AI is accelerating everything — including your attack surface.Prompt injection. Shadow AI. Non-human identities. Automated agents making decisions at machine speed. The pressure to move fast is real. So is the risk.In this episode, Fortinet’s Aamir Lakhani and WWT’s Dave Pisarek lay out a practical path forward. No hype — just the controls that actually work.We cover:Why prompt injection isn’t going awayHow attackers hide payloads in unexpected encodingsWhy identity and access management is becoming the control plane for AIGuardrails that matter: least privilege, segmentation, scoped agents, robust loggingWhy every automated system needs a human-reviewed “undo”You’ll also hear where AI is already helping SOC teams move faster — surfacing anomalies, correlating IOCs, and shrinking time to containment.If you’re being asked to scale AI while preventing breaches, this is the conversation to have with your security and engineering leaders.Speed is inevitable.Exposure isn’t.More about this week's guests:Dave Pisarek is a Fortinet Practice Manager with 24 years of experience in information technology and a Fortinet NSE 4 certification. He specializes in network security design and integration, translating complex technical requirements into practical, standards-based solutions. Known for his clear communication and problem-solving skills, Dave develops business plans, architectural designs, and project documentation that align security strategy with operational outcomes.Dave's top pick: Fortinet Xperts 2025Aamir Lakhani is Global Director of Threat Intelligence and Adversarial AI Research at Fortinet. With more than 15 years in cybersecurity, he leads research and architectural strategy across cyber defense, malware, mobile threats, and advanced persistent threats. Aamir has designed solutions for major commercial, federal, and defense intelligence organizations, helping them defend against sophisticated adversaries while advancing FortiGuard and AI-driven security capabilities. Aamir's top pick: Stop Stacking Boxes. Start Designing Security.The AI Proving Ground Podcast leverages the deep AI technical and business expertise from within World Wide Technology's one-of-a-kind AI Proving Ground, which provides unrivaled access to the world's leading AI technologies. This unique lab environment accelerates your ability to learn about, test, train and implement AI solutions. Learn more about WWT's AI Proving Ground. The AI Proving Ground is a composable lab environment that features the latest high-performance infrastructure and reference architectures from the world's leading AI companies, such as NVIDIA, Cisco, Dell, F5, AMD, Intel and others. Developed within our Advanced Technology Center (ATC), this one-of-a-kind lab environment empowers IT teams to evaluate and test AI infrastructure, software and solutions for efficacy, scalability and flexibility — all under one roof. The AI Proving Ground provides visibility into data flows across the entire development pipeline, enabling more informed decision-making while safeguarding production environments.

Most AI teams aren’t losing to the model.They’re losing to bad prompts.In this episode of the AI Proving Ground Podcast, WWT’s Liz Gattra breaks down the invisible tax of vague instructions, blind trust in outputs and endless iteration loops that quietly burn tokens, waste GPU cycles and drag down ROI.As generative AI moves into production, AI literacy becomes operational leverage — not a soft skill.We cover: • A practical prompt blueprint that improves output quality fast • Why “confident but wrong” is more expensive than you think • How precision reduces token spend and compute waste • When to switch between ChatGPT, Gemini and Claude • Why system prompts, agents and context engineering determine whether AI scales or spiralsEvery vague prompt compounds.The teams that win don’t just deploy models — they train people to think clearly, structure intent and treat prompts like lightweight programs with measurable results.If you care about AI ROI, compute efficiency, and scaling generative AI in the enterprise, start here.Precision isn’t optional. It’s a cost control strategy.Support for this episode provided by: ExtraHopMore about this week's guest:Liz Gattra is Director of Product Ownership at World Wide Technology’s Application Services practice. A former Agile Coach, IT manager, Scrum Master, and Agile Business Analyst, she has led enterprise agile transformations and built product ownership capabilities across internal and client teams. Liz develops and trains product owners to deliver measurable business value at scale. She holds a Master’s in Biology and Biomedical Sciences from Washington University in St. Louis and brings nearly 20 years of cross-industry IT experience.Liz's top pick: The AI Adoption Gap Isn't Technical. It's Human.The AI Proving Ground Podcast leverages the deep AI technical and business expertise from within World Wide Technology's one-of-a-kind AI Proving Ground, which provides unrivaled access to the world's leading AI technologies. This unique lab environment accelerates your ability to learn about, test, train and implement AI solutions. Learn more about WWT's AI Proving Ground. The AI Proving Ground is a composable lab environment that features the latest high-performance infrastructure and reference architectures from the world's leading AI companies, such as NVIDIA, Cisco, Dell, F5, AMD, Intel and others. Developed within our Advanced Technology Center (ATC), this one-of-a-kind lab environment empowers IT teams to evaluate and test AI infrastructure, software and solutions for efficacy, scalability and flexibility — all under one roof. The AI Proving Ground provides visibility into data flows across the entire development pipeline, enabling more informed decision-making while safeguarding production environments.

AI pilots are easy.Scaling AI across a live network is not.As organizations move beyond experimentation, the challenge isn’t better models — it’s building AI that operates like infrastructure: reliable, secure, and measurable.In this episode of the AI Proving Ground Podcast, Matt Shorts, AVP of AI at Cox Communications, joins WWT’s Greg Schoeny to share how Cox moved AI from isolated pilots into production across a customer-facing network where uptime, trust, and scale matter daily.You’ll learn:Why operating conditions expose bad AI decisions fastHow to modernize without waiting for perfect dataThe risks of rushing into closed platformsWhy momentum beats perfectionHow framing AI as augmentation — not replacement — drives adoptionThis episode is for CIOs, infrastructure leaders, and platform teams responsible for deploying AI in complex, regulated environments.The bottom line: AI only delivers value when it behaves like infrastructure.And infrastructure rewards discipline — not hype.More about this week's guests:Greg Schoeny is Senior Vice President of Services and Strategic Solutions at WWT, leading services sales, business development, and architecture for the Global Service Provider (GSP) business. His team delivers outcome-driven solutions across AI, cloud, security, mobility, automation, and advisory services, supporting customers with professional services, managed services, staffing, and strategic consulting.Matt Cox is a technology leader with 20+ years of experience driving digital transformation and product innovation. He specializes in AI strategy, multi-cloud optimization, and building high-performing teams. Matt has led successful product launches, developed IP strategies, and architected IoT solutions that unlock new revenue and operational efficiency, aligning technology with measurable business impact.The AI Proving Ground Podcast leverages the deep AI technical and business expertise from within World Wide Technology's one-of-a-kind AI Proving Ground, which provides unrivaled access to the world's leading AI technologies. This unique lab environment accelerates your ability to learn about, test, train and implement AI solutions. Learn more about WWT's AI Proving Ground. The AI Proving Ground is a composable lab environment that features the latest high-performance infrastructure and reference architectures from the world's leading AI companies, such as NVIDIA, Cisco, Dell, F5, AMD, Intel and others. Developed within our Advanced Technology Center (ATC), this one-of-a-kind lab environment empowers IT teams to evaluate and test AI infrastructure, software and solutions for efficacy, scalability and flexibility — all under one roof. The AI Proving Ground provides visibility into data flows across the entire development pipeline, enabling more informed decision-making while safeguarding production environments.

As enterprises rush to deploy AI, observability is emerging as the discipline that determines whether those investments create durable value—or quietly erode it. In this episode of the AI Proving Ground Podcast, WWT's Ivan Wintersteiger, Cisco's Tapan Shah and NVIDIA's Shashank Sabhlok discuss why observability, when treated as foundational, becomes the connective tissue between infrastructure, applications, security and user experience.More about this week's guests:Ivan Wintersteiger brings more than 20 years of experience across IT leadership, engineering, and business development, with a consistent focus on end-user experience and security. In his current role, Ivan leads the End User Computing practice, driving transformational solutions across modern device management, application delivery, and identity management to help organizations operate securely at scale.Tapan Shah leads the Splunk AIOps products—IT Service Intelligence (ITSI) and Splunk On-Call—within the Splunk Observability portfolio. With more than 20 years of experience across observability, systems and network management, application performance monitoring, and AIOps, Tapan has worked closely with large global enterprises across industries, including a significant portion of the Fortune 100. Based in California, he focuses on helping organizations gain end-to-end visibility and operational resilience at scale.Shashank Sabhlok is a senior product manager in the NVIDIA Enterprise product group, where he leads initiatives around AI factory design and enterprise adoption to drive scalable, high-performance AI across organizations. Prior to this, he was the lead product manager for IBM watsonx.governance, IBM's generative AI governance solution, where he successfully led the product from inception to launch and beyond. He holds an MBAi (MBA + AI) degree from Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management and McCormick School of Engineering, and a BASc in Electrical Engineering with Distinction from the University of Waterloo.The AI Proving Ground Podcast leverages the deep AI technical and business expertise from within World Wide Technology's one-of-a-kind AI Proving Ground, which provides unrivaled access to the world's leading AI technologies. This unique lab environment accelerates your ability to learn about, test, train and implement AI solutions. Learn more about WWT's AI Proving Ground. The AI Proving Ground is a composable lab environment that features the latest high-performance infrastructure and reference architectures from the world's leading AI companies, such as NVIDIA, Cisco, Dell, F5, AMD, Intel and others. Developed within our Advanced Technology Center (ATC), this one-of-a-kind lab environment empowers IT teams to evaluate and test AI infrastructure, software and solutions for efficacy, scalability and flexibility — all under one roof. The AI Proving Ground provides visibility into data flows across the entire development pipeline, enabling more informed decision-making while safeguarding production environments.

