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 appr...
Feb 02, 2024•41 min•Transcript available on Metacast 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 aut...
Jan 26, 2024•33 min•Transcript available on Metacast 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 identif...
Jan 19, 2024•34 min•Transcript available on Metacast 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 mu...
Jan 12, 2024•31 min•Transcript available on Metacast 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 bus...
Jan 05, 2024•29 min•Transcript available on Metacast 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 y...
Dec 29, 2023•38 min•Transcript available on Metacast 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, Ja...
Dec 22, 2023•37 min•Transcript available on Metacast 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 sti...
Dec 15, 2023•26 min•Transcript available on Metacast The promise of algorithms and AI has always been simple at its core. Workers can automate manual and laborious tasks, to free up their time for more complex or meaningful activities. This comes under scrutiny in some fields more than others. For example, the use of algorithmic processing in HR and hiring has had some very public horror stories in the past few years. While one could theoretically use the perfect algorithm to quickly pick the best hires out of a stack of applications according to ...
Dec 08, 2023•21 min•Transcript available on Metacast It’s been a whirlwind month, and not in the way that one might have predicted. Opening with the UK’s AI Safety Summit and ending with the anniversary of ChatGPT, November was already set to be a big month for the field of AI, particularly when it came to global legislation. As the month progressed, it turned out that November had even more planned, in the form of a huge upheaval at OpenAI. In this episode, Jane and Rory look at some of the standout moments of November 2023 and draw a line betwee...
Dec 01, 2023•30 min•Transcript available on Metacast It’s now been four years since the ITPro Podcast’s first episode and so much has changed in that time. Across almost every sector, we're working in different ways, in different places, and through the use of different hardware and software. Remote work and AI have unsettled our idea of the office and the working day, while promises such as the metaverse have flared and burned. In this special 200th episode, Jane and Rory take a look back at how far we've come since 2019. Read more: CEOs are livi...
Nov 24, 2023•44 min•Transcript available on Metacast Not so long ago, the public cloud boom was in full swing and businesses were moving workloads in numbers thanks to its reputation for low costs and scalability. Today, many businesses have reassessed the size or scope of their public cloud investment. While the benefits of the public cloud remain clear, multi-cloud and hybrid cloud have their attractive qualities with some organizations choosing to entirely repatriate to a private cloud or on-premises infrastructure. The moves come as businesses...
Nov 17, 2023•26 min•Transcript available on Metacast Generative AI has powerful applications as a source for knowledge acquisition, as it can be used quickly and coherently to produce text outputs on almost any subject. Many generative AI models are also capable of producing efficient code in the programming language of a user’s choice or assessing the viability of pre-written code. The wide availability of these models is something with which academic institutions have already had to grapple in the past year alone. Tools such as ChatGPT put tradi...
Nov 10, 2023•36 min•Transcript available on Metacast Getting data in order can have a huge effect on whether businesses can harness the power of AI. Where your data is stored, in what form, as well as where and how it is processed, really can make the difference between successful and unsuccessful implementations of the technology. At NetApp Insight, these challenges were placed front and center, with a strong focus on the concerns of customers regarding data in the cloud and how it can be best harnessed by firms to power and provide context to th...
Nov 03, 2023•27 min•Transcript available on Metacast Automation and localization can both lighten the load for businesses in different ways. Without proper localization, a company may find one of its subsidiaries in breach of a regional tax code or data competency requirement. Without automation, businesses can languish with manual tasks and find themselves unable to expand and achieve the kind of worldwide growth for which they are aiming. The onset of AI has also changed this equation dramatically, crossing over with both automation and localiza...
Oct 27, 2023•25 min•Transcript available on Metacast AI is not a new technology, but recent advancements have put it in the spotlight. Among all the tangible benefits the technology can bring, it’s also surrounded by a substantial amount of hype. The tech sector is no stranger to hype, with virtual reality and the blockchain also having been subject to strong hype cycles. In 2022, someone may have earnestly told you the metaverse was the next big trend in business tech, and yet now Meta is the last vestige of a technology the world has moved on fr...
Oct 20, 2023•29 min•Transcript available on Metacast Cyber security has grown from a preoccupation of the IT department alone to something that can also keep CFOs, CEOs and others in the boardroom up at night. There was once a time when a computer virus might have been seen as an annoyance or inconvenience that was contained to at most a handful of computers. Now, however, most companies – and would-be attackers – realize a successful ransomware campaign, for example, could bring down their business. In this special edition of the ITPro Podcast, i...
Oct 18, 2023•25 min•Transcript available on Metacast The role of chief information security officer is among the most important in any firm. CISOs shoulder a heavy burden, with responsibility for protecting their company’s data, infrastructure, and associated assets. As the tech stack has grown, so too has the pressure on those in the role. CISOs have to shepherd technologies including machine learning, artificial intelligence, and edge computing. Gartner predicts that nearly half of all IT leaders could leave their roles by 2025, and CISOs are su...
