When you consider the roles that hold influence over business decisions and operations, which come to mind? Doubtless, the CEO and CFO, as well as the COO if you have one. The CMO may also be there – but what about the CIO or CTO? The advent of cloud computing, bring your own device (BYOD), and increasing cyber security threats were all supposed to coincide with CIOs finally having their seat at the table. ITPro has published articles on exactly this trend. But it seems that in some areas, this ...
Jul 14, 2023•28 min•Transcript available on Metacast The potential for cyber attacks will always rank as one of the top concerns for professionals. Over the decades, cyber attacks have gone from a headache for the IT department to something that can bring down an organization. While it's now a bit trite to say it's not a case of if a business is attacked but when, with groups like LAPSUS$, LockBit, and Cl0p regularly targeting companies of all sizes the odds are increasingly in the criminals’ favor. In this episode Jane is joined by Charles Hender...
Jul 07, 2023•30 min•Transcript available on Metacast Generative AI continues to dominate conversations around tech worldwide. Powerful tools such as large language models have already demonstrated clear value, with a range of business use cases and tons of potential to become even more sophisticated as time goes on. Amongst this progress, however, warnings have been raised. Regulators the world over are carefully assessing the risks posed by AI systems, and those behind some of the most recognizable AI companies including OpenAI and Google have we...
Jun 30, 2023•28 min•Transcript available on Metacast In 2023, you might expect that people would be entering the workforce with a basic understanding of computer skills. But this isn't always the case. Although it's more important than ever that people know how to use devices effectively and safely in order to get on in the workplace, some have still not learned the vital digital skills they need. Lloyds Bank’s 2023 Essential Digital Skills for Work report noted that 22% of the UK’s labour force lacks the digital skills necessary for the workplace...
Jun 23, 2023•35 min•Transcript available on Metacast AI is driving rapid change in the tech sector. New advancements in the field have brought tools like ChatGPT, Bard, and StableDiffusion to the public, while also offering the potential to solve knotty problems in areas such as medical research and climate change. But from the designing phase, right through to training and implementation, AI models must be made with ethical boundaries in mind. Without careful consideration of input and end result, AI can reflect the prejudices or limitations of i...
Jun 16, 2023•41 min•Transcript available on Metacast 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. One of the most common ways to protect data is to encrypt it using an RSA algorithm. In simple terms, it relies on the fact that while you can easily multiply one prime number by another, it’s very hard to work out prime factors from any given number. Q...
Jun 09, 2023•38 min•Transcript available on Metacast Gender diversity in the tech sector is slowly improving, but data shows that heterosexual and cisgender tech leaders fare better LGBTQ+ peers when it comes to feeling included in their work cultures and raising crucial funding rounds. In its LGBTQ+ Founder report, Proud Ventures found that 18% of founders think their gender identity could have a negative impact on their fundraising, and 79% of LGBTQ+ investors stated that they have hidden their identity from colleagues. It’s clear that more work...
Jun 02, 2023•31 min•Transcript available on Metacast The move to the cloud has unlocked a huge number of benefits for businesses, but companies still differ over the extent to which they have adopted a multi-cloud approach versus locking in with just one provider. While some cloud customers may be looking to expand beyond the confines of their public cloud provider in a way that makes sense for them, others have already embraced a multi-cloud approach but seek unification of technology and services across their estate. If you have a firm idea of w...
May 26, 2023•27 min•Transcript available on Metacast Data has become one of the most valuable assets in the world, playing a larger role than ever in our digital economy. Research firm Capgemini predicts that the value of the data created in the EU alone could top €550 billion by 2025. Newham Council in London has launched a bold initiative to put itself at the heart of the capital’s data ecosystem with the creation of a dedicated data campus. This will work to promote digital roles and help encourage local innovation, while also seeking to boost ...
May 19, 2023•33 min•Transcript available on Metacast Communications service providers can harness a range of benefits by building out 5G networks using cloud-native elements such as microservices and containers. These include reducing capital expenditure, making networks more scalable and flexible, and improving network stability. Moving mobile network services to the cloud, however, is not without its complications. Those with large legacy security plans, or with complex network layouts, could face the prospect of being exposed to vulnerabilities...
