Next in Tech

There have been chronic hiring issues in tech, even before the great resignation, and it’s been particularly acute in information security. Research analyst Megan Goodwin joins host Eric Hanselman to talk about alternatives to the traditional internal paths and where targeted learning can be useful. With concerns about burnout being ever more prevalent, training options like boot camps could help to skill up existing staff, but organizations have to invest to make those options pay off.

The conflict in Ukraine is having dire humanitarian consequences and is creating economic disruption. The impacts that many expected in the cyber realm have been more muted. Scott Crawford and Johan Vermij return to discuss what this means for the evolution of the attacker community and what organizations should be considering with host Eric Hanselman. Alignments between state actors and some criminal groups may not be as tight many expected, but it’s clear that we’re in a very new situation.

It’s being talked about in grand terms, but The Metaverse not a single thing or even a specific technology. Senior analyst Ian Hughes is back to discuss the many facets of metaverses with host Eric Hanselman. While some are laying claim, the metaverse comes in many forms and holds the promise of enriching human interactions. Gaming interfaces are a popular representation, but the interconnection can have ties to the physical world. Is this podcast a metaverse? Maybe just a part of one…

There’s an evolution in digital transactions whose various elements are being rolled up under the banner of Web3. Analysts Jackie McGuire and Jordan McKee join host Eric Hanselman to explore the fusion of blockchain, cryptocurrencies, NFT’s and more. Billions of dollars are changing hands through decentralized transactions, but they’re passing through just a few parties who are defining the markets with early stage technologies. It’s wild and wooly today, but changing quickly.

As organizations digitize their businesses, they’re trying to quantify the impacts on customer experience. Research director Sheryl Kingstone rejoins host Eric Hanselman to the results of the brainchild formed by the intersection of the Global Unified Commerce Forecast and the Voice of the Connected User Landscape (VOCUL) study. Quantifying over $300B USD of North American customer experiences, it has some fascinating insights. Digitally demanding customers have some of the highest revenue potential and almost half said they would pay a premium for the experiences they want.

Interest rates are top of mind in tech, influencing markets and M&A activity. Research analyst Malav Parekh joins host Eric Hanselman to look at the hard questions that concerns about interest rates are creating and discusses the data from the latest Voice of the Customer Macroeconomic Outlook study. Translating study results is challenging at the best of times, but nothing’s normal now, and working out the impacts is not going to be easy.

Consumer expectations about spending have been buffeted by the pandemic and their perceptions about the economy. Mike Nocerino, the author of a recent report on the results of the Voice of the Connected User Landscape (VoCUL) study, joins host Eric Hanselman to talk about macroeconomic effects and activities like revenge spending. Consumers are saying that things are getting better, but that there’s a lingering unease. It’s a look beyond the raw economic data to the human side of the economy.

Last year closed out tremendously strong, with M&A deal volumes setting new records. Research director Brenon Daly returns to talk with host Eric Hanselman about rocket-like growth and the results of the M&A Outlook study. Valuation multiples are up a full turn, but will this continue into 2022? Interest rates and market pressures may begin to weigh on deals. The report’s here:  https://www.spglobal.com/marketintelligence/en/news-insights/research/tech-ma-outlook-2022-another-year-for-the-ages

Attitudes about security are evolving, but expectations about spending continue strong. Dan Kennedy, the lead analyst on the Information Security VotE study, is back to discuss the results with host Eric Hanselman. There is greater awareness of the realities of cloud security and organizations say that they’re buckling down to support remote work as a permanent change. It sounds like regulatory requirements are moving to expand their remit, but are they on target for things like open source?

While cloud datacenters consume significant amounts of energy, they are much more efficient than the typical enterprise environment. Kelly Morgan and Dan Thompson return to the podcast to discuss the carbon reduction potential of shifting workloads to cloud with host Eric Hanselman. Power reduction in more recent generations of server technology make a big difference. It’s compelling when coupled with datacenter efficiency improvements and better access to green energy grids.