IT Infrastructure as a Conversation

What does it really take to power the digital-first world we now live in? IT Infrastructure as a Conversation explores this question with purpose and insight. As part of the Tech Talks Network, this podcast focuses on the core systems that make digital transformation possible. From cloud and networking to data management, storage, and analytics, we speak with the leaders responsible for building and maintaining the foundations of enterprise technology. Each episode features thoughtful conversations with public sector innovators, enterprise architects, business technologists, startup founders and strategic thinkers. We examine how infrastructure decisions influence business outcomes, how to balance reliability with innovation, and why rethinking legacy systems does not have to mean massive cost or disruption. We also look at the cultural side of infrastructure. What happens when strategy meets operational reality? How do leaders inspire change in complex environments? And where should businesses start if they want to future-proof without overcomplicating? This is a podcast for those who understand that infrastructure is more than technology. It is the foundation on which everything else depends. If you're ready to rethink how infrastructure is discussed, delivered, and developed, this is your conversation.

  1. Cohesity’s Infrastructure Playbook for Cyber Recovery and Insights

    ١١ أغسطس

    Cohesity’s Infrastructure Playbook for Cyber Recovery and Insights

    How can organizations protect their most valuable asset, data, while unlocking its full potential through AI-driven insights? That is the question I explored on the IT Press Tour in Silicon Valley during a face-to-face conversation with Sanjay Poonen, President and CEO of Cohesity. In this episode, Sanjay shares how Cohesity evolved from reinventing backup and recovery to leading the market in data security and cyber resilience. We discuss the game-changing acquisition of Veritas’s NetBackup business, the company’s growing footprint across healthcare, finance, government, and retail, and why uniting cultures and customers is key to their next chapter. We dive into how Cohesity is using AI to transform backup data into a source of real-time intelligence, including its patented Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG) capabilities developed in partnership with NVIDIA. Sanjay also explains how this innovation is enabling businesses to meet strict data sovereignty requirements while benefiting from cloud agility. From cyberattack recovery and on-premises innovation to working with some of the biggest names in AI and cloud, Sanjay offers a candid look at leadership in a time of rapid growth. If you want to understand how AI and cybersecurity are converging to shape the future of enterprise data, this conversation delivers practical insight, strategic thinking, and a clear vision for what is ahead.

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  2. Can Estonia Compete with AWS? Storadera’s Tommi Kannisto Thinks So

    ٢٦ يوليو

    Can Estonia Compete with AWS? Storadera’s Tommi Kannisto Thinks So

    In this episode of Infrastructure as a Conversation, I’m joined by Tommi Kannisto, founder of Storadera, a cloud storage company based in Estonia that’s quietly building a smarter, simpler alternative to hyperscalers like AWS. We dive into how Storadera has engineered its own storage software from scratch to deliver secure, S3-compatible cloud storage with a unique hyper-converged architecture. It’s all about cutting unnecessary hardware, avoiding bottlenecks, and delivering transparent pricing that makes sense to growing businesses. Tommi explains: How Storadera’s hyper-converged design replaces gateways and load balancers with lean softwareWhy performance with small files became a key differentiatorWhat makes their multi-tenant system attractive to retail partnersThe impact of data sovereignty concerns on customer growth across EuropeWhy Canada is now looking eastward, not southward, for storage partnersThe Estonian tech culture that helped birth 10 unicorns from a country of just 1.3 millionWe also talk about the cultural mindset that powers Estonia’s startup scene, from engineers cold-messaging CEOs for advice to a national infrastructure designed for digital innovation. Tommi shares Storadera’s future roadmap, including plans to use AI to optimize disk read and delete operations without raising prices. If you’re curious about what comes after hyperscale, why storage software still matters, or what makes Estonia such a hotbed for digital infrastructure innovation, this is an episode you’ll want to hear. 🔗 Learn more at storadera.com 📍 Want Storadera in your country? Join their regional waitlist on the website.