As organizations move beyond experimentation, compute has become a deciding factor in whether AI delivers real value or stalls before production. In this episode of the AI Proving Ground Podcast, WWT VP Neil Anderson, NVIDIA VP Chris Marriott and Cisco VP Daniel McGinniss talk about how organizations are rethinking where AI runs, how it's secured and how value is measured.More about this week's guests:Neil Anderson has over 30 years of experience in AI, Software Development, Wireless, Cyber, and Networking technologies. At WWT Neil is VP and CTO in our Global Solutions and Architectures team, with responsibility for over $16B in WWT's solutions portfolio. Neil advises hundreds of Fortune 1000 companies on their global architecture and technology strategy.Daniel McGinniss is Vice President of Product Management for Cisco Compute, responsible for developing innovative products and establishing new routes to market for Cisco's multi-billion-dollar compute and SaaS infrastructure management portfolio, while driving new solutions and as-a-service offers with ecosystem partners in alignment with customers' most critical business needs.Chris Marriott is the vice president of enterprise platforms at NVIDIA, spending the last 14 years advancing enterprise solutions. With a background in engineering, including 10 years in ASIC development, Marriott combines technical expertise with strategic insight to address the evolving technology landscape. Outside of work, he enjoys playing ice hockey and exploring the outdoors with his family.The AI Proving Ground Podcast leverages the deep AI technical and business expertise from within World Wide Technology's one-of-a-kind AI Proving Ground, which provides unrivaled access to the world's leading AI technologies. This unique lab environment accelerates your ability to learn about, test, train and implement AI solutions. Learn more about WWT's AI Proving Ground. The AI Proving Ground is a composable lab environment that features the latest high-performance infrastructure and reference architectures from the world's leading AI companies, such as NVIDIA, Cisco, Dell, F5, AMD, Intel and others. Developed within our Advanced Technology Center (ATC), this one-of-a-kind lab environment empowers IT teams to evaluate and test AI infrastructure, software and solutions for efficacy, scalability and flexibility — all under one roof. The AI Proving Ground provides visibility into data flows across the entire development pipeline, enabling more informed decision-making while safeguarding production environments.

As AI systems grow larger and more distributed, enterprises are discovering that performance, security and time-to-value depend less on individual components and more on how well the system moves, synchronizes and protects data at scale. In this episode of the AI Proving Ground Podcast, WWT's Justin van Schaik, Cisco's Dave Jansen and NVIDIA's Taylor Allison talk about how a well-designed network fabric extends time to value, increases risk and quietly erodes the economics of AI initiatives.More about this week's guests:Justin van Shaik is a Technical Solutions Architect at World Wide Technology, specializing in High Performance Networking, AI and Open Networking. A seasoned technologist, he helps organizations design and deploy advanced infrastructure to support next-gen workloads at scale.David Jansen is focused on technology strategy for Cisco's Global Solutions Engineering team across all segments, verticals, and technologies via an ongoing series of innovation initiatives. David spends a lot of time with strategic customers + partners engagements globally. With over 30 years of experience in the IT industry, David is an industry expert in Cloud, Software Defined Networking (SDN), virtualization, orchestration, large scale WAN backbone, and AI Infrastructure.Taylor Allison is responsible for product marketing related to the NVIDIA Ethernet switch portfolio, including the hardware platforms as well as network operating systems and telemetry tools. Taylor has a passion for product marketing and management in the data center infrastructure space, with expertise in networking, storage, HPC, and AI/ML. Prior to joining NVIDIA in 2021, Taylor was Lenovo's HPC/AI storage leader, responsible for high performance storage platforms, software, and solutions. Taylor earned his MS in Mathematics from the University of North Carolina.The AI Proving Ground Podcast leverages the deep AI technical and business expertise from within World Wide Technology's one-of-a-kind AI Proving Ground, which provides unrivaled access to the world's leading AI technologies. This unique lab environment accelerates your ability to learn about, test, train and implement AI solutions. Learn more about WWT's AI Proving Ground. The AI Proving Ground is a composable lab environment that features the latest high-performance infrastructure and reference architectures from the world's leading AI companies, such as NVIDIA, Cisco, Dell, F5, AMD, Intel and others. Developed within our Advanced Technology Center (ATC), this one-of-a-kind lab environment empowers IT teams to evaluate and test AI infrastructure, software and solutions for efficacy, scalability and flexibility — all under one roof. The AI Proving Ground provides visibility into data flows across the entire development pipeline, enabling more informed decision-making while safeguarding production environments.

As enterprises move AI from experimentation to production, security failures are no longer isolated incidents—they are systemic risks embedded deep in infrastructure, data flows, and decision-making systems. In this episode of the AI Proving Ground Podcast, WWT's Istvan Berko, Cisco's DJ Sampath and NVIDIA's Ofir Arkin discuss why as AI becomes core infrastructure, security becomes the mechanism that determines whether that infrastructure scales or undermines itself.Support for this episode provided by: RubrikMore about this week's guests:Istvan Berko is the Global Head of AI Cyber and Innovation at World Wide Technology. With 25+ years in security, risk, and governance, he has held senior roles at NTT/Dimension Data and AWS, authored AWS Cloud Adoption Framework whitepapers, and remains active in the cybersecurity community through leadership and industry events.DJ Sampath is Senior Vice President of Cisco's AI Software and Platform group, where he leads the charge in shaping a unified AI vision across the company's product portfolio. A builder at heart and a visionary by design, DJ blends deep technical expertise with strategic storytelling to drive transformative outcomes at scale. He has founded, grown, and sold category-defining startups, advised U.S. government agencies, and emerged as a thought leader at the intersection of enterprise AI and innovation.Ofir Arkin is a renowned information security expert with a career spanning academia, consulting, and executive roles. He's passionate about creating innovative products that address customer needs, and has introduced several industry-first technologies. Known for his dedication to mentoring, Ofir has authored numerous influential research papers and articles, and is a recognized speaker in the information security community.The AI Proving Ground Podcast leverages the deep AI technical and business expertise from within World Wide Technology's one-of-a-kind AI Proving Ground, which provides unrivaled access to the world's leading AI technologies. This unique lab environment accelerates your ability to learn about, test, train and implement AI solutions. Learn more about WWT's AI Proving Ground. The AI Proving Ground is a composable lab environment that features the latest high-performance infrastructure and reference architectures from the world's leading AI companies, such as NVIDIA, Cisco, Dell, F5, AMD, Intel and others. Developed within our Advanced Technology Center (ATC), this one-of-a-kind lab environment empowers IT teams to evaluate and test AI infrastructure, software and solutions for efficacy, scalability and flexibility — all under one roof. The AI Proving Ground provides visibility into data flows across the entire development pipeline, enabling more informed decision-making while safeguarding production environments.

As organizations struggle to move beyond AI pilots, a new architecture — Cisco's Secure AI Factory with NVIDIA — is emerging as a missing link between experimentation and real business outcomes. In this episode of the AI Proving Ground Podcast, WWT's Neil Anderson, Cisco's Kevin Wollenweber and NVIDIA's Chris Marriott discuss how the Secure AI Factory represents a shift from bolt-on protection to security built into the architecture itself.More about this week's guests:Neil Anderson has over 30 years of experience in AI, Software Development, Wireless, Cyber, and Networking technologies. At WWT Neil is VP and CTO in our Global Solutions and Architectures team, with responsibility for over $16B in WWT's solutions portfolio. Neil advises hundreds of Fortune 1000 companies on their global architecture and technology strategy.Kevin Wollenweber is Cisco's Senior Vice President and General Manager of Data Center and Internet Infrastructure. In this role, he leads product strategy to enhance Cisco's infrastructure solutions for the data center, high-performance routing, and mobile networks. His leadership is pivotal in driving growth and developing cutting-edge solutions to meet the dynamic needs of businesses worldwide.Chris Marriott is the vice president of enterprise platforms at NVIDIA, spending the last 14 years advancing enterprise solutions. With a background in engineering, including 10 years in ASIC development, Marriott combines technical expertise with strategic insight to address the evolving technology landscape. Outside of work, he enjoys playing ice hockey and exploring the outdoors with his family.The AI Proving Ground Podcast leverages the deep AI technical and business expertise from within World Wide Technology's one-of-a-kind AI Proving Ground, which provides unrivaled access to the world's leading AI technologies. This unique lab environment accelerates your ability to learn about, test, train and implement AI solutions. Learn more about WWT's AI Proving Ground. The AI Proving Ground is a composable lab environment that features the latest high-performance infrastructure and reference architectures from the world's leading AI companies, such as NVIDIA, Cisco, Dell, F5, AMD, Intel and others. Developed within our Advanced Technology Center (ATC), this one-of-a-kind lab environment empowers IT teams to evaluate and test AI infrastructure, software and solutions for efficacy, scalability and flexibility — all under one roof. The AI Proving Ground provides visibility into data flows across the entire development pipeline, enabling more informed decision-making while safeguarding production environments.

