Techsplainers by IBM

This episode of Techsplainers explores forecasting—the method of predicting future outcomes by analyzing patterns in historical and current data. We explain how businesses use forecasting to estimate demand, project sales, and plan for growth, with AI-powered tools now re ducing errors by up to 50% . The episode walks through the six-step forecasting process and compares qualitative methods (like...

This episode of Techsplainers explores financial planning and analysis (FP&A), completing our week-long series on business planning after covering demand forecasting, integrated business planning, and business agility. We examine how FP&A teams collect and analyze financial data to inform business strategy and optimize decision-making. The podcast breaks down the four key components of FP&...

This episode of Techsplainers explores business agility, building on our previous discussions of demand forecasting and integrated business planning. We examine how organizations sense and adapt to change through innovative solutions that deliver business value. The podcast breaks down the four core pillars of business agility—culture, people, governance, and leadership—and explores the benefits o...

This episode of Techsplainers explores integrated business planning (IBP), a comprehensive framework that aligns strategic, operational, and financial planning across an organization. Following our previous discussion on demand forecasting, we examine how IBP brings together diverse business functions—from sales and marketing to finance and IT—to create a unified business plan. The podcast breaks...

This episode of Techsplainers explores demand forecasting, the process that helps businesses predict future customer needs using historical data and analytics. We examine how modern organizations are leveraging AI, machine learning, and predictive analytics to enhance forecasting accuracy in real-time. The discussion covers qualitative methods like the Delphi method and sales force composites alon...

Explore Think 2026: https://www.ibm.biz/think2026event   This episode of Techsplainers introduces AIOps observability, explaining how artificial intelligence transforms traditional IT monitoring into intelligent, automated systems. We explore how AIOps observability works by collecting logs, traces, and metrics, then applying AI capabilities like anomaly detection, root cause analysis, and predict...

Explore Think 2026: https://www.ibm.biz/think2026event   This episode of Techsplainers explores edge computing, a distributed framework that processes data closer to its source rather than sending everything to centralized cloud data centers. Matt explains how edge computing works through components like edge devices, gateways, and network infrastructure, highlighting how it complements rather tha...

Explore Think 2026: https://www.ibm.biz/think2026event   This episode of Techsplainers explores hybrid cloud architecture—the approach that combines on-premises, private cloud, and public cloud environments into a unified IT infrastructure. We examine how hybrid cloud has evolved from traditional data centers to become a cornerstone of digital transformation, enabling organizations to balance secu...

Explore Think 2026: https://www.ibm.biz/think2026event   This episode of Techsplainers explores agentic coding in depth, building on our previous introduction. Matt explains how coding agents work across development stacks, distinguishing between vibe coding, agentic coding, and agentic engineering on the AI assistance spectrum. The episode highlights practical applications, from code reviews to f...

Explore Think 2026: https://www.ibm.biz/think2026event This episode of Techsplainers explores the concept of AI sovereignty, the ability of organizations and nations to control their artificial intelligence ecosystem. We examine why AI sovereignty has evolved beyond traditional data residency concerns into a holistic strategy covering infrastructure, data, models, and operations. The discussion hi...

Explore Think 2026: https://www.ibm.biz/think2026event This episode of Techsplainers delves into the intricate workings of quantum-centric supercomputing hardware and architecture. Host Ian Smalley explains the quantum processing unit (QPU) at the heart of these systems, describing how superconducting qubits function through Josephson junctions and require temperatures colder than space to maintai...

Explore Think 2026: https://www.ibm.biz/think2026event This episode of Techsplainers introduces quantum-centric supercomputing, a revolutionary approach that combines quantum computing with traditional high-performance computing to create powerful integrated systems. Host Ian Smalley explains how these systems leverage the unique properties of qubits—including superposition, entanglement, interfer...

Explore Think 2026: https://www.ibm.biz/think2026event This episode of Techsplainers introduces OpenRAG, IBM's open-source framework that connects large language models to enterprise data sources. We explore how OpenRAG builds bridges between powerful AI and organizational knowledge through Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG), enabling AI systems to ground their responses in actual company inform...

Explore Think 2026: https://www.ibm.biz/think2026event This episode of Techsplainers explores data retrieval, the essential process of accessing information from various data sources. We examine how this field has evolved beyond simple database queries to encompass complex AI-driven techniques. The discussion covers traditional approaches like SQL and indexing alongside modern methods including ve...

Explore Think 2026: https://www.ibm.biz/think2026event This episode of *Techsplainers* explores multi-agent collaboration, where multiple AI agents work together as a coordinated team to accomplish complex tasks. We explain how these systems have evolved beyond traditional LLMs to create autonomous workflows for research, support, analysis, and operations. The discussion covers key collaboration m...

This episode of Techsplainers explores data governance, the essential framework that ensures organizational data is properly managed, protected, and utilized. Amanda explains how data governance serves as an "air traffic control system" for information, defining policies and procedures for data collection, storage, and usage throughout its lifecycle. The discussion covers the four key components o...

This episode of Techsplainers explores synthetic data - artificially generated information designed to mimic real-world data while preserving statistical properties and patterns. Amanda explains how synthetic data has become critical for AI development by addressing issues of data scarcity, privacy concerns, and training needs. The discussion covers the three types of synthetic data (fully synthet...

This episode of Techsplainers explores unstructured data - information without predefined formats that makes up 90% of enterprise data. Amanda explains how unstructured data differs from structured and semi-structured data, covering its diverse sources from emails to social media posts to sensor data. The discussion highlights why unstructured data has transformed from "dark data" into a strategic...

This episode of Techsplainers explores the concept of "bad data" - information that compromises decision-making because it's inaccurate, incomplete, inconsistent, outdated, duplicate, invalid, or biased. We examine why bad data is particularly dangerous due to its stealthy nature, often going undetected until significant damage occurs. Through real-world examples like Unity Technologies' $110 mill...

This episode of Techsplainers explores the concept of AI-ready data - high-quality, accessible, and trusted information that organizations need for successful artificial intelligence initiatives. We examine why only 29% of technology leaders believe their data meets AI readiness standards and break down the four essential characteristics that make data truly AI-ready: being unified and accessible,...

This episode of Techsplainers explores cloud architecture—the foundational blueprint for cloud computing environments. We break down the four essential components: the front-end (user interfaces and dashboards), the back-end (servers, databases, and infrastructure), the network (connections between components), and cloud delivery models (IaaS, PaaS, and SaaS). The discussion covers various deploym...

This episode of Techsplainers explores private cloud computing—how it provides cloud benefits with enhanced security and control for organizations with sensitive data or specific regulatory requirements. Find more information at https://www.ibm.com/think/topics/private-cloud Find more episodes at https://www.ibm.biz/techsplainers-podcast Narrated by Douglas Lambert

"This episode of Techsplainers explores public cloud computing, where third-party providers deliver computing resources over the internet on a pay-as-you-go basis. Douglas explains how public cloud works as a multi-tenant environment where users share virtualized resources while maintaining data isolation. The discussion covers the three primary service models—Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS), P...

This episode of Techsplainers explores the inner workings of cloud computing by examining its core components and service delivery models. Host Douglas Lambert explains the three fundamental building blocks of cloud computing: data centers (the physical infrastructure), networking capabilities (enabling high-speed connections), and virtualization (the technology that maximizes hardware efficiency)...

This episode of Techsplainers introduces the fundamentals of cloud computing, explaining it as on-demand access to computing resources over the internet with pay-per-use pricing. Host Douglas Lambert breaks down how cloud computing powers everything from consumer applications like email and streaming services to critical business operations across organizations of all sizes. The discussion covers...