Next in Tech

Managing IT costs has always been challenging and the FinOps movement is working to tackle this problem. Analysts Jean Atelsek and Melanie Posey return to the podcast to discuss their research and what they saw at the FinOps X conference with host Eric Hanselman. Cost angst has been exacerbated by the move to cloud. The shift from capital expense to operational expense has been a complicated transition for many. The infrastructure spending growth that being driven by AI initiatives has only just begun, but is already concerning. As cloud costs have become material expenses, more focus has been put on managing them. There are a host of startups that are looking to provide tools and cloud providers all have some form of cost management tooling. The shift to virtualization opened the door to optimization, but was one that only few walked through. Efforts at charge-back and show-back accounting created better visibility, but FinOps is looking to take things a step further by identifying costs early in the development cycle. Putting the vast quantities of operational data that cloud throws off to work requires a new focus. It's another area where AI can help businesses work their way out of the looming costs that AI applications create. It requires bringing together lines of business, development teams and IT operations, but the benefits could be significant. More S&P Global Content: Webinar: AI Has Swallowed the Tech Industry: Indigestion to Follow? Cloud Shifts podcast For S&P Global Subscribers: FinOps Foundation showcases Scopes initiatives, user deployment experiences at FinOps X Day FinOps adoption expands as generative AI amplifies public cloud cost challenges – Highlights from VotE: Cloud, Hosting & Managed Services and Cloud Native FinOps Market Monitor & Forecast Credits: Host/Author: Eric Hanselman Guests: Jean Atelsek, Melanie Posey, Producer/Editor: Adam Kovalsky Published With Assistance From: Sophie Carr, Feranmi Adeoshun, Kyra Smith

A set of questions are being asked about whether the velocity of datacenter build outs is wavering. Analyst Dan Thompson returns to the podcast to explore the realities of the market with host Eric Hanselman. There are some facts that raised the questions, including Microsoft demurring on some datacenter projects, and they have fueled concerns that the heady pace might slacken. The DeepSeek model's debut with claims of lower training requirements spooked the tech markets in January. There have been layoffs. Are these harbingers of AI doom? In the same way that DeepSeek signaled the next phase of optimization in AI models, datacenter markets can be expected to adjust over time. The difference is that the time scales for the two areas are vastly different. With AI ecosystems seemingly cycling daily, the multiyear scheduling of datacenters might appear glacial by comparison. But it's a market influenced by many factors, including a complex supply chain. Capital spending across hyperscale cloud providers remains healthy and maintains an eye on a future with much greater density of AI functionality. We're still a long way from a correction. More S&P Global Content: Powering AI – Opportunities, tensions in datacenter and energy markets For S&P Global subscribers: Truths about how the power sector can (and cannot) respond to datacenter needs Potential impacts of DeepSeek on datacenters and energy demand 2025 US datacenters and nuclear energy report Credits: Host/Author: Eric Hanselman Guests: Dan Thompson Producer/Editor: Adam Kovalsky Published With Assistance From: Sophie Carr, Feranmi Adeoshun, Kyra Smith

In the rush to build out AI applications, a full understanding of the dynamics of personal data management can be difficult to achieve. As we kick off Pride Month, the complexities of personal data handling deserve more attention and Emily Jasper and Alan Moore join host Eric Hanselman to discuss the concerns and approaches to address privacy issues. Enterprises accumulate both operational and self-reported personal data, some with regulatory requirements for collection and reporting and some in support of employee development. Is that data the new oil that can fuel their efforts, the new water that can leak or the new plutonium that can be powerful, but also dangerous?  With many systems accumulating data, it can be difficult to ensure that right data is in the right places. Data migration is hard, but can be necessary in technology transitions. Data is the raw material that builds AI value, but personal data increases the risks of not only expose, but of creating presumptions by AI models of association and affiliation. There are additional risks in inadequate datasets for training. As we've pointed out in previous episodes, organizations need to be aware of how well their training data reflects the populations they intend to serve. More S&P Global Content: Webinar: Winning the Ad Dollar: Data-Driven Sales Enablement Next in Tech | Ep. 213: AI and Privacy Next in Tech | Ep. 204: Ethical AI Data For S&P Global subscribers: Safeguarding privacy in the AI era – Highlights from VotE: Data & Analytics 2025 Trends in Workforce Productivity & Collaboration Ask the Analyst: Retail tech — personalization without friction 2025 Trends in Data, AI & Analytics Credits: Host/Author: Eric Hanselman Guests: Emily Jasper, Alan Moore Producer/Editor: Adam Kovalsky Published With Assistance From: Sophie Carr, Feranmi Adeoshun, Kyra Smith

Around the globe, municipalities are facing a set of challenges managing the impacts of more extreme weather, while addressing aging infrastructure and more chronic issues, such as rising heat and sea levels. There are a set of technologies that can help them to both be aware of the risks and improve planning to work on mitigating them. The Internet of Things (IoT) can play a role in sensing and advances in digital twins can aid in simulating climate-driven events. It's a set of tools that, when applied well, can help to better build resilience.  At the same time, the resilience of utility systems are being challenged by tech advances. Power consumption by datacenters is impacting the load on electricity grids. The transition to greater use of renewables is changing grid dynamics and investment is needed to maintain stability. Climate impacts can have differing impacts across society and efforts manage equity are critical. The upcoming webinar will dig into all of this in more detail – join us to continue the conversation! Join the webinar: Risk to Resilience: How Technology is Reinventing Urban Preparedness More S&P Global Content: Climate physical risk insights for the U.S. municipal bond market Enhancing government resilience with technology amidst uncertainty Sustainable cities: Open data portals for community-driven AI apps, sustainability validation For S&P Global subscribers: Lessons from the Iberian blackout: The starfish and the spider Potential impacts of DeepSeek on datacenters and energy demand Adoption of automation capabilities could drive consolidation in the smart buildings space Smart spaces must address privacy concerns, deliver experience enhancements – Highlights from VoCUL: Smart Spaces Credits: Host/Author: Eric Hanselman Guests: Therese Feng, Zoë Roth, Johan Vermij Producer/Editor: Adam Kovalsky Published With Assistance From: Sophie Carr, Feranmi Adeoshun, Kyra Smith

With all of the drama associated with AI, it's easy to miss the need to understand the foundations that deliver the data that is the raw element from which AI value is built. Databases and storage infrastructure are critical components that have to work in concert with AI plans and returning guests Henry Baltazar and James Curtis join host Eric Hanselman to discuss what's been happening and what enterprises need to know about the future. Databases and storage management systems have been intertwined for a long time and AI pressures are tightening that connection. Storage systems perform analytics on the data they store to optimize its handling, tracking use and characteristics. The same insights that aid in compression and tiering are also useful in classifying data for AI. Data classification has always been a challenge for enterprises, as storage systems are typically disconnected from the data owners and applications that use them. Intelligent storage systems have been able to intuit the nature of content, including mapping databases and virtual machines. Databases have been able to leverage storage capabilities like snapshotting for resilience. Into this mix a new set of AI focused storage and database offerings arrive that target AI uses. The question is whether the native database and storage systems can do enough of what's needed. They already store key data and have valuable insights and classification capabilities. Some vendors are attaching GPU clusters to storage systems to provide high performance AI model training functionality. The major issue for most, is the matter of data placement. Shifting petabytes of data is no small task and concerns about data security and the costs involved now loom much larger. More S&P Global Content: Next in Tech | Ep. 213: AI and Privacy Next in Tech | Ep. 203: NRF conference shows AI challenges and rewards For S&P Global Subscribers: Rapid data growth and migrations increase storage burdens Amazon S3 Tables and automated metadata highlight recent AWS Storage enhancements 2025 Trends in Cloud and Cloud Native Credits: Host/Author: Eric Hanselman  Guests: Henry Baltazar, James Curtis Producer/Editor: Adam Kovalsky Published With Assistance From: Sophie Carr, Feranmi Adeoshun, Kyra Smith

The annual NAB Show delivered a more fully digital ecosystem when it convened in Las Vegas this year. While traditional broadcast technologies are still the focus, hyperscale cloud providers, digital media platforms and no shortage of AI were all on display. Returning guests Justin Neilson and Peter Leitzinger join host Eric Hanselman to discuss what they saw at broadcasting's big event and the impacts of various technologies on the media landscape. The digital television evolution is continuing apace. The ATSC 3.0 NextGen TV standard has been rolling out across the globe, albeit a bit more slowly in the U.S.. The higher resolution, more interactive capability is available to over three quarters of the market. Multi-screening functionality is interesting, but digital advertisers are looking to the direct access to consumers as a better path to monetizing viewers and delivering a direct path to content creators. The smart TV market is also hopeful, driving the uptake of new chipsets and televisions.   The show also revealed the greater participation of the hyperscale cloud providers in broadcast media. Greater volumes of digital content are depending on cloud scale in ever greater measure. The creeping incrementalism of AI in media production still has to overcome some fundamental objections from studios and some content creators, but it is working its way into many parts of the industry. It seems like its convenience and velocity may be too much to resist. More S&P Global Content: Radio/TV station annual outlook, 2024 MediaTalk | Season 3 | Ep. 16 - Broadcasters Band Together Over Tech Advancements, Deregulation For S&P Global subscribers: US TV set projections through 2028: Solid rebound on track to continued growth Digital multicast TV database 2024 update: NextGen TV expands reach to 75% of US Credits: Host/Author: Eric Hanselman Guests: Justin Nielson, Peter Leitzinger Producer/Editor: Adam Kovalsky Published With Assistance From: Sophie Carr, Feranmi Adeoshun, Kyra Smith

