AI Proving Ground Podcast: Exploring Artificial Intelligence & Enterprise AI with World Wide Technology

Enterprise adoption of artificial intelligence agents is skyrocketing, with most large organizations already running pilots — but not all that glitters is gold. In this episode of the AI Proving Ground Podcast, Technical Solutions Architect Ina Poecher and Senior Director of WWT’s AI Practice cut through the noise to expose widespread “agent-washing” and spotlight practical, ROI-driven use cases you can implement today. Tune in to learn how agentic architecture transforms generative AI hype into secure, measurable enterprise outcomes — and what’s next for the multi-agent future.Support for this episode provided by: IslandMore about this week's guests:Ina Poecher is a Technical Solutions Architect at World Wide Technology (WWT) and collaborates with customers and internal teams to design and validate innovative technology solutions. Working within WWT's Advanced Technology Center, she leverages extensive experience across IT infrastructure, cloud, networking and automation to develop and test complex architectures that drive business outcomes and support strategic initiatives.Ina's top pick: Hack the Future: AI Meets SecurityJason Campagna leads AI solution strategy at World Wide Technology, helping enterprises adopt intelligent systems from AI assistants to autonomous agents. A technologist since 2001, he brings deep expertise in cloud, automation and platform architecture. Jason is known for bridging disruptive tech with real-world execution and building agile, diverse teams to drive innovation at scale.Jason's top pick: WWT at ONUG AI Networking Summit—Dallas 2025The AI Proving Ground Podcast leverages the deep AI technical and business expertise from within World Wide Technology's one-of-a-kind AI Proving Ground, which provides unrivaled access to the world's leading AI technologies. This unique lab environment accelerates your ability to learn about, test, train and implement AI solutions. Learn more about WWT's AI Proving Ground. The AI Proving Ground is a composable lab environment that features the latest high-performance infrastructure and reference architectures from the world's leading AI companies, such as NVIDIA, Cisco, Dell, F5, AMD, Intel and others. Developed within our Advanced Technology Center (ATC), this one-of-a-kind lab environment empowers IT teams to evaluate and test AI infrastructure, software and solutions for efficacy, scalability and flexibility — all under one roof. The AI Proving Ground provides visibility into data flows across the entire development pipeline, enabling more informed decision-making while safeguarding production environments.

Cloud-native artificial intelligence is rewriting the enterprise playbook. In this episode of the AI Proving Ground Podcast, guest host Robb Boyd joins data strategist Ina Poecher and cloud architect Zaid Elkhateeb to explore why 2025 belongs to firms that treat hyperscale cloud as their default R&D lab. Reporting from WWT’s AI Proving Ground, they reveal how on-demand GPUs, modular services, and policy-as-code governance collapse GenAI timelines from quarters to days — without riling security auditors. Tune in for a four-step blueprint — clean data, outcome-driven architecture, elastic cloud services, and continuous guardrails — that turns artificial intelligence experiments into production-grade advantage.More about this week's guests:Ina Poecher is a Technical Solutions Architect at World Wide Technology (WWT), and collaborates with customers and internal teams to design and validate innovative technology solutions. Working within WWT’s Advanced Technology Center, she leverages extensive experience across IT infrastructure, cloud, networking, and automation to develop and test complex architectures that drive business outcomes and support strategic initiatives.Zaid Elkhateeb is a Technical Solutions Architect at World Wide Technology (WWT), specializing in Google Cloud Platform. He brings deep expertise in cloud engineering, data architecture, and AI/ML services, joining WWT's GS&A team from another leading Google partner. Zaid helps enterprise clients design and implement scalable cloud solutions that power innovation and drive real business outcomes.The AI Proving Ground Podcast leverages the deep AI technical and business expertise from within World Wide Technology's one-of-a-kind AI Proving Ground, which provides unrivaled access to the world's leading AI technologies. This unique lab environment accelerates your ability to learn about, test, train and implement AI solutions. Learn more about WWT's AI Proving Ground. The AI Proving Ground is a composable lab environment that features the latest high-performance infrastructure and reference architectures from the world's leading AI companies, such as NVIDIA, Cisco, Dell, F5, AMD, Intel and others. Developed within our Advanced Technology Center (ATC), this one-of-a-kind lab environment empowers IT teams to evaluate and test AI infrastructure, software and solutions for efficacy, scalability and flexibility — all under one roof. The AI Proving Ground provides visibility into data flows across the entire development pipeline, enabling more informed decision-making while safeguarding production environments.

