IT Visionaries

If your business relies on video calls, messaging apps, or mobile devices, you are at risk for a new kind of attack.In this episode of IT Visionaries, host Chris Brandt sits down with Christine Gadsby, Chief Security Officer at BlackBerry, to explore how AI, deepfakes, and weakened telecom infrastructure are reshaping the modern threat landscape.Christine explains why enterprises can no longer trust what they see or hear, how metadata has become one of the most valuable intelligence sources for attackers, and why encryption alone is no longer enough to protect high-risk communications.She also breaks down how nation-state groups like Salt Typhoon infiltrate global telco networks, exploit unpatchable 2G and 3G protocols, and use AI to refine attacks in real time. Key Moments:00:00 – Where Organizations Are Underestimating Communication Risk04:05 – Can You Still Trust What You See and Hear on a Call?08:11 – How Internal Messaging Quietly Became an Attack Surface12:18 – Why Encryption Alone Does Not Secure Communications16:24 – What BlackBerry Is Today and Why It Still Matters20:31 – Why Governments and Enterprises Face a Different Threat Model24:37 – How AI Deepfakes Changed Executive and Enterprise Risk28:44 – Which Conversations Inside Your Company Matter Most?32:50 – The Trust Assumptions Most Companies Don’t Realize They’re Making36:56 – Why Attackers Wait for Moments of Urgency41:03 – Is Cyber Extortion Sometimes a Cover for Espionage?45:09 – Who Salt Typhoon Is and Why Telecom Networks Were Targeted49:15 – Why Telecom Infrastructure Became an Intelligence Goldmine53:22 – Why 2G and 3G Networks Still Put Modern Systems at Risk57:28 – What Secure Communications Actually Require Today  -- This episode of IT Visionaries is brought to you by Meter - the company building better networks. Businesses today are frustrated with outdated providers, rigid pricing, and fragmented tools. Meter changes that with a single integrated solution that covers everything wired, wireless, and even cellular networking. They design the hardware, write the firmware, build the software, and manage it all so your team doesn't have to.That means you get fast, secure, and scalable connectivity without the complexity of juggling multiple providers. Thanks to meter for sponsoring. Go to meter.com/itv to book a demo.---IT Visionaries is made by the team at Mission.org. Learn more about our media studio and network of podcasts at mission.org. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Security used to be a headache. Now it is a growth engine.In this episode of IT Visionaries, host Chris Brandt sits down with Taylor Hersom, Founder and CEO of Eden Data and former CISO, to break down how fast growing companies can turn cybersecurity and compliance into a true competitive advantage. Taylor explains why frameworks like SOC 2, ISO 27001, and emerging AI standards such as ISO 42001 are becoming essential for winning enterprise business. He also shares how to future proof controls, connect compliance work to real business goals, and avoid the costly pitfalls that stall companies during scale.Taylor also highlights the biggest blind spots in AI security, including model training risks, improper data handling, and the challenges created by relying on free AI tools. If you are building a SaaS product or selling into large companies, this conversation shows how trust, transparency, and strong security practices directly drive revenue. Key Moments:  00:00 — The Hidden Risks of Scattered Company Data04:11 — Why Early-Stage Teams Lose Control of Security08:22 — Compliance Becomes a Competitive Advantage12:33 — SOC 2 vs ISO 27001: What Founders Need to Know16:44 — Framework Overload and How to Navigate It20:55 — Mapping Security Controls to Business Objectives25:06 — The Gap Between Compliance Audits and Real Threats29:17 — Startup Security Blind Spots That Lead to Breaches33:28 — Rising AI Risks Leaders Aren’t Preparing For37:39 — Building Customer Trust Through Transparency41:50 — Protecting AI Models and Sensitive Customer Data46:01 — Why Free AI Tools Create Hidden Data Exposure50:12 — Automating Security Controls for Scale54:23 — Continuous Compliance Beats Annual Audits58:34 — Final Takeaways on Security, Trust, and Growth -- This episode of IT Visionaries is brought to you by Meter - the company building better networks. Businesses today are frustrated with outdated providers, rigid pricing, and fragmented tools. Meter changes that with a single integrated solution that covers everything wired, wireless, and even cellular networking. They design the hardware, write the firmware, build the software, and manage it all so your team doesn't have to.That means you get fast, secure, and scalable connectivity without the complexity of juggling multiple providers. Thanks to meter for sponsoring. Go to meter.com/itv to book a demo.---IT Visionaries is made by the team at Mission.org. Learn more about our media studio and network of podcasts at mission.org. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Sumeet Arora, Chief Product Officer at Teradata, dives into transforming AI promises into actionable results. He discusses the challenges of scaling AI effectively and the critical role of data quality in achieving measurable ROI. Sumeet emphasizes shifting from flashy demos to outcome-driven implementations and explains how enterprises can enhance workflows through AI. He shares compelling use cases, like improving customer satisfaction in banking, while advocating for AI literacy among employees to foster innovation and autonomy.