The game of Rugby is having a moment on the global stage. It's attracting investment and growing its fan base and audiences. The Six Nations competition has just finished, with France triumphing over Scotland and the Women's World Cup is on the horizon. With dedicated fans and upmarket advertisers, the media rights are garnering significant interest. An old saying contrasted soccer (football to most of the world) with rugby by saying that football was a gentleman's game played by hooligans, while rugby was a hooligan's game played by gentlemen. And today, both the women's and men's games are gaining prominence. Unlike soccer (football), the world governing body for rugby spans both leagues and has strong female representation on its board. With high value advertisers driving revenue and both country competitions and national leagues creating a rich game schedule, media valuations are continuing to grow. From its origins as an amateur league, it's become much more. There's a nascent shift from free-to-air broadcast to paid media and streaming. It's quite a scrum! More S&P Global Content: Authenticity, women's sports and African potential dominate SportsPro Live For S&P Global Subscribers: Sports calendar 2025 — High-profile women's events and sustainability concerns DAZN boasts its global expansion plans with acquisition of Foxtel Credits: Host/Author: Eric Hanselman Guests: Richard Berndes Producer/Editor: Adam Kovalsky Published With Assistance From: Sophie Carr, Feranmi Adeoshun, Kyra Smith

The annual RSA Conference on information security is coming up and it arrives during a very active security market. Analysts Garrett Bekker, Dan Kennedy and research director Scott Crawford return to the podcast to discuss what they expect to see in San Franscisco with host Eric Hanselman. The largest transaction ever in the information security world, Google's acquisition of cloud security unicorn Wiz, has been echoing across capital and technology markets. It's reinforced the importance of cloud security and its nature as a distinct technology segment. Enterprises have become fully hybrid in their infrastructure mix and they're struggling to mitigate cloud risks. Part of the struggle is leading to tool consolidation and platform approaches to security management. It's a situation that's led by the fact that the average enterprise already reports spending a third of their security budgets on a single security operations vendor. Of course, AI will be front and center and this year agentic AI is being examined as a way to scale up security capabilities. AI capabilities have been part of security tools for many years and the challenge has always been building trust in automated actions. It will be some time before autonomous actions are turned on. There's a long history of keeping human review in place as trust is built. It's not that different from previous technology automation transitions, but with security, there's a greater imperative. More S&P Global Content: AI for security: Agentic AI will be a focus for security operations in 2025 The evolution of security platforms – 6 centers of gravity shaping the market Security Summer Camp 2024 and the elephant in the room Credits: Host/Author: Eric Hanselman Guests: Garrett Bekker, Scott Crawford, Daniel Kennedy Producer/Editor: Adam Kovalsky Published With Assistance From: Sophie Carr, Feranmi Adeoshun, Kyra Smith

Cloud native patterns and open source developments were on display at the KubeCon + CloudNativeCon Europe conference. The biannual gathering was showing how the container ecosystem continues to mature and analysts Jean Atelsek and William Fellows join host Eric Hanselman to explore their insights. The Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF), part of the Linux Foundation, continues to expand the event and advance the maturity of the open source projects that are part of its purview. Day 2 operations have been gaining focus and the pre-conference FinOps X event was an indication of the emphasis on operational controls as it digs into infrastructure cost management. The opening “Day 0” events at KubeCon, which have been the forum for specialized project meetings, have become a key part of the conference, with over 6,000 attendees, almost half of the reported 13,000 total.  The Kubernetes container management project is now over ten years old and one of the other signs of technology evolution was the integration of the OpenInfra Foundation, which managed the OpenStack project and other infrastructure elements, into the Linux Foundation. Open source projects are gaining wider adoption and one of the messages from projects and vendors at KubeCon, was the hope that it could offer alternatives to enterprise infrastructure stalwart, VMware. The CNCF is expanding its investments in improving security across the projects under its umbrella. There was also continued development of platform engineering initiatives. Bounding the expanding world of open source projects to create consistent development and operational tool chains for enterprise is one more sign of maturity in the container world. More S&P Global Content: AWS, Microsoft Azure and Google Cloud enter the FinOps vortex For S&P Global subscribers: Kubernetes meets the AI moment in Europe with technology, security, investment Data management, GenAI, hybrid cloud are top Kubernetes workloads – Highlights from VotE: DevOps Kubernetes ecosystem tackles new technical and market challenges Kubernetes, serverless adoption evolve with cloud-native maturity – Highlights from VotE: DevOps Credits: Host/Author: Eric Hanselman Guests: Jean Atelsek, William Fellows Producer/Editor: Adam Kovalsky Published With Assistance From: Sophie Carr, Feranmi Adeoshun, Kyra Smith

The many impacts of AI extend across business and consumer interests and issues around privacy are some of the broadest. Analyst Paige Bartley returns to the podcast to discuss the results of two recent studies on enterprise and consumer perspectives on AI and privacy with host Eric Hanselman. Enterprise privacy concerns are shifting from regulatory to operational and reputational, as the awareness of the importance of data privacy grows. The landmark UK GDPR legislation was announced in 2016 and most early efforts focused on compliance. That's shifted to building privacy functionality into the foundations of the way businesses operate. PrivacyOps approaches are growing rapidly as organizations come to realize that customer trust has to both be established and maintained in ways that are meaningful to customers. The opportunity for businesses is to move from treating privacy as overhead to making part of supporting business interests. It comes full circle by helping to enable better data use for AI. More S&P Global Content: The 2025 Generative AI Outlook For S&P Global Subscribers: Safeguarding privacy in the AI era – Highlights from VotE: Data & Analytics Consumers' preference for personalization still outweighs desire for data privacy – Highlights from VoCUL: Connected Customer Data Insight: Consumer data privacy in the modern world of generative AI — no going back? Credits: Host/Author: Eric Hanselman Guest: Paige Bartley Producer/Editor: Adam Kovalsky Published With Assistance From: Sophie Carr, Feranmi Adeoshun, Kyra Smith

It's come a long way from its game developer roots and the NVIDIA GPU Technology Conference (GTC) 2025 edition was so well attended, it was straining the capacity of the San Jose Convention Center, its long-term home. John Abbott returns to discuss what debuted and the implications with host Eric Hanselman. NVIDIA has taken a starring role in AI and this year's GTC had all of the glitz of a Hollywood production – CEO's of major tech partners delivered a video tribute and Disney-designed robots cavorted on stage with CEO Jensen Huang. The event reinforced the extent to which NVIDIA has become a systems and software company, rather than simply a supplier of high performance silicon. The event highlighted not only new GPU's and rack-scale compute systems, but also countered the concerns around declines in GPU demand raised by the release of the DeepSeek AI models. The shift to reasoning models for AI is expected to drive further demand. The impacts on energy consumption and associated pressure on energy transition plans weren't mentioned, but are a large part of the larger discussion around AI. More S&P Global Content: SoftBank, OpenAI, Oracle and MGX commit to $100B for Stargate AI infrastructure Semiconductor Digest: A roundup of the latest developments Next in Tech | Ep. 206: NVIDIA quarterly earnings For S&P subscribers: NVIDIA pushes broader AI infrastructure story with Blackwell Ultra, full stack software NVIDIA takes commanding revenue lead in semiconductor space Tech is priced to move Generative AI Digest 25: A roundup of latest breakthroughs and developments Credits: Host/Author: Eric Hanselman Guest: John Abbott Producer/Editor: Adam Kovalsky Published With Assistance From: Sophie Carr, Feranmi Adeoshun, Kyra Smith

The M&A markets are in a tough situation. Transactions are harder to get done and exits just not happening. To sort out where this is all going, Scott Denne and Brenon Daly return to the podcast with host Eric Hanselman. Investors across technology have portfolios that are getting long in the tooth. They need exits to return value to their funds, but there are limited options. The IPO market is tentative, at best.  At the same time, strategic investors are stepping back as they spend on AI. Capital expenditures continue to grow, with hyperscalers shelling out billions to expand their own infrastructure, as well as investing in AI startups. Google's acquisition of Wiz is a massive transaction, but it is dwarfed by the ongoing internal investments. How far does this go and what will be the return on these investments? More S&P Global Content: Tech M&A Outlook Survey: A historic bust-to-boom reversal in 2024? For S&P Global Subscribers: Shifting AI exits The public-private divide If not Wiz, who? Tech leads the way up and down on Wall Street Credits: Host/Author: Eric Hanselman Guests: Brenon Daly, Scott Denne Producer/Editor: Adam Kovalsky Published With Assistance From: Sophie Carr, Feranmi Adeoshun, Kyra Smith