Agentic artificial intelligence systems have the potential to work together — but not yet at scale. In this episode of the AI Proving Ground Podcast, WWT engineer Sally Jankovic and AI advisor David Geddam break down two emerging standards — Model Context Protocol (MCP) and Agent-to-Agent (A2A) communication. Both promise modular AI integration, safer data flows, and agentic collaboration that actually scales, making them essential infrastructure for enterprise artificial intelligence.Support for this episode provided by: GleanMore about this week's guests:Sally Jankovic earned her PhD in Applied Math from the University of Minnesota in 2023. Drawn to real-world problem-solving, she began her career as a data scientist at a healthcare startup, working on ML, NLP, and LLMs. Her hands-on experience led her to the platform team before joining WWT, where she was inspired by the MC group's collaborative culture and the chance to work across diverse tech stacks and projects.Sally's top pick: Agent-2-Agent Protocol (A2A) - A Deep DiveDavid Geddam is a Senior AI Advisor and Chief Solution Architect at World Wide Technology, with 25+ years of experience in AI, healthcare tech and enterprise solutions. He’s held key roles at Kaiser Permanente, GE Healthcare, Philips, IBM Watson Imaging and multiple startups. David holds degrees in Biomedical Engineering and Healthcare Technology and specializes in AI, cloud, NLP, computer vision and real-time navigation. On the hobbies front, he is involved in playing competitive tennis at USTA 4.0 level for teams in St. Louis.David's top pick: Scaling Agentic AI: Impact of Model Context (MCP) and Agentic (A2A) protocolsThe AI Proving Ground Podcast leverages the deep AI technical and business expertise from within World Wide Technology's one-of-a-kind AI Proving Ground, which provides unrivaled access to the world's leading AI technologies. This unique lab environment accelerates your ability to learn about, test, train and implement AI solutions. Learn more about WWT's AI Proving Ground. The AI Proving Ground is a composable lab environment that features the latest high-performance infrastructure and reference architectures from the world's leading AI companies, such as NVIDIA, Cisco, Dell, F5, AMD, Intel and others. Developed within our Advanced Technology Center (ATC), this one-of-a-kind lab environment empowers IT teams to evaluate and test AI infrastructure, software and solutions for efficacy, scalability and flexibility — all under one roof. The AI Proving Ground provides visibility into data flows across the entire development pipeline, enabling more informed decision-making while safeguarding production environments.

For many, artificial intelligence success isn’t limited by how many GPUs you can buy; it’s limited by how fast those GPUs can talk to each other without tripping over the plumbing. In this episode of the AI Proving Ground Podcast, two of WWT’s top networking minds —Justin van Schaik and Eric Fairfield — lay out the real choke points slowing AI projects to a crawl and how powerful, modernized network architectures are quietly rewriting the rulebook for scaling AI.Support for this episode is provided by: NokiaLearn more about this week's guest:Justin van Shaik is a Technical Solutions Architect at World Wide Technology, specializing in High Performance Networking, AI and Open Networking. A seasoned technologist, he helps organizations design and deploy advanced infrastructure to support next-gen workloads at scale.Justin's top pick: The Future of High Performance Networking: Ultra Ethernet ExplainedEric Fairfield is a Technical Solutions Architect at World Wide Technology with a passion for solving data center networking challenges. He specializes in Cisco ACI, VMware NSX and their integration. Outside of tech, Eric has spent over 30 years immersed in motorsports, working with F1, IndyCar, IMSA and other major racing organizations.Eric's top pick: WWT at ONUG AI Networking Summit—Dallas 2025The AI Proving Ground Podcast leverages the deep AI technical and business expertise from within World Wide Technology's one-of-a-kind AI Proving Ground, which provides unrivaled access to the world's leading AI technologies. This unique lab environment accelerates your ability to learn about, test, train and implement AI solutions. Learn more about WWT's AI Proving Ground. The AI Proving Ground is a composable lab environment that features the latest high-performance infrastructure and reference architectures from the world's leading AI companies, such as NVIDIA, Cisco, Dell, F5, AMD, Intel and others. Developed within our Advanced Technology Center (ATC), this one-of-a-kind lab environment empowers IT teams to evaluate and test AI infrastructure, software and solutions for efficacy, scalability and flexibility — all under one roof. The AI Proving Ground provides visibility into data flows across the entire development pipeline, enabling more informed decision-making while safeguarding production environments.