As companies move from chatbots to agents, the hardest work isn't prompting — it's building an always-on, governable, cost-aware system that leaders can trust. In this episode of the AI Proving Ground Podcast, Cisco's President and Chief Product Officer Jeetu Patel, NVIDIA Vice President Craig Weinstein and WWT CTO Mike Taylor discuss how Cisco's Secure AI Factory with NVIDIA is designed to close the gap between experimentation and execution by treating AI as infrastructure.More about this week's guests:Mike Taylor is the Chief Technology Officer and Executive Vice President of Services. He oversees WWT's Global Engineering and IT organization and Services segment to position WWT as a single-source provider to accelerate digital transformation. Mike aligns WWT's unparalleled technical capabilities with its collective business acumen to both advise and execute customers as they seek to become more agile and innovative.Jeetu Patel is Cisco's President and Chief Product Officer, leading global product vision and strategy. Under his leadership, Cisco has driven innovation across its broad portfolio of products, establishing the company as the critical infrastructure for the AI era. Patel joined Cisco in 2020 to lead the collaboration and security business. He quickly became recognized for his commitment to product design and user experience, leading the team through a period of rapid innovation to transform Webex and support customers through the global pandemic. In 2024 he was promoted to the role of Chief Product Officer, where he now leads several multibillion-dollar categories, including networking, computing, security, Splunk, and more.Craig Weinstein is the vice president of the America's Partner Organization at NVIDIA. He has over 26 years of experience in sales, sales management and channel leadership. Previously Craig was part of the America's Partner Organization leadership team at Cisco Systems, where he built strong relationships with key decision makers, stakeholders, channel partners, customers and colleagues. Craig holds communications degree from San Diego State University.The AI Proving Ground Podcast leverages the deep AI technical and business expertise from within World Wide Technology's one-of-a-kind AI Proving Ground, which provides unrivaled access to the world's leading AI technologies. This unique lab environment accelerates your ability to learn about, test, train and implement AI solutions. Learn more about WWT's AI Proving Ground. The AI Proving Ground is a composable lab environment that features the latest high-performance infrastructure and reference architectures from the world's leading AI companies, such as NVIDIA, Cisco, Dell, F5, AMD, Intel and others. Developed within our Advanced Technology Center (ATC), this one-of-a-kind lab environment empowers IT teams to evaluate and test AI infrastructure, software and solutions for efficacy, scalability and flexibility — all under one roof. The AI Proving Ground provides visibility into data flows across the entire development pipeline, enabling more informed decision-making while safeguarding production environments.

Enterprise AI isn’t failing because of models, tools, or budgets.It’s failing because people don’t actually use it.While most organizations stall after pilots, Ally Financial broke the pattern — reaching over 50% AI adoption with nearly 90% retention.In this episode of the AI Proving Ground Podcast, Ally Chief Information, Data and Digital Officer Sathish Muthukrishnan joins former Bank of America CTO David Reilly to unpack why adoption is a leadership and culture problem, not a technology one.Ally’s breakthrough came from an augmentation-first mindset — positioning AI as a way to help employees do better work, not replace them.In this conversation, you’ll hear:Why “stick rate” matters more than accessHow psychological safety accelerates adoptionTreating internal AI tools like real productsTurning AI pilots into infrastructureIf your AI investments aren’t translating into real usage, this episode shows how to fix it — without burning trust.Support for this episode provided by: IllumioMore about this week's guests:Sathish Muthukrishnan was named chief information, data and digital officer for Ally Financial Inc. in December 2019. In this role, Muthukrishnan is responsible for advancing Ally's technical and digital capabilities, including customer experience, data & analytics, cyber security and infrastructure, and accelerating the company's growth and evolution as a leader in the digital financial services sector. He reports to Ally's CEO.Sathish's top pick: Accelerating AI Adoption: How a Bank Gained Early Insights David Reilly is Chief Development Officer at WWT and previously served on Ally’s Board of Directors. He spent over a decade at Bank of America, most recently as CIO for Global Banking & Markets, after holding multiple senior technology leadership roles. Earlier in his career, David spent nearly three decades in technology and cybersecurity roles at major financial institutions including Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs, Merrill Lynch, Credit Suisse, and HSBC. He also serves on the boards of Data Dynamics and NPower.David's top pick: Addressing Technical Debt in Financial ServicesThe AI Proving Ground Podcast leverages the deep AI technical and business expertise from within World Wide Technology's one-of-a-kind AI Proving Ground, which provides unrivaled access to the world's leading AI technologies. This unique lab environment accelerates your ability to learn about, test, train and implement AI solutions. Learn more about WWT's AI Proving Ground. The AI Proving Ground is a composable lab environment that features the latest high-performance infrastructure and reference architectures from the world's leading AI companies, such as NVIDIA, Cisco, Dell, F5, AMD, Intel and others. Developed within our Advanced Technology Center (ATC), this one-of-a-kind lab environment empowers IT teams to evaluate and test AI infrastructure, software and solutions for efficacy, scalability and flexibility — all under one roof. The AI Proving Ground provides visibility into data flows across the entire development pipeline, enabling more informed decision-making while safeguarding production environments.

Enterprise AI is moving out of pilots — and the infrastructure gaps are getting harder to ignore.In this episode of the AI Proving Ground Podcast, Intel’s Lynn Comp and WWT’s Mike Trojecki break down why treating enterprise AI infrastructure as a single hardware decision is a costly mistake. As agentic systems push AI into real operations, assumptions like “AI = GPUs” start to crack under pressure from power, cost, governance, and scale.The takeaway from 2025 is clear: performance alone isn’t the advantage. Fit is.We unpack how agentic AI is reshaping security models and centers of excellence, why disciplined architecture beats oversized builds, and what leaders need to plan for in 2026 to scale AI without locking into brittle, overbuilt systems.Because driving a Ferrari to run errands looks impressive — until you see the bill.Support for this episode provided by: ProofpointMore about this week's guests: Lynn Comp has a wide range of experiences spanning her ~30 years in the tech industry, from strategic planning and go to market of RISC SOCs for both communications infrastructure and mobile phones, to software pipelines laying the groundwork for rapid video-based services innovation, to pioneering the foundational libraries that paved the way for 'software defined' networking with telecommunications operators. Lynn has extensive experience in marketing, product management, product planning, and strategy development across software, hardware, cloud, and communications service providers (CoSPs). Lynn has a Bachelor of Science in electrical engineering from Virginia Tech and an MBA from University of PhoenixLynn's top pick: AI Meets the Classroom: Shaping the Future of Learning with IntelMike Trojecki brings more than 25 years of experience across technology and leadership. His career began in the U.S. Air Force, supporting missions for the White House and Air Force One, where he developed a foundation of precision and reliability. After transitioning to the private sector, he led emerging technology practices at firms including ePlus and Logicalis. At World Wide Technology, Mike now leads the AI Practice, focusing on high-performance architectures, data, computer vision, and AI data center design to help organizations scale AI with impact.Mike's top pick: AI and Data Priorities for 2026The AI Proving Ground Podcast leverages the deep AI technical and business expertise from within World Wide Technology's one-of-a-kind AI Proving Ground, which provides unrivaled access to the world's leading AI technologies. This unique lab environment accelerates your ability to learn about, test, train and implement AI solutions. Learn more about WWT's AI Proving Ground. The AI Proving Ground is a composable lab environment that features the latest high-performance infrastructure and reference architectures from the world's leading AI companies, such as NVIDIA, Cisco, Dell, F5, AMD, Intel and others. Developed within our Advanced Technology Center (ATC), this one-of-a-kind lab environment empowers IT teams to evaluate and test AI infrastructure, software and solutions for efficacy, scalability and flexibility — all under one roof. The AI Proving Ground provides visibility into data flows across the entire development pipeline, enabling more informed decision-making while safeguarding production environments.

