Blockchain isn’t just about crypto gains and trading NFTs. Aside from endless industrial use cases, you can now use it to invest in the world’s finest wine. Erika meets with Corey Parkinson, the Global Head of Product of Cult Wines, to talk about how his organization is innovating and democratizing the fine wine trade through blockchain technology. Plus, Corey shares insights on how to make the most of Cult Wines new trading app. 

Featuring: Corey Parkinson, Global Head of Product at Cult Wines. Special thanks to the Pilgrim production team for sharing their thoughts. 

The Catalyst by Softchoice is the podcast shining a light on the human side of IT leaders and reframing our relationship with technology. 

The Catalyst by Softchoice is the podcast dedicated to exploring the intersection of humans and technology.

How will the metaverse transform modern business? And how can companies seize this virtual opportunity? Medha Parlikar, co-founder and CTO of CasperLabs, joins Erika to explore how IT leaders can leverage the metaverse with real-world applications. Medha reviews the pros and cons of engaging in a virtual world and explains how a 3D version of the internet will create the most immersive user experience yet. 

Featuring: Medha Parlikar, Co-Founder and CTO at CasperLabs. Special thanks to Softchoice and the Pilgrim production team for sharing their thoughts. 

The Catalyst by Softchoice is the podcast shining a light on the human side of IT leaders and reframing our relationship with technology. 

The Catalyst by Softchoice is the podcast dedicated to exploring the intersection of humans and technology.

While on vacation last Spring, Erika caught COVID-19. When her symptoms went from bad to worse, she decided to head to her local hospital, where she was treated and monitored using their highly innovative, digital post care program. On this episode of The Catalyst, Erika speaks to the Director of Community Partnerships at Southlake Regional Health Centre, Gayle Seddon, and the VP of Strategy, Analytics and Communications, Tyler Chalk, to discuss the integrative and collaborate approach they used to create their highly regarded – and transformative – COVID at Home Program. 

Featuring: Gayle Seddon, Director of Community Partnerships at Southlake Regional Health Centre and Tyler Chalk, VP Strategy, Analytics and Communications at Southlake Regional Health Centre. Special thanks to Softchoice’s Nicole Francis and the Pilgrim Production Team for lending their thoughts. 

The Catalyst by Softchoice is the podcast shining a light on the human side of IT leaders and reframing our relationship with technology. 

The Catalyst by Softchoice is the podcast dedicated to exploring the intersection of humans and technology.

How do we start to close the ever-widening IT skills gap? In the second of this two-part series, Erika meets with technologist Shauna Begley to talk about the importance of digital literacy as a way to create a more robust and adaptable future of work. Shauna also shares valuable insight on how companies can encourage employees to “learn as they earn.” 

Featuring: Shauna Begley, faculty member at the British Columbia Institute of Technology and co-founder of Modern Work. Special thanks to Softchoice’s Ashley Arruda for sharing her thoughts. 

The Catalyst by Softchoice is the podcast shining a light on the human side of IT leaders and reframing our relationship with technology. 

This episode is sponsored by The Design Studio at Softchoice. Visit www.softchoice.com/solutions/consulting-and-complex-solutions/digital-acceleration to learn more
 

The Catalyst by Softchoice is the podcast dedicated to exploring the intersection of humans and technology.

The IT skills gap is bad – and it’s only getting worse. The good news is there’s still plenty you can do about it. In the first of this two-part series, Erika meets with AWS’ Brian Graf to share some tips to train and retain talent in our highly-competitive industry. You’ll also find out how companies of all sizes can encourage innovation in order to bridge the cloud skills gap.  

Featuring: Brian Graf, Senior Partner Solutions Architect at AWS.  

The Catalyst by Softchoice is the podcast shining a light on the human side of IT leaders and reframing our relationship with technology. 

This episode is sponsored by VMware Cloud for AWS. Visit softchoice.com/asksoftchoice to learn about our fully funded Cloud Readiness Review. 

The Catalyst by Softchoice is the podcast dedicated to exploring the intersection of humans and technology.

From dial up to high-speed connectivity, the Internet has come a long way in shaping and shifting how we connect with people and business. 

Host Erika Van Noort meets with Softchoice’s Vice President of Digital Acceleration Craig McQueen to discuss the internet’s next big wave: Web3. He explains what exactly Web3 will entail, how it differs from Web 1.0 and 2.0, and why IT leaders need to be paying attention to this budding tech. Plus, Craig shares key use cases for Web3 and gives practical tips for how anyone can get involved.

Featuring:
Craig McQueen, Vice President of Digital Acceleration at Softchoice
Special thanks to Softchoice voices, Makenzie Wiwchar and Evan Wee, for lending their honest thoughts!

The Catalyst by Softchoice is the podcast shining a light on the human side of IT leaders and reframing our relationship with technology.