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  3. Simplifying Stateful Workloads: The Rise of Kubernetes-Native Data Platforms

    ١٧ يوليو

    Simplifying Stateful Workloads: The Rise of Kubernetes-Native Data Platforms

    What if running databases in Kubernetes could be as simple as spinning up a container—without cloud lock-in or complexity? In this episode of IT Infrastructure as a Conversation, I’m joined by Tamal Saha, founder of AppsCode, a company rethinking how we manage data on Kubernetes. We met during the IT Press Tour in London, and this conversation dives deep into how AppsCode is tackling one of the most stubborn challenges in enterprise IT: stateful workloads. From CubeDB to Stash, Voyager, and KubeVault, Tamal walks us through the full story—from his early days at Google and the emergence of Kubernetes to bootstrapping a company through open source tools and evolving it into a full-fledged enterprise platform. We explore: The challenges of running databases in Kubernetes and why traditional VM-based infrastructure falls shortWhy database provisioning, backups, secret management, and ingress need Kubernetes-native solutionsHow AppsCode pivoted from open source tools to a sustainable business modelReal-world enterprise use cases—including a major European telco’s cloud-native transformationThe road ahead: vector databases, open telemetry, and AI-driven automationIf you're a platform engineer, DevOps leader, or just curious about where Kubernetes is headed next, this conversation offers rare insights into building data platforms from the ground up, with a practical, product-led mindset. So tune in to hear how one founder turned a container-native vision into a global business that’s helping companies modernize data operations without losing control.

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  4. Fabrix.ai and the Future of Agentic AI for Enterprise IT

    ٩ يونيو

    Fabrix.ai and the Future of Agentic AI for Enterprise IT

    In this episode of IT Infrastructure as a Conversation, recorded live at the IT Press Tour, I caught up with Raju Datla, CEO of Fabrix.ai, to talk about a shift that could redefine how IT operations are managed. Formerly known as CloudFabrix, the company has evolved with a sharper focus on what it calls agentic AI: technology that works alongside humans to make smart, controlled decisions at scale. Raju’s story begins at the Indian Institute of Technology and winds through Silicon Valley, where he has founded several ventures grounded in solving real-world tech problems. Reducing Noise, Increasing Value One of the standout achievements we discussed is Fabrix.ai’s ability to reduce alert noise by up to 95 percent. In large environments with millions of daily notifications, that kind of reduction changes how teams work. Instead of chasing false alarms, IT professionals can focus on what matters: stability, uptime, and real outcomes for the business. The platform does this through a layered architecture Raju describes as the three fabrics: data, AI, and automation. Each plays a role in bringing clarity and action to complex infrastructure environments. Data is unified from dozens of sources. AI makes decisions based on context. Automation executes those decisions while keeping humans involved in key steps. Strategic Moves and Trusted Partners Fabrix.ai has not gone it alone. Through close relationships with Cisco, IBM, and Splunk, the company has stayed connected to both market demand and enterprise pain points. These partnerships are not just logos on a slide. They are part of how the platform has been built to handle real-world complexity. And the results are tangible. Whether it is automating resolution, tracking full alert lifecycles, or offering visual storyboards for better decision-making, Fabrix.ai is helping enterprise teams keep up with a pace of change that is not slowing down. Agentic AI in Practice The concept of agentic AI comes up often in this conversation, and for good reason. Unlike systems that simply follow rules or surface alerts, this approach blends autonomy with awareness. It does not just generate insights; it acts on them. And it does so in ways that respect the role of human judgment. Raju explains that this is not about removing people from the loop. It is about giving them systems that can scale, adapt, and support smart decisions. In that sense, Fabrix.ai is not replacing IT teams. It is extending what they can do. For leaders wrestling with fragmented tools, alert fatigue, and growing complexity, this episode offers a fresh perspective and a reminder that practical, scalable AI is already here. Raju’s parting advice to entrepreneurs and IT leaders alike? Solve the problems you care about. Passion always carries more weight than a quick exit plan. Listen in to learn how Fabrix.ai is helping enterprises bring order to operational chaos, one intelligent decision at a time.

