Cloud Currents | Podcast on RSS.com

Cloud Currents

by TierPoint

47 - Biometrics, Sabotage & $5 Trillion Infrastructure with Kevin Surace

Kevin Surace — inventor of the world's first virtual assistant and the technology that laid the foundation for Siri — joins Cloud Currents for a wide-ranging conversation on the two forces reshaping enterprise tech: AI and cybersecurity. Kevin exposes why the MFA and authenticator apps most companies rely on are actively being exploited, and why biometric FIDO2 is the only real fix. He also gets candid about why 80% of AI rollouts are failing, what true AI-first culture actually looks like, and why the one-person, fifty-agent startup is coming for every traditional business that isn't paying attention.

46 - The Private Cloud Playbook with David Morales

David Morales helped build Walmart's private cloud from the ground up—385,000 virtual cores, a custom PaaS layer, and AI-powered store robots before the world knew what to do with them. Now, as SVP of Technology and CIO at Western Governors University, he applies those same principles to keep a 100% digital learning environment running for 193,000 students at 99.7% uptime—while fending off nearly 10,000 cyber attacks per minute. In this episode, David and host Matt Pacheco cover why lift-and-shift migration fails, how to build governance into your architecture instead of bolting it on, and what AI readiness actually requires. His closing framework says it all: listen first, get the fundamentals right, and focus on outcomes—not outputs.

45 - Governing AI Sprawl Before It Governs You with Yabing Wang

In this episode of Cloud Currents, host Matt Pacheco sits down with Yabing Wang, VP of Security & IT Services and dual CISO/CIO at JustWorks, for one of the most candid conversations yet on what it actually takes to lead security in the age of AI. Yabing opens up about her unlikely path from philosophy major to Netscape engineer to cybersecurity leader — and why that winding road gave her the mental frameworks she relies on today. Then the conversation gets into the real stuff: how AI is reshaping the threat landscape faster than most organizations can respond, why your attack surface grew from 5 integrations to 500 almost overnight, and what "AI tool sprawl" is actually costing your business in risk, money, and operational clarity.

44 - From COBOL to ChatGPT: Modernizing a 110-Year-Old Tech Stack with Jeremy Uniake

In today's episode, Jeremy Uniake, VP of IT at Thrive, shares how he's modernizing 40 million lines of COBOL while implementing AI that analyzes 10+ million calls with 98% accuracy—all at a fraction of typical enterprise costs. From managing tech across 10+ acquisitions to challenging what "AI" really means (spoiler: it's pattern matching, not intelligence), Jeremy delivers no-BS insights on legacy modernization, practical AI implementation, and why simplification is harder than anyone thinks. Learn his three-tier AI strategy, how to avoid big bang deployments, and why the future of search might be in jeopardy

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.

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