Tech means Business

Software not only has to work as it was designed, it has to be designed so it works as users want it to. User acceptance testing is that critical part of software development that ensures a solution (or an update or addition to an application) becomes a powerful tool for the end-users: functional, easy-to-use, and (hopefully) bug-free.

Our guests today on the Tech Means Business podcast are Original Software, a company that makes market-leading software testing solutions, and NFI, a supplier that specializes in providing powerful software to logistics organizations worldwide.

With Jenny Wilson, VP of Automation Support at NFI, and Colin Armitage, CEO of Original Software, we talk about automation, building test libraries, picking the right user testers, and some of the intricacies of UAT - user acceptance testing.

Although the presence of cloud computing platforms suggests that user testing is somehow standardized, the truth is that uses of any piece of software are so different, every change, every feature, and every application needs to be tested in the right way by the right people - and at a resource cost that won't alarm the Finance Department.

You can find out more about Original Software's test suites here:
https://originalsoftware.com/

NFI, suppliers of technology to supply chain and logistics companies, is here:
https://www.nfiindustries.com/

Colin Armitage is on LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/colinarmitage/

Jenny Wilson:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenny-wilson-25842a173/

And Joe Green (v2.13rc4) is here:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/josephedwardgreen/

Among the most alarming attack vectors that cybercriminals can target are the hardware and software used in industrial settings to monitor and control billions of devices, processes and critical infrastructure. These include control sensors, power generation management, oil & gas refining management, cameras, switches, machinery, and fire systems to cite a few examples. These operational technology (OT) instances are mainly designed to interact with specific equipment, and they don't always come with sufficient security or update mechanisms built-in to withstand concerted attacks.

Our guest on this episode of the Tech Means Business podcast, Nigel Tan, works for Delinea, a leading Privileged Access Management (PAM) solutions provider that can protect this layer of infrastructure, whether new or legacy.

While endpoint protection is often not viable and network-layer security unsuitable, it's zero-trust and careful PAM that can make the difference between safe OT and an open door for hackers.

Nigel is Delinea's Technical Director of Sales Engineering at Delinea for the Asia-Pacific, a battle-hardened professional who's been active in cybersecurity for many years. Together, we discuss the present situation, the potential for damage to critical national infrastructure and worse, the possibility that a cyber incursion can easily damage human lives, physically

There are ways and means, of course, to ameliorate the situation, which Nigel helps us discover as we check out Delinea's OT protection methods.

Check out the Delinea website here:
https://delinea.com

Read the company's blog on security, starting here:
https://delinea.com/blog/privileged-access-management-for-industrial-iot-security

Nigel Tan of Delinea is here:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/nigel-t-bb4bba7/

Joe Green's LinkedIn profile lives here:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/josephedwardgreen/

Getting hands-on with some of the most practical and impactful technology available today is what's on offer from BMC Software's "BMC Connect Singapore" event, November 2nd 2023.

Ahead of the event, we discuss with Brenton Smith and Gunal Kannan from BMC what's on the agenda, who the event's designed for, and what attendees might learn and experience.

The challenge facing many organisations in the APAC isn't the understanding of or realisation of the power of machine learning and artificial intelligence; rather, it's how the technology can be put into effect to give the best business outcomes. It's here that a company like BMC helps.

With use-case examples, keynote and inspirational speakers, workshops and demonstrations, join BMC, its customers and prospects, for a day exploring the possibilities that machine learning offers business operations.

Gunal Kannan is from the technical side of the tracks, while Brenton is more business-oriented. Together, in conversation with our host, Joe Green, we go through both the detail of the event (and others on the company's 'world tour') and discuss many of the issues surrounding the emerging technology of AI in the workplace.

