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Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
As Microsoft wraps up a decade of Windows 10 support, we’re seeing a real moment of decision for businesses.
If you haven’t made the move yet, it’s time to ask - are we upgrading, adapting, or exposing ourselves to risk? With cyber threats ramping up and support winding down, knowing your options isn’t just helpful - it’s essential.
This time we're discussing the end of support for Windows 10, what it means for organisations, and what you should do if you’ve missed the October 14th deadline. Joining me is Kelly Calver - Head of Workspace and Ella Chew - Workspace Alliances Lead both at Softcat.
Softcat’s Explain IT podcast is the place where we discuss, debate and demystify tech in simple, jargon-free language.
For more information visit softcat.com.
This podcast is produced by The Podcast Coach.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Back in September, Softcat and Oakland Lifted the lid on the AI bubble at Big Data London. AI
initiatives are stalling, models are drifting, and demonstrating tangible business value is really
hard. Why? Because we’ve all sprinted into the AI future without first packing the essentials.
Presented by Helen Gidney, Softcat’s head of Architecture, this is Softcat’s
Explain IT podcast. Joining Helen for this special bonus episode is Andy Crossley, CTO at Oakland and Alex Pearce, Chief Microsoft
Strategist at Softcat, for a no-holds-barred conversation about the realities of AI in practice:
ensuring we’re using high-quality, trusted data; having a shared language for decision-making
and the skilled people to make it all work.
This podcast is produced by The Podcast Coach.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Join host Helen Gidney, Head of Architecture at Softcat, as she sits down with Adam Spearing, VP of AI Go-To-Market for EMEA at ServiceNow, and Oliver Meadows, ITXM Sales Lead at Softcat. Together, they explore how organisations can streamline internal service operations, dismantle silos, and harness AI to enhance the end-user experience. Whether you're in IT, HR, Finance, or Operations — this episode is packed with insights for you.
What’s covered in this episode:
Redefining Service Operations
What service operations mean in today’s business landscape
Moving beyond ITSM to drive enterprise-wide transformation
Maximising Efficiency
Platform consolidation strategies
Doing more with less through smarter workflows
AI & Automation in Action
Where AI and automation are making a tangible impact
From governance to data-driven decision-making
Leadership in a Changing Environment
How leaders can adapt to evolving business structures
Aligning service delivery with rising user expectations
Softcat’s Explain IT podcast is the place where we discuss, debate and demystify tech in simple, jargon-free language.
For more information visit softcat.com.
This podcast is produced by The Podcast Coach.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
In this episode, we're not just talking about data, we're talking about everything that comes with it. The challenges, the misconceptions, the frameworks and compliance. Data is the foundation of so many businesses. Get it right, and you can unlock information that can propel your company forward. But get it wrong, and the challenges it can bring can leave you floundering.
We'll explore the key topics in the data world; how data quality affects decision-making, how data governance and compliance models don't have to stifle creativity, the fact that more data can sometimes mean more problems and how good AI needs good data.
This episode is hosted by Helen Gidney, Softcat's head of architecture and this time, I'm joined by Andy Crossley, CTO at Oakland, and James Wingham, head of data at Softcat.
Softcat’s Explain IT podcast is the place where we discuss, debate and demystify tech in simple, jargon-free language.
For more information visit softcat.com.
This podcast is produced by The Podcast Coach.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
On this edition of Explain IT, we’re celebrating HPE’s ten-year anniversary, and reflecting on the standout moments from HPE Discover. We explore how HPE’s evolution, from its separation from HP Inc. to bold acquisitions and innovation milestones, is shaping the future of enterprise IT. From cloud modernisation and infrastructure disruption, to a shifting virtualisation landscape, we unpack the key themes and what they mean for customers and the wider market.
Join Softcat's Helen Gidney, Head of Architecture, Richard Wyn Griffith, Chief Commercial Officer, and Tommy Mac, US GTM Lead, alongside Matt Harris, SVP and MD for UKIMEA at HPE. Together, they dive into the pace of AI adoption, the challenges of scaling it and how organisations are navigating hybrid cloud, ageing infrastructure, and major market moves.
Softcat’s Explain IT podcast is the place where we discuss, debate and demystify tech in simple, jargon-free language.
For more information visit softcat.com.
This podcast is produced by The Podcast Coach.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
How secure is your supply chain?
With the recent swathe of supply chain cyber attacks on big name brands, now more than ever it’s important to protect your supply chain.
