Cirrius Talk

You picked your LLM, you picked your use case, and now someone hands you a list of hosting options that all sound like they solve the same problem. They don’t. In this episode, Tim Harting and Gavin Franklin of Cirrius Solutions break down the three real hosting models for AI agents - self-hosted, software-aligned, and the new wave of provider-hosted options from Anthropic and OpenAI - and how to decide which one fits which agent.

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂’𝗹𝗹 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻:

• The real trade-offs between self-hosted, software-aligned, and provider-hosted agents - and why most companies end up running all three
• How Anthropic Cloud Managed Agents and OpenAI Workspace Agents actually differ in build model, lock-in, and how end users interact with them
• The four customer archetypes we keep seeing - platform-first enterprise, builder-heavy SaaS, knowledge-worker augmentation, and regulated industries - and the hosting mix each one tends to land on
• The questions to ask before you pick: where does the workflow live, do you have a platform team, how sensitive is the data, and how will you observe and evaluate the agent

𝗪𝗵𝗼 𝗶𝘁’𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿:

Technology leaders, architects, and AI/platform teams choosing where their agents will run - and trying to avoid locking the whole company into a single platform before the use cases are even mapped.

𝗚𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁 + 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆:

Tim Harting and Gavin Franklin lead Agentic AI strategy and delivery at Cirrius Solutions, a consulting firm working at the intersection of cloud, software engineering, data, and AI. They’re rolling these hosting decisions out with real customers every week and watching the provider landscape shift in real time.

𝗣𝗿𝗶𝗺𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝗖𝗧𝗔:

Grab the companion artifact from the show notes - it’s the side-by-side decision framework for the three hosting models, plus the Anthropic vs. OpenAI comparison. Follow Cirrius Talk: Agentic AI for more episodes that cut through the noise.

𝗥𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗱 𝗟𝗶𝗻𝗸𝘀 & 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗰𝗲𝘀

Episode Artifact

Tim Harting on LinkedIn

Gavin Franklin on LinkedIn

Greg Banks on LinkedIn

Jason Fowler Music

Cirrius Solutions

Any Questions: Reach out to us at [email protected]

USA Cares steps in when veteran families are at the brink—especially when eviction or foreclosure could trigger a fast, devastating spiral. Hear how stability-focused support can create breathing room and a bridge to long-term resources.

What you’ll learn

• Why housing instability is a key “crossroad” USA Cares targets to prevent deeper crisis
• How USA Cares provides emergency grants (paid directly to creditors) and why speed matters
• The most common categories of support discussed: housing, vehicle expenses, and utilities

Who it’s for

Veterans, military spouses, and supporters looking for real-world resources that help during transition and hardship.

Guest + credibility

Matt Maples is the Texas Director for USA Cares, an organization founded in 2003 to help stabilize veteran families by keeping them in their homes and in their jobs.

Links & Resources

Matt Maples on LinkedIn
USA Cares on LinkedIn
USA Cares main site
Request assistance
Become a Volunteer
Find a USA Cares Chapter

Greg Banks on LinkedIn
Jason Fowler Music
Cirrius Solutions
Jason Fowler
Follow-up: [email protected]

CTA

Need help or want to support the mission? Visit usacares.org (assistance application, donation options, chapter info).

Follow the show for more Military Minute episodes.

SHARE to help a veteran today!

Salesforce Field Service is powerful—but only if you implement it the right way.
Most organizations struggle to scale field operations because they’re still relying on outdated processes and disconnected systems.

In this episode of Salesforce at Scale, we break down how Salesforce Field Service actually works in the real world—what drives success, what causes failure, and how to build a foundation that scales.

What you’ll learn:

• How to improve scheduling, technician matching, and first-time fix rates
• Why process definition and clean data are critical before implementation
• The role of change management in driving real adoption

Who it’s for:
Business leaders, technical leads, and operations teams responsible for scaling service delivery

Guest + credibility:
Featuring Bobby Basden and Al Huerta from Cirrius Solutions, bringing hands-on experience from more than a decade of real world field service implementations.

