Explain IT

Keeping your data structured and secure is key to keeping your business safe. But how do we ensure that at every level of our IT infrastructure, including your backups? With data being stored across an organisation, from edge to the data center to the cloud, cyber resiliency is important when safeguarding an organization's assets against cyber threats.Today, we'll discuss the evolving nature of backup strategies in response to sophisticated cyber threats. Understand the methods to ensure the safety of backups, and look ahead to the future to consider how advancements in technology might shape the landscape of backup and cyber resiliency.This episode is hosted by Helen Gidney, Head of Architecture at Softcat. And welcome back to softcat's Explain it podcast. We're here to talk tech in simple jargon, free language. This time Helen is joined by Michael Cade, Global Field CTO at Veeam Software, and Gary Hawkins, Hybrid Platform's Chief Technologist at softcat.For more information visit softcat.comThis podcast is produced by The Podcast Coach. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

You rely on wireless connectivity, we all do… and having a good wireless system can have a big impact on the success of your business. As companies strive for greater flexibility, efficiency, and connectivity, Wireless First is emerging as a game-changer. Post Covid, we're seeing employees want more dynamic and collaborative work environments, and teams need to be able to move freely and adapt to those changing spaces quickly. We'll discuss the benefits of wifi 7 and why building a private 5G wireless network can be a great way to increase bandwidth. This episode is hosted by Helen Gidney, Softcat's head of Architecture as we talk tech in simple jargon free language. Helen is joined by Simon Wilson, CTO For UK and Ireland at HPE and Tom Rowley, Networking and Connectivity Chief Technologist at Softcat. This episode was produced by The Podcast Coach. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From artificial intelligence to 5G Networks to everything in between, we've seen some big shifts in the IT industry in 2024.In today's episode, we'll be looking back over the tech landscape of 2024 and making big predictions about what we think we're going to see in 2025. We'll discuss how emerging technologies might transform industries and impact our daily lives, and you never know, some of these technologies might just address some of the world's most pressing challenges.We have a whole host of expert guests today, with the entirety of the Office of our CTO on the podcast, Adam Harding, Andrew Hermsen, Cairon Romeo, Gary Hawkins, Jack Lewis Keiron Newsham and Thomas Rowley.Your host for this episode of Softcat's Explain IT podcast is Helen Gidney, Softcat's head of Architecture. Join us as we talk tech in simple jargon free language. Have you got a burning question for the team? Please send an email toHelenGi@softcat.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From artificial intelligence to 5G Networks to everything in between, we've seen some big shifts in the IT industry in 2024.In today's episode, we'll be looking back over the tech landscape of 2024 and making big predictions about what we think we're going to see in 2025. We'll discuss how emerging technologies might transform industries and impact our daily lives, and you never know, some of these technologies might just address some of the world's most pressing challenges.We have a whole host of expert guests today, with the entirety of the Office of our CTO on the podcast, Adam Harding, Andrew Hermsen, Cairon Romeo, Gary Hawkins, Jack Lewis Keiron Newsham and Thomas Rowley. Your host for this episode of Softcat's Explain IT podcast is Helen Gidney, Softcat's head of Architecture. Joinus as we talk tech in simple jargon free language. Have you got a burning question for the team? Please send an email toHelenGi@softcat.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Workplace AI bots, like Microsoft Copilot, have exploded in use over the last 12 months. They are transforming how businesses operate by automating routine tasks, enhancing decision-making, and allowing employees to focus on more strategic activities.Back in November 2023, Explain IT discussed how Copilot could potentially revolutionise the workplace. We're back again to see how it has changed in the last 12 months with our guests Bradley Howe, Copilot Presales professional, and Dave Simmons Senior IT Transformation and Change Manager at Softcat.Your host for this episode of Softcat's Explain IT podcast is Helen Gidney, Softcat's head of Architecture. Joinus as we talk tech in simple jargon free language. Have you got a burning question for the team? Please send an email toHelenGi@softcat.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Cloud computing, first introduced in the 1960s as the "intergalactic computer network," is now essential to our digital existence.There are so many cloud options available on the market today. Private clouds are essentially dedicated environments that offer greater control and security. They are typically used by businesses to store sensitive data and run critical applications. On the other hand, public clouds are shared environments managed by industry hyperscalers. These providers offer scalable resources but are accessed by multiple users simultaneously. However, which is best?ln this episode we explore the intricacies of cloud computing with our guests, Mischa Penn, Cloud Sales specialist, and Hadley Grindrod, Enterprise Solutions Architect at Softcat Your host for this episode of Softcat's Explain IT podcast is Helen Gidney, Softcat's head of Architecture. Joinus as we talk tech in simple jargon free language. Have you got a burning question for the team? Please send an email toHelenGi@softcat.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ever thought about how much of your life is protected by passwords? And why do hackers want to steal credentials? How do they do it and more importantly, how can we stop them in their tracks?From your emails to your retirement savings, passwords are quite literally the gatekeepers to your online life. And there are layers to password security, from your own password to the passwords that companies use to protect the collective data. Hackers are constantly using different tricks to try to crack those codes to access as much information as possible.In this episode, we'll get into the how's and why's to help you stay strong against cyber threats with the help of our guests; David Higgins, Field CTO at CyberArk and Tom Wheeler, Specialist Sales Manager for Networking and Security at Softcat.If you want to listen to more episodes from this season, new ones are released on the last Tuesday of every month. Alternatively, you can stream or download all episodes from every season on your preferred platform. Your host for this episode of Softcat's Explain IT podcast is Helen Gidney, Softcat's head of Architecture. Join us as we talk tech in simple jargon free language. Have you got a burning question for the team? Please send an email toHelenGi@softcat.comThis podcast is produced by The Podcast Coach. