In a recent analysis following an AI Field Day delegate roundtable, Sulagna Saha explores the double-edged nature of AI chatbots, assessing their benefits as efficient virtual assistants versus their risks as potential privacy invaders. Saha critically examines the mechanisms behind these AI systems, how they interact with user data, and the implications for personal privacy and security. For comprehensive insights into AI Field Day 5, check out more articles by Sulagna Saha on Techstrong AI.
Automation Will Change Our Socio-Economic Canvas. But Can It Assure Economic Well-being?
Sulagna Saha explores the socio-economic implications of automation, questioning whether advancements in technology can guarantee economic well-being for all. She discusses the potential benefits and challenges posed by increased automation in various sectors. This article was based on a delegate roundtable discussion at Cloud Field Day 21. For further insights, check out more articles by Sulagna Saha on Gestalt IT.
Techstrong Gang – December 18, 2024
Stephen Foskett provides an in-depth analysis of the presentations and technological showcases at Tech Field Day during his December 18 appearance on Techstrong Gang. He focuses on the innovative uses of artificial intelligence in enterprise technologies, which were highlighted during the event. For additional insights and coverage on Tech Field Day, watch Stephen Foskett’s regular appearances on Techstrong Gang.
Technology Silos Are a Thing of the Past
Enterprise IT has long been divided into silos. This is because of scarce resources and specialized knowledge required to perform some IT operations tasks. The world of today is much more focused on outcomes and the need for silos is waning. In this episode of the Tech Field Day Podcast, Stephen Foskett, Alastair Cooke, and Tom Hollingsworth discuss how enterprise IT has moved away from silos due to increased resource availability and cross training. They also look ahead to new challenges from advances like AI and quantum computing.
Southworks – AppDev Field Day – KubeCon @cncf 2024
During AppDev Field Day 2 at KubeCon 2024, Jon Myer explored SOUTHWORKS’ innovative approach to application development, which they term “development on demand.” Unlike conventional system integrators, SOUTHWORKS offers scoped projects with a flat-fee pricing structure, emphasizing knowledge transfer to minimize customer dependencies for future modifications. Their approach, likened to a “SWAT team” for software tasks, such as app development and migrations, was well received by delegates. Attendees particularly valued how SOUTHWORKS harnesses sophisticated cloud functionalities and facilitates cloud-to-cloud mobility, effectively addressing prevalent challenges in the industry. Their strategy of offering scalable engineering resources was noted for its potential to significantly enhance organizational efficiency and flexibility in software development efforts.
Company Acquisitions are a Necessary Evil in Enterprise Tech
The IT industry’s reliance on acquisitions is a necessary driver of innovation, though they often seem to get in the way of competition and progress. This episode of the Tech Field Day podcast, recorded during Cloud Field Day 21, features Ray Lucchesi, Jon Hildebrand, Ken Nalbone, and Stephen Foskett considering whether acquisitions in the IT industry are a necessary evil or a detriment to innovation. Acquisitions are often seen as a double-edged sword, with both positive and negative implications. On one hand, acquisitions can fuel innovation by providing smaller companies with the resources and market access they need to scale their ideas. On the other hand, they can stifle competition, lead to cultural clashes, and sometimes result in the disappearance of promising technologies or products.
There’s a Gulf Between Storage and AI
There is a significant gap between storage companies and their ability to effectively support AI infrastructure. In this episode of the Tech Field Day podcast, recorded during the AI Data Infrastructure Field Day 1 in Santa Clara, host Stephen Foskett and guests Kurtis Kemple, Brian Booden, and Rohan Puri explore the evolving relationship between storage and AI. The discussion highlights a significant gap between storage companies’ current capabilities and the demands of AI applications. While storage vendors are pivoting to support AI, many lack deep AI expertise, often focusing on cost and efficiency rather than offering integrated, AI-specific solutions. The panel emphasizes the need for storage companies to move beyond being mere data repositories and instead develop end-to-end solutions that address AI workflows, data preparation, and metadata management. They also stress the importance of education, partnerships, and hiring AI specialists to bridge the knowledge gap and drive innovation. The conversation underscores the early stage of this convergence, with a call for clearer strategies, open standards, and more cohesive integration between storage and AI to meet the growing demands of data-driven applications.
Building A Truly Cloud-Agnostic Multi-Cloud Solution with Southworks
Stephen Foskett explores the development of genuinely cloud-agnostic multi-cloud solutions in partnership with Southworks, emphasizing the complexities and innovative practices needed to achieve effective interoperability among various cloud services. He considers the technical strategies and architectural considerations essential for businesses aiming to optimize their IT infrastructure while maintaining flexibility across multiple cloud platforms. Read more coverage of AppDev Field Day 2 on LinkedIn Pulse, and watch the presentation videos now!
Techstrong Gang – November 19, 2024
In the November 19, 2024 episode of Techstrong Gang, hosts Alan Shimel, Bonnie Schneider, and Stephen Foskett review highlights from the recent AppDev Field Day 2 at KubeCon, as well as insights from an article indicating that DevOps engineers are advancing to management roles more quickly than their peers in IT. In the first section, Foskett discusses the presentations by SOUTHWORKS, Heroku, and Codiac, placing them in context with the overall DevOps and Platform Engineering space and giving more details on what was discussed. Watch Stephen Foskett on Techstrong Gang every Tuesday!
AI Doesn’t Make App Dev Any Better
Generative AI is transforming many industries where people create content. Software development is no different; AI agents are in almost every development platform. But is AI improving application development and software quality? This episode of the Tech Field Day Podcast looks at some of the issues revolving around AI and App Dev with Alastair Cooke, Guy Currier, Jack Poller, and Stephen Foskett. The ultimate objective of a software development team is to deliver an application that fulfills a business need and helps the organization be more successful. An AI that can recommend basic code snippets doesn’t move that needle far. More sophistication is needed to get value from AI in the development process. The objective should be to have AI handle the repetitive tasks and allow humans to focus on innovative tasks where generative AI is less capable. AI agents must handle building tests and reviewing code for security and correctness to enable developers to concentrate on building better applications that help organizations.
