

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.
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.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Feb 11, 2022 • 20min
1878: VMware Security, Rick McElroy, Principal Cybersecurity Strategist
The Great Resignation is here, employees are seeking new opportunities and businesses are having to re-evaluate their workplace cultures to improve employee retention and evolve their onboarding programmes for new joiners. Whilst business leaders are busy finding solutions to retain talent with new perks The reality is, the Great Resignation has brought about growing business IT challenges associated with insider threats. Insider threats have become a new, distinct challenge for organizations as they try to balance employee turnover, employee onboarding and the use of non sanctioned apps and platforms. The sheer number of employees leaving their jobs and potentially still having access to the network or proprietary data has created a headache for IT and security teams tasked with protecting the organization. In 2022, Rick McElroy, Principal Cybersecurity Strategist at VMware believes we'll see the number of insider threat incidents increase. Attackers will also start targeting employees to carry out their attacks or plant ransomware. As a result, we'll see new protocols and guidelines established as organizations work to keep networks and sensitive data protected. In today's episode, we discuss the growing IT challenges associated with insider threats and how businesses can respond to this new threat, and how businesses can make sure employees with legitimate access to systems aren't using this privilege for illegitimate reasons. Tech Talks Daily Podcast Sponsor Details Get Surfshark VPN at https://surfshark.deals/TTD - Enter promo code TTD for 83% off and 3 extra months free!

Feb 11, 2022 • 21min
1877: Dynatrace Perform - Multi-Cloud With Serverless Monitoring
Steve Tack, SVP, Product Management at Dynatrace, reveals the big announcements from Dynatrace Perform 2022. We discuss how Dynatrace will extend observability and advanced AIOps to all major serverless architectures. As a result, DevOps and SRE teams can now automatically discover, analyze, and optimize serverless applications in cloud-native applications at scale, freeing teams from manual processes and enabling them to spend more time accelerating innovation. We also discuss how Dynatrace will enhance its Application Security Module to deliver on the promise of Runtime Application Self-Protection (RASP) for cloud-native applications. Building on existing capabilities, including immediate and automatic detection of vulnerabilities in cloud-native apps and container workloads, Dynatrace will also block against attacks. As a result, organizations can secure modern cloud workloads and applications – accelerating throughput. Finally, we discuss why these product updates are important and what they mean for Dynatrace's product portfolio. Tech Talks Daily Podcast Sponsor Details Get Surfshark VPN at https://surfshark.deals/TTD - Enter promo code TTD for 83% off and 3 extra months free!

Feb 10, 2022 • 29min
1876: SAP - How to Lead in B2B Tech with Resilience
Amanda Mountain has been with SAP for over 15 years. She serves as Global Vice President of SAP Digital Commerce, providing customers one seamless experience across all digital channels. She oversees digital customer strategy for SAP across sales, customer success, support and marketing, and has enabled and exemplified the digital transformation of SAP. In today's episode, Amanda discusses how 2020 (and much of 2021!) reshaped the way she led her team at SAP. From the impact being virtual had on employees to its effect on B2B sales and customer experience, Amanda highlights how she has remained human-focused to keep employees and engaged and business in the green. Tech Talks Daily Podcast Sponsor Details Get Surfshark VPN at https://surfshark.deals/TTD - Enter promo code TTD for 83% off and 3 extra months free!

Feb 9, 2022 • 40min
1875: Nextiva Connect - Connected Communications Technology
Tomas Gorny was born and raised in Poland. He moved to the United States in pursuit of the American Dream at the age of 20 without knowing any English. Today, he's a technology visionary, Co-founder and CEO of Unitedweb and Nextiva, and on the board of directors for Endurance International Group. Tomas has received numerous awards for his leadership in the technology industry. In 2014 he was recognized as the "Business Leader of the Year" at Arizona Technology Council's 2014 Governor's Celebration of Innovation, and in 2017, he was named Top Tech CEO by the Phoenix Business Journal. Nextiva co-founder and CEO joins me on Tech Talks Daily to share his story. We discuss how Nextiva brings together communications, customer management, intelligence, and automation to help businesses build deep, lasting relationships with their customers. Tech Talks Daily Podcast Sponsor Details Get Surfshark VPN at https://surfshark.deals/TTD - Enter promo code TTD for 83% off and 3 extra months free!

Feb 8, 2022 • 24min
1874: The Tech Helping Companies Make Better Talent Decisions
Josh Millet is the founder and CEO of Los Angeles-based Criteria, a venture-backed ($64.3M) assessment company dedicated to helping organizations make better talent decisions using objective, multidimensional data. The company acquired Alcami Interactive, a video interviewing platform, and Revelian, the leading game-based assessments company in the past couple of years. Josh founded Criteria in 2006 with a vision to create a SaaS-based pre-employment testing service that would eliminate biases in the hiring process. I invited him to share his story on Tech Talks Daily. With over 20 million assessments administered globally, the company has helped organizations make objective, data-driven hiring decisions that lead to better business outcomes with its scientifically validated assessments across multiple dimensions, including aptitude, personality, and skills. On average, Criteria has helped organizations increase their hiring success rates by 52%, reduce turnover by 48%, and generate 25% more revenue. Before launching Criteria, Josh co-founded an online test preparation company, Number2.com, which Xap Corp acquired in 2002. Josh holds a Ph.D. in history from Harvard University, where he was a Fulbright Scholar and a Mellon Fellow. I learn how Criteria helps companies make better talent decisions and how their goal is to help companies practice science-based talent management, producing better outcomes and reducing the impact of bias. Finally, Josh shares his belief that the predominant hiring model centered around resumes consistently produces bad outcomes and exacerbates bias. He advised the science of what works and what doesn't work in hiring is very clear, but most companies are still