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Where do you want to work from today? The coffee shop? The beach? It's all possible with a Virtual desktop infrastructure.Virtual Desktop Infrastructure, or VDI, lets you access your companies' systems from almost any device, essentially you can carry your office in your pocket. In this special episode, we'll answer some important questions to help you get it right. How do you keep VDI working for everyone? How do you manage it effectively? How do you keep it secure?Featuring our expert guests Jack Lewis, Softcat's chief technologist for Workspace and Tom Archer, Director of Sales for EMEA at Nerdio, we'll dive into the topic.If you want to listen to more episodes from this season, new ones are released on the last Tuesday of every month. Alternatively, you can stream or download all episodes from every season on your preferred platform.Your host for this episode of Softcat's Explain IT podcast is Helen Gidney, Softcat's head of Architecture. Join us as we talk tech in simple jargon free language. Have you got a burning question for the team? Please send an email to HelenGi@softcat.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Customer service is tough for everyone, but how do we make it better for the employee and for the customer?Business contact centres are starting to use AI at the very first step of their customer interactions. By automating elements of the customer service interaction and using AI insights, staff can resolve service incidents faster and keep customers happy.Our team of experts, Andrew Hermsen, Softcat's Chief Technologist for Data, Automation and AI, and Lucky Sharma, Senior Partner Solutions Architect at AWS are here to answer the key questions to understand if AI contact centres are the future, and as always, to talk tech in simple jargon free language.If you want to listen to more episodes from this season, new ones are released on the last Tuesday of every month. Alternatively, you can stream or download all episodes from every season on your preferred platform.Have you got a burning question for the team? Please send an email to HelenGi@softcat.com and visit softcat.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the hybrid working world, everyone needs a fast and secure way to connect to their company's data.WAN or Wide Area Networks technologies have had an impressive impact; It's now easier than ever to do business. Using intelligence to optimize traffic across multiple links, we've gone from a trickle of information being sent between two direct points to terabytes of data sent at lighting speed across a network of points. In this episode of Explain I.T, we answer some important questions. How do we manage those connections? How do we keep performance consistent? And how do we keep our data secure?To discuss this topic we've networked with our partners to bring you some expert guests Adam Batten, Networking and Connectivity Solutions Engineer at Softcat and Kanwar Loyal, VP of North Europe and MEA at Cato Networks.If you want to listen to more episodes from this season, new ones are released on the last Tuesday of every month. Alternatively, you can stream or download all episodes from every season on your preferred platform.Your host for this episode of Softcat's Explain IT podcast is Helen Gidney, Softcat's head of Architecture. Join us as we talk tech in simple jargon free language.You can stream or download all episodes from every season on your preferred platform or at softcat.com. Have you got a burning question for the team? Please send us an email to explainit@softcat.comThis podcast is produced by The Podcast Coach. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

To the public, elections can look relatively simple. However for lots of public sector organisations, there are weeks of preparation fraught with risk, excitement and a huge sense of purpose. Despite using paper ballots and lots of people-based processes on the day, technology and digital is key to delivering a successful election. There are so many technology areas to think about pre and post-election, from how authorities can protect election data, and how they prevent interference or rigging, to how social media usage can help voting and reduce “fake news”, and even how a new government might affect authority IT investment.Here to help us through the minefield of information on this General Election Special is Softcat's dream team, Paul Fleming – Advisory Lead for Public Sector, Radhika Rangaraju - Chief Strategist for Public Sector, and Kieron Newsham – Chief Technologist for Cyber Security.Your host for this episode of Softcat's Explain IT podcast is Helen Gidney, Softcat's head of Architecture. Join us as we talk tech in simple jargon free language.You can stream or download all episodes from every season on your preferred platform or at softcat.com. Have you got a burning question for the team? Please send us an email to explainit@softcat.comThis podcast is produced by The Podcast Coach. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the year of AI, can we get even closer to having it right at our fingertips?Helen Gidney, Softcat's head of Architecture, and a team of experts discuss this fascinating question. AI is developing quicker than we can think and we're seeing it pop up in our everyday lives more and more and in this episode we'll answer the big AI questions of the moment like, what is an AI laptop or AI PC and what can one do? How can it help customers in their work day? What could AI PC's help us do in the future?In today's episode we'll delve deeper, with the help of our expert guests Kelly Calver, Hybrid Workspace Sales Manager at Softcat, Carlos Bento Senior Technology Strategist at Microsoft and Carlos Fernandez Pilo Director, EMEA Enterprise & Commercial Channel Sales at Qualcomm Technologies Inc This podcast is released on the last Tuesday of every month. Alternatively, you can stream or download all episodes from every season on your preferred platform or at softcat.com. Have you got a burning question for the team? Please send us an email to explainit@softcat.comThis podcast is produced by The Podcast Coach. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Do you know everything that's going on in your organisation?Today we're talking about Observability. It isn't just a buzzword; it is the evolution of application and network performance monitoring into a seamless way to measure your full systems health.As IT environments become more complicated, observability is crucial for pinpointing the root causes of issues, harnessing data and logs from every corner of your environment to ensure that your systems remain efficient, reliable, and customer-centric.Hosted by Ashleigh Baker, guest host and Team Leader in Softcat's Architecture Services, Ashleigh has the help of our experts, Tom Rowley – Chief Technologist for Networking and Connectivity, and Mat Ryer - Principal Engineer at Grafana Labs, we'll get more observant on the topic!This podcast is released on the last Tuesday of every month. Alternatively, you can stream or download all episodes from every season on your preferred platform or at softcat.com. Have you got a burning question for the team? Please send us an email to explainit@softcat.comThis podcast is produced by The Podcast Coach. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

With the explosive growth of internet connected devices in our everyday world, from mobile phones to our cars and even our homes, we are generating massive amounts of data all the time. Traditional centralised infrastructures just can't keep up with the pace of information. So how do we bring processing power closer to the source of this data to help us harness its insights? What is Edge Computing? What are the benefits of Edge Computing? What are the challenges with Edge computing and could customers use cloud instead of on-premise edge computing? As ever we'll answer these questions and more in simple, jargon free language. This episode is hosted by Helen Gidney, Softcat's head of Architecture and features expert guests Gary Hawkins, Softcat's chief technologist Hybrid Platforms, and Luke Price, Partner Technical Specialist at IBM.This podcast is released on the last Tuesday of every month. Alternatively, you can stream or download all episodes from every season on your preferred platform or at softcat.com. Have you got a burning question for the team? Please send us an email to explainit@softcat.comThis podcast is produced by The Podcast Coach. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this edition of Explain IT we're discussing how to power your SOC. No, we're not talking super powered footwear. SOC stands for Security Operations Centre, and it's where cyber experts battle threats posed against your data day and night.We know security is a key part of any business, to protect your best kept secrets, and to keep third parties out of your information. But with a massive lack of Cyber Security skills in the market and the cost of Cybercrime skyrocketing year after year, how do we use technology to bridge the gap and keep our companies safe?In today's episode we'll pull back the curtain with the help of our expert guests Josh Bates, Softcat's technologist for Microsoft Security; Paul Solomon, Softcat's Head of Cyber Security Services, and Emma Boughton, Security, Compliance and Identity Specialist at Microsoft. The podcast is hosted by Helen Gidney, Softcat's Head of Architecture.Have you got a burning question for the team? Please send us an email to explainit@softcat.com Make sure you follow the ExplainIT podcast in all the usual places and join us on a fascinating journey through the wonderful world of tech. You can also find out more anytime you like at Softcat.comThis podcast is produced by The Podcast Coach. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

AI has been making headlines for a while now, and this year we'll see more and more businesses adopting it to improve their performance and efficiency. But how do we ensure that AI is used in a responsible and ethical way? How do we avoid the risks and pitfalls that come with such a powerful technology? And how do we stop AI from getting out of control?Podcast host Helen Gidney, Softcat's Head of Architecture, along with a team of experts are here to answer these questions and talk tech in simple jargon free language.In this episode we get the help of our expert guests Arran Speding, Softcat's AI specialist lead, and Rebecca Gorman, CEO of one of our good friends Aligned AI.Any questions? Please send us an email to explainit@softcat.com Make sure you follow the ExplainIT podcast in all the usual places and join us on a fascinating journey through the wonderful world of tech. You can also find out more anytime you like at Softcat.comThis episode was produced by The Podcast Coach. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Part two of our Tech Predictions for 2024! You can hear part one, here.In the past twelve months, Explain I.T has generated over 20,000 unique downloads and covered an array of topics.In the present, we have a collective group of Softcat technologists here to share their thoughts on tech. And in the future, Explain I.T will have a new presenter; Helen Gidney, Softcat's very own Head of Architecture. So, along with Dean Gardner, Softcat's Technology Director, join Helen along with a whole host of tech experts as they look ahead to the key innovations and challenges we might see in 2024. As ever, we're here to Explain I.T as we talk tech in simple, jargon free language, all brought to you by Softcat. Also featuring on this episode are:Gary Hawkins - Chief Technologist - Data PlatformsKieron Newsham - Chief Technologist - Cyber SecurityJack Lewis - Chief Technologist - Digital WorkspaceTom Rowley - Chief Technologist - Networking and ConnectivityRichard Lamacraft - Chief Technologist - MicrosoftAdam Harding - Head of OCTO Ask questions, send us an email to explainit@softcat.com Make sure you follow the ExplainIT podcast in all the usual places and join us on a fascinating journey through the wonderful world of tech. You can also find out more anytime you like at Softcat.comThis episode was produced by The Podcast Coach. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the past twelve months, Explain I.T has generated over 20,000 unique downloads and covered an array of topics. In the present, we have a collective group of softcat technologists here to share their thoughts on tech. And in the future, Explain I.T will have a new presenter; Helen Gidney, Softcat's very own Head of Architecture. So, along with Dean Gardner, Softcat's Technology Director, join Helen along with a whole host of tech experts as they look ahead to the key innovations and challenges we might see in 2024. As ever, we're here to Explain I.T as we talk tech in simple, jargon free language, all brought to you by Softcat. Also featuring on this episode are:Gary Hawkins - Chief Technologist - Data PlatformsKieron Newsham - Chief Technologist - Cyber SecurityJack Lewis - Chief Technologist - Digital WorkspaceTom Rowley - Chief Technologist - Networking and ConnectivityRichard Lamacraft - Chief Technologist - MicrosoftAdam Harding - Head of OCTO Ask questions, send us an email to explainit@softcat.com Make sure you follow the ExplainIT podcast in all the usual places and join us on a fascinating journey through the wonderful world of tech. You can also find out more anytime you like at Softcat.comThis podcast is produced by The Podcast Coach. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Our team of experts are here to talk tech in simple, jargon free language, and today is no exception, although we do come with a twist.Today we are covering the automotive industry and how it continues to modernise by innovating, designing and building the now and future transportation that positively impacts all of us.What challenges and pressures face the industry? The level of technology advancements over the years appears to be driving so many global initiatives such as electrification, AI and edge. But why is this the case? To provide insights, answer these questions and to ignite the engines, we have a pit crew that is the envy of many. Please welcome Softcat's very own sales leader in the transport and automotive space, Chris Reynolds. Bryan Ross from our partners at VMWare, and an incredibly special guest from our good friends at Jaguar Land Rover, Mike Skaife.This podcast is hosted by Dean Gardner, Softcat's Technology Director.Ask questions, send us an email to explainit@softcat.com Make sure you follow the ExplainIT podcast in all the usual places and join us on a fascinating journey through the wonderful world of tech. You can also find out more anytime you like at Softcat.comThis podcast is produced by The Podcast Coach. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dean Gardner, Softcat's Technology Director, hosts another episode of Explain I.T. Another team of experts are here to talk tech in simple, jargon free language.Are you open to AI? Yes, we are, but not in the sense of OpenAI who appear to have performed a fire rehire and resign strategy in less than a week. We are open to AI in the sense that it's now part of every conversation.But to what degree will we use AI? How will it impact our everyday lives? And what are the risks and what are the possibilities to answer those questions? And also open to AI is our very own Arran Speding, Softcat's AI specialist, and two amazing guests from our friends at Nvidia. Jon Jenner and Ross Verrall.Ask questions, send us an email to explainit@softcat.com Make sure you follow the ExplainIT podcast in all the usual places and join us on a fascinating journey through the wonderful world of tech. You can also find out more anytime you like at Softcat.com This podcast is produced by www.thepodcastcoach.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We are motoring towards the end of year like an AI powered electric scooter - and yes, they actually do exist thanks to UK tech startup Hilo One.In a world where AI is now taking charge in every aspect of our daily lives, Microsoft has recently released a Copilot. AI driven, all encompassing, innovation of the ages.What is it? Why do we need it? What are the risks of implementing this technology? And will it change, evolve and revolutionise our lives? To answer these questions on this episode of Explain IT are Alex Pierce, our very own chief strategist and MVP, Abi Dakin, chief strategist cyber GRC, and Bradley Howe, our leading Microsoft technologist for Workspace.Dean Gardner, Softcat's technology director is your Explain IT host. We are here to ‘explain it' every episode. Our team of experts are here to talk tech in simple jargon free language and today is no exception.This episode has been produced by The Podcast Coach. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hello and welcome back to Softcats Explain It Podcast series. This is episode seven of season six, and we are here after a small break in the schedule. And we are back with a corker. My name is Dean Gardner, softcats technology director, and I'm still the host after a busy few months of AI.Today, we are heading into the quantum realm. Is quantum a reality? How fast will it move? And what are the motivations for moving to quantum computing? And actually, what are the possibilities, as they appear to be potentially endless? So, to help me become enlightened, I'm joined by Softcat's very own Jon Snow, Gareth Price, Softcat's Head of Corporate sales of the North, and Adam Hammond, our quantum expert from our very good friends at IBM.Ask questions, send us an email to explainit@softcat.com Make sure you follow the ExplainIT podcast in all the usual places and join us on a fascinating journey through the wonderful world of tech. You can also find out more anytime you like at Softcat.com This podcast is produced by www.thepodcastcoach.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

'Customer focus', 'customer obsession' and 'customer first' should surely be at the front of every organisation, but are they? Are we solely relying on technology to solve customer outcomes? Is it old fashioned to say that listening, understanding and being empathetic and solving challenges equally are more important than the tech we provide? This time, we tackle all these questions and much more on Explain I.T, where we talk tech in simple, jargon free language.This podcast is hosted by Dean Gardner, Softcat's Technology Director. Joining Dean are Softcat's Head of Customer Experience, Amy Bain; and James Dukes, Head of Partner Services Sales - EMEAR at Cisco.This episode was completed in partnership with Cisco, an organisation Softcat work very closely with on numerous projects. Cisco is a major player in the technology industry with a wide range of products and services that help connect people and businesses around the world. Ask questions, send us an email to explainit@softcat.com Make sure you follow the ExplainIT podcast in all the usual places and join us on a fascinating journey through the wonderful world of tech. You can also find out more anytime you like at Softcat.com This podcast is produced by www.thepodcastcoach.