Enterprise AI didn’t fail.It hit the wall.In 2025, pilots multiplied, copilots spread, and expectations skyrocketed. Then reality caught up. Scaling AI turned out to be less about model quality — and more about data, security, cost visibility, and how organizations actually work.In this episode of the AI Proving Ground Podcast, Chris Campbell and Jason Campagna break down what enterprises learned the hard way, why most AI initiatives stall between pilot and production, and what leaders must fix to make AI deliver real impact in 2026.We get practical about:Why AI breaks when fundamentals aren’t readyWhat agentic systems expose at scaleWhy focus beats hype when AI becomes infrastructureHow winning teams design, govern, and measure AI like a core systemIf your AI strategy looks impressive but hasn’t changed outcomes yet, this conversation explains why — and what to do next.Support for this episode provided by: GraphiantMore about this week's guests:Chris Campbell is Senior Director of AI Solutions at World Wide Technology, where he leads strategy and delivery for AIaaS/GPUaaS and data center facilities and infrastructure solutions. He brings deep experience across executive engagement, customer advocacy, and large-scale engineering leadership. Prior to WWT, Chris held senior leadership roles at Forsythe, Red Hat, BEA Systems, and AT&T. He holds a BA from Columbia University and an MBA from the University of Maryland, where he was a Dingman Entrepreneur Scholar.Chris's top pick:  AI and Data Priorities for 2026Jason Campagna is a strategic technologist at World Wide Technology, where he leads AI solution strategy and helps enterprises navigate the next wave of intelligent systems, from AI assistants to autonomous agents. With deep experience spanning cloud, automation, and platform architecture, Jason focuses on turning emerging technology into operational reality. He brings a pragmatic, execution-driven approach to scaling AI in complex enterprise environments.Jason's top pick: AI Agents: Scaling Your Digital WorkforceThe AI Proving Ground Podcast leverages the deep AI technical and business expertise from within World Wide Technology's one-of-a-kind AI Proving Ground, which provides unrivaled access to the world's leading AI technologies. This unique lab environment accelerates your ability to learn about, test, train and implement AI solutions. Learn more about WWT's AI Proving Ground. The AI Proving Ground is a composable lab environment that features the latest high-performance infrastructure and reference architectures from the world's leading AI companies, such as NVIDIA, Cisco, Dell, F5, AMD, Intel and others. Developed within our Advanced Technology Center (ATC), this one-of-a-kind lab environment empowers IT teams to evaluate and test AI infrastructure, software and solutions for efficacy, scalability and flexibility — all under one roof. The AI Proving Ground provides visibility into data flows across the entire development pipeline, enabling more informed decision-making while safeguarding production environments.

AI is no longer an experiment — it’s an accountability test.In this episode of the AI Proving Ground Podcast, Dave DeWalt, Founder and CEO of NightDragon, and Kate Kuehn of WWT unpack what happens when AI systems fail, misfire, or create real-world risk — and who ultimately owns the outcome.As organizations look toward 2026, boards want visibility, CEOs want measurable impact, and the lines between IT, security, and the business have disappeared. AI accelerates opportunity, but it also accelerates exposure — collapsing decision timelines and reshaping responsibility.This conversation explores how accountability is shifting to the top of the enterprise, how leaders should think about ownership when AI breaks, and why resilience, governance, and speed now define competitive advantage.Support for this episode provided by: GraphiantMore about this week's guests:Dave DeWalt is founder and CEO of NightDragon, a venture and advisory firm focused on building the world's leading SecureTech platform. A four-time CEO, he has led iconic companies including FireEye, McAfee, and Documentum, creating over $20B in shareholder value. A longtime board leader and public servant, DeWalt has advised four U.S. administrations on national security and cybersecurity and is a recognized voice on technology risk and resilience.Dave's top pick: Infrastructure as a Strategic Target of WarKate Kuehn joined WWT in 2024, bringing more than 25 years of experience leading and advising cybersecurity, technology, and AI strategy. She has held executive and board roles across the cyber ecosystem — including CISO, CEO, Chief Trust Officer, advisor, and board director — with experience at companies such as Aon, BT, and Verizon. A trusted advisor and award-winning leader, Kate focuses on helping executives and boards align cyber risk, AI, and business strategy in an increasingly complex threat landscape.Kate's top pick: AI Won't Save You: Easterly, Joyce and CISOs on the Cybersecurity Reality No One Wants to HearThe AI Proving Ground Podcast leverages the deep AI technical and business expertise from within World Wide Technology's one-of-a-kind AI Proving Ground, which provides unrivaled access to the world's leading AI technologies. This unique lab environment accelerates your ability to learn about, test, train and implement AI solutions. Learn more about WWT's AI Proving Ground. The AI Proving Ground is a composable lab environment that features the latest high-performance infrastructure and reference architectures from the world's leading AI companies, such as NVIDIA, Cisco, Dell, F5, AMD, Intel and others. Developed within our Advanced Technology Center (ATC), this one-of-a-kind lab environment empowers IT teams to evaluate and test AI infrastructure, software and solutions for efficacy, scalability and flexibility — all under one roof. The AI Proving Ground provides visibility into data flows across the entire development pipeline, enabling more informed decision-making while safeguarding production environments.

Cyber risk is changing — and AI is accelerating it.In this episode of the AI Proving Ground Podcast, former NSA Director Rob Joyce joins WWT’s Madison Horn to explain how nation-state cyber activity has shifted from quiet espionage to strategic pre-positioning inside critical infrastructure.AI isn’t introducing new tactics — it’s collapsing timelines. Reconnaissance, phishing, and exploitation now move at machine speed, shrinking response windows from weeks to minutes. The result is a fundamentally different threat model.The conversation focuses on what leaders need to understand now: how agentic AI reshapes cyber risk, why basic discipline still matters but no longer scales on its own, and how AI must become a force multiplier for defenders.A clear, high-level look at the cyber line that’s already been crossed — and what comes next.More about this week's guests:Madison Horn is a cybersecurity executive and national security strategist whose work spans technology, policy, and critical infrastructure. With 15+ years of experience, she has led global incident response, digital risk transformation, and cyber strategy across highly regulated and high-risk environments. Madison has held leadership roles at FusionX, Accenture Security, PwC, and on the founding team of Siemens Energy's Global Security practice. She currently serves as National Security & Critical Infrastructure Advisor at WWT, advising on AI governance, ICS/OT resilience, zero trust, and cyber-informed engineering. A frequent media contributor and advocate for women in technology, Madison is driven by advancing digital trust and national resilience.Madison's top pick: Infrastructure as a Strategic Target of WarRob Joyce has more than 30 years of leadership in cybersecurity, cyber operations, and intelligence. He has dedicated his career to advancing national security and cyber resilience. Rob previously served as Director of the Cybersecurity Directorate at the NSA, overseeing defense of the nation's most critical systems, and held senior roles including Acting Homeland Security Advisor and Special Assistant to the President for Cybersecurity. He is the founder of Joyce Cyber LLC and currently advises boards and executives on emerging cyber risks, with advisory and board roles spanning technology, national security, and critical infrastructure.Rob's top pick: Who Owns AI When It BreaksThe AI Proving Ground Podcast leverages the deep AI technical and business expertise from within World Wide Technology's one-of-a-kind AI Proving Ground, which provides unrivaled access to the world's leading AI technologies. This unique lab environment accelerates your ability to learn about, test, train and implement AI solutions. Learn more about WWT's AI Proving Ground. The AI Proving Ground is a composable lab environment that features the latest high-performance infrastructure and reference architectures from the world's leading AI companies, such as NVIDIA, Cisco, Dell, F5, AMD, Intel and others. Developed within our Advanced Technology Center (ATC), this one-of-a-kind lab environment empowers IT teams to evaluate and test AI infrastructure, software and solutions for efficacy, scalability and flexibility — all under one roof. The AI Proving Ground provides visibility into data flows across the entire development pipeline, enabling more informed decision-making while safeguarding production environments.

Enterprise AI just grew up—and the math has changed.In this episode of the AI Proving Ground Podcast, Francis deSouza, COO of Google Cloud, breaks down why the era of scattered AI pilots is over—and why the winners are moving fast, focused, and top-down.We unpack how leading enterprises are shifting from “let a thousand flowers bloom” to a tight portfolio of high-impact AI use cases that actually ship, scale, and deliver ROI. Francis explains why data strategy—not model choice—is the real competitive advantage, how agents need secure access to data where it already lives (no massive migrations required), and why AI is quietly rewriting the enterprise attack surface.The conversation also gets real about people. The next generation of AI-ready companies won’t just hire specialists—they’ll build AI-fluent teams where every employee is bilingual in their domain and AI.If you’re building for 2026 and beyond, this episode is your signal: less hype, fewer experiments, more execution.More about this week's guest:Francis deSouza is Chief Operating Officer and President of Security Products at Google Cloud, where he leads operations to scale the business and oversees Google Cloud's global security portfolio, spanning products, threat intelligence, consulting, and governance. He joined Google in January 2025 after three decades as an engineer, technology executive, entrepreneur, and investor. Previously, Francis served as CEO of Illumina and President at Symantec. He has co-founded three companies and serves on the board of Deel. Francis holds BS and MS degrees from MIT and is driven by technology's power to improve lives.Francis's top pick: The AI Multiplier: Creating a Sustainable Competitive Advantage with Google Cloud COO Francis deSouzaThe AI Proving Ground Podcast leverages the deep AI technical and business expertise from within World Wide Technology's one-of-a-kind AI Proving Ground, which provides unrivaled access to the world's leading AI technologies. This unique lab environment accelerates your ability to learn about, test, train and implement AI solutions. Learn more about WWT's AI Proving Ground. The AI Proving Ground is a composable lab environment that features the latest high-performance infrastructure and reference architectures from the world's leading AI companies, such as NVIDIA, Cisco, Dell, F5, AMD, Intel and others. Developed within our Advanced Technology Center (ATC), this one-of-a-kind lab environment empowers IT teams to evaluate and test AI infrastructure, software and solutions for efficacy, scalability and flexibility — all under one roof. The AI Proving Ground provides visibility into data flows across the entire development pipeline, enabling more informed decision-making while safeguarding production environments.