The arrival of Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite capabilities is changing broadband market dynamics as it increases capacity and improves performance. Mau Rodriguez joins host Eric Hanselman to discuss where displacement is taking place and the potential for new market entrants. The Geosynchronous satellite services that had been the backbone of remote connectivity have capacity, but come along with relatively high latency in data delivery. They're orbiting at tens of thousands of miles, which is very long signal path, when compared to LEO satellites at around 500 miles.  The broadband market is dominated by terrestrial technologies, with cable leading the installed base and fiber growing rapidly. The subscriber cost for satellite is far higher, but the deployment cost can be much lower than that required for remote locations. While Starlink dominates this market, AWS aims to compete with its Project Kuiper plans. It just needs to get a lot of satellites launched, first. More S&P Global Content: The State of US Fiber Broadband China launches another satellite megaconstellation Survey Data Hub - VoCUL: Mobile, TV & Streaming Video Trends Q1 2025 Credits: Host/Author: Eric Hanselman Guest: Mau Rodriguez Producer/Editor: Amaan Zafar, Donovan Menard and Odesha Chan Published With Assistance From: Sophie Carr, Feranmi Adeoshun, Kyra Smith

The demand for power driven by datacenter expansion is a global challenge and European markets are responding with some interesting aspects. With there has been a strong renewable component to energy supply, the complexity of the energy grid has meant that unified approaches were elusive. At the same time energy markets have faced three crises – demand reduction from the COVID pandemic, strong renewable investment and market disruption from the Russian-Ukraine war. Into this congested environment, Power Purchase Agreements (PPA) offer a way to channel investment in new generation capacity. The EU has just announced guarantees for non-investment grade PPA's, creating the possibility for expanded markets and extending the ability to treat them as an addition to commodity markets for energy.  Energy generation projects have become increasingly hybrid, bringing together multiple renewable sources with energy storage. Smoothing out renewable peaks can help it better address base load demand. Nuclear remains an expensive option, with approaches like Small Modular Reactors (SMR) still being a long ways off. There is the potential to have AI improve grid efficiency, by balancing demand and generation, an almost circular relationship, given that it is driving so much of demand. That will require more decentralization of the grid to increase flexibility and the acceptance of cryptographic protections for data sovereignty could allow workload placement near sources of power generation. There is a lot of potential for what has become an urgent issue. More S&P Global Content: What is an 'AI datacenter'? Platts London Energy Forum 2025 AI, datacenters and power: The European landscape heading into 2025 The role of nuclear in AI's future Datacenters and energy 101 — Powering through renewable intermittency 2025 US datacenters and nuclear energy report Credits: Host/Author: Eric Hanselman Guests: Ayça Taşlı, Pedro Schweizer Producer/Editor: Amaan Zafar, Donovan Menard and Odesha Chan Published With Assistance From: Sophie Carr, Feranmi Adeoshun, Kyra Smith

So much of the world around us is sensing and controlling with data, but it's not often coordinated. Smart spaces technologies put that data to work and integrate capabilities and Zoë Roth returns to the podcast to dig into the potential of these systems with host Eric Hanselman. Smart spaces have grown out of the sensing roots in technologies like the Internet of Things (IoT) and shares a key element – the need to link operational technology (OT) with information technology (IT). Things like building environmental systems have historically been separated from the technology stack supporting the people that work in the building. Integration of these systems has the potential for a wide range of benefits, including improving working conditions, enhancing physical and logical security and reducing energy use. Stadiums and public venues are putting smart spaces technology to work to improve fan experience and improve safety. Extending to the macro scale, when smart spaces integrate at a city level, there's greater efficiency and effectiveness across transportation systems, electric grids and governmental systems. Making this all work requires extending across information and functional silos. It's a similar set of challenges that exist in digitization efforts in areas like retail, manufacturing and energy. As capabilities like digital twins and expanded support in edge computing mature, they hold promise to make smart spaces even more capable. More S&P Global Content: Smart Cities Connect 2024 Examining AI readiness and conducting a reality check What EU funding means for the next generation of European smart cities Unlocking value in smart spaces with location data Data Insight: Redefining retail — generative AI and automation Credits: Host/Author: Eric Hanselman Guests: Zoë Roth Producer/Editor: Amaan Zafar, Donovan Menard and Odesha Chan Published With Assistance From: Sophie Carr, Feranmi Adeoshun, Kyra Smith

Mobile World Congress, the annual gathering of telecom industry players, has expanded to embrace a broad range of technology and this year's event will bring together a broad range of vendors, telecom operators and industry leaders. The theme of convergence has seen real world impacts and Raul Castañon, Mohammed Hamza and Lynnette Luna return to discuss what they're expecting to see with host Eric Hanselman. The rise of network API's for security and location services looks to open the door to greater application integration. It's something operators have been hoping for, but there are questions about how they'll monetize it.  Many of the technologies that previewed in previous years are gaining traction. Open RAN technologies have matured and the ecosystem supporting them has expanded. There are still questions lingering about deployment timelines, but that seems to be shifting to a matter of when, rather than if. And, of course, AI is playing a role in much of what's taking place in the exhibition halls. More S&P Global Content: MediaTalk | Season 2:  EP 20 - Wireless Outlook for 2024 as Carriers Next in Tech | Ep. 181: Lighting up Fiber Ericsson partners with global telecom operators to launch new network API venture Ericsson-led API joint venture gets its first CEO Credits: Host/Author: Eric Hanselman   Guests: Raul Castañon-Martinez, Mohammed Hamza, Lynnette Luna Producer/Editor: Amaan Zafar and Odesha Chan Published With Assistance From: Sophie Carr, Feranmi Adeoshun, Kyra Smith

Of the many companies that are part of the AI wave, NVIDIA has been at the core of AI infrastructure and a darling of the markets. Their performance in the market is driven in part by consistency in their performance and Melissa Otto, head of TMT Research for Visible Alpha, part of S&P Global Market Intelligence, joins host Eric Hanselman to look at the sentiment around the upcoming earnings. The enthusiasm for AI has driven expectations higher and higher and the company has delivered.  The rampant enthusiasm for AI's future hasn't been without some cautious moments. In January, the announcement of the DeepSeek model roiled markets with the prospect of lower compute consumption for model training. The concern was that demand for all things AI, GPU's included, might wane. It might also have been a reason for a jumpy market to take a step back. If you dust off your economics textbooks, Jevon's Paradox has been cited by many as an indication that consumption could accelerate. Time will tell! More S&P Global Content: Assessing the Factors Driving Technology Investments Big Picture for Generative AI in 2025: From Hype to Value Webinar: The Big Picture on GenAI and Market Impacts NVIDIA takes commanding revenue lead in semiconductor space Intelligent and agentic process automation and integration platforms: 2025 research agenda GPU as a Service Market Monitor & Forecast 2025 Trends in Data, AI & Analytics Credits: Host/Author: Eric Hanselman Guests: Melissa Otto Producer/Editor: Amaan Zafar and Odesha Chan Published With Assistance From: Sophie Carr, Feranmi Adeoshun, Kyra Smith

The next phase of the AI wave is the arrival of agentic AI – where agents can take action on a user's behalf. That's enough of a big deal, but when the head of a tech giant says agentic is going to replace most SaaS applications, something different might be afoot. Analysts Sheryl Kingstone and Chris Marsh return to the podcast to look at the realities of this suggestion with host Eric Hanselman. Agents could become the new user interface for enterprise data, but there are a set of challenges in making this work. On the one hand, one of the largest issues with autonomous action, accountability for actions taken, is far from settled in both regulatory and legal frameworks. On the other, much of enterprise information is still held in systems where it may be difficult for an agent to reach.  Agentic AI could provide a gateway to the myriad of systems that run the modern business. Opening access to data and the ability to aggregate across an organization could be tremendously powerful. Capturing the business logic that is often embedded in SaaS systems is difficult, but the shift to decoupling through API's and the expansion of systems of delivery could open the door to agentic progress.  More S&P Global Content: Big Picture for Generative AI in 2025: From Hype to Value Webinar: The Big Picture on GenAI and Market Impacts For S&P Subscribers: 2025 Trends in Data, AI & Analytics   Credits: Host/Author: Eric Hanselman Guests: Chris Marsh, Sheryl Kingstone Producer/Editor: Kyle Cangialosi and Odesha Chan Published With Assistance From: Sophie Carr, Feranmi Adeoshun, Kyra Smith

