suitable for remote working. This week, we’re discussing our dream remote working setups, including our top tips for maximising the productivity of your ...
Apr 15, 2022•35 min
Supercharging your home office network
At this point, it should be clear that remote working is here to stay, but while we've all hopefully sorted out proper working spaces with all the laptops, keyboards, monitors and video conferencing equipment that we need to work effectively from home, one element that often gets overlooked is networking. With cloud and SaaS platforms becoming more vital than ever for modern business, a robust network infrastructure is now just as vital for the home as it is for the office. This week, we're talk...
Apr 08, 2022•36 min
Do we need AI regulation?
In the modern world, AI is everywhere, powering a variety of applications from enterprise business intelligence tools to sorting through photos of our pets. But as the technology becomes more and more widespread, concerns have been raised about the potential dangers that could be posed by unrestrained AI development. Calls have been intensifying from campaigners seeking guardrails on how AI systems are developed, and the kind of use-cases they’re applied to, with opponents arguing that legislati...
Apr 01, 2022•30 min
Transforming a business from the ground up
Transforming a business isn’t an easy task at the best of times; organisational inertia, complicated project timelines and budgetary constraints are all among the obstacles that an incoming IT leader will have to deal with when trying to enact their vision. It’s even more challenging, however, when that business is still using technology that’s several decades out of date. This week, we’re talking to Rita Bullivant, director of IT and change for Melton Building Society, about her experiences wit...
Mar 25, 2022•25 min
Do degrees make better developers?
The lucrative rewards of the tech industry are enticing a growing number of people into the industry, but while degrees in computer science and software engineering remain widely popular, there are many different ways to prove your credentials as a budding developer - and spending three to four years being taught the fundamentals in the classroom may not necessarily be the most effective. In fact, for those wanting to make a career for themselves as a developer, the best strategy may be to learn...
Mar 18, 2022•32 min
The best bits of MWC 2022
MWC is back; after a few years in hibernation, the trade show has once again opened its doors to the mobile industry, with thousands of exhibitors and attendees flocking to Barcelona to check out the latest products and technologies. This year’s show saw everything from new laptops and smartphones, to developments in network infrastructure and wireless standards. Bobby Hellard and Sabina Weston join us this week to share some of the most interesting things they saw at the show, including Qualcom...
Mar 11, 2022•34 min
Making data centres green again
Climate change is one of the greatest threats that humanity faces, and it’s important for each of us to do what we can in fighting its impact. However, while pledging to use our cars less and turn off our appliances overnight is all very well, organisations and industries also need to enact policies to limit and manage their own carbon footprints. One of the biggest sources of energy consumption within the modern business world is data centres, estimated to contribute as much as the global air t...
Mar 04, 2022•32 min
Stamping out scope creep
When you’re working on a large-scale software development project - especially as part of a sizable enterprise business - it’s easy for the project’s original goals to become muddied over time. As the goalposts shift further and further from their starting point, timelines can slip and the efficiency of the project can be undermined. This kind of scope creep can be seriously damaging for organisations, but thankfully the software engineering community has been hard at work for years on strategie...
Feb 25, 2022•34 min
Why is email still a thing?
It seems that in the world of modern IT, you can’t swing a cat-6 cable without hitting four or five cloud-based platforms that are trying to revolutionise business communication. Despite the rise of platforms like Slack, Teams, Zoom and more, however, emails remain by far the most widely-used method of professional communication. In this week’s episode, we take a look at why this comparatively ancient technology still persists so widely, as well as the advantages that it offers over newer platfo...
Feb 18, 2022•32 min
Building the supermarket of the future
Ocado’s colourful delivery vans are a common sight on the streets of Britain, but what’s slightly less well-known is that the company’s deliveries are powered by some of the most cutting-edge technology in the retail and logistics sector, including advanced AI, robotics, and data analytics. Joining us for this week’s episode is James Donkin, CTO of Ocado Technology, to discuss how the company deploys microservices and cloud infrastructure to help its clients deliver faster and more accurate orde...
Feb 11, 2022•29 min
How to automate your business
Automation has been a trend in business for decades, but with the advent of cloud-powered low-code no-code tools, the benefits are now within reach of even the smallest organisations. Businesses are increasingly making use of the tools to reduce their reliance on paper processes, speed up manual tasks through intelligent workflows, and extract more value from their data. In this episode, we hear from Paul McFarlane, CTO of Glasgow Credit Union, to find out how deploying business automation tools...
Feb 04, 2022•34 min
Inside the DDoS arms race
Cyber attacks are something that every business worries about on a near-constant basis - but while DDoS attacks may not make it onto many CISOs lists of the most worrying threats, they remain one of the most prevalent types of attack - partly because they’re dangerously easy to launch. The scale and speed with which DDoS attacks can be launched is lowering all the time, too, thanks to the spread of IoT-driven botnets and the rise of DDoS-as-a-service vendors. One of the companies on the front li...
Jan 28, 2022•31 min
SPECIAL EDITION: Learning to live with risk
We've all been guilty of taking the odd shortcut to get things done a bit faster at work, but while these time-saving tactics can sometimes introduce risk into organisations, they're also a fundamental part of human nature. With this in mind, organisations must define an acceptable level of risk for their operations, and use the right tools to ensure that the corners staff are cutting aren't in potentially problematic areas. In this IT Pro Podcast Special Edition, brought to you in association w...