REGISTER HERE

Learn more about BMC Connect, Singapore, November 2nd, 2023:
https://bmcconnect.bmc.com/connectsingapore/

Worldwide events where you can pick the team's brains:
https://www.bmc.com/events.html

Brenton Smith, VP Software, Asia Pacific and Japan's LinkedIn profile is here:
https://sg.linkedin.com/in/smithbrenton

Gunal Kannan, Associate VP, Technology Strategy and Advocacy's page is here:
https://sg.linkedin.com/in/gunalkanna

Joe Green is here:
https://uk.linkedin.com/in/josephedwardgreen

It was during the COVID pandemic that many people outside the industry itself became aware of the importance of shipping and logistics. Its complexities and tight margins make the sector highly competitive and fast moving, yet so much of the day-to-day operations in shipping is done manually.

Our guest today, David Waroquier, CEO of SHIPSTA, looks to change that. The company operates a technology platform that allows the open trading of shipping procurement, whether for 'spot' (one-off) rates, or for longer contracts.
From his commercial background in venture capital, David joined one of his clients as the company's CEO: he liked the company so much, he asked to run it!

In this episode of the Tech Means Business podcast, Joe Green talks to David about saving costs, moving on from Excel and email as business platforms, and how cost savings can do as much for companies as a huge boost in sales.

You can learn more about SHIPSTA and its work here:
https://shipsta.com

David Waroquier is on LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-waroquier-a60990/

And Joe Green's LinkedIn profile is embargoed here:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/josephedwardgreen/

Today's wide-reaching discussion covers such ground as zero-trust security and changes in authentication methods, plus protecting the agreements and contracts at the heart of most organizations today.

We chat to the CIO of DocuSign, Shanthi Iyer, about how her company protects itself and its cloud infrastructure, plus the ways that security policies baked into the DocuSign platform help its users rest safer in the knowledge that their IP (intellectual property) is properly overseen.

Brett Winterford, Regional CISO for APJ, represents long-time DocuSign partner Okta. Brett talks about security methods and current thinking and how different elements of a machine or person's identity can inform security systems constantly about the ongoing threat levels that any company faces.

There's plenty to take in and learn from these two industry stalwarts, each with a specific position on the trust that organizations today give, how to stay safe and protect assets, and what role governments can play in guiding all of us.

Learn more about DocuSign's baked-in security processes here:
https://www.docusign.com/trust/security

The Okta internal cybersec team's blog:
https://sec.okta.com/articles

Okta's portfolio can be explored starting here:
https://www.okta.com/

Shanthi Iyer is on LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/shanthiiyer/

Brett Winterford can be seen here:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/brettwinterford/

Your show's host is on LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/josephedwardgreen/

Many managed service provider businesses start out as a single person who helps out friends and colleagues with their IT problems. Before they can turn around, they have a fully-fledged business on their hands, providing IT support and strategic advice to hundreds of clients.

Our guests on the Tech Means Business podcast know this situation, and have many of the solutions to help. In this episode, ConnectWise talk to us about their services designed specifically to help MSPs grow, automate and become more efficient.

Because, as well as providing significant technical acumen, an MSP now takes a strategic role around the boardroom table as a trusted advisor to every one of their clients. And the last thing the MSP business's owner needs is to be hand-writing invoices and worrying about payroll.

Hear how the MSP's role is changing, and learn about what help and support there is out there for the important companies that provide help and support.

You can learn more about ConnectWise here:

https://connectwise.com

The company's dedicated business support products and platforms are here:

https://www.connectwise.com/platform/business-management

Today's guests are Dan Scott and Jake Varghese:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/danjpscott/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jake-varghese-498335/

And your host is here on LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/josephedwardgreen/

Voice technologies are improving rapidly and manner companies are using artificial intelligence algorithms to change the ways they interact with their customers.

Our guest on the Tech Means Business podcast, Jason Roos, is no stranger to the concept of tech in contact centers, but unlike many, he's a savvy commentator and protagonist in this space. In this episode, we talk about AI, sentiment analysis, and the employee experience of the contact center worker in a post-COVID working environment.