Ethical concerns about the use of AI have to start with training data. Too often, the primary concern is simply generating sufficient data, rather than understanding its nature. Emily Jasper and Abby Simmons are back to continue the conversation started in episode 198 with host Eric Hanselman. With generative AI, the data is the application in its most formative sense. Unlike traditional application development, where the expectation is that functionality will be expanded in later releases, GenAI applications require careful design of training data before training takes place. The perspectives contained in data age rapidly and model training doesn't differentiate between outdated and current indications. Old data can effectively poison model outputs. Businesses risk alienating customers with models that are trained with data that don't properly represent them. This is particularly true with marginalized communities, where language and context can change over shorter time frames. While there is research work on model retraining, work in AI today has to focus on effective data quality management. DeepSeek is causing a significant rethinking. Human data cleansing can be effective, but can't scale to AI demands. Data workbench tools and synthetic data approaches can help, but better automation is needed to ensure that data sets are truly representative. Data collection and data sourcing need much greater attention to ensure that model results can engage the target audience and not be a liability. It's a fundamental question of accountability that requires thinking in ways that are different than legacy development processes. Mentioned in this episode: https://transtechtent.com https://kevinguyan.com/queer-data/  More S&P Global Content: Webinar: AI in Action: Leveraging NLP to Answer Subjective Questions 2025 Trends in Data, AI & Analytics Take 5: Data quality and AI — a bidirectional relationship Compliance automation, Part 1: Governance, risk and compliance, or something new? Credits: Host/Author: Eric Hanselman Guests: Emily Jasper, Abby Simmons Producer/Editor: Kyle Cangialosi and Odesha Chan Published With Assistance From: Sophie Carr, Feranmi Adeoshun, Kyra Smith

The National Retail Federation conference (NRF) launches just as retailers are cleaning up from the holiday shopping season. This year there was a focus on how technology can empower employees while reducing customer friction. Sheryl Kingstone, Rich Karpinski and Jordan McKee return to the podcast to share their insights on the conference with host Eric Hanselman. Traditional in-store retail concerns are a big part of NRF and innovation in Point of Sale (PoS) technologies, like softPoS and the integration of biometrics were on display. For the latter, there's still the issue of consumer trust, as well as onboarding requirements. The show also saw an issuing bank debut its own PoS offering. The promise and the challenges of AI were a large part of the conference. Delivering on AI will take infrastructure upgrades and retailers are looking at building ecosystems across technology vendors to share cost and risk. Digitization is going forward as logistics look to move from picking products to smart warehouses that can sense products. AI mastery can create a competitive advantage, but it requires the integration of a lot of moving parts. More S&P Global Content: Next in Tech | Ep. 184: Dreamforce Preview Payments modernization on full display at NRF 2025 Going beyond last year's AI, NRF looks to revitalize the modern commerce experience Credits: Host/Author: Eric Hanselman Guests: Sheryl Kingstone, Rich Karpinski, Jordan McKee Producer/Editor: Kyle Cangialosi and Odesha Chan Published With Assistance From: Sophie Carr, Feranmi Adeoshun, Kyra Smith

The annual technology fest that kicks off of the year, the CES conference (formerly known as the Consumer Electronics Show), showcased the latest consumer technology, from smart glasses to smart homes. Neil Barbour and Stefan Modrich join host Eric Hanselman to explore what made an impact and what's happened to technology debuts from previous years. The metaverse headlines of a couple of years ago have transformed into augmented reality. ChatGPT hasn't been integrated into any cars, yet, but agentic AI is being rolled out. Much of what's on display at CES is a vision of the future. The transparent TV's last year were early prototypes and this year they're on the market, albeit with a hefty price tag. There is more that's taking place behind the scenes in consumer interactions. Advertising is becoming more digital and smart devices are the new frontier in engagement. Media purveyors are looking to link consumer experiences across devices. The omnichannel strategies of the past have been realized in multi-screen engagement today. They are becoming the next retail channel in new and different ways that create opportunities, as long as businesses can master the technologies required to capitalize on them. More S&P Global Content:  Next in Tech | Ep. 185: Consumer Tech Evolution Incoming Trump administration's expected tech policy shifts Robot visions LG Electronics elucidates smart home strategy Gen Z presents opportunities and challenges for video entertainment providers – Highlights from VoCUL: Mobile, TV & Streaming Video Services Trends 2025 Trends in Customer Experience & Commerce Credits: Host/Author: Eric Hanselman Guests: Neil Barbour, Stefan Modrich Producer/Editor: Kyle Cangialosi and Odesha Chan Published With Assistance From: Sophie Carr, Feranmi Adeoshun, Kyra Smith

Sports media are in the middle of a significant transition, as streaming media companies compete with traditional linear broadcasters. The Netflix deal for the U.S. rights to the Women's World Cup is only the latest and Richard Berndes returns to look at how the shift is shaking out with host Eric Hanselman. Women's sports have seen a dramatic rise in viewership and represent a new and unique audience for media providers. They're also a fanbase that's particularly dedicated and committed. That's translated into increasing rights valuations, with Netflix being only the latest to strike a notable deal. This comes as advertising dollars are shifting to more digital spending and streaming providers are expanding their monetization of sport to more documentary-style programming. As the value of sports rights increases, there is more pressure on pay TV providers, as they look to hang on to subscribers. Sporting events have the unique characteristic of a viewing imperative. Most audiences won't watch, if the know the outcome. Early attempts by streamers were marked by some missteps, but they've upped their game and are taking a strong position in sports media. Consumer cord-cutting is continuing in a trend that favors streaming outlets and sport is a big part of where they see growth. How much sporting activity can linear channels afford to lose? More S&P Global Content: MediaTalk | Season 2 | Ep. 26 - Premier League Kicks Off Authenticity, women's sports and African potential dominate SportsPro Live 2025 Trends in Global Media Global Sports Rights update H2'24: NBA's 11-year deal, FIFA World Cup tender Special Edition: Best of the Business of Sports, 2024 Credits: Host/Author: Eric Hanselman Guests: Richard Berndes Producer/Editor: Darren Rose and Odesha Chan Published With Assistance From: Sophie Carr, Feranmi Adeoshun, Kyra Smith  

As the old Danish proverb goes, it is difficult to make predictions, especially about the future, but we're going to kick off the New Year with an exploration of where technology is headed a little further out in the future. While there have been headline-grabbing projections about AI and other buzzy topics, there are underlying connections across the technology landscape that are weaving the progress of the disparate branches of technology together. Research leaders Sheryl Kingstone, Justin Nielson, and Rich Karpinski join host Eric Hanselman to explore these changes and take on the difficult task of sorting out future possibilities. The opportunities to create additional revenue are large – many billions are lost to problems in customer transactions that better technology implementations could address. Macroeconomic pressures have a significant impact and will affect the speed of technology deployments and refresh cycles. Improvements in technology infrastructure are a critical part of being able to generate better outcomes. The world of sensors and IoT has made it into sports in increasing player performance and enhancing viewer experience with more detailed statistics, but stadiums have to be equipped with the technology and connectivity to make it possible. Advertising spending is becoming increasingly digital, but advertisers want greater breadth that connected devices like smart TV's can provide. Those digital pathways can become new retail channels, but, once again, the infrastructure has to be in place to make it happen. More S&P Global Content: 2025 Outlooks 2025 ushers in big expectations for sports, streaming and media M&A Global economic outlook: December 2024 2025 Trends in Global Media 2025 Trends in IoT, Edge & Digital Industries 2025 451 Research Preview Hub Credits: Host/Author: Eric Hanselman   Guests: Sheryl Kingstone, Justin Nielson, Rich Karpinski Producer/Editor: Donovan Menard and Odesha Chan Published With Assistance From: Sophie Carr, Feranmi Adeoshun, Kyra Smith

Mysterious lights are seen in the sky above New Jersey, throwing many into a panic. Is this the current concern about drones or the War of the Worlds radio broadcast 86 years ago? There are interesting similarities and analyst Johan Vermij returns to the podcast to kick off the New Year discussing aliens, drones and the more recent furor in the Garden State. Various forms of drones, in the air, in the seas and on land are becoming a ubiquitous resource. Costs have come down and they've become much more capable. But they're still not well understood by society at large. The New Jersey sightings are still being investigated, but many seem attributable to more conventional aviation activities. That's not to say that these sightings can be disregarded. There are many documented cases of geopolitically driven military surveillance, with arrests of drone pilots with apparently nefarious intent around the globe. This is one more factor in play in the very complex world of drones today. It's all too easy to deflect the conversation around drones from the many practical uses in which they're put to work today. Drones are being used to aid first responders, with drone-in-a-box (DiaB) technologies available to be first on the scene to enhance situational awareness in critical situations. They're surveying crops to increase yields while reducing pesticide use, finding methane leaks to reduce gas emissions and improving maintenance of cell towers and power transmission lines. And they've revolutionized the battlefield, creating an asymmetric advantage and driving a rapid evolution of technologies in a conflict-driven proving ground. We won't see the replacement of jets and howitzers, but drone's impacts have already been far reaching. More S&P Global Content: A global IT outage highlights the paradox of success in IT, OT and cybersecurity Tenn. man charged with attempted drone attack on Nashville power station Nokia aims to boost full-stack B2B offerings, with Drone-in-a-Box service as a proof point 2025 Trends in IoT, Edge & Digital Industries How the Russia-Ukraine war is raising the bar for the drone industry Credits: Host/Author: Eric Hanselman Guest: Johan Vermij Producer/Editor: Kyle Cangialosi and Odesha Chan Published With Assistance From: Sophie Carr, Feranmi Adeoshun, Kyra Smith  

