3494: The Fastest Way to Recover Endpoint Devices During an IT Outage

Why do entire organisations invest millions building resilient data centres yet leave their endpoints exposed to outages that can last days? That question kept coming back to me during my conversation with James Millington of IGEL at the Now and Next event, because it highlights a gap that most IT leaders still underestimate. James walked me through the reality he sees every day. Companies have high availability strategies for their servers, cloud platforms, and networks, yet the devices workers rely on remain the weakest point. When ransomware or system failure hits, the response often involves scrambling for spare laptops, calling suppliers, and hoping inventory exists. As James pointed out in our chat, many firms quietly rely on a handful of unused machines sitting in a cupboard. That approach might have worked a decade ago, but today's threat landscape exposes every delay. Our discussion centred on IGEL's dual boot approach, a fresh way to recover access within minutes by placing IGEL OS alongside Windows on the same device. Instead of waiting hours or even weeks to rebuild machines, organisations can simply switch to a secure environment that restores access to cloud apps, collaboration tools, and virtual desktops. James shared stories of analysts admitting no comparable solution exists, and of customers having light bulb moments as they calculated the true cost of endpoint recovery. The theme running underneath it all was simple. You cannot coordinate your crisis response unless your people have a working device in their hands. Everything else depends on that. This episode also reflects a wider shift in how organisations think about resilience. Leaders are beginning to question old assumptions about failover, preparation, and what it takes to keep people productive when attacks or outages strike. The conversations I heard throughout Now and Next showed that businesses are realising the endpoint is no longer a peripheral concern. It is the gateway to every service that keeps a company running. When that gateway fails, everything slows. James also shared lighter moments from his journey. His career began as a DJ, something he has circled back to at IGEL events, and it was fascinating hearing how skills from that era still show up in his approach to communication and timing. It reminded me how varied experiences shape the leaders driving today's conversations around security, SaaS evolution, Zero Trust, and the growing overlap between IT and operational technology. So here is my question for you. As cyber risks rise and downtime becomes harder to tolerate, how ready do you feel for the disruption that begins at the endpoint? I would love to hear your thoughts. Tech Talks Daily is Sponsored by NordLayer: Get the exclusive Black Friday offer: 28% off NordLayer yearly plans with the coupon code: techdaily-28. Valid until December 10th, 2025. Try it risk-free with a 14-day money-back guarantee.

What happens when a founder who built a billion dollar company during a global crisis steps into the centre of industrial AI and begins reshaping how entire organisations think and work? That question sat at the heart of my conversation with Somya Kapoor, CEO of IFS Loops, recorded live on the show floor at IFS Industrial X Unleashed. Somya's journey carries a level of grit and perspective that shines through every answer. She shared how surviving the Gulf War as a child shaped her instinct to take on the hardest problems in technology. That mindset not only guided her early career at SAP, ServiceNow, and other enterprise giants, it also laid the foundation for Loops, the agentic platform she co-founded in 2020 with a simple scribble on a notepad that eventually grew into one of the most significant acquisitions in the IFS ecosystem. Her stories about early rejections, the wave of scepticism around AI in the early days, and the first customer conversations held on Zoom during lockdown reveal the human side behind a platform many now take seriously across the industrial world. Across the episode, Somya explained in plain terms what makes IFS Loops so different. The platform connects data across systems using natural language, helps redesign processes that used to be locked inside individual applications, and introduces digital workers that remove the grunt work from everyday operations. She brought the technology to life with examples that landed with real clarity. From supplier order handling to complex field service tasks, and the now famous Kodiak Gas case where thousands of hours were saved each year, she showed how agentic workflows change what is possible for industrial companies who have spent decades wrestling with fragmented data and rigid processes. We also talked about the importance of keeping people at the centre of AI driven change. Somya was clear that amplification, not replacement, is the story that matters. The shift requires new skills, new supervision models, and a thoughtful approach to adoption. Her reflections on change management, the energy she felt from customers at the event, and the speed at which leaders now want to move painted a picture of an industry that feels very different from the early days of AI excitement. The hesitation has faded. Curiosity has taken over. Action is starting to follow. Somya closed with a message aimed at every leader who might still be watching from the sidelines. The technology is real, adoption is accelerating, and the window to learn, experiment, and adapt is narrowing. She believes this is the moment for teams to decide whether they want to lead or be led by others who are moving faster. As you listen to this conversation, I'd love to hear what stood out for you. Do you feel the same shift in confidence and urgency around industrial AI that Somya described? Let me know your thoughts.   Tech Talks Daily is Sponsored by NordLayer: Get the exclusive Black Friday offer: 28% off NordLayer yearly plans with the coupon code: techdaily-28. Valid until December 10th, 2025. Try it risk-free with a 14-day money-back guarantee.

