AZ TechCast

How to Level Up Your Digital Marketing Strategy E41 From SEO to paid media to website design, refining your company's digital marketing strategy can be overwhelming. But if created intentionally, it can be a critical step towards meeting key business goals. The August 2023 episode of the Arizona Technology Council's AZTechCast podcast featured experts including […] The post How to Level Up Your Di...

A Closer Look at Arizona's Shifting IT Industry E40 Should we build out our internal IT department or work with a managed service provider? Should we onshore or offshore IT support? How can we attract qualified IT talent? The July 2023 episode of the Arizona Technology Council's AZTechCast podcast featured experts including Alex Cole, CEO […] The post A Closer Look at Arizona's Shifting IT Industr...

Ensuring Data Privacy When Using Generative AI E39 What should executives keep in mind when considering the use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) to ensure their organization's data privacy? The June 2023 episode of the Arizona Technology Council's AZTechCast podcast featured experts including Rebecca Clyde, co-founder and CEO of Botco.ai; Demetrius Dillard, senior director of […] The pos...

Microelectronics: Tiny Technology With a Massive Impact While small in size, microelectronic components are an increasingly important part of many industries, ranging from transportation to healthcare to aerospace and defense. The May 2023 episode of the Arizona Technology Council's AZTechCast podcast featured experts including Joe Cestari, executive director at Kiterocket; Travis Kelly, president...

Developing a Future-Proof Arizona Workforce E37 From Flagstaff to Yuma, Arizona is home to numerous educational institutions that are evolving rapidly to keep pace with the state's tremendous economic growth. Every day, they are rolling out new programs, adding new classes and upskilling their educators to train the manufacturers, engineers, scientists and inventors of tomorrow. […] The post Devel...

Optics Valley: The State of Arizona's Optics Industry E36 Arizona is home to a global hub of world-class companies and institutions with decades of innovation and leadership in optics, photonics and astronomy. From medical imaging to remote sensing, semiconductors to astronomy and mobile phones to quantum information science, the applications of optics and photonics technologies […] The post Optic...

How Public-Private Partnerships Foster Innovation E35 Public-private partnerships play a pivotal role in Arizona's economic development and positioning the state as an attractive place for technology companies to do business. So, what are some of the partnerships contributing to Arizona's continued growth? The February 2023 episode of the Arizona Technology Council's AZTechCast podcast featured ex...

Mission Critical: Closing the Cybersecurity Workforce Gap E34 Did you know that the global cybersecurity workforce gap is roughly 3.4 million people? This means that the supply of skilled cybersecurity workers needed to protect businesses from cyber threats has struggled to keep up with growing demand. The January 2023 episode of the Arizona Technology Council's [...]

The Key to Improving Tech Outcomes: Project Management E33 From managing budgets to meeting deliverables in a timely manner, project managers play a critical role in helping organizations improve outcomes and maintain successful partnerships. So, how can tech companies leverage project management to reimagine how they produce deliverables for their clients? The December 2022 episode [...]

Successfully Doing Business with the Public Sector E32 If you've ever considered doing business with state or federal government entities, you know that the procurement and government sales process can feel like a maze of rules and regulations. So, how can your company stand out from competitors when pursuing business opportunities with the public sector? [...]

Historic Firsts: Arizona and the James Webb Telescope E31 On December 25, 2021, NASA launched the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), the largest and most complex space telescope ever built. Four days later, Webb's massive sunshield deployed and within weeks, its primary mirror started unfurling. On August 12, 2022, Webb's first images were released, and [...]

Strategic Analysis: Using Technology to Stay Adaptable E30 In a constantly changing world, businesses must stay adaptable by performing periodic strategic analyses. Through this process, company leaders can review historical data to not only inform their long-term strategy but identify the technology solutions to stay ahead of the curve. The September 2022 episode of the [...]

Building the Pipeline of STEM Talent for Tomorrow's Workforce Needs E29 It's no secret that Arizona is an attractive place for technology companies to call home. But with more technology companies being founded locally and relocating to Arizona from out-of-state, how can we ensure we have enough qualified technology talent to fill highly technical positions? [...]

