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Cloud Currents

by TierPoint

43 - Enhancing DirecTV: AI, Cybersecurity, and Lessons in Corporate Separation with Manish Khadiya

Join host Matt Pacheco as he sits down with Manish Khadiya, VP of IT Enterprise Architecture and Cybersecurity at DirecTV, for insights into one of the most complex enterprise transformations happening today—DirecTV's separation from AT&T. With nearly three decades of technology leadership across GE, NBCUniversal, Facebook, and Parker Hannifin, Manish shares how they're building enterprise architecture and cybersecurity functions from scratch while maintaining business continuity for millions of customers. The conversation covers DirecTV's AI implementation strategy that's delivering 15% productivity gains, the unique challenges of vendor relationship management during corporate separations, and emerging technologies like agentic AI and autonomous vehicle entertainment opportunities.

39. The Future of Platform Engineering: AI, FinOps, and Developer Experience with Dani Matzlavi

Matt Pacheco sits down with Danny Matzlavi, VP of Engineering at Blackhawk Networks, for a deep dive into the rapidly evolving world of platform engineering. With over 25 years of experience spanning VMware, Nutanix, and fintech, Danny shares how Blackhawk has built a comprehensive platform engineering organization that unifies infrastructure, CI/CD pipelines, observability, and SRE under one umbrella. They discuss cutting-edge insights on AI integration in infrastructure operations, cloud cost optimization strategies that can save 20-30% immediately, and Danny's bold prediction that platform engineering will evolve into "platform engineering in a box" within the next 3-7 years.

42 - Hybrid Cloud Unplugged: Migration, Optimization & AI with Azure Local with Kristopher Turner

In this episode, we talk to Microsoft MVP Christopher Turner, a seasoned Product Technology Architect at TierPoint. As organizations grapple with VMware's licensing changes under Broadcom, Christopher shares invaluable insights into Azure Local as a compelling alternative for hybrid infrastructure. We unpack the complexities of modern cloud migration strategies, from avoiding the common lift-and-shift trap to leveraging AI for infrastructure automation. Christopher reveals how he's transformed his workflow using GitHub Copilot and AI-driven code generation, comparing working with AI to "managing a toddler" - a metaphor that perfectly captures both the potential and pitfalls of these emerging technologies. The conversation spans critical topics including cloud cost optimization strategies, the realities of cloud repatriation, and practical approaches for migrating legacy applications. Christopher shares hard-won lessons about why many cloud migrations fail and offers actionable advice for organizations seeking to maximize their hybrid cloud investments.

41 - Two Decades of Cloud Evolution with AWS's Jeff Barr

Join us for a conversation with Jeff Barr, VP and Chief Evangelist at AWS, as he takes us on a 23-year journey from witnessing the birth of Amazon Web Services to predicting an AI-driven future where data outlasts applications and ancient languages like Quechua can generate Python code. Jeff shares insider stories about AWS's humble beginnings when EC2's first $10 day felt monumental, reveals his latest experiments with spec-driven development through AWS's Curo platform, and discusses the possibility of orbital data centers becoming reality.

40. AI Era Cloud Breaches with Matthew Toussain

Join host Matt Pacheco as he sits down with Matthew Toussain, Founder and CEO of Open Security and former US Air Force cyber warfare specialist from the military's first specialized cybersecurity class. In this episode, Matthew reveals the shocking reality of cloud security in the AI era—from unsecured S3 buckets that still plague enterprises to the terrifying new world of AI-generated vulnerabilities being created faster than defenders can handle. Discover why the most common cloud breaches still involve basic authentication failures, how Microsoft 365 Copilot is accidentally exposing corporate secrets, and why voice-based AI attacks are about to revolutionize social engineering. Matthew shares exclusive insights from real incident response cases, including a ransomware attack that went from vulnerability disclosure to complete compromise in just two weeks.

38. The CISO's Guide to GenAI Security with Mohit Kalra

In this episode, host Matt Pacheco sits down with Mohit Kalra, CISO and VP of Security at Typeface, to explore the evolving landscape of AI security. Mohit shares how traditional SaaS security principles must evolve to address GenAI challenges, from data governance and model selection to building enterprise trust through transparency. The conversation covers the intersection of FinOps and security, balancing innovation speed with security rigor, and the essential skills security professionals need to thrive in an AI-first world.

36. Sustainable AI Infrastructure with Clean Energy Innovation with Tamanna Sait

Today Matt Pacheco sits down with Tamanna Sait, VP of Engineering for Cloud at Crusoe, who brings over 25 years of experience spanning IBM's public clouds, Facebook's massive private cloud architecture, and customer-side optimization at Netflix and Airbnb. In this episode, we discuss how Crusoe is pioneering the world's first vertically integrated AI infrastructure platform by harnessing large-scale clean energy sources, including their groundbreaking 1.2-gigawatt Abilene Data Center and fully geothermal-powered Iceland facility. Tamanna shares practical insights on cost optimization strategies that don't compromise reliability, the evolution from traditional cloud to AI-optimized platforms, and leadership principles for building resilient technical teams.

37. Taming Kubernetes Complexity with Elliott Clarke

Join host Matt Pacheco as he sits down with Elliott Clark, CEO of Batteries Included and former Facebook infrastructure engineer, for a discussion about why giving developers Kubernetes is like handing them "a spinning ball of razor blades." Elliot shares hard-won insights from seven years at Facebook on cloud cost optimization, why security is fundamentally a human problem, and his revolutionary bring-your-own-compute approach that's democratizing enterprise-level infrastructure for startups and growing companies.

35. Infrastructure as Code: Scaling Cloud Operations with Ryan Raub

Today Matt sits down with Ryan Raub, VP of Cloud Infrastructure at SmartRent. From scaling infrastructure that supports millions of IoT devices to navigating the challenges of AWS IoT Core, Ryan shares invaluable insights from his journey from government work to startup leadership. Don't miss Ryan's practical advice on implementing Terraform at scale and his perspective on how AI might transform cloud infrastructure management in the coming years.

34. How Nestle’s Cloud Team Manages Multicloud & Security with Diego Martin Costa

Today, Matt sits down with Diego Costa, Cloud and Senior Platform Manager at Nestle, as he unveils the complexities of managing one of the world's largest cloud environments. From orchestrating a team of nearly 100 across multiple time zones to navigating security challenges in the food and beverage industry, Diego shares insights and advice from his 25-year journey in tech. Learn how Nestle approaches multi-cloud strategy, vendor management, and AI adoption while maintaining stringent security measures across global operations.

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