Techstrong Gang

Techstrong Gang

2 Seasons

The Techstrong Gang brings together a collection of IT industry editors, analysts and pundits to put major IT news and trends in perspective.

Intended to help IT leaders make more informed strategic and tactical decisions, topics discussed typically span everything from the impact AI is having on society to the latest DevOps tools an IT team might employ to optimize workflows.

Come watch core Techstrong Gang members Alan Shimel, Mitch Ashley, Mike Vizard, Amanda Razani and Bonnie Schneider engage experts such as John Willis, Mark Hinkle, Tracy Ragan, Tracy Bannon and Bob Reselman to surface crucial insights into the issues changing the way we perceive the role of IT.

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Techstrong Gang
  • Hurricanes, AI, and the Future of Energy | TSG Ep. 905

    Episode 1

    Alan, Mike, JP Morgenthal and Stephen Foskett, president for The Tech Field Day arm of the Futurum Group, dive into reports that suggest Apple is gearing up to make a major artificial intelligence (AI) push starting next year before delving into the implications of some recent licensing changes t...

  • Navigating Software Security and 401k Investments | TSG Ep. 904

    Episode 2

    Alan, Mike, Mitch, Jack Poller and Wicky Wang dive into an application security report that finds more breaches than ever are being caused by vulnerabilities in code that organizations are allowing to be deployed despite the level of risk they represent to their end customers.

    Then the gang take...

  • Navigating Cyber Warfare and Ethical Technology Development | TSG Ep. 903

    Episode 3

    Alan, Mike. Jon, Fred Wilmot and Ira Winkler dive into the cybersecurity implications of a meeting taking place in Alaska today between President Trump and Vladimir Putin.

    Then the gang delves into the quality of the code being generated by artificial intelligence (AI) coding tools before discus...

  • Enhancing Technology Evaluations with Futurum Signal | TSG Ep. 902

    Episode 4

    Today on the gang, Garima, Jon, Mike and Mitch are joined by Futurum CEO, Daniel Newman to announce Futurum Signal, the latest innovation to usher in a new era in the analyst/guidance industry. The gang then goes on to discuss Perplexity's $34b plus offer for Google Chrome, PR stunt or serious? A...

  • Navigating Corporate Leadership and Political Ideologies | TSG Ep. 901

    Episode 5

    Alan, Mike, Mitch, Chris Blask and Kate Scarcella assess the implications of the resignation of the CEO of GitHub before delving into what led OpenText to look for a new CEO.

    Then the gang dives into a 15% surcharge for graphical processor units (GPUs) that NVIDIA and AMD will be passing on to c...

  • Exploring the Future of AI and Energy Solutions | TSG Ep. 900

    Episode 6

    Alan, Mike and Stephen Foskett, president of the Tech Field Day arm of the Futurum Group, dive into reactions to the latest capabilities being made available in ChatGPT-5 from Open AI.

    Then the gang discusses the battle for data center contracts taking place between regions of the U.S. before de...

  • Navigating Corporate Challenges: Intel, Cybersecurity, & AI | TSG Ep. 899

    Episode 7

    Alan, Mike, Mitch, Tracy Ragan and Jack Poller debate the degree to which calls for the CEO of Intel to resign because of unsubstantiated ties to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) are justified.

    Then the gang assesses the validity of a survey of C-level executives that claim to be seeing massive...

  • Insights from Black Hat : Networking in Cybersecurity | TSG Ep. 898

    Episode 8

    Alan Shimel shares insights from Black Hat 2025, highlighting the significance of networking in cybersecurity. Upcoming Black Hat content features exclusive interviews and showcases extensive preparations for security measures. The rise of AI in security is discussed, along with concerns about da...

  • AI Coding, Exploits & Agent Security: The Risks of Going Too Fast | TSG Ep. 896

    Episode 9

    Mike, Mitch, Chris Blask, Kate Scarcella and Futurum Group analyst Guy Currier debate when, how, or even if, it might be possible to cost-effectively enable the consumption of 2,000 tokens per second as part of a goal to make working with artificial intelligence (AI) coding tools more fluid.

    The...

  • Navigating IT Resiliency & the Future of Work | TSG Ep. 895

    Episode 10

    Alan, Mike, Mitch, JP Morgenthal and Alastair Cooke dive into the current mindset of IT professionals during these uncertain technological and economic times before reviewing a Tech Field Day event that focused on the latest edition of the VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF).

    Then the gang takes a loo...

  • Exploring AI & Cybersecurity at Black Hat Week | TSG Ep. 894

    Episode 11

    Black Hat Week showcases the evolution of cybersecurity and AI. The event highlights the rising costs of data breaches globally, with a focus on the importance of human oversight in AI applications. Discussions cover the impact of AI on job roles, the need for better cybersecurity investments, an...

  • Palo Alto Acquires CyberArk for $25B, Identity, Risk & Accountability | TSG Ep. 893

    Episode 12

    Palo Alto Networks acquires CyberArk for $25B, signaling a major cybersecurity shift. As data breaches surge, identity management becomes central to modern security strategies. We also dive into the challenges of tech integration, vendor risk, and the scrutiny facing Cognizant after recent failur...