On this edition of Explain IT, we’re talking about recent breaches and how that is affecting customers. We're also delving into the question of 'who are these threat actors?', and the impact on career goals.
This episode is hosted by Ashleigh Baker, team leader in Softcat's Architecture Services and is joined by Softcat colleague Kieron Newsham, Cyber Security Chief Technologist. They welcome Jason Steer, CISO at Recorded Future to talk around various aspects of Supply Chain Breaches to talk over this complicated topic.
Softcat's Explain IT podcast is the place where we discuss, debate and demystify tech in simple jargon free language.
For more information visit softcat.com
This podcast is produced by The Podcast Coach.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Ever wondered how we can stay ahead of cyber threats without burning out?
On this edition of Explain IT, we're talking about the leveraging of advanced technology to automatically detect, investigate, and respond to cyber threats, reducing the need for constant human intervention that could lead to burnout. It's all about enhancing efficiency, speed, and accuracy in cybersecurity operations.
This week, Ashleigh Baker is guest host. She is the team leader in Softcat's Architecture Services.
Think of Cyber Automation as having a tireless, digital watchdog that never sleeps. With the help of our experts; Patrick Bayle, SecOps Consultant Manager at Palo Alto, and Softcat's Senior Security Architect, Mark Williams, we're talking about training that watchdog!
Softcat's Explain IT podcast is the place where we discuss, debate and demystify tech in simple jargon free language.
For more information visit softcat.com
This podcast is produced by The Podcast Coach.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Keeping your data structured and secure is key to keeping your business safe. But how do we ensure that at every level of our IT infrastructure, including your backups? With data being stored across an organisation, from edge to the data center to the cloud, cyber resiliency is important when safeguarding an organization's assets against cyber threats.
Today, we'll discuss the evolving nature of backup strategies in response to sophisticated cyber threats. Understand the methods to ensure the safety of backups, and look ahead to the future to consider how advancements in technology might shape the landscape of backup and cyber resiliency.
This episode is hosted by Helen Gidney, Head of Architecture at Softcat. And welcome back to softcat's Explain it podcast. We're here to talk tech in simple jargon, free language. This time Helen is joined by Michael Cade, Global Field CTO at Veeam Software, and Gary Hawkins, Hybrid Platform's Chief Technologist at softcat.
For more information visit softcat.com
This podcast is produced by The Podcast Coach.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
You rely on wireless connectivity, we all do… and having a good wireless system can have a big impact on the success of your business.
As companies strive for greater flexibility, efficiency, and connectivity, Wireless First is emerging as a game-changer. Post Covid, we’re seeing employees want more dynamic and collaborative work environments, and teams need to be able to move freely and adapt to those changing spaces quickly. We’ll discuss the benefits of wifi 7 and why building a private 5G wireless network can be a great way to increase bandwidth.
This episode is hosted by Helen Gidney, Softcat’s head of Architecture as we talk tech in simple jargon free language.
Helen is joined by Simon Wilson, CTO For UK and Ireland at HPE and Tom Rowley, Networking and Connectivity Chief Technologist at Softcat.
This episode was produced by The Podcast Coach.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
From artificial intelligence to 5G Networks to everything in between, we’ve seen some big shifts in the IT industry in 2024.
In today’s episode, we’ll be looking back over the tech landscape of 2024 and making big predictions about what we think we’re going to see in 2025. We’ll discuss how emerging technologies might transform industries and impact our daily lives, and you never know, some of these technologies might just address some of the world’s most pressing challenges.
We have a whole host of expert guests today, with the entirety of the Office of our CTO on the podcast, Adam Harding, Andrew Hermsen, Cairon Romeo, Gary Hawkins, Jack Lewis Keiron Newsham and Thomas Rowley.
Your host for this episode of Softcat’s Explain IT podcast is Helen Gidney, Softcat’s head of Architecture.
Join us as we talk tech in simple jargon free language. Have you got a burning question for the team? Please send an email to
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
From artificial intelligence to 5G Networks to everything in between, we’ve seen some big shifts in the IT industry in 2024.
In today’s episode, we’ll be looking back over the tech landscape of 2024 and making big predictions about what we think we’re going to see in 2025. We’ll discuss how emerging technologies might transform industries and impact our daily lives, and you never know, some of these technologies might just address some of the world’s most pressing challenges.
