Tech Talks Daily

Neil C. Hughes

If every company is now a tech company and digital transformation is a journey rather than a destination, how do you keep up with the relentless pace of technological change?

Every day, Tech Talks Daily brings you insights from the brightest minds in tech, business, and innovation, breaking down complex ideas into clear, actionable takeaways.

Hosted by Neil C. Hughes, Tech Talks Daily explores how emerging technologies such as AI, cybersecurity, cloud computing, fintech, quantum computing, Web3, and more are shaping industries and solving real-world challenges in modern businesses.

Through candid conversations with industry leaders, CEOs, Fortune 500 executives, startup founders, and even the occasional celebrity, Tech Talks Daily uncovers the trends driving digital transformation and the strategies behind successful tech adoption. But this isn't just about buzzwords.

We go beyond the hype to demystify the biggest tech trends and determine their real-world impact. From cybersecurity and blockchain to AI sovereignty, robotics, and post-quantum cryptography, we explore the measurable difference these innovations can make.

Whether improving security, enhancing customer experiences, or driving business growth, we also investigate the ROI of cutting-edge tech projects, asking the tough questions about what works, what doesn't, and how businesses can maximize their investments.

Whether you're a business leader, IT professional, or simply curious about technology's role in our lives, you'll find engaging discussions that challenge perspectives, share diverse viewpoints, and spark new ideas.

New episodes are released daily, 365 days a year, breaking down complex ideas into clear, actionable takeaways around technology and the future of business.

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2,001 episodes
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Episodes2001