The customer experience is practically defined by the ways that the brand's contact center works, so getting this part of the business's workings absolutely right is critical in converting prospects and customers into brand advocates.

CIRRUS (Jason's company - he's the CEO) can help and contact center add more 'channels', but Jason insists there's so, so much more to running a decent CX operation than that.

Industry insights from the inside, from Jason Roos, who's here on LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jason-roos-b923931/

Read about CIRRUS Response here:
https://www.cirrusresponse.com/

Joe Green is waiting for your call, right here:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/josephedwardgreen/

Although the motives of cyber attackers may be slightly different from the point of view of security experts in the public sector, their methods tend not to be. But there are particular ways that organizations can protect themselves more thoroughly, and our guest on this episode of the Tech Means Business podcast knows most of them.

Nigel Tan, the APAC Director of Systems Engineering at Delinea has had a long and distinguished career in cybersecurity, and talks to us today about zero-trust and PAM (privileged access management) in the enterprise.

It's becoming increasingly necessary to ensure a constant check is made on access to information and software, whether that's in the cloud or on-premise. Additionally, "identities" are a concept applicable to both machines and people. A complicated situation, that many in cybersecurity teams are struggling to contend with.

Nigel guides us through the technical side of the issues in play, and we discuss best practice, current trends in hacker behavior, and the differences that need to be considered when protecting large, public sector organizations from bad actors.

You can learn more about Delinea here:
https://delinea.com/

Nigel Tan is on LinkedIn, here:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/nigel-t-bb4bba7/

And Joe Green, your host, is here:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/josephedwardgreen/

Customer experience isn't necessarily intangible, it's just difficult to describe and therefore get right. Our guest today on the Tech Means Business podcast has been helping companies create world-class CX via the professional industry association he started, the ACXPA (Australian Customer Experience Professionals Association).

Justin Tippett started his career on the phones and followed a career trajectory that led him to supervisor, manager, and eventually, go-to industry consultant.

Even if your organisation is using some of the best technology in the customer contact centre, like the RingCentral omnichannel communications platform, there's more to building brand advocates from every customer (although great tech sure helps!).

The ways your technologies integrate with one another is one aspect, as is agent training, remote working policies, contact centre camaraderie and much more. Justin helps us explode some CX myths and offers much practical advice for any company that's looking to invest in its customer experience function.

The ACXPA can be found here:
https://acxpa.com.au/

RingCentral's technology can be explored from here:
https://www.ringcentral.com/au/en/

Justin Tippett, chief executive officer of the ACXPA on LinkedIn, is here:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/justintippett/

Joe Green is currently on hold, here:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/josephedwardgreen/

When companies use the services of a Managed Service Provider (MSP) for their IT needs, they're handing over a good part of responsibility for their cybersecurity too.

But the importance of protection online means that it's still incumbent on the owner of any data (including intellectual property) to ensure they're as safe as they can be. Today's guest on the Tech Means Business podcast argues the case for a high degree of cybersecurity awareness, regardless of whether there's an MSP in the picture.

"It's all about your appetite for risk," says Leon Friend of ConnectWise, whose company helps MSPs deliver the best possible cybersecurity for their clients, educating and informing about the best ways to protect multiple targets.

In the context of the ACSC's Essential Eight, we talk about cyber insurance, the chancers of the hacking world, script kiddies and the rise in sophisticated hacking methods now available to anyone with half an interest in an illicit income.

Whether you run an MSP or just want to learn about the best approaches to protecting an organisation, this episode of TMB is essential listening.

ConnectWise on the web:
https://www.connectwise.com/

The events run by ConnectWise in APAC:
August 17 – Cybersecurity Masterclass, Sydney
https://www.connectwise.com/theitnation/evolve/agenda?tab=apac

Read about the ACSC's Essential Eight:
https://www.cyber.gov.au/resources-business-and-government/essential-cyber-security/essential-eight

Leon Friend, friend of the show is on LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/leonfriend/

Joe Green and his safe room are here:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/josephedwardgreen/