Podcasts about slas

“We eliminate CapEx, embed Zero Trust by default, and lower TCO by 30–40%.” — Niraj Singh, Chief Business Development Officer, Nile Niraj Singh, Chief Business Development Officer at Nile, joined Doug Green, Publisher of Technology Reseller News, to discuss how Nile is redefining enterprise networking with a consumption-based, AI-driven model built for telcos and MSPs. Unlike legacy vendors that sell hardware, licenses, and bolt-on security, Nile delivers Networking-as-a-Service (NaaS) with: 100% OpEx, no CapEx — fully consumption-based pricing Campus Zero Trust built in — isolating every user, device, and app to stop malware propagation AI-native automation — real-time telemetry, anomaly detection, and self-healing networks Lifecycle management included — upgrades, patches, and RMAs fully covered Nile backs its model with a four-nines SLA and money-back guarantee, a rare commitment in enterprise networking. For telcos and MSPs, the impact is significant: Reduced churn by embedding in-building networks alongside connectivity Higher margins thanks to lower TCO (30–40% savings over five years) New revenue streams through bundled, end-to-end secure services Improved NPS with guaranteed reliability and simplified operations “Telcos often compete on commodity connectivity. By partnering with Nile, they can deliver end-to-end SLAs, differentiate services, and retain customers,” Singh explained. Learn more at nilesecure.com.

Maksym Tkach, Chief Technology Officer at Frogo, sits down with us to discuss the company's breakthrough innovations in fraud prevention. From solving the hardest latency challenges in real-time detection to building a scalable, cloud-native architecture with Go and microservices, he shares how Frogo became the trusted partner for high-risk industries like fintech and iGaming. What's the biggest technical challenge you solved while building Frogo's real-time fraud detection engine? That's a great question. The single biggest challenge was resolving the fundamental conflict between detection complexity and real-time performance. Our clients, especially in fintech and iGaming, need to evaluate dozens, sometimes hundreds of data points and rules in a single transaction. But they also have strict SLAs, often under 500 milliseconds, because any added latency directly costs them money in lost conversions or rejected transactions. Doing both seemed impossible. Our breakthrough came when we broke the problem down into two parts: rule orchestration and data retrieval. For rule orchestration, we found that standard sequential rule engines were too slow. Many rules could be run in parallel, but some depended on the output of others. To solve this, my team and I designed a proprietary dependency graph execution engine we call 'LTee'. It stands for Layered Tree. Before processing a transaction, LTee analyses the entire rule set and organises it into layers. Layer 1 contains all independent rules that can be executed in parallel immediately. Layer 2 contains rules that depend on Layer 1's results, and so on. This model allows us to achieve maximum parallelisation while respecting data dependencies. In the worst case, it runs sequentially but for most transactions, it dramatically reduces execution time. For data retrieval, the bottleneck was calculating complex aggregations on the fly, for example, 'What's the 95th percentile of this user's transaction amount over the last 7 days?'. Querying a traditional database for this during a transaction is a non-starter for our latency budget. So, we made a strategic trade-off. We use Aerospike as a specialised time-series aggregation store. We pre-calculate and store metrics like standard deviation, percentiles and averages across various time windows and granularities. It consumes more storage, but it turns a computationally expensive query into a simple, sub-millisecond key-value lookup. For high-cardinality counts, like 'how many distinct devices has this user logged in from?', we use the proprietary approach algorithm to get near-instant, memory-efficient estimates. By combining these solutions, we turned our engine from a sequential process into a highly parallelised system fueled by pre-computed data. The result was a reduction in our p99 latency from over 5000ms to under 300ms, even with complex rule sets. This didn't just meet our SLAs; it became our core competitive advantage and allowed us to win major clients who had previously found other systems to be too slow. Why did you choose Go and a microservice architecture, and how has it shaped Frogo's scalability? This was a foundational decision driven by our need for performance, reliability, and developer velocity. For the language, we chose Go for three specific reasons: 1. Exceptional Concurrency for Our Workload: Fraud detection is an I/O-bound problem. For a single API call, we might need to fetch user data from Aerospike, check a device fingerprint, and query a 3rd party service simultaneously. Go's goroutines are lightweight and perfect for this. We can fire off thousands of concurrent operations efficiently, which is key to keeping our latency low. A language with heavier threads, like Java, would have been far less resource-efficient for our specific use case. 2. Performance and Simplicity: We adhere to the KISS principle. Go is simple to read and write, which speeds up onboarding for new engineers and reduces bugs. Critically, i...

Os Estados Unidos passaram anos com o consumo de eletricidade praticamente estagnado. De repente, a inteligência artificial entrou em cena e mudou este quadro. O Departamento de Energia estima que os data centers, que em 2023 já consumiam cerca de 4,4% da eletricidade do país, podem chegar a algo entre 6,7% e 12% até 2028, o que equivale a 325 a 580 TWh. É muita coisa em muito pouco tempo. O problema é que não dá para erguer uma linha de transmissão de energia como quem atualiza um aplicativo. Thiago de Aragão, analista político No operador PJM, a maior malha do país, que cobre do Meio-Atlântico ao Meio-Oeste, as projeções de carga deram um salto. O relatório de 2025 fala em crescimento médio de 3,8% ao ano no pico de inverno na próxima década, um ritmo raríssimo para padrões norte-americanos e puxado por novas cargas gigantes. Não à toa, o próprio PJM abriu um processo acelerado para criar regras específicas de conexão de megacargas, em especial data centers. É a burocracia tentando correr atrás da nuvem. A dinâmica econômica também mudou. Por anos, as Big Techs compraram certificados que comprovavam que uma certa quantidade de eletricidade foi gerada a partir de fontes renováveis, (Certificados de Energia Renovável, RECs) ou através de contratos de compra e venda virtuais ou financeiros de energia a longo prazo, em que não havia entrega física; o termo de compromisso era usado para fixar um preço da energia no mercado e garantir previsibilidade financeira. Agora, a discussão é sobre lastro: contratos longos de energia física, isso é, o comprador garante a compra de uma quantidade de energia ou a produção de um parque renovável. A Microsoft, por exemplo, assinou um contrato de compra e venda de energia elétrica (PPA na sigla em inglês) de 20 anos com a Constellation, empresa americana de produção de energia de baixo carbono, para viabilizar a retomada da usina nuclear de Three Mile Island. A Meta fechou outro contrato de 20 anos com a mesma empresa para o complexo nuclear de Clinton, em Illinois. Esses arranjos não são apenas marketing de sustentabilidade; são a forma de garantir gigawatts 24/7 para operações que não podem piscar. Nem tudo, porém, é plug and play. O caso Amazon–Talen, na Pensilvânia, em que um data center foi construído colado à usina nuclear de Susquehanna, virou novela regulatória. A FERC rejeitou duas vezes o acordo de interconexão que buscava ampliar o fornecimento direto “porta a porta”, por temores de custo e impacto na rede compartilhada. A moral da história é simples: estar perto de uma usina ajuda, mas não anula as regras sobre quem paga pelo fio. Esse recado já foi ouvido em outros estados. E quem paga, afinal? Alguns estados começaram a definir tarifas e classes específicas para hipercargas. Na Virgínia, a Dominion propôs uma categoria nova de tarifa para data centers muito grandes e, em paralelo, ganhou autorização para construir uma linha de transmissão que atende apenas um hyperscale em Alexandria. A decisão gerou protestos de bairros vizinhos e revelou o óbvio: a “nuvem” tem 230 kV e passa no quintal de alguém. Demanda real e fantasma Do lado dos planejadores, há outro nó difícil: o que é demanda real e o que é “demanda fantasma”? Com a corrida por IA, desenvolvedores entram em múltiplas filas de conexão ao mesmo tempo, muitas vezes para o mesmo projeto. O resultado é um inchaço artificial dos números que pode levar a redes superdimensionadas e depois subutilizadas, e essa conta sobra para o consumidor. O Wall Street Journal contou bem essa história dos “data centers que nem existem e já assombram a rede”. No Sul, a Georgia Power redesenhou seu plano de recursos para segurar o carvão por mais tempo, investir em baterias e gás adicional e ampliar solar, tudo com um olho atento nos data centers. É uma boa síntese do momento: a transição energética continua, mas a sequência das peças mudou por causa da IA. E a nova geração de tecnologias nucleares? Os SMRs, reatores nucleares pequenos, que prometem menor investimento inicial e maior segurança, estão no radar, mas o combustível HALEU, que tem a Rússia como a única fornecedora em escala, ainda é o gargalo. A empresa americana fornecedora de combustível nuclear, Centrus, atingiu, em junho, a marca de 900 kg produzidos, um marco histórico nos EUA. Mas o Departamento de Energia dos Estados Unidos (DOE) projeta necessidade de 50 toneladas por ano até 2035. Em outras palavras, promissor, porém não no tempo dos data centers que entram em operação entre 2026 e 2028. Até lá, o que existe de nuclear “na prateleira” é estendera a vida útil e aumentar a potência licenciada dos reatores nucleares existentes, sem construir uma nova usina. Mas existem alternativas realistas para sair desta situação. A primeira delas é a velocidade frente à governança. A rede americana foi desenhada para crescer devagar, mas a IA trouxe ritmo industrial para o setor de serviços. A resposta institucional da agência federal dos Estados Unidos responsável por regular o setor de energia elétrica, a FERC, de operadores e de comissões estaduais, é tentar casar prazos de obras civis com os ciclos de investimento da nuvem. Já o operador regional de rede elétrica PJM cria trilhos específicos para grandes cargas. E é justamente isso: admitir que data center é um bicho regulatório próprio. A segunda é a adicionalidade, e não apenas a energia “verde”. PPAs que evitam o fechamento de usinas reais, como Three Mile Island, ou que financiam extensões de licença, como o caso da Meta em Clinton, têm impacto sistêmico muito maior do que certificados genéricos. É uma virada importante: a descarbonização corporativa passa a cuidar do estoque de confiabilidade do sistema, e não apenas do saldo anual de MWh limpos. A terceira é quem paga a fiação. Tarifas especiais e obrigações de investimento para novos hiperconsumidores devem deixar de ser teoria e se transformar em prática. Contratos de conexão mais rígidos, redução ou restrição da geração de energia em horas de pico e, quando fizer sentido, contribuição direta para linhas e subestações são necessários. Sem isso, a distribuição indiscriminada dos custos gera reação política, que já começou nas audiências públicas. O quarto ponto é a eficiência e a flexibilidade. Nem todo watt de IA é igual. O treinamento de modelos pode ser agendado; a inferência, nem tanto. O setor que aprender a deslocar treinamento para janelas de baixa demanda, ou para regiões com folga, vai reduzir o capex de rede e ganhar poder de barganha regulatória. Esse é o lado B menos glamouroso da IA: software de orquestração e contratos com SLAs elétricos, que garantam que o serviço entregue cumpra padrões mínimos de qualidade e desempenho. No curto prazo, o quadro será inevitavelmente misto: um pouco mais de gás para segurar o pico, nucleares antigos monetizando sua firmeza via Big Tech, solares e baterias crescendo de escala e muita obra de transmissão. A visão de fundo, porém, é de reencaixe. A rede americana sempre foi uma grande obra pública, implicitamente financiada por toda a base de consumidores. A IA está forçando um experimento de responsabilização privada pelo lastro, e isso pode ser saudável se bem regulado. O risco, claro, é o inverso: projetar para o exagero fantasma e socializar custo demais. O sinal de alerta já aparece nas projeções do DOE, que falam em até 12% da eletricidade em 2028, e nas avaliações sazonais da NERC, a entidade responsável por garantir a confiabilidade e segurança do sistema elétrico da América do Norte, que vêm registrando aumento de risco diante de picos mais altos e usinas envelhecidas. O desafio é achar o meio-termo entre subestimar a nuvem e construir para miragens. No fim das contas, a “conta de luz da IA” chega na mesma caixa de correio que a nossa.

Hosts: Lalo Solorzano & Andy Shiles Guest: Diane Perez, Senior Trade Manager Published: August 28, 2025 Length: ~38 minutes Presented by: Global Training Center

Send us a textIn this no-punches-pulled return from hiatus, Ken and Mike dig deep into the messy middle of vulnerability management, SLA fatigue, and the illusion of compliance. Are we building secure systems or just passing audits? From legacy cruft to exploitable CVEs, this episode unpacks the real-world pressures of SOC 2, the auditor dance, and whether fixing every “critical” is even feasible.Perfect for practitioners trying to balance the checkbox culture with actual risk reduction, this one's got stories, strategies, and spicy takes. Bonus: tips on managing auditors without losing your mind—or your security posture.

