V-Next: The Future is Now

Enterprise architecture (EA) has long been a critical function in organizations, often operating under the umbrella of IT leadership. However, the landscape is shifting. As organizations navigate rapid technological change, economic uncertainty, and global shifts—such as Brexit—the role of EA is being redefined. EA is no longer just about aligning IT with business; it is about shaping business str...

Ever wonder how the worlds leading innovators think, spend their time, and the projects they are working on? If you do, you're in luck!  Mike J. Walker speaks to Ranveer Chandra , Managing Director Research for Industry at Microsoft . Listen in to hear advise and perspectives from Ranveer. He is truly a leader in the innovation industry. About FarmBeats Ranveer started the FarmBeats project a...

The world has seen the pace of healthcare innovation accelerate at a tremendous rate. If you ever wanted to get a  "behind the scenes" view of this pandemic, stay tuned! Mike J. Walker speaks to Tierney Morgan , Health and Life Sciences Industry Advocate with  Microsoft about the the vaccine landscape, the hurdles that needed to be overcome, and practical wisdom on how to effectively inn...

One thing we’ve learned from this pandemic , nothing is certain and big changes await ahead. With each of these challenges there is an innovation that is waiting to solve it.  Mike J. Walker speaks to David Cearley , Research Vice President and Fellow with Gartner . We are going to dive into his Top Strategic Trend report that will provide us a glimpse of the technology trends over the next three...

Transformed by the 2020 global pandemic, the workplace will never be the same.  While full-time Zoom meetings, home schooled children, and isolation are temporary the impact of this shift will have lasting effects on how we work and live. In this episode, Mike J. Walker is  speaking with Michel Bowman , a modern workplace expert at Microsoft about his vision for the future of remote work. 🎯 SUBSC...

Quantum computing will introduce radical transformations across many areas like: medical and life sciences, security and encryption, and will super charge artificial intelligence. Companies like Microsoft, Google, and IBM are in a space race to build reliable quantum computing as a service. Mike J. Walker speaks to Delbert Murphy , Quantum Computing Expert at  Microsoft . Quantum computing will ch...

Imagine if your company strategies were clear, innovation permeated all corners of your business, no technology debt, and people were not a problem to moving things forward. Well, that’s likely not the case but I’ve got some good news for you. Mike J. Walker has a chance to sit down with Chris Lockhart , an expert enterprise architect , strategist , author , and a “consultant that likes to say thi...

I just wanted to send all of our listeners a BIG thank you for all your support this year. Creating this podcast has been fun and looking forward to many more episodes! I hope all of you have a happy new year and holiday season.  See you next year! - Mike

AI and whiskey, you might not think they go together, but they do! Mike J. Walker hosts with special guest Angela D’Orazio, the Chief Nose Officer for Mackmyra Distilleries. Mackmyra, Microsoft, and Fourkind partner up, for the first time, to use Microsoft Azure AI in the creation of a new whisky recipes, by augmenting the capabilities of the master blender to produce novel suggestions. 🤜  BE OUR...

So what does Bourbon and Innovation have in common? Much more than you might think. Mike J. Walker hosts with special guest Marianne Eaves , Master Distiller and bourbon extraordinaire. This spirit visionary (booze 🥃  not ghosts 👻 ) who was Kentucky’s first female master distiller at age 28, documentary star, Forbes 30 under 30 winner, and entrepreneur shares her insights on innovating with bour...

In part 3 of a 3 part series, I'm excited to try something a little different. We will start with a virtual bourbon tasting with a panel of innovation thought leaders and then discuss the Gartner 2020 Emerging Technologies Hype Cycle. Mike Fulton from Nationwide Insurance and an Adjunct Professor at Ohio State University , Todd Federman from North Coast Ventures, and myself from Microsoft wil...