In the rush to deliver data to AI projects, it's all to easy for teams to pull data that's most easily accessible, without given consideration to its nature and scope. Emily Jasper and Abby Simmons return to discuss ethical concerns about the data that feeds AI projects with host Eric Hanselman. AI implementations place a much greater burden on data quality than traditional IT projects. When data becomes the product, development practices, such as minimum viable product (MVP) releases, require that data be held to a much higher quality standard to address ethical concerns about its suitability. If a dataset contains bias or lacks representation for the community it serves, it will not only fall short in function, but can reinforce the bias and errors in the data. In effect, it becomes its own data poisoning attack, one of the key security concerns in AI applications. Ethical approaches to AI applications have to focus on ensuring that outputs reflect the diverse nature of society and move beyond a narrow, middle of the road, average. They have to integrate perspectives and feedback from the full spectrum of the society they claim to represent. It involves additional work to achieve this and it can pay off in the expanded market it gives access to. At the same time, organizations need to put their capabilities to work to serve those parts of their community that don't have access to AI's benefits. This can help to keep marginalized segments of society from being left behind, in what is becoming the next chasm in the digital divide. More S&P Global Content: Next in Tech | Episode 119: Defeating Digital Deficiencies 2025 Trends in Data, AI & Analytics Take 5: Data quality and AI — a bidirectional relationship Compliance automation, Part 1: Governance, risk and compliance, or something new? Credits: Host/Author: Eric Hanselman Guests: Emily Jasper, Abby Simmons Producer/Editor: Donovan Menard and Odesha Chan Published With Assistance From: Sophie Carr, Feranmi Adeoshun, Kyra Smith Other Resources: Trans Tech Tent Kevin Guyan - Queer Data

Enterprises are wrestling with delivering data to fuel their AI efforts, hitting roadblocks around data security and privacy concerns and sifting through use cases and models to put it to work. Too many are making high-stake gambles feeding vast quantities of data into massive models. Jesse Robbins, one of the founders of Chef, a progenitor of the DevOps movement, a builder of the early Internet infrastructure and now partner at Heavybit, joins host Eric Hanselman to look at alternatives to the path that many are taking in pursuit of successful AI projects. In much the same way that DevOps patterns look to shift application development to more smaller, incremental changes with a pipeline that drives continuous improvement, AI projects can work with smaller models and localized datasets to manage risk and iterate faster. It's a pattern that avoids concerns of pushing sensitive data to cloud-based offerings by working locally. Using smaller models reduces infrastructure costs and the need for vast quantities of GPU's. Larger models sizes and data sets create two problems – more computational power and supporting infrastructure is required and more data complicates data provenance, security and ownership issues. Starting smaller and expecting to iterate on the results locally can have multiple benefits. If the data being used never leaves the local confines, security concerns are constrained to local environments. Tools like the open source project Ollama can deliver a choice of models to fit a variety of use cases and infrastructure capacities. Just like DevOps patterns, starting small and iterating quickly can get further faster and with lower risk. More S&P Global Content: Big Picture GenAI report Kubernetes community capitalizes on open source and AI synergies Credits: Host/Author: Eric Hanselman Guests: Jesse Robbins Producer/Editor: Donovan Menard and Odesha Chan Published With Assistance From: Sophie Carr, Feranmi Adeoshun, Kyra Smith Other Resources: The Data Pipeline is the New Secret Sauce Ollama Continue

Much of business success depends on successfully managing risk, but that includes not only those aspects under direct control, but also the risks in relationships with third parties. It's a task that can be daunting for any business and Luke Nordlie joins host Eric Hanselman to discuss the challenges and technology-based approaches to risk assessment, monitoring and compliance. With expanding supplier ecosystems, businesses are faced with issues of scaling their third party risk management efforts to match that growth. At the same time, there is growing regulatory pressure and associated compliance mandates. For many businesses, this comes at a time when they're working with fewer staff, as they try to manage costs. To become more efficient and effective, they need to shift their tactics from point-in-time evaluations to a continuous compliance process, leveraging data to build better understanding of their risk posture. It's an approach that has seen use in cybersecurity and insurance.  With increasing desire to outsource non-core business functions comes a growing supplier inventory. Better controls are needed for onboarding new suppliers to help understand inherent risk. But as industries rely on common providers for specific capabilities, concentration risk increases across them. Regulators are focusing on resilience, with regulations like the UK's DORA explicitly requiring assessments of third party risk. There is additional pressure placed in areas like FinTech, where changes in the funding landscape are translating into needs for greater resilience. Performing due diligence in these new conditions is putting focus on technologies like questionnaire-less onboarding and monitoring using different data sources. Efforts at regulatory harmonization show promise in aiding third party risk management and helping it become a continuous process of evaluation and understanding of risk posture. More S&P Global Content: Getting Smarter with TPRM: Reimaginin Due Diligence Webinar Survey Data Hub - Voice of the Enterprise: Information Security, Technology Roadmap 2024 Credits: Host/Author: Eric Hanselman Guests: Luke Nordlie Producer/Editor: Donovan Menard, Odesha Chan Published With Assistance From: Sophie Carr, Feranmi Adeoshun, Kyra Smith 

The excitement swirling around AI often obscures the infrastructure that makes it possible. Since long before AI was at the forefront of technology discussions, datacenters have been powering technology and Jonathan Schroth returns to discuss datacenter markets and the complex forces that impact them with host Eric Hanselman. Datacenter demand is driven by the need for capacity in power, as well as interconnection. Recent subsea cable landings in the Pacific Northwest that link Pacific and Asian markets are driving demand in Oregon and Vancouver. That's in spite of higher costs in the latter. Interconnection is also a factor in Toronto. Constraints on power capacity are impacting these markets, as well as shaping the situation across Canada. What was once plentiful hydroelectric power around the Columbia River Gorge, is seen as beginning to plateau while demand continues to increase. The situation is the same in Eastern Canada, as winter power demands are exceeding what can be delivered by hydro. In the distant future, nuclear power could play a role, if small modular reactor designs can be deployed, but some locations, such as Oregon, have nuclear bans in place. Once again, key factors beyond the underlying technologies are the key factors in growth. More S&P Global Content: Bitcoin miners eye grid flexibility role as regulators scrutinize access Next in Tech Episode 105: Energy and innovation at CERAWeek Seattle, the so-called 'cloud city,' is anything but with subdued datacenter growth Big Tech's construction blitz in the Pacific Northwest's Columbia Plateau Credits: Host/Author: Eric Hanselman Guests: Jonathan Schroth Producer/Editor: Donovan Menard and Odesha Chan Published With Assistance From: Sophie Carr, Feranmi Adeoshun, Kyra Smith  

The annual Big Picture Reports are out and they span the breadth and depth of our research areas, including capital markets, commodities, commercial real estate, emerging technology, M&A and supply chain. Analysts Melissa Incera and Iuri Struta join host Eric Hanselman to talk about what they reveal and the strong interconnections across them all. A core driver is the rapid adoption of AI. It's affecting capital markets, increasing energy demand and exacerbating water stress in some regions.  The commodity insights report looks at datacenter growth and the effects on utility grids. That growth is a bright spot in commercial real estate. The technology adoption behind it is not all smooth sailing, though. Enterprises are struggling with a number of challenges in achieving the promised value of AI. The levels of capital spending for AI are concerning the markets and raising questions about when these massive investments will bear fruit. It's a situation where strategic investors feel they have to compete to gain access to a critical technology. It's also one where potential changes in the U.S. FTC posture could shift M&A thinking, if concerns about aggressive action are lifted. The reports cover all of this and much more! More S&P Global Content: See the Big Picture 2025: Supply Chain Capital Markets M&A Energy Transition Gen AI Sustainability Commercial Real Estate Public & Private Markets Powering AI – Opportunities, tensions in datacenter and energy markets Generative AI Digest: The debate over open-source vs. closed-source models Big Tech ramps up capex as 1st signs of AI returns emerge GenAI funding on track to set new record in 2024 Moving from hype to ROI: Tracking success and value in AI initiatives Generative AI Digest 19: A roundup of latest breakthroughs and developments Credits: Host/Author: Eric Hanselman   Guests: Melissa Incera, Iuri Struta Producer/Editor: Donovan Menard and Odesha Chan Published With Assistance From: Sophie Carr, Feranmi Adeoshun, Kyra Smith