Briana Birkholz and Joe Lynch discuss blind spots & bottlenecks: unmasking the hidden enemies of supply chain. Briana is the Vice President of Product Management for the 3PL market segment at SPS Commerce, the world's leading retail network, connecting trading partners around the globe to optimize supply chain operations for all retail partners. About Briana Birkholz Briana Birkholz is the Vice President of Product Management for the 3PL market segment at SPS Commerce. With a passion for overcoming supply chain and logistics challenges, Briana is committed to addressing the distinct needs of customers through comprehensive, full-service solutions. Briana's extensive experience in driving innovation, strategic development and execution consistently delivers outstanding results for third-party logistics companies. About SPS Commerce SPS Commerce is the world's leading retail network, connecting trading partners across the globe to optimize supply chain operations for all stakeholders in the retail ecosystem. The company enables data-driven partnerships through innovative cloud-based technology, customer-centric service, and a team of accessible industry experts—allowing clients to focus on their core business. With over 45,000 recurring revenue customers spanning retail, grocery, distribution, supply, manufacturing, and logistics, SPS Commerce powers a vast and growing global retail network. Key Takeaways: Blind Spots & Bottlenecks: Unmasking the Hidden Enemies of Supply Chain Briana Birkholz and Joe Lynch discuss blind spots & bottlenecks: unmasking the hidden enemies of supply chain. The hidden enemies include the following: Inconsistent Time to Revenue: The Silent Growth Killer - Lengthy onboarding processes erode cash flow and strain customer relationships, highlighting evolving customer expectations. SPS Commerce's "plug-and-play" solutions drastically reduce onboarding time from months to days. The Cost of Chaos: Inconsistent Order Intake - Managing orders through disparate channels (phone, email, portals, PDFs) breeds errors and jeopardizes SLAs due to human error. SPS Commerce standardizes order formats for improved efficiency and control. Decoding Retailer Complexity: Unravel the challenges of adhering to intricate retailer requirements (packing slips, labels, routing guides, ASN timing) and the costly consequences of non-compliance (chargebacks, damaged relationships, lost shelf space). SPS Commerce automates document generation and validation to ensure first-time compliance. SPS Commerce is the world's leading retail network, connecting trading partners around the globe to optimize supply chain operations for all retail partners. SPS Commerce brings the following advantages: Industry Leader in Cloud-Based EDI Solutions: SPS Commerce specializes in cloud-based supply chain management, helping retailers, suppliers, and logistics providers automate and streamline their operations through advanced EDI and data analytics tools. Demonstrated Consistent Growth as a High-Performing Public Company: SPS Commerce has a long and consistent track record of growth, primarily organic, underscoring its position as a strong performer on NASDAQ (ticker: SPSC). Global Presence with Local Support: Headquartered in Minneapolis, SPS has expanded internationally with offices in major cities like Toronto, Melbourne, Amsterdam, and Hong Kong, supporting a worldwide customer base with localized service. Growth via Smart Acquisitions: Strategic buys like Data Masons, InterTrade, and SupplyPike have allowed SPS to broaden its tech stack and deepen its value across the retail supply chain ecosystem. Recognized for Culture and Innovation: Known for its positive workplace environment, SPS was ranked the best large workplace in Minnesota in 2015 and continues to invest in talent and innovation to drive forward-thinking supply chain solutions. Learn More About Blind Spots & Bottlenecks: Unmasking the Hidden Enemies of Supply Chain Briana Birkholz | Linkedin SPS Commerce | Linkedin SPS Commerce Woods Distribution Case Study Arcadia Cold Storage & Logistics Case Study The Logistics of Logistics Podcast If you enjoy the podcast, please leave a positive review, subscribe, and share it with your friends and colleagues. The Logistics of Logistics Podcast: Google, Apple, Castbox, Spotify, Stitcher, PlayerFM, Tunein, Podbean, Owltail, Libsyn, Overcast Check out The Logistics of Logistics on Youtube

Começamos provocando: mais visibilidade sempre ajuda? Partimos de um caso real para discutir por que dashboards sem ação só empilham problemas. Falamos de ruído de alertas, thresholds mal calibrados e cultura de “ver tudo” que, sem priorização, não move o ponteiro.Na sequência, entramos na parte estratégica: apetite de risco, ownership e quem tem o crachá para dizer “vai” ou “não vai”. Trazemos exemplos contrastando setores (financeiro vs. saúde), impacto no negócio e como isso redefine criticidade, SLAs e o que é “aceitável” em produção.Fechamos com prática de campo: shift left de verdade (não é “rodar o Sonar e pronto”), modelagem de ameaças para começar pelo básico certo (acesso, hardening, atualização), e o papel de Kubernetes na jornada em que o foco volta para o produto — com priorização inteligente, e não caça a balas de prata.Links Importantes:- Caroline Assunção - https://www.linkedin.com/in/caroline-assuncao/- João Brito - https://www.linkedin.com/in/juniorjbn- Assista ao FilmeTEArapia - https://youtu.be/M4QFmW_HZh0?si=HIXBDWZJ8yPbpflMO Kubicast é uma produção da Getup, empresa especialista em Kubernetes e projetos open source para Kubernetes. Os episódios do podcast estão nas principais plataformas de áudio digital e no YouTube.com/@getupcloud.

In this episode of UNSCRIPTED, Sarah Nicastro speaks withPatrycja Sobera, SVP and GM of Digital Workplace Solutions at Unisys, about how organizations can differentiate through experience management. Discover how Unisys has transformed service delivery through their Experience Management Office, evolved from traditional SLAs to experience-focused metrics, and is delivering powerful experiences using a combination of proactive automation and human touch. Patrycja also shares candid insights on addressing the aging workforce challenge in field service, fostering workplace diversity in tech, and achieving career success while balancing motherhood.

Sometimes it's not the payer or the process—it's your partner. This fast episode unpacks how weak vendor SLAs and poor integration can trigger a revenue delay spiral that stalls cash flow and frustrates patients.