CTA:

Please like and subscribe to the show and share this episode with those on the Field Service journey. To learn more about Field Service and our accelerator, please view the resources linked below

Links & Resources:

Field Service Accelerator Whitepaper

Field Service Guide

Bobby Basden on LinkedIn
Al Huerta on LinkedIn
Greg Banks on LinkedIn
Jason Fowler Music
Cirrius Solutions 

For any questions, please reach out at [email protected]

Token stewardship is quickly becoming a make-or-break discipline for Agentic AI because it directly impacts cost, throttling, and whether teams can scale AI usage without losing velocity.

In this episode, Greg Banks is joined by Tim Harting and Gavin Franklin to break down token stewardship in practical terms and lay out the core levers every organization can use to control spend while keeping agents effective.

What you’ll learn

• Where tokens come from in agent systems (prompts, memory, tools, calls, outputs)
• The 4-tier optimization approach: prompt/context, caching, model routing, and self-hosting tradeoffs
• Why token discipline can prevent throttling and protect productivity at scale

Who it’s for
Decision makers and technical teams building, deploying, or scaling agentic AI in real operations.

Guests + credibility
Tim and Gavin Franklin share research-backed guidance and lessons from hands-on internal agent development and usage optimization at Cirrius.

CTA
Download the episode artifact and use it to start a real cost-and-value conversation inside your organization. (And follow the show for the rest of the Agentic AI series.)

Links & Resources

Agentic AI Playlist of past episodes
Episode Artifact
Tim Harting on LinkedIn
Gavin Franklin on LinkedIn
Greg Banks on LinkedIn
Jason Fowler Music
Cirrius Solutions

Ready to translate military experience into a civilian career that actually fits? In this episode, Charlotte Creech breaks down how Hire Heroes USA helps veterans and military spouses land meaningful work - faster and with stronger outcomes.

What you’ll learn:

• How the one-on-one career coach “concierge” model works from registration through job search
• Why combining services (resume + mentoring + interview prep + LinkedIn) improves job outcomes
• How AI is reshaping hiring - and the career “sweet spots” veterans already align with

Who it’s for:

Service members transitioning out, veterans at any career stage, and military spouses building or rebuilding a career.

Guest + credibility:

Charlotte Creech is the Chief Program Officer at Hire Heroes USA, overseeing client-facing programs, mentoring operations, and digital transformation. Hire Heroes USA has operated since 2005 and reports 116,000+ confirmed job placements.

Primary CTA:

Register for support (or learn more) at HireHeroesUSA.org. (Optional: Follow the show for more Military Minute episodes.)

𝙒𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙚? 𝘊𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘬 𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘰 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘦𝘱𝘪𝘴𝘰𝘥𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱

The Military Minute Playlist

Links & Resources

Charlotte on LinkedIn:

HHUSA on LinkedIn

https://www.hireheroesusa.org/

Job Seeker Link

Volunteer Link

Joint Report for veteran sweet spots

Patriot Boot Camp

Greg Banks on LinkedIn

Jason Fowler Music

Cirrius Solutions

✉️Contact Cirrius:  [email protected]

Salesforce Security at Scale isn’t solely about the platform—it’s about your decisions. Some risks don’t come from Salesforce itself, but from how you configure it.

In this episode, we break down how to approach Salesforce Security at Scale with a mindset that prevents risk, supports users, and scales with your business.

What you’ll learn:

• Why over-permissioned users and poor configuration create the biggest risks
• How to design a multi-layered security model from org to record level
• Why shifting from profiles to permission sets is critical for scalability

Who it’s for:
Salesforce admins, architects, technical leaders, and business stakeholders responsible for platform strategy and governance

Recommended Links:

Episode Artifact

SF User Access Policies 

SF User Access and Permissions Assistant (appexchange) 

Trailhead 

Dean Finkelstein on LinkedIn

Allie Nelson on LinkedIn 

Greg Banks on LinkedIn

Jason Fowler Music

Cirrius Solutions 

Reach out at [email protected] with any questions

Guest:
Dean Finkelstein leads managed services at Cirrius Solutions and brings years of hands-on Salesforce delivery and security experience across client environments.

CTA:
Follow the show and share this episode with leaders responsible for Salesforce security and scale.

Local agents can unlock real productivity—but only if you avoid the “skills wild west.” In this episode, we break down how Cirrius is rolling out a locally based employee agent and governing skills so teams get consistent, scalable results.