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to episode five of season six of Softcat's ‘Explain IT' podcast series. We are here to Explain IT. Our team of experts talk tech in simple, jargon free language. This time we're discussing technology in the education sector. Think of this as the sequel to the first education episode we released in season five - you can listen again to that episode here.This podcast is hosted by Dean Gardner, Softcat's Technology Director. Joining Dean are Softcat's head of education, Rachael Clay; and account chief technologist for education, Alex Pearce. To educate us all we also welcome a very special guest, Ricardo Santos from our fabulous friends at Cisco. This episode is sponsored by Cisco, an organisation Softcat work very closely with on numerous projects. Cisco is a major player in the technology industry with a wide range of products and services that help connect people and businesses around the world. Ask questions, send us an email to explainit@softcat.com Make sure you follow the ExplainIT podcast in all the usual places and join us on a fascinating journey through the wonderful world of tech. You can also find out more anytime you like at Softcat.com This podcast is produced by www.thepodcastcoach.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We asked an AI to make us a podcast and this is the result. Just kidding, we don't trust technology, so we are doing it the old-fashioned way and having a chat about this exciting new technology.To share some fabulous insights, podcast host Dean Gardner is joined by Softcat's resident AI expert and Account Chief Technologist Andrew Hermsen and the true pioneer of the cloud marketplace, Darren Sharpe from our amazing friends at Microsoft. In this episode we discuss what this ChatGPT and chat AI stuff all about; what are the advantages and disadvantages of using such technology; the potential dangers of using this type of technology and whether this is a new space race but on the internet.If you have a burning question, or an opinion on our topics you'd like to share, send us an email to explainit@softcat.comYou can also get in touch with us through live chat or directly on WhatsApp. Text us or send a voice note to +447548759732.Make sure you follow the ExplainIT podcast in all the usual places and join us on a fascinating journey through the wonderful world of tech. You can also find out more anytime you like at Softcat.comThis podcast is produced by The Podcast Coach. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Your organisation will be hit by a security breach. It's inevitable.But how can you survive Armageddon if Ben Affleck and Bruce Willis aren't available?Our experts are on a mission to guide you through the murky black hole of being breached. To share insights Softcat's CTO Dean Gardner is joined by colleague Kieron Newsham and Ian McShane from Arctic Wolf.So what do you do when your security is breached? Listen to find out! If you have a burning question, or an opinion on our topics you'd like to share, send us an email to explainit@softcat.comYou can also get in touch with us through live chat or directly on WhatsApp. Text us or send a voice note to +447548759732.Make sure you follow the ExplainIT podcast in all the usual places and join us on a fascinating journey through the wonderful world of tech. You can also find out more anytime you like at Softcat.comThis podcast is produced by The Podcast Coach. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, we talk all things data and the value that everyone is trying to mine, extract and use - data.To share insights, we are joined by two amazing guests today; Francois Zimmerman from our friends Tableau and Eva Murray from one of Softcat's newest friends, Snowflake.Why does data now appear to be a priority for almost everyone? How does an organisation build a data strategy? How will Data growth impact how AI continues to evolve? All these questions and more are answered on this episode, so let's dive in.If you have a burning question, or an opinion on our topics you'd like to share, send us an email to explainit@softcat.comYou can also get in touch with us through live chat or directly on WhatsApp. Text us or send a voice note to +447548759732.Make sure you follow the ExplainIT podcast in all the usual places and join us on a fascinating journey through the wonderful world of tech. You can also find out more anytime you like at Softcat.comThis podcast is produced by The Podcast Coach. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to Season 6 of Softcat's podcast, Explain I.T.Every episode, our team of experts are here to talk tech in simple, jargon free language.To launch season 6 of our podcast we're here to predict your tech for 2023. We'll be discussing what is on the cusp of revolutionising the world aswe know it. Basically, we're attempting to show that don't need to travel to Davos on an all-expenses paid trip to provide tech insight to a general audience!To share insights, podcast host Dean Gardner - Softcat's Field Chief Technology Officer - is joined by a panel of Chief Technologists.We welcome back Kerion Newsham, CT for Security, Tal Gandham. CT for Hybrid Infra and Data, Thomas Rowley, CT forNetworking & Connectivity and the leader of the illustrious pack Adam Harding, CT for Digital Workspace.The tech hiring boom of covid appears to be no more. Why are so many big tech companiesmaking mass layoffs? Is there an opportunity for channel providers to support our customers if there are anyuncertainty? There's a lot to discuss...If you have a burning question, or an opinion on our topics you'd like to share, send us an email to explainit@softcat.comYou can also get in touch with us through live chat or directly on WhatsApp. Text us or send a voice note to +447548759732.Make sure you follow the ExplainIT podcast in all the usual places and join us on a fascinating journey through the wonderful world of tech. You can also find out more anytime you like at Softcat.comThis podcast is produced by The Podcast Coach. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today we are discussing key business developments that we've seen over the last 12 months with an eye clearly on the year ahead. What is an Account Chief Technologist? Is tech the answer to every business problem? What do you envisage being priorities for many organisations?To help answer these questions and much more, podcast host Dean Gardner is joined by a panel of Softcat's Account Chief Technologists:James Seaman - working in Softcat's office of CTOPhillipa Winter - working in health care and central governmentAndy Lamb - working with corporate customersDylan Foster Edwards - Technology Director for SoftcatThis episode is hosted by Dean Gardner, Field CTO at Softcat.If you have a burning question, or an opinion on our topics you'd like to share, send us an email to explainit@softcat.comYou can also get in touch with us through live chat or directly on WhatsApp. Text us or send a voice note to +447548759732.Make sure you follow the ExplainIT podcast in all the usual places and join us on a fascinating journey through the wonderful world of tech. You can also find out more anytime you like at Softcat.