Welcome to RIMScast. Your host is Justin Smulison, Business Content Manager at RIMS, the Risk and Insurance Management Society.   In this episode, Justin interviews David Neikrug, CEO at Optimatum Solutions, about managing vendors of employer-sponsored healthcare and a recent Optimatum Solutions report, “A Path Not Taken: Vendor Management in Employer-Sponsored Healthcare”. David explores with Justin the topic of applying risk management tools to HR programs and plans, an area that risk managers rarely visit. They touch on ways for risk managers to contribute at the table using the risk management skills and tools that they have applied to recognized risk areas for years.   Listen to learn about the benefits of managing benefit plan vendors.   Key Takeaways: [:01] About RIMS and RIMScast. [:17] About this episode of RIMScast. Our topic is vendor management. We will dive deeply with Optimatum Solutions CEO, David Neikrug. [:40] RIMS-CRMP Workshops! The next Virtual RIMS-CRMP exam prep, co-hosted by Parima, will be held on September 2nd and 3rd. [:50] The next RIMS-CRMP-FED virtual workshop will be held on November 11th and 12th, and led by Joseph Mayo. Links to these courses can be found on the Certification Page of RIMS.org and through this episode's show notes. [1:07] RIMS Virtual Workshops! RIMS has launched a new course, “Intro to ERM for Senior Leaders.” It will be held again on November 4th and 5th and will be led by Elise Farnham. RIMS members enjoy deep discounts! [1:24] The full schedule of virtual workshops can be found on the RIMS.org/education and RIMS.org/education/online-learning pages. A link is also in this episode's notes. [1:35] The next RIMS Webinar will be held on September 4th and will be led by AXA XL. It is titled “Lockdown & Level Up: Turn Up Your Cyber Security Game Against Creative Cyber Criminals”. [1:48] On September 18th, Origami Risk will present “Driving Better Incident and Claims Management with Data, Technology & Strategic Collaboration”. [1:56] On October 30th, Swiss Re will present “Parametric Insurance: Providing Financial Certainty in Uncertain Times”. [2:05] On November 6th, Hub will present “Geopolitical Whiplash — Building Resilient Global Risk Programs in an Unstable World”. Register at RIMS.org/Webinars. [2:17] Mark your calendars for November 17th and 18th for the RIMS ERM Conference 2025 in Seattle, Washington. The agenda is jam-packed with educational sessions that will resonate with risk practitioners in all stages of their careers. [2:38] See the full agenda at RIMS.org/ERM2025. [2:44] RISKWORLD 2026 will be in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, from May 3rd through May 6th. RIMS members can now lock in the 2025 rate for a full conference pass to RISKWORLD 2026 when registering by September 30th. [2:58] This also lets you enjoy earlier access to the RISKWORLD hotel block. Register by September 30th, and you will also be entered to win a $500 raffle. Don't miss out on this chance to plan and score some extra perks. [3:11] The members-only registration link is in this episode's show notes. If you are not yet a member, this is the time to join us. Visit RIMS.org/membership and build your risk network with us here at RIMS. [3:26] On with the show! You wanted to hear about vendor management, and that's why I reached out to Optimatum Solutions CEO, David Neikrug, to discuss the findings in Optimatum's new report, “A Path Not Taken: Vendor Management in Employer-Sponsored Healthcare”. [3:50] It's got some fascinating insights, and I wanted to extend the dialogue beyond the PDF, so let's get started! [3:56] Interview! David Neikrug, welcome to RIMScast! [4:07] Justin hasn't covered vendor management much on RIMScast. Justin invited David on the show to talk about Optimatum's publicly available paper, “A Path Not Taken: Vendor Management in Employer-Sponsored Healthcare.” This speaks to a risk management audience. [4:28] There is a link in this episode's show notes. The average cost of healthcare in 2025 is pushing north of $25K total cost, per employee per year, and it's an outsourced function. It's a large amount of money. [5:08] HR generally doesn't have the traditional service level agreements (SLAs) or performance guarantees that are present in an IT services agreement. That's a major disconnect that leads to financial, operational, and risk issues that go unchecked. [5:44] Traditionally, we don't see risk managers getting involved in HR things like employer-sponsored healthcare. David encourages risk managers to take the tools and skills they know and apply them to HR and employer-sponsored healthcare and retirement plans. [6:23] David suggests risk managers should demand vendor transparency when it comes to fees, debits, and credits. David talks about pharmacy rebates, segregation, and how credits are captured and applied. [7:09] David says vendor harmonization can be applied vertically or horizontally. The vertical side is when a company has acquired several HR benefits and programs, and then merges them into one program. The value creation by doing that is immense. [7:56] David says horizontal harmonization applies to anybody who aggregates companies of various kinds, including family offices. Each company may have a disparate benefits plan. Bringing plans together can save hundreds to thousands of dollars per employee per year. [8:46] Those are the types of numbers Optimatum Solutions is seeing as the opportunity for a risk manager to focus on as a quantifiable value proposition of bringing 10 vendor programs into one aggregated program. [9:14] From a risk standpoint, you have a single source to manage across enterprises. [9:31] David often speaks using numbers to convey the point. He says risk managers have a wealth of information and know what they are doing. When it comes to opportunities to create value, HR is an area they're not thinking about. [10:25] David suggests surveying risk managers and asking what percentage of risk managers are focused on the HR side, employer-sponsored healthcare, and retirement plans. You'll see the opportunity is almost endless. [10:44] Quick Break for RIMS Events!  On September 18th, the 10th Annual Chicagoland Risk Forum will be held at The Old Post Office in Chicago. Register at ChicagoRIMS.org. [10:59] On October 1st through the 3rd, the RIMS Western Regional Conference will be held in North San Jose at the Santa Clara Marriott. The agenda is live. It looks fantastic! Visit RIMSWesternRegional.com and register today! [11:15] On November 17th and 18th, elevate your ERM Program and career at the RIMS ERM Conference 2025 in Seattle, Washington. The agenda is live, and early rates are available until September 5th. Register now to save $110 and secure your spot at the ERM event of the year. [11:37] Canadian listeners, take note, that's just a little bit South of the border in British Columbia. That's a great way to extend your knowledge after the RIMS Canada Conference. Visit RIMS.org/ERM2025 to register. [11:52] At the top, Justin mentioned RISKWORLD 2026. Through September 4th, the RISKWORLD education content submission process is still open. [12:02] RIMS invites you to share your experiences, best practices, and innovative strategies that represent the global outlook of risk management. Send us your submission, and who knows? We might select you to speak at RISKWORLD 2026 in Philadelphia! The link is in the show notes. [12:20] Let's Return to My Interview with David Neikrug!  [12:42] David says the first thing to do is make sure risk managers have a seat at the table of employer-sponsored healthcare. They need to look at and understand all the terms and conditions of the contracts, looking for the low-hanging fruit. [12:55] Look for Service Level Agreements, Performance Guarantees, and Built-in Reconciliation Clauses for the vendor to provide a self-reconciliation of all the debits and credits from the plan year. Understand the contracts. [13:17] Second, make sure that you're a part of the team. Look at what you can do, bringing all the tools that you've acquired, dealing with the risk side over the years, and applying them to the HR benefits side. [13:54] For organizations of between 500 to 5,000 employees, there is ample opportunity. Those are going more unwatched than the larger organizations. The vendors aren't used to being held as accountable as they are for a Fortune 100. [14:21] David would say there isn't an organization that doesn't have an opportunity. It's a matter of focusing on it and bringing your expertise to the table to help your organization hold those vendors accountable, drive savings and performance, and create value. [14:59] David said Optimatum Solutions had a client that was a rapidly growing organization. They had acquired a company and decided to change the acquired company's vendor because they had been using a different vendor. [15:22] David mentions that Optimatum Solutions has a focus on improving or fixing relationships with vendors, versus running an RFP and finding a new vendor. It's better to fix a problem than to replace it. [15:40] Someone at the client company decided to move the pension plan business of the acquired company to a new provider. The plan was started in 1972, before the ERISA regulations on how pension plans are managed. The new vendor did no due diligence and took it over. [16:37] Within the first year, there was a claim by a retiree that the lump sum payment should have been 10 times what it was, stemming from one example in a plan document of how a benefit will be calculated. The company had to defend an $18 million potential claim. [17:11] It took three years to resolve. This taught the new vendor what the old vendor had been doing seamlessly for all those years. The former vendor knew how to deal with various situations, including payments to international employees. [17:49] The new vendor hadn't understood what they were acquiring. That led to a colossal mess. [18:10] It was an HR issue. They had a risk manager, but hadn't thought of having the risk manager at the table for this event. [18:20] A Final Break! The Spencer Educational Foundation's goal to help build a talent pipeline of risk management and insurance professionals is achieved, in part, by its collaboration with risk management and insurance educators across the U.S. and Canada. [18:40] Since 1999, Spencer has awarded over $2.9 million to create more than 570 Risk Management Internships. The Internship Grants application process is now open through October 15th, 2025. [18:56] To be eligible, risk managers must be based in the U.S., Canada, or Bermuda. A link to the Internship Grants page is in this episode's show notes. You can always visit SpencerEd.org, as well. [19:10] The Spencer 2025 Funding their Future Gala will be held on Thursday, September 18th, at the Cipriani 42nd Street in Manhattan, New York. This year's honoree is Tim Ryan, the U.S. President of Lockton, and we look forward to having Tim join us here on RIMScast very soon. [19:29] A link to the Gala is also in this episode's show notes. Buy a ticket, enjoy a great night in the city, and support the future of risk management. [19:38] Let's Return to the Conclusion of My Interview with Optimatum Solutions CEO, David Neikrug! [19:47] Behavioral and mental health are workforce concerns and reputational risks. David says the real number is productivity. If a factory has employees out for behavioral health issues, it has to replace those employees with temporary workers while still paying them. [20:43] The total cost of unmanaged behavioral health in a workforce is not just the behavioral health medical claims, pharmacy claims, or inpatient claims; it's also the lost working hours of those employees and the replacement costs of those employees. [21:15] That's a much larger number than just the surface of behavioral and mental health. Today, all health plans have strong behavioral programs. Organizations have Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs). [21:38] There are also point solutions adding a layer of a microbenefit on top of the program to ensure that employees are receiving the right care at the right time, in the right place.  [22:01] Organizations have the right tools. An employer will have all these programs, but they're disconnected. No one is bringing everyone to the table. [22:24] For a certain cost per employee per month, an EAP vendor will provide a given number of behavioral health visits. They will support the process within the traditional healthcare delivery system. Organizations can have point solutions for behavioral health. [23:00] Organizations can have these vendors at the table to understand what's going on at the organization. Are there RIFs? Are there acquisitions? Does the organization have seasonal issues driving stress? Is there an issue with the community where the organization is located? [23:20] Look at it holistically. Bring all these vendors to the table and discuss what's going on.  [23:30] In an unfortunate situation where employees are very stressed and have some sort of episode while at work, that's a material reputational risk, internally, and it may become an external issue. Most employers today have the vendors in place who can support them. [24:05] The steps are bringing the vendors to the table and managing them to ensure that they're aligned with the intended outcomes, and everyone's goal is aligned accordingly. [24:20] When you're discussing the organization with vendors, what about trade secrets, such as expansion and strategy? David says if you have the right vendor, they're about confidentiality. [24:46] If you're about to announce a Reduction in Force (RIF) or an acquisition, you will want your EAP in place to train managers to deal with employees who may be stressed. [26:01] David talks about AI risks. Ensure that when your employees are using any AI platform, you have thoroughly vetted the platforms you are allowing them to use to make sure that none of your proprietary or confidential information lands in public. [26:36] When using AI with confidential information, unless it's a closed system, you have a material risk of it being exposed. [27:02] AI is here for the future. It will change the face of every single profession. Justin assures that there will be no bots hosting or guesting on RIMScast! [27:35] David asks organizations, in the face of AI, What are you doing about it? How are you training and supporting your employees so that they can be part of the future, versus being a former employee who has been replaced due to AI? [27:54] In analytics, AI is simplifying delivery and crunching numbers like we've never seen before. These are incredible benefits for organizations in the future. [28:27] David thinks that you need internal tools to ensure that your employees are not divulging confidential information within public tools and that your vendors and their vendors are all aligned to apply the same rules for confidentiality. [29:12] David, you have been such a wonderful guest! I'm so glad that you were here to provide a little extra insight into the recent Optimatum Solutions paper, “A Path Not Taken: Vendor Management in Employer-Sponsored Healthcare”. A link is in this episode's show notes. [29:35] At the end of the paper is David's contact information. [29:53] Special thanks again to Optimatum Solutions CEO, David Neikrug, for joining us here on RIMScast. You can find the link to A Path Not Taken, the professional report, at OptimatumSolutions.com and in this episode's show notes. [30:11] I've also got links to RIMS coverage of vendor management in this episode's show notes. [30:17] Plug Time! You can sponsor a RIMScast episode for this, our weekly show, or a dedicated episode. Links to sponsored episodes are in the show notes. [30:45] RIMScast has a global audience of risk and insurance professionals, legal professionals, students, business leaders, C-Suite executives, and more. Let's collaborate and help you reach them! Contact pd@rims.org for more information. [31:03] Become a RIMS member and get access to the tools, thought leadership, and network you need to succeed. Visit RIMS.org/membership or email membershipdept@RIMS.org for more information. [31:21] Risk Knowledge is the RIMS searchable content library that provides relevant information for today's risk professionals. Materials include RIMS executive reports, survey findings, contributed articles, industry research, benchmarking data, and more. [31:37] For the best reporting on the profession of risk management, read Risk Management Magazine at RMMagazine.com. It is written and published by the best minds in risk management. [31:52] Justin Smulison is the Business Content Manager at RIMS. Please remember to subscribe to RIMScast on your favorite podcasting app. You can email us at Content@RIMS.org. [32:04] Practice good risk management, stay safe, and thank you again for your continuous support!   Links: RIMS ERM Conference 2025 — Nov. 17‒18 The call for RISKWORLD 2026 submissions is now open! RIMS Canada 2025 — Sept. 14‒17 | Registration open! 10th Annual Chicagoland Risk Forum — Sept. 18 | Registration open! RIMS Western Regional — Oct 1‒3 | Bay Area, California | Registration open! RISKWORLD 2026 — Members-only early registration! Register through Sept 30! RIMS-Certified Risk Management Professional (RIMS-CRMP) The Strategic and Enterprise Risk Center Spencer Educational Foundation 2025 Funding Their Future Gala — Sept. 18, 2025, in NYC! Spencer Internship Program — Registration Open Through Oct. 15. RIMS-CRO Certificate in Advanced Enterprise Risk Management — Featuring Instructor James Lam! Next bi-weekly course begins Oct 9. RIMS Diversity Equity Inclusion Council RISK PAC | RIMS Advocacy | RIMS Legislative Summit SAVE THE DATE — March 18‒19, 2026 RIMS Risk Management magazine | Contribute RIMS Now Optimatum Professional Report: “A Path Not Taken: Vendor Management in Employer-Sponsored Healthcare” OptimatumSolutions.com RIMS Webinars: RIMS.org/Webinars “Lockdown & Level Up: Turn Up Your Cyber Security Game Against Creative Cyber Criminals” | Sept. 4, 2025 | Sponsored by AXA XL “Driving Better Incident and Claims Management with Data, Technology & Strategic Collaboration” | Sept. 18 | Sponsored by Origami Risk “Parametric Insurance: Providing Financial Certainty in Uncertain Times” | Oct. 30, 2025 | Sponsored by Swiss Re “Geopolitical Whiplash — Building Resilient Global Risk Programs in an Unstable World” | Nov. 6 | Sponsored by Hub   Upcoming RIMS-CRMP Prep Virtual Workshops: RIMS-CRMP Exam Prep Virtual Workshop — Sept 2‒3, 2025 | Presented by RIMS and PARIMA RIMS-CRMP-FED Exam Prep Virtual Workshop — November 11‒12 Full RIMS-CRMP Prep Course Schedule “Intro to ERM for Senior Leaders” | Nov. 4‒5 | Instructor: Elise Farnham See the full calendar of RIMS Virtual Workshops RIMS-CRMP Prep Workshops   Related RIMScast Episodes: “ERM, Retail, and Risk with Jeff Strege” “Supply and Bike Chains with Emily Buckley”   Sponsored RIMScast Episodes: “The New Reality of Risk Engineering: From Code Compliance to Resilience” | Sponsored by AXA XL (New!) “Change Management: AI's Role in Loss Control and Property Insurance” | Sponsored by Global Risk Consultants, a TÜV SÜD Company “Demystifying Multinational Fronting Insurance Programs” | Sponsored by Zurich “Understanding Third-Party Litigation Funding” | Sponsored by Zurich “What Risk Managers Can Learn From School Shootings” | Sponsored by Merrill Herzog “Simplifying the Challenges of OSHA Recordkeeping” | Sponsored by Medcor “Risk Management in a Changing World: A Deep Dive into AXA's 2024 Future Risks Report” | Sponsored by AXA XL “How Insurance Builds Resilience Against An Active Assailant Attack” | Sponsored by Merrill Herzog “Third-Party and Cyber Risk Management Tips” | Sponsored by Alliant “RMIS Innovation with Archer” | Sponsored by Archer “Navigating Commercial Property Risks with Captives” | Sponsored by Zurich “Breaking Down Silos: AXA XL's New Approach to Casualty Insurance” | Sponsored by AXA XL “Weathering Today's Property Claims Management Challenges” | Sponsored by AXA XL “Storm Prep 2024: The Growing Impact of Convective Storms and Hail” | Sponsored by Global Risk Consultants, a TÜV SÜD Company “Partnering Against Cyberrisk” | Sponsored by AXA XL “Harnessing the Power of Data and Analytics for Effective Risk Management” | Sponsored by Marsh “Accident Prevention — The Winning Formula For Construction and Insurance” | Sponsored by Otoos “Platinum Protection: Underwriting and Risk Engineering's Role in Protecting Commercial Properties” | Sponsored by AXA XL “Elevating RMIS — The Archer Way” | Sponsored by Archer   RIMS Publications, Content, and Links: RIMS Membership — Whether you are a new member or need to transition, be a part of the global risk management community! RIMS Virtual Workshops On-Demand Webinars RIMS-Certified Risk Management Professional (RIMS-CRMP) RISK PAC | RIMS Advocacy RIMS Strategic & Enterprise Risk Center RIMS-CRMP Stories — Featuring RIMS President Kristen Peed!   RIMS Events, Education, and Services: RIMS Risk Maturity Model®   Sponsor RIMScast: Contact sales@rims.org or pd@rims.org for more information.   Want to Learn More? Keep up with the podcast on RIMS.org, and listen on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.   Have a question or suggestion? Email: Content@rims.org.   Join the Conversation! Follow @RIMSorg on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.   About our guest: David Neikrug, CEO at Optimatum Solutions LLC   Production and engineering provided by Podfly.  

Agentic AI is transitioning from demonstration to real-world application, particularly through the Model Context Protocol (MCP), which transforms traditional RMM and PSA systems into more interactive and efficient tools. This shift is expected to significantly impact ticket management, service level agreements (SLAs), and profit margins for managed service providers (MSPs). The discussion also delves into the competitive landscape, with companies like PAX 8 positioning themselves as orchestration layers in this evolving market, raising questions about whether this represents a genuine transformation or merely a rebranding effort.Rich Freeman, a prominent voice in the SMB channel, shares insights on how MSPs are adapting to these changes. He highlights that many organizations are already deploying AI solutions, which are automating tasks traditionally performed by humans, such as service dispatch and help desk operations. This evolution is not just about reducing workforce size but rather reshaping the roles within MSPs, allowing employees to focus on higher-level tasks that drive customer value and differentiation.The conversation also touches on the implications of MCP, which allows AI agents to interact with various backend systems seamlessly. This capability could lead to a future where technicians no longer need to navigate complex interfaces, as they can simply communicate with AI to manage their systems. The rapid advancements in AI technology are prompting MSPs to rethink their operational strategies and prepare for a future where automation plays a central role in service delivery.Finally, the discussion explores the concept of managed intelligence providers, emphasizing the need for MSPs to evolve from merely providing tools to delivering comprehensive solutions that leverage AI for better outcomes. As the industry shifts towards this model, the role of marketplaces and distributors will also change, requiring them to support MSPs in integrating and managing these advanced technologies. The conversation concludes with a recognition of the urgency for MSPs to adapt to these changes or risk falling behind in a competitive landscape. All our Sponsors: https://businessof.tech/sponsors/ Do you want the show on your podcast app or the written versions of the stories? Subscribe to the Business of Tech: https://www.businessof.tech/subscribe/Looking for a link from the stories? The entire script of the show, with links to articles, are posted in each story on https://www.businessof.tech/ Support the show on Patreon: https://patreon.com/mspradio/ Want to be a guest on Business of Tech: Daily 10-Minute IT Services Insights? Send Dave Sobel a message on PodMatch, here: https://www.podmatch.com/hostdetailpreview/businessoftech Want our stuff? Cool Merch? Wear “Why Do We Care?” - Visit https://mspradio.myspreadshop.com Follow us on:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/28908079/YouTube: https://youtube.com/mspradio/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mspradionews/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mspradio/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@businessoftechBluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/businessof.tech

Industrial Talk is talking to Sandy Carielli, Vice President at Forrester Research about "Quantum Computing Cybersecurity". Scott Mackenzie and Sandy Carielli discuss the implications of quantum computing on cybersecurity. Quantum computers could potentially break today's public key cryptography, compromising data security. Carielli highlights the importance of transitioning to new, quantum-resistant algorithms, such as those developed by NIST. She emphasizes the urgency for organizations, especially government agencies and financial institutions, to start this migration process. Carielli also warns of the "harvest now, decrypt later" attack scenario, where data is intercepted today and decrypted later with a future quantum computer. The conversation underscores the need for proactive measures to ensure digital trust and security. Action Items [ ] Conduct a cryptographic discovery exercise to inventory the algorithms and protocols currently in use across the organization. [ ] Bring together a cross-functional team to assess the organization's exposure to quantum computing threats and start the process of migrating to post-quantum cryptography. [ ] Incorporate requirements for quantum-resistant cryptography in procurement processes and vendor SLAs. [ ] Prioritize the migration of high-value, long-term data and systems that rely on digital signatures. Outline Introduction and Purpose of Industrial Talk Podcast Scott MacKenzie thanks listeners for their support and highlights the platform's dedication to celebrating achievements and amplifying messages. Scott MacKenzie praises Sandy Carielli from Forrester Research for her contributions to quantum computing and cybersecurity. The conversation aims to explore the transformative impact of quantum computing on cybersecurity. Scott MacKenzie's Perspective on Innovation and Technology Scott MacKenzie discusses the importance of creating content and demonstrating the human side of professionals in various industries. He emphasizes the need for companies to adapt to new technologies and innovations to remain successful. Scott MacKenzie shares themes from his conversations with industrial leaders, such as the importance of education, collaboration, and innovation. He highlights the need for companies to be nimble, trusted, and passionate about solving challenges. Introduction to Sandy Carielli and Quantum Computing Scott MacKenzie introduces Sandy Carielli and her work at Forrester Research on quantum computing and cybersecurity. Sandy Carielli explains the process of selecting topics for research at Forrester, including trends, market exposure, and regulatory changes. The conversation touches on the rapid evolution of technologies and the importance of staying current. Sandy Carielli mentions the annual top 10 emerging technologies report published by Forrester. Quantum Computing and Its Impact on Cybersecurity Sandy Carielli provides an overview of quantum computing and its potential to break today's public key cryptography. She explains the concept of public key cryptography and its role in securing communications and transactions. The discussion covers the potential risks posed by nation-states developing quantum computers and the need for cybersecurity measures. Sandy Carielli highlights the efforts to develop new cryptographic algorithms resistant to quantum computers. Preparing for Quantum...