Newest first

Apr 21, 2022 · 36 min
1952: Talking AdTech and Content Discovery With Taboola CEO Adam Singolda
Adam Singolda, CEO of leading ad-tech company Taboola joins me on Tech Talks Daily to share his insights on the open web, personalization, metaverse and AI, and content and consumption. We also discuss the top readership trends driving consumption on the web and how Meta's decisions in the attention economy are fundamentally harming the publisher/consumer relationship. Taboola's recent history has been noteworthy, as the company has experienced exponential growth and released new products that have shaken up the market. Recent examples include their acquisition of Connexity for $800m, their partnership with Microsoft, and the launch of Homepage For You, which adds AI to power editorial recommendations. About Taboola Adam Singolda, Taboola's CEO, founded the company in 2007. The company's platform, powered by artificial intelligence, is used by digital properties, including websites, devices and mobile apps, to drive monetisation and user engagement. Taboola has long-term partnerships with some of the top digital properties in the world, including CNBC, NBC News, Business Insider, The Independent and El Mundo. More than 13,000 advertisers use Taboola to reach over 500 million daily active users in a brand-safe environment. The company has offices in 18 cities worldwide, including New York and Tel Aviv.
Apr 20, 2022 · 30 min
1951: Audius Co-Founder Forrest Browning Talks About $Audio
Audius is a digital streaming service that connects fans directly with artists and exclusive new music. It does this by being fully decentralized: Audius is owned and run by a vibrant, open-source community of artists, fans, and developers all around the world. Audius gives artists the power to share never-before-heard music and monetize streams directly. Developers can build their own apps on top of Audius, giving them access to a unique audio catalogue. Backed by an all-star team of investors, Audius was founded in 2018 and serves millions of users every month, making it one of the largest crypto applications ever built. Audius also recently introduced $AUDIO 'Engage to Earn' Crypto Rewards program with Cheat Codes, Alina Baraz. The feature allows artists and fans to earn $AUDIO through challenges on the web's largest decentralized streaming service. I invited co-founder Forrest Browning on the podcast to find out more. About Forrest Browning Forrest Browning, co-founder, and CPO of Audius, is a Forbes 30 Under 30 recipient, and most recently was a Co-Founder of StacksWare, an enterprise datacenter management platform started from a Stanford University research project. The company provides analytics at scale for Fortune 500 customers, and was successfully acquired in late 2017.
Apr 19, 2022 · 41 min
1950: The Tech Bringing Leadership Into the 21st Century
Leadership is a strange word. For some, it conjures up images of the "old" world of work, with strict hierarchies, stuffy titles, and (predominantly) ageing men in suits with inflated salaries. For others, it's a fluffy concept filled mostly with hot air. However, as work shifts to become more collaborative, cross-functional, and complex, it's more important than ever for managers to excel at bringing people together, inspiring them, and empowering them to reach their full potential. And that's what leadership is. BUNCH is an AI leadership coach on a mission to help anyone become a great leader. BUNCH enables anyone to overcome everyday leadership challenges with personalized 2-minute leadership tips - all in the format of a sleek, intuitive app. Bunch co-founder Darja Gutnick joins me in a conversation about the science of leadership and how anyone can become a great leader. We explore how leadership is a mindset that can be learned and not some hidden talent that we need to discover. Then, Darja shares a few lessons she had to learn the hard way on female entrepreneurship.
Apr 18, 2022 · 33 min
1949: Quantinuum: The World's Largest Integrated Quantum Computing Company
Two leading quantum companies – Honeywell Quantum Solutions and Cambridge Quantum Computing (CQC) – have merged to form a new business called Quantinuum. The new company combines Honeywell's expertise in quantum hardware with CQC's software capabilities. "Quantinuum is now the largest and most advanced integrated quantum computing company in the world," said Ilyas Khan, CEO of the new company and founder of Cambridge Quantum. Ilyas Khan, CEO of Quantinuum joins me on Tech Talks Daily to discuss the state of the quantum computing industry overall and Quantinuum's place in it. Ilyas also shares an inspirational origin story and being inspired by Stephen Hawking.
Apr 17, 2022 · 31 min
1948: How To Switch to a Successful Career in IT
An "unprecedented" lack of tech skills is threatening the progress of digital transformation projects at more than two-thirds of companies worldwide. For example, did you know that the Asia Pacific region is bracing itself for a shortfall of 3 million unfilled cyber security positions? These skills shortages are creating opportunities for anyone to transition into a new tech career in anything from project management and coding to cyber security. Mark Wheatland from the Learning People joins me on Tech Talks Daily to discuss how anyone can make the switch to a career in tech. We also discuss recruiting challenges when no one has the two years of experience employers are searching for and why University IT degrees are not always fit for purpose. We talk about the right skills and qualifications people need to land their dream job in IT, coding, and project management. We also discuss the hot areas of shortages and skills gaps that are in the highest demand right now.
Apr 16, 2022 · 47 min
1947: Fighting Against Misinformation: How Technology is Shaping Decision-Making