Have you ever wondered what happens when the browser stops being a simple window to the web and starts becoming the control point for how AI touches every part of enterprise life? That was the starting point for my conversation with Michael Shieh, founder and CEO of Mammoth Cyber. What followed was a detailed look at why the browser is turning into the foundation of enterprise AI and why the shift is arriving faster than many expect. Michael shared why employees already spend most of their working lives inside a browser and how this makes it the natural place for AI to support decisions, speed up routine work, and act as the interface between people, applications, and data. But we also spoke about the uncomfortable reality behind that convenience.  When consumer AI browsers rush ahead with features that harvest data or request wide-reaching permissions, the trade off between speed and governance becomes harder to ignore. Michael explained how this gap leaves security teams unable to see where sensitive data is being sent or how shadow AI creeps into daily workflows without oversight. During our conversation he broke down what makes an enterprise AI browser different. We talked about policy controlled access, device trust, identity federation, and the safeguards that protect AI from hazards like indirect prompt injection. Michael also described how the Mammoth team built a multi layer security model that monitors what the AI can view, what it cannot view, and how data moves across applications in real time. His examples of DLP at the point of use, low friction controls for workers, and granular visibility for security teams showed how the browser is becoming the new enforcement boundary for zero trust. We also covered the growing tension between traditional access models like VPNs or VDI and the faster, lightweight deployment Mammoth is offering to large enterprises. Hearing Michael explain how some customers replaced heavy remote access stacks in weeks made it clear that this is more than a new product category. It hints at an early move toward AI shaped workflows running directly at the endpoint rather than through centralised infrastructure. As he looked ahead to the next few years, Michael shared why he expects the browser to operate as a kind of operating system for enterprise AI, blending native AI agents, web apps, and policy controls into a single environment. This episode raises an important question. If the browser becomes the place where AI reads, writes, and interprets information, how should enterprises think about identity, trust, and control when the pace of AI adoption accelerates again next year? I would love to hear your thoughts.

What happens when a former NHL player who once faced Wayne Gretzky ends up running a global data company that sits at the center of the AI boom? That question kept coming back to me as I reconnected with Mike McKee, the CEO of Ataccama, seven years after our last conversation. So much has shifted in the world since then, yet the theme that shaped this discussion felt surprisingly grounded. None of the big promises of AI can take hold unless leaders can rely on the data sitting underneath every system they run. Mike brings a rare mix of stories and experience to this theme. His journey from the ice to the C suite feels like its own lesson in discipline, teamwork, and patience, and he openly reflects on the way those early years influence how he leads today. But the heart of this conversation sits in the reality he sees inside global enterprises. Everyone is racing to build AI powered services, yet the biggest blockers are messy records, inconsistent metadata, long forgotten databases, and years of quality issues that were never addressed. It is a blunt problem, and Mike explains why the companies winning with AI right now are the ones treating data trust as a foundation rather than an afterthought. Across the discussion, he shares stories from organisations like T Mobile and Prudential, where millions of records, thousands of systems, and vast volumes of structured and unstructured data must be monitored, understood, and governed in real time. Mike walks through how teams build confidence in their data again, why quality scores matter, and how automation now shapes everything from compliance to customer retention. What stood out most is how quickly the expectations have shifted. Boards and CEOs now treat data as a strategic asset rather than an operational chore, and entire roles have emerged above the chief data officer to steer these programmes. This episode is also a reminder that AI progress is never only about models or GPUs. Mike pulls back the curtain on why organisations struggle to measure AI readiness, how they can avoid bottlenecks, and what it takes to prioritise the work that actually moves the needle. His point is simple. Without trustworthy data, AI remains a promise rather than a practical tool. With it, businesses can act with confidence, respond faster, and make decisions that genuinely improve outcomes for customers and employees. So as AI reaches deeper into systems everywhere, how should leaders rethink their approach to data trust, governance, and quality? And if you have been on your own journey with data challenges, where have you seen progress and where are you still stuck? I would love to hear your thoughts. Tech Talks Daily is Sponsored by NordLayer: Get the exclusive Black Friday offer: 28% off NordLayer yearly plans with the coupon code: techdaily-28. Valid until December 10th, 2025. Try it risk-free with a 14-day money-back guarantee.

