Smarter, Strategic Thinking

Fortuna Data
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Technology is moving faster than most organisations can adapt. The question is can your strategy keep up? Smarter, Strategic Thinking is a podcast for IT leaders, decision-makers, and executives responsible for data, infrastructure, and long-term risk. Each episode brings practical insight from industry leaders and innovators covering the realities behind ransomware resilience, storage strategy, infrastructure modernisation, and the decisions shaping the future of enterprise IT. Hosted by Fortuna Data, trusted partners of IBM, Lenovo, Seagate, HYCU, QNAP, Qualstar and many more, this podcast cuts through vendor noise to focus on what actually matters: performance, cost, risk, and scalability. If you’re responsible for where your data and your business goes next, this is where the right conversations start.

  1. Why the US Cloud Act Is a Threat to Your Data

    APR 29

    Why the US Cloud Act Is a Threat to Your Data

    Send us Fan Mail In this episode, Ray Quattromini speaks with Richard Howson, UK Channel Manager at Impossible Cloud, about one of the most overlooked risks in enterprise storage the US Cloud Act. Richard explains why simply storing data in the UK isn't enough if you're using a US-based cloud provider, and how true data sovereignty requires knowing where your data lives, who has legal access to it, and how it's protected. They also dig into the real cost of hyperscaler storage, the growing demand for UK sovereign solutions across all sectors, and how Impossible Cloud is positioning itself as the go-to object storage layer in a multi-cloud world. A must-listen for MSPs, resellers and IT leaders navigating data compliance and cloud cost control. Chapters 00:00 Introduction – Meet Richard Howson from Impossible Cloud 00:46 What Is Impossible Cloud and Richard's Role in the UK Launch 01:04 The US Cloud Act – What It Means for Your Data 02:16 How Impossible Cloud Delivers True Data Sovereignty 02:43 Why Hyperscalers Are Failing on Cost Transparency 04:09 How Impossible Cloud Pricing Works – Zero Egress, Zero API Fees 05:11 Setting Up Buckets and Managing Customers as an MSP 05:50 Immutability, Versioning and Data Encryption Explained 06:39 Cloud Performance – Does It Match the Hyperscalers? 07:47 S3 Compatibility and Software Integrations (Veeam, Acronis, HYCU) 09:23 Ransomware Recovery – How Fast Can You Restore? 10:00 Why Impossible Cloud Focus on Object Storage Only 12:15 The Partner-First Channel Model – No Direct Sales 13:57 The Problem With Hyperscaler Lock-In 16:19 Why You Need to Understand and Classify Your Data Now 18:47 Use Cases – CCTV, Media & Entertainment, AI Training Data 21:17 API Automation for MSPs and Resellers 23:14 Why Data Sovereignty Is Now a Board-Level Decision 27:02 Where Cloud Storage Is Heading in the Next 5 Years 29:23 Wrap Up

    30 min
  2. What Cost per GB Doesn’t Tell You About Long-Term Costs

    APR 15

    What Cost per GB Doesn’t Tell You About Long-Term Costs

    Send us Fan Mail Is your storage strategy built for the future or setting your business up for failure? In this episode of the Fortuna Data Podcast, Ray Quattromini sits down with Matteo from Kingston Technology to break down what IT leaders, CIOs, and infrastructure decision-makers need to understand about modern storage. With data growing faster than most organisations can control, and AI workloads driving unprecedented demand, the wrong storage decisions today can lead to higher costs, downtime, and long-term risk. This conversation covers: How to choose the right SSD, NVMe, or memory for your workload Why total cost of ownership (TCO) matters more than cost per GB The real differences between SLC, MLC, TLC, and QLC NAND How AI is reshaping infrastructure and driving on-premise demand The hidden risks of cheap storage decisions Why storage is now a board-level conversation (not just IT) You’ll also gain insight into enterprise storage reliability, endurance, and performance trade-offs, plus what’s coming next in storage architecture, including PCIe Gen5 and composable infrastructure. Who This Is For CIOs, CTOs, and IT Leaders Infrastructure & Data Centre Managers Businesses scaling AI or high-performance workloads Anyone evaluating storage, backup, or long-term data strategy 00:00 The storage problem businesses are ignoring 00:22 Introduction: Fortuna Data x Kingston Technology 00:40 Kingston’s history and evolution in storage & memory 01:47 Matteo’s role: bridging customers and engineering 02:44 Storage shortages, rising costs, and supply strategy 05:07 Military-grade encrypted storage explained 06:17 NAND types explained: SLC vs MLC vs TLC vs QLC 08:46 Matching storage to workloads (and why it’s often missed) 09:48 Endurance vs capacity vs cost: making the right trade-off 10:42 What makes Kingston enterprise storage different 11:29 Testing, reliability, and lifetime warranties 13:43 Enterprise SSDs, NVMe, and performance benchmarks 15:25 AI workloads: hype vs real demand 16:14 Why businesses are bringing data back on-premise 18:08 Why cost per GB is the wrong metric 19:23 The biggest storage mistakes businesses will regret 21:02 NVMe vs SATA: where each fits 22:18 Why SSDs are NOT ideal for long-term archiving 24:01 The future of storage: architecture over hardware 25:10 CXL, memory pooling, and composable infrastructure 26:09 Silicon photonics and the future data centre 31:34 Why storage is now a boardroom priority 32:45 AI, cyber resilience, and data growth pressures 33:46 Energy efficiency and smarter storage decisions If you're rethinking your storage strategy or planning for AI-driven workloads: 👉 Visit Fortuna Data for expert guidance on building resilient, scalable infrastructure 👉 Or request a storage architecture review to ensure your decisions today won’t cost you tomorrow #DataStorage #EnterpriseStorage #StorageStrategy #ITInfrastructure #DataManagement #ITCosts #CostOptimisation #TotalCostOfOwnership #EnterpriseIT #CIO #CTO #DigitalTransformation #TechStrategy

