The Hitchhiker's Guide Podcast

In this episode of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to IT, host Michelle Dawn Mooney sits down with Jason Kaplan, CEO of SixMap, to explore one of the most urgent challenges in modern infrastructure management: deep visibility. As IT environments grow more hybrid, distributed, and fast-moving, the risks of shadow IT and blind spots are only increasing.

Kaplan shares how SixMap is rethinking asset discovery and attack surface mapping—scanning over 60,000 ports continuously to reveal what legacy tools often miss. With firsthand examples from high-stakes industries, he explains why visibility is the foundation of cybersecurity resilience.

The conversation covers:

• Why traditional tools fall short in fast-changing hybrid and cloud environments
• How shadow IT and misconfigurations create hidden risks
• Real-world discoveries like exposed identity servers and webcams
• The importance of continuous scanning and closing visibility gaps
• What enterprises and agencies can do now to regain control over their infrastructure

Listen in to learn how to move beyond surface-level inventory and start securing your infrastructure at its core.

In this episode of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to IT, host Michelle Dawn Mooney sits down with Jason Kaplan, CEO of SixMap, to explore one of the most urgent challenges in modern infrastructure management: deep visibility. As IT environments grow more hybrid, distributed, and fast-moving, the risks of shadow IT and blind spots are only increasing.

Kaplan shares how SixMap is rethinking asset discovery and attack surface mapping—scanning over 60,000 ports continuously to reveal what legacy tools often miss. With firsthand examples from high-stakes industries, he explains why visibility is the foundation of cybersecurity resilience.

The conversation covers:

• Why traditional tools fall short in fast-changing hybrid and cloud environments
• How shadow IT and misconfigurations create hidden risks
• Real-world discoveries like exposed identity servers and webcams
• The importance of continuous scanning and closing visibility gaps
• What enterprises and agencies can do now to regain control over their infrastructure

Listen in to learn how to move beyond surface-level inventory and start securing your infrastructure at its core.

AI in the enterprise is no longer theoretical—it’s real, and it’s happening now. In this Hitchhiker’s Guide to IT soundbite, Christopher Carter, Chairman and CEO of Approyo, highlights a powerful example: Juul’s integration of over 400 AI agents across its SAP ecosystem, spanning HR, finance, warehousing, and more. This isn’t hype—it’s operational transformation.

But Carter also warns against the illusion of progress. Many organizations jump into AI without the training, clarity, or readiness to harness its full potential. “They don't know what they're doing… and that's where part of the problem is,” he explains. His message to IT leaders is clear: get educated, get strategic, and make AI work for your organization.

The future of infrastructure depends not just on adopting AI—but adopting it intelligently.

In this episode of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to IT, host Michelle Dawn Mooney sits down with Tom Richards, Practice Lead for Systems, Storage, and Security at Northdoor plc. With over two decades of experience supporting highly regulated industries, Tom unpacks how enterprises can modernize legacy systems, balance compliance and performance, and prepare infrastructure for the next wave of innovation.

The conversation covers:

• How to modernize IBM Power Systems and legacy applications without disrupting critical operations
• Why data classification and visibility remain the biggest challenges in enterprise storage
• The role of automation and zero trust in scaling infrastructure securely
• Common pitfalls in infrastructure decision-making and how to avoid costly blind spots
• What IT leaders need to know about ESG, AI, and procurement trends shaping future infrastructure

Tom’s hands-on perspective is especially valuable for IT leaders in regulated environments navigating hybrid systems, audit readiness, and evolving modernization demands.

Tune in to learn how to better align infrastructure strategy with business goals while building a more secure, efficient, and future-ready foundation.

In this episode of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to IT, host Michelle Dawn Mooney sits down with Tom Richards, Practice Lead for Systems, Storage, and Security at Northdoor plc. With over two decades of experience supporting highly regulated industries, Tom unpacks how enterprises can modernize legacy systems, balance compliance and performance, and prepare infrastructure for the next wave of innovation.

The conversation covers:

• How to modernize IBM Power Systems and legacy applications without disrupting critical operations
• Why data classification and visibility remain the biggest challenges in enterprise storage
• The role of automation and zero trust in scaling infrastructure securely
• Common pitfalls in infrastructure decision-making and how to avoid costly blind spots
• What IT leaders need to know about ESG, AI, and procurement trends shaping future infrastructure

Tom’s hands-on perspective is especially valuable for IT leaders in regulated environments navigating hybrid systems, audit readiness, and evolving modernization demands.

Tune in to learn how to better align infrastructure strategy with business goals while building a more secure, efficient, and future-ready foundation.

In this episode of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to IT, host Michelle Dawn Mooney speaks with Sebastien Jean, Chief Technology Officer at Phison Electronics, to explore the next frontier of enterprise storage—especially as AI and hybrid IT environments demand faster, denser, and more intelligent infrastructure. With over a decade of experience designing Nand flash and embedded systems, Sebastien explains how storage is evolving far beyond “faster hard drives” to become a key enabler of scalable, high-performance architectures.