Exploring the Future of App Development at AppDev Field Day from KubeCon and CloudNativeCon
Stephen Foskett introduces AppDev Field Day at KubeCon and CloudNativeCon in Salt Lake City. In addition to attending sessions and briefings, the Tech Field Day delegates will hear presentations by Heroku, Southworks, and Codiac.
Platform9 Launches Private Cloud Director
On the Gestalt IT Rundown, Stephen Foskett reported on Platform9’s release of their new product, Private Cloud Director. This solution provides enterprises with a seamless way to manage private cloud resources, aiming to simplify cloud infrastructure operations. Private Cloud Director is positioned to enhance scalability and provide robust management tools for diverse IT environments. Watch this video, inspired by Platform9’s presentation at Cloud Field Day 21, to learn more!
Techstrong Gang – October 29, 2024
Stephen Foskett appeared on the October 29 episode of Techstrong Gang, focusing on the news from Cloud Field Day 21. He discusses the advancements in cloud technologies presented by VMware, Platform9, and Qumulo, highlighting by VMware’s strategies post-Broadcom acquisition discussed by CMO Prashant Shenoy, targeting core enterprise needs. Platform9 demonstrated its value proposition for smaller companies, and Qumulo, under the leadership of new CEO Douglas Gourlay, concentrated on enhancing AI-driven data storage solutions. Watch the entire episode at Techstrong TV!
Techstrong Gang – October 22, 2024
In this appearance on Techstrong TV, Stephen Foskett discussed the major thematic takeaways from Security Field Day 12: Digital Trust, Supply Chain, and SSE (Secure Services Edge). Watch Techstrong Gang every Tuesday for Foskett’s thoughts, including previews and reactions to Tech Field Day events.
Data Infrastructure Is A Lot More Than Storage
The rise of AI and the importance of data to modern businesses has driven us too recognize that data matters, not storage. This episode of the Tech Field Day podcast focuses on AI data infrastructure and features Camberley Bates, Andy Banta, David Klee, and host Stephen Foskett, all of whom will be attending our AI Data Infrastructure Field Day this week. We’ve known for decades that storage solutions must provide the right access method for applications, not just performance, capacity, and reliability. Today’s enterprise storage solutions have specialized data services and interfaces to enable AI workloads, even as capacity has been driven beyond what we’ve seen in the past. Power and cooling is another critical element, since AI systems are optimized to make the most of expensive GPUs and accelerators. AI also requires extensive preparation and organization of data as well as traceability and records of metadata for compliance and reproducibility. Another question is interfaces, with modern storage turning to object stores or even vector database interfaces rather than traditional block and file. AI is driving a profound transformation of storage and data.
Using AI To Connect Business Workflows
In this LinkedIn Pulse article, Stephen Foskett explores how artificial intelligence (AI) is revolutionizing the integration of business workflows. He highlights the pivotal role of AI in enhancing communication and automating processes, thereby facilitating more effective and streamlined operations across various industries. Foskett underscores the significance of strategically implementing AI technologies to achieve greater operational efficiency and adaptability in today’s competitive business landscape. This insight was inspired by a briefing with Appian and the recent Integrail presentation at AI Field Day 5.
Techstrong Gang – September 24, 2024
In a recent appearance on Techstrong Gang, our own Stephen Foskett discussed the latest developments in edge solutions following Edge Field Day. The event featured VMware, Avassa, Tsecond, Zededa, and OnLogic showcasing their innovations in edge computing. VMware’s new platform, Avassa’s orchestration, Tsecond’s rugged storage, Zededa’s scalability, and OnLogic’s edge servers demonstrated the diversity of edge solutions. For more insights, check out Stephen Foskett discussing the event on Techstrong Gang with Alan Shimel, Mitch Ashley, and the rest of the gang!
Exploring the Importance of Data Infrastructure at AI Data Infrastructure Field Day 1
At next week’s AI Data Infrastructure Field Day, our panel of delegates will explore the critical role of robust data architectures in powering AI applications. Tune in Wednesday and Thursday as we learn about the latest data infrastructure solutions from Solidigm, Google Cloud, Pure Storage, HPE, MinIO, and Infinidat. The sessions will be live-streamed on LinkedIn and Techstrong TV and posted to YouTube afterward.
AI and Cloud Demand a New Approach to Cyber Resilience featuring Commvault
As companies are exposed to more and more attackers, they’re realizing that cyber resilience is increasingly important. On this episode of the Tech Field Day Podcast, presented by Commvault, Senior Director of Product and Ecosystem Strategy Michael Stempf joins Justin Warren, Karen Lopez, and Stephen Foskett to discuss the growing challenges companies face in today’s cybersecurity landscape. As more organizations transition to a cloud-first operation, they’re recognizing the heightened exposure of their data protection strategies to global compliance mandates like DORA and SCI. Adding to this complexity is the emerging threat of AI, raising important questions about how businesses can adapt and maintain resilience in the face of these evolving risks.
Techstrong Gang – September 17, 2024
Stephen Foskett was a guest on the Techstrong Gang on September 17, where he discussed his observations from AI Field Day 5. Stephen provided an overview of AI Field Day, emphasizing its focus on practical applications of AI, such as productizing large language models (LLMs) and the development of AI agents that can automate processes, moving past the limited scope of chatbots. He also discussed advances in networking from Cisco and Arista, the radical new Ethernet fabric solution from Enfabrica, and the agentic AI platform created by Integrail.