Jack in the Box CTO Doug Cook and WWT Chief Digital Advisor Charlie Lawhorn detail how a multi-year modernization sprint paved the way for advancements in artificial intelligence — and what every business can learn from the fast-food chain's journey. Doug and Charlie offer a candid conversation that delivers a playbook for prioritizing AI use cases, funding innovation in capital-constrained environments and rolling out AI with minimal disruption.For more about this week's guests:Doug Cook joined Jack in the Box as Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer in October of 2021. Cook brings more than 20 years of industry experience leading guest and employee-facing platforms to Jack in the Box. Cook most recently served as interim CTO of Jack in the Box, effectively leading the technology team and strategy during his interim period. Prior to joining Jack in the Box, Cook served as Chief Information Officer at Pizza Hut. Before Pizza Hut, Cook spent two decades with Sonic applying leading-edge technologies and analytics to grow the company's innovation and market position.Doug's top pick: Jack in the Box Case StudyCharlie Lawhorn is an experienced transformation leader with a career dedicated to designing and executing complex programs that help organizations navigate digital change. He specializes in aligning process design with modern digital technologies to enhance enterprise relevance and performance in a data-driven marketplace. Charlie leads teams that prioritize business outcomes, working closely with stakeholders to identify opportunities, apply the right processes and technologies and deliver measurable business value.Charlie's top pick: Modernizing the Point of Sale at Jack in the Box to Drive Efficiency, Insights and GrowthThe AI Proving Ground Podcast leverages the deep AI technical and business expertise from within World Wide Technology's one-of-a-kind AI Proving Ground, which provides unrivaled access to the world's leading AI technologies. This unique lab environment accelerates your ability to learn about, test, train and implement AI solutions. Learn more about WWT's AI Proving Ground. The AI Proving Ground is a composable lab environment that features the latest high-performance infrastructure and reference architectures from the world's leading AI companies, such as NVIDIA, Cisco, Dell, F5, AMD, Intel and others. Developed within our Advanced Technology Center (ATC), this one-of-a-kind lab environment empowers IT teams to evaluate and test AI infrastructure, software and solutions for efficacy, scalability and flexibility — all under one roof. The AI Proving Ground provides visibility into data flows across the entire development pipeline, enabling more informed decision-making while safeguarding production environments.

At Cisco Live 2025, the networking giant rolled out a sweeping agenda to make artificial intelligence not just powerful, but practical — and secure. In this episode, we caught up with leaders from Cisco, NVIDIA and WWT to talk about what this year's announcements actually mean for enterprise teams tasked with building scalable, secure, AI-ready infrastructure. From the rise of the Cisco Secure AI Factory with NVIDIA to the reality of agentic workflows and persistent inference traffic, this episode unpacks the architectural shifts reshaping the modern data center.Learn more about this week's guests:Kevin Wollenweber is Cisco's Senior Vice President and General Manager of Data Center, Internet, and Cloud Infrastructure. In this role, he leads product strategy to enhance Cisco's infrastructure solutions for the data center, high-performance routing, and mobile networks. His leadership is pivotal in driving growth and developing cutting-edge solutions to meet the dynamic needs of businesses worldwide.Kevin's top pick: About Cisco and WWTChris Marriott is the VP/GM of Enterprise Platforms at NVIDIA, where he has spent 14 years advancing enterprise solutions. With a background in engineering, including 10 years in ASIC development, Chris combines technical expertise with strategic insight to address the evolving tech landscape.Chris's top pick: About NVIDIA and WWTNeil Anderson has over 30 years of experience in Software Development, Wireless, Security, Networking, Data Center, Cloud and AI technologies. At WWT Neil is an VP in our Global Solutions and Architecture team, with responsibility for over $16B in WWT's solutions portfolio across AI, Networking, Cloud, Data Center, and Automation. Neil advises many large organizations on their global architecture and IT strategy across Global Enterprise, Global Service Provider, and Public Sector. Neil is also on the advisory board of several high-tech companies and startups.Neil's top pick: Building for Success: A CTO's Guide to Generative AIThe AI Proving Ground Podcast leverages the deep AI technical and business expertise from within World Wide Technology's one-of-a-kind AI Proving Ground, which provides unrivaled access to the world's leading AI technologies. This unique lab environment accelerates your ability to learn about, test, train and implement AI solutions. Learn more about WWT's AI Proving Ground. The AI Proving Ground is a composable lab environment that features the latest high-performance infrastructure and reference architectures from the world's leading AI companies, such as NVIDIA, Cisco, Dell, F5, AMD, Intel and others. Developed within our Advanced Technology Center (ATC), this one-of-a-kind lab environment empowers IT teams to evaluate and test AI infrastructure, software and solutions for efficacy, scalability and flexibility — all under one roof. The AI Proving Ground provides visibility into data flows across the entire development pipeline, enabling more informed decision-making while safeguarding production environments.