Fresh from the 12th annual Money 20/20 US conference, Jordan McKee and McKayla Wooldridge return to the podcast to discuss all things FinTech with host Eric Hanselman. While the theme of the conference, “human in the machine”, focused on AI, there was less drama, as exhibitors and attendees grappled with a changing investment landscape and regulatory pressures. The CFPB's release of the open banking rule is generating significant activity as both banks and FinTech companies implement open banking capabilities. There was added regulatory scrutiny to contend with after a notable failure in the banking as a service market. Ecosystems are expanding in payment orchestration, as more providers open their environments to support multiple payment processors, driven by merchant demands. While there has been a significant pullback in investments compared to previous years, funding is happening and deals are getting done. There were some long-standing trends that came back this year. Jordan is branding the renewed focus on cloud wallets as Wallet War II, as vendors vie to win guest checkout placements. Cryptocurrency in the form of stable coins, was back as means for cross border transactions. It's an area where there is significant tech being applied. As McKayla discussed in episode 186, B2B payments are seeing ongoing digitization. The conference was rife with activity and there is much more that we discussed. More S&P Global Content: - A primer on payments orchestration - Key takeaways from 2024's Money20/20 US - Virtual cards offer a boost to security, could help streamline B2B payables - Payments, fraud prevention enhance strategic value for merchants – Highlights from VotE: Customer Experience & Commerce - Emerging fraud typologies primer, Part 1: Fighting 'friendly fraud' in e-commerce Credits: - Host/Author: Eric Hanselman - Guests: Jordan McKee, McKayla Wooldridge - Producer/Editor: Donovan Menard and Odesha Chan - Published With Assistance From: Sophie Carr, Feranmi Adeoshun, Kyra Smith

There is continuing positive sentiment among technology buyers, a trend that's continued for a fourth quarter. Sheryl Kingstone and Liam Eagle return to discuss the latest Tech Demand Indicator (TDI) study results with host Eric Hanselman. The numbers have shown strong correlation with aggregate revenue changes for companies in the S&P 500 Information Technology Index. There are a number of interesting trends within the data. Previously eager spending intent for AI technology has cooled slightly, but remains positive. It has slipped to third place behind information technology and cloud infrastructure. Influence on sentiment shifted in some areas, but external economic conditions continued to lead. When contrasting technology intent versus lines of business intent, selling and customer experience focus predominates.                            The TDI serves as a signal that guides other parts of research and can help provide insights into market trends. When integrated with other data products, it can provide correlation with more specific markers to create forward-looking indications. When it comes to making the most of the TDI data, it's all interconnected! More S&P Global Content: Technology Demand Webinar The 451 Alliance Economic pressures may delay anticipated sustainability-driven IT spending Tech spending intent extends consistent period of positive demand – Tech Demand Indicator highlights from Q3'24 Credits: Host/Author: Eric Hanselman Guests: Sheryl Kingstone, Liam Eagle Producer/Editor: Donovan Menard and Odesha Chan Published With Assistance From: Sophie Carr, Feranmi Adeoshun, Kyra Smith

As the seasons shift gears, there's activity happening off the playing fields with sports media deals that are getting teams on their feet. Analysts Scott Robson and Michael Johnson join host Eric Hanselman to look at deals in women's and men's sports in the NFL, NBA, WNBA, NWSL and NHL. Streaming media companies are pushing into an area where linear media has dominated and they're competing aggressively to secure events. At the same time, leagues are expanding both their calendars and playing fields. International games have become common as they look to build fan bases in new geographies. College teams are dealing both with player compensation demands and are stepping beyond the traditional conference boundaries to create matchups that will draw larger viewership.   Regional sports networks have struggled, with a notable bankruptcy disrupting the market. That continues a shift that was forced during the pandemic and continues today. Cord cutting by consumers has only accelerated this trend. Many teams are developing direct-to-consumer streaming services as a result. It's still a question as to whether these efforts will be viable, given the constraints they face. At the same time streaming services are expanding into a broader range of sports. Pickleball, anyone?   More S&P Global Content: MediaTalk | Season 2 | Ep. 29 - Streaming Services, Linear Networks Kick Off Sports rights in the US approach $30 billion in 2024   Credits: Host/Author: Eric Hanselman Guests: Scott Robson, Michael Johnson Producer/Editor: Donovan Menard and Odesha Chan Published With Assistance From: Sophie Carr, Feranmi Adeoshun, Kyra Smith    

As the payment industry works to address security and fraud, they're moving beyond being consumers of security technology and becoming acquirers. Mastercard's recent acquisition of Recorded Future is the latest example of this trend. Jordan McKee and Scott Crawford return to discuss the dynamics on both sides of this equation with host Eric Hanselman. This is only the latest of nine transactions for Mastercard and it indicates the need for greater payment security in a number of ways. As transaction security is ratcheted up, attackers are shifting tactics. Identity fraud has become the stage on which this struggle is playing out. Fraud liability can fall to merchants and fraud prevention can build value for issuing banks. At the same time, banks want to minimize false declines to encourage use of their cards. Mastercard isn't the only payment company making acquisitions and it raises the question of this becoming a more viable exit path for security companies. The $2.65 billion deal is the thirteenth largest by a strategic acquirer in the 451 Research M&A Knowledgebase. American Express, Discover and Visa have been active in dealmaking, as well, but not yet at this scale. More S&P Global Content: A primer on payments orchestration Security Summer Camp 2024 and the elephant in the room For Mastercard, the future will be recorded MAKB Deal Analysis Payments, fraud prevention enhance strategic value for merchants – Highlights from VotE: Customer Experience & Commerce Emerging fraud typologies primer, Part 1: Fighting 'friendly fraud' in e-commerce Credits: Host/Author: Eric Hanselman   Guests: Scott Crawford, Jordan McKee Producer/Editor: Donovan Menard Published With Assistance From: Sophie Carr, Feranmi Adeoshun, Kyra Smith

If your view of the technology that drives the human resources end of business is mostly hiring, firing and time off management, your head would have been spinning at the HR Tech conference that just wrapped up. Analyst Conner Forrest was there and joined host Eric Hanselman to look at not only the highlights of the conference, but also his recent research and market explorations. It's an area that has seen dramatic transformation, as organizations work to manage their internal capabilities with one of their most valuable assets, their employees. Analytics now play a much greater role in many aspects of management. People analytics can address performance management to gauge and guide team effectiveness. It's grown into employee experience analysis, as organizations look to manage and retain key talents and skills. Using intelligent skills gap analysis can strengthen training programs, particularly when it becomes part of employee growth planning.  When it's done right, investing in employee experience can also improve customer experience. HR tech is another market where there is a tension between integrated analytical functionality and standalone products. The recent HR tech Market Monitor looks at shifts in growth, startup opportunities and market dynamics. Larger players want to maintain a platform advantage and newcomers are trying to carve out their own niche. There are a host of possibilities to improve performance, culture and employee focus. More S&P Global Content: How legacy tech can kill recruiting efforts, increase attrition and ruin the employee experience Top 5 AI use cases for HR set stage for its evolution to data-driven partner Data Insight: HR technology market to surpass $85B in 2028 HR Technology Market Monitor & Forecast Credits: Host/Author: Eric Hanselman Guests: Conner Forrest Producer/Editor: Donovan Menard Published With Assistance From: Sophie Carr, Feranmi Adeoshun, Kyra Smith

As cloud-based infrastructure becomes a larger part of enterprise portfolios, there's greater focus on securing it effectively. Analyst Mark Ehr joins host Eric Hanselman to wade into the acronym-rich world of cloud native application security. Like other aspects of cloud and cloud native, security is a matter of dealing with speed and scale. There's more telemetry that's available, but workloads are more ephemeral and extending the same methods used in on-premises security risks overwhelming security teams and ballooning costs. Decomposing CNAPP into infrastructure and application development patterns creates an explosion of subsegments – Cloud Security Posture Management (CSPM), Cloud Workload Protection (CWP), Cloud Infrastructure Entitlement Management (CIEM) and many more.  Security vendors are bundling the various pieces together into platforms, but buyers aren't fully buying in. Efforts to move security earlier into the application development process, the “shift left” movement, has added the need to secure the infrastructure provisioning process that's taking place in cloudy environments.   Cloud security has become the leading pain point for security teams, according to 451 Research's Voice of the Enterprise study data, and cloud native skills are one of their leading skills gaps. At the same time, most organizations use multiple cloud providers, increasing complexity. Operational scale is necessitating a move beyond the siloed approaches that have been the norm for security. To provide effective security, data has to be shared across infrastructure. It also happens to be an area where cloud-based security tooling is taking a greater role. More S&P Global Content: The Open Cybersecurity Schema Framework Security for cloud-native applications SentinelOne continues its aggressive growth strategy with new CNAPP offering Orca Security continues its CNAPP momentum Credits: Host/Author: Eric Hanselman Guests: Mark Ehr Producer/Editor: Donovan Menard Published With Assistance From: Sophie Carr, Feranmi Adeoshun, Kyra Smith

The energy impacts of technology have been a concern for some time, but the rapid growth of AI has added additional pressure and speculation about the short and long term needs of the datacenter industry. The Datacenter and Energy Innovation Summit will be tackling a host of these topics, from energy to investments on October 30th, in Washington, D.C.. Analysts Kelly Morgan, Steve Piper and Dan Thompson join host Eric Hanselman to explore the topics that are at the heart of the event, as well as the challenges faced by energy providers, datacenter operators and the technology sector. Technology-driven increases in energy demands have upset the long-term balance of energy grid operators. Short-term increases in a business that plans over decades has datacenter builders and investors going to new lengths to secure the power they require. Nuclear power is back in favor, but the plans for Small Modular Reactors (SMR) from a year ago have been usurped by moves to repurpose existing facilities, with Apple and Microsoft both inking recent deals. At the same time, the large investments required to secure AI infrastructure are leading to some creative financing. Listen to get the details and attend the Summit for even more. More S&P Global Content: Datacenter and Energy Innovation Summit 2024 Next in Tech | Ep. 177: Datacenters and AI Next in Tech | Episode 169: AI's Impact on Datacenter Power Datacenters and energy 101 — Powering through renewable intermittency Powering the AI revolution — opportunities and tensions in datacenter and energy markets 2024 US Datacenters and Energy Report Credits: Host/Author: Eric Hanselman Guests: Kelly Morgan, Steve Piper, Dan Thompson Producer/Editor: Donovan Menard Published With Assistance From: Sophie Carr, Feranmi Adeoshun, Kyra Smith