“Nobody would deploy AI without internet—so why aren't MSPs treating connectivity as mission-critical?” — Ken Totura, Massive Networks Technology Reseller News caught up with Ken Totura, Chief Channel Officer at Massive Networks, during GTIA's ChannelCon 2025 at the Opryland Resort in Nashville. In this fast-paced podcast with publisher Doug Green, Totura lays out a powerful call to action: it's time for MSPs to stop outsourcing the WAN. Totura argues that the telecom industry has fallen short—not in infrastructure but in experience. While carriers build exceptional networks, the interface with customers and partners too often breaks down. That's where Massive Networks steps in, delivering high-quality, secure wide-area connectivity with white-glove service and a partner-first approach. “We want to be part of the solution,” says Totura. “We came from the channel. We've been customers. We know what's broken—and we're fixing it.” Totura urges MSPs to stop treating internet and WAN as someone else's job. Just like MSPs manage desktops, endpoints, and LANs, they must start managing the WAN to deliver truly seamless, end-to-end IT solutions. Key points from the conversation: Massive Networks offers carrier-grade services with direct customer invoicing, support, and SLAs—leveraging 60 million fiber-lit buildings globally. Their proprietary platform simplifies global connectivity by unifying cloud, SaaS, and data center links through a single console. The "Lit Building Locator" app enables partners to instantly verify fiber availability without registration. Differentiator: Unlike aggregators, Massive injects its own services into the last mile—ensuring performance, support, and control remain in-house. Totura compares telecom's moment to the rise of AI. Just as MSPs are now integrating AI into offerings, they must similarly integrate connectivity—because every app, service, and solution depends on it. “Cheapest isn't always the least expensive,” says Totura. “If you're not talking about quality internet and WAN, you're doing your customers a disservice.” To learn more, visit https://www.massivenetworks.com.

ZITADEL is pioneering the next generation of identity infrastructure, providing a developer-first platform that handles everything from basic authentication to complex multi-tenant B2B scenarios. With $11.5 million in funding and a unique open-source approach, ZITADEL has positioned itself as the "GitLab for identity" - offering both self-hosted and SaaS deployment options while maintaining flexibility through comprehensive APIs. In a recent episode of Category Visionaries, I sat down with Florian Forster, CEO and Co-Founder of ZITADEL, who recently relocated from Switzerland to the Bay Area to accelerate the company's go-to-market efforts and tap into the massive US opportunity. Topics Discussed: ZITADEL's comprehensive identity platform covering authentication, authorization, and multi-tenant scenarios The company's innovative dual-licensing approach combining AGPL open source with commercial offerings Florian's strategic decision to relocate his entire family from Switzerland to the Bay Area The evolution from per-user pricing to capability-based pricing models Building a global team across three regions: Europe for engineering, US for go-to-market, and Argentina for customer success Marketing strategy focused 80/20 on developers versus buyers Cultural differences between European and American go-to-market approaches Future vision for AI risk mitigation and behavioral analytics in identity management GTM Lessons For B2B Founders: Embrace "cash or code" open source strategy: Florian introduced the concept of "cash or code" - users either pay for commercial features or contribute meaningfully to the open source project. ZITADEL's shift from Apache to AGPL licensing ensures that free users contribute back to the community while commercial customers get enterprise features and SLAs. This dual-licensing approach creates sustainable economics while building a strong community foundation. Rethink pricing to align with customer value creation: ZITADEL is moving away from per-user pricing because, as Florian explains, "we are the system that makes users useful. So if we hinder our customers on creating users in the first place, it kind of defeats the whole idea." Instead, they're shifting to capability-based pricing where customers pay for specific features like compliance notifications rather than user seats. This removes friction from customer growth and better aligns pricing with actual value delivered. Focus marketing efforts on developers, not just buyers: ZITADEL discovered that an 80/20 split between developer-focused and buyer-focused marketing works best. Florian notes that "targeting the developer ultimately leads to us being in the debate when somebody procures a system like ours." Developers do the initial evaluation and recommendation, so winning them over is crucial for getting into procurement discussions with buyers. Leverage geographic arbitrage strategically: ZITADEL operates across three regions - Europe for core engineering (quality engineers at $100-250K vs $250-500K in Bay Area), US for go-to-market, and Argentina for customer success and sales engineering. This approach optimizes for both cost efficiency and timezone coverage while maintaining quality across all functions. Adapt messaging for cultural differences: Moving from Switzerland to the US taught Florian that "in US marketing, things get overinflated quite severely, but the buyer knows that and automatically deducts some of it." Europeans tend to under-market solid products, while US buyers expect and discount for marketing inflation. B2B founders must calibrate their messaging appropriately for different markets and buyer expectations.   //   Sponsors: Front Lines — We help B2B tech companies launch, manage, and grow podcasts that drive demand, awareness, and thought leadership. www.FrontLines.io The Global Talent Co. — We help tech startups find, vet, hire, pay, and retain amazing marketing talent that costs 50-70% less than the US & Europe.  www.GlobalTalent.co   //   Don't Miss: New Podcast Series — How I Hire Senior GTM leaders share the tactical hiring frameworks they use to build winning revenue teams. Hosted by Andy Mowat, who scaled 4 unicorns from $10M to $100M+ ARR and launched Whispered to help executives find their next role. Subscribe here: https://open.spotify.com/show/53yCHlPfLSMFimtv0riPyM   

Send us a textNew Matter host Emily Yamasaki, PhD, speaks with Vasumitra “Vasu” Rao, MS, PhD candidate–recipient of the 2025 SLAS Graduate Education Fellowship Grant–about his innovative research at the Jensen Lab (University of Michigan).Vasu's work focuses on AI-driven characterization of non-model oral bacteria (e.g., Streptococcus mutans), aiming to predict microbial growth dynamics and biofilm formation using neural ordinary differential equations (ODEs) and automated high-throughput experiments. His research bridges gaps in microbiology by studying under-explored organisms beyond traditional models, such as E. coli. Potential applications include understanding cavity formation, drug discovery, and pharmacodynamics modeling.He shares his unconventional path into AI/microbiology (inspired by chess and reinforcement learning), and discusses how the SLAS grant supports his exploratory research.About the SLAS Graduate Education Fellowship Grant:This SLAS grant facilitates educational opportunities for outstanding students pursuing graduate degrees related to life sciences R&D. This program helps to realize a fundamental tenet of SLAS's mission: to advance the fields of laboratory science and technology by nurturing the next generation of professional scientists. SLAS will award one grant (up to $50,000) per year, for a maximum of two years, to qualified educational institutions on behalf of deserving students enrolled in a graduate program at that institution.2026 application submissions are now being accepted!Learn MoreStay connected with SLASOnline at www.slas.orgFacebookTwitter @SLAS_OrgLinkedInInstagram @slas_orgYouTubeAbout SLASSLAS (Society for Laboratory Automation and Screening) is an international professional society of academic, industry and government life sciences researchers and the developers and providers of laboratory automation technology. The SLAS mission is to bring together researchers in academia, industry and government to advance life sciences discovery and technology via education, knowledge exchange and global community building. For more information about SLAS, visit www.slas.org.SLAS2026 International Conference & Exhibition February 7-11, 2026 Boston, MA SLAS Europe 2026 Conference and Exhibition 19-21 May 2026 Vienna, Austria View the full events calendar

"You may outsource your M&R, but you can't outsource your fleet management. That has to be internal." – Marc CantonThe trio unpacks real-life horror stories, including unnecessary tire replacements, duplicate battery charges, and a $7,000 bill for work that should've cost $1,000. They hammer home the point that outsourcing maintenance is fine—but abdicating responsibility isn't.Whether you're running 100 units or 4,000, this episode is a masterclass in oversight, system integration, and having the guts to ask, “Did you actually do that repair?”Key Takeaways:Outsourcing your M&R is not outsourcing your responsibility.Always audit invoices—even small transactions add up.Use your own fleet maintenance management system—don't rely on the vendor's software.Write clear, performance-based SLAs with incentives and penalties.A fleet maintenance system should flag warranty work and repeat repairs.Empower your team (or hire pros) to spot check the work physically on vehicles.Your FMC's priority is their bottom line—not your fleet longevity.Marc Canton30-year fleet veteran, currently leading product and consulting at RTA. Known for calling out industry fluff with sharp insight and sharper humor.Steve SaltzgiverFleet Whisperer and consulting legend. Former director of fleets for Coca-Cola and multiple government entities. Brings unmatched operational wisdom to every conversation.Scott RoodFleet expert, wrench-turner-turned-strategist, and master of sniffing out invoice BS. Trusted industry voice and audit specialist.

Send us a textIn this episode, we look at a forward-thinking program that brought undergraduate and graduate students from Mexican universities to the SLAS2025 International Conference & Exhibition in San Diego. Host Emily Yamasaki, PhD is joined by:Cris Herrera Ramirez, a biotech engineer and U.S. Air Force veteran, who spearheaded the program to bridge the gap between Mexican academia and global research.Isabella Alvarez Kennedy, an undergraduate student in pharmaceutical chemistry from Mexico, shares her transformative experience at the conference.Key Learning Points:Breaking Barriers: Cris highlights the lack of resources and international exposure for Mexican STEM students, despite their top-tier education. His initiative with SLAS aims to provide mentorship, networking and career clarity.Eye-Opening Experience: Isabella describes how attending SLAS expanded her view of scientific careers, from witnessing cutting-edge lab automation to understanding the collaborative and multidisciplinary nature of biotech.Global Collaboration: Both guests emphasize the value of cross-border networking in solving complex research challenges and fostering innovation.Early-Career Impact: The episode highlights why undergraduate students benefit significantly from conferences—discovering their passions, building connections and gaining direction before committing to a career path.Stay connected with SLAS:www.slas.orgFacebookXLinkedInInstagramYouTubeAbout SLASSLAS (Society for Laboratory Automation and Screening) is an international professional society of academic, industry and government life sciences researchers and the developers and providers of laboratory automation technology. The SLAS mission is to bring together researchers in academia, industry and government to advance life sciences discovery and technology via education, knowledge exchange and globalSLAS2026 International Conference & Exhibition February 7-11, 2026 Boston, MA SLAS Europe 2026 Conference and Exhibition 19-21 May 2026 Vienna, Austria View the full events calendar

No episódio 175 do Kubicast, recebemos o especialista Luriel Santana para um duelo de ideias entre DevOps e Site Reliability Engineering (SRE). Entre cafés e risadas, mergulhamos em discussões sobre cultura organizacional, automação de infraestrutura, métricas de confiabilidade e práticas de campo que vão desde data centers em Angola até pipelines modernos em nuvem.1. O Panorama: DevOps e SRE no MercadoDesde seu surgimento, o movimento DevOps trouxe um sopro de velocidade e integração entre equipes de desenvolvimento e operações. Já o SRE, idealizado pelo Google, elevou o patamar ao introduzir métricas claras (SLIs, SLOs e SLAs) e processos de gestão de erros. Nesta batalha, não há um “vencedor único”: DevOps acelera a entrega; SRE garante que ela aconteça sem interrupções.2. Lições de Campo em AngolaLuriel compartilhou conosco suas aventuras em data centers físicos, rodando Linux e configurando roteadores Cisco numa das regiões mais desafiadoras do continente africano. A mensagem foi clara: sem automação mínima, manter servidores operando em condições extremas vira gargalo. Foi ali que aprendemos a importância de Infrastructure as Code e do versionamento de configurações.3. Cultura vs FerramentalFrequentemente, equipes se apaixonam por ferramentas e esquecem a cultura. Discutimos como pipelines de CI/CD, contêineres e orquestração Kubernetes só fazem sentido quando há um mindset de colaboração e responsabilidade compartilhada. Do contrário, viram apenas mais uma “caixinha de truques” sem resultados consistentes.4. Métricas de Confiabilidade: SLOs e SLIs na PráticaA gente explorou exemplos de SLOs para aplicações críticas e viu que definir limites aceitáveis de erro é tanto arte quanto ciência. Falamos dos trade‑offs entre velocidade e estabilidade, e de como o roteamento de incidentes pode se apoiar em dashboards bem configurados — sem esquecer dos alertas que evitam alert fatigue.5. Pandemia e Adoção AceleradaA crise global empurrou muitas empresas para a nuvem e para práticas de automação. Discutimos como o trabalho remoto reforçou a necessidade de automação e infraestrutura resiliente, e refletimos sobre cases de pipelines que nasceram em questão de dias para suportar picos inesperados.Conclusão e Próximos PassosSaímos deste episódio com uma certeza: DevOps e SRE não são antagonistas, mas sim parceiros na jornada de entregar software com velocidade e confiabilidade. Se você está começando, comece definindo seus SLIs. Para os veteranos, a dica é revisitar processos e investir em cultura.Links e Recomendações:Conecte-se com Luriel Santana no LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lurielsantana/João Brito - https://www.linkedin.com/in/juniorjbnAssista ao FilmeTEArapia - https://youtu.be/M4QFmW_HZh0?si=HIXBDWZJ8yPbpflMSaiba mais sobre o DevOps Days Feira de Santana: https://www.devopsdays.org/events/2025-feira-de-santana/Confira o Canal Pro Evolua: https://www.youtube.com/c/ProEvoluaDescubra o Projeto Zero CVE (Getup): https://getup.io/zerocveParticipe de nosso programa de acesso antecipado e tenha um ambiente mais seguro em instantes! https://getup.io/zerocve

