Tech Talks Daily

What happens when a company focused on drug discovery and life sciences encounters a data problem that nobody else seems able to solve?
Recorded at the IT Press Tour in Boston, this episode explores the fascinating story behind Paradigm4 and how a challenge in large-scale biomedical research ultimately led to the creation of flexFS, a cloud-native filesystem designed to tackle some of today's biggest data infrastructure challenges.
Joining me on the podcast is David Freund from Paradigm4, who shares how the company was originally founded to help scientists work with enormous datasets in fields such as genomics, bioinformatics, and precision medicine. As researchers began working with population-scale datasets such as the UK Biobank, the team discovered that existing storage technologies either couldn't deliver the performance they needed, lacked the functionality required, or became prohibitively expensive at scale.
Our conversation explores the moment Paradigm4 realized it would need to build its own solution, why traditional approaches to cloud storage often struggle under modern analytics workloads, and how flexFS emerged from a real-world customer problem rather than a technology trend. David also explains why object storage has become such an attractive foundation for modern infrastructure, while discussing the challenges of latency, performance, and cost that still need to be addressed.
We also discuss why many organizations investing heavily in AI infrastructure may be overlooking one of the biggest constraints on performance. While much of the industry conversation focuses on GPUs and compute power, David argues that data access, movement, and management are becoming equally important considerations as AI workloads continue to grow.
Along the way, we touch on cloud independence, resilience, large-scale analytics, and why flexibility across cloud providers is becoming an increasingly important requirement for enterprise technology leaders. Whether you're working in AI, life sciences, cloud infrastructure, or enterprise data management, this episode offers an interesting perspective on how customer problems can sometimes lead to entirely new categories of technology.
Could the next major AI bottleneck be data rather than compute? And are organizations paying enough attention to the infrastructure feeding their most important workloads? I'd love to hear your thoughts.

How do you keep millions of people streaming a World Cup match without buffering, outages, or delays? And what happens behind the scenes when a retailer suddenly experiences a surge of traffic during Black Friday or Cyber Monday?
Recording this episode at the IT Press Tour in Boston, with the FIFA World Cup dominating conversations across the city, I sat down with Rob Clifford, Vice President of Sales for the Americas at IO River, to discuss one of the least visible but most important parts of our digital world. While most people simply expect websites, streaming platforms, and applications to work, an enormous amount of infrastructure sits behind every click, stream, and transaction.
Rob explains why organizations are increasingly moving beyond reliance on a single content delivery network and embracing a multi-edge approach. We discuss the challenges of managing multiple providers, how IO River is helping enterprises simplify that complexity, and why the company believes a new control layer is needed to improve performance, resilience, and cost management across the edge.
The conversation also explores IO River's recent $20 million funding round, the rise of edge decoupling, and how the company is working with major broadcasters preparing for the huge traffic demands of the World Cup. Rob also shares how retailers can avoid costly downtime during peak shopping events and why AI is creating a new generation of challenges and opportunities for edge infrastructure.
If you've ever wondered what happens behind the scenes when millions of people watch the same sporting event, shop online during a major promotion, or access cloud services around the world, this episode offers an accessible look at the technology making it all possible.
What role do you think edge infrastructure will play as AI, streaming, and digital experiences continue to scale? I'd love to hear your thoughts.

