Experts In Polo Shirts

Send us Fan Mail Data backup, disaster recovery, and cyber resilience are evolving faster than most people realise — and the technology on the horizon is genuinely wild. In this episode, Alex Wells-Linder (Cyber Security Analyst) and Matt Parker (Infrastructure Engineer) explore where backups are headed: from AI-powered recovery systems that diagnose problems before you even know they exist, to th...

Send us Fan Mail From accidentally hacking 7,000 robot vacuums with a PS5 controller to nation-states using traffic cameras to conduct assassinations—this episode covers the full spectrum of IoT security in 2026. We start light with the story of a Spanish engineer who just wanted to control his DJI Romo vacuum with his PlayStation controller. Using Claude Code, he accidentally discovered that his...

Send us Fan Mail Elliott and Matt are back, taking on the complex, often misunderstood world of app modernisation. Whether you’re migrating, rebuilding, or questioning whether that old VM has had its day, this episode lays out what modernising in Azure really looks like. Expect straight talk, a few rants, and plenty of practical advice from people who’ve seen it all — the good, the bad, and the co...

Send us Fan Mail Disaster Recovery has shifted from protecting against a flood or a fire to protecting against a cyber attack. In this critical discussion, we break down the reality that a ransomware hit is "a when not an if" and why your backup is only as good as the last time you tested it. We examine the lessons learned from the Marks & Spencer hack, the new "smash and grab&q...

Send us Fan Mail Jaguar Land Rover was hit by a massive cyberattack in September 2025, forcing systems offline for weeks, disrupting production, and leaving suppliers in chaos. In this episode, we break down what went wrong, who was behind it, and the critical security lessons every business needs to learn. Chapters: 00:00 Intro – Jaguar Land Rover Cyberattack Explained 03:49 Why Recovery Is Takin...

Send us Fan Mail Quantum computing holds the potential to change everything we know. This video provides a clear overview of quantum computing in layman's terms. It explains how this technology could break current encryption standards, including SSL and VPNs, and impact blockchain technology and cryptocurrency. The discussion covers significant risks and rewards for both the private and publi...

Send us Fan Mail Windows 10 support ends in October 2025 — but what does that really mean for organisations still running it? In this uncut episode of Experts in Polo Shirts , Synextra consultants Matt and Chris dive deep into the real-world impact of Windows 10's end of life. From AVD multi-session migration to Windows 11 adoption, extended support costs, and the risks of doing nothing — thi...

Send us Fan Mail Has the cloud reached its peak, or are we witnessing the next major shift in cloud computing? Many organisations rushed to the cloud, lifting and shifting infrastructure without truly modernising. Now, as serverless, edge computing, and AI-driven operations take centre stage, is the traditional cloud model becoming outdated? In this episode, we break down: Why 'lift and shift...

Send us Fan Mail Are LLMs living up to the hype, or are they failing to deliver? In this episode of Experts in Polo Shirts , we examine the real-world impact of large language models (LLMs) beyond the marketing promises. From Google Gemini’s rocky launch to businesses struggling with AI adoption , we explore the pitfalls, misconceptions, and challenges facing LLMs today. Key Topics: Is Big Tech to...

Send us Fan Mail Cloud cost management is a challenge for many businesses, with 91% of organisations admitting they’re wasting money in the cloud. In this episode of Experts in Polo Shirts, Ryan Tracey and Matt Dyson tackle the most common reasons cloud bills spiral out of control and discuss strategies for effective optimisation. What are the top three reasons for wasted cloud spend? Lack of skil...

Send us Fan Mail Azure DevOps, CI/CD pipelines, and Infrastructure as Code (IaC) are revolutionising modern development. These tools transform outdated workflows into efficient, automated pipelines, helping developers focus on innovation. This episode explores how practices like automated testing, platform-as-a-service options, and security automation boost productivity, security, and flexibility...

Send us Fan Mail Description: People are abandoning public cloud in their droves, or at least that's what Michael Dell might like you to think when he recently posted a stat which stated, "83% of enterprises plan to move workloads back to private cloud from public cloud." In this episode, our techies are debating the Logic of Repatriating Workloads. What is it, and what do the stats...