You can build sleek software—but if the charger fails, the user blames you. Casper Rasmussen, CEO of Monta, knows this all too well. In this episode, he shares how he built a platform that's more than “EV charging software”—it's a full-stack execution engine, now powering over 200,000 chargers. We explore how he scaled through regulatory complexity, turned EV pain points into product strategy, and why being a startup CEO means staying on the floor, not in the boardroom. A must-listen for founders navigating tech-infrastructure intersections, growing with resilience, and staying obsessed with execution over optics.  Tune in for real-world insights on scaling through complexity and fragmentation--- Hey Climate Tech enthusiasts! Searching for new podcasts on sustainability? Check out the Leaders on a Mission podcast, where I interview climate tech leaders who are shaking up the industry and bringing us the next big thing in sustainable solutions. Join me for a deep dive into the future of green innovation exploring the highs, lows, and everything in between of pioneering new technologies.Get an exclusive insight into how these leaders started up their journey, and how their cutting edge products will make a real impact. Tune in on…YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@leadersonamissionNet0Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7o41ubdkzChAzD9C53xH82Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/leaders-on-a-mission/id1532211726…to listen to the latest episodes!04:01 – Becoming CEO: stepping up from CTO08:55 – Execution first: what energizes a startup CEO11:19 – Core mission: electrify everything—EV to home & grid14:40 – Platform advantage: software, wallets & regulation20:38 – Support and SLAs: why service is product21:05 – Scaling milestone: 200k charge points & growth metrics24:06 – Market dynamics: public, private & home charging breakdown33:00 – Financial playbook: growth funding vs. profitability38:59 – Team & structure: staying nimble in scale-up34:48 – AI integration: reshaping roles and operationsUseful links: Monta's website:  https://www.monta.comMonta's  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/montaapp/Casper Rasmussen Linked: https://www.linkedin.com/in/casper-h-rasmussen-63b13922/overlay/contact-info/Leaders on a Mission website: https://cs-partners.net/podcasts/Simon Leich's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/executive-talent-headhunter-agtech-foodtech-agrifoodtech-agritech/

Men focus on AI, women on community and content – that was the impression left by this year's K5 keynote. While the male speakers see AI as the ultimate game changer that could make online shops obsolete and secure the dominance of large platforms, the female speakers envision the future in creator and content-driven commerce. In this episode, Ingrid and Valerie discuss these perspectives and highlight where the common ground lies: in action, in speed, and in the importance of content. They also take a closer look at a perspective that is often completely overlooked – that of the consumer who simply wants, - or needs- , to buy at the lowest possible price.Note from the sponsor PlentyONE:Selling on Amazon, Ott0, Zalando, or Kaufland? Then you already know: every marketplace has its own rules, fees, and expectations. But what if you had one clear, structured overview that compares them all – side by side? Our partner PlentyONE, has created exactly that: a free whitepaper that helps you find the right platforms for your products, categories, and strategy. It covers Marketplace access requirements, fees & commissions, fulfillment rules & SLAs - and much more – from Amazon to Zalando. It provides many insights into multichannel commerce and helps you to work out your individual roadmap for a successful multichannel strategy. Get the white paper right here: https://www.plentyone.com/de/multichannel-whitepaper?utm_source=marketplaceuniverse&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=CP_MKT_Whitepaper_Multichannel &utm_content=podcast-spoken-adNote from the sponsor bol:Bol has established itself as a local hero in the Netherlands and Belgium and has become the market leader in the region thanks to a clear focus on customer satisfaction and innovation. It offers more than 42 million products in 28 categories and access to more than 13 million customers. This also makes bol attractive for retailers from neighboring countries. Want to know more about bol? Then look forward to our podcast episode 119 next week, in which we talk to Patricia Lay, Partnership growth manager at bol and, Hassan Imran, e-commerce manager at Neudorff ePeformances, about his experiences with selling on bol.Note from the sponsor eBay:On July 10, we're inviting a select group of decision-makers to join us for our final live Connect Event  before the summer break – the eBay „Entscheider Dinner“. This exclusive dinner is designed for meaningful conversations, new connections, and fresh marketplace insights in a relaxed setting. A few seats are still available for brand representatives who want to be part of this handpicked group. If you'd like to join us for an inspiring summer evening full of ideas, exchange, and excellent food – register now: https://webforms.pipedrive.com/f/2XDfDE0vbHe8h96aXSfyWrvp8zpVs4yHFNCmobskstDVlYZklO5oapv41ZpvF2zPJChapters:00:00 Adventures at K5 Conference03:10 Insights from the K5 Conference05:23 The Future of E-Commerce: AI and Shopping Agents12:00 The Role of Community and Content in Commerce18:03 Speed vs. Strategy in E-Commerce23:54 Understanding the Average Consumer30:01 Final Thoughts and Future Directions

LLMs are reshaping the future of data and AI—and ignoring them might just be career malpractice. Yoni Michael and Kostas Pardalis unpack what's breaking, what's emerging, and why inference is becoming the new heartbeat of the data pipeline.// BioKostas PardalisKostas is an engineer-turned-entrepreneur with a passion for building products and companies in the data space. He's currently the co-founder of Typedef. Before that, he worked closely with the creators of Trino at Starburst Data on some exciting projects. Earlier in his career, he was part of the leadership team at Rudderstack, helping the company grow from zero to a successful Series B in under two years. He also founded Blendo in 2014, one of the first cloud-based ELT solutions.Yoni MichaelYoni is the Co-Founder of typedef, a serverless data platform purpose-built to help teams process unstructured text and run LLM inference pipelines at scale. With a deep background in data infrastructure, Yoni has spent over a decade building systems at the intersection of data and AI — including leading infrastructure at Tecton and engineering teams at Salesforce.Yoni is passionate about rethinking how teams extract insight from massive troves of text, transcripts, and documents — and believes the future of analytics depends on bridging traditional data pipelines with modern AI workflows. At Typedef, he's working to make that future accessible to every team, without the complexity of managing infrastructure.// Related LinksWebsite: https://www.typedef.aihttps://techontherocks.showhttps://www.cpard.xyz~~~~~~~~ ✌️Connect With Us ✌️ ~~~~~~~Catch all episodes, blogs, newsletters, and more: https://go.mlops.community/TYExploreMLOps Swag/Merch: [https://shop.mlops.community/]Connect with Demetrios on LinkedIn: /dpbrinkmConnect with Kostas on LinkedIn: /kostaspardalis/Connect with Yoni on LinkedIn: /yonimichael/Timestamps:[00:00] Breaking Tools, Evolving Data Workloads[06:35] Building Truly Great Data Teams[10:49] Making Data Platforms Actually Useful[18:54] Scaling AI with Native Integration[24:04] Empowering Employees to Build Agents[28:17] Rise of the AI Sherpa[36:09] Real AI Infrastructure Pain Points[38:05] Fixing Gaps Between Data, AI[46:04] Smarter Decisions Through Better Data[50:18] LLMs as Human-Machine Interfaces[53:40] Why Summarization Still Falls Short[01:01:15] Smarter Chunking, Fixing Text Issues[01:09:08] Evaluating AI with Canary Pipelines[01:11:46] Finding Use Cases That Matter[01:17:38] Cutting Costs, Keeping AI Quality[01:25:15] Aligning MLOps to Business Outcomes[01:29:44] Communities Thrive on Cross-Pollination[01:34:56] Evaluation Tools Quietly Consolidating

Neste episódio selvagem do Kubicast, nos embrenhamos na mata fechada dos sistemas distribuídos ao lado de Flávio Mendes, criador do Trilhainfo. De uma floresta irlandesa direto para sua timeline, o Flávio trouxe um papo afiado sobre arquitetura de sistemas, desafios reais e boas práticas para não cair nas armadilhas do overengineering.Conversamos sobre como evoluir de um monolito para microsserviços sem perder o fôlego, quais as pegadinhas comuns ao lidar com sistemas distribuídos em produção, e como manter a sanidade num ambiente crítico com SLAs apertados. Tudo com bom humor, exemplos práticos e aquele clima descontraído que você já conhece.Se você trabalha com arquitetura, cloud, engenharia ou está pensando em escalar seu sistema, esse papo é para você.Links Importantes:- Flávio Mendes- TrilhaInfo - João Brito- Assista ao FilmeTEArapiaParticipe de nosso programa de acesso antecipado e tenha um ambiente mais seguro em instantes!https://getup.io/zerocveO Kubicast é uma produção da Getup, empresa especialista em Kubernetes e projetos open source para Kubernetes. Os episódios do podcast estão nas principais plataformas de áudio digital e no YouTube.com/@getupcloud.

Send us a textFrom Elephant Butts to Ethical AI — Duncan Curtis on De-Risking GenAI at SamaEpisode intro Duncan Curtis, SVP for GenAI & AI Product + Technology at Sama, has shipped everything from autonomous-vehicle platforms at Zoox to game-changing data products at Google. Today he leads a 160-person team that's reinventing how training data is curated, labeled, and audited so enterprises can ship production-ready GenAI—without the lurking model risk. Sama's newest release, Sama Automate, is already cutting annotation time by 40 percent while keeping quality above SLAs, and Duncan says they're “aiming for a 10× improvement by 2025.” (aiuserconference.com, sama.com)If you want the inside track on AI ROI, ethical guardrails, and why A's hire A's (but B's hire C's!), lean in—this one's for you. (And yes, we do get to elephant butts.)Timestamped roadmap00:46 Meet Duncan Curtis03:51 The Duncan Brand05:52 Making Time for Yourself08:47 Autonomous Cars — 9× Safer12:21 Favorite Jobs13:24 Inside Sama14:39 Data & LLM Training16:04 De-Risking Models19:08 Ethical AI22:43 Stopping Hallucinations27:18 Data Labeling Deep-Dive31:56 Production-Ready GenAI33:44 AGI Horizons35:34 What Makes Sama Different36:31 Calculating AI ROI38:50 State of the LLMs44:48 Elephant Butts & Closing ThoughtsQuick linksLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/duncan-curtis/Sama: https://www.sama.com/Latest blog: “Sama Introduces New Data Automation Platform” (sama.com)Hear more: Duncan on “Human Guardrails in Generative AI” (DataCamp podcast) (datacamp.com)Hashtags#MakingDataSimple #AIProduct #GenAI #DataLabeling #EthicalAI #AIROI #AutonomousVehicles #PodcastWant to be featured as a guest on Making Data Simple? Reach out to us at almartintalksdata@gmail.com and tell us why you should be next. The Making Data Simple Podcast is hosted by Al Martin, WW VP Technical Sales, IBM, where we explore trending technologies, business innovation, and leadership ... while keeping it simple & fun.

Send us a textFrom Elephant Butts to Ethical AI — Duncan Curtis on De-Risking GenAI at SamaEpisode intro Duncan Curtis, SVP for GenAI & AI Product + Technology at Sama, has shipped everything from autonomous-vehicle platforms at Zoox to game-changing data products at Google. Today he leads a 160-person team that's reinventing how training data is curated, labeled, and audited so enterprises can ship production-ready GenAI—without the lurking model risk. Sama's newest release, Sama Automate, is already cutting annotation time by 40 percent while keeping quality above SLAs, and Duncan says they're “aiming for a 10× improvement by 2025.” (aiuserconference.com, sama.com)If you want the inside track on AI ROI, ethical guardrails, and why A's hire A's (but B's hire C's!), lean in—this one's for you. (And yes, we do get to elephant butts.)Timestamped roadmap00:46 Meet Duncan Curtis03:51 The Duncan Brand05:52 Making Time for Yourself08:47 Autonomous Cars — 9× Safer12:21 Favorite Jobs13:24 Inside Sama14:39 Data & LLM Training16:04 De-Risking Models19:08 Ethical AI22:43 Stopping Hallucinations27:18 Data Labeling Deep-Dive31:56 Production-Ready GenAI33:44 AGI Horizons35:34 What Makes Sama Different36:31 Calculating AI ROI38:50 State of the LLMs44:48 Elephant Butts & Closing ThoughtsQuick linksLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/duncan-curtis/Sama: https://www.sama.com/Latest blog: “Sama Introduces New Data Automation Platform” (sama.com)Hear more: Duncan on “Human Guardrails in Generative AI” (DataCamp podcast) (datacamp.com)Hashtags#MakingDataSimple #AIProduct #GenAI #DataLabeling #EthicalAI #AIROI #AutonomousVehicles #PodcastWant to be featured as a guest on Making Data Simple? Reach out to us at almartintalksdata@gmail.com and tell us why you should be next. The Making Data Simple Podcast is hosted by Al Martin, WW VP Technical Sales, IBM, where we explore trending technologies, business innovation, and leadership ... while keeping it simple & fun.

