The SDG Podcast

This episode takes a behind-the-scenes look at the journey of the Open Source North (OSN) conference. Founder Jeff Urban and veteran participants share how OSN grew from a niche Java meetup into a premier Midwest tech event. They reflect on OSN’s community-first focus, lessons learned, and how inclusivity and innovation shape a space for IT professionals to learn and connect.

This episode unpacks the end-of-life for SharePoint 2016 and 2019, covering what it means for on-premises environments. Kyle, Ben, Corey, and Peter discuss migration strategies, cloud vs. Subscription Edition trade-offs, and practical tips for planning and executing a smooth transition. Packed with real-world insights on customization, compliance, and communication, it’s a must-listen for IT professionals preparing for change.

In this episode, the team dives into the challenges of organizational silos in IT, sharing real-world stories about cross-team dependencies, leadership-driven barriers, and the creative ways they’ve built bridges—ranging from structured meetings to after-work happy hours. They explore how silos form, why they persist, and what it really takes to foster collaboration and keep projects moving forward.

You messed up, now what? Kyle, Peter, Chad, and Bennett share their biggest IT blunders—from vanishing inboxes to misfired emails—and the lessons that came with them. Tune in for honesty, recovery tips, and a few laughs along the way.

Technology can certainly offer convenience, but it can also introduce new problems. Eric Schneider and Greg Stier join Kyle and Chad on the podcast to discuss the pitfalls of modern technology in everyday life and how sometimes the best solutions are the simplest ones

The explosion of AI-generated content online-aka “AI slop”-is having a ripple effect across the internet. Jared and Akila join the podcast to discuss the impact this phenomenon might have on creators and content platforms alike. They explore the risks of misinformation, the future of online communities, and how human creativity can still shine in a world saturated with artificial content.

Dan Schwie joins the podcast to dive into the real-world challenges of digital transformation, exploring why legacy systems often hold organizations back. This episode unpacks what it really takes to modernize, the pitfalls to avoid, and why success is about more than just technology.

Is SaaS going to die? Or be replaced by agentic AI? Inspired by Satya Nadella’s (Microsoft) speculation on the topic, Kyle and Peter are joined by Molly Doyle and Nick Bruecken to dive into this intriguing topic. Providing a recap from a panel discussion at MNTech in May, they explore the potential disruption agentic AI could cause in the SaaS market. Tune in to hear the panel’s consensus on the future of SaaS and the exciting possibilities of agentic AI.

Eric Schneider joins the podcasters as they dive into the importance of technology that just works. They cover the challenges of coding and debugging applications, the role of AI as an assistant in that process and the significance of the user experience in determining the success of tech products.

The SDG podcast team is joined by SDG Consultant and AI Community leader Sarah Rochford to talk about a recent Architectural Kata exercise and the importance of utilizing activities, like Katas, to promote innovation and sharing ideas and expertise.