May 12, 2023•28 min•Transcript available on Metacast Generative AI is dominating conversations across the tech sphere right now, and even making its way into discussions in day-to-day life. But for the average IT team, large language models can still seem intimidating, and training or tweaking requires significant computing power and skill. Additionally, concerns around explainability and approachability are still a barrier to some regulated industries such as financial services or life sciences. Appian has long been a notable name when it comes t...
May 05, 2023•27 min•Transcript available on Metacast ChatGPT has taken the world by storm, as a tangible and relatable use of advanced AI. With people inside and outside the tech scene getting equally excited about its capabilities, many businesses have asked themselves if they could – or should – adopt the chatbot into their stack. But while businesses are eager to take advantage of OpenAI’s powerful models, some have advised careful consideration of the information that one gives to ChatGPT and whether or not it makes sense for every firm. In th...
Apr 28, 2023•33 min•Transcript available on Metacast Cyber attacks can be one of the most damaging things that can happen to an organization. Whether it’s a data breach or ransomware, falling victim to an attack can be extremely costly and disruptive, so knowing how to react to an attack is as important as knowing how to prevent one. Despite this, businesses continue to struggle with keeping employees engaged with cyber security training. With adults apparently not grasping the importance of cyber security skills, there is a growing argument for i...
Apr 21, 2023•40 min•Transcript available on Metacast As businesses increase their digital estate, insider theft poses an increasingly large risk. Whether it’s through malicious parties gaining access to crucial systems and data or employees stealing information to which they should never have had access, firms should be considering these scenarios carefully. This has been exacerbated by the economic climate, with layoffs and a greater reliance on third-party individuals leading to a lack of oversight and cohesion when it comes to access management...
Apr 14, 2023•34 min•Transcript available on Metacast This classic episode of the ITPro Podcast was first published on 12 March 2021. Recent improvements in fields like robotics, prosthetics and artificial intelligence have brought that dream closer than ever to being a reality - but what does human augmentation really mean? Where do we draw the line between tools and augmentations? And what function - if any - can they serve in a practical business context? In this episode, we look at the emerging field of augmentation tech, the biohacking and tra...
Apr 07, 2023•25 min•Transcript available on Metacast Tech Nation – a key player in the UK tech startup scene for over a decade – has shuttered its doors. But Barclays Eagle Labs will continue where its predecessor left off, with millions of promised funding in addition to the government’s £12 million digital growth grant hoped to spur investment. While questions around visa commitments have yet to be answered, firms outside of southeast England could nevertheless be swayed by Barclays Eagle Labs’ nationwide reach and sector expertise. In this epis...
Mar 31, 2023•23 min•Transcript available on Metacast Artificial intelligence (AI) has moved from being a sci-fi staple to a tool that’s in widespread use. Headlines today are dominated with news of generative AI services such as ChatGPT and Bard, the latest and greatest in large language models from firms OpenAI and Google. These promise users a crack at incredibly capable text generation and interpretation based on vast training models, using nothing more complicated than their browser and a keyboard. As powerful tools for text generation, large ...
Mar 24, 2023•27 min•Transcript available on Metacast It’s been over a year since Russia’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine, and for those in the tech sector cyber warfare has defined the conflict. Ukrainian organisations, both public and private, have been subject to attacks including wiper malware, spear phishing, and data breaches. National cyber security agencies, as well as teams of security experts from throughout the field, remain on high alert for heightened Russian cyber activity. Understanding the strategies of these hackers, as well as the...
Mar 17, 2023•36 min•Transcript available on Metacast Metaverse tech has already attracted billions of pounds in investment, and despite its detractors looks set to play a major role in the future of communications and productivity tech. It was also one of the main themes at this year’s Mobile World Congress, where the concept of a CMO - that’s ‘chief metaverse officer’ - was discussed in detail. Companies like Journey, Nike, and Telefónica already have individuals with metaverse in their titles, but there is still a lot to be proved about the long...
Mar 10, 2023•13 min•Transcript available on Metacast Open source software can be found in a huge number of businesses' stacks. Whether it’s to save on expensive software, to fix a problem that a devoted hobbyist has a solution for, or because of its lively developer community, open source solutions run throughout the tech sector. However, in recent years security concerns have damaged the perception of open source software and vulnerabilities like Log4Shell left some IT leaders with headaches they aren’t keen to repeat. As the market expands, some...