How do you double the size of a major sporting venue, rebuild its technology foundation, and still deliver a seamless experience for hundreds of thousands of fans?
Recording from Cisco Live, I spoke with Robert Nichols, Principal Technical Architect for the Cincinnati Open, about the enormous undertaking behind one of the most respected tournaments in professional tennis. As an ATP Masters 1000 and WTA 1000 event, the Cincinnati Open recently completed a $260 million expansion that increased the campus from 20 to 40 acres, all while working against a deadline that could not be moved.
Our conversation explores what happens behind the scenes when nearly 300,000 visitors arrive expecting every aspect of the event to work flawlessly. From ticket scanning and connectivity to food service, hospitality, broadcasting, security, and crowd management, every part of the operation depends on infrastructure that most fans never think about.
Robert explains how the team approached modernization without losing the qualities that have made the tournament special for generations. Accessibility, proximity to the players, and a welcoming atmosphere remain central to the Cincinnati Open experience, even as the venue continues to grow.
We also discuss occupancy analytics, connected cameras, wireless networking across 40 acres, and how data helps organizers make better operational decisions throughout the tournament. Along the way, Robert shares insights into the scale of planning required to support one of the largest events in professional tennis.
Looking ahead, we examine how AI and automation could influence the future of live events, helping organizers improve operations while keeping the focus firmly on the fan experience.
Whether you're interested in sports, technology, operations, or large-scale event management, this episode offers a rare look at what it takes to deliver an event watched by millions worldwide.
What part of a live sporting event do you think requires the most coordination behind the scenes?

What happens when the technology keeping essential services running fails at the worst possible moment?
When most people think about workplace technology, they picture laptops, smartphones, and office software. But for millions of workers maintaining power networks, repairing infrastructure, supporting emergency services, managing transport systems, and operating in remote environments, technology has a very different job to do. It has to work every single time, often in conditions where failure is simply not an option.
In this episode of Tech Talks Daily, I speak with Alex Gittins from Getac about the changing world of field operations, rugged computing, and the growing role of Edge AI in supporting the deskless workforce.
Alex explains why rugged technology is far more than placing a consumer device inside a protective case. From extreme temperatures and harsh weather to vibration, dust, poor connectivity, and demanding working environments, true rugged devices are engineered from the ground up to support people working where most technology struggles.
We also discuss the often-overlooked reality that around 80% of the global workforce operates away from a desk. These workers are increasingly dependent on digital tools to receive work orders, access mapping systems, capture field data, complete inspections, and communicate with central teams in real time.
The conversation also turns to Edge AI and its growing importance for frontline teams. Rather than relying on constant connectivity and cloud processing, Edge AI enables workers to access intelligence directly on their devices. Whether identifying damaged assets through image recognition, guiding inspections, reducing paperwork, or supporting faster decision-making, AI is becoming a practical tool for improving efficiency and safety in the field.
Alex also shares how customer expectations are changing. Organisations are no longer buying devices in isolation. Instead, they are involving technology providers much earlier in the process to help design complete solutions that can support future operational requirements.
From defence roots to modern field operations, this episode offers a fascinating look at the technology helping keep critical services running behind the scenes. How will AI, connectivity, and rugged computing continue to reshape the future of work for the billions of people who never sit behind a desk?

How prepared is your organization for threats that move faster than people can respond?
At Cisco Live, I sat down with Bhaskar Jayakrishnan, Senior Vice President of Engineering for Cisco Customer Experience, to discuss a reality facing technology leaders everywhere: attackers are increasingly operating at machine speed while many organizations are still relying on processes designed for a very different era.
Our conversation explores what Cisco describes as the defense velocity gap and why traditional approaches to patching, remediation, and risk management are becoming harder to sustain as environments grow more complex. Bhaskar explains how organizations are shifting from reactive security practices toward more continuous approaches that focus on visibility, resilience, and operational readiness.
We also discuss one of the biggest long-term challenges facing the industry: quantum computing. While many organizations still view quantum threats as a future problem, Bhaskar explains why preparations need to begin now, particularly when it comes to crypto agility and the risks associated with "harvest now, decrypt later" attacks.
Another major theme throughout our discussion is AI. Bhaskar shares lessons learned from Cisco's own experience deploying AI across a workforce of more than 20,000 employees and explains why successful adoption often depends less on the technology itself and more on data quality, workflow design, and organizational trust.
Along the way, we explore resilience, modernization, automation, and what it takes to prepare an organization for a future where both opportunities and threats are arriving faster than ever before.
If you're trying to understand how cybersecurity, AI, and quantum computing are reshaping the responsibilities of today's technology leaders, this conversation offers practical insights from someone helping organizations tackle those challenges every day.
Are today's security and operational models ready for a world moving at machine speed, or is it time for a completely different approach?