Ctrl Alt Lead

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How did the UK government’s Cloud First strategy become, in practice, Microsoft First?

In this episode of Ctrl Alt Lead, Penny Horwood speaks to Bill McCluggage, former Director of IT Strategy and Policy at the Cabinet Office, about the growing concentration of the UK public sector technology market.

Bill argues that decades of perfectly rational procurement decisions have created a deep dependency on Microsoft across cloud infrastructure, productivity software and now AI. Moving away can mean confronting switching costs, interoperability problems and changes to identity, data and skills, making meaningful competition increasingly difficult.

With Copilot adding another layer to that technology stack, Penny and Bill discuss whether AI risks deepening existing cloud lock-in, why multicloud has failed to deliver on some of its early promises, and what this means for technology sovereignty.

They also examine the role of the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), why Bill believes regulators need to move more quickly, and what public sector buyers can do to create genuine competition rather than simply defaulting to more of the same.

In this episode:

• How Cloud First became “Microsoft First”
• Why short-term savings can create long-term technology dependency
• The barriers to switching cloud providers
• Why multicloud has proved difficult in practice
• How Copilot and agentic AI could deepen vendor lock-in
• The implications for UK digital and AI sovereignty
• What the CMA can do to encourage greater competition
• The questions technology leaders should ask before their next major procurement

Become a member of Computing today at www.computing.co.uk

LinkedIn: @computing-- / Tom Allen / Penny Horwood

Are you an IT leader with a story to tell? Get in touch by emailing [email protected].

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In this special Inside the News edition of Ctrl Alt Lead, Tom and Penny break down a series of cyber incidents affecting fashion and food retailers, before exploring who is behind the attacks and what they could mean for the West's war footing.

We also examine Ukraine's strikes on Russian datacentre infrastructure, the implications of Elon Musk/Donald Trump's latest decision to hobble Starlink, and the growing push for digital sovereignty.

We also look at two sides of the AI debate. In support: a growing challenge to Adobe's software ecosystem. Opposed: the mounting financial pressures, including concerns about debt, spending and market consolidation.

Become a member of Computing today at www.computing.co.uk

LinkedIn: @computing-- / Tom Allen / Penny Horwood

Are you an IT leader with a story to tell? Get in touch by emailing [email protected].

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Many organisations have ambitious AI strategies, but far fewer have successfully moved projects into production. In this episode of Ctrl Alt Lead, Penny Horwood speaks to Chris Carreiro, CTO at Park Place Technologies, about the obstacles holding enterprises back and what IT leaders can do about them.

Chris explains why data readiness remains the biggest barrier to AI success, how unclear ownership and governance stall progress, and why organisations should focus on smaller, more targeted use cases rather than broad board-level mandates. 

The discussion also explores a sometimes overlooked aspect of AI infrastructure: power and cooling. As AI workloads drive unprecedented server densities, cooling has become a strategic concern for CIOs, with implications for sustainability, edge computing, data sovereignty and future infrastructure planning.

Key topics:

• Why AI pilots fail to reach production
• The importance of data readiness and accountability
• Governance challenges in a fast-moving AI landscape
• Power, cooling and the infrastructure demands of AI
• What CIOs should ask when assessing AI readiness
• The future of AI infrastructure and edge deployments

Become a member of Computing today at www.computing.co.uk

LinkedIn: @computing-- / Tom Allen / Penny Horwood

Are you an IT leader with a story to tell? Get in touch by emailing [email protected].

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In this special Ctrl Alt Lead episode, Computing Research Director John Leonard explains why AI, despite attracting enormous attention, still represents a relatively small proportion of overall IT spend, while cloud remains the largest and most challenging budget category.

The conversation also explores the practical realities behind cloud sovereignty, the difficulties of moving away from incumbent hyperscalers, and how UK organisations compare with their US counterparts in areas including AI adoption, cybersecurity investment and sustainability. The result is an evidence-based look at where IT leaders are investing today and what may shape spending decisions in the years ahead.

Become a member of Computing today at www.computing.co.uk

LinkedIn: @computing-- / Tom Allen / Penny Horwood

Are you an IT leader with a story to tell? Get in touch by emailing [email protected].

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The datacentre industry has spent decades preparing for equipment failure. But what happens when the greatest risks are completely unpredictable - extreme weather, water shortages, energy constraints and geopolitical instability? In this episode, Arup's David Davies argues that resilience must be redefined for a more uncertain future.