Oct 13, 2023•39 min•Transcript available on Metacast While the tech sector has suffered globally from a skills gap in recent years, the UK landscape in particular has come to be defined by roles unfilled, churn, and middling productivity. The Office for National Statistics found that in 2021, the UK generated £46.92 per hour worked, versus £58.88 per hour worked in the United States. Across 2022, output across the UK remained flat. Brain drain is also a serious issue, as workers who feel their skills are underused leave their firms for greener pas...
Oct 06, 2023•25 min•Transcript available on Metacast Google is one of the most recognizable names in tech, most famous for its search tech and later reinventing itself as an AI firm. As the company turns 25, it’s a moment to look at its origin, list some of its most infamous product cancellations, and consider its lasting legacy. In this episode, Jane and Rory are joined by Bobby Hellard, ITPro's Reviews Editor, to discuss all things Google. For more information, read the show notes here ....
Sep 29, 2023•31 min•Transcript available on Metacast The EU Digital Services Act (DSA) aims to enforce a safer digital space, protecting users’ rights and establishing a level playing field to foster innovation, growth, and competitiveness. It’s hoped the legislation will help reduce trade in illegal goods and content online and curb algorithm-driven content. In practical terms, it will have wide-reaching impacts on the biggest names in tech, as well as the advertising and marketing industries. In this episode, Jane is joined by Alex Hazell, head ...
Sep 22, 2023•46 min•Transcript available on Metacast Through digital transformation, organizations can slash time spent on manual processes and work more efficiently to address pressing issues. In healthcare, speeding processes up can improve and even save lives. Across the UK, NHS trusts are identifying a number of ways in which the 7.7 million-person waiting list can be tackled, and digital transformation has a clear role to play. Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust is among the UK’s largest NHS trusts, with seven hospitals and 18,000 staff. Sinc...
Sep 15, 2023•40 min•Transcript available on Metacast Anyone who works in IT will have stories of technical debt – those times you have to tape software together to get it released by the deadline, or a cheap solution staves off a more costly overhaul of old systems. No matter how far you push it down the line, though, everyone has to pay up eventually. Ignoring technical debt only compounds the eventual problem of addressing it and IT teams around the world are saddled with technical debt that bites into their yearly budget. In this episode, Rory ...
Sep 08, 2023•31 min•Transcript available on Metacast Many businesses in the tech sector are currently facing economic headwinds, with rising costs and enduring skill shortages stymying growth plans. In response, some companies – including a number of notable large firms – have announced sweeping staff cuts. This is one way to cut costs, but it can end up placing an undue burden on the remaining staff. Small businesses in particular may struggle to reduce their employee numbers without forcing their staff to assume extra responsibilities, or having...
Sep 01, 2023•37 min•Transcript available on Metacast A cyber incident can be catastrophic for any company, and all firms would be well-advised to adopt a watertight security approach to security practices. Despite this, the UK government’s Cyber security breaches survey 2023 found that UK cyber hygiene has declined since 2021, with the use of password policies falling from 79% to 70% and network firewalls from 75% to 67% across the period. There is still a need for better enforcement of cyber security policies throughout businesses, but also for s...
Aug 25, 2023•33 min•Transcript available on Metacast Businesses with an online presence have to deal with the constant threat of cyber attacks, and ransomware stands out as one of the most disruptive threats a company can face. The malware costs an average of $4 million to remedy, and while it can be detected or tackled with the right tools and backups, neither are silver bullets. Cyber criminals want to get at sensitive data, and they’re ramping up their efforts. Check Point Research has found that weekly cyber attacks reached a two-year high las...
Aug 18, 2023•33 min•Transcript available on Metacast Since the start of the DevOps movement, teams are the most collaborative they’ve ever been. Bringing development and operations teams together and automating code commit work has a number of advantages when it comes to growing your business. Practices such as continuous integration, development, and deployment of software have enabled teams to move at pace and scale, but this is as much a cultural shift as it is a technical one. CI/CD isn’t a silver bullet for productivity or error-free code - m...
Aug 11, 2023•31 min•Transcript available on Metacast As the economy has become increasingly dependent on data, companies have sought to make more profit from mining user actions such as through loyalty schemes or social media interactions. But individual rights also have to be respected, and businesses have to follow strict data protection procedures. Privacy-enhancing technologies (PETs) are one method for companies to securely search through data to derive value – for example, a bank could search through customer data to expose fraudulent activi...
Aug 04, 2023•27 min•Transcript available on Metacast The open source community is a hub of innovation and there is no doubt that open-source software helps to prop up stacks everywhere, from the smallest firms through to the largest names in the tech industry. However, concerns have been raised in recent years over the security of open-source supply chains. Notable incidents such as Log4Shell have acted as a reminder to businesses and governments alike that a chain is only as strong as its weakest link. In this episode, Jane and Rory are joined by...
Jul 28, 2023•36 min•Transcript available on Metacast 5G continues to roll out across the UK at pace, delivering high-speed data access for businesses and consumers alike. But while 5G alone is a step forward for connectivity, and has helped to boost data availability for businesses across the country, firms can also deploy it in more tailored approaches to help meet specific business needs. Companies with large campuses, or those that are looking to supply the low-latency connections needed for edge computing, are increasingly investing in private...
Jul 21, 2023•25 min•Transcript available on Metacast 
