Heavy Strategy

Hosts Greg Ferro and Johna Till Johnson reflect on the technological advancements of 2023 and discuss the trends for 2024. In this wide-ranging conversation, they chat about the rise of AI, tech consolidation, and the impact of automation on infrastructure. They also explore the geopolitical impact on supply chains, the move away from Chinese manufacturing, ... Read more »

Johna and Greg discuss service-oriented networking and the challenges of defining and delivering network services. They explore the negative impact of siloed organizational structures on service delivery and the importance of continuous adaptation in infrastructure management. They debate the perception of services by users, using metaphors like sidewalks and electricity, and the importance of def...

The difference between training and education is signficant and technology industry often conflates these terms. They are vastly different ways to providing learning and we dive into why we need more education and less training.

Powering data centres is big deal in current decade. Massive increases in consumption and scaling of off-prem clouds has exceeded the capacity of civilian power grids while cloud operators are reluctant to sign thirty year supply agreements so that more power plants can be built. Enter power micro-generation where too large DCs needs too small ... Read more »

Our conversation begins with an exploration of the concept of cognitive load in relation to platforms. David, despite being an IT professional and not a psychiatrist, brought an intriguing perspective to the table. He emphasized how platforms, such as VMware, Kubernetes, and Cloud Foundry, are designed to remove effort from users, making it easier for ... Read more »

Today we debate its technoloyg is reaching a stable phase. Greg argues that we are in a period of stability, citing resistance to change and a slowdown in advancements. Johna believes that the rise of quantum computing and AI will lead to significant disruptions. They also discuss the future of AI and quantum computing, with Johna predicting a transformative impact by 2026, while Greg suggests a s...

In this podcast episode, Johna and I discuss the concept of technical debt. We provide different definitions of technical debt, with me focusing on the inability to switch solutions easily and Johna emphasizing the trade-off between immediate speed and long-term efficiency. We give examples of technical debt, such as outdated systems and insecure infrastructure, and ... Read more »

Taking your feedback and followup and discussing the questions you bring us. Zero Trust Defintions, Out of Band in Zero Trust, Johna and/or Greg is/are insufferable and re-evaluating the Tech Job Debacle with hindsight.

A special guest today, Keith Townsend joins Johna Greg to discuss the advantages and disadvantages of cloud computing compared to on-premises infrastructure. We start by clarifying the definition of cloud and emphasizing the significance of software-defined infrastructure and automation in on-premises data centers. Keith shares his perspective on hybrid infrastructure and making the case for a com...

Are you interested in learning more about aligning technology choices with organizational goals? Our podcast has got you covered! Listen now to explore the importance of technology alignment with business objectives.

The use of physical infrastructure has changed substantially in the last three years. Data centres are scaling down, offices and branches are being re-considered. One view is that offices are ‘playgrounds’ where white collar workers gather to chat, socialise, drink free coffee and have face-to-face for one or two days a week. An opposing view is that its legacy way of working but it will take time...

As technology becomes more critical and vital to companies business leaders are beginning to question the reliability and liability. Insurers now require audits and demand complienace with set practices before issuing a policy. Corporate boards are realising that so-called tech professionals have zero training or professional requirement, consultants have even less and the analysts are ... Read mo...

Oft-asked question that doesn't have a right answer. We discuss non-convential answers that career coaches or self-help twaddle won't give you.

Google, Microsoft, Twitter, META/FB and a few others laid off an estimated 200,000 tech and tech-adjacent folks in recent weeks. Other companies like Fedex and Amazon have made layoffs, many impacting the IT teams. What does that mean for the tech industry? Between AI and our corporate overlords are we all lucky to be employed, and should we go back to working 80 hour in-office weeks? 

IT organisations tend towards two strategic approaches - enduring, permanent and susatined. Or short term, consumable and fungible IT.

Many business executives are incompetent scumbags and yet they managed to get the job and get paid serious money. What can technology engineers learn from these fools so that they get the same results aka more money and less work.

What are these roles and how do they fit into a strategy ? Who solves problems, designs solutions, and tests to make sure that’s workable ? How do we create/train people for these roles ? What about professional liability ?

The new geopolitical reality means that China is part of IT Strategy. The supply chain is changing, joint ventures are limited and more.

AIOps is been a buzzword but public generative AI and LLMs like ChatGPT mean there is a lot more awareness and demand. In todays sponsored show we are talking to Vitria about VIA AI Ops and how you can add it to your IT strategy.

So much wasted marketing on Digital Transformation. Was it all bollocks or was there something real underneath the bombast and hype ?

Differences between project (disruption, replacement), service (smooth, continuous) and product (updates, changes) mean that process and people have very different approach to technology management and operations.

Short answer is yes. Long answer is long. CHatGPT is useful for demonstrating potential and getting more funding for AI. In terms of potential for real work, well, its not good enough.

We talk a lot about automation and orchestration and how they can change your network strategy and smooth network workflows. But not everybody wants to sit around writing code and building test labs. Greg and Johna talk with Josh Stephens and Chanoch Marmorstein from sponsor BackBox about its network automation software, how it fits into a network operations strategy, and how BackBox focuses on th...

It might be curmudgeon day. Johna and Greg ask what are mistakes that we have seen in technology strategies.

After setting questions and perspectives on What is Enterprise Architecture, the natural sequence is How to Maintain and Operate an Architecture team.