The ITPro Podcast IT Pro
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The ITPro Podcast is a weekly show for technology professionals and business leaders. Each week hosts Rory Bathgate (@rorybathgate) and Jane McCallion (@JaneMcCallion) 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.
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What’s the future of data storage?
As technological innovations happen, it can be easy to forget that even the most complex systems rely on large networks of basic infrastructure to operate. At the most fundamental level, all tech products rely on effective data storage
But this is easier said than done. Each byte of data has to be stored somewhere, on a rack, disk, tape, or flash device. As the world embraces hardware and software that creates data at an even faster rate, businesses will be forced to push the frontiers of data storage and evaluate their data management strategies.
In this episode, Jane and Rory speak to Tom Coughlin, president and CEO of the IEEE, to learn more about how data storage will continue to evolve and what organizations can do to keep up with innovation in the space.
Read more:
Best SSDs 2023: The top NVMe and SATA drives around10 things to consider when buying an external hard disk-based storage deviceWhat is machine learning and why is it important?What is generative artificial intelligence (AI)?Who owns the data used to train AI?How to choose the right storage medium for your organization’s backup strategyThree keys to successful data managementStructured vs unstructured data management5 things to consider when selecting your next online storage providerHow close is glass data storage to scaled enterprise use? -
Supporting female founders in tech
The tech sector still has a long way to go when it comes to gender equality. While progress has been made over the years, women in tech face hurdles such as discrimination and outdated hiring processes. All of this works to drive women out of tech and uphold ingrained, sectoral biases.
Female founders come up against these same challenges time and time again, which robs the industry of innovative firms and stems the flow of progress. For a more diverse sector, more work needs to be done on initiatives to support the next generation of women in tech.
In this episode, Jane and Rory speak to Laura Hutton, co-founder and chief customer officer at Quantexa, to discuss women in tech and the role leaders can play in improving equality throughout the sector.
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From this week women across the UK will effectively work for free - and in tech it’s even worseFive common barriers holding back women in techUK deep tech companies have a serious diversity problemSurge in female computing degree applications shows the tide is slowly turning on tech sector gender diversityUK’s female AI founders receive six times less funding than male counterparts“Shoehorning” female tech workers into management roles could harm inclusivitySexism in the UK tech sector is rife and shows no sign of abatingTech workers fear generative AI could "drive women out the workforce"Women in tech are being forced out of work by the ‘motherhood penalty’Tech sector gender gap could take “nearly 300 years” to close without interventionMale workers say sexism in the tech industry is “rare” - women would disagreeFixing STEM's gender bias with more classroom intervention -
February rundown: LockBit takedown and ChatGPT woes
February has been an eventful month in the tech sector as ransomware operator LockBit, which has accrued billions of dollars in ill-gotten gains in its approximately four-year history, was taken down by an international task force spearheaded by the UK’s National Crime Agency.
Elsewhere, ChatGPT suffered a major setback as users noticed the industry-leading chatbot had taken to answering prompts with complete gibberish. Though the issue was fixed within a day of being reported, it has raised important questions about the reliability of the service and the technology that underlies it.
In this episode, Jane and Rory welcome back Ross Kelly, ITPro’s news and analysis editor, to explore February’s big cyber security story and discuss what ChatGPT’s moment of madness means for generative AI.
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LockBit could be done and dusted after NCA operation gained access to admin environments, source code, and affiliate infoLockBit rises from the ashes, but will it pack the same punch as before?Life after LockBit: A fragmented landscape and wayward affiliates will still cause chaos for enterprisesEuropol takes down 'dangerous' Emotet botnetQakbot forced offline, but history suggests it probably won’t be foreverEverything we know so far about the rumored ALPHV 'takedown'History tells us ALPHV will likely recover from recent takedownLockBit remains most dangerous ransomware despite fall in attacksThe 'Big Three’ ransomware groups are losing their grip on the industry as gangs begin to fracture, study shows -
Tech's big burnout problem
STEM careers are often touted as those with the best prospects, but when it comes to job satisfaction things may not be quite so rosy. A stark number of workers in the tech industry are currently looking to move jobs – either into a different tech role or into another field entirely.
