In this episode of IT SPARC Cast – News Bytes, John Barger & Lou Schmidt dig into three stories that highlight how enterprise IT is quietly—but fundamentally—restructuring itself. From executives questioning the long-term future of traditional ERP systems, to Ubiquiti introducing a new orchestration-driven take on network fabrics, to a grounded discussion on whether the AI bubble is real and why OpenAI may be far less fragile than critics assume. The conversation connects enterprise software evolution, network architecture at scale, and the hard economic realities of AI infrastructure—especially power and compute. If you’re responsible for enterprise platforms, networking strategy, or long-term IT planning, this episode provides context that goes beyond the headlines. ⸻ ⏱️ Show Notes 00:00 – Intro John and Lou preview the episode, touching on ERP’s looming transformation, UniFi’s new Fabric approach, and why AI demand—especially at OpenAI—is driven by hard infrastructure realities, not hype. ⸻ 📰 News Bytes 00:48 – ERP Isn’t Dead Yet – But Most Execs Are Planning the Wake A survey of more than 4,300 executives shows growing skepticism about ERP’s long-term dominance, even as most organizations remain satisfied with current systems. John and Lou explain why AI-driven, modular, and agentic ERP models are likely evolutions—not rip-and-replace events—and what enterprise IT teams should be doing now to prepare. https://www.theregister.com/2026/01/19/erp_survey_rimini_street/ ⸻ 06:28 – Ubiquiti Introduces UniFi Fabric Ubiquiti unveils UniFi Fabric, a centralized orchestration layer designed to manage policies, identity-based networking, Zero Trust, and multi-site environments without cloud licensing. The discussion compares UniFi’s approach to traditional network fabrics like VXLAN and SPBM, highlighting why this controller-first model could appeal to MSPs and mid-sized enterprises. https://blog.ui.com/article/introducing-unifi-fabrics ⸻ 14:14 – AI Bubble? Maybe. OpenAI Risk? Not Anytime Soon. John breaks down why OpenAI’s revenue growth is directly tied to available compute capacity, not speculative demand. Using concrete megawatt, gigawatt, and ARR figures, the hosts explain why AI may see valuation corrections—but why companies like OpenAI, NVIDIA, and Anthropic are unlikely to disappear. https://openai.com/index/a-business-that-scales-with-the-value-of-intelligence/ ⸻ 🔁 Wrap Up 24:16 – Mail Bag Listener feedback reinforces the growing link between AI growth and power infrastructure, with discussion around electrical safety, regulation, and why energy expertise may be one of the most valuable skills in the coming decade. 27:39 – Wrap Up John and Lou close with a reminder that enterprise IT leaders will increasingly be asked to validate power, nuclear, and infrastructure decisions at the executive level—and that staying informed now is critical. ⸻ 🔗 Connect With Us IT SPARC Cast @ITSPARCCast on X https://www.linkedin.com/company/sparc-sales/ on LinkedIn John Barger @john_Video on X https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnbarger/ Lou Schmidt @loudoggeek on X https://www.linkedin.com/in/louis-schmidt-b102446/ on LinkedIn Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