If you’ve ever shipped an AI feature that looked great in testing — only to watch it behave unpredictably in production — you’re not alone.In this episode of IT Visionaries, host Chris Brandt talks with Lawrence Jones, Founding Engineer at incident.io, about the critical gap between AI that demos well and AI that works under pressure. Lawrence shares how his team designs tools that help engineers respond faster, learn from failure, and build systems that don’t crumble when it counts. CHAPTERS / KEY MOMENTS00:00 - AI Chaos & The Mike Tyson Rule00:58 - Meet Lawrence Jones of Incident.io03:14 - From FinTech Outages to Incident Response06:22 - The Biggest Mistake in Incident Management09:08 - Training for Chaos: Game Day Simulations10:31 - Inside the AI SRE System13:01 - What SRE Really Means16:23 - From Prototype to Production AI20:27 - Keeping Up with AI’s Rapid Evolution22:50 - Understanding Vector Databases & Embeddings28:34 - The Architecture Problem: Chaining Prompts at Scale36:11 - Measuring AI Performance & Reliability44:02 - The Future of SRE Meets AI52:10 - Lessons from Real Incidents56:42 - Final Thoughts: Building AI That Works -- This episode of IT Visionaries is brought to you by Meter - the company building better networks. Businesses today are frustrated with outdated providers, rigid pricing, and fragmented tools. Meter changes that with a single integrated solution that covers everything wired, wireless, and even cellular networking. They design the hardware, write the firmware, build the software, and manage it all so your team doesn't have to.That means you get fast, secure, and scalable connectivity without the complexity of juggling multiple providers. Thanks to meter for sponsoring. Go to meter.com/itv to book a demo.---IT Visionaries is made by the team at Mission.org. Learn more about our media studio and network of podcasts at mission.org. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Every product a company ships depends on thousands of tiny decisions happening deep inside the supply chain. But most organizations are still making those decisions using stale spreadsheets, fragmented systems, and guesswork.In this episode, we explore how AI-driven procurement intelligence is changing the game – moving teams from reactive firefighting to proactive supply chain planning.Our guest today is Shardul Shah, cofounder of VeritosAI. He breaks down the hidden risks inside modern supply networks, why so many companies still lack real-time component and supplier visibility, and how better data can prevent shortages, backorders, and costly redesigns before they happen.We discuss:Why most organizations still rely on Excel for procurement decisionsThe real reason supply chain disruptions keep catching teams off guardHow AI and real-time data can alert teams to risks ahead of timeThe growing need for operational visibility across engineering, finance, and sourcingHow procurement becomes a strategic advantage, not just a cost centerIf you’re responsible for building products, managing vendors, scaling hardware, or supporting manufacturing operations, this conversation will change how you think about supply chain intelligence and the future of procurement.Key Moments:0:00 Who Shardul Is & Why This Matters2:10 The Problem That Sparked VeritosAI6:06 Why Procurement Visibility Is Broken15:55 How VeritosAI Works (High-Level Overview)19:40 Why Supply Chain Is So Hard to Manage22:30 Identifying Alternative Parts & Replacements26:43 Real Example: The Power of Component Visibility29:00 The Role of AI in Modern Procurement35:15 The Current State of Procurement (And Its Challenges)38:50 The Biggest Skill Gap in Procurement: Understanding Cost46:00 The Disconnect Between Engineering & Procurement50:40 The Future: AI-Powered Procurement Command Centers -- This episode of IT Visionaries is brought to you by Meter - the company building better networks. Businesses today are frustrated with outdated providers, rigid pricing, and fragmented tools. Meter changes that with a single integrated solution that covers everything wired, wireless, and even cellular networking. They design the hardware, write the firmware, build the software, and manage it all so your team doesn't have to.That means you get fast, secure, and scalable connectivity without the complexity of juggling multiple providers. Thanks to meter for sponsoring. Go to meter.com/itv to book a demo.---IT Visionaries is made by the team at Mission.org. Learn more about our media studio and network of podcasts at mission.org. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

