When we talk about cybersecurity, it’s often easy to think in terms of firewalls, passwords, and high-profile breaches. But what happens when the vulnerability isn’t within your own systems but somewhere deep in your third or fourth-tier supply chain? In this episode, I spoke with Ben Edwards from Bitsight about the unseen infrastructure propping up much of the global digital economy and the new risks emerging from it.

Our conversation begins by challenging the assumption that larger technology providers are automatically safer. Bitsight’s research reveals that scale often introduces complexity and a larger attack surface, which can make it even harder to stay secure. In fact, UK supply chains are now around 10 percent larger than the global average, reflecting a more advanced digital economy but also introducing more room for hidden weaknesses.

One of the most sobering parts of the discussion focused on geopolitics. Around 30 percent of UK and US supply chains rely on Chinese military-linked companies like Huawei and China Telecom. That’s not just a cybersecurity concern. It’s a geopolitical time bomb. Ben broke down the ripple effects that potential restrictions or bans could have, including costs, infrastructure overhauls, and widespread operational disruption.

Then there are the “hidden pillars,” smaller vendors like Aptiv and Yardi, which may not be household names but play disproportionately influential roles in sectors like aerospace, education, and real estate. Their obscurity makes them dangerous single points of failure, especially when regional dependencies form without anyone noticing.

The bottom line? End-to-end supply chain visibility remains elusive. Shadow IT, employee workarounds, and a constantly shifting tech landscape mean organizations must approach cybersecurity as an ongoing process, not a checklist. Ben urges companies to continually assess the criticality of their providers and, just as importantly, understand their own role in others’ ecosystems.

If you’re curious about how internet balkanization, AI, and outsourcing are shaping the next phase of cybersecurity strategy, this episode will give you a lot to think about. Y

IT support is changing fast, and the old service desk model is starting to feel like a relic from another era. In this episode, I spoke with Samuele Gantner, Chief Product Officer at Nexthink, about what comes next and what companies need to do now to prepare for it. With Nexthink sitting at the forefront of Digital Employee Experience (DEX) technology, Samuele offers a grounded, thoughtful look at what a "ticketless" future might look like.

One of the boldest predictions shared is a 90 percent reduction in IT support tickets by 2027. That is not marketing spin. It's a vision rooted in practical shifts toward proactive support, real-time observability, and AI-powered automation. Samuele explains how organizations can move away from reactive models by embracing intelligent agents that solve problems before a ticket is even raised. Instead of asking employees to fix things themselves, IT support is quietly transforming into something far more sophisticated and intuitive.

We talked about what drives this change, from millennial and Gen Z expectations to the technological leap enabled by large language models and automation. Samuele breaks down why old attempts at self-service failed and how today's AI agents are finally equipped to handle objective complexity with empathy, scale, and context.

He also shares examples that bring this future to life, including a retailer that avoided a costly outage through predictive alerts, a healthcare provider saving millions through experience-driven device refreshes, and an energy firm preventing disaster in a virtual desktop environment. These are not theoretical case studies. They are live proof that DEX is not just buzz. It works.

We also explored what skills IT teams need to thrive in this shift. It is not all about tech. Emotional intelligence, cross-functional collaboration, and a proactive mindset are just as important. Whether you're a CIO or a support engineer, there is something here that will challenge how you think about IT's role in the business.

AI is racing ahead, but for industries like life sciences, the stakes are higher and the rules more complex. In this episode, recorded just before the July heatwave hit its peak, I spoke with Chris Moore, President of Europe at Veeva Systems, from his impressively climate-controlled garden office. We covered everything from the trajectory of agentic AI to the practicalities of embedding intelligence in highly regulated pharma workflows, and how Veeva is quietly but confidently positioning itself to deliver where others are still making announcements.

Chris brings a unique perspective shaped by a career that spans ICI Pharmaceuticals, PwC, IBM, and EY. That journey taught him how often the industry is forced to rebuild the same tech infrastructure again and again until Veeva came along. He shares how Veeva’s decision to build a life sciences-specific cloud platform from the ground up has enabled a deeper, more compliant integration of AI.

We explored what makes Veeva AI different, from the CRM bot that handles compliant free text to MLR agents that support content review and approval. Chris explains how Veeva’s AI agents inherit the context and controls of their applications, making them far more than chat wrappers or automation tools. They are embedded directly into workflows, helping companies stay compliant while reducing friction and saving time. And perhaps more importantly, he makes a strong case for why the EU AI Act isn’t a barrier. It’s a validation.

From auto-summarising regulatory documents to pulling metadata from health authority correspondence, the real-world examples Chris offers show how Veeva AI will reduce repetitive work while ensuring integrity at every step. He also shares how Veeva is preparing for a future where companies may want to bring their LLMs or even run different ones by geography or task. Their flexible, harness-based approach is designed to support exactly that.

Looking ahead to the product’s first release in December, Chris outlines how Veeva is working hand-in-hand with customers to ensure readiness and reliability from day one. We also touch on the broader mission: using AI not as a shiny add-on, but as a tool to accelerate drug development, reach patients faster, and relieve the pressure on already overstretched specialist teams.

Chris closes with a dose of humanity, offering a book and song that both reflect Veeva’s mindset, embracing disruption while staying grounded. This one is for anyone curious about how real, applied AI is unfolding inside one of the world’s most important sectors, and what it means for the future of medicine.