What is the new normal for life and business after COVID-19, and how does that impact IT? We dive into the 5 strategic IT business drivers CXOs are contemplating now and the motivation behind those drivers. 

Read the corresponding blog article at https://www.2ndwatch.com/blog/five-strategic-business-drivers-cxos-contemplating-now/.

What are the top 5 challenges we see with clients when it comes to cloud optimization? We talk the future of cloud optimization and key best practices to achieve and maintain optimization.

What is a Cloud Center of Excellence (CCOE), and how can you ensure its success? Joe Kinsella, CTO of CloudHealth, talks with us today about the importance of a CCOE, the steps to cloud maturity, and how to move through the cloud maturity journey.

Data Engineering and Analytics expert, Rob Whelan, joins us today to dive into all things data lakes and data platforms. Data is the key to unlocking the path to better business decisions. What do you need data for? We look at the top 5 problems customers have with their data, how the cloud has helped solve these challenges, and how you can leverage the cloud for your data use.

 Cloud compliance, cloud security...NOT the same thing. Victoria Geronimo, Security & Compliance Product Manager at 2nd Watch who also happens to have an internet law and internet policy background, joins us today as we look at how security, compliance, and state regulations affect architecting your cloud environment and the farther-reaching effects they have on business.

Stefana Muller, Sr Product Manager of DevOps at 2nd Watch, joins us today to talk about DevOps' place in cloud transformation. We examine ideal entry points into DevOps transformations, methodologies, secrets to a successful transformation, and the "impossible ask." 

We'd love to hear from you! Tweet Stefana (@stefanamuller) or email us at [email protected] with comments, questions, and ideas.

 We welcome very special guest, Matt McIlwain, Managing Director of Madrona Venture Group, to get a venture capitalist's view on the current market environment, the outlook for the market, and technological effects in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic. Since 1995, Madrona Venture Group has helped technology entrepreneurs launch and grow world-class companies.

 What are the most common drivers for business transformation? We look at how to mold and adapt to cloud transformation, areas of challenges and acceleration in that transformation we're seeing due to the COVID 19 environment, key considerations to prepare for your transformation and the phases of transformation from planning to ongoing optimization.

We discuss VMware Cloud on AWS as a data center extension, for next-generation applications and Disaster Recovery, and virtual desktop solution, Horizon 7. VMware Cloud Partner Solution Architect, Frances Wong, joins us to get technical.

Farida Bharmal, Microsoft One Commercial Partner, joins us today to talk about Microsoft's Cloud Adoption Framework (CAF). We discuss the components of CAF including strategy, plan, ready, migrate, innovate, govern and manage, and where customers are struggling and how they're overcoming those challenges.