We have a whole host of expert guests today, with the entirety of the Office of our CTO on the podcast, Adam Harding, Andrew Hermsen, Cairon Romeo, Gary Hawkins, Jack Lewis Keiron Newsham and Thomas Rowley.
Your host for this episode of Softcat’s Explain IT podcast is Helen Gidney, Softcat’s head of Architecture. Join
us as we talk tech in simple jargon free language. Have you got a burning question for the team? Please send an email to
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Workplace AI bots, like Microsoft Copilot, have exploded in use over the last 12 months. They are transforming how businesses operate by automating routine tasks, enhancing decision-making, and allowing employees to focus on more strategic activities.
Back in November 2023, Explain IT discussed how Copilot could potentially revolutionise the workplace. We’re back again to see how it has changed in the last 12 months with our guests Bradley Howe, Copilot Presales professional, and Dave Simmons Senior IT Transformation and Change Manager at Softcat.
Your host for this episode of Softcat’s Explain IT podcast is Helen Gidney, Softcat’s head of Architecture. Join
us as we talk tech in simple jargon free language. Have you got a burning question for the team? Please send an email to
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Cloud computing, first introduced in the 1960s as the "intergalactic computer network," is now essential to our digital existence.
There are so many cloud options available on the market today. Private clouds are essentially dedicated environments that offer greater control and security. They are typically used by businesses to store sensitive data and run critical applications. On the other hand, public clouds are shared environments managed by industry hyperscalers. These providers offer scalable resources but are accessed by multiple users simultaneously. However, which is best?
ln this episode we explore the intricacies of cloud computing with our guests, Mischa Penn, Cloud Sales specialist, and Hadley Grindrod, Enterprise Solutions Architect at Softcat
Your host for this episode of Softcat’s Explain IT podcast is Helen Gidney, Softcat’s head of Architecture. Join
us as we talk tech in simple jargon free language. Have you got a burning question for the team? Please send an email to
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Ever thought about how much of your life is protected by passwords? And why do hackers want to steal credentials? How do they do it and more importantly, how can we stop them in their tracks?
From your emails to your retirement savings, passwords are quite literally the gatekeepers to your online life. And there are layers to password security, from your own password to the passwords that companies use to protect the collective data. Hackers are constantly using different tricks to try to crack those codes to access as much information as possible.
In this episode, we’ll get into the how’s and why's to help you stay strong against cyber threats with the help of our guests; David Higgins, Field CTO at CyberArk and Tom Wheeler, Specialist Sales Manager for Networking and Security at Softcat.
If you want to listen to more episodes from this season, new ones are released on the last Tuesday of every month. Alternatively,
you can stream or download all episodes from every season on your preferred platform.
Your host for this episode of Softcat’s Explain IT podcast is Helen Gidney, Softcat’s head of Architecture. Join
us as we talk tech in simple jargon free language. Have you got a burning question for the team? Please send an email to
This podcast is produced by The Podcast Coach.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Where do you want to work from today? The coffee shop? The beach? It’s all possible with a Virtual desktop infrastructure.
Virtual Desktop Infrastructure, or VDI, lets you access your companies’ systems from almost any device, essentially you can carry your office in your pocket. In this special episode, we’ll answer some important questions to help you get it right. How do you keep VDI working for everyone? How do you manage it effectively? How do you keep it secure?
Featuring our expert guests Jack Lewis, Softcat’s chief technologist for Workspace and Tom Archer, Director of Sales for EMEA at Nerdio, we’ll dive into the topic.
If you want to listen to more episodes from this season, new ones are released on the last Tuesday of every month. Alternatively, you can stream or download all episodes from every season on your preferred platform.
Your host for this episode of Softcat’s Explain IT podcast is Helen Gidney, Softcat’s head of Architecture. Join us as we talk tech in simple jargon free language. Have you got a burning question for the team? Please send an email to HelenGi@softcat.com
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Customer service is tough for everyone, but how do we make it better for the employee and for the customer?
Business contact centres are starting to use AI at the very first step of their customer interactions. By automating elements of the customer service interaction and using AI insights, staff can resolve service incidents faster and keep customers happy.
Our team of experts, Andrew Hermsen, Softcat's Chief Technologist for Data, Automation and AI, and Lucky Sharma, Senior Partner Solutions Architect at AWS are here to answer the key questions to understand if AI contact centres are the future, and as always, to talk tech in simple jargon free language.