AI is moving faster than the rules designed to govern it—and legal teams are now on the critical path.In this episode of the AI Proving Ground Podcast, Olivia Fleming, Chief Legal Officer at Edgewood Management, and Erika Schenk, General Counsel and EVP of Compliance at World Wide Technology, unpack how enterprise AI is reshaping the legal function—from gatekeeper to growth enabler.They break down why the biggest risk in AI isn’t black-box models or hallucinations—it’s deploying tools no one fully understands. From fragmented data estates and fast-moving regulations to cross-border gray zones and emerging governance models, this conversation gets practical about what legal leaders actually need to know to help AI scale responsibly.The takeaway is clear: when legal is involved early, organizations move faster—not slower. The enterprises winning with AI are building trust, governance, and accountability into the stack from day one.If you’re rolling out AI at scale, navigating regulatory uncertainty, or trying to move fast without breaking things, this episode is required listening.More about this week's guests:Erika Schenk is General Counsel and EVP of Compliance at World Wide Technology, where she leads global legal strategy and compliance. Since joining WWT in 2014, she has built and scaled the legal organization, overseeing contracts, ESG, EHS, government affairs, and legal support for enterprise, service provider, and public sector teams. A trusted business partner, Erika has guided WWT through international expansion, acquisitions, and portfolio growth. She previously served as senior counsel at Boeing and as a partner at Bryan Cave LLP.Olivia Fleming joined Edgewood in November 2007 and serves as the Chief Legal Officer. Olivia graduated from Fordham University with a BA and also received a JD from Tulane University Law School. Olivia was promoted to Partner in December 2018.The AI Proving Ground Podcast leverages the deep AI technical and business expertise from within World Wide Technology's one-of-a-kind AI Proving Ground, which provides unrivaled access to the world's leading AI technologies. This unique lab environment accelerates your ability to learn about, test, train and implement AI solutions. Learn more about WWT's AI Proving Ground. The AI Proving Ground is a composable lab environment that features the latest high-performance infrastructure and reference architectures from the world's leading AI companies, such as NVIDIA, Cisco, Dell, F5, AMD, Intel and others. Developed within our Advanced Technology Center (ATC), this one-of-a-kind lab environment empowers IT teams to evaluate and test AI infrastructure, software and solutions for efficacy, scalability and flexibility — all under one roof. The AI Proving Ground provides visibility into data flows across the entire development pipeline, enabling more informed decision-making while safeguarding production environments.

AI is shipping faster than security teams can catch it—and the attack surface is quietly exploding.In this episode of the AI Proving Ground Podcast, Shawn Wormke of F5 and Chris Konrad of World Wide Technology unpack the rise of what they call “naked AI”—enterprise AI systems deployed without proper data controls, API protection, or governance.Drawing on new F5 research, they reveal why only 2% of organizations are truly AI-ready, how shadow AI and exposed interfaces are multiplying risk, and why bolting on security after deployment is already too late. As AI systems move toward greater autonomy—and quantum-era threats loom—the conversation makes one thing clear: trust has to be designed into the AI lifecycle from day one.If your organization is racing to production, experimenting with agents, or scaling AI faster than policy can keep up, this episode is a wake-up call.Support for this episode provided by: Red HatMore about this week's guests:Chris Konrad is a global cybersecurity executive and Vice President of Global Cyber at World Wide Technology. Since joining WWT in 2014, he has helped build and scale its $4.5B global security business. Chris leads global cyber strategy, practice development, and partner engagement, aligning security programs to business outcomes across public and private sectors. With 27+ years of experience, he is a trusted advisor to C-suite leaders and a member of the Forbes Technology Council, known for turning cybersecurity into a strategic enabler of resilience and growth.Chris's top pick: Secure All Together: 5 Principles for Building a Culture of CybersecurityShawn Womke is Senior Vice President of Product Management at F5, leading the strategic direction of a portfolio central to how customers build, secure, and scale modern applications. Since joining F5 in 2013, he has helped deliver products grounded in real-world use cases, from open-source innovation in Kubernetes and OpenStack to leading the Aspen Mesh incubation and serving as General Manager of NGINX. With experience spanning Cisco, startups, and global enterprises, Shawn is focused on uniting teams around clear vision, customer impact, and execution at scale.Shawn's top pick: Texas A&M University System Teams Up with WWT for Cyber Range ChallengeThe AI Proving Ground Podcast leverages the deep AI technical and business expertise from within World Wide Technology's one-of-a-kind AI Proving Ground, which provides unrivaled access to the world's leading AI technologies. This unique lab environment accelerates your ability to learn about, test, train and implement AI solutions. Learn more about WWT's AI Proving Ground. The AI Proving Ground is a composable lab environment that features the latest high-performance infrastructure and reference architectures from the world's leading AI companies, such as NVIDIA, Cisco, Dell, F5, AMD, Intel and others. Developed within our Advanced Technology Center (ATC), this one-of-a-kind lab environment empowers IT teams to evaluate and test AI infrastructure, software and solutions for efficacy, scalability and flexibility — all under one roof. The AI Proving Ground provides visibility into data flows across the entire development pipeline, enabling more informed decision-making while safeguarding production environments.

AI pilots are easy. Enterprise AI at scale is the hard part.In this episode of the AI Proving Ground Podcast, Craig Dillman of Hewlett-Packard Enterprise and Earl Dodd of World Wide Technology break down how enterprises are moving from experimentation to production-grade artificial intelligence—and why AI Factories are becoming the backbone of modern enterprise AI.Rooted in decades of supercomputing expertise, AI Factories turn artificial intelligence into a repeatable, governed production system—balancing performance, cost, sovereignty, and security while staying flexible enough to absorb fast-moving models and agentic systems.With inference workloads exploding and AI agents generating massive volumes of data, they warn that 2026 may be the year the enterprise AI data bottleneck hits, exposing infrastructure that wasn’t built for continuous AI production.The takeaway is clear: the future of enterprise AI belongs not to endless pilots, but to organizations that industrialize artificial intelligence.Support for this episode provided by: Juniper NetworksMore about this week's guests:Earl J. Dodd is Global HPC Business Practice Leader at World Wide Technology, where he advises enterprises and governments on HPC, HPDA, and supercomputing strategy. He drives technology enablement, business development, and ESG-aligned outcomes, helping organizations achieve ROI through secure, ultra-scale architectures spanning HPC, cloud, and extreme data environments. With 40+ years of experience, Earl is a trusted industry leader and frequent speaker at global conferences.Earl's top pick: The Workflow Revolution: How HPE Private Cloud AI Transforms Enterprise AI from Isolated Workloads to Integrated Value ChainsCraig Dillman is an NVIDIA Alliance Technology Solutions Manager at Hewlett Packard Enterprise, where he works at the intersection of advanced computing platforms and enterprise adoption. He partners with customers and ecosystem stakeholders to align NVIDIA technologies with real-world business and technical requirements, helping organizations design, deploy, and scale modern AI and accelerated computing solutions within enterprise environments.Craig's top pick: How AI Agents Are Transforming IT OpsThe AI Proving Ground Podcast leverages the deep AI technical and business expertise from within World Wide Technology's one-of-a-kind AI Proving Ground, which provides unrivaled access to the world's leading AI technologies. This unique lab environment accelerates your ability to learn about, test, train and implement AI solutions. Learn more about WWT's AI Proving Ground. The AI Proving Ground is a composable lab environment that features the latest high-performance infrastructure and reference architectures from the world's leading AI companies, such as NVIDIA, Cisco, Dell, F5, AMD, Intel and others. Developed within our Advanced Technology Center (ATC), this one-of-a-kind lab environment empowers IT teams to evaluate and test AI infrastructure, software and solutions for efficacy, scalability and flexibility — all under one roof. The AI Proving Ground provides visibility into data flows across the entire development pipeline, enabling more informed decision-making while safeguarding production environments.

GPUs don’t create value. Enterprise AI does—when it’s built the right way.In this episode of the AI Proving Ground Podcast, Allen Clingerman of Dell Technologies and Matt Halcomb of World Wide Technology break down why the next phase of enterprise AI won’t be won by chasing GPUs or spinning up one-off pilots—but by building real AI factories grounded in data, strategy, and execution.They introduce Dell’s AI Data Platform as an operating model for production-grade artificial intelligence—one that starts with use-case clarity, not silicon. The conversation reframes the AI factory as a system that aligns people, process, data, security, and infrastructure to deliver repeatable outcomes at scale.A major theme: bring artificial intelligence to the data, not the other way around. With most enterprise data still on-prem and regulations tightening around sovereignty and locality, flexible architectures that span data center, cloud, and edge—and remain silicon-diverse—are becoming non-negotiable.The message to leaders is blunt: slow down long enough to design with intent, then move fast with purpose—or risk building rigid AI monuments that never deliver ROI.More about this week's guests:Matt Halcomb is a Principal Solutions Architect for Data Center Technologies at World Wide Technology, with over 25 years of experience in enterprise IT, including 17+ years at WWT. He works within WWT’s Global Solutions Development team, designing and deploying next-generation infrastructure in the Advanced Technology Center. His expertise spans compute, storage, software-defined, and composable architectures, with a focus on scalable, sustainable, production-ready platforms.Matt's top pick: The AI Proving Ground: Empowering IT Teams to Drive Their Organization's AI SuccessAllen Clingerman is Chief Technology Strategist & Partner AI Officer for Global Channel at Hewlett-Packard Enterprise. With more than 25 years of award-winning experience, he is an achievement-driven IT and technical sales leader known for translating enterprise architecture strategy into measurable business outcomes. Allen partners with customers to design scalable AI and infrastructure solutions that move organizations from vision to real-world results.Allen's top pick: AI-Powered Customer Success: The Dell AI Factory with NVIDIAThe AI Proving Ground Podcast leverages the deep AI technical and business expertise from within World Wide Technology's one-of-a-kind AI Proving Ground, which provides unrivaled access to the world's leading AI technologies. This unique lab environment accelerates your ability to learn about, test, train and implement AI solutions. Learn more about WWT's AI Proving Ground. The AI Proving Ground is a composable lab environment that features the latest high-performance infrastructure and reference architectures from the world's leading AI companies, such as NVIDIA, Cisco, Dell, F5, AMD, Intel and others. Developed within our Advanced Technology Center (ATC), this one-of-a-kind lab environment empowers IT teams to evaluate and test AI infrastructure, software and solutions for efficacy, scalability and flexibility — all under one roof. The AI Proving Ground provides visibility into data flows across the entire development pipeline, enabling more informed decision-making while safeguarding production environments.