Jan 25, 2022•28 min
Inside CES 2022
CES is one of the highlights of the tech calendar, kicking off every year with a cavalcade of new products, interesting announcements and innovative startups all vying to get noticed. While the spectre of COVID continued to loom over this year’s proceedings, there was still a veritable buffet of things to see at the show. This week, we’re joined by PC Pro editor in chief and co-host of the PC Pro Podcast Tim Danton, who was on the ground in Las Vegas for CES 2022. We discuss some of the most int...
Jan 21, 2022•34 min
Intel vs AMD
Over the last five years, AMD has clawed its way up from being an also-ran in the processor market to a genuine competitor for the crown, making a convincing bid to unseat longtime frontrunner Intel from the top spot. But with both manufacturers in the process of launching new architecture generations, who’s coming out on top? This week, we’re joined by Laptop Mag editor in chief and co-host of the Noise Cancelling podcast Sherri L Smith to discuss the latest announcements from Intel and AMD, as...
Jan 14, 2022•40 min
Looking forward to 2022
The holidays are almost over, and many of our listeners will doubtless be preparing to return to work next week. It’s been an interesting year, to say the least, but as we bid farewell to 2021, the time has come to turn our gaze forward to look at what the next 12 months have in store. In our last episode of 2021, we’re joined by staff writers Connor Jones, Bobby Hellard and Sabina Weston to share our predictions for the biggest trends of 2022, and the potential impact that they could have on th...
Dec 31, 2021•37 min
Looking back on 2021
2020 was one of the most eventful years in recent memory, but while 2021 was a bit less chaotic than its predecessor, it was no less eventful in the world of tech and IT. There has been a slew of major announcements, product updates and policy shifts over the last twelve months, and as things start to wrap up for the holidays, we’re looking back at the most significant changes. Joining us this week are staff writers Bobby Hellard and Connor Jones, who’ll be sharing their picks for the most impor...
Dec 25, 2021•29 min
Building 5G networks with cloud
As technological innovations go, 5G is possibly one of the most widely-hyped examples of the last decade. Promising to enable everything from smart cities to rural broadband, it’s been hailed as a generational leap forward for connectivity. But what role does cloud have to play in this utopian future? In this week’s episode of the IT Pro Podcast, we talk to Eric van Vliet. Dell's EMEA head of telecom market development, to find out how cloud platforms are supporting the development and rollout o...
Dec 16, 2021•33 min
Everyone needs Kubernetes certs
Container technology has gone from a niche, experimental application and infrastructure tool to a cornerstone of modern IT transformation - but its explosion in popularity has resulted in a corresponding demand for skilled professionals to manage these deployments. Kubernetes certifications are particularly sought after, and holding one is almost a licence to print money for IT professionals. With the market for Kubernetes skills hotter than ever before, we’re joined this week by OpenUK CEO Aman...
Dec 10, 2021•30 min
What’s so hard about public sector IT?
Public sector organisations have a reputation for being somewhat behind the times when it comes to IT transformation, frequently hampered by tight budgets and Byzantine bureaucratic procurement procedures. However, while this reputation isn’t entirely unwarranted, the reasons behind it aren’t as straightforward as they might appear. In this week’s episode, we’re looking at why public sector technology tends to lag behind the cutting edge, as well as what steps might be taken to give public secto...
Dec 03, 2021•34 min
How to beat burnout
Burnout is a major problem within the IT industry. Technology professionals are frequently overworked and under-resourced, and the buildup of unmanaged workplace stress can have severe consequences for both the mental and physical health of workers. While some stress is unavoidable - particularly in fast-paced industries like IT - there are ways that managers and employers can help their staff avoid burning themselves out. This week, we’re joined by Karen Worstell, senior cyber security strategi...
Nov 26, 2021•32 min
Can the US take on big tech?
The growth of major tech companies over the last decade has been seemingly unstoppable, but as organisations like Facebook, Microsoft and Google work their way ever deeper into our lives, the US government has set its sights on curtailing the worst of their perceived excesses. A number of bills have been introduced by both parties to try and limit their power in areas like data portability, market consolidation and self-regulation. But why are lawmakers so up in arms about the conduct of tech co...
Nov 19, 2021•31 min
SPECIAL EDITION: The truth about multi-cloud economics
The cloud has built its success on the idea that it’s an easy route to cutting costs and reducing large-scale capital expenses, and while that can be true, the economic realities of moving to the cloud can often leave businesses with a bigger bill than they expected. In this IT Pro Podcast Special Edition, produced in association with Wasabi, we look at how much a cloud migration project really costs, the hidden fees that can catch unprepared organisations out, and how IT managers can optimise t...
Nov 15, 2021•27 min
Coping with technical debt
Technical debt is one of the most dreaded concepts in enterprise IT; CIOs constantly struggle to stay on top of their technical debt and prevent it from accumulating out of control, and the knowledge that all of your shortcuts are going to catch up with you at some point is enough to keep any engineer awake at night. However, technical debt doesn’t always have to be bad, and there are ways for organisations to manage its growth in a sustainable way. This week, we’re joined by Fastly’s chief prod...
Nov 12, 2021•28 min
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