What happens when a former Microsoft leader walks away from tech, immerses himself in personal wellbeing, and accidentally discovers one of the biggest blind spots in the global spa, salon, and wellness industry? That question sat with me as I spoke with Sudheer Koneru, founder and CEO of Zenoti, who has shaped one of the most influential platforms powering beauty, wellness, and fitness operations in more than fifty countries. This conversation takes an interesting path. Sudheer began his career inside Microsoft during its high-growth era, then built and exited a successful enterprise software company, only to step away from the industry entirely. Those two quiet years focused on health and family revealed something surprising. The spa and salon sector he was engaging with as a customer lacked modern tools, consistent experiences, and operational systems that could help both staff and guests thrive. That realisation moved him from passive observation into building Zenoti, a platform designed for large brands with multi location operations. Today, Zenoti supports more than twelve thousand businesses and processes millions of bookings each year. Across our discussion, Sudheer explained why staff turnover shapes guest trust far more than most of us realise. He shared the emotional aspect of returning customers wanting familiar faces, the operational pressure this creates, and the measurable business impact when those connections are lost. We also talked about the role of AI. Unlike many narratives that focus on automation replacing creativity, Sudheer was clear that AI is strengthening the personal side of the industry. He described how tools like Zeni and Hyperconnect reduce missed calls, increase upsells, support new staff with real context, and free human teams to offer better on site care. Hearing how Zenoti has grown as a profitable unicorn while staying selective about its customer base added another layer. Sudheer credits this discipline as one of the company's strongest decisions, along with a willingness to focus on brands that truly benefit from the platform's depth. As the wellness and beauty sectors move further into AI supported operations, the question becomes whether businesses can adopt new capabilities without losing the warmth and familiarity that keep guests returning. After listening, how do you feel about AI supporting personal service industries, and where do you see the right balance landing? I would love to hear your thoughts. Tech Talks Daily is Sponsored by NordLayer: Get the exclusive Black Friday offer: 28% off NordLayer yearly plans with the coupon code: techdaily-28. Valid until December 10th, 2025. Try it risk-free with a 14-day money-back guarantee.

What happens when enterprise AI moves faster than the data foundations meant to support it? That question guided my conversation with Sumit Mehra, CTO and Co-Founder of Tredence, who joined me while travelling between customer meetings on the US West Coast. Sumit has a clear view of what is coming next, and he believes we are entering a phase he calls data Darwinism.  In his view, the next stage of AI advantage will not be won by the companies with the most models or the flashiest demos, but by those with the strongest data habits. Clean, governed, connected data is now the primary fuel for autonomous decision systems, and the enterprises that fail to address this will struggle to move past surface level gains. As we unpacked this shift, it became obvious how much of the real work in AI has only just begun. Over the years, Tredence built a reputation for solving the last mile of analytics by bringing insights out of slide decks and into the hands of the people doing the work. Sumit described that early chapter with a sense of pride, but he was quick to point out that another transition is already here. With agents now influencing and making decisions across supply chains, forecasting, and customer experience, enterprises are moving from reviewing insights to reviewing decisions. That shift demands stronger data platforms, tighter governance, and a cultural adjustment that many organisations are still wrestling with. Sumit spoke openly about how teams need support to trust agent driven outcomes, and how the leadership layer plays a major role in closing the long standing divide between business and technical groups. Our discussion also moved into the rise of real time decision systems, the move toward unified data platforms, and how vertical AI is reshaping expectations inside industries that rely on precision. Whether it was supply chain visibility, marketing personalisation, or the growing need for credible governance models, Sumit emphasised that organisations can no longer rely on siloed data or fragmented strategies. As Tredence expands deeper into regulated industries through its acquisition of Further Advisory, the work ahead touches everything from finance to healthcare. It left me thinking about how ready most companies truly are for this next phase, where every agent is only as reliable as the data beneath it. Where do you stand on data Darwinism, and how prepared do you think your own organisation is for what comes next? Tech Talks Daily is Sponsored by NordLayer: Get the exclusive Black Friday offer: 28% off NordLayer yearly plans with the coupon code: techdaily-28. Valid until December 10th, 2025. Try it risk-free with a 14-day money-back guarantee.