Installing Oracle GoldenGate 23ai is more than just running a setup file—it's about preparing your system for efficient, reliable data replication. In this episode, Lois Houston and Nikita welcome back Nick Wagner to break down system requirements, storage considerations, and best practices for installing GoldenGate.   You'll learn how to optimize disk space, manage trail files, and configure network settings to ensure a smooth installation.   Oracle GoldenGate 23ai: Fundamentals: https://mylearn.oracle.com/ou/course/oracle-goldengate-23ai-fundamentals/145884/237273 Oracle University Learning Community: https://education.oracle.com/ou-community LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/oracle-university/ X: https://x.com/Oracle_Edu   Special thanks to Arijit Ghosh, David Wright, Kris-Ann Nansen, Radhika Banka, and the OU Studio Team for helping us create this episode.   -------------------------------------------------------------   Episode Transcript: 00:00 Welcome to the Oracle University Podcast, the first stop on your cloud journey. During this series of informative podcasts, we'll bring you foundational training on the most popular Oracle technologies. Let's get started! 00:25 Nikita: Hello and welcome to Oracle University Podcast! I'm Nikita Abraham, Team Lead of Editorial Services with Oracle University, and I'm joined by Lois Houston, Director of Innovation Programs.  Lois: Hi there! Last week, we took a close look at the security strategies of Oracle GoldenGate 23ai. In this episode, we'll discuss all aspects of installing GoldenGate. 00:48 Nikita: That's right, Lois. And back with us today is Nick Wagner, Senior Director of Product Management for GoldenGate at Oracle. Hi Nick! I'm going to get straight into it. What are the system requirements for a typical GoldenGate installation? Nick: As far as system requirements, we're going to split that into two sections. We've got an operating system requirements and a storage requirements. So with memory and disk, and I know that this isn't the answer you want, but the answer is that it varies. With GoldenGate, the amount of CPU usage that is required depends on the number of extracts and replicats. It also depends on the number of threads that you're going to be using for those replicats. Same thing with RAM and disk usage. That's going to vary on the transaction sizes and the number of long running transactions. 01:35 Lois: And how does the recovery process in GoldenGate impact system resources?  Nick: You've got two things that help the extract recovery. You've got the bonded recovery that will store transactions over a certain length of time to disk. It also has a cache manager setting that determines what gets written to disk as part of open transactions. It's not just the simple answer as, oh, it needs this much space. GoldenGate also needs to store trail files for the data that it's moving across. So if there's network latency, or if you expect a certain network outage, or you have certain SLAs for the target database that may not be met, you need to make sure that GoldenGate has enough room to store its trail files as it's writing them. The good news about all this is that you can track it. You can use parameters to set them. And we do have some metrics that we'll provide to you on how to size these environments. So a couple of things on the disk usage. The actual installation of GoldenGate is about 1 to 1.5 gig in size, depending on which version of GoldenGate you're going to be using and what database. The trail files themselves, they default to 500 megabytes apiece. A lot of customers keep them on disk longer than they're necessary, and so there's all sorts of purging options available in GoldenGate. But you can set up purge rules to say, hey, I want to get rid of my trail files as soon as they're not needed anymore. But you can also say, you know what? I want to keep my trail files around for x number of days, even if they're not needed. That way they can be rebuilt. I can restore from any previous point in time. 03:15 Nikita: Let's talk a bit more about trail files. How do these files grow and what settings can users adjust to manage their storage efficiently? Nick: The trail files grow at about 30% to 35% of the generated redo log data. So if I'm generating 100 gigabytes of redo an hour, then you can expect the trail files to be anywhere from 30 to 35 gigabytes an hour of generated data. And this is if you're replicating everything. Again, GoldenGate's got so many different options. There's so many different ways to use it. In some cases, if you're going to a distributed applications and analytics environment, like a Databricks or a Snowflake, you might want to write more information to the trail file than what's necessary. Maybe I want additional information, such as when this change happened, who the user was that made that change. I can add specific token data. You can also tell GoldenGate to log additional records or additional columns to the trail file that may not have been changed. So I can always say, hey, GoldenGate, replicate and store the entire before and after image of every single row change to your trail file, even if those columns didn't change. And so there's a lot of different ways to do it there. But generally speaking, the default settings, you're looking at about 30% to 35% of the generated redo log value. System swap can fill up quickly. You do want this as a dedicated disk as well. System swap is often used for just handling of the changes, as GoldenGate flushes data from memory down to disk. These are controlled by a couple of parameters. So because GoldenGate is only writing committed activity to the trail file, the log reader inside the database is actually giving GoldenGate not only committed activity but uncommitted activity, too. And this is so it can stay very high speed and very low latency. 05:17 Lois: So, what are the parameters? Nick: There's a cache manager overall feature, and there's a cache directory. That directory controls where that data is actually stored, so you can specify the location of the uncommitted transactions. You can also specify the cache size. And there's not only memory settings here, but there's also disk settings. So you can say, hey, once a cache size exceeds a certain memory usage, then start flushing to disk, which is going to be slower. This is for systems that maybe have less memory but more high-speed disk. You can optimize these parameters as necessary. 05:53 Nikita: And how does GoldenGate adjust these parameters? Nick: For most environments, you're just going to leave them alone. They're automatically configured to look at the system memory available on that system and not use it all. And then as soon as necessary, it'll overflow to disk. There's also intelligent settings built within these parameters and within the cache manager itself that if it starts seeing a lull in activity or your traditional OLTP type responses to actually free up the memory that it has allocated. Or if it starts seeing more activity around data warehousing type things where you're doing large transactions, it'll actually hold on to memory a little bit longer. So it kinda learns as it goes through your environment and starts replicating data. 06:37 Lois: Is there anything else you think we should talk about before we move on to installing GoldenGate?  Nick: There's a couple additional things you need to think of with the network as well. So when you're deploying GoldenGate, you definitely want it to use the fastest network.  GoldenGate can also use a reverse proxy, especially important with microservices. Reverse proxy, typically we recommend Nginx. And it allows you to access any of the GoldenGate microservices using a single port.  GoldenGate also needs either host names or IP addresses to do its communication and to ensure the system is available. It does a lot of communication through TCP and IP as well as WSS. And then it also handles firewalls. So you want to make sure that the firewalls are open for ingress and egress for GoldenGate, too. There's a couple of different privileges that GoldenGate needs when you go to install it. You'll want to make sure that GoldenGate has the ability to write to the home where you're installing it. That's kind of obvious, but we need to say it anyways. There's a utility called oggca.sh. That's the GoldenGate Configuration Assistant that allows you to set up your first deployments and manage additional deployments. That needs permissions to write to the directories where you're going to be creating the new deployments. The extract process needs connection and permissions to read the transaction logs or backups. This is not important for Oracle, but for non-Oracle it is. And then we also recommend a dedicated database user for the extract and replicat connections. 08:15 Are you keen to stay ahead in today's fast-paced world? We've got your back! Each quarter, Oracle rolls out game-changing updates to its Fusion Cloud Applications. And to make sure you're always in the know, we offer New Features courses that give you an insider's look at all of the latest advancements. Don't miss out! Head over to mylearn.oracle.com to get started. 08:41 Nikita: Welcome back! So Nick, how do we get started with the installation?  Nick: So when we go to the install, the first thing you're going to do is go ahead and go to Oracle's website and download the software. Because of the way that GoldenGate works, there's only a couple moving parts. You saw the microservices. There's five or six of them. You have your extract, your replicat, your distribution service, trail files. There's not a lot of moving components. So if something does go wrong, usually it affects multiple customers. And so it's very important that when you go to install GoldenGate, you're using the most recent bundle patch. And you can find this within My Oracle Support. It's not always available directly from OTN or from the Oracle e-delivery website. You can still get them there, but we really want people going to My Oracle Support to download the most recent version. There's a couple of environment variables and certificates that you'll set up as well. And then you'll run the Configuration Assistant to create your deployments.  09:44 Lois: Thanks, Nick, for taking us though the installation of GoldenGate. Because these are highly UI-driven topics, we recommend that you take a deep dive into the GoldenGate 23ai Fundamentals course, available on mylearn.oracle.com. Nikita: In our next episode, we'll talk about the Extract process. Until then, this is Nikita Abraham… Lois: And Lois Houston signing off! 10:08 That's all for this episode of the Oracle University Podcast. If you enjoyed listening, please click Subscribe to get all the latest episodes. We'd also love it if you would take a moment to rate and review us on your podcast app. See you again on the next episode of the Oracle University Podcast.

In Episode 177 of The Fleet Success Show, Marc Canton and Steve Saltzgiver unload a truth-packed conversation on the painful realities of outsourcing fleet maintenance. From horror stories about seven visits for the same repair to $3,500 upsell attempts during a routine oil change, this episode explores the downside of putting your fleet's fate in the hands of external vendors — especially without tight service-level agreements (SLAs) in place.Marc vents his real-world frustrations as a fleet leader turned vehicle caretaker for his entire family. Steve, bringing decades of fleet management and consulting experience, breaks down how fleets can build smarter, more accountable outsourcing relationships. Together, they unpack when outsourcing makes sense, how to hold vendors accountable, and why an in-house shop might still be your best line of defense against inefficiency, comebacks, and ballooning costs. 

A historic gap between consumer sentiment and economic data is raising concerns about future tech spending. Despite positive economic indicators, such as a steady unemployment rate and a slight increase in the Consumer Price Index, consumer confidence is faltering, as evidenced by a significant drop in the Consumer Sentiment Index. Analysts from Bank of America have noted that this disconnect, the widest on record, suggests that businesses, particularly in sectors sensitive to consumer demand, may become more risk-averse in their tech investments. This could lead to longer sales cycles and a shift in budget approvals for tech solutions. The delivery of cloud services is evolving, with a focus on outcomes rather than just uptime. A recent survey by the International Data Corporation emphasizes that managed service providers (MSPs) must prioritize customer success and align their services with clients' business objectives. As cloud technology becomes more integral to business transformations, MSPs are encouraged to move beyond traditional service level agreements (SLAs) and adopt a value-oriented approach. This shift is crucial to avoid commoditization and maintain profitability in a competitive market. TD Cinex has introduced a new Partner Loyalty Program aimed at strengthening relationships with business partners through rewards similar to consumer loyalty programs. This initiative reflects a growing trend in the industry, where partners increasingly value loyalty incentives over traditional vendor benefits. However, there is skepticism regarding the effectiveness of such programs, as some partners argue that consistent pricing and margin protection are more critical than loyalty perks. The challenge for vendors and distributors will be to ensure that these programs deliver tangible value rather than merely serving as marketing optics. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has retracted a controversial AI research paper that claimed artificial intelligence enhances productivity in research settings. The paper, which suggested that AI tools led to increased discoveries but decreased job satisfaction among researchers, faced scrutiny from both economists and computer scientists. MIT's decision to withdraw the paper signals a growing skepticism towards AI productivity claims, indicating that the market will demand more verifiable and transparent evidence before accepting AI as a driver of innovation. This development is seen as a positive step towards ensuring the integrity of research in the field of artificial intelligence.  Four things to know today  00:00 Vibes vs. Reality: Sentiment-Economy Gap Widens, Signaling Risk for Tech and Retail Spending04:35 IDC Survey Urges MSPs to Align Cloud Services with Business Outcomes, Not Just SLAs06:00 Perks or Just Packaging? TD SYNNEX Adds to Loyalty Trend with New Partner Program08:19 Flawed AI Research Spurs MIT Retraction, Reflecting Broader Demand for Verifiable Innovation Claims  This is the Business of Tech.      Supported by:  https://getnerdio.com/nerdio-manager-for-msp/ All our Sponsors: https://businessof.tech/sponsors/ Do you want the show on your podcast app or the written versions of the stories? Subscribe to the Business of Tech: https://www.businessof.tech/subscribe/Looking for a link from the stories? The entire script of the show, with links to articles, are posted in each story on https://www.businessof.tech/ Support the show on Patreon: https://patreon.com/mspradio/ Want to be a guest on Business of Tech: Daily 10-Minute IT Services Insights? Send Dave Sobel a message on PodMatch, here: https://www.podmatch.com/hostdetailpreview/businessoftech Want our stuff? Cool Merch? Wear “Why Do We Care?” - Visit https://mspradio.myspreadshop.com Follow us on:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/28908079/YouTube: https://youtube.com/mspradio/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mspradionews/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mspradio/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@businessoftechBluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/businessof.tech

When a cybersecurity CEO strolls into a hospital and decides to play malware magician with a couple of unlocked computers, you've got yourself a plot twist worthy of a Netflix docuseries. In this episode, we dive headfirst into bizarre breaches, finger-pointing fiascos, and the kind of contractual confusion that'll make you want to reread your SLAs before breakfast. It's a rollercoaster of responsibility, reputation, and really bad behavior. But at the heart of it all is the million-dollar question: who's actually responsible when it all goes sideways? More info at HelpMeWithHIPAA.com/509

If budget weren't an issue, what AI tool would you implement first in your business?What's stopping your team from going all-in on AI for IT?Are XLAs the new gold standard for service performance?What's your take on Experience-Level Agreements (XLAs)? Are they the future of customer satisfaction?Do you trust AI to deflect tickets and reduce support workload?Hey there, tech enthusiasts! Today we're diving into how AI is rewriting the rules of IT support—especially for small and mid-sized businesses. From outdated SLAs to dynamic, experience-driven XLAs, this episode breaks down how AI-powered ITSM is helping companies move from reactive service models to proactive, personalized support systems Join our expert panelists, Joshua Lawrence, IT Service Manager – United Trust Bank, Ravi Tharisayi, Senior Director, PMM - Freshworks, and Shivam Bhandary Solution Engineer – Freshworks. to discover how automation can enhance empathy, how lean IT teams can scale smarter (not harder), and why investing in AI tools today is essential for delivering better employee and customer experiences tomorrow.If you're a tech-savvy entrepreneur, IT strategist, or business leader looking to future-proof your operations— this episode is packed with practical insights on how AI is reshaping IT support through automation, empathy, and experience-first service—you don't want to miss it!