We're all familiar with consumer payments technology in its various forms, but business transactions have a different set of requirements and a very different set of technologies and market participants. McKayla Wooldridge joins host Eric Hanselman to look at the results of a recent study and explore the dynamics of this complex market. The core accounting operations of any business are their lifeblood and change can be challenging, but the pressure to digitize to streamline operations, reduce errors and fraud and better manage cash flow are fueling interest in B2B payments. Much like transitions in other areas, like logistics or healthcare, going digital has to include a bridge from existing methods to electronic payments. In a world where 16% are transacting in cash, that's no small task. There are many players in this market, including software vendors looking to centralize on platforms for both payables and receivables, as well as banks with business-focused payment technologies. Moving from paper checks to credit card backed transactions might be a good first step, but businesses need to leverage the data that their payment activities generate to realize the full set of benefits. There's a lot of ground to cover, but significant benefits for those that can do it well. More S&P Global Content: Virtual cards offer a boost to security, could help streamline B2B payables Payments, fraud prevention enhance strategic value for merchants – Highlights from VotE: Customer Experience & Commerce Credits: Host/Author: Eric Hanselman  Guests: McKayla Wooldridge Producer/Editor: Donovan Menard Published With Assistance From: Sophie Carr, Feranmi Adeoshun, Kyra Smith

The primary exposure to advances in technology for most is in the consumer world. Phones, video and gaming are driven by the latest innovations, but have been experiencing a softening of the markets. Analyst Neil Barbour returns with host Eric Hanselman to look at recent research in consumer technology and explore some global market shifts. Phone replacement cycles have lengthened and North American and European markets are softer. How saturated they are remains a question for discussion. The new iPhone announcement has raised interest, but the unknown impact of the need for AI-capable end user devices is still hovering in the future. There have to be compelling applications to complete the picture and they're not yet fully defined. The markets will need more than early adopters to thrive. Asia Pacific consumer technology markets are transforming and may offer interesting opportunities. Console gaming in China is seeing a focus that could drive an industry that is in the doldrums in other parts of the globe. Home broadband connections are projected to grow and could drive technology purchases. It's still early days, though. More S&P Global Content: Evolving Technology Webinar Metaverse Digest: The latest global, enterprise and industrial developments Metaverse Digest: Augmented World Expo; Infinite Reality buys Landvault AI & the Laptop/Smartphone Replacement Cycle For S&P subscribers: Survey: Half of adults are in the metaverse; why is the other half holding out? Credits: Host/Author: Eric Hanselman Guests: Neil Barbour Producer/Editor: Donovan Menard Published With Assistance From: Sophie Carr, Feranmi Adeoshun, Kyra Smith  

The flagship event for Salesforce, its Dreamforce conference, returns to San Francisco and some of the 451 Research analyst team who will be there join host Eric Hanselman to talk about what they expect and the key issues that will be in play. Sheryl Kingstone is looking at practical technology implementations as enterprises try to make sense of the real delivered value that's beyond the hype. Paige Bartley is exploring the challenges in balancing data quality and controls while supporting privacy and regulatory mandates. James Curtis is digging into the infrastructure technologies that are needed to support the innovation needed. Generative AI will be front and center in much what's going on at Dreamforce. It's already seeing significant application in customer service. But organizations are wrestling with managing data to feed their AI engines. There's a growing question as to the role of platforms like Salesforce in becoming the overarching manager of all data resources, certainly one that will generate a lot of discussion at Dreamforce. The annual 451 Research breakfast will be taking place at Dreamforce and listeners should contact the analyst or account team to register to attend. More S&P Global Content: Salesforce goes deep with an integrated generative AI strategy built on trust Sleep tight: Salesforce looks to advance vision of AI 'trust' Credits: Host/Author: Eric Hanselman Guests: Paige Bartley, James Curtis, Sheryl Kingstone Producer/Editor: Donovan Menard Published With Assistance From: Sophie Carr, Feranmi Adeoshun, Kyra Smith

The annual VMware Explore conference kicked off in Las Vegas in a new situation with the company now being part of Broadcom, after its acquisition. 451 Research analysts Jean Atelsek, Melaney Posey, Henry Baltazar and Liam Eagle were there with host Eric Hanselman and this special episode captures their insights about what was happening at the conference and how things have changed. After acquisition, there have been significant changes in VMware's go to market motion, including a repackaging of products, a change in licensing model and some upheaval in its partner ecosystem. There has been a renewed focus on simplifying the private cloud experience to offer a more competitive position relative to hyperscale cloud providers. There has been a strong push on the merits of a private cloud-based AI approach, identifying benefits in cost, security and privacy. All of this momentum is being driven by a new version of VMware Cloud Foundation – VCF 9. There is lots of promise, but like the delivery date for VCF 9, specifics can be elusive. More S&P Global Content: Broadcom hits the reset button on VMware packaging, pricing, licensing and partnerships Changes at VMware as Broadcom takes over, but multicloud VCF remains the spear tip Credits: Host/Author: Eric Hanselman Guests: Jean Atelsek, Melanie Posey, Henry Baltazar, Liam Eagle Producer/Editor: Odesha Chan Published With Assistance From: Sophie Carr, Feranmi Adeoshun, Kyra Smith

To predicate a business decision on the risk and potential reward, it's important to understand the size of the reward. Correctly estimating the Total Available Market (TAM) and the smaller Serviceable Addressable Market (SAM) is critical to that planning process. Research director Greg Zwakman joins host Eric Hanselman to look at the challenges in creating TAM and SAM estimates that support decision processes and build a convincing business case. There are a host of difficulties, including a dearth of relevant data, that can lead to “narrative” sizing. The problem with enthusiastic storytelling, is that it may not lead to great decisions and it won't convince business leaders or investors. A realistic TAM/SAM estimate has to be built on a defensible foundation, starting with an assumption tree with its roots firmly fixed in achievable market values. Use cases for the products and services and the use case density informs the perspective on market motions. An objective assessment of competitors, their successes and market geographies complete the circle. Enthusiasm is a key part of making a product or service succeed, but the business case needs a lot more! More S&P Global Content: Network API TAM/SAM study (for S&P clients) Credits: Host/Author: Eric Hanselman Guest: Greg Zwakman Producer/Editor: Donovan Menard Published With Assistance From: Sophie Carr, Feranmi Adeoshun, Kyra Smith www.spglobal.com

Connectivity had been having a moment through the pandemic, but the urgent need for high-performance interconnection has rolled back a bit and fiber optic networks and the markets around them are showing the effects of that change. Kagan analysts Natalie Colakides and Mohammed Hamza join host Eric Hanselman to look at what's going on in fiber markets. While backbone business is solid, investments in last mile build out, the connections to homes, has slowed. As nations look to address the digital divide, the gap between the well and less connected, they're having to push harder and invest more. The density of urban environments allowed greater scale, but rural fiber is more expensive to build per subscriber, given the lower density. At the same time, urban take up rates, the percentage of subscription to available services, are much higher than rural rates. It could be caused by rural  often being served by brands that are less well known. More effective marketing could also be a key to accelerating fiber markets, but it will have to overcome latent friction in changing from existing services. With advances in digital homes, consumers will need more bandwidth eventually, but the question is when greater numbers of services and devices will drive them to upgrade. The stall in the current market has led to some consolidation-driven M&A and more may occur opportunistically. Growth is in the future, the only question is when it will happen. More S&P Global Content: Webinar: Fiber Investments in the Spotlight Navigating the Data Center Frenzy and Tower Asset Evolution Webinar: Beyond Connectivity - Digital Infrastructure Trends in Latin America Credits: Host/Author: Eric Hanselman  Guests: Mohammed Hamza, Natalie Colakides Producer/Editor: Valentino Alfred Published With Assistance From: Sophie Carr, Kyra Smith www.spglobal.com  