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  5. Is AI Infrastructure Broken? A Candid Conversation with Volumez

    ٢ يونيو

    Is AI Infrastructure Broken? A Candid Conversation with Volumez

    Is AI Infrastructure Broken? A Candid Conversation with Volumez AI adoption is accelerating, but most enterprises are still stuck in the pilot phase. Cloud costs keep climbing, GPUs go underutilized, and data pipelines struggle to keep pace. If AI is the future, why is the infrastructure built to support it so often stuck in the past? In this episode, recorded live in Silicon Valley during the IT Press Tour, I sit down with John Blumenthal, Chief Product Officer at Volumez, and Diane Gonzalez, Senior Director of Business Development and Product. Together, we unpack what is really holding AI back and explore how Data Infrastructure as a Service (DIaaS) could change the equation. We explore: Why traditional AI infrastructure models are inefficient and unsustainableHow DIaaS enables just-in-time, automated infrastructure tuned to each workloadThe role of GPU and data scientist efficiency in determining AI ROIHow Volumez achieved industry-leading results in the MLCommons benchmarkWhy hybrid and multicloud strategies demand a fundamentally different infrastructure approachJohn and Diane share firsthand insights from working at the intersection of data, cloud, and AI infrastructure. They argue that achieving meaningful return on AI investment requires more than hardware upgrades or clever provisioning. It means embracing automation, profiling cloud capabilities in real time, and architecting pipelines that adapt to the specific demands of each phase in AI and ML workflows. Whether you're building AI platforms, running data science teams, or managing cloud infrastructure, this conversation offers a grounded look at how to make AI actually scalable. Are you wasting your most valuable resources or are you ready to run AI workloads at full speed with none of the bloat?

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  6. Rethinking Database Management with ProxySQL

    ٢٥ مايو

    Rethinking Database Management with ProxySQL

    Behind every seamless digital experience is an infrastructure team working hard to keep systems scalable, responsive, and resilient. In this episode of IT Infrastructure as a Conversation, I’m joined by Jesmar Cannaò, COO of ProxySQL on the IT Press Tour, We explore the story behind one of the most trusted open source tools in database management today. What began as a side project born from the frustrations of a single DBA has evolved into a critical component for teams managing MySQL and PostgreSQL environments around the world. Jesmar walks us through the origins of ProxySQL and explains how it empowers DBAs by placing intelligent query routing, load balancing, and failover handling directly in their hands. We discuss the architectural advantages of ProxySQL in both cloud-native and on-premise setups, its ability to operate with minimal friction inside Kubernetes, and why open source remains at the heart of its mission. Jesmar also offers a candid look at what it takes to build a distributed team, maintain performance across time zones, and foster a global community of contributors and users. As database architectures grow more complex and DBA roles continue to shift, ProxySQL is evolving to meet those changes head-on. With the recent alpha release of its PostgreSQL protocol support and plans to expand further in 2025, Jesmar outlines how the team is staying ahead of industry demand. Whether you're a database engineer, a cloud architect, or simply someone trying to future-proof your infrastructure, this conversation is full of practical insight into what open source can offer in a fast-changing world. Explore more at proxysql.com and join the conversation around high-performance infrastructure that does not compromise on transparency, flexibility, or control.

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حول

What does it really take to power the digital-first world we now live in? IT Infrastructure as a Conversation explores this question with purpose and insight. As part of the Tech Talks Network, this podcast focuses on the core systems that make digital transformation possible. From cloud and networking to data management, storage, and analytics, we speak with the leaders responsible for building and maintaining the foundations of enterprise technology. Each episode features thoughtful conversations with public sector innovators, enterprise architects, business technologists, startup founders and strategic thinkers. We examine how infrastructure decisions influence business outcomes, how to balance reliability with innovation, and why rethinking legacy systems does not have to mean massive cost or disruption. We also look at the cultural side of infrastructure. What happens when strategy meets operational reality? How do leaders inspire change in complex environments? And where should businesses start if they want to future-proof without overcomplicating? This is a podcast for those who understand that infrastructure is more than technology. It is the foundation on which everything else depends. If you're ready to rethink how infrastructure is discussed, delivered, and developed, this is your conversation.

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