AI at scale isn’t about more GPUs—it’s about building a system that can keep evolving.In this episode of the AI Proving Ground Podcast, John Gentry of NVIDIA and Derek Elbert of World Wide Technology explain why AI factories are becoming the backbone of enterprise AI—and why isolated GPU clusters can’t keep up.They break down the factory model for production-grade artificial intelligence: data and power in, intelligence out. But making it work now requires more than compute—enterprises must unify networking, storage, orchestration, security, and multi-tenant management into a single, flexible system that serves the entire business.At the center is data. What was once an asset is now the bottleneck. As platforms and GPUs evolve every year, enterprises need industrial-grade data pipelines and architectures built for portability—not lock-in.The episode looks ahead to distributed inference and agentic AI, where models run at the edge while core factories continuously generate new intelligence. The mandate is clear: design for scale, flexibility, and constant change—or fall behind.Good AI starts with good data.Now it has to be put to work.The AI Proving Ground Podcast leverages the deep AI technical and business expertise from within World Wide Technology's one-of-a-kind AI Proving Ground, which provides unrivaled access to the world's leading AI technologies. This unique lab environment accelerates your ability to learn about, test, train and implement AI solutions. Learn more about WWT's AI Proving Ground. The AI Proving Ground is a composable lab environment that features the latest high-performance infrastructure and reference architectures from the world's leading AI companies, such as NVIDIA, Cisco, Dell, F5, AMD, Intel and others. Developed within our Advanced Technology Center (ATC), this one-of-a-kind lab environment empowers IT teams to evaluate and test AI infrastructure, software and solutions for efficacy, scalability and flexibility — all under one roof. The AI Proving Ground provides visibility into data flows across the entire development pipeline, enabling more informed decision-making while safeguarding production environments.

Cisco's Nicolas Sagnes and World Wide Technology's Bob Watson outline why the next generation of AI infrastructure must be engineered as a secure, observable, full-stack system — and why enterprises relying on pilots risk falling behind.The AI Proving Ground Podcast leverages the deep AI technical and business expertise from within World Wide Technology's one-of-a-kind AI Proving Ground, which provides unrivaled access to the world's leading AI technologies. This unique lab environment accelerates your ability to learn about, test, train and implement AI solutions. Learn more about WWT's AI Proving Ground. The AI Proving Ground is a composable lab environment that features the latest high-performance infrastructure and reference architectures from the world's leading AI companies, such as NVIDIA, Cisco, Dell, F5, AMD, Intel and others. Developed within our Advanced Technology Center (ATC), this one-of-a-kind lab environment empowers IT teams to evaluate and test AI infrastructure, software and solutions for efficacy, scalability and flexibility — all under one roof. The AI Proving Ground provides visibility into data flows across the entire development pipeline, enabling more informed decision-making while safeguarding production environments.

AI isn’t just changing how software gets written—it’s changing who ships, who scales, and who falls behind.In this episode of the AI Proving Ground Podcast, Nate McKie and Andrew Brydon of World Wide Technology break down how artificial intelligence and AI coding assistants are reshaping enterprise software development—from real productivity gains and improved data quality to the risks leaders can’t afford to ignore.They cut through the hype to explain which tools actually matter, how to evaluate AI coding assistants in real-world engineering environments, and why agentic AI will fundamentally redefine the software lifecycle by 2026. The insight is clear: strong engineering fundamentals still win—but in the era of enterprise AI, AI now amplifies everything, including bad practices.If you’re responsible for software delivery, platform strategy, or developer productivity, this conversation delivers practical frameworks, clear watch-outs, and grounded guidance for adopting AI without breaking trust, security, or velocity.Support for this episode provided by: CloudflareMore about this week's guests:Nate McKie has loved computers since he was a child. With a father who worked at Radio Shack, he spent countless hours in the store playing on machines and teaching himself the basics of programming. That early fascination carried into adulthood as he pursued a B.S. in Computer Studies and built a career spanning more than 25 years overseeing services in software and automation engineering. Today, he serves as a senior-level AI Advisor. His focus is helping customers understand how to best apply AI technologies to achieve their business goals—whether through hardware, software, or data strategy. Nate is thrilled to use a lifetime of experience building impactful, innovative solutions to guide others in making confident, well-informed decisions on their AI journey.Nate's top pick: Inside the AI Coding Revolution: Tools, Tradeoffs and TransformationAndrew Brydon has more than 25 years of experience designing, building, and delivering technology solutions and over 15 years in leadership, Andrew brings a passion for driving meaningful outcomes across a range of industries. As Managing Director in the Digital team, Andrew leads a group of Architects, Creative Technologists, and Technical Consultants with a broad range of experience across software analysis and design, architecture, custom build, aThe AI Proving Ground Podcast leverages the deep AI technical and business expertise from within World Wide Technology's one-of-a-kind AI Proving Ground, which provides unrivaled access to the world's leading AI technologies. This unique lab environment accelerates your ability to learn about, test, train and implement AI solutions. Learn more about WWT's AI Proving Ground. The AI Proving Ground is a composable lab environment that features the latest high-performance infrastructure and reference architectures from the world's leading AI companies, such as NVIDIA, Cisco, Dell, F5, AMD, Intel and others. Developed within our Advanced Technology Center (ATC), this one-of-a-kind lab environment empowers IT teams to evaluate and test AI infrastructure, software and solutions for efficacy, scalability and flexibility — all under one roof. The AI Proving Ground provides visibility into data flows across the entire development pipeline, enabling more informed decision-making while safeguarding production environments.

As enterprises rush to deploy copilots, automation and secure private AI, energy has become the defining constraint. In this episode of the AI Proving Ground Podcast, visionary leaders including NightDragon's Dave DeWalt, Morgan Stanley's Jeff Holzschuh and Beacon AI Centers' Josh Schertzer unpack the new reality unfolding across the grid. They reveal why power — not land or fiber — is now the first question in every AI strategy, and what executives must do now to de-risk growth, secure their operations and stay ahead of the coming infrastructure supercycle.Editor's Note: This special episode of the AI Proving Ground Podcast was recorded during WWT's Business Innovation Summit, which took place at the PGA TOUR's World Wide Technology Championship in November 2025. The AI Proving Ground Podcast leverages the deep AI technical and business expertise from within World Wide Technology's one-of-a-kind AI Proving Ground, which provides unrivaled access to the world's leading AI technologies. This unique lab environment accelerates your ability to learn about, test, train and implement AI solutions. Learn more about WWT's AI Proving Ground. The AI Proving Ground is a composable lab environment that features the latest high-performance infrastructure and reference architectures from the world's leading AI companies, such as NVIDIA, Cisco, Dell, F5, AMD, Intel and others. Developed within our Advanced Technology Center (ATC), this one-of-a-kind lab environment empowers IT teams to evaluate and test AI infrastructure, software and solutions for efficacy, scalability and flexibility — all under one roof. The AI Proving Ground provides visibility into data flows across the entire development pipeline, enabling more informed decision-making while safeguarding production environments.

Artificial intelligence is rewriting the rules of the global economy. Powered by leaps in accelerated computing, digital twins and autonomous systems, a new industrial era is emerging in real time. In this episode of the AI Proving Ground Podcast, NVIDIA leaders Jay Puri, Charlie Wuischpard and Craig Weinstein break down how the entire AI stack — from the silicon driving breakthroughs to the software shaping intelligent experiences — is redefining how we build, operate and compete. This conversation gives leaders a clear view of what's coming next—and what it takes to align their organizations, scale AI innovation, and stay ahead in a race where velocity, architecture, and ambition now determine advantage.Editor's Note: This special episode of the AI Proving Ground Podcast was recorded during WWT's Business Innovation Summit, which took place at the PGA TOUR's World Wide Technology Championship in November 2025. The AI Proving Ground Podcast leverages the deep AI technical and business expertise from within World Wide Technology's one-of-a-kind AI Proving Ground, which provides unrivaled access to the world's leading AI technologies. This unique lab environment accelerates your ability to learn about, test, train and implement AI solutions. Learn more about WWT's AI Proving Ground. The AI Proving Ground is a composable lab environment that features the latest high-performance infrastructure and reference architectures from the world's leading AI companies, such as NVIDIA, Cisco, Dell, F5, AMD, Intel and others. Developed within our Advanced Technology Center (ATC), this one-of-a-kind lab environment empowers IT teams to evaluate and test AI infrastructure, software and solutions for efficacy, scalability and flexibility — all under one roof. The AI Proving Ground provides visibility into data flows across the entire development pipeline, enabling more informed decision-making while safeguarding production environments.