If you want to listen to more episodes from this season, new ones are released on the last Tuesday of every month. Alternatively, you can stream or download all episodes from every season on your preferred platform.
Have you got a burning question for the team? Please send an email to HelenGi@softcat.com and visit softcat.com
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
In the hybrid working world, everyone needs a fast and secure way to connect to their company's data.
WAN or Wide Area Networks technologies have had an impressive impact; It's now easier than ever to do business. Using intelligence to optimize traffic across multiple links, we’ve gone from a trickle of information being sent between two direct points to terabytes of data sent at lighting speed across a network of points.
In this episode of Explain I.T, we answer some important questions. How do we manage those connections? How do we keep performance consistent? And how do we keep our data secure?
To discuss this topic we’ve networked with our partners to bring you some expert guests Adam Batten, Networking and Connectivity Solutions Engineer at Softcat and Kanwar Loyal, VP of North Europe and MEA at Cato Networks.
If you want to listen to more episodes from this season, new ones are released on the last Tuesday of every month. Alternatively, you can stream or download all episodes from every season on your preferred platform.
Your host for this episode of Softcat’s Explain IT podcast is Helen Gidney, Softcat’s head of Architecture. Join us as we talk tech in simple jargon free language.
You can stream or download all episodes from every season on your preferred platform or at softcat.com. Have you got a burning question for the team? Please send us an email to explainit@softcat.com
This podcast is produced by The Podcast Coach.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
To the public, elections can look relatively simple. However for lots of public sector organisations, there are weeks of preparation fraught with risk, excitement and a huge sense of purpose.
Despite using paper ballots and lots of people-based processes on the day, technology and digital is key to delivering a successful election.
There are so many technology areas to think about pre and post-election, from how authorities can protect election data, and how they prevent interference or rigging, to how social media usage can help voting and reduce “fake news”, and even how a new government might affect authority IT investment.
Here to help us through the minefield of information on this General Election Special is Softcat’s dream team, Paul Fleming – Advisory Lead for Public Sector, Radhika Rangaraju - Chief Strategist for Public Sector, and Kieron Newsham – Chief Technologist for Cyber Security.
Your host for this episode of Softcat’s Explain IT podcast is Helen Gidney, Softcat’s head of Architecture. Join us as we talk tech in simple jargon free language.
You can stream or download all episodes from every season on your preferred platform or at softcat.com. Have you got a burning question for the team? Please send us an email to explainit@softcat.com
This podcast is produced by The Podcast Coach.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
In the year of AI, can we get even closer to having it right at our fingertips?
Helen Gidney, Softcat’s head of Architecture, and a team of experts discuss this fascinating question.
AI is developing quicker than we can think and we’re seeing it pop up in our everyday lives more and more and in this episode we'll answer the big AI questions of the moment like, what is an AI laptop or AI PC and what can one do? How can it help customers in their work day? What could AI PC’s help us do in the future?
In today’s episode we’ll delve deeper, with the help of our expert guests Kelly Calver, Hybrid Workspace Sales Manager at Softcat, Carlos Bento Senior Technology Strategist at Microsoft and Carlos Fernandez Pilo Director, EMEA Enterprise & Commercial Channel Sales at Qualcomm Technologies Inc
This podcast is released on the last Tuesday of every month. Alternatively, you can stream or download all episodes from every season on your preferred platform or at softcat.com. Have you got a burning question for the team? Please send us an email to explainit@softcat.com
This podcast is produced by The Podcast Coach.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Do you know everything that’s going on in your organisation?
Today we’re talking about Observability. It isn't just a buzzword; it is the evolution of application and network performance monitoring into a seamless way to measure your full systems health.
As IT environments become more complicated, observability is crucial for pinpointing the root causes of issues, harnessing data and logs from every corner of your environment to ensure that your systems remain efficient, reliable, and customer-centric.
Hosted by Ashleigh Baker, guest host and Team Leader in Softcat’s Architecture Services, Ashleigh has the help of our experts, Tom Rowley – Chief Technologist for Networking and Connectivity, and Mat Ryer - Principal Engineer at Grafana Labs, we’ll get more observant on the topic!
This podcast is released on the last Tuesday of every month. Alternatively, you can stream or download all episodes from every season on your preferred platform or at softcat.com. Have you got a burning question for the team? Please send us an email to explainit@softcat.com
This podcast is produced by The Podcast Coach.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