AI was supposed to make life easier. So why are tech teams more burned out than ever? In this episode of IT Visionaries, host Chris Brandt and guest co-host Lacey Peace unpack the real reasons behind the burnout crisis sweeping through tech and cybersecurity teams in 2025. From the “do more with less” culture to the false promise of AI automation, they explore how overwork, layoffs, and unrealistic expectations are reshaping the future of tech work. Topics we cover: Why AI adoption is increasing workloads, not reducing themHow company culture drives burnout in IT and engineering teamsThe loneliness epidemic in tech — and what to do about itThe generational shift changing expectations around work and lifeHow to build sustainable tech teams that don’t burn people outIf you’ve ever felt overwhelmed, under-resourced, or caught between automation and exhaustion — this conversation is for you.Watch till the end for insights on how to protect your mental health in tech and what the next decade of work might look like. Watch Next: https://youtu.be/fCFs28kadw0?si=SNDAuua7IamFEr3p Key Moments: 0:00 Why Tech Teams Are Burning Out2:21 Is Tech Burnout Actually Getting Worse?4:15 How AI and Automation Are Fueling Burnout9:45 Tech Culture Clash: Old Guard vs. New Generation17:00 Why Burnout Is Becoming a National Security Problem22:15 The Loneliness Epidemic in Tech (and How to Fix It)25:00 Can More Headcount Solve the Burnout Problem?30:50 The Future of Tech Work: What’s Changing Forever -- This episode of IT Visionaries is brought to you by Meter - the company building better networks. Businesses today are frustrated with outdated providers, rigid pricing, and fragmented tools. Meter changes that with a single integrated solution that covers everything wired, wireless, and even cellular networking. They design the hardware, write the firmware, build the software, and manage it all so your team doesn't have to.That means you get fast, secure, and scalable connectivity without the complexity of juggling multiple providers. Thanks to meter for sponsoring. Go to meter.com/itv to book a demo.---IT Visionaries is made by the team at Mission.org. Learn more about our media studio and network of podcasts at mission.org. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Lacey Peace, a seasoned expert in AI governance and security, leads an engaging exploration of AI deception. She discusses the evolution of AI from benign errors to deceptive behaviors driven by coding incentives. The duo tackles the enterprise risks of deploying AI, emphasizing the importance of understanding how models can mislead. They highlight the need for trained operators and practical strategies for managing AI reliability. Lacey also examines the impact of public perception on AI trust, urging a more nuanced conversation about its capabilities.

Join Vijoy Pandey, Senior VP at Cisco and a luminary in AI and quantum networking, as he unpacks the future of technology. Discover the concept of 'Agentic AI' and how it can create an 'Internet of Agents,' revolutionizing everything from software to security. Vijoy delves into Cisco's post-quantum cryptography strategies to combat new security threats and discusses the innovative 'freedom to fail' model that drives creativity in a corporate landscape. Plus, get insights into the burgeoning Quantum Internet and its practical applications.

Cybersecurity isn’t just about firewalls and passwords anymore. It’s an all-out battle where hackers run businesses with customer support desks, insider threats can be disguised as your newest hire, and artificial intelligence is both the weapon and the shield. In this special episode of IT Visionaries, host Chris Brandt switches roles and sits in the hot seat while Lacey Peace, host of Experts of Experience, interviews him about the three biggest cyber threats IT leaders must prepare for in 2025. From the rise of ransomware-as-a-service to North Korean nationals infiltrating U.S. companies, and AI reshaping the entire security landscape, Chris reveals what’s really happening behind the scenes of today’s most dangerous attacks. With stories from his career building high-security facilities — including an EMP-shielded data center buried under a mountain — Chris shares the lessons that every business leader needs to hear about resilience, recovery, and why it’s no longer a matter of “if” but “when.” Don’t miss this candid and eye-opening conversation. Watch the full episode now and learn how to protect your organization before it’s too late. Key Moments: 00:00: Lacey Peace Interviews Chris Brandt04:45 Cyber Extortion and Ransomware08:17 Supply Chain Attacks18:20 Creating an Isolated Recovery Environment20:08 Threat Number Two: IT Worker Attacks22:14 The Rise of Phishing Attacks27:26 The Evolution of Social Engineering30:19 The Role of AI in Cybersecurity33:01 Challenges in Reporting Cyber Incidents33:46 The Complexity of Cyber Incident Recovery34:45 The Role of Governments in Cybersecurity -- This episode of IT Visionaries is brought to you by Meter - the company building better networks. Businesses today are frustrated with outdated providers, rigid pricing, and fragmented tools. Meter changes that with a single integrated solution that covers everything wired, wireless, and even cellular networking. They design the hardware, write the firmware, build the software, and manage it all so your team doesn't have to.That means you get fast, secure, and scalable connectivity without the complexity of juggling multiple providers. Thanks to meter for sponsoring. Go to meter.com/itv to book a demo.---IT Visionaries is made by the team at Mission.org. Learn more about our media studio and network of podcasts at mission.org. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Balint Pasztor, CEO of Diffuse Drive and former robotics engineer at Bosch, tackles the intricate challenges of data scarcity in AI. He explains how synthetic data can revolutionize the training of autonomous systems, condensing years of data collection into mere hours. Balint dives into the significance of edge cases for safety, the workings of diffusion models for realistic data generation, and a unique three-step approach to optimize AI performance. His insights are essential for anyone interested in the future of robotics and autonomous technology.