What happens when AI becomes the centre of how we shop, yet trust still determines whether any of it works? That question shaped my conversation with Romain Fouache, CEO of Akeneo, who joined me to unpack the latest consumer data on AI driven shopping experiences. Retail giants might be setting the pace, but the real story sits in how everyday shoppers feel about these new tools. Akeneo's recent research caught my attention when it revealed that eighty four percent of consumers who acted on an AI recommendation were satisfied with the purchase. The appetite is clearly there, yet trust remains fragile, especially when only forty five percent feel confident in AI powered suggestions and even fewer enjoy their chatbot interactions. Romain sees this moment as both a turning point and a warning, one that demands honest conversations about transparency and product data. As we worked through the findings, Romain explained why good AI depends entirely on high quality product information and why poor data is still the biggest threat to customer confidence. He argued that brands can reduce friction, improve discovery, and deliver more relevant experiences by grounding their AI tools in reliable product knowledge rather than guesswork. He also spoke about why many chatbots continue to miss the mark. The issue is less about the technology and more about the lack of strong product foundations beneath it. When recommendations go wrong, trust erodes quickly, and rebuilding that trust will require clear communication about how data is used and why certain suggestions appear. I found his view on privacy particularly interesting, especially his belief that better intent based interactions could lower the industry's dependence on invasive data collection. Looking ahead to 2026, Romain shared why he expects conversational shopping to become a primary way people browse and evaluate products. He believes the shift away from keyword driven search is already happening and that smaller retailers should not feel outpaced by the largest platforms. With the right product experience strategy, he says, AI opens new opportunities for global reach and category diversification. The conversation also touched on why product experience, rather than product data alone, will determine the brands that build loyalty in an increasingly competitive environment. It left me wondering how ready businesses truly are for a world where product information must be accurate, real time, and aligned with the way AI tools interpret customer intent. What do you think matters most for building trust in AI powered shopping? Tech Talks Daily is Sponsored by NordLayer: Get the exclusive Black Friday offer: 28% off NordLayer yearly plans with the coupon code: techdaily-28. Valid until December 10th, 2025. Try it risk-free with a 14-day money-back guarantee.

What happens when events become the most human channel in a world increasingly shaped by AI? That thought set the tone for my conversation with Muhammad Younas, founder and CEO of vFairs, who has spent years helping organisations design in-person, virtual, and hybrid experiences at a remarkable scale. With more than fifty thousand events delivered and over one hundred million attendees served, he has a front row view of how event technology is changing and why the next wave will look very different from what planners have relied on until now. Rather than fearing the impact of AI, Muhammad sees a near future where mundane tasks fade into the background and planners focus on strategy, creativity, and connection. Throughout the discussion, Muhammad returned to a simple idea. Every event is unique, and technology should adapt to that reality rather than forcing people into rigid templates. He believes the next chapter of event tech will focus on specialised workflows that understand industry needs, whether that is a job fair, a healthcare gathering, a global town hall, or a conference that carries an entire community's voice. He also sees events becoming one of the most important expressions of first party marketing as digital channels get louder and harder to trust. When people choose to attend, they bring intent, time, and attention, and no online algorithm can replace that. We also explored why virtual events and webinars continue to grow long after the urgent push of the pandemic. Muhammad explains that these formats thrive because they offer reach, convenience, and year round value. They generate content that fuels engagement far beyond the event itself, and they remove the barriers that keep global audiences locked out of traditional venues.  Meanwhile, vFairs keeps pushing forward, from smart matchmaking on trade show floors to tools that help planners capture meaningful connections and follow through on them. In an era driven by AI, he argues that events will matter even more because they protect the authenticity and human contact that many feel is slipping away. Muhammad's own story, from running hundreds of events himself to building a platform chosen by global brands, adds a human layer to all this technology. It raises an important question. As AI reshapes the work behind the scenes, how will event planners and organisations reimagine the experiences people value most? I would love to hear what you think. Tech Talks Daily is Sponsored by NordLayer: Get the exclusive Black Friday offer: 28% off NordLayer yearly plans with the coupon code: techdaily-28. Valid until December 10th, 2025. Try it risk-free with a 14-day money-back guarantee.