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It might be the end of the year, but we are certainly embarking on an era of unique challenges for us all to deal with. One thing is certain, there will be opportunities and advancements in technology and in this episode we tackle the lot.To share insights, I am joined by our panel of Chief Technologists:Tal GandhumAdam HardingKieron NewshamThomas RowleyThis episode is hosted by Dean Gardner, Field CTO at Softcat.If you have a burning question, or an opinion on our topics you'd like to share, send us an email to explainit@softcat.comYou can also get in touch with us through live chat or directly on WhatsApp. Text us or send a voice note to +447548759732.Make sure you follow the ExplainIT podcast in all the usual places and join us on a fascinating journey through the wonderful world of tech. You can also find out more anytime you like at Softcat.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Simple, jargon free language is the name of game on the Explain I.T podcast and this time, we're talking about the important subject of Higher Education.As a follow up to our Integrated Care episode, this is another special episode. To share insights and answers this week are Rachel Clay (Softcat's Head of Education), Microsoft MVP Alex Pearce (one of Softcat's Account Chief Technologists) and regular podcast guest Adam Louca (Softcat's Chief Technologist for Security).As season 5's penultimate episode, a potential dramatic finale awaits, will this be Adam Louca's final episode on the show?This episode is hosted by Dean Gardner, Field CTO at Softcat.If you have a burning question, or an opinion on our topics you'd like to share, send us an email to explainit@softcat.comYou can also get in touch with us through live chat or directly on WhatsApp. Text us or send a voice note to +447548759732.Make sure you follow the ExplainIT podcast in all the usual places and join us on a fascinating journey through the wonderful world of tech. You can also find out more anytime you like at Softcat.comThis podcast is produced by www.thepodcastcoach.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to another episode of Softcat's Explain IT podcast.We are here to Explain IT. Our team of experts will be here to talk tech in simple, jargon free language. We'll be discussing new trends and ideas as well as solutions to everyday problems in this fascinating and ever changing world of tech.An edge towards cloud, dramatic huh?To share insights and answers, regular podcast guest Adam Louca, Softcat's Chief Technologist for Security joins us today. So does our very special guest, Author, Engineer and currently CTO at Cloudflare, John Graham-Cumming.What is an edge location?Are edge locations different from a Cloud platform?Are datacentres closing or evolving into edge locations? Should edge be factored into an organisations IT strategy as cloud is today?Join us as we answer these and much more on another episode of Explain I.T.This episode is hosted by Dean Gardner, Field CTO at Softcat .If you have a burning question, or an opinion on our topics you'd like to share, send us an email to explainit@softcat.comYou can also get in touch with us through live chat or directly on WhatsApp. Text us or send a voice note to +447548759732.Make sure you follow the ExplainIT podcast in all the usual places and join us on a fascinating journey through the wonderful world of tech. You can also find out more anytime you like at Softcat.comThis podcast is produced by www.thepodcastcoach.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to another episode of Softcat's Explain IT podcast.We are here to Explain IT. Our team of experts will be here to talk tech in simple, jargon free language. We'll be discussing new trends and ideas as well as solutions to everyday problems in this fascinating and ever changing world of tech.This is a special episode focussing on the health service in the UK, particularly integrated care. Why? It's a hot topic, the laws have changed and we have a new NHS plan which is driving integration. To help figure out the complex next steps we have gathered some esteemed colleagues from the NHS to talk about how we navigate the integrated care system and what the pros and cons are.Our guests are:Steven Killick, Associate Director for Design and Solutions at Surrey Borders NHS TrustGeoff Wood, Deputy Director for ICT, Princess Alexandra HospitalDaniel Hallen, Head of Digital Technology and Digital Urgent Emergency Care, NHS EnglandThis episode is hosted by Dean Gardner, Field CTO at Softcat and the interview conducted by Phillipa Winter, Account Chief Technologist for the Public Sector.If you have a burning question, or an opinion on our topics you'd like to share, send us an email to explainit@softcat.comYou can also get in touch with us through live chat or directly on WhatsApp. Text us or send a voice note to +447548759732. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to another episode of Softcat's Explain IT podcast.We are here to Explain IT. Our team of experts will be here to talk tech in simple, jargon free language. We'll be discussing new trends and ideas as well as solutions to everyday problems in this fascinating and ever changing world of tech.This is the third episode of our security trilogy and this time we're talking about cyber security espionage. The need for threat intelligence for business survival is absolutely critical. It is where data is collected, processed, and analysed to understand a threat actor's motives, targets, and attack behaviours. Threat intelligence enables us to make faster, more informed, data-backed security decisions and change their behaviour from reactive to proactive in the fight against threat actors.This episode is hosted by Adam Louca, Softcat's chief technology officer. Adam is joined by Oliver Fairbank, head of analysis from Orpheus and Alex Lewis from Softcat's cyber services business team.If you have a burning question, or an opinion on our topics you'd like to share, send us an email to explainit@softcat.comYou can also get in touch with us through live chat or directly on WhatsApp. Text us or send a voice note to +447548759732.Make sure you follow the ExplainIT podcast in all the usual places and join us on a fascinating journey through the wonderful world of tech. You can also find out more anytime you like at Softcat.comThis podcast is produced by www.thepodcastcoach.