Many more are facing the looming prospect of job cuts, while an increasing number are reporting poor working conditions. All this adds up to a disaffected and disengaged workforce – something leaders need to fix or risk losing valuable staff and the knowledge they hold.
What can companies do to stem this issue, and how practical are these solutions? In this episode, Jane and Rory discuss the state of employee wellbeing in tech and how leaders can start to address issues such as burnout and turnover.
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How to combat high staff turnover in techAgile development is fading in popularity at large enterprises - and developer burnout is a key factorSurging cyber threats exacerbating security staff burnoutHybrid work means we’re burning out harder and faster than everA third of cyber security pros report crumbling work-life balanceCyber security professionals are exhausted, and it's putting firms at greater risk of attackFighting the ‘always on’ culture that’s savaging mental health in cyber securityBoosting mental health support in the workplaceUK's four-day week trial ends, leads to reduced burnout and sick daysThe company-wide benefits of mentorship in techGartner: Nearly half of cyber leaders to leave roles over mounting stressIT staff frustrated at rate of change in the workplaceFive ways to prevent digital transformation burnouta... -
Do businesses have a plan for AI adoption?
As organizations look to integrate AI tools into their business models, key questions will have to be answered around how this fits in with their wider strategy. This doesn’t just mean data analysis or adoption of generative AI tools, but less directly connected initiatives such as sustainability goals.
The adoption of AI is also running up against concerns around skills. Many organizations, if not most, are yet to truly determine which roles and tasks can be augmented and improved by AI services. Additionally, there are questions among workers and employers alike as to what emerging AI-focused skills they will need to acquire to stay competitive in their field.
In this episode:Jane speaks to Pauline Yau, UKI verticals sales director at Hewlett Packard Enterprise, to unpack the current trends around AI and what the future holds for AI in business.Rory and Jane discuss the significance of these trends and how this may pan out in 2024.
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Why cutting-edge innovation is killing the planetHow HPE plans to combat generative AI’s 'dirty secret'The AI skills gap is prompting a widespread rethink on workforce upskillingHow the metaverse is powering next-gen digital twinsDoes your business need a digital twin?ChatGPT vs chatbots: What’s the difference?Global power shortages mean data centers could struggle to shoulder the burden of energy-intensive generative AI demands in 2024Tech industry takes vast lead in green energy spending, biggest companies vie for top spotScotland could be the next big data center powerhouse, offering greener options, significant savings, and direct access to renewable energy“We’ve made savings of around 85%”: Embracing green energy for data centers by migrating to Iceland -
Learning from this January’s layoffs
It’s becoming something of a tradition for companies to ring in the new year with a wave of layoffs. In 2024, as in 2023, workforce reduction has been a major theme in the tech sector and beyond for January.
As technologies such as AI take root, the nature and pace of layoffs is likely to change in the near future. Competing pressures of economic downturns and productivity shortfalls could change the tech workforce dramatically.
In this episode, Jane and Rory are joined by Ross Kelly, ITPro’s news and analysis editor, to discuss the latest wave of tech sector layoffs, how they compare to previous years, and what this means for the future.
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Tech layoffs in 2024 show the ‘year of efficiency’ is here to stay, it just won't be quite as ruthlessCloudflare employee’s viral dismissal video offers a stark glimpse into the human cost of layoffsSundar Pichai’s “ambitious goals” for Google in 2024 rest on yet more layoffs as firm cuts hundreds of jobsThe reality of mass AI-linked job cuts is hereIBM’s CEO just said the quiet part out loud on AI-related job lossesIBM CEO in damage control mode after AI job loss commentsOnce again, PayPal starts the year with another round of job cutsWhat’s behind the wave of big tech layoffs in 2023?Microsoft seeks to ward off potential union action over AI job risksWith AI on the rise, is it time to join a union?First Microsoft union formed by ZeniMax workersThe tech industry needs to unionise now more than ever
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Informative and interesting pod, enjoy it throughly