Send us Fan Mail As we say a sad goodbye to VMware, we discuss the realistic hypervisor alternatives for businesses and their pros and cons. Hyper-V, XenServer, and VMware, wait what I thought it was alternatives to Broadcoms latest cash cow!? For better or worse, sticking with the top performer might be your best choice. Unless you want to Migrate to one of the big players in Cloud, Azure and AWS...

Send us Fan Mail Since Broadcom acquired VMware we have seen a radical reorganisation of the company; eliminating products, packaging together what little is left and ratcheting up the prices giving consumers little choice but to plan their exit from the ecosystem. CEO Chris Piggott and HTO Ryan Tracey discuss what has happened, how it affected us and what we recommend to move forward. 0:00 Intro...

Send us Fan Mail Aaron Naisbitt has joined Synextra, and he’s brought with him some fresh insights about the modern end user. Exploring the headwinds that IT teams have to fight in a modern-day workplace he suggests that the improving technology people have at home, making everything accessible at the touch of a button, has given employees higher expectations of tech in the workplace. Alongside th...

Send us Fan Mail Join our special guest DCI Chris Maddocks, the head of Economic and Cyber teams in the North West and our very own Chris Piggott, Synextra CEO. Our Cyber Security webinar is where we’ll be sharing the most common mistakes that we see in businesses and organisations when it comes to Cyber Security and Phishing.  We will explore how these mishaps can be avoided and examine the real...

Send us Fan Mail The Experts in Polo Shirts are discussing the issues around TikTok, the hugely popular short video app every person and their cat is rushing in to use and yet it is being banned on government and company phones; but why? We discuss the security and misinformation issues that surround the platform.  It is the fastest-growing social media platform, but today we'll be asking &qu...

Send us Fan Mail Ladies and gents, we are back again with another contentious episode! Or maybe not contentious enough... Today we're playing a twisted game of Cluedo with IT, and it looks like Colonel Mustard has done the wicked deed with a Candlestick in the Billiard Room! In this instance Colonel Mustard is Microsofts Azure platform, the Candlestick is Public Cloud, and the unfortunate sou...

Send us Fan Mail It has been a long time since our last podcast, but we are back!💪 Today we're talking about where have we been,  the cost of living crisis and how crazy is at the moment for the public sector, our temporary (for 3 months already 😝) studio and its "fancy" chandelier, the new technology and the old fashioned but still a beast AS/400, customer projects and Cohesity t...

Send us Fan Mail A hyperconverged infrastructure (HCI) is a software defined IT solution, redeploying elements such as storage & network to the cloud. Join the debate. --- Today, we’re unpacking a two-word topic with the vast potential to transform, streamline, and simplify enterprise level IT operations. Listen in as Chris, Dean, and Mike explore the past, present, and future of hyperconverge...

Send us Fan Mail Meet Andy Sefton, Head of IT and Data Security @ Centrepoint, the tech-powered UK charity with standout ambitions to “end youth homelessness by 2037”…   ·       Centrepoint charity: centrepoint.org.uk ·       Contact details & FAQs: Centrepoint contact   ·       Synextra: synextra.co.uk ·       Call, email, visit: Synextra contact   ---   🥳Happy new year, techie addicts 🥳 –...

Send us Fan Mail Ever wondered what the role of a non-executive is in a business?    With a huge amount of experience, not just as a non-exec, but in business as whole, we sit down with Paul Beaumont and dig into how he helps businesses achieve more and perform better. Paul takes us through his interesting journey, detailing just how he got to where he is today talking through his stance on sales...

Send us Fan Mail This is your chance to get behind the scenes of recruitment...  In this episode we explore the good, the bad and the ugly truth of recruitment - offering genuine insights and insider information.  Join us as we talk CV red flags, interview mishaps and what not to do when you’re being technically assessed. Give this episode a listen, get the inside scoop and finally complete that j...

Send us Fan Mail Experts in Polo Shirts: Why Working From Home Isn’t Working for Us We’re all familiar with remote working or as we often see it, WFH. We are also familiar with the benefits associated with working from home as we see post upon post on social media detailing the perks enough - often alongside pictures of coffee cups and dogs. But are we hearing about the other side of working from...

Send us Fan Mail How did one person go from a service desk engineer to a CEO of a successful technology company? What did the journey look like? Were there any stumbling blocks along the way? In our first episode of Experts in Polo Shirts, we sit down with Synextra founder and CEO, Chris Piggott and discuss where his journey began and what challenges he has faced to get where he is today. We delve...