David discusses the growing impact of climate change on datacentre design, including the prospect of UK summer temperatures exceeding 45°C, the pressure that AI growth is placing on energy infrastructure, and the need to prepare for multiple disruptions occurring at the same time. He also explains why future-ready datacentres must be adaptable, integrated into broader energy systems and designed for continuous change rather than static operating conditions.

We also explore public attitudes to datacentres, community engagement, microgrids and the key questions IT leaders should ask providers about resilience.

Become a member of Computing today at www.computing.co.uk

LinkedIn: @computing-- / Tom Allen / Penny Horwood

Are you an IT leader with a story to tell? Get in touch by emailing [email protected].

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

AI's pricing model has changed, and many IT leaders - and business executives - have been caught flatfooted. In this episode Greg Holmes, field CTO at Apptio, an IBM company, discusses the changing economics of enterprise technology. From AI spending and consumption-based pricing to FinOps and value measurement, he explains why CIOs can no longer treat ROI as a one-time exercise. Instead, they need continuous visibility into both costs and outcomes.

As well as costs, governance and sovereignty, Greg also discusses the growing importance of Chief AI Officers and the skills technology leaders will need to develop as AI becomes embedded across the enterprise.

Become a member of Computing today at www.computing.co.uk

LinkedIn: @computing-- / Tom Allen / Penny Horwood

Are you an IT leader with a story to tell? Get in touch by emailing [email protected].

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Generative AI is transforming research, but its use in academia raises very different questions from mainstream business applications. In this episode, Elsevier CTO Jill Luber discusses the opportunities AI creates for literature discovery and analysis, as well as the risks of hallucinations, bias and a lack of source transparency.

We explore Elsevier’s research-focused LeapSpace AI platform and consider the future role of AI agents in research workflows. Jill argues that, while AI will continue to accelerate discovery and publication, researchers will continue to rely on human judgement, supported by systems that prioritise trust and verifiable evidence.

Become a member of Computing today at www.computing.co.uk

LinkedIn: @computing-- / Tom Allen / Penny Horwood

Are you an IT leader with a story to tell? Get in touch by emailing [email protected].

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

This week we - along with the US and UK governments, as well as OpenAI itself - are tackling the controversial topic of AI kill switches. Tom and Penny discuss the proposals on the table, as well as the practical challenges of defining what a kill switch actually is, who would control it and what circumstances would justify its use.

We also examines the wider implications of AI's transition from software tool to business infrastructure. From reports of rogue agents to the challenge of incorporating AI outages into resilience planning, we ask whether organisations are becoming dependent on systems whose governance remains unresolved.

Become a member of Computing today at www.computing.co.uk

LinkedIn: @computing-- / Tom Allen / Penny Horwood

Are you an IT leader with a story to tell? Get in touch by emailing [email protected].

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The RSPCA may be 200 years old, but a sophisticated digital operation sits behind its animal welfare mission, serving millions of users every year.

In this episode, RSPCA COO Emily Tierney and Head of DX Jake Brown discuss the organisation's tech strategy, including platform consolidation, API-first architecture, user-centred digital services and the challenge of delivering transformation under the charity sectr's financial constraints.

We explore how the RSPCA is introducing AI tools, measuring digital impact beyond traditional web metrics, improving incident reporting journeys and strengthening data governance. The pair also share lessons from reducing technical debt, building internal capability and aligning teams around a common mission: creating better outcomes for animals through technology

Become a member of Computing today at www.computing.co.uk

LinkedIn: @computing-- / Tom Allen / Penny Horwood

Are you an IT leader with a story to tell? Get in touch by emailing [email protected].

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Stack Overflow quickly realised generative AI represented more than a new technology trend. In this episode of Ctrl Alt Lead, CEO Prashanth Chandrasekar reflects on how generative AI disrupted the developer ecosystem, forced Stack Overflow to reinvent itself, and changed the way organisations create, share and consume knowledge.

We explore the trust gap holding back enterprise AI, which Prashanth argues is the key to successful AI adoption. He also predicts that software developers will increasingly orchestrate teams of digital workers rather than write code themselves, saying, “Everybody now becomes a manager of digital agents.”

Become a member of Computing today at www.computing.co.uk

LinkedIn: @computing-- / Tom Allen / Penny Horwood

Are you an IT leader with a story to tell? Get in touch by emailing [email protected].

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.