In part 2 of a 3 part series, Arun Ghosh from KPMG and I are continuing from the panel 1  episode . Continuing with our virtual bourbon tasting panel we are going deeper into the Gartner Emerging Technologies Hype Cycle. Asking controversial topics like, “Is the Gartner Hype Cycle a victim of it’s own hype”, “What were the big misses”, “Why is blockchain, sustainability, and next generation commer...

In part 1 of a 3 part series, I'm excited to try something a little different. We will start with a virtual bourbon tasting with a panel of innovation thought leaders and then discuss the Gartner 2020 Emerging TechnologiesHype Cycle. Mike Fulton from Nationwide Insurance and an Adjunct Professor at Ohio State University , Arun Ghosh from KPMG , Todd Federman from North Coast Ventures, and mys...

In this episode, I'm excited to be speaking with Dr. Josh Benaloh , Senior Principal Cryptographer at Microsoft Research. If you have ever wondered why we still don’t hold our elections online, how we can combat interference in our elections, or how advanced cryptography can be used to create an end-to-end verifiable election systems, this is the episode for you! Josh walks us through why Mic...

In this episode, I'm excited to be speaking with my former colleague Brian Burke, VP Research Analyst for Gartner about the latest Emerging Technologies Hype Cycle that he is a co-author on. Technology is evolving faster than ever and having reliable tools to understand these changes are vital to organizations on their digital journeys. This is where the Emerging Technologies Hype Cycle comes...

In this episode, I'm providing a 10 minute primer on the Gartner Hype Cycle Methodology. For those organizations that are starting to go through their "season of strategy" Gartner Hype Cycles are useful tools that help leaders better understand the technologies and trends in the marketplace along with what to expect from them. 

In this episode, I'm seeking to demystify the Gartner 2020 Emerging Technologies Hype Cycle. I'm going to talk about the good, the bad, and yes... the ugly as well. As many of you already know, I've got a little experience in this space (especially because I write them for Gartner). I wanted to record this video because I feel it's important to get a bit of an insiders view on...

In this episode, Jonathan Reichental, Ph. D. is back!  Jonathan and  I are  going deep on emerging technologies that are fueling smart cities today and tomorrow. We cover everything from future trends to specific technologies like AI, Blockchain, IoT, SustainabilityTech, Autonomous Things, Drones, Digital Twins, Quantum, and much more. Jonathan is a best selling author of his new book and  a fello...

In this episode, I'm   invited to the "Thinking Big" Fall 2020 Virtual Speaker Series at John Carroll University to talk about the business of digital transformation. While this is a broad topic I will attempt to give a primer on the key areas leaders should focus. Specifically, in this session I will cover: Why business leaders must stay vigilant with digital transformation  Summar...

In this episode, I'm speaking with Scott J. Allen a professor at John Carroll University . Listen into this wildly entertaining episode where we share personal stories, the promise of innovation in higher education along, with what is also holding it back.  

In this episode, I'm speaking with Betsabe Botaitis , Head of Finance at Uplift . We will dig into Hispanic Heritage Month (from 15 September to 15 October) recognizing the contributions and influence of Hispanic Americans to the history, culture, and achievements of the United States. 

In this episode, I'm speaking with Dr. Mary Lacity professor at University of Arkansas , the Director of the Blockchain Center of Excellence, and accomplished author of over 30 books! We explore Mary’s vast blockchain experience in advanced concepts like the “Internet of Value”, how to innovate with blockchain, and her insights from her interviews with blockchain professions around the globe....

In this episode, I'm speaking with David J. Adams , the University of Cincinnati Chief Innovation Officer and CEO University of Cincinnati Research Institute. We explore the Cincinnati Innovation District , a physical ‘live, work, learn and play’ environment centered around the University of Cincinnati (UC) for student, research and educational talent and Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medica...

In this episode, I'm speaking with Stevin Lupien  who is both the CEO of BeefChain along with being an adjunct professor at University of Wyoming College of Business where he teaches how to apply Blockchain technologies to complex business problems. Listen in as we are diving into the agriculture industry (specifically the business of beef) and how blockchain can enable, empower, and ultimate...