Feb 7, 2022 • 27min
1873: DataKind - The Power of Data Science & AI in the Service of Humanity
Lauren Woodman, the tech-for-good veteran who was recently announced CEO of DataKind, joins me on Tech Talks Daily to discuss the future of the Data for Good movement. DataKind is a global non-profit organization that leverages data science in the service of humanity. They are unique for pushing the boundaries of what is possible when social and humanitarian causes leverage advanced technology to enact positive change in the world. Woodman has over 25 years of experience in the technology and non-profit sectors including roles as congressional liaison at the UN and GM of Microsoft's global education programs. Most recently, she was the CEO at NetHope where she awarded $190 million in technology capabilities and infrastructure to humanitarian organizations. In this episode, we discuss her experience as a pioneer in the tech policy and non-profit space. I also learn more about the current data projects DataKind is working on using AI solutions and its social impact.

Feb 6, 2022 • 20min
1872: The Transparent Solar Tech Reducing the Carbon Footprint of Buildings
Miles Barr, Founder and Chief Technology Officer of solar startup Ubiquitous Energy, joins me on Tech Talks Daily. The solar energy company designs transparent solar technology for windows, electronics, and other applications. We discuss their goal of helping solve climate change by creating truly transparent renewable energy for every surface across the globe. Founded in 2011, Ubiquitous Energy was started by a group of MIT and MSU scientists and engineers looking for new ways to reduce humanity's carbon footprint by seamlessly integrating solar power technology into everyday products and surfaces. Here in 2022, Ubiquitous Energy has the world's leading transparent solar technology – converting light into electricity using semiconducting materials while maintaining visible transparency. To both residential and commercial building occupants, Ubiquitous Energy's solar windows provide a clear, vibrant experience that is expected from traditional Low-E windows, but with self-contained, on-board power and smart functionality.

Feb 5, 2022 • 22min
1871: The Future of Quantum Threats
Quantum technology is on the brink of a breakthrough. This giant leap forward in computing power will enable unprecedented speed and power for certain industries. However, with this scientific milestone also comes significant cyber risk. For example, quantum computing has the power to break today's standard encryption methods - processes that are widely used to protect customer data, complete business transactions, and secure communications. While a handful of industry giants in tech and academia have reported "quantum breakthroughs" there are still skeptics that disprove quantum's progress thus far. Nonetheless, it's just a matter of time. Quantum advances aside, the reality is that anything secure today will no longer be secure in the future. Because of this, companies need to be vigilant about staying up to date with the adoption of new standards. However, industry groups (for example, NIST in the United States) are expected to debut new standards for quantum-resistant cryptography. In turn, companies will need to understand what these new standards will mean for their organization overall. Ted Shorter, co-founder, and CTO of Keyfactor, joins me on Tech Talks Daily to discuss the potential impact of a quantum cryptography advancement and what this means in the future. We also talk about how the new standards will affect OS/software vendors and how the new standards will affect organizations.

Feb 4, 2022 • 22min
1870: How Redis is Enabling the Future of Real Time AI
Redis is a popular open-source database. As a real-time data platform in the cloud, global enterprises have become a critical component to compete in the digital economy. Alongside this, it's a company that's gone from strength to strength in recent times, with revenue growth of 54% over the last three years. In April, it secured $110m in series G funding, which closely followed a $100m funding round in August 2020, providing the company with a $2bn valuation. Taimur Rashid, Chief Business Development Officer at Redis, joins on Tech Talks Daily to why it's time for senior teams to start seeing the creative value of developers within their organizations. Taimur shares his belief that software developers can offer a lot more value to their business. Therefore, organizations should empower their developers and give them a voice to experiment and innovate. We also discuss how Redis is enabling the future of real-time AI. Finally, Taimur declares we're in the golden age of AI and ML and that it's becoming a core part of businesses worldwide. Finally, we talk about innovating at an enterprise pace and maintaining stability while adopting innovation. Enterprises face a fast-changing, hyper-competitive market that requires organizations to implement changes to applications and infrastructure much faster than they did in the past—Taimur shares why they must balance stability and innovation.

Feb 3, 2022 • 28min
1869: Top VC Firm/Former Home Depot CISO on Cybersecurity Strategies
High-profile hacks and ransomware breaches continue to plague headlines, making cyber risk more tangible for individuals. So it's no surprise that a Bloomberg analysis found cyber expenses rising faster than overall IT spending. In addition, as remote/hybrid work shifts more workflow to the cloud, spending is expected to increase. Insight Partners is a NY-based VC/PE firm with over $30 billion under management. It is also a top enterprise software investor specializing in cybersecurity and data privacy. Notable investments in this space include DarkTrace, Tenable, Armis, Veeam, OneTrust, Cylance, Recorded Future, and Aqua Security. Steve Ward, Managing Director at Insight, formerly the CISO of Home Depot and a member of the Secret Service, Steve has over 20 years of experience in cybersecurity, physical security, fraud, and technology risk. We discuss where companies allocate cybersecurity spending and the innovations disrupting the market. We also talk about how the shift to remote/hybrid work has affected cyber investment, the most critical threats, and how cyber innovation responds.