The Catalyst by Softchoice is the podcast dedicated to exploring the intersection of humans and technology.

Is it really time to get rid of the IT department? According to a recent Wall Street Journal article, it may just be. In this episode, Erika Van Noort sits down to discuss a 2021 article where the author warns that our traditional concept of the IT department and the way it’s set up is not only outdated, but it’s also putting the way we grow business and drive innovation at risk. For a deeper look at whether it’s really time for IT leaders to ditch their self-titled department, Erika welcomes Chris Woodin, VP of the Cloud Business Unit at Softchoice, along with Jeff Reis, Senior VP of Information Technology & Workplace. In a roundtable discussion, they dive into how we can create more value for organizations by integrating the IT function into core planning processes.

The path forward is going to come down to a lot of teamwork, a lot of vision, and a lot of groundbreaking technical transformation.

Featuring:
Chris Woodin, VP of the Cloud Business Unit at Softchoice
Jeff Reis, Senior VP of IT & Workplace at Softchoice
Special thanks to the Catalyst production team for voicing the comments on the article.

The Catalyst by Softchoice is the podcast shining a light on the human side of IT leaders and reframing our relationship with technology.

The Catalyst by Softchoice is the podcast dedicated to exploring the intersection of humans and technology.

In this episode, Erika Van Noort welcomes Oguo Atuanya, General Manager of Global Scale and Global Partner Solutions at Microsoft. As a Senior Executive leading Microsoft’s global cloud scale services, Oguo weaves together a mixed cultural background from his education in three different continents and passion for democratization in technology. He talks about how the Microsoft workforce is more diverse than it’s ever been, and how the new generation of employees is making it a priority to work for a company that shares their values. Oguo also discusses the real concrete DEI efforts underway at Microsoft to move us from tokenism to transformation. His unique personal story and passion for mentorship and making a difference, will inspire you in your own  journey.

Featuring:
Oguo Atuanya, General Manager of Global Scale and Global Partner Solutions at Microsoft
Special thanks to Softchoice voices Houman Aryan and Karly Pierce for lending their thoughts!

The Catalyst by Softchoice is the podcast shining a light on the human side of IT leaders and reframing our relationship with technology.

This episode is brought to you by Microsoft – a proud leader when it comes to diversity and inclusion. To start building your cloud and workplace strategy with an organization that’s committed to making the world a better place to live and work, visit Softchoice.com/Microsoft to learn more.

The Catalyst by Softchoice is the podcast dedicated to exploring the intersection of humans and technology.

In this episode, fill-in host  Nicole Francis steps in and meets with Softchoice’s Jeffersen Sylvia to discuss how Russia and Ukraine are using cybersecurity in this modern-day war – and why businesses and IT leaders in North America should take note. Jeffersen takes us through his journey to cybersecurity as an enterprise architect and how the traditional way of thinking about security has shifted, both in the physical sense and from a mindset perspective. Jeffersen talks about how ransomware has become a huge issue over the last several years, how teams have to work together to be effective, and his 10-Point Plan to address and strengthen your weakest links. 

Featuring:

Jeffersen Sylvia, Principal Enterprise Architect for Security in the Design Studio at Softchoice

Special thanks to Softchoice voices, Andrea Knoblauch and Shawn Dickson, for lending their honest thoughts!

The Catalyst by Softchoice is the podcast shining a light on the human side of IT leaders and reframing our relationship with technology.

The Catalyst by Softchoice is the podcast dedicated to exploring the intersection of humans and technology.

Just in time for Earth Day, we’re launching Season 4 of The Catalyst by Softchoice with a look at why the world’s biggest innovators are putting sustainability first. 

Erika Van Noort meets VMware’s Nicola Peill-Moelter and Google’s Trinity Lloyd to discuss the growing need for green technology. From new regulatory burdens to an increasing sense of urgency, corporate responsibility is something today’s CIO can’t ignore. We also discover some of the incredible ways Google and VMware are driving sustainability through technological innovation, with a focus on hybrid cloud, big data, artificial intelligence and strategic partnerships. 

Featuring:
Trinity Lloyd, Sustainability and Energy Transition Lead at Google
Nicola Peill-Moelter, Director, Sustainability Innovation at VMware
Special thanks to Softchoice voices, Cole Pascua, Ryan Landreville, and Matt Sherman, for lending their honest thoughts!

This episode of the Catalyst is brought to you by Google Cloud and VMware. See how you can move to more sustainable cloud computing, using the tools you already know and trust. Visit www.softchoice.com/gcve to learn more.

The Catalyst by Softchoice is the podcast shining a light on the human side of IT leaders and reframing our relationship with technology.

The Catalyst by Softchoice is the podcast dedicated to exploring the intersection of humans and technology.