    34 min
  3. Why the World Is Running Out of Data Storage

    MAR 11

    Why the World Is Running Out of Data Storage

    Send us Fan Mail Is your archive built to last 30 years? In this episode, we sit down with Charlie Gale CEO & Founder of HoloMem, the startup building a commercial holographic data storage drive designed to complement LTO in enterprise backup and compliance use cases. 📩 Want to see HoloMem in your data center? Get in touch https://www.fortunadata.com/contact-us/ 🔔 Subscribe for more infrastructure innovation We cover: Why holographic data storage finally makes senseHow HoloMem’s drive and cartridges integrate into existing tape ecosystemsUse cases for immutable media (WORM by default) in compliance, AI reference, and unalterable archivesTheir delivery roadmap through pilots and into productionIf you're thinking about the future of long-term storage, this is a practical and forward-looking conversation with the team building it. Follow the show for more on storage, infrastructure, and data at scale.

    30 min
  4. Are You Overpaying for Your Storage Stack?

    FEB 25

    Are You Overpaying for Your Storage Stack?

    Send us Fan Mail How flexible is your storage infrastructure and how resilient is it under pressure? In this episode, we speak David Cayla from DataCore about the role of software-defined storage (SDS) in modern enterprise environments. Want to know more? Contact us today: https://www.fortunadata.com/contact-us/ We explore how SANsymphony enables organizations to virtualize storage across mixed hardware platforms, improve performance, and build high-availability infrastructure without being locked into proprietary systems. Key discussion points include: What software-defined storage actually means in practiceStorage virtualization across hybrid environmentsHigh availability and failover architecturePerformance optimization and intelligent tieringReducing hardware dependency and extending asset lifespanComparing SDS to hyperconverged infrastructure modelsFor CIOs, CTOs, CISOs, and infrastructure leaders overseeing complex storage estates, this episode provides strategic insight into how DataCore helps enterprises modernize without disruption. Follow the podcast for more conversations shaping the future of enterprise storage and IT infrastructure.

    32 min
  5. 80% of Data Isn’t Being Used But It’s Still Costing Money

    FEB 12

    80% of Data Isn’t Being Used But It’s Still Costing Money

    Send us Fan Mail Is tape storage obsolete or strategically misunderstood? In this episode, we speak with Qualstar about the evolving role of enterprise tape libraries in modern data protection and archive strategies. As organizations face: Rising cloud storage costs Increasing ransomware threats Growing compliance and retention requirements Expanding petabyte-scale data growth many are reassessing where long-term data should live. Qualstar explains how modern tape infrastructure provides: Air-gapped ransomware protection Predictable, long-term storage economics Scalable archive for enterprise environments Support for compliance-driven data retention Integration within hybrid storage architectures For CIOs, CTOs, CISOs, and infrastructure leaders managing large data estates, this episode explores how tape fits alongside cloud and disk — not as legacy technology, but as a deliberate strategic layer. If you're reviewing backup architecture, archive policy, or cloud repatriation initiatives, this conversation offers practical insight into how enterprise tape supports resilience and cost control. Follow the podcast for more discussions shaping the future of enterprise IT infrastructure.

    19 min
  6. Data Leaders Are Sleepwalking Into Disaster Titan Warns Why

    JAN 21

    Data Leaders Are Sleepwalking Into Disaster Titan Warns Why

    Send us Fan Mail Cyber risk has changed, has your strategy? In this episode, Ray Quattromini from Fortuna Data sits  down with Keith Maskell, Head of Cybersecurity Sales at Titan Data Solutions, to break down what enterprise organisations must prioritise in 2026. From why identity is now the #1 attack vector, to how mid-market organisations can achieve Zero Trust without ripping out their infrastructure — this conversation challenges conventional thinking around resilience, cyber essentials, AI-driven threat response and leadership accountability. If you’re a CIO, CTO, CISO, or responsible for data, storage or security strategy, this episode will help you think bigger, plan smarter and defend better. Key themes: The cyber landscape enterprises are sleepwalking intoBoard education: why cybersecurity still isn’t understoodZero Trust in the real worldVendor noise vs real outcomesWhy AI won’t save you — yetThe economics of ransomware protectionHave any questions Contact us today: https://www.fortunadata.com/podcast/ 👉 Listen. Learn. Lead smarter. 🎙️ Smarter Strategic Thinking by Fortuna Data