Mar 03, 2023•29 min•Transcript available on Metacast The conversation around UK connectivity is often dominated by the rollout of 5G, or the race for widespread gigabit broadband. But many rural communities and businesses struggle with a lack of even basic connectivity such as reliable cellular service. This has severe consequences for rural businesses, holding back their growth while accelerating brain drain as younger people gravitate towards urban areas for education and employment. Some groups have taken measures into their own hands to ensure...
Feb 24, 2023•41 min•Transcript available on Metacast Throughout the pandemic, companies across the world rushed to establish cloud services that could prop up the need for remote working. But in recent months, word of a “cloud slowdown” has been building, with some of the biggest vendors experiencing a drop in the growth of their cloud sales. In the third quarter of 2022, AWS reported the slowest growth in its history, while Google’s growth was down almost 10% on the previous year. In this episode, Jane and Rory speak to Ross Kelly, IT Pro’s cloud...
Feb 17, 2023•21 min•Transcript available on Metacast Old technology stacks can be found throughout the sector, especially in companies that have been around for more than a few years. While most firms have undergone digital transformation of some kind, shedding legacy tech is no easy job and can lead people to take the path of least resistance, using a mix of old and new tech across their IT estate. This can lead to big issues down the line. A recent example is the outage that led to thousands of flights being cancelled and delayed across the Unit...
Feb 10, 2023•33 min•Transcript available on Metacast IT departments, which have long faced difficulties trying to recruit skilled talent, are now facing an additional challenge as many businesses put a freeze on hiring in the face of economic instability and look to use existing resources as efficiently as possible. With this goal in mind, it’s important to enable employees to be productive, while not leaving them overworked. Improperly organised work stacks, insufficient collaboration and a failure to adapt to changing work environments are all f...
Feb 03, 2023•28 min•Transcript available on Metacast Application programming interfaces, or APIs, have become an integral part of maintaining an online business, and are often indispensable for cross-functionality and user experience. However, the increased use of APIs has led to a rise in attacks against them. This can in turn cause breaches of company data or even full account takeovers. Improperly-managed APIs are a key attack surface and firms would do well to treat this seriously as threat actors step up their efforts at exploitation. Today, ...
Jan 27, 2023•26 min•Transcript available on Metacast As we enter what is set to be a long recession businesses are looking to manage and reduce costs, and IT departments will be forced to budget where possible. More than ever, IT leaders are evaluating the benefits and drawbacks of serverless architecture, the best payment models for their business, and the risks associated with vendor lock-in amidst uncertain financial conditions. This week, we spoke to Tom Fairbairn, distinguished engineer at event broker Solace, to explore when serverless and l...
Jan 20, 2023•33 min•Transcript available on Metacast Large companies are relying on online learning more and more, to improve the career goals of their employees, and upskilling can be an important way of retaining staff while adding to existing expertise. But the public sector has lagged behind the private sector on this front, and is currently experiencing record churn and vacancies. 410,000 staff quit social care in 2021, and care roles around the country are now short of approximately 165,000 staff. This week, we spoke to Hadi Moussa, general ...
Jan 13, 2023•28 min•Transcript available on Metacast 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 li...
Jan 06, 2023•30 min•Transcript available on Metacast In today's festive edition of the podcast, Jane and Rory discuss a few key trends happening right now that could influence 2023. With Twitter undergoing constant change, and other firms such as Meta and TikTok facing regulatory battles, current conversations around the upheaval of social media could play a major role in the coming year. Together with the recession into which the UK has fallen, and the rise of generative AI like ChatGPT, these emerging trends from 2022 will continue to dominate h...
Dec 30, 2022•40 min•Transcript available on Metacast In today's festive edition of the podcast, Jane and Rory discuss three things that were predicted to happen during the course of 2022, but never did. The metaverse making sense, Russian threat actors winning against Ukraine and other nations, and the 'bonfire' of EU regulations were all promised or anticipated, but none came to pass. We ask what has happened instead, and question why things turned out the way they did. For more information, read the show notes here....
Dec 23, 2022•33 min•Transcript available on Metacast 