In this brutally honest episode of Restoration Pros Unplugged, Clinton James sits down with Bobby Thomas, CEO of Extreme Services, to unpack the evolving challenges of working with Third Party Administrators (TPAs) in 2025. From delayed payments to unrealistic SLAs and inconsistent claim volume, this episode dives deep into the operational and financial landmines that restoration contractors face when tied too tightly to TPA programs.Bobby brings unfiltered insights, real-world horror stories, and proven strategies for navigating today's increasingly rigid and centralized TPA landscape. Whether you're struggling with cash flow, compliance fatigue, or pipeline instability, this conversation will arm you with the clarity and tactics needed to regain control of your business.What You'll Learn:Why TPA payment delays are worse than ever—and what to do about itHow to build systems that meet rigid SLAs without burning out your teamThe dangerous downside of claim volume inconsistencyStrategies to reduce TPA dependency and diversify your lead flowBobby's rapid-fire take on myths, tools, and whether he'd build with TPAs againIf you're working with TPAs—or considering it—this is required listening.If you're interested in learning how Water Restoration Marketing can help you overcome the challenges discussed in this episode and get more water jobs, book a free strategy session with our team today!https://www.waterrestorationmarketing.net/schedule

Why do short clear SLAs improve your services, customer satisfaction, and life? How do you write and use an effective SLA?

Briana Birkholz and Joe Lynch discuss blind spots & bottlenecks: unmasking the hidden enemies of supply chain. Briana is the Vice President of Product Management for the 3PL market segment at SPS Commerce, the world's leading retail network, connecting trading partners around the globe to optimize supply chain operations for all retail partners. About Briana Birkholz Briana Birkholz is the Vice President of Product Management for the 3PL market segment at SPS Commerce. With a passion for overcoming supply chain and logistics challenges, Briana is committed to addressing the distinct needs of customers through comprehensive, full-service solutions. Briana's extensive experience in driving innovation, strategic development and execution consistently delivers outstanding results for third-party logistics companies. About SPS Commerce SPS Commerce is the world's leading retail network, connecting trading partners across the globe to optimize supply chain operations for all stakeholders in the retail ecosystem. The company enables data-driven partnerships through innovative cloud-based technology, customer-centric service, and a team of accessible industry experts—allowing clients to focus on their core business. With over 45,000 recurring revenue customers spanning retail, grocery, distribution, supply, manufacturing, and logistics, SPS Commerce powers a vast and growing global retail network. Key Takeaways: Blind Spots & Bottlenecks: Unmasking the Hidden Enemies of Supply Chain Briana Birkholz and Joe Lynch discuss blind spots & bottlenecks: unmasking the hidden enemies of supply chain. The hidden enemies include the following: Inconsistent Time to Revenue: The Silent Growth Killer - Lengthy onboarding processes erode cash flow and strain customer relationships, highlighting evolving customer expectations. SPS Commerce's "plug-and-play" solutions drastically reduce onboarding time from months to days. The Cost of Chaos: Inconsistent Order Intake - Managing orders through disparate channels (phone, email, portals, PDFs) breeds errors and jeopardizes SLAs due to human error. SPS Commerce standardizes order formats for improved efficiency and control. Decoding Retailer Complexity: Unravel the challenges of adhering to intricate retailer requirements (packing slips, labels, routing guides, ASN timing) and the costly consequences of non-compliance (chargebacks, damaged relationships, lost shelf space). SPS Commerce automates document generation and validation to ensure first-time compliance. SPS Commerce is the world's leading retail network, connecting trading partners around the globe to optimize supply chain operations for all retail partners. SPS Commerce brings the following advantages: Industry Leader in Cloud-Based EDI Solutions: SPS Commerce specializes in cloud-based supply chain management, helping retailers, suppliers, and logistics providers automate and streamline their operations through advanced EDI and data analytics tools. Demonstrated Consistent Growth as a High-Performing Public Company: SPS Commerce has a long and consistent track record of growth, primarily organic, underscoring its position as a strong performer on NASDAQ (ticker: SPSC). Global Presence with Local Support: Headquartered in Minneapolis, SPS has expanded internationally with offices in major cities like Toronto, Melbourne, Amsterdam, and Hong Kong, supporting a worldwide customer base with localized service. Growth via Smart Acquisitions: Strategic buys like Data Masons, InterTrade, and SupplyPike have allowed SPS to broaden its tech stack and deepen its value across the retail supply chain ecosystem. Recognized for Culture and Innovation: Known for its positive workplace environment, SPS was ranked the best large workplace in Minnesota in 2015 and continues to invest in talent and innovation to drive forward-thinking supply chain solutions. Learn More About Blind Spots & Bottlenecks: Unmasking the Hidden Enemies of Supply Chain Briana Birkholz | Linkedin SPS Commerce | Linkedin SPS Commerce Woods Distribution Case Study Arcadia Cold Storage & Logistics Case Study The Logistics of Logistics Podcast If you enjoy the podcast, please leave a positive review, subscribe, and share it with your friends and colleagues. The Logistics of Logistics Podcast: Google, Apple, Castbox, Spotify, Stitcher, PlayerFM, Tunein, Podbean, Owltail, Libsyn, Overcast Check out The Logistics of Logistics on Youtube  

The Platform That Isn't Just a Platform: Intermedia's 360° Formula for Service Provider Growth, AI is setting new standards for CX, and Microsoft Teams is everywhere—but few SPs are monetizing it effectively “You don't need to rip and replace. You don't need to lock in. You just need a partner who's truly in it with you,” says Patrick Sheehan, Vice President of Channel Development, Intermedia. As the channel moves into the heart of 2025, service providers are at a crossroads. Legacy platforms are draining resources, AI is setting new standards for CX, and Microsoft Teams is everywhere—but few SPs are monetizing it effectively. In a recent Technology Reseller News podcast, we sat down with Patrick Sheehan of Intermedia to learn how the company's 360-degree approach is helping partners solve those challenges without heavy upfront investments, long-term contracts, or technical headaches. “You don't need to rip and replace. You don't need to lock in. You just need a partner who's truly in it with you.” — Patrick Sheehan, Vice President of Channel Development, Intermedia What's Holding Service Providers Back? Sheehan doesn't mince words: today's service providers are seeing churn rise, ARPU fall, and win rates slide. It's not just voice—customers want integrated, AI-enhanced UCaaS and CCaaS, not siloed tools. Add in the need to market more effectively in a crowded space and support aging platforms, and many providers are facing a serious growth headwind. “If your platform isn't innovating fast enough to meet customer expectations—especially with AI and Teams—you're going to feel it in churn and margins,” said Sheehan. Intermedia: A Partner-First Playbook Intermedia has built its model around partner success—not vendor lock-in. That starts with a month-to-month, no-minimum-commitment agreement, enabling providers to enter the UCaaS and CCaaS space without sacrificing their brand, their network, or their business model. “Almost 95% of our business goes through partners. We're not here to compete—we're here to help them win,” adds  Sheehan. Service providers can white label Intermedia's platform, maintain their own PSTN footprint, or leverage Intermedia's national network. The tech stack—including UCaaS, CCaaS, a new Teams integration, and an AI-ready data lake—is 100% owned and operated by Intermedia. That translates into true speed-to-market and scalability. Fast Start, Full Support Launching with Intermedia doesn't take a year—or even months. With dedicated onboarding teams, SPs can be deploying customers within weeks. Intermedia supplies pre-configured plug-and-play phones, operational support, and guided productization. The result? Minimal friction, maximum velocity. The Industry's First Teams Integration—Built for SPs One standout development is Intermedia's embedded Microsoft Teams integration, which lets SPs offer a fully monetizable, branded Teams experience—a key differentiator in the increasingly Teams-centric workplace. “It's more profitable and more compelling than other options. And if you want, you can even source Microsoft licenses directly through us,” Sheehan explained. Marketing, Migration & Margin Intermedia supports partners with: Channel marketing experts who build and execute campaigns Sales engineers who assist in complex deal cycles Migration support to minimize churn and retire legacy platforms 5x9s SLAs and J.D. Power-certified technical support It's all part of what Sheehan calls the “360-degree approach to service provider success.” No single vendor in the UCaaS/CCaaS space offers this combination of product flexibility, technical enablement, and go-to-market support—all aligned around one goal: partner revenue growth. Ready to Kick the Tires? For SPs exploring new growth paths, Sheehan has a simple message: “You don't need to spend a year and a million dollars to launch something new. You can get started today.

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(0:00) Intro(1:15) About the podcast sponsor: The American College of Governance Counsel(2:02) Start of interview(2:45) Emily's origin story(8:27) Her start in venture capital through DFJ with Tim Draper in 2000.(11:56) About the history and evolution of VC(13:42) Investing thesis (founding principle) at her firm Threshold Ventures.(19:21) The venture mechanics of Threshold Ventures. "One of our SLAs is we'd like to be the founder's first call."(21:30) On navigating boardroom dynamics in venture-backed boards. "Building trust is critical" (26:20) On dealing with conflicts of interests at the board level in the VC context. "Decisions with an investors' hat vs board member hat"(31:35) Mention of the VC-Backed Board Academy in SF on May 14, 2025, and NYC on Oct 28, 2025.(32:31) The role of independent directors in VC-backed companies. "I love bringing in independent directors early."(38:09) On board observers. "I always try to think about [board roles] in a two-year cycle"(42:44) The state of diversity in VC. Discussion about All Raise (founded in 2018).(48:12) Navigating the AI Landscape "it's a different world"(55:10) Books that have greatly influenced her life:The Soul in the Game by Vitaliy Katsenelson (2022)(55:43) Her mentors: Heidi Roizen (E6, E108 and E116)(57:07) Quotes that she thinks of often or lives her life by. "Happiness = Reality - Expectation"(57:56) An unusual habit or an absurd thing that she loves. (58:31) The living person she most admires.Emily Melton is a co-founder of Threshold Ventures. She is looking for entrepreneurs who are genuinely excited about being agents of change and have an almost irrational drive to make things better. You can follow Evan on social media at:X: @evanepsteinLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/epsteinevan/ Substack: https://evanepstein.substack.com/__To support this podcast you can join as a subscriber of the Boardroom Governance Newsletter at https://evanepstein.substack.com/__Music/Soundtrack (found via Free Music Archive): Seeing The Future by Dexter Britain is licensed under a Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License

Grow Your Business With Organic Traffic - Start HereHe Couldn't Find a Good 3PL — So Billy Parker Became OneWhat do you do when every 3PL you work with is a nightmare? If you're Billy Parker, you take matters into your own hands.In this episode, Ryan talks to Billy about building an eCommerce brand selling hangover supplements to launching Parker Express, a 3PL born out of pure frustration. Billy shares the behind-the-scenes chaos of eComm operations, why most 3PLs fail DTC brands, and how building the right logistics partner changed everything.If you're an eComm founder who's tired of late deliveries, broken SLAs, or warehouses that just don't get your business, this one's for you.

