Cloud Realities

Hello San Francisco - we're arrived for Microsoft Ignite 2025! The #CloudRealities podcast team has landed this week in San Francisco, we're bringing you the best updates right from the heart of the event. Join us to connect AI at scale, cloud modernization, and secure innovation—empowering organizations to become AI-first. Plus, we'll keep you updated on all the latest news and juicy gossip. Dave, Esmee, and Rob wrap up their Ignite 2025 series with Yina Arenas, CVP of Microsoft Foundry, to discuss why Foundry is the go-to choice for enterprises and how it champions responsible development and innovation.  TLDR00:40 – Introduction to Yina Arenas01:14 – How the team is doing, keynote highlights, and insights from the Expo floor02:50 – Deep dive with Yina on the evolution of Cloud Foundry29:24 – Favourite IT-themed movie, human interaction, and our society31:56 – Personal (and slightly juicy) reflections on the week37:30 – Team reflections on Ignite 2025, including an executive summary per guest and appreciation for Dennis Hansen50:54 – The team’s favorite IT-themed movies59:30 – Personal favorite restaurantGuestYina Arenas: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yinaa/ HostsDave Chapman: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chapmandr/Esmee van de Giessen: https://www.linkedin.com/in/esmeevandegiessen/Rob Kernahan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rob-kernahan/ ProductionMarcel van der Burg: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcel-vd-burg/Dave Chapman: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chapmandr/ SoundBen Corbett: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ben-corbett-3b6a11135/Louis Corbett:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/louis-corbett-087250264/ 'Cloud Realities' is an original podc

Hello San Francisco - we're arrived for Microsoft Ignite 2025! The #CloudRealities podcast team has landed this week in San Francisco, we're bringing you the best updates right from the heart of the event. Join us to connect AI at scale, cloud modernization, and secure innovation—empowering organizations to become AI-first. Plus, we'll keep you updated on all the latest news and juicy gossip. Dave, Esmee, and Rob continue their conversation with Alistair Speirs, GM of Global Infrastructure for Microsoft’s Azure Business Group, exploring how to build and scale the AI and Cloud datacenters of the future worldwide—while also addressing sovereignty requirements.  TLDR00:40 – Introduction to Alistair Speirs04:42 – Keynote highlights and Expo floor insights06:50 – Deep dive conversation with Alistair36:36 – Favorite IT-themed movie, using your brain as compute storage, and why people still matter GuestAlistair Speirs: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alistair/ HostsDave Chapman: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chapmandr/Esmee van de Giessen: https://www.linkedin.com/in/esmeevandegiessen/Rob Kernahan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rob-kernahan/ ProductionMarcel van der Burg: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcel-vd-burg/Dave Chapman: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chapmandr/ SoundBen Corbett: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ben-corbett-3b6a11135/Louis Corbett:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/louis-corbett-087250264/ 'Cloud Realities' is an original podcast from Capgemini

Hello San Francisco - we're arrived for Microsoft Ignite 2025! The #CloudRealities podcast team has landed this week in San Francisco, we're bringing you the best updates right from the heart of the event. Join us to connect AI at scale, cloud modernization, and secure innovation—empowering organizations to become AI-first. Plus, we'll keep you updated on all the latest news and juicy gossip. Dave and Esmee continue their conversation with Rob Lefferts, CVP Threat Protection about the key security announcements and explore how we leverage agents to protect, defend, and respond at AI speed.  TLDR00:50 – Introduction to Rob Lefferts01:40 – Keynote highlights and insights from the Expo floor03:19 – In-depth conversation with Rob on why security is critical in the era of AI22:53 – Favorite IT-themed movie linked to the Asimov’s principles and the Louvre password  GuestRob Lefferts: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rob-lefferts/ HostsDave Chapman: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chapmandr/Esmee van de Giessen: https://www.linkedin.com/in/esmeevandegiessen/Rob Kernahan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rob-kernahan/ ProductionMarcel van der Burg: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcel-vd-burg/Dave Chapman: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chapmandr/ SoundBen Corbett: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ben-corbett-3b6a11135/Louis Corbett:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/louis-corbett-087250264/ 'Cloud Realities' is an original podcast from Capgemini

Hello San Francisco - we're arrived for Microsoft Ignite 2025! The #CloudRealities podcast team has landed this week in San Francisco, we're bringing you the best updates right from the heart of the event. Join us to connect AI at scale, cloud modernization, and secure innovation—empowering organizations to become AI-first. Plus, we'll keep you updated on all the latest news and juicy gossip.  Dave, Esmee and Rob, continue their discussion with John Link, Partner Product Manager at Microsoft, exploring Frontier organizations and how AI and quantum are reshaping R&D, all within the context of Microsoft Discovery. TLDR00:58 – Introduction to John Link (and some fun food spellings)03:55 – Keynote highlights and Expo floor insights06:42 – Deep dive conversation with John25:00 – Favorite IT-themed movie, thoughts on brain implants, and the simulation theory GuestJohn Link: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnmlink/ HostsDave Chapman:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/chapmandr/Esmee van de Giessen:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/esmeevandegiessen/Rob Kernahan:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/rob-kernahan/ ProductionMarcel van der Burg:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcel-vd-burg/Dave Chapman:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/chapmandr/ SoundBen Corbett:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/ben-corbett-3b6a11135/Louis Corbett:   https://www.linkedin.com/in/louis-corbett-087250264/ 'Cloud Realities' is an original podcast from Capgemini

Jonathan Hunt, Corporate VP of AI Business Solutions at Microsoft, dives into the transformative power of AI in business processes. He discusses the evolution from traditional applications to AI-driven solutions, emphasizing the importance of contextual reasoning. Jonathan also highlights the role of low-code platforms in democratizing agent creation and improving customer support through AI, which enhances empathetic interactions. He shares actionable strategies for overcoming challenges in data governance and change management to promote AI adoption.