Digital Transformation of Operational Workflows E28 In an increasingly digital world, it's critical for business leaders to explore digital transformation, or the creation and modification of business processes, culture and customer experiences, to meet changing business and market demands. But where to start? The July 2022 episode of the Arizona Technology Council's AZTechCast podcast featured [....

Exploring Arizona's Entrepreneurial Support Hubs E26 For years now, Arizona has caught the nation's attention as the "Silicon Desert", a major hot spot for technology companies and budding startups. Between the state's lower business costs, more affordable standard of living and growing talent pool, it's no surprise that Phoenix and Tucson are rapidly climbing the [...]

Proptech's Role in Innovating AZ's Real Estate Market E26 Arizona's business-friendly environment, weather and affordability have made it a hot spot for tourism and inbound migration for decades. But in a post-pandemic world where an estimated 269 people are moving to Arizona each day, the real estate market is experiencing an unexpected surge in demand [...]

How to Hire Technology Talent More Inclusively E25 Arizona's technology ecosystem can only become more vibrant by attracting and retaining diverse technology talent. In fact, by emphasizing Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) throughout their hiring process, Arizona businesses can solidify Arizona's role as a more innovative and vibrant economic powerhouse that sets a precedent regionally, [...]

Using E-Commerce to Expand Your Online Presence E24 The global e-commerce market is expected to total $5.55 trillion in 2022. Between the pandemic, the transition to remote work and increased digitization, e-commerce is expected to continue growing, reaching approximately 24.5% of sales by 2025. The March 2022 episode of the Arizona Technology Council's TechCast podcast [...]

Using Public Safety Tech to Improve Community Relations E23 What technologies are law enforcement agencies and private-sector businesses adopting to protect public safety through a more informed lens? How can these entities implement these technologies effectively to produce more equitable outcomes, particularly for communities of color? And finally, which decisions should be made by humans [...]

Blockchain: The Key to Accelerating Technological Workflows E22 As a digital public record used for recording transactions or tracking assets, blockchain technology is poised to rapidly reshape a range of industries in the years to come. Blockchain eliminates middlemen and increases trust by providing a more accurate and transparent ledger for goods moving through the [...]

2021 – A Whirlwind Year of Growth in Review E21 Over the past year, Arizona has gained global recognition for its thriving technology ecosystem. Despite being on the tail end of a pandemic and facing supply chain challenges, Arizona has rapidly become an epicenter for electric vehicles, semiconductor manufacturing and many other rising industries. In [...]

How Arizona Became the U.S.'s New Semiconductor Central E20 Semiconductors are the nation's fifth-largest export, accounting for $49 billion in 2020. As the U.S. looks to increase chip production and fulfill its semiconductor needs on its own, Arizona is quickly emerging as a base for the industry's growth and success. In fact, Arizona has skyrocketed [...]

Made in AZ: The Rise of Arizona's Manufacturing Sector E19 Made in Arizona. It's a phrase that is becoming more familiar as the state's manufacturing sector continues to grow and add a rapidly increasing number of manufacturing jobs. Between the development of technologies improving efficiency and reducing costs, automation of manufacturing processes and a business-friendly [...]

Transformative BioScience Innovations Shaping Southern Arizona E18 In this episode of AZTechCast, the official podcast of the Arizona Technology Council, accomplished bioscience leaders from the BIO5 Institute at The University of Arizona, Souvie BioDelivery and Critical Path Institute joined Council president and CEO, Steve Zylstra, to discuss the innovative bioscience innovations shaping Souther...

Hypersonics: Fostering Innovation and Research at Mach 5 E17 In this episode of AZTechCast, the official podcast of the Arizona Technology Council, distinguished business leaders from Raytheon Missiles & Defense, the University of Arizona College of Engineering and the U.S. Air Force Academy joined Council President and CEO, Steve Zylstra, to discuss the importance of [...]