The soaring estimates for energy demand are impacting utilities, datacenters and the companies that rely on both of them. Sustainability targets are taking a hit as power providers grapple with meeting technology driven growth and Adam Wilson from S&P's Commodity Insights team and Dan Thompson from 451 Research's datacenter group join host Eric Hanselman to discuss where this is leading. Datacenter demand is real and new builds are kicking off that are fully funded. Power availability and cost have become a key criteria for site selection. Both datacenters and power generation investments are long term plans, often decades in the making, but the large shift in demand has upended those strategies.  Simply getting power from where it's available to where it's needed is one of the major challenges. Grid interconnection and power transmission improvements are underway to address some of the gaps, but new technology is many years away. Small modular nuclear reactors (SMR) are only in their early stages and battery storage is still maturing in its capacity. It may not be until 2030 when technology and grid capacity reach parity with demand. This the final episode that completes the conversations that had started with the AI, datacenter and energy webinar. More S&P Global Content: Webinar Replay (registration required): Talk to the Experts - Artificial intelligence, Datacenters and Energy: Looming crisis or latest craze? Energy Research: Coastal radiation surplus in Q2 boosts earnings prospects for top solar owners For 451 Research Clients: US datacenter energy profile: Powering the AI economy For 451 Research Clients: 2024 US Datacenters and Energy Report  Credits: Host/Author: Eric Hanselman   Guests: Adam Wilson, Dan Thompson  www.spglobal.com

For the first time since the pandemic, the Kagan Media and Telecom Summit was back in person in New York, with a packed agenda looking at topics ranging from sports media rights to broadband technology and regulatory changes. Analysts Justin Nielson and John Fletcher join host Eric Hanselman to explore the insights and aspects that made up the Summit. There are media rights deals that have shattered previous records in the NBA and women's sports, such as the U.S. National Women's Soccer League. Advertising technology has changed how market participants are looking at monetization. Given this is an election year, ad spending will be booming and additional advertising channels add complexity to value and pricing.  Broadband was a new addition to the Summit program, given the importance of interconnection and the various developments that are roiling the markets. There are ongoing concerns about effective ways of addressing the digital divide, the gap between those that are digitally well-connected and those that are not, whether that's because of availability or economic issues. The U.S. federal Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) program is trying to be the Rural Electrification Act (REA) for the new century, but funds have been delayed for years and still won't address economic inequities. The intersection of broadband and content is swinging the pendulum on bundling of service offerings back to packaging of offerings, after years of focus on unbundling. Content providers, streaming services and service providers and hoping to garner new business as consumers look for simplification. More S&P Global Content: 2024 Kagan Media Telecom Summit Credits: Host: Eric Hanselman Guests: Justin Nielson, John Fletcher www.spglobal.com

With larger portions of IT budgets being consumed by cloud, there's a greater imperative to understand the nature of price, value and availability of cloud services. Since its inception in 2015, the Cloud Price Index (CPI) has tracked the current state of cloud services across the globe. New data tools have made it even more valuable and analyst Gabriella Brown joins host Eric Hanselman to explore how clients are putting it to work and the trends that are shaping the changes taking place. Using a basket of goods model and scanning of millions of offered services, the CPI normalizes cloud capabilities, allowing comparisons between providers and regions. The FinOps movement is bringing new rigor to managing cloud costs and building capabilities to plan more strategically. With a greater focus on sustainability, the CPI can target green and low carbon regions for workload deployment. It also tracks trends, like the reduction and, in some cases, elimination of discounts on new instance types. While they can offer better value in price for performance, it's an indication that cloud providers may be looking at more margin retention in their offerings, as they adapt their supporting infrastructure to deal with demand from AI.    Host: Eric Hanselman Guest: Gabriella Brown Links to show content: https://clients.451research.com/reports?cat0=349

Generative AI is having far reaching impacts on datacenters and new data shedding light on the nature and extent of the impacts. Analysts Melissa Incera and Dan Thompson return to the podcast to dig into the data and discuss the ramifications for enterprises, datacenter builders and operators and those putting AI to work with host Eric Hanselman. The computational requirements of generative AI are unique, taking demands similar to high performance computing or cryptomining and spreading them across a vast new community of users. The demands for GPU-based capacity are consuming more power, sometimes with order of magnitude increases. It's also driving retrofitting of existing datacenters. The need for higher capacity and innovations like liquid cooling are causing a new surge. We're at the beginning of the shift from a focus on model training to greater amounts of inferencing, changing where capacity is needed.  Looking at money flows in this market offers additional nuance. Investments in AI startups have been massive. Capital investments from hyperscalers in their own infrastructure is also massive, but it remains to be seen if they'll pay off in equivalent amounts of revenue. Is all of this sustainable? It's an complicated question in the many aspects of the word.   Host: Eric Hanselman   Guests: Melissa Incera Dan Thompson   Links to show content: Webinar replay (registration required)   For 451 Research clients: https://clients.451research.com/reports/204284 https://clients.451research.com/reports/204175   451 Research commissioned report highlights: New Report from S&P Global Market Intelligence and Vultr Provides Unique Glimpse into Path to AI Maturity Full report (registration required)  

There's substantial cybersecurity risk in critical infrastructure and addressing it is a complex problem that involves regulatory and private sector efforts. Joshua Corman, founder of I am the Cavalry and the CyberMed Summit, and Rob Knake, cybersecurity expert and former federal cybersecurity official, join host Eric Hanselman to explore the nature of the problems and the challenges we face in addressing them. This is a conversation that continues from their session at the America's Growth Capital's annual West Coast Cybersecurity Conference that ran alongside the RSA Conference. One of the challenges in securing critical infrastructure, is that it's often addressed as independent activities. That can miss the impact of cascading failures that can occur, given the interdependencies that exist across utilities and the social services that depend on them. Ransomware attacks on hospitals have taken weeks to resolve, rather than days. The Colonial pipeline attack shutdown services for a week. Behind this is a set of challenges that need to be addressed on the scale of the Y2K crisis at the start of the century, but that lack a hard deadline. There is progress being made, but there is much more to do. Host: https://www.spglobal.com/marketintelligence/contributors/1535668/eric-hanselman https://www.linkedin.com/in/erichanselman/  Guests: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshcorman/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/rknake/ Links to show content: https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/National-Cybersecurity-Strategy-2023.pdf https://youtu.be/dhJvslRRlFc?si=TmNbbRuh4MeSu0BO https://www.rsaconference.com/library/presentation/usa/2024/getting%20serious%20critical%20disruptionsthinkingresponses%20%20rumors%20of%20war https://www.cisa.gov/resources-tools/programs/chemical-facility-anti-terrorism-standards-cfats    

Rumors of the demise of the metaverse have circulated widely, but the latest revenue numbers and market activity are showing that it's recovering from post-pandemic pull-backs. The industrial metaverse is showing strong growth and attendance at the 15th anniversary of Augmented World Expo USA is up. Analysts Neil Barbour and Ian Hughes are just back from the Expo and discuss their insights with host Eric Hanselman. Metaverse and augmented reality tools are shifting the conversation from human interface to humane interface technologies, looking to better convey information. Semiconductor advances are putting more power into headsets and glasses, and remote rendering and cloud streaming are offloading some of the computational load to the cloud. It's a combination that is bringing the metaverse into retail applications and making it useful for the people who are putting it to work. AI is in the mix, as well, both building worlds and performing language translation. 

Over a decade ago, Marc Andreessen said that software was eating the world and today we could easily say that open source is eating the software world. It's widely adopted and deployed and has become a key element of the IT landscape. The last year has seen some players shifting their approaches to the market, but have these affected the fundamental values of the open source community? Dr. Thomas Di Giacomo, Chief Technical and Product Officer at SUSE and Cloud Native Computing Foundation board member, joins host Eric Hanselman at the SUSECON conference to talk about some of the dynamics of the open source market. Enterprises are leveraging open source to reduce risk in experimentation and tapping into the innovations that are coming out of the open source community. It's not always a simple path, but it's one that more are finding attractive, particularly in light of upheavals in the proprietary markets. Guest: Dr. Thomas Di Giacomo Credits:  Host/Author: Eric Hanselman Producer/Editor: Kyle Cangialosi, Donovan Menard Published with assistance from: Sophie Carr

While most of us have a basic understanding of phishing, the email attack tactic that's been with us for years, attack techniques and the attacker community have been evolving rapidly. The speed of that evolution is outpacing the ability of users to detect the latest instances of phishing attacks and the advances are not slowing down. Poornima DeBolle, co-founder and chief product officer at Menlo Security, joins host Eric Hanselman to look at how phishing has changed and the options available to defenders. The days of misspelled, badly worded emails are disappearing behind us, being replaced by ever more targeted versions, enhanced with the power of AI. Defenses are being challenged, from new tactics to appear more trustworthy, to advanced proxies that can subvert multifactor authentication. There's a greater need for technical protections, as attackers get better at outfoxing even the best trained users.   Host: Eric Hanselman Guest: Poornima DeBolle  

IT buying sentiment has remained positive in the latest edition of the 451 Research Tech Demand Indicator study. It showed a strong start to 2024, but there were other signals buried in the data. Liam Eagle and Malav Parekh, two of the study's authors, return to the podcast to join host Eric Hanselman to explore the results and their implications. The study explores spending sentiment and contrasts it with macroeconomic impacts, looking at shifts across demographics and technology verticals. Information security spending stays strong, but the gap between expectations in consumers is notable. High-income households are much more positive than their lower-income counterparts. The study data can inform those trying to make sense of the IT landscape. Tech Demand Indicator webinar Link to the 451 Alliance application