The CCS Insight Podcast

Artificial intelligence (AI) and edge computing are taking the Internet of things (IoT) to the next level, with new and exciting applications expected over the next year and beyond. But as the rapid pace of advancements and investments unfolds, it raises the question: are we accelerating too fast?

We recently talked to Christina Cardoza, Editorial Director at insight.tech, about our top IoT and edge AI predictions for 2024. We also navigate the responsible development of solutions and explore the impact AI is set to make in the coming years.

The podcast touches on topics including:

• The impact of edge AI on the IoT market
• Cloud computing versus edge computing
• The future of AI development and generative AI realities
• Business considerations for AI investments, including regulation
• Developing AI with privacy in mind
• The role of 5G.

For more insight on this market and our other predictions, read CCS Insight Predictions for 2024 and Beyond.

This podcast was originally published on insight.tech.

Today's IT solutions are more complex than ever, with enterprises navigating how to introduce new capabilities like cloud, mobile and Internet of things to a foundation of traditional technology. Maintaining an open and clear line of communication with an IT partner can make all the difference in this process, assuring the best chance of success for both parties. Also, a good partner should help its client organization bring specific skill sets in-house, becoming more self-sufficient and capable of developing at pace.

For this episode of the CCS Insight podcast, I was joined by IBM's Natalie Denyer, Director of Client Engineering, and Chris Oldacre, Customer Success Director. We also spoke to Clive Howard, chief technology officer at Huozhi, a provider of a humanitarian fintech platform. Clive is also an associate analyst at CCS Insight.

You can also find the episode on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts and Spotify.

Our discussion unpacked the cooperative relationship between IBM's Client Engineering and Client Success teams, and how the company's approach has adapted over the decades to keep up with the demands of the ever-changing IT industry.

The podcast episode explores:

• What a fit-for-purpose customer success operation or programme looks like in today's complex IT environment.
• How best to measure success in a partnership engagement, embracing open and clear communication inside a customer organization, but also between partner and client.
• What are the core tenets of IBM's approach to customer success and the standout features that can address ever-evolving customer demands.

In recent months, various industries and organizations worldwide have been hit by numerous high-profile security breaches. These breaches have included unauthorized access, data leaks, ransomware attacks and other forms of cyberthreats targeting applications and their underlying infrastructure.

Respondents in our Senior Leadership IT Investment Survey, 2022 cited IT security as the top priority for the fourth consecutive year, outlining both the importance of security and the complexities facing many businesses. When looking at new product launches and updates, security is at the front and centre of the messaging as a core capability on offer from many software providers.

For this episode of the CCS Insight podcast, I was joined by VMware's Darran Rice, Tanzu Executive Advisor, and Michael Coté, Senior Member of Technical Staff. Clive Howard, Chief Technology Officer at Huozhi, a provider of a humanitarian fintech platform, and associate analyst at CCS Insight, also joined the discussion.

Our conversation explored the difficulties facing organizations looking to secure their IT workloads and how they can navigate the technical debt and older technologies. As businesses update these systems, new security vulnerabilities arise and require a further review of the profile.

The podcast episode unpacks:

• The main security complexities faced by businesses across industries
• The best strategies that are working for securing application delivery
• The importance of people in an organization as a core, understated security risk.

CCS Insight has also produced a free report detailing the key points of the podcast discussion, available here.

Under the spotlight of regulatory scrutiny, Broadcom CEO and president Hock Tan has been working to bring clarity to how VMware will thrive in the Broadcom family. What will undoubtedly be a relief to prospective customers, partners and the wider market is that it won't come at the expense of stifling competition and choice. However, faced with apprehension from various trade, competition and antitrust bodies, Mr Tan and his team have had some convincing to do.

Shortly after Broadcom announced its intentions to acquire VMware on 26 May 2022, CCS Insight commented on the announcement. We viewed the decision as a smart move to shepherd a more diversified hardware and software company with a rounded infrastructure and cloud management story. And, although VMware is certainly a prized asset to acquire, we expected challenges in bringing together silicon, software and services.

In this episode of the CCS Insight podcast, Bola Rotibi, chief of enterprise research, provides a deep dive into the foundations for the acquisition of VMware, with Mr Tan setting out his vision for the deal.

Broadcom's investment goals promise to extend the range of VMware partners, offering more choice and expanding VMware's operations and market foothold. Its aim of rebranding and repositioning the Broadcom Software group under the VMware brand is recognition of the latter's strength in the technology and supply chain ecosystem. Customers and partners will be reassured by these aims — and Broadcom will be hoping that regulatory bodies feel the same.

The companion report outlining the key points of the discussion is now available here.

Note: Hock Tan's comments on investments and plans for VMware are to be understood as referring to future circumstances in which Broadcom has closed its proposed acquisition of VMware.

Containers can be a vital tool in the development of operations teams, allowing developers to build up skills in a technology that isn't specific to a particular type or workload, and to become more responsible for the life cycle of their applications. These portable containers can help organizations as they transition to the cloud by making workloads accessible across different technologies. However, the solution is still evolving, and some question if portable containers are destroying standards.

For this episode of the CCS Insight podcast, our chief of enterprise research, Bola Rotibi, was joined by IBM's Emily Jiang, Liberty Cloud Native Architect and Advocate, and Graham Charters, WebSphere and Liberty product manager. We also spoke to Clive Howard, chief technology officer at Huozhi, a provider of a humanitarian fintech platform. Clive is also an associate analyst at CCS Insight.

Our discussion unpacked the importance of containers in modern app development and how challenges are being addressed to help organizations make the move into the cloud. We also highlighted the role of APIs, and how they can serve to bring in other solutions and use other environments when containers aren't an applicable solution.

The podcast offers guidance on the needs of modern application development, discussing:

How the industry is addressing API standards to increase developers' efficiency and allow them to reuse their skills.

What value these standards present to businesses, and how technical leads can present this to their business counterparts thinking about investing in containers and APIs.

How developers can use open standards to apply existing skills to different implementations, achieving standardization, consistency and portability across the board.

CCS Insight has produced a free report offering insight into how containers are affecting the standards landscape.