In this episode, Google Cloud COO Francis deSouza and WWT Co-Founder and CEO Jim Kavanaugh talk about how executives are turning artificial intelligence into a true competitive multiplier by building intelligent operations that run faster, cheaper and smarter; create predictive customer experiences that earn real loyalty; and accelerate innovation by embedding AI into every workflow.Editor's Note: This special episode of the AI Proving Ground Podcast was recorded during WWT's Business Innovation Summit, which took place at the PGA TOUR's World Wide Technology Championship in November 2025. The AI Proving Ground Podcast leverages the deep AI technical and business expertise from within World Wide Technology's one-of-a-kind AI Proving Ground, which provides unrivaled access to the world's leading AI technologies. This unique lab environment accelerates your ability to learn about, test, train and implement AI solutions. Learn more about WWT's AI Proving Ground. The AI Proving Ground is a composable lab environment that features the latest high-performance infrastructure and reference architectures from the world's leading AI companies, such as NVIDIA, Cisco, Dell, F5, AMD, Intel and others. Developed within our Advanced Technology Center (ATC), this one-of-a-kind lab environment empowers IT teams to evaluate and test AI infrastructure, software and solutions for efficacy, scalability and flexibility — all under one roof. The AI Proving Ground provides visibility into data flows across the entire development pipeline, enabling more informed decision-making while safeguarding production environments.

As software and data take center stage in the modern enterprise, the combination of purposeful artificial intelligence adoption, skilled teams and disciplined processes is becoming a catalyst for transformation. In this episode, WWT CTO Mike Taylor and Microsoft AI Futurist Marco Casalaina provide real-world examples of how organizations are rethinking data foundations and embedding AI into development and operations to unlock new levels of speed, agility and innovation.Editor's Note: This special episode of the AI Proving Ground Podcast was recorded during WWT's Business Innovation Summit, which took place at the PGA TOUR's World Wide Technology Championship in November 2025. The AI Proving Ground Podcast leverages the deep AI technical and business expertise from within World Wide Technology's one-of-a-kind AI Proving Ground, which provides unrivaled access to the world's leading AI technologies. This unique lab environment accelerates your ability to learn about, test, train and implement AI solutions. Learn more about WWT's AI Proving Ground. The AI Proving Ground is a composable lab environment that features the latest high-performance infrastructure and reference architectures from the world's leading AI companies, such as NVIDIA, Cisco, Dell, F5, AMD, Intel and others. Developed within our Advanced Technology Center (ATC), this one-of-a-kind lab environment empowers IT teams to evaluate and test AI infrastructure, software and solutions for efficacy, scalability and flexibility — all under one roof. The AI Proving Ground provides visibility into data flows across the entire development pipeline, enabling more informed decision-making while safeguarding production environments.

In this episode of the AI Proving Ground Podcast, WWT Co-founder and CEO Jim Kavanaugh and Cisco President Jeetu Patel break down the real constraints shaping the AI era and explore why platforms will define the next decade of enterprise innovation. They'll also talk about how secure, scalable architectures enable organizations to innovate confidently and compete at AI speed.Editor's Note: This special episode of the AI Proving Ground Podcast was recorded during WWT's Business Innovation Summit, which took place at the PGA TOUR's World Wide Technology Championship in November 2025. The AI Proving Ground Podcast leverages the deep AI technical and business expertise from within World Wide Technology's one-of-a-kind AI Proving Ground, which provides unrivaled access to the world's leading AI technologies. This unique lab environment accelerates your ability to learn about, test, train and implement AI solutions. Learn more about WWT's AI Proving Ground. The AI Proving Ground is a composable lab environment that features the latest high-performance infrastructure and reference architectures from the world's leading AI companies, such as NVIDIA, Cisco, Dell, F5, AMD, Intel and others. Developed within our Advanced Technology Center (ATC), this one-of-a-kind lab environment empowers IT teams to evaluate and test AI infrastructure, software and solutions for efficacy, scalability and flexibility — all under one roof. The AI Proving Ground provides visibility into data flows across the entire development pipeline, enabling more informed decision-making while safeguarding production environments.

The AI Proving Ground Podcast team is proud to kick off a weeklong series of daily releases from WWT's Business Innovation Summit — bringing you unfiltered conversations with the visionary leaders shaping the next decade of artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, cloud and enterprise AI strategy. Featuring insights from executives at Cisco, Google Cloud, Microsoft, NVIDIA, NightDragon, Morgan Stanley and more, this series offers urgent, real-time perspective on how AI is transforming the global economy, redefining risk, and rewriting the rules of competitive advantage.The AI Proving Ground Podcast leverages the deep AI technical and business expertise from within World Wide Technology's one-of-a-kind AI Proving Ground, which provides unrivaled access to the world's leading AI technologies. This unique lab environment accelerates your ability to learn about, test, train and implement AI solutions. Learn more about WWT's AI Proving Ground. The AI Proving Ground is a composable lab environment that features the latest high-performance infrastructure and reference architectures from the world's leading AI companies, such as NVIDIA, Cisco, Dell, F5, AMD, Intel and others. Developed within our Advanced Technology Center (ATC), this one-of-a-kind lab environment empowers IT teams to evaluate and test AI infrastructure, software and solutions for efficacy, scalability and flexibility — all under one roof. The AI Proving Ground provides visibility into data flows across the entire development pipeline, enabling more informed decision-making while safeguarding production environments.

AI is no longer a pilot. It’s a prerequisite for survival.In this episode of the AI Proving Ground Podcast, Edmondo Orlotti, Chief Growth Officer at Core42 (part of G42), joins Mike Trojecki of World Wide Technology to break down how AI-native nations are being built—and what enterprises must learn before they fall behind.The focus isn’t models or hype—it’s data, sovereignty, and scale. Edmondo explains how national-scale artificial intelligence platforms are designed to operate under regulatory pressure, GPU scarcity, and geopolitical risk, and why fragmented, poorly governed data remains the biggest barrier to enterprise AI success.They explore the rise of agentic platforms, specialized language models, and AI-driven robotics—and why ubiquitous inference is forcing security, infrastructure, and governance to evolve fast, especially as post-quantum threats approach.The takeaway is blunt: speed and safety must move together. If artificial intelligence isn’t embedded into your core operating model, catching up later won’t be an option.Support for this episode provided by: ThalesMore about this week's guests:Mike Trojecki is a technology leader with 25+ years of experience spanning security, networking, cloud and AI. A former U.S. Air Force Tech Controller supporting White House and Air Force One missions, he brings a deep commitment to precision and reliability. He now leads WWT's AI Practice, helping organizations build high-performance architectures and data-driven solutions that unlock real business value.Mike's top pick: AI Use Cases: Balancing Speed and Risk for Real-World SuccessEdmondo Orlotti is Chief Strategy Officer at Core42, part of G42, an AI company headquartered in Abu Dhabi, UAE. His previous assignments were in AI & HPC at global level with Hewlett Packard Enterprise and with NVIDIA Professional Systems Group. He has been addressing advanced simulation and analytics needs of industrial and academic environments from the very beginning of the deep learning age, from data center to edge. With over 25 years of experience in the IT sector at global level and an interdisciplinary background, covering marketing and sales roles, he has always been focusing on IT innovation. In the automotive industry, working with Formula 1 teams up to large automotive OEMS, he's been addressing their HPC & AI challenges from the manufacturing floor up to autonomous drThe AI Proving Ground Podcast leverages the deep AI technical and business expertise from within World Wide Technology's one-of-a-kind AI Proving Ground, which provides unrivaled access to the world's leading AI technologies. This unique lab environment accelerates your ability to learn about, test, train and implement AI solutions. Learn more about WWT's AI Proving Ground. The AI Proving Ground is a composable lab environment that features the latest high-performance infrastructure and reference architectures from the world's leading AI companies, such as NVIDIA, Cisco, Dell, F5, AMD, Intel and others. Developed within our Advanced Technology Center (ATC), this one-of-a-kind lab environment empowers IT teams to evaluate and test AI infrastructure, software and solutions for efficacy, scalability and flexibility — all under one roof. The AI Proving Ground provides visibility into data flows across the entire development pipeline, enabling more informed decision-making while safeguarding production environments.

