In this premiere episode of Between Fires and Futures, host Tonya Turrell sits down with Dell Technologies’ Chief Technology Strategist, Allen Clingerman, to cut through the AI noise and get clear on what tech leaders actually need to know. With over 30 years of enterprise tech experience, Allen shares what’s really happening in the field—from major fires IT leaders are putting out daily to the critical infrastructure and mindset shifts required to lead through this next era of rapid AI adoption.

They explore the practical use cases every org can start with, the biggest misconceptions holding teams back, and why speed—not perfection—is the new competitive advantage. Whether you’re a Fortune 50 CTO or a mid-sized IT director, this conversation is packed with the insights, frameworks, and real-world strategies you need to move from firefighting to future-building.

Tune in to hear:

• The three biggest AI “fires” tech teams are facing—and how to solve them
• Why AI is not just a tech problem but a business transformation driver
• The #1 place every company (regardless of size) should start with AI
• What it really takes to move from pilot to production—and where most teams get stuck
• The critical mindset shifts tech leaders must embrace now to stay ahead
• How AI is transforming job roles (and why reskilling beats hiring)
• When to build AI solutions in-house vs. buy—plus a smart approach to ROI
• The unexpected AI use cases that are revolutionizing retail, education, healthcare, and logistics
• Allen’s rapid-fire take on what to build, what to ditch, and how to make real progress

Mentioned Tools & Resources:

• NVIDIA AI Enterprise & Build.NVIDIA.com for skill-building and experimentation
• Hugging Face + LM Studio for open-source LLM training
• Dell AI Factory for integrated AI infrastructure solutions

Ready to go deeper?
→ Visit TechnologyMatch.com to explore Dell AI Factory solutions
→ Connect with Allen directly: [email protected]