AI leaders these days have little time for proofs of concept. They need ROI. If you're leading the artificial intelligence transformation in a large organization, this episode of the AI Proving Ground Podcast is your blueprint. AI consultants Kathleen Nowicke and Yoni Malchi share how top enterprises prioritize use cases, align across business units and unlock lasting ROI, and detail a three-step process to get AI right from the start.Support for this episode provided by: VAST DataMore about this week's guests:Kathleen Nowicke is an experienced consultant in data-driven digital transformation, with a broader background in Enterprise Architecture and a passion for healthcare. Skilled in leading delivery of complex services engagements, business development, and building high-performing teams. Previous consulting experience with Boston Consulting Group; PhD in Biomedical Engineering from Johns Hopkins University.Kathleen's top pick: Building for Success: A CTO's Guide to Generative AIYoni Malchi is a Managing Director in Consulting Services at WWT focused on AI and Cloud Strategy. He leads AI engagements with key customers bridging the gap between the business and technology teams. Yoni also leads the AI R&D efforts which researches cutting-edge AI techniques, tools, and platforms to provide differentiated recommendations to our clients.Yoni's top pick: A Guide for CEOs to Accelerate AI Excitement and AdoptionThe AI Proving Ground Podcast leverages the deep AI technical and business expertise from within World Wide Technology's one-of-a-kind AI Proving Ground, which provides unrivaled access to the world's leading AI technologies. This unique lab environment accelerates your ability to learn about, test, train and implement AI solutions. Learn more about WWT's AI Proving Ground. The AI Proving Ground is a composable lab environment that features the latest high-performance infrastructure and reference architectures from the world's leading AI companies, such as NVIDIA, Cisco, Dell, F5, AMD, Intel and others. Developed within our Advanced Technology Center (ATC), this one-of-a-kind lab environment empowers IT teams to evaluate and test AI infrastructure, software and solutions for efficacy, scalability and flexibility — all under one roof. The AI Proving Ground provides visibility into data flows across the entire development pipeline, enabling more informed decision-making while safeguarding production environments.

Nearly half of today's artificial intelligence initiatives are dead on arrival. The culprit? The data. From disjointed systems and undefined use cases to cultures that overestimate readiness, WWT data strategists Bill Stanley and Jonathan Gassner break down why many organizations struggle and detail how you can build real momentum for AI transformation.Support for this episode provided by: DataminrLearn more about this week's guests:Jonathan Gassner is a Technical Solutions Architect at WWT specializing in data engineering. He leads pre-sales efforts, aligning sales and delivery through consultative engagement. Jonathan crafts executive briefings, workshops and GTM strategies, supporting clients across sectors. He advances AI R&D, mentors future leaders, manages partner relations and drives innovation by staying ahead of data and AI trends.Jonathan's top pick: Data Maturity ModelWilliam Stanley is a Chief Technology Advisor with nearly 30 years in IT, specializing in data strategy. With an MBA and BS in Computer Science, he aligns data, technology and business goals to drive outcomes. A trusted advisor and innovative leader, his expertise spans IT strategy, architecture and analytics. A lifelong educator, he also teaches a graduate big data course and brings deep, cross-industry experience to every engagement.Bill's top pick: A Practical Playbook for AI: Driving AI Adoption in the EnterpriseThe AI Proving Ground Podcast leverages the deep AI technical and business expertise from within World Wide Technology's one-of-a-kind AI Proving Ground, which provides unrivaled access to the world's leading AI technologies. This unique lab environment accelerates your ability to learn about, test, train and implement AI solutions. Learn more about WWT's AI Proving Ground. The AI Proving Ground is a composable lab environment that features the latest high-performance infrastructure and reference architectures from the world's leading AI companies, such as NVIDIA, Cisco, Dell, F5, AMD, Intel and others. Developed within our Advanced Technology Center (ATC), this one-of-a-kind lab environment empowers IT teams to evaluate and test AI infrastructure, software and solutions for efficacy, scalability and flexibility — all under one roof. The AI Proving Ground provides visibility into data flows across the entire development pipeline, enabling more informed decision-making while safeguarding production environments.