Customer expectations are shifting faster than most organizations can respond. In this episode of the AI Proving Ground Podcast, leaders from healthcare, utilities and retail break down how AI is redefining what “good” customer experience looks like — and how their industries are rethinking service models, operational workflows and human touchpoints to keep pace with a new, AI-shaped standard.More about this week's guests:Dr. Eric Quinones is a physician leader committed to the Quintuple Aim—elevating patient experience, improving population health, lowering costs, strengthening clinician well-being, and addressing social determinants of health. He drives these outcomes through digital innovation and data-driven transformation that advance both clinical and business goals.Eric's top pick: HLTH USA 2025: The Year Healthcare Took its Relationship with AI to the Next LevelAdam Nathan is an analytical, curious leader focused on helping organizations align business priorities with modern technology to drive meaningful transformation. Motivated by impact at societal scale, he is dedicated to advancing the Utility and Energy sectors—modernizing the critical infrastructure that powers everyday life.Adam's top pick: Accelerating Utility Rate Case Filings with Generative AIBrian Murphy is a seasoned executive and strategist with 30+ years of success at the intersection of business and technology. A trusted solution architect and thought leader, he has guided major organizations through complex transformations, consistently delivering measurable impact and strategic clarity.Brian's top pick: From Kiosks to AI: What RLC 2025 Means for the Future of Restaurant TechThe AI Proving Ground Podcast leverages the deep AI technical and business expertise from within World Wide Technology's one-of-a-kind AI Proving Ground, which provides unrivaled access to the world's leading AI technologies. This unique lab environment accelerates your ability to learn about, test, train and implement AI solutions. Learn more about WWT's AI Proving Ground. The AI Proving Ground is a composable lab environment that features the latest high-performance infrastructure and reference architectures from the world's leading AI companies, such as NVIDIA, Cisco, Dell, F5, AMD, Intel and others. Developed within our Advanced Technology Center (ATC), this one-of-a-kind lab environment empowers IT teams to evaluate and test AI infrastructure, software and solutions for efficacy, scalability and flexibility — all under one roof. The AI Proving Ground provides visibility into data flows across the entire development pipeline, enabling more informed decision-making while safeguarding production environments.

Back by popular demand, this encore episode breaks down how to turn AI hype into real results.Aritificial intelligence shouldn’t add more work—it should make work smarter. Jon Duren and Jay Custard share how to turn AI hype into real results: integrate it into daily workflows, tie pilots to KPIs, manage adoption like a product and design for trust. A playbook for making AI actually work at work.Support for this episode provided by: Digital RealtyLearn more about this week's guest:Jay Custard has deep experience helping companies harness the power of digital technologies to drive meaningful customer experiences. An experienced digital marketing and ecommerce executive, he has worked across multiple disciplines with both large and small companies to enable integrated transformational retail experiences on a global scale. He has been fortunate to serve the customers of Crocs, New Balance, FinishLine, Southeastern Grocers, and Cabela's with a focus on user experience, analytics, marketing, merchandising, and technology transformations.Jay's top pick: 4 Key Principles for Reimagining Retail with Science and VisionJon Duren is an accomplished technology professional with over 25 years of experience in service-provider, data center, cloud and AI solutions. He is driven by a passion for applying technical solutions to achieve business outcomes and is currently working to expand the WWT AI Solutions practice. Jon actively seeks out the best strategies to create customer value. He is constantly monitoring marketing trends, innovative and disruptive technologies, and significant market transitions to identify opportunities for driving customer growth and success. With a talent for breaking down complex topics into easy-to-understand concepts, Jon is able to develop and share a vision of where business and technology intersect to create better outcomes.Jon's top pick: Agentic AI Sounds New—But Haven't We Been Doing This Already?The AI Proving Ground Podcast leverages the deep AI technical and business expertise from within World Wide Technology's one-of-a-kind AI Proving Ground, which provides unrivaled access to the world's leading AI technologies. This unique lab environment accelerates your ability to learn about, test, train and implement AI solutions. Learn more about WWT's AI Proving Ground. The AI Proving Ground is a composable lab environment that features the latest high-performance infrastructure and reference architectures from the world's leading AI companies, such as NVIDIA, Cisco, Dell, F5, AMD, Intel and others. Developed within our Advanced Technology Center (ATC), this one-of-a-kind lab environment empowers IT teams to evaluate and test AI infrastructure, software and solutions for efficacy, scalability and flexibility — all under one roof. The AI Proving Ground provides visibility into data flows across the entire development pipeline, enabling more informed decision-making while safeguarding production environments.

As artificial intelligence moves from prediction to action, a new security frontier is taking shape. In this episode, Zscaler’s Head of AI Innovation Phil Tee and WWT’s VP of Global Cyber Chris Konrad explore the rise of autonomous agents, the evolution of Zero Trust and what it means to secure AI itself. From poisoned prompts to quantum threats, they warn the biggest risk isn’t just deploying AI — it’s trusting it. A sharp, real-world look at how enterprises can protect their future as machines begin to make decisions of their own.Support for this episode provided by: OktaMore about this week's guests:Chris Konrad is a transformative executive in global cybersecurity and has played a pivotal role in building and scaling the company’s cybersecurity capabilities—culminating in the leadership of its $4.5B global security business spanning cyber, land, sea, air, and space domains. He leads global strategy, practice development, and partner engagement across WWT’s Global Solutions & Architecture division. He drives cybersecurity initiatives that are tightly aligned with customer outcomes—enabling resilience, innovation, and growth across public and private sectors.Chris's top pick: Cyber in 2025: We're No Longer Just Defending Systems — We're Defending RealityDr. Phil Tee is responsible for driving AI innovations at Zscaler, leveraging our unique data assets and the latest in AI technology to push forward what’s possible in Sec and DevOps for Zscaler customers. His team’s goal is to generate novel offerings in the cyber market and ensure that our customers benefit from the remarkable pace of AI innovation.Phil's top pick: Hands-On Lab Workshop: Zscaler Unified Vulnerability ManagementThe AI Proving Ground Podcast leverages the deep AI technical and business expertise from within World Wide Technology's one-of-a-kind AI Proving Ground, which provides unrivaled access to the world's leading AI technologies. This unique lab environment accelerates your ability to learn about, test, train and implement AI solutions. Learn more about WWT's AI Proving Ground. The AI Proving Ground is a composable lab environment that features the latest high-performance infrastructure and reference architectures from the world's leading AI companies, such as NVIDIA, Cisco, Dell, F5, AMD, Intel and others. Developed within our Advanced Technology Center (ATC), this one-of-a-kind lab environment empowers IT teams to evaluate and test AI infrastructure, software and solutions for efficacy, scalability and flexibility — all under one roof. The AI Proving Ground provides visibility into data flows across the entire development pipeline, enabling more informed decision-making while safeguarding production environments.

AI agents are moving from hype to the heart of enterprise IT. In this episode of the AI Proving Ground Podcast, Eric Jones and Ruben Ambrose — two leading AI experts — explore how intelligent, human-guided systems are transforming IT service management, incident response and operational scale to deliver faster resolutions, stronger security and smarter decisions across the enterprise.For more about this week's guests:Ruben Ambrose is a Chief Technology Advisor at World Wide Technology with over 25 years of experience spanning application development, IT operations, infrastructure, and enterprise architecture. He now leads teams focused on prototyping AI-driven solutions that accelerate innovation for global enterprises.Ruben's top pick: Beyond Chatbots: How Digital Humans Are Transforming Enterprise AI ExperiencesEric Jones is an Area Director of Strategy and Innovation at World Wide Technology. He has been in the software industry for over twelve years. For the last two years, he has been focused on Generative AI and its application to enterprise workflows. This research helps World Wide Technology provide industry-leading services in building Generative AI solutions for customers around the globe.Eric's top pick: Part 1: Transforming IT Operations with Large Language ModelsThe AI Proving Ground Podcast leverages the deep AI technical and business expertise from within World Wide Technology's one-of-a-kind AI Proving Ground, which provides unrivaled access to the world's leading AI technologies. This unique lab environment accelerates your ability to learn about, test, train and implement AI solutions. Learn more about WWT's AI Proving Ground. The AI Proving Ground is a composable lab environment that features the latest high-performance infrastructure and reference architectures from the world's leading AI companies, such as NVIDIA, Cisco, Dell, F5, AMD, Intel and others. Developed within our Advanced Technology Center (ATC), this one-of-a-kind lab environment empowers IT teams to evaluate and test AI infrastructure, software and solutions for efficacy, scalability and flexibility — all under one roof. The AI Proving Ground provides visibility into data flows across the entire development pipeline, enabling more informed decision-making while safeguarding production environments.

Artificial intelligence is firmly in the heart of the world’s most critical infrastructure — the massive networks that keep our digital lives running. In this episode of the AI Proving Ground Podcast, two of our top trusted advisors to the world’s largest network operators — Dave Clough and Yohannes Tafesse — break down the high-stakes reality of applying AI at scale, the often-overlooked work of preparing data and building trust, and why the lessons emerging from telecom will shape how every enterprise approaches AI in mission-critical environments.Support for this episode provided by: WEKAMore about this week's guests:Dave Clough is a seasoned Mobile Solutions Architect with over 30 years of experience at the intersection of networking, business strategy, and innovation. He has been directly responsible for several billion dollars in sales and is recognized for his rare ability to blend technical expertise, market insight, and leadership to deliver impactful results. A proven leader in designing and deploying breakthrough solutions across 3G, 4G, 5G, Wi-Fi, virtualization, voice and routing, Dave has helped shape the evolution of modern networks.Dave's top pick: Four Pillars of AI Success for Service ProvidersYohannes Tafesse is a technology enthusiast with more than 