  • Navigating the Future of AI & Cybersecurity | TSG Ep. 892

    Episode 13

    The Gang announces Palo Alto Networks' $25 billion acquisition of CyberArk, marking a trend in cybersecurity consolidation. It discusses essential skills for the AI landscape, highlighting new roles like AI programmers and data engineers. The importance of community collaboration through hackatho...

  • Visa Shifts, AI Labor & Tech as a Public Utility | TSG Ep. 891

    Episode 14

    In Episode 891 of the Techstrong Gang, Mitch, Jon, Dan, Kate, and Chris Blask dive into the evolving U.S. immigration landscape, with a focus on proposed changes to the H-1B visa program under the Trump administration. The conversation highlights the critical need for a competitive global labor m...

  • Apple OS26 Beta & GitHub Spark Breakdown | TSG Ep. 890

    Episode 15

    In Techstrong Gang for Tuesday, July 29th, the Gang dive into the new Apple OS26 beta. Fanboi vs critic, it is a lively discussion. Next up the Gang takes a look at GitHub Spark, is this a good thing for developers? security? the future of the software business? Check out what the Gang thinks, it...

  • Open Source Adoption, Digital Strategy & Amazon’s AI Bracelet Privacy Risks | TSG Ep. 889

    Episode 16

    Alan, Mike, Mitch, Tracy Ragan, Jack Poller, and Dr. Stacey Thayer unpack the latest CNCF report on open source software adoption and its impact on modern IT infrastructure.

    The discussion then shifts to the state of digital business transformation—what’s real progress vs. just buzz—and wraps wi...

  • AI Policy, Sports Tech & Ransomware: Is Progress Real or Just Optics? | TSG Ep. 888

    Episode 17

    Alan, Mike, Fred Wilmot, Ira Winkler, and Lisa Martin (CMO Advisor, The Futurum Group) break down the Trump Administration’s AI action plan—is it strategic foresight or political theater?

    Then, the panel explores how technology is reshaping the sports fan experience, and debates whether we’re ma...

  • AI’s Economic Impact, Platform Engineering, and a Chilling Cybercrime Report | TSG Ep. 887

    Episode 18

    Alan, Mike, Teri Robinson, Garima Bajpai, and Guy Currier (Futurum Group) unpack the debate around the true economic value of AI investments—are we entering a productivity boom or another hype cycle?

    They also explore the rising adoption of platform engineering as a DevOps-aligned methodology fo...

  • Risky Business: Tech CEOs Under Pressure & Microsoft SharePoint Fiasco | TSG Ep. 886

    Episode 19

    Alan, Mike, Mitch, Chris Blask, and Kate Scarcella examine why tech CEOs may be becoming an endangered species—caught in a crossfire of cultural shifts, political scrutiny, and internal missteps. Then the gang analyzes Gartner’s latest IT spending forecast and unpacks the cybersecurity fallout fr...

  • Gmail Security Flaws, Cloaking-as-a-Service, and Asimov DevOps Innovation | TSG Ep. 884

    Episode 20

    Alan, Mike, Mitch, Tracy Ragan, and Jack Poller dive into the dual impact of artificial intelligence—starting with a major Gmail flaw that could affect millions, and a rise in cloaking-as-a-service techniques used by threat actors to evade detection.

    Then the gang explores Asimov, a next-gen AI ...

  • AI Agents and Beyond: Infrastructure, Super Intelligence, and the Elmo Hack Fallout | TSG Ep. 883

    Episode 21

    Alan, Mike, Jon, Fred Wilmot, Ira Winkler, and Lisa Martin (CMO Advisor, Futurum Group) dive into the infrastructure required to build and scale next-generation AI agents—including compute, storage, and networking demands.

    The panel also explores why organizations like Meta are chasing the idea ...

  • Adventures in AI: Data Center Gold Rush, AI Agent Autonomy, and DNA Privacy Risks | TSG Ep. 882

    Episode 22

    Alan, Mike, Jon, Teri Robinson, Garima Bajpai, and Guy Currier (Futurum Group) explore the surge in investment fueling the global expansion of data centers for artificial intelligence (AI). The discussion also highlights growing local resistance to building these facilities due to environmental a...

  • Arm’s Rise, AWS Vibecoding, and Deepfake Threats to Trust in Government | TSG Ep. 881

    Episode 23

    Alan, Mike, Mitch, Chris Blask, Kate Scarcella, and Dan O’Brien (Futurum Group) examine the rapid rise of Arm as a dominant force in IT infrastructure, gaining traction across cloud, AI, and data center workloads.

    The panel then unpacks how vibecoding—a more intuitive, AI-enhanced way of buildin...

  • Exploring AI Talent Acquisition and Networking Innovations | TSG Ep. 880

    Episode 24

    The gang examines OpenAI’s failed attempt to acquire Windsurf and the ethical implications of acquihires in the AI industry. The panel debates the real market value of Windsurf’s intellectual property and what it reveals about evolving AI talent acquisition strategies.

    They also spotlight Micros...