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to another episode of Softcat's Explain IT podcast.We are here to Explain IT. Our team of experts will be here to talk tech in simple, jargon free language. We'll be discussing new trends and ideas as well as solutions to everyday problems in this fascinating and ever changing world of tech.This is the second episode of our security trilogy as we talk zero trust. What is zero trust? How easy is it to adopt a zero trust strategy? Do you need to change your existing strategy to adopt this model? To help us answer those questions this week are Adam Louca, Softcat's chief technology officer, Rajeev Kapur, Director of I.T Engineering at Sophos and your host is Dean Gardner, Field CTO at Softcat.If you have a burning question, or an opinion on our topics you'd like to share, send us an email to explainit@softcat.comYou can also get in touch with us through live chat or directly on WhatsApp. Text us or send a voice note to +447548759732.Make sure you follow the ExplainIT podcast in all the usual places and join us on a fascinating journey through the wonderful world of tech. You can also find out more anytime you like at Softcat.comThis podcast is produced by www.thepodcastcoach.co.uk Our GDPR privacy policy was updated on August 8, 2022. Visit acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to another episode of Softcat's Explain IT podcast.We are here to Explain IT. Our team of experts will be here to talk tech in simple, jargon free language. We'll be discussing new trends and ideas as well as solutions to everyday problems in this fascinating and ever changing world of tech.In this episode, we're discussing security in the multi cloud environment and why organisations need to look differently at securing a hybrid or multi cloud setup.To discuss the complex and important issues we are joined by Ryan Sheldrake, field CTO at Lacework and Andy Schneider, CSO at Lacework and Adam Louca, Softcat's chief technology officer.Your host is Dean Gardner, Field CTO at Softcat.If you have a burning question, or an opinion on our topics you'd like to share, send us an email to explainit@softcat.comYou can also get in touch with us through live chat or directly on WhatsApp. Text us or send a voice note to +447548759732.Make sure you follow the ExplainIT podcast in all the usual places and join us on a fascinating journey through the wonderful world of tech. You can also find out more anytime you like at Softcat.comThis podcast is produced by www.thepodcastcoach.co.uk See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Welcome to the latest episode of this new season of Softcat's Explain IT podcast.We are here to Explain IT. Our team of experts will be here to talk tech in simple, jargon free language. We'll be discussing new trends and ideas as well as solutions to everyday problems in this fascinating and ever changing world of tech.In this episode, we're discussing the multi cloud complexity conundrum (it's a mouthful). We delve into why organisations are finding themselves increasingly in the multi-cloud and discuss the drivers for this type of adoption. Are application and data specific strategies taking over from cloud first strategies and is that driving the use of multi-cloud? Can you develop, build and provision containers without multi-cloud? And how can we operate a multi-cloud when everything is running everywhere and anywhere? To answer those questions and much more I'm joined by Matt Larder, Softcat's very own Head of Cloud; and Michael Cote, A lead technologist all the way from our friends at VMware. Ask questions, send us an email to explainit@softcat.comYou can also get in touch with us directly on WhatsApp. Text us or send a voice note to +447548759732. Make sure you follow the ExplainIT podcast in all the usual places and join us on a fascinating journey through the wonderful world of tech. You can also find out more anytime you like at Softcat.com This podcast is produced by www.thepodcastcoach.co.uk See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Welcome to the latest episode of this new season of Softcat's Explain IT podcast.We are here to Explain IT. Our team of experts will be here to talk tech in simple, jargon free language. We'll be discussing new trends and ideas as well as solutions to everyday problems in this fascinating and ever changing world of tech.In this episode, we're discussing the future of work. Over the last couple of years, employers and employees have become much more used to different kinds of work arrangements. I this episode we discuss the challenges and benefits of working from home, getting back to the office and a combination of remote and office working.What works best for companies and their employees? How can technology make the transition easier? What are the key challenges that technology can help to resolve and how quickly can they happen? To discuss these questions and more, Dean Gardner, Softcat's Field Chief Technology Officer is Soft joined by Adam Harding, Softcat's Chief Technologist for Digital Workspace; Amy Bain, Sofcat's customer experience practice lead and Krizia Ceccobao the Viva lead at Microsoft.Ask questions, send us an email to explainit@softcat.comMake sure you follow the ExplainIT podcast in all the usual places and join us on a fascinating journey through the wonderful world of tech. You can also find out more anytime you like at Softcat.comThis podcast is produced by www.thepodcastcoach.co.uk See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Welcome to the second episode of this new season of Softcat's Explain IT podcast. We are here to Explain IT. Our team of experts will be here to talk tech in simple, jargon free language. We'll be discussing new trends and ideas as well as solutions to everyday problems in this fascinating and ever changing world of tech. In this episode, we're asking whether or not VPNs are dead.So, what are VPNs? How do they work? Are they safe? What is likely to replace them? To discuss these questions and more, Dean Gardner, Softcat's Field Chief Technology Officer is Soft joined by Adam Harding, Softcat's Chief Technologist - Digital Workspace and Kieron Newsham, Sofcat's Security Solution's Architect.Ask questions, send us an email to explainit@softcat.comMake sure you follow the ExplainIT podcast in all the usual places and join us on a fascinating journey through the wonderful world of tech. You can also find out more anytime you like at Softcat.comThis podcast is produced by www.thepodcastcoach.co.ukSee acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Welcome to the first episode of a brand new season of Softcat's Explain IT podcast. We are here to Explain IT. Our team of experts will be here to talk tech in simple, jargon free language. We'll be discussing new trends and ideas as well as solutions to everyday problems in this fascinating and ever changing world of tech. In our first episode we chat about the big wide World of the Metaverse. The good, the bad and potentially