Leading IT - APAC Insights

Your organisation has Copilot licences, an AI policy and a growing list of use cases - but does it have a strategy? Andrew Welch, global AI technologist and thought leader joins Josh and Tom to unpack the gap between enterprise AI activity and meaningful business value. From governance and leadership to data integration, they explore what organisations need to get right - and why waiting for perfect readiness isn’t the answer.

Firewalls, MFA and patching still matter. But if your team is using AI, is an enterprise plan enough to keep company data safe? Josh talks with David Stevenson, Empyrean’s Cyber Lead, about shadow AI, what staff put into prompts, and what AI agents can access. They discuss practical guardrails beyond a subscription, including data loss prevention (DLP) to block or redact sensitive information, and the concept of an AI “harness”—a governance layer that applies consistent rules across the models your team uses.

AI is changing the speed and scale of cyber threats, giving attackers new ways to automate, personalise and accelerate attacks. In this episode, Josh Rubens and Tom Leyden speak with leading CISO Dr Kawin Boonyapredee about what this shift means for organisations and the people responsible for protecting them. They explore how agentic AI is changing attack and defence, the growing challenge of deepfakes and shadow AI, and emerging security priorities for IT leaders.

Microsoft Corporate VP of Fabric, Yitzhak Kesselman, joins Josh and Tom to explain why operational efficiency — not just productivity AI — is the real multiplier, and how Fabric delivers the fresh data and context needed to make it happen. Drawing on conversations with hundreds of customers, Yitzhak explains how most companies are still stuck in front-end AI use cases while the bigger opportunity lies in using their own business data to drive better decisions and automated actions. He walks through why fresh, high-granularity data and curated business context are essential for AI agents to reason effectively, and how Microsoft Fabric brings these pieces together through OneLake, Real-Time Intelligence, and Fabric IQ. The discussion covers practical advice for mid-market CIOs, the shift from pure analytics to operational systems, the role of ontologies in making AI more accurate and cost-efficient and why speaking the language of business outcomes is critical when making the case for investment.

He's back! Recorded on Australia’s King’s Birthday while Andrew Welch, global AI technologist and thought leader, dialled in fresh from DynamicsMinds in Slovenia, this episode looks at AI in the enterprise through the lens of real conferences, real customers and real partner pain. Andrew shares what he’s seeing on the ground: how AI strategy and architecture sessions land, why the old implementation‑plus‑services model is under pressure, and what partners and customers need to change in how they structure, fund and deliver AI projects. Expect a mix of war stories, sharp takes and practical guidance for anyone in the Microsoft orbit. Andrew is the founder, managing partner and chief strategy officer of Cloud Lighthouse, drawing on battle-tested experience helping enterprises worldwide convert AI hype into tangible results.

Andrew Welch, global AI technologist and thought leader, joins us to ask a confronting question: are you using AI to amplify your judgment, or quietly outsourcing your brain? He dishes up real-world stories from the enterprise front lines, unpacking how leaders can cut through the hype, avoid “prompt theatre” and build organisations where AI actually serves human flourishing, exploration and culture. Andrew is the founder, managing partner and chief strategy officer of Cloud Lighthouse, bringing hard-won lessons from helping enterprises around the world turn AI buzz into real-world outcomes. 

Josh and Tom break down how to actually use agentic AI in the enterprise – from Copilot-style platform agents to specialist off‑the‑shelf tools 

A trillion dollars in SaaS value wiped and AI can now build apps in hours. Tom and Josh unpack the “SaaSpocalypse”, who’s really at risk, and how IT leaders can consolidate and renegotiate.

Dark LLMs and ransomware-proof backups collide with recruitment resets and the rise of non-human identities. Josh and Tom share practical predictions on security, governance, and digital provenance so Enterprise IT leaders can brace for 2026.

Ignite 2025 showed where Microsoft is really placing its bets. Tune in to our end of year podcast, and for an insightful analysis of the implications for IT leaders responsible for scale, security and adoption.