As artificial intelligence innovation intensifies, one domain is already feeling the impact: software development. In this episode, WWT experts Nate McKie and Andrew Athan explore how AI-powered coding assistants are improving developer productivity and reshaping enterprise engineering. From Copilot to agentic tools capable of autonomous code generation, they examine how organizations are navigating this transition, balancing speed with quality and redefining the role of human developers. Whether you're leading a dev team or charting your company’s AI roadmap, this is a must-listen for understanding the real-world implications of AI in engineering.Support for this episode provided by: WindsurfLearn more about this week's guests:Nate McKie's passion for computers started as a child, inspired by his father's work at Radio Shack. With a B.S. in Computer Studies, he has over 25 years of experience in software and automation engineering. Now a senior-level AI Advisor, Nate helps customers leverage AI technologies to achieve their business goals, combining his expertise in hardware, software and data to guide smart, impactful decisions on their AI journey.Nate's top pick: Unlocking the Power of AI Coding AssistantsAndrew Athan is a Technical Solutions Architect III with deep expertise in high-performance, low-latency, distributed computing, consensus and blockchain and high-frequency trading. With a strong background in networks and software, he specializes in designing and implementing cutting-edge solutions to meet complex technical challenges. Andrew's work focuses on optimizing systems for speed, scalability and reliability in fast-paced environments.Andrew's top pick: Codeium Windsurf Coding Assistance DemoThe AI Proving Ground Podcast leverages the deep AI technical and business expertise from within World Wide Technology's one-of-a-kind AI Proving Ground, which provides unrivaled access to the world's leading AI technologies. This unique lab environment accelerates your ability to learn about, test, train and implement AI solutions. Learn more about WWT's AI Proving Ground. The AI Proving Ground is a composable lab environment that features the latest high-performance infrastructure and reference architectures from the world's leading AI companies, such as NVIDIA, Cisco, Dell, F5, AMD, Intel and others. Developed within our Advanced Technology Center (ATC), this one-of-a-kind lab environment empowers IT teams to evaluate and test AI infrastructure, software and solutions for efficacy, scalability and flexibility — all under one roof. The AI Proving Ground provides visibility into data flows across the entire development pipeline, enabling more informed decision-making while safeguarding production environments.

As artificial intelligence pushes the limits of traditional IT infrastructure, enterprises are racing to modernize their data centers. In this episode, Mike Parham and Bruce Gray walk us through the behind-the-scenes decisions that matter — from power and cooling challenges to GPU readiness and sustainability. Whether you're modernizing or starting from scratch, this conversation is your blueprint for AI-ready infrastructure.Support for this episode provided by: VertivMore about this week's guests:Bruce Gray, a results-driven IT executive at World Wide Technology since 2007, brings 25+ years of experience in Building Automation, IT, and Telecom. As Practice Manager, he leads business development and execution for data center design and IT facilities infrastructure. With a background in architecture, programming, and electrical engineering, Bruce excels in strategy, project management, and vendor relations—always seeking challenges that drive impact.Bruce's top pick: Data Center Priorities for 2025Mike Parham is a Technical Solutions Architect at World Wide Technology, where he has been delivering innovative IT solutions since 2011. With a strong technical background and a focus on aligning technology with business goals, Mike helps clients design and implement scalable, efficient architectures. He is known for his collaborative approach, deep expertise, and commitment to driving successful outcomes.Mike's top pick: AI and Data Priorities for 2025The AI Proving Ground Podcast leverages the deep AI technical and business expertise from within World Wide Technology's one-of-a-kind AI Proving Ground, which provides unrivaled access to the world's leading AI technologies. This unique lab environment accelerates your ability to learn about, test, train and implement AI solutions. Learn more about WWT's AI Proving Ground. The AI Proving Ground is a composable lab environment that features the latest high-performance infrastructure and reference architectures from the world's leading AI companies, such as NVIDIA, Cisco, Dell, F5, AMD, Intel and others. Developed within our Advanced Technology Center (ATC), this one-of-a-kind lab environment empowers IT teams to evaluate and test AI infrastructure, software and solutions for efficacy, scalability and flexibility — all under one roof. The AI Proving Ground provides visibility into data flows across the entire development pipeline, enabling more informed decision-making while safeguarding production environments.