very ugly!This season of podcasts will be hosted by Dean Gardner, Softcat's Field Chief Technology Officer. Joining him this time is Andy Lamb, one of Softcat's lead Technologists, another returning cast member is Adam Louca, Softcat's Chief Technologist for Security and our special guest Harry Ellis, Business Manager for Mixed & Virtual Reality all the way from our friends at TechData. Some of the things discussed include;The wonders of the metaverse Who is policing those virtual worlds?How can customers utilise the metaverse, and why should they care?Different devices availableReal money - virtual products, the real and virtual blurring?What do our listeners know about the metaverse? Make sure you follow the ExplainIT podcast in all the usual places and join us on a fascinating journey through the wonderful world of tech. You can also find out more anytime you like at Softcat.comThis podcast is produced by The Podcast Coach See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Welcome to a brand new season of Softcat's Explain IT podcast. Over the coming weeks our team of experts will be here to talk tech in simple, jargon free language. We'll be discussing new trends and ideas as well as solutions to everyday problems in this fascinating and ever changing world of tech. In our first episode we chat about the big wide world of the Metaverse. Make sure you follow the Explain IT podcast in all the usual places and join us on a fascinating journey through the wonderful world of tech. The first episode of this brand new season will be available in a couple of days and you can also find out more anytime you like at Softcat.com See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In this episode, we will be talking to Graeme Watt CEO at Softcat, Rob Parkinson CIO at Softcat and Dean Gardner Softcat's Field Chief Technology Officer. We will be discussing Returning to the office and if this is something businesses are planning, taking into consideration the many factors. What are those considerations and how could those decisions impact your business and the employee experience? We are going to look through the Softcat lens and aim to share some of our own thinking on return to the office. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In this episode, we will be talking to Don Foster Commvault's Global VP for Sales Engineering and Matt Watts, NetApp's Chief Technology Evangelist. We will be discussing the 4th industrial revolution now, a data revolution. Organisations are a-massing more and more data with an increasing appetite into this data providing value and being under increasing compliance and regulatory pressures. On top of this customers are wrangling with how to operate a multi-cloud environment, in which their data plays a key role. In this podcast we want to explore this challenges from a number of different perspectives to shine a light on this part of the industry and provide guidance on how to navigate it successfully. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In this episode, we will be talking to the co-creator of one of the key components of modern IT security, the next gen firewall. We will also be discussing how the industry has changed over the last 15 years, the key areas of security that you should be focusing on today, and how it’s decided what the next developments in security will be. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In this episode, we take a look at what sustainability in IT looks like at the moment, why it’s so important, as well as ways in which different areas of the IT industry can work towards becoming more sustainable; and finally, as always, we’ll be taking a look into the future, and trying to understand what goals the industry should be working towards, and how we might get there. We look at how the channel as a whole can become more sustainable, from customer to reseller to distributor to manufacturer. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In this very special episode of Explain IT, Zac was joined by a very special guest, none other the VMware's COO, Sanjay Poonen, as well as Explain IT regular, Dean Gardner. This episode takes a broad look at some of the key challenges and trends in the industry today, including: the long lasting impacts of the pandemic on the industry and wider society, how technology will evolve over the next 5 years, and the many ways organisations can be a driving force for positive change. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In this episode, host Zac Abbott is joined by guest from Softcat and Google to talk about organisational culture. We take a look at what organisational culture is, why it's so important as a way to differentiate yourself from the competition, how you can go about bringing that culture to a remote workforce (including the technologies to do it) and finally how we might see the culture of organisations develop in the future. This is a can't miss episode for anyone looking to enhance their remote working culture! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This episode is all about women in technology. We talk about what impacts having greater diversity in the industry has, the journey’s that our guests have had to becoming a senior woman in tech, what it’s like to be a woman in tech at the moment and throughout the pandemic, and how the industry can evolve. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In the second episode of our Remote Working deep dive mini series, we're talking about how organisations can move beyond the basic model of remote working, and take the remote user experience to the next level. We explore not only the key technologies that can be used, but also the way in which leaders can demonstrate best practices in the way we work remotely, allowing for greater user freedoms, and accommodating different working patterns. Finally, we take a look at what remote/hybrid working could look like in the future. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In the first episode in our remote working deep dive mini-series, we're taking a look at what new threats security teams are facing in a remote world, how they can start to address these challenges, and what the future of end user security will look like as remote working continues to dominate the way many organisations operate. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Season 4 of Explain IT is now live! We're kicking this season off with a look at what's to come, with our 2021 Tech Predictions episode. It's a can't miss episode if you want to get ahead of the game and understand what will be heading your way over the next 12 months in the world of enterprise IT See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.