What you’ll learn

• How to shift from SOP-driven operations to a skills-driven model your agents can execute
• A 3-tier governance structure for individual, role/department, and company-wide skills
• What a real “output-focused” skill looks like (Business Value Assessment Builder + reference docs + quality checks)

Who it’s for
Business leaders and technical teams implementing agentic AI inside real operations.

Guest + credibility
Tim and Gavin Franklin share what Cirrius Solutions is using internally day-to-day, including the Serious Ops Agent and the governance approach behind it.

CTA
Share this episode with a leader trying to scale AI beyond experimentation. (And follow the show for the next episode.)

Links & Resources

Episode Artifact

Claude Code Skill discussed on the episode

Tim Harting on LinkedIn

Gavin Franklin on LinkedIn

Greg Banks on LinkedIn

Jason Fowler Music

Cirrius Solutions

For questions or feedback, please contact us at [email protected]

Hiring Our Heroes can be the bridge between military life and a strong civilian career - especially when SkillBridge, fellowships, and employer connections feel overwhelming. 

In this Military Minute, Greg Banks sits down with HOH Director Stephanie Murphy to break down exactly how the pipeline works for service members and military spouses.

What you’ll learn

• How HOH fellowships work end-to-end (intake → resume release → interviews → fellowship start).
• What SkillBridge is, what changed recently, and how HOH supports the process for candidates and employers.
• How HOH supports military spouses, including the challenge of spouse unemployment and programs designed for reentry and readiness.

Who it’s for
Transitioning service members, military spouses reentering the workforce, and employers who want to hire military talent.

Guest + credibility
Stephanie Murphy is a military spouse of 26 years and Director with Hiring Our Heroes in the Baltimore–DC region, part of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation’s HOH program, which supports military-connected career transitions nationwide.

CTA
Subscribe and share this episode with a veteran or military spouse who’s planning their next career move.

Recommended Links

Stephanie Murphy on LinkedIn
HOH Website
Events Page
Event Registration
Hiring Events
Employers
Career Services
Fellowship Application
Greg Banks on LinkedIn
Jason Fowler Music
Cirrius Solutions

Contact: [email protected]

Scaling Salesforce isn’t about features — it’s about leadership.
In this episode of Salesforce at Scale, we explore how Managed Services evolved from reactive admin work into strategic advisory partnerships that drive long-term platform success.

What You’ll Learn

• How to transition from project delivery to sustainable Salesforce managed services
• Why preparation and leadership philosophy reduce stress and improve delivery outcomes
• How AI can augment teams without replacing strategic thinking

Who It’s For

Salesforce leaders, architects, delivery managers, and business stakeholders responsible for long-term platform success.

Guest + Credibility

Brandon Wiedemeier leads multiple delivery teams at Cirrius Solutions and built the company’s Managed Services division from the ground up. He brings hands-on experience in scaling Salesforce operations across diverse client environments.

Primary CTA

Follow the show and share this episode with a leader who’s responsible for scaling Salesforce beyond go-live.

Links & Resources

Brandon Wiedemeier on LinkedIn:

Seven P’s: 

Greg Banks on LinkedIn

Jason Fowler Music

Cirrius Solutions

For questions or feedback, please contact us at [email protected]

Local AI agents vs cloud-hosted AI agents isn’t just a technical debate—it’s a productivity and security decision. In this episode, we explain the spectrum from cloud-hosted to hybrid to fully local, and what each approach unlocks for real-world adoption.

What you’ll learn

• How cloud-hosted agents typically map to scoped business processes and scale across teams
• Why local agents can drive major individual efficiency gains through personalization and tool access
• The real-world tradeoffs: context/memory control, security risk, and controlled rollout + training

Who it’s for
Business and technical leaders deciding how to deploy agentic AI across a company.

Guest + credibility
Greg Banks is joined by Tim and Gavin Franklin to share lessons from deploying agents with clients and across internal teams—especially around hybrid and locally hosted approaches.

CTA
Have questions or want help planning an agent rollout? Reach out: [email protected]. (And follow the show so you don’t miss the next build-focused episode.)

Links & Resources

Agentic AI Playlist of past episodes
Episode Artifact:
Tim Harting on LinkedIn
Gavin Franklin on LinkedIn
Greg Banks on LinkedIn
Jason Fowler Music
Cirrius Solutions