The Mind as the Attack Surface

In this episode of OCTOpod, Philippa Winter is joined by Richard Cassidy, International CISO at Rubrik, and chartered psychologist Rebecca (Bec) to explore how AI is transforming social engineering and exploiting human decision-making under pressure. From deepfakes and highly personalised attacks to cognitive overload, organisational culture and decision resilience, the conversation challenges the idea that people are simply the "weakest link" in cyber security. Instead, the discussion asks how organisations can design better systems, processes and cultures that help people pause, verify, challenge and make good decisions when the pressure is highest.

In this episode of OCTOPod, Tim Russell and David Mortlock cut through the AI hype to focus on what really drives Copilot success: your data.  They explore why many AI deployments stall - not because of the technology, but because of oversharing, poor classification, and unmanaged data estates. The conversation introduces a practical five-step playbook to get AI-ready, covering visibility, labeling, lifecycle, identity, and measured rollout.  The key message is simple: Copilot doesn’t fix data problems - it exposes them. Get the foundations right, measure what matters, and AI will deliver real value. 

What happens when the objective of a cyberattack isn’t simply financial gain, but disruption, fear and the erosion of trust in healthcare? In this episode of OCTOpod, Phillipa Winter, Chief Technologist for Health and Social Care at CDW UK, is joined by Richard Cassidy, International CISO at Rubrik, to explore the changing cyber threat facing healthcare organisations. They discuss why patients can become the leverage in an attack, the growing importance of nation-state threats, and why cyber resilience can no longer sit solely with IT or security teams. The conversation introduces the concept of the minimum viable hospital, asking healthcare leaders a critical question: if your organisation suffers a major cyber incident, can you restore safe patient care quickly and confidently?  

As organisations accelerate their adoption of AI agents, success is becoming less about the model itself and more about the context available to it. In this episode of the Octopod, CDW and Microsoft explore how Microsoft IQ combines organisational knowledge, business data, employee context and web intelligence to help agents make better decisions and deliver more reliable outcomes.  The conversation also highlights the role of Microsoft Foundry as the platform for building, governing and scaling agentic solutions, enabling organisations to move beyond simple chatbots and towards intelligent, business-focused automation.  The takeaway is simple: the organisations that gain the greatest value from AI won't be those with the latest model, but those that can combine the right model, the right data and the right governance to solve real business challenges at scale.

The rules of cybersecurity have changed. What was once a race measured in months, weeks or days is increasingly being compressed into minutes and seconds as AI accelerates both vulnerability discovery and exploitation. In this episode of the Octopod, CDW's Rob Sims is joined by Kev Golding and Dom Trott to explore Continuous Threat Exposure Management (CTEM) and why it has become a critical capability for modern organisations. The discussion moves beyond traditional vulnerability management, focusing instead on understanding exposure, prioritising risk in a business context, and continuously reducing the attack surface. As AI reshapes both the threat landscape and defensive capabilities, the conversation highlights why security can no longer be a periodic exercise. Organisations need a continuous, intelligence-led approach that helps them identify their crown jewels, focus on what matters most, and build resilience for a machine-speed world

In this episode, CDW's Chief Technologist Tim Russell is joined again by Microsoft's Peter Rising to tackle the twin challenges of securing AI and driving real adoption Listeners will get a practical view of how to roll out AI safely, build user trust, and turn pilots into measurable business value.   Speakers: Tim Russell, Chief Technologist, CDW Peter Rising, Senior Partner Cloud Solution Architect: Cybersecurity, Microsoft

In this episode, CDW's Chief Technologist Tim Russell sits down with Microsoft's Peter Rising to unpack what the new Microsoft 365 E7 license and Copilot+ PCs mean for security, productivity, and the way work gets done. Listeners will walk away knowing what's changed, why it matters, and where to start.   Speakers: Tim Russell, Chief Technologist, CDW Peter Rising, Senior Partner Cloud Solution Architect: Cybersecurity, Microsoft

In Part 2, Tim Russell from CDW and Matt Hains from Intel move from foundations into real‑world application, helping listeners understand how AI PCs translate into tangible outcomes for IT teams and the wider business. The audience will learn where on‑device AI delivers the most value today, how workloads are shifting between cloud and endpoint, and what this means for productivity, security, and manageability at scale. Tim shares practical guidance on what customers should be planning for across device refresh, user adoption, and operational readiness, while Matt explains how Intel’s platform capabilities particularly around performance efficiency and NPUs - enable these scenarios. Together, they provide a clear, pragmatic view of how organisations can move from AI PC awareness to confident deployment.   Speakers: Tim Russell - Chief Technologist - CDW Matthew Hains - Sales Account Director at Intel Corporation - Intel

In this episode, Tim Russell, Chief Technologist at CDW, and Matt Hains from Intel unpack what the emergence of the AI PC really means for organisations today. Listeners will learn how to cut through the hype to understand what defines an AI PC, why on-device AI matters, and how it changes performance, security, and the employee experience. Tim brings the customer and workplace lens, explaining what IT and business leaders should be considering as they modernise endpoints, while Matt shares Intel’s perspective on how silicon innovation is enabling this next shift in computing. Together, they set a clear foundation for how AI PCs fit into device strategy, refresh cycles, and the future of modern work.   Speakers: Tim Russell - Chief Technologist - CDW Matthew Hains - Sales Account Director at Intel Corporation - Intel

Integrations are meant to connect the business, but too often they become the source of delay, risk and frustration. In this episode of the CDW Octopod, Jaro speaks with Juha and Soroush from ONEiO about the real-world challenges organisations face when systems, suppliers and workflows fail to connect properly and why Integration Ops offers a new way forward. From platform wars and siloed accountability to AI readiness and managed outcomes, this episode explores how businesses can move beyond one-off integration projects and adopt a lifecycle approach that is faster, clearer and easier to manage. If your organisation is struggling with fragmented tools, slow onboarding, legacy integrations or unclear ownership, this episode will give you a practical new lens on the problem.