Bilal Baloch, Co-Founder & COO of Enquire.ai joins me on Tech Talks Daily. Enquire's technology is empowering Fortune 500 companies like Apple and Oracle through diverse knowledge and a complete range of perspectives, which has proven to be critical in the fight against misinformation. Bilal provides unique insights into how technologies within the digital media landscape are promoting the consumption of low-quality information. We discuss how social media networks are currently failing their users and the potential implications of spreading misinformation. We also talk about why there is a current lack of trust behind an abundance of data and what steps we need to ignite a wave of change. We also explore trends around the future of information consumption looks like what declining CNN & MSNBC TV ratings mean for the future of the news cycle. Finally, we chat about the development of up-and-coming technologies that are changing the way we use information to make decisions.
Apr 15, 2022 · 30 min
1946: Ukraine TrustChain Facilitates the Evacuation of More Than 23,000 Ukrainian Refugees
Not long after the shelling began in Ukraine, Daniil Cherkasskiy got a phone call from a close friend. The surrogate mother of his friend's twins, trapped in Kyiv, had given birth at 33 weeks. But, unfortunately, the babies were in dire need of preemie formula. Local pharmacies were blocked by Russian gunfire. Daniil began working through the night to help coordinate the delivery of the formula. Through a series of connections, he met Natalia, a real estate agent, and young mother. Instead of evacuating, she stayed, narrowly escaping shelling as she drove from pharmacy to pharmacy — risking her life for a stranger's babies. The first link of trust was established. That moment led to a launching of a Chicago nonprofit called Ukraine TrustChain, made up of primarily Ukrainian immigrants who are working to fund six teams on the ground in Ukraine to meet citizens' most critical daily needs – food for bomb shelters, sleeping pads, evacuations of senior homes, baby formula, etc. I invited Daniil on the podcast to learn more about his story and how the Ukraine TrustChain tech has facilitated the evacuation of more than 23,000 Ukrainian refugees. More info - https://www.ukrainetrustchain.org/
Apr 15, 2022 · 31 min
1945: Insights from the NETSCOUT Threat Intelligence Report
NETSCOUT, one of the leading cybersecurity and network diagnostics firms globally, recently revealed the findings of its bi-annual Threat Intelligence Report. The report provided insight and analysis into distributed-denial-of-service (DDoS) attack trends in 2021. I invited Richard Hummel, ASERT Threat Intelligence Lead for NETSCOUT, to join me on Tech Talks Daily to discuss the big takeaways from the report. Richard shares how DDoS-for-hire services are now more accessible to the public and the significant increase in computer manufacturers and computer storage manufacturing attacks. We also discuss the different types of attacks used and who the suspected attackers are. Finally, I learn more about which industries have been most targeted and what business leaders need to be aware of when it comes to DDoS attacks.
Apr 14, 2022 · 30 min
1944: Barco - Meeting Inequality in the Hybrid Work Environment
With hybrid work – or a flexible corporate environment that enables employees to operate both remotely and in a physical office – now a permanent professional fixture, workers have come to expect new levels of flexibility. However, employees now demand even more from their hybrid work experience – namely greater meeting equity. Simply defined, meeting equity ensures that remote employees receive the same level of engagement, collaboration and access to a meeting room experience as those who are physically seated around the table. As a new Barco ClickShare survey released today found, hybrid workers are growing more concerned about perceptions of an inequal and less productive meeting experience while apart from their colleagues, and many are going as far as to consider new opportunities at organizations where they believe they will be more included. The recently-released Barco ClickShare Hybrid Work Survey shows, businesses must now address the challenge of meeting equity in the hybrid environment. Simply defined, meeting equity ensures that remote employees receive the same level of engagement, collaboration and access to a meeting room experience as those who are physically seated around the table. The survey finds that nearly one in three workers struggle to feel heard during hybrid meetings, amplifying calls for improved meeting inclusion. In today's episode, Anthony Wright from Barco shares insights uncovered from the Hybrid Work Survey and reveals a few surprises.
Apr 13, 2022 · 31 min
1943: Will Dropping "News" from "Feed" Mean Anything for Meta's User Habits?
DiMassimo Goldstein (DiGo) is the world's first creative agency focused exclusively on promoting better habits by building brands and businesses using Positive Behavior Change marketing. Becoming "Metamates" and dropping "news" from "feed" are just a few items off the long list of rebranding tactics Mark Zuckerberg has in mind as Facebook becomes Meta. But is it enough? Will this actually result in user habits that Zuckerberg is seeking for his vision of Meta? Mark DiMassimo, is the Founder & Creative Chief of DiGo, a creative agency promoting better habits by building businesses using Positive Behavior Change marketing. Mark joins me on Tech Talks Daily to take an in-depth look into the rebranding and marketing choices Facebook is making now, whether it's enough to change consumer habits, and ways to ensure not just behavior change, but positive behavior change among Meta users.
Apr 12, 2022 · 22 min
1942: Reinventing Process Automation for the Digital Enterprise