The conversation covers

• Why SSDs are reshaping assumptions around performance, endurance, and total cost of ownership
• How NVMe and PCIe Gen5/6 SSDs are unlocking direct GPU access and reducing architectural bottlenecks
• Why high-density flash is critical for feeding AI workloads and scaling efficiently
• The role of pre-filtering and embedded compute in SSDs to reduce network overhead
• How hybrid and on-prem environments differ in latency, security, and user experience
• Emerging trends in petabyte-scale drives, in-drive DRAM, and application-aligned storage design

With insights from enterprise deployments and hyperscalers, Sebastien shares how IT leaders can future-proof their infrastructure by rethinking how, where, and why they store data—without sacrificing performance or control.

Listen in to learn how to modernize your storage strategy for AI, improve data center efficiency, and align SSD selection to long-term performance and environmental goals.

In this episode of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to IT, host Michelle Dawn Mooney speaks with Sebastien Jean, Chief Technology Officer at Phison Electronics, to explore the next frontier of enterprise storage—especially as AI and hybrid IT environments demand faster, denser, and more intelligent infrastructure. With over a decade of experience designing Nand flash and embedded systems, Sebastien explains how storage is evolving far beyond “faster hard drives” to become a key enabler of scalable, high-performance architectures.

The conversation covers

• Why SSDs are reshaping assumptions around performance, endurance, and total cost of ownership
• How NVMe and PCIe Gen5/6 SSDs are unlocking direct GPU access and reducing architectural bottlenecks
• Why high-density flash is critical for feeding AI workloads and scaling efficiently
• The role of pre-filtering and embedded compute in SSDs to reduce network overhead
• How hybrid and on-prem environments differ in latency, security, and user experience
• Emerging trends in petabyte-scale drives, in-drive DRAM, and application-aligned storage design

With insights from enterprise deployments and hyperscalers, Sebastien shares how IT leaders can future-proof their infrastructure by rethinking how, where, and why they store data—without sacrificing performance or control.

Listen in to learn how to modernize your storage strategy for AI, improve data center efficiency, and align SSD selection to long-term performance and environmental goals.

In today’s infrastructure landscape, “cloud-first” doesn’t mean “cloud-only.” In this Hitchhiker’s Guide to IT soundbite, Pete Sacco, Founder and President of Inspirica IT Solutions, challenges a common misconception: that everything must move to the cloud. While many organizations have exited traditional data centers, roughly 30% of enterprises still maintain some form of on-site compute—and that number isn’t going away.

Sacco explains that certain critical workloads simply perform better or require on-prem environments. That’s where hybrid strategies and edge data centers come into play. His work with Intuva, a division of PTS Data Center Solutions, focuses on supporting these edge environments—providing full-stack coverage from IT to power and cooling systems.

In a world driven by flexibility, Sacco reminds IT leaders that a modern infrastructure strategy must include both cloud and on-prem realities.

In this episode of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to IT, host Michelle Dawn Mooney sits down with Mike Nguyen, CEO and founder of Inflect, to demystify one of the most overlooked challenges in IT: modern infrastructure procurement. With 25+ years of experience building digital infrastructure agencies and advisory platforms, Mike shares his perspective on how to simplify complex buying decisions—especially in an era of hybrid environments, rapid AI evolution, and global digital expansion.

The conversation covers:

• Why the infrastructure buying process is still fragmented—and how to fix it
• What AI can (and can’t) do to streamline IT decision-making and procurement
• The growing need for marketplaces and advisors to match infrastructure to business requirements
• Common mistakes enterprises make when copying others’ infrastructure models
• How to think about IT procurement as a long-term partnership, not just a one-time deal
• Why infrastructure complexity is increasing—and how to navigate it effectively over the next 3–5 years

From understanding the real role of AI to building smarter relationships with service providers, Mike offers actionable insights for IT leaders navigating an increasingly fast, global, and high-stakes infrastructure landscape.

Tune in to learn how to modernize your procurement strategy, embrace a hybrid mindset, and build infrastructure that supports your next big leap in innovation.

In this episode of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to IT, host Michelle Dawn Mooney sits down with Mike Nguyen, CEO and founder of Inflect, to demystify one of the most overlooked challenges in IT: modern infrastructure procurement. With 25+ years of experience building digital infrastructure agencies and advisory platforms, Mike shares his perspective on how to simplify complex buying decisions—especially in an era of hybrid environments, rapid AI evolution, and global digital expansion.

The conversation covers:

• Why the infrastructure buying process is still fragmented—and how to fix it
• What AI can (and can’t) do to streamline IT decision-making and procurement
• The growing need for marketplaces and advisors to match infrastructure to business requirements
• Common mistakes enterprises make when copying others’ infrastructure models
• How to think about IT procurement as a long-term partnership, not just a one-time deal
• Why infrastructure complexity is increasing—and how to navigate it effectively over the next 3–5 years

From understanding the real role of AI to building smarter relationships with service providers, Mike offers actionable insights for IT leaders navigating an increasingly fast, global, and high-stakes infrastructure landscape.

Tune in to learn how to modernize your procurement strategy, embrace a hybrid mindset, and build infrastructure that supports your next big leap in innovation.