In this episode of OnBase, host Chris Moody sits down with Craig Chiofalo to explore what it truly takes to build and lead a world-class support engineering organization. Craig pulls back the curtain on the operational strategies and tech stack powering Demandbase's award-winning team—including how tools like Salesforce Einstein and SupportLogic are transforming their approach to proactive support. He also shares lessons on hiring for excellence, scaling impact without ballooning headcount, and why deep, daily collaboration across product, engineering, and customer success is the cornerstone of lasting success.Key takeawaysRight Team, Right Tech: Hiring the right talent, enabling them with strong onboarding and internal tools, and layering in AI-driven technologies can drive exponential impact without scaling the team linearly.Cross-Functional Collaboration Is Everything: Craig attributes much of the team's success to deep integration with product, engineering, and customer success—teams that work together daily to elevate the customer experience.Award-Winning Process Maturity: From rewritten job descriptions to internal training certifications and advanced sentiment monitoring, Craig's team has refined its approach year after year to earn industry recognition.Operationalized AI: AI tools like SupportLogic and Salesforce Einstein are leveraged not just for efficiency, but for better sentiment analysis, proactive support, and smarter data insights.Measure What Matters: In addition to SLAs, Craig's team emphasizes customer satisfaction and effort scores—tracking detailed metrics while staying focused on proactive issue resolution.QuotesOn Team Excellence“This team is phenomenal—not just individually, but in how they collaborate. That synergy is the catalyst behind everything we've achieved.”On Leveraging AI Thoughtfully“AI should be seen as an assistant. It's like a dishwasher—you still load it and unload it, but it saves time and effort on repetitive tasks.”(04:00): How Craig rewrote job descriptions and created testing processes to hire and retain top-tier talent.(09:00): A deep dive into Salesforce Service Cloud, SupportLogic, and the internal troubleshooting app that dramatically reduces time to resolution.(14:00): How the team uses data and proactive alerts to prevent fires before they happen.(18:00): Craig's thoughtful breakdown of AI as a productivity enhancer, not a replacement.Tech RecommendationsSalesforce Service Cloud + Einstein: A central support platform now enhanced with AI capabilities for smarter case handling.SupportLogic: Real-time sentiment analysis and escalation prediction across customer interactions.Resource RecommendationsNewsletter:MIT Technology Review – AI-focused and practicalHarvard Business Review – Daily updates on leadership and strategyMcKinsey – Insightful newsletters with AI-related contentShout-outsUmberto Milletti, Chief R&D Officer at DemandbaseAngelle Stromeyer, RVP Customer Success at DemandbaseErika Setla, Sr. Director, CX Strategy & Ops at DemandbaseAbout the GuestCraig Chiofalo is a customer-focused leader with over 20 years of experience directing customer support, service, and success teams across SMB to enterprise clients. Currently Vice President of Support Engineering at Demandbase, Craig leads a Stevie Award–winning team recognized for delivering outstanding customer service. He brings a proven track record of building high-performing, collaborative teams that exceed goals, with a leadership style rooted in fairness, energy, and a deep passion for technology.Craig has held key roles at IBM, Silverpop, CallRail, Calendly, and Salsify, often joining during critical growth phases to scale operations, implement smart automation, and drive cross-functional alignment. His expertise spans platforms like Salesforce, Zendesk, Jira, Confluence, and SQL—always with a hands-on, data-informed approach to delivering exceptional customer outcomes.

Send us a textEmily Yamasaki speaks with Expert Intelligence's Lalin Theverapperuma, Ph.D. (CEO), and Andreas "Andi" Krupke, Ph.D. (Science Officer), on the SLAS2025 exhibition floor. The duo shares the company's inspiring journey from being an Innovation AveNEW participant in 2023 to now, highlighting their innovative AI technology designed to automate analytical data interpretation in the biotech and pharma industries. The conversation covers their unique Limited Sample Model™ (LSM) technology and the challenges of transitioning from tech to biotech. Thank you to our SponsorAt Waters™, we unlock the potential of science by solving problems that matter. Our software and instruments ensure the safety of the medicines we take, the purity of the food we eat and the water we drink, and the quality and durability of products we use every day. Together with our customers, in labs around the world, we deliver scientific insights to improve human health and well-being, helping to leave the world better than we found it.Stay connected with SLAS:www.slas.orgFacebookXLinkedInInstagramYouTubeAbout SLASSLAS (Society for Laboratory Automation and Screening) is an international professional society of academic, industry and government life sciences researchers and the developers and providers of laboratory automation technology. The SLAS mission is to bring together researchers in academia, industry and government to advance life sciences discovery and technology via education, knowledge exchange and global community building. Upcoming SLAS Events: SLAS Europe 2025 Conference and Exhibition 20-22 May 2025 Hamburg, Germany View the full events calendar

Join us as we talk about an important part of optimizing your ITSM, properly setting up your Service Level Agreements in Jira Service Management. Learn the ins and outs of good SLAs.We'll also talk about the latest news from Atlassian before TEAM 25!The Jira Life=====================================Having trouble keeping up with when we are live? Sign up for our Atlassian Community Group!https://ace.atlassian.com/the-jira-life/Or Follow us on LinkedIn!  / the-jira-life  Become a member on YouTube to get access to perks:https://www.youtube.com/@thejiralife/...Hosts:Alex "Dr. Jira" OrtizRodney "The Jira Guy" NissenSarah Wright"King Bob" Robert WenLina Ortiz   / alexortiz89     / @apetechtechtutorials     / rgnissen  https://thejiraguy.comSidekick:   / satwright  Producer:   / robert-wen-csm-spc6-a552051  Executive Producer: Music provided by Monstercat:=====================================Intro: Nitro Fun - Cheat Codes   / monstercat  Outro: Fractal - Atrium   / monstercatinstinct  

Kevin Bonfield is the Founder and Managing Partner of Concentre, a boutique consultancy partnering with mid-market, private equity-backed companies to propel growth, accelerate exits, and maximize returns. With over 20 years of management consulting, business development, and operations experience, he has advised clients, including Southwest Airlines and Tesla. Kevin is also the Co-owner of EcoClean Austin, an award-winning, environmentally friendly dry cleaner, and is a member of EO Dallas. In this episode: Some businesses face bottlenecks in their operations when scaling, like process inefficiencies and unstructured data. Without effective systems, growth can lead to increased costs rather than improved profitability. How can companies streamline operations, leverage data effectively, and integrate AI without creating more complexity? Business consultant Kevin Bonfield recommends establishing clear processes before automating, ensuring businesses capture and use data effectively. Companies should identify existing data in systems such as call center software before aligning it with their desired business outcomes. To improve process efficiency, you can also implement structured metrics like service level agreements (SLAs) and key performance indicators (KPIs). In this episode of Systems Simplified, Adi Klevit interviews Kevin Bonfield, Founder and Managing Partner at Concentre, about leveraging AI, data, and processes for business growth. Kevin explains how structured processes drive operational efficiency, the right way to integrate automation, and the role of data in decision-making.

Enid Blyton. „Stebuklingas norų krėslas“. Skaito aktorius Vytautas Rašimas.

Enid Blyton. „Stebuklingas norų krėslas“. Skaito aktorius Vytautas Rašimas.

Enid Blyton. „Stebuklingas norų krėslas“. Skaito aktorius Vytautas Rašimas.

ACTIONABLE TAKEAWAYS: Signal Prioritization: Categorize signals (e.g., high-intent, time-based) with different response SLAs to ensure timely outreach. Call Blitz Culture: Multiple weekly call blitzes with a virtual sales floor create a high-energy, team-building cold calling environment. Effective Personalization: Don't rely on signals alone; combine them with company insights to craft personalized, compelling outreach. 80/20 Email Framework: Provide reps with an 80% completed template (signal, company insight, ideal state, light CTA), letting them personalize the final 20%. FLORIN'S PATH TO PRESIDENTS CLUB: Head of Sales Development @ Common Room Director of Sales @ Barley Senior Manager, Sales Development @ Loopio Manager, Sales Development @ Loopio RESOURCES DISCUSSED: Join our weekly newsletter Things you can steal

What happens when a company decides to redefine its identity? That's what I witnessed firsthand at the IT Press Tour in Silicon Valley, as CloudFabrix unveiled its transformation into Fabrix.ai—a move that marks more than just a rebrand, but a bold step into the future of AI-driven IT Operations. In this episode, I sit down with Raju Datla, CEO of Fabrix.ai, to explore this pivotal shift and the launch of their Agentic AI Operational Platform. We discuss why the evolution from CloudFabrix to Fabrix.ai is not just about a name change but revolutionizing how IT operations leverage AI agents for autonomous workflows, predictive analytics, and automated remediation. Fabrix.ai introduces Agentic AI, a new paradigm where AI-driven agents operate independently to solve IT challenges—without constant human intervention. These agents can detect anomalies, manage SLAs, predict system failures, and execute automated fixes. But how does this compare to traditional AIOps and ML-driven approaches? And what safeguards are in place to prevent AI hallucinations, bias, and errors in critical IT workflows? We'll unpack how Fabrix.ai's three foundational fabrics—AI Fabric, Automation Fabric, and Data Fabric—transform enterprise IT by combining AI-powered reasoning, real-time data processing, and intelligent automation. Raju shares insights into how large enterprises and telcos leverage this technology and how Fabrix.ai works with industry giants like Cisco, IBM, and Splunk to reshape IT operations. Beyond the tech, we dive into leadership lessons from a serial entrepreneur—how Raju has built a loyal team across multiple ventures, the mindset needed to create sustainable, high-impact businesses, and why passion should always come before profit. So, what does the future hold as we stand at the crossroads of AI-driven automation and IT modernization? Will Agentic AI usher in the long-promised era of fully autonomous enterprises? What are your thoughts? Could AI-driven agents transform IT as we know it? Let's continue the conversation.

In this episode of Ticket Volume, Matt Beran welcomes Linda Lenox, a Service Management expert with decades of experience transforming IT operations. Together, they dive into the art and science of crafting meaningful Service Level Agreements (SLAs) that align with business objectives, foster collaboration, and empower service desk teams. From overcoming the fear of SLAs to leveraging them as tools for continuous improvement, Linda shares actionable insights and real-world examples to inspire IT leaders. Here's a sneak peek: 1. Why SLAs shouldn't be a “stick” for service desk agents. 2. The importance of starting SLA discussions with current metrics. 3. How SLAs can bridge the gap between IT and the business. 4. Tips for balancing metrics like first call resolution and call times. 5. Using SLAs as a tool for service improvement, not just measurement. Tune in for an engaging conversation packed with practical advice for IT pros, service management leaders, and anyone striving to make SLAs a business enabler. Don't forget to like, subscribe, and share your thoughts—we'd love to hear from you!

In this episode of Ticket Volume, Matt Beran sits down with John Gordon, Senior VP of HP Managed Solutions Division, to explore how preventative Incident Management is reshaping IT operations. With a vision for zero-incident environments, John shares strategies to move from reactive problem-solving to proactive prevention, helping IT teams reduce downtime and improve user satisfaction. Here's a sneak peek: 1. Why zero incidents should be every IT team's goal. 2. The role of telemetry and automation in proactive IT operations. 3. How redefining SLAs can drive a preventative mindset. 4. The challenge of measuring hidden ROI—and why it's worth it. 5. Lessons from HP's success with preventative strategies. Tune in to learn how preventative Incident Management can transform your IT approach and hear actionable advice from one of the industry's leading voices. Don't forget to like, subscribe, and share your thoughts in the comments!

Topics DiscussedThe importance of changeability as a core characteristic of well-maintained software.How GitHub has approached accessibility as a business and legal imperative.The evolution of GitHub's frontend system, spanning over 2,000 pages, and the concept of "frontend vintages."Primer: GitHub's design system and the paradox of its success—consistency vs. changeability.The disproportionate maintenance costs of frontend systems compared to backend systems.Using tools like Axe and keyboard-only tests to identify and resolve accessibility issues.The philosophical balance between creativity and usability in software design.Practical advice for teams starting their accessibility journey with limited resources.How frontend complexity affects scalability, especially in app-like experiences.Joel's advocacy for adopting off-the-shelf components to reduce complexity for smaller teams.Key Takeaways[00:01:12] What Defines Well-Maintained Software?Joel explains how changeability—the confidence to make and deploy changes—provides the foundation for high-quality software.[00:03:05] Accessibility as a PriorityThe Microsoft acquisition drove GitHub's investment in accessibility, introducing SLAs, automated tools, and manual processes to track progress.[00:08:49] Primer: GitHub's Design SystemPrimer fosters consistency but introduces the challenge of making changes across a vast, interconnected system.[00:12:54] The Cost of Frontend ComplexityJoel shares how browser quirks, device diversity, and other variables make frontend maintenance far more expensive than backend systems.[00:28:05] Where to Start with AccessibilityJoel recommends focusing on key user workflows like signing up, making payments, and completing core tasks. He emphasizes the importance of tools like Axe and keyboard-driven tests.Notable Time-Stamps[00:01:12] What Makes Software Well-Maintained? Joel shares how changeability drives quality.[00:03:05] GitHub's Accessibility Journey: The role of SLAs, audits, and automation.[00:08:49] Primer and Design Systems: Balancing consistency with innovation.[00:12:54] The Hidden Costs of Frontend Complexity: Lessons learned at GitHub.[00:20:33] Balancing Creativity with Usability: Joel reflects on the intersection of design and functionality.[00:28:05] Accessibility Best Practices: Where teams should focus their initial efforts.ResourcesJoel Hawksley's WebsitePrimer Design SystemAxe Accessibility ToolsGitHub's ViewComponent FrameworkBook Recommendation:How Buildings Learn by Stewart BrandGuest's LinksJoel Hawksley on GitHubJoel Hawksley's WebsiteThanks to Our Sponsor!Turn hours of debugging into just minutes! AppSignal is a performance monitoring and error-tracking tool designed for Ruby, Elixir, Python, Node.js, Javascript, and other frameworks.It offers six powerful features with one simple interface, providing developers with real-time insights into the performance and health of web applications.Keep your coding cool and error-free, one line at a time! Use the code maintainable to get a 10% discount for your first year. Check them out! Subscribe to Maintainable on:Apple PodcastsSpotifyOr search "Maintainable" wherever you stream your podcasts.Keep up to date with the Maintainable Podcast by joining the newsletter.

ACTIONABLE TAKEAWAYS: Signal Prioritization: Categorize signals (e.g., high-intent, time-based) with different response SLAs to ensure timely outreach. Call Blitz Culture: Multiple weekly call blitzes with a virtual sales floor create a high-energy, team-building cold calling environment. Effective Personalization: Don't rely on signals alone; combine them with company insights to craft personalized, compelling outreach. 80/20 Email Framework: Provide reps with an 80% completed template (signal, company insight, ideal state, light CTA), letting them personalize the final 20%. FLORIN'S PATH TO PRESIDENTS CLUB: Head of Sales Development @ Common Room Director of Sales @ Barley Senior Manager, Sales Development @ Loopio Manager, Sales Development @ Loopio RESOURCES DISCUSSED: Join our weekly newsletter Things you can steal