    48 min
  7. Why Enterprises Are Moving Petabytes Off The Cloud Qstar Explains

    JAN 7

    Why Enterprises Are Moving Petabytes Off The Cloud Qstar Explains

    Send us Fan Mail Enterprise data is exploding but most organisations are still paying premium storage prices for information they rarely access. In this episode of Smarter Strategic Thinking, Ray Quattromini sits down with Dave Thompson from QSTAR to unpack how modern organisations can regain control of unstructured data, reduce storage costs, and build archive environments that actually scale. QSTAR has been operating in the archive space since 1997 and works across tape, cloud, object and disk environments giving IT leaders the ability to move cold and inactive data to lower-cost tiers without disrupting access, workflows or compliance. You’ll hear how QSTAR’s Archive Manager and Network Migrate platforms help organisations: • Consolidate unstructured data across environments  • Tier inactive files to tape, cloud or lower-cost disk  • Support SMB, NFS and S3 access across Windows and Linux  • Maintain long-term archive integrity without third-party backup tools  • Reduce pressure on expensive NVMe and primary storage tiers  • Build scalable, policy-driven archive strategies that grow over time The conversation also explores how AI, metadata and classification will shape the next generation of archive platforms and why organisations that don’t understand what data they own will struggle to manage future storage growth. If your infrastructure team is battling storage sprawl, escalating costs, or long-term retention challenges, this episode gives a practical, modern blueprint for sustainable archive strategy. Continue the conversation Explore archive strategies and full podcast resources:  https://www.fortunadata.com/podcast/ Follow Fortuna Data on LinkedIn for weekly infrastructure insights: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fortuna-data  Chapters  00:00 Welcome to Smarter Strategic Thinking 01:42 A career built in archive technology 03:17 What QSTAR actually does 04:24 Tape, cloud and object — how modern archives are built 05:12 SMB, NFS & S3 explained 06:08 Archive Manager & Network Migrate 07:32 Managing data sprawl & migration 09:44 Policy-driven archive environments 10:02 Capacity-based licensing model 11:20 Reducing storage cost pressure 12:26 Why QSTAR focuses on unstructured data 13:12 Archive without third-party backup tools 14:14 How archive capacity is evolving 15:45 The future: AI, metadata & classification 17:08 Governance, ownership & data responsibility 19:53 Universities, research & long-term retention 20:54 Closing remarks

    20 min
  8. How Modern Cyber Resilience Really Works With Panzura

    12/03/2025

    How Modern Cyber Resilience Really Works With Panzura

    Send us Fan Mail Relying on reactive backup alone is no longer enough. In this episode of Smarter Strategic Thinking, we sit down with Panzura’s CTO to explore how their hybrid cloud file and data services platform is built for cyber resiliency, data security, governance and compliance. We discuss how Panzura combines real-time anomaly detection based on machine learning, immutability, and detailed audit logging to detect threats quickly and recover from attacks in minutes – often without end users realising anything happened. You’ll also hear how their distributed file system lets global teams collaborate on the same data set without creating silos, and how AI is turning “passive storage” into intelligent data services. In this episode: Panzura’s role and focus going into 2026 and beyondWhy cyber resiliency, governance and data access are still major pain pointsHow their platform uses ML-based anomaly detection, immutability and audit logsDistributed file services for global offices and financial marketsMoving from passive storage to intelligent, AI-driven data servicesWhy backup is reactive – and what full resiliency really looks likeBehaviour-based ransomware defence and recovery in minutesIntelligent infrastructure and what IT leaders should expect in the next 2–5 years🎧 Explore more episodes: www.fortunadata.com/podcast Or have any questions contact us today: https://www.fortunadata.com/contact-us/

    27 min
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About

Technology is moving faster than most organisations can adapt. The question is can your strategy keep up? Smarter, Strategic Thinking is a podcast for IT leaders, decision-makers, and executives responsible for data, infrastructure, and long-term risk. Each episode brings practical insight from industry leaders and innovators covering the realities behind ransomware resilience, storage strategy, infrastructure modernisation, and the decisions shaping the future of enterprise IT. Hosted by Fortuna Data, trusted partners of IBM, Lenovo, Seagate, HYCU, QNAP, Qualstar and many more, this podcast cuts through vendor noise to focus on what actually matters: performance, cost, risk, and scalability. If you’re responsible for where your data and your business goes next, this is where the right conversations start.

Information

  • Creator
    Fortuna Data
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    15
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Smarter, Strategic Thinking
  • Show Website
    Smarter, Strategic Thinking