What does it say about the future of work when AI competency starts to feel as expected as basic reading? That question sat with me throughout my latest conversation with Artem Kroupenev, VP of Strategy at Augury, who returns to the show with a perspective that lands with fresh clarity. Workforce costs remain high, industries are shifting, and the job market continues to reset its foundations. In that environment, Artem argues that AI literacy is no longer something ambitious candidates use to stand out. It is becoming a baseline expectation that employers will quietly assume. The way we talk about skills is changing, and the speed of that shift matters. Across our discussion, Artem reflects on how this transition is unfolding inside factories and industrial operations, where Augury has spent the last decade building predictive machine health systems. He describes a world where AI takes on tasks, not entire roles, and where the real opportunity for workers sits in judgment, collaboration, and the kind of problem solving that software cannot replicate. He highlights patterns from the SOPH 2025 data that show strong confidence across manufacturing leaders, yet also reveal a gap between optimism and real capability. It paints a picture of an industry moving quickly, yet still learning how to measure and translate AI value into outcomes people can trust. What struck me most was how Artem links mindset to readiness. Individuals who treat AI as a companion in their daily workflow, rather than a novelty to test occasionally, start building the fluency that future roles will quietly demand. Employers who approach AI simply as a tool upgrade often overlook the harder work of reshaping processes, KPIs, and expectations. And the organisations that fail to adapt risk widening the gap between AI empowered and AI hesitant teams, something Artem believes will show up in hiring, competition, and long term viability. This conversation looks beyond the usual headlines about automation and considers what the next five years might actually feel like for people joining the workforce or leading teams through change. If AI becomes as expected as reading and writing, what does that mean for education, career paths, and employer responsibility? I would love to hear your view. Tech Talks Daily is Sponsored by NordLayer: Get the exclusive Black Friday offer: 28% off NordLayer yearly plans with the coupon code: techdaily-28. Valid until December 10th, 2025. Try it risk-free with a 14-day money-back guarantee.

What does resilience look like when your business depends on keeping data, apps, and infrastructure running flawlessly in a world that never sleeps? At IGEL's Now & Next event in Frankfurt, I sat down with Sush Kajaria from Nutanix to explore how the company is helping organizations simplify their cloud strategies and strengthen their endpoint environments through modern virtualization and prevention-first security. Our discussion looked at how IT teams are adapting to an increasingly complex technology stack, where workloads are spread across hybrid and multicloud environments. Sush Kajaria explains how partnerships with companies like IGEL are creating more seamless integration between data centers and the edge, giving IT leaders the control and visibility they need to protect business continuity. We also explored how automation, unified management, and secure access are helping enterprises reduce costs without sacrificing flexibility or performance. The conversation moved beyond infrastructure to address the human side of digital transformation. We discussed how hybrid work, evolving compliance requirements, and AI adoption are reshaping how IT teams operate, forcing leaders to rethink how they deliver secure and consistent experiences to employees everywhere. Nutanix's story is one of constant reinvention, driven by a clear mission to make enterprise IT invisible while keeping operations resilient and efficient. As organizations look ahead to 2026, this episode offers a grounded look at what it takes to balance innovation with reliability. How can IT leaders simplify their infrastructure without losing control, and what role will partnerships like IGEL and Nutanix play in defining the next chapter of enterprise resilience?     Tech Talks Daily is Sponsored by NordLayer: Get the exclusive Black Friday offer: 28% off NordLayer yearly plans with the coupon code: techdaily-28. Valid until December 10th, 2025. Try it risk-free with a 14-day money-back guarantee.