Rob Cromwell, Corporate VP of Copilot Engineering at Microsoft AI, shares insights into the evolution of Copilot. He discusses his journey from Inflection to Microsoft and highlights three key chapters of Copilot's development. Rob emphasizes a humanist approach to AI, focusing on user alignment and personalization. He reveals innovative capabilities, such as AI aiding in debugging, and discusses the convergence of consumer and enterprise AI experiences. Trust and responsibility in AI product development are also underscored, along with intriguing design inspirations.

Digital intelligence is reshaping how organizations work, and success depends on integrating multiple domains, using real-time analytics, and ensuring strong cyber protections as data grows and risks increase  This week, Dave, Esmee, and Rob talk with Chris Carter, Director - Key Accounts and Australia at BAE Systems Digital Intelligence, to explore the fast-moving world of digital intelligence, data, and analytics and dive into the complexities of the work, how rapidly the landscape is evolving, and the major challenges organizations face today.  TLDR:00:41 Introduction of Chris Carter03:00 Rob is confused by the idea of renting out brain capacity for compute power07:13 Chris discusses the fusion of data, AI, and human judgment in complex environments34:30 Are we giving enough attention to human cognitive capacity?42:34 Rugby tickets with the family  GuestChris Carter: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chriscarter3/ HostsDave Chapman: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chapmandr/Rob Kernahan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rob-kernahan/Esmee van de Giessen: https://www.linkedin.com/in/esmeevandegiessen/ ProductionMarcel van der Burg: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcel-vd-burg/Dave Chapman: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chapmandr/ SoundBen Corbett: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ben-corbett-3b6a11135/Louis Corbett:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/louis-corbett-087250264/ 'Cloud Realities' is an original podcast from Capgemini 

Indhira Mani, the Chief Data Officer at Intact Insurance UK, shares her journey from a non-linear career path to a deep passion for data. She emphasizes the human side of AI adoption, arguing that technology should serve people, not overshadow them. Indhira discusses the importance of data quality and ownership, and how diverse datasets can enhance decision-making. She also highlights the need for critical thinking and ethical considerations in using AI, reinforcing that human empathy remains crucial in any tech-driven process.

Technology can scale almost everything—except human experience. In a world driven by efficiency, what does it mean to design for how people truly feel? It's about transforming user interactions into ongoing insight and innovation, rooted in empathy and understanding.  This week, Dave, Esmee and Rob talk to Kevin Magee, Chief Technology Officer at All human about helping organizations transform customer experiences with a focus on design, engineering, and what is called "digital performance."  TLDR:00:41 Introduction of Kevin Magee with Guinness or sparkling water?03:23 Rob wonders, is Apple really opening up its ecosystem?11:40 Deep dive with Kevin into design, engineering, and digital performance36:30 How tools built for one purpose can transform entire systems48:35 Weekend city breaks and pursuing a master’s in psychology  GuestKevin Magee: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevinmagee/ HostsDave Chapman: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chapmandr/Rob Kernahan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rob-kernahan/Esmee van de Giessen: https://www.linkedin.com/in/esmeevandegiessen/ ProductionMarcel van der Burg: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcel-vd-burg/Dave Chapman: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chapmandr/ SoundBen Corbett: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ben-corbett-3b6a11135/Louis Corbett:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/louis-corbett-087250264/ 'Cloud Realities' is an original podcast from Capgemini

The skills we teach today will decide the world we live in tomorrow but the digital skills gap is something we've been dealing with for decades, but it’s growing faster than ever, it starts with kids and stretches all the way into late IT careers, and now we're finally taking a more connected, lifelong approach to closing it. This week, Dave, Esmee, and Rob speak with Mike Nayler, Director, National Security, Defense & Public Safety at AWS about the digital skills gap and explore how tech companies can help close it. TLDR:00:45 Introduction of Mike Nayler and the pros and cons of enterprise architects, based on a survey03:30 Rob is confused about AI replacing prompt engineers07:55 Conversation with Mike on the digital skills gap25:15 The real gap is between institutions and the people they aim to serve33:24 Mike heading back to school and writing essays againGuest Mike Nayler: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nayler/ HostsDave Chapman: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chapmandr/Rob Kernahan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rob-kernahan/Esmee van de Giessen: https://www.linkedin.com/in/esmeevandegiessen/ ProductionMarcel van der Burg: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcel-vd-burg/Dave Chapman: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chapmandr/ SoundBen Corbett: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ben-corbett-3b6a11135/Louis Corbett:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/louis-corbett-087250264/ 'Cloud Realities' is an original podcast from Capgemini