Petri Dish

Russell Smith
  • 5.0 (1)
  • TECHNOLOGY

Russell Smith hosts Petri Dish, a podcast for Microsoft system engineers and administrators looking to keep up to date with the latest trends in IT.

Episodes

  1. MAR 12

    Hybrid Threats and Human Factors: Lessons from the Digital Defense Report

    Attackers aren’t breaking in—they’re logging in. In this episode, we unpack the Microsoft Digital Defense Report (MDDR) and what it reveals about today’s identity-first threat landscape: info-stealers, hybrid ransomware operations, and social engineering that blends into “normal” activity. Joining the conversation are Chloé Messdaghi (strategic advisor on AI governance and cybersecurity at Microsoft) and Etan Basseri (Principal Product Manager, Microsoft Identity), with practical steps leaders can take now, from phishing-resistant multifactor authentication (MFA) to passkeys and building an identity control plane for humans and AI agents. Download: Microsoft Digital Defense Report 2025

    34 min

  2. MAR 3

    Agentic AI Is Coming to the Enterprise. But Can We Actually Trust It?

    In this episode, I’m joined by Giovanni Carraro, SVP of Global Strategic Alliances at Kyndryl, to unpack why that gap exists and what it really takes to close it.We’ll talk about what changes when AI systems move from analysis to autonomy, why traditional governance starts to break down, and how enterprises can make agentic AI secure, observable, and trustworthy at scale.If you’re trying to move beyond AI experiments and into real-world operations, this conversation will help you make sense of what comes next.

    34 min

  3. FEB 23

    AI Copilots at Scale: How DDN Powers Fast, Secure Enterprise AI

    In this episode of Petri Dish, Russell Smith sits down with Wendy Stusrud, Vice President of Worldwide Channel Sales at ‪DDN‬ to talk about what it really takes to make enterprise copilots and chatbots succeed at scale. Wendy shares why she joined DDN as the company doubles down on AI, and how DDN positions itself not as a chatbot vendor but as the data backbone that keeps AI assistants fed with the right data, securely, in real time, at massive scale (RAG, training, and high-volume inference). The conversation also digs into what “ROI” can mean beyond productivity and how copilots can spark better thinking, accelerate early drafts, and unlock innovation over time. If you’re building copilots, scaling enterprise AI, or trying to move from AI experiments into production, this one’s for you.

    19 min

  4. FEB 17

    What If Governance Wasn’t Overhead BUT Your Strongest Security Control?

    In this episode of Petri Dish, Russell sits down with Ramiro Calderon, Principal Product Manager at Microsoft, Jef Kazimer, Principal Product Manager on the Microsoft Security Entra Identity Platform, and Tee Earls, Product Area Lead for Entra ID Governance, to unpack why identity governance is no longer just about compliance but it’s foundational to Zero Trust and modern security. 🔗 Links: Road to the cloudCloud-First identity management: Guidance for IT architectsIntroduction to Microsoft Entra ID Governance deployment guide

    50 min

  5. FEB 2

    Active Directory Update: RC4 Deprecation, 2025 DC Problems and OU Structure Tips

    Learn what Kerberos RC4 deprecation means for Active Directory, the risks of Windows Server 2025 domain controllers, and best practices for OU design in this expert breakdown with Principal Technologist Cayosoft, Craig Birch.🔗 Links and related articles are in the description below.Craig's post on Kerberos RC4: Microsoft Retires RC4, Mandates AES Encryption for KerberosEpisode summary on Petri.com.

    38 min

  6. 12/18/2025

    How AI Is Changing Remote Desktop Management

    In this episode of Petri Dish, I talk to Devolutions CTO, Marc-André Moreau, and we dive into the latest in how AI is changing remote desktop management. Learn how Large Language Models (LLMs) and Model Context Protocol (MCP) are helping IT administrators automate tasks, boost efficiency, and unlock new opportunities. Whether you’re an early adopter or just starting to explore AI in your workflow, these insights will help you get ahead. What you’ll learn: How AI-driven administration and troubleshooting is changing remote desktop management.Ways LLMs can improve your productivity.Real stories of IT admins accelerating tasks with AI.Watch now and join the conversation!

    32 min

  7. 12/09/2025

    Cayosoft: Unraveling the Future of Active Directory and Entra ID Management

    In this episode of Petri Dish, Petri’s Editorial Director, Russell Smith, talks to Cayosoft CEO and founder Bob Bobel about managing complexity in Identity and Access Management (IAM) and the future of the IAM space.🔗 Check out Cayosoft here: https://www.cayosoft.com/ @Cayosoft  started life as a license management solution for Microsoft 365 and it gradually evolved into a comprehensive backup, protection, and administration product for #activedirectory (AD) and Microsoft Entra ID.As organizations increasingly adopt multiple identity providers (IDPs) to prevent lock-in and choose the best-suited provider for specific tasks, Cayosoft is still focusing on on-premises AD and hybrid IAM configurations.“Regardless of all the new identity platforms out there, 70-80% are still looking back and using their traditional Active Directory environment as their primary authentication mechanism”Provisioning and deprovisioning users can be straightforward but also prone to errors at scale. Bobel explains, “It’s extremely straightforward, yeah that’s part of the problem. It seems too easy and people sometimes realize that at scale it’s very easy to make mistakes”. He emphasizes the need for solutions that can handle large-scale environments efficiently.#itsecurity #azuread

    31 min

  8. 12/09/2025

    Cayosoft Guardian Protector Is Changing IAM Security for Everyone. And It's Free!

    What if you could protect your organization from the latest AD and Entra ID threats without expensive tools or complicated setups? In this interview, I talk to Dmitry Sotnikov and Craig Birch about how  @Cayosoft 's free, agentless Guardian Protector tool is changing the game for organizations on a budget. Discover how Guardian Protector provides instant threat and change alerts, no matter your budget or experience level.👉 Download Cayosoft Guardian Protector here: https://www.cayosoft.com/products/guardian/guardian-protector/#identitymanagement #activedirectory #entraID

    39 min
  • 8 Episodes

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About

Russell Smith hosts Petri Dish, a podcast for Microsoft system engineers and administrators looking to keep up to date with the latest trends in IT.

Information

  • Creator
    Russell Smith
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    8
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Russell Smith
  • Show Website
    Petri Dish