Camunda process orchestration software helps orchestrate complex business processes that span people, systems, and devices. With Camunda, business users collaborate with developers to model and automate end-to-end processes using BPMN-powered flowcharts that run with the speed, scale, and resiliency required to compete in today's digital-first world. Hundreds of enterprises such as Allianz, ING, and Vodafone design, automate, and improve mission-critical business processes with Camunda to drive digital transformation. Jakob Freund, CEO, and co-founder of process automation provider, Camunda, joins me on Tech Talks Daily in a conversation about the missed opportunity when organizations don't start small with automation and the criteria for organizations that can significantly benefit from bringing a Chief Automation Officer on board.
Apr 11, 2022 · 22 min
1941: Fujitsu ServiceNow - Levelling Up Your IT Workflows
In February 2022, the UK Government released its 'Levelling Up' manifesto, revealing its plans to drive innovation and economic growth, while upskilling people and leading the way to a better society and more sustainable environment. In many ways, this is a microcosm of the wider world and organisations on all corners of the globe should too be striving to level up. Doing so is key to deliver digital products and services faster, to keep up with customer demands and remain competitive amid increased market pace and competition. IT is essential to this, but they in turn need the right architecture, underpinned by composable applications, which Gartner predicts will become a strategic objective for 60% of organisations by 2023, while 80% will use iterative, experimental methods like lean, agile and design-thinking for service design. To this end, IT / digital workflows will also play a pivotal role. So, in this podcast episode, we explore the non-negotiable need for workflows within organisations, and how companies can use the Now Platform to level up and empower their IT teams. Andy Lockard, Solutions, Development & Architecture Lead, Fujitsu, (ServiceNow) joins me on Tech Talks Daily in a discussion about these trends and much more.
Apr 10, 2022 · 25 min
1940: How to Solve the Identity Management Crisis
Wade Ellery, Senior Solution Architect at Radiant Logic, joins me on Tech Talks Daily to discuss how many organizations have an identity management crisis without realizing it and what they can do to solve the problem? For many organizations, identity data exists in multiple forms across different locations (such as LDAP, AD, SQL, and web services), which creates a fragmented infrastructure within the organization, resulting in a deceleration of the time it takes to authenticate a user and the expansion of the organization's attack surface. Many organizations see current Identity Access Management solutions as incapable of meeting the demands of scalability, performance, and security needed in the work-from-anywhere era. So, what can be done to solve the identity management crisis experienced by organizations today? We discuss how many realize too late that they suffer from a fragmented infrastructure that results in a sprawl and why digital transformation has exacerbated organizations' current identity management problem. Finally I learn more about how using identity data fabric can help solve the identity sprawl problem.
Apr 9, 2022 · 34 min
1939: Password Security and Authentication Tech
Cybersecurity can seem complicated, but the truth is, many cyberattacks could be stopped with something very simple: improving password security. In fact, over the last two years, passwords were at the heart of some of the most high-profile breaches, including SolarWinds and Colonial Pipeline. And with an estimated 1 million passwords stolen every week, anyone could be the next target if they haven't taken steps to improve their password security. Darren James, a password security expert and Head of Internal IT at Specops Software, joins me on Tech Talks Daily. Darren discusses his role at Specops and what inspired him to pursue a career in security. We also discuss best practices that every business and individual should be using and why password breaches are so common.
Apr 8, 2022 · 36 min
1938: IBM's Automation Growth & Industry Trends
IBM recently announced its fourth-quarter 2021 earnings results, which showcased significant growth in automation software, with revenue up 15 percent. Dinesh Nirmal, General Manager, of IBM Automation joins me on the Tech Talk Daily Podcast to discuss IBM's plans to accelerate automation adoption in 2022, We also discuss the following three key industry challenges and trends that businesses are facing today: Skills gap: Automation is helping close the skills gap by solving the shortage of data scientists and developers that the industry is currently experiencing. For example, new automation tools like Watson Orchestrate provide workers access to their own interactive AI to help them perform both mundane and mission-critical tasks faster – everything from scheduling meetings and procuring approvals to interacting with business systems and preparing proposals. Complexity of legacy systems: Many challenges arise for enterprises when dealing with the complexity of legacy systems. Instead of having to deal with the number of workloads, databases, platforms, storage systems, security models, and so on, businesses are looking for a one-stop-shop for automation across business automation and IT automation. Increasing digitization, fast: Automation has become the go-to solution to speed up the level of digitization in order to continue to grow at a competitive pace. By providing clients with a one-stop-shop for AI-powered automation powered by recent acquisitions of Turbonomic, MyInvenio, WDG Automation and Instana, IBM has created an easy pathway for our customers to embrace automation, making it one of the most beneficial technologies for businesses today on an industry-wide level.
Apr 7, 2022 · 29 min
1937: Mass Personalization for Business Communications
Gianna Scorsone, General Manager and Head of North America at global technology company Aircall ($1B valuation), joins me on The Tech Talks Daily Podcast. We discuss the importance of mass personalization for business communications and how cloud-based, digital-first companies face fierce competition for customer loyalty. Potential and existing customer interactions with a company's sales and customer service team must be personalized and positive to distinguish a brand from similar products and services and continue driving sales growth. In the day and age of the Great Resignation and labor shortages, businesses are reassessing what's needed to retain and recruit employees. Gianna firmly believes employee retention is directly tied to the culture companies create in the workplace. As a GM, she believes in prioritizing people first, then sales. Finally, she offers advice to future sales leaders and women working in tech.
Apr 6, 2022 · 24 min
1936: Meet CyrusOne, The Global Data Center Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT)
Matt Pullen, EVP, Managing Director, CyrusOne, joins me on Tech Talks Daily. The premier global data center real estate investment trust (REIT) has over 50 data centers worldwide, including a range of facilities in London, Dublin, and Frankfurt, and some exciting expansion plans in Europe. We discuss what the future data center will look like and how increased regulation and legislation will impact the landscape. Matt also shares his predictions for the future and explores sustainability in the industry, and I learn more about the founding of the Climate Neutral Data Centre Pact. About CyrusOne CyrusOne (NASDAQ: CONE) is a premier global REIT specializing in design, construction and operation of more than 50 high-performance data centers worldwide. The Company provides mission-critical facilities that ensure the continued operation of IT infrastructure for approximately 1,000 customers, including approximately 200 Fortune 1000 companies. A leader in hybrid-cloud and multi-cloud deployments, CyrusOne offers colocation, hyperscale, and build-to-suit environments that help customers enhance the strategic connection of their essential data infrastructure and support achievement of sustainability goals. CyrusOne data centers offer world-class flexibility, enabling clients to modernize, simplify, and rapidly respond to changing demand. Combining exceptional financial strength with a broad global footprint, CyrusOne provides customers with long-term stability and strategic advantage at scale.
Apr 5, 2022 · 36 min
1935: Meeting Lifecycle Automation Technology
In April, Chili Piper, the leading inbound conversion platform for sales and marketing teams, announced a Series B of $33M led by marquee VC, Tiger Global and includes Google's Gradient Ventures as an investor. After the ongoing onset of the pandemic, Chili Piper's co-founder and CEO, Nicolas Vandenberghe, was able to win over investors in just 20 minutes. Nicolas shares his origin story which includes a great anecdote of a conversation he had with Steve Jobs and his journey to ChiliPiper. I learn more about their playbook for success how customers can increase conversion and drive more leads with a "speed-to-lead" approach.
Apr 4, 2022 · 26 min
1934: Fujitsu ServiceNow - How to Tackle Organisational Debt
No matter who you are and what kind of organisations you've worked for, everyone knows the pressure to just get it done. It can be for the sake of stakeholders, the cause, or the bottom line, but the consequences are the same: eventually you amass organisational debt. Like technical debt, this has accelerated amid recent disruption, where the need to keep things moving, at any cost, was greater than ever. But if this isn't addressed, the knock-on effect on your culture, people and all-round effectiveness can be severe. Ultimately, everyone knows organisational debt is there, but no one wants to talk about it. However, this needs to change – and fast – if businesses are to rid themselves of complexity and inefficiency. So, herein lies the purpose of this podcast episode, where our experts will be exploring some of the key things to look out for to fathom if your organisation is suffering from this debt. Complete with a deep dive into the power of IT workflows and other ways to free yourself from these shackles, to empower your people and drive growth in the remainder of the year (and beyond). Jason Fowler, VP of HR for Fujitsu in Northern and Western Europe joins me on Tech Talks Daily to tackle the topic of Organisational Debt. With twenty years' experience in the technology sector, Jason has seen first-hand the impact that digitalisation has had, and continues to have, in disrupting organisations and their employees. He believes that in the era of total tech, the people capability of an organisation becomes the principal point of commercial differentiation – and it is the role of HR to create this.
Apr 3, 2022 · 27 min
1933: Enhancing UX and Doubling Ecommerce Acquisitions by Optimizing Your Superfans
Today's guest, Jay Gibb, is a former software engineer and the Founder and CEO of B2B SaaS company, CloudSponge. Together with his team, Jay has helped thousands of e-commerce store owners optimize their word-of-mouth sales since 2010. With a unique blend of tech expertise and soft skills, Jay is an expert at helping e-commerce stores build the right features to reduce customer acquisition costs and increase sales Jay joins me on Tech Talks Daily to share his story and the critical role that their products have played in the growth stories of household name tech companies like Airbnb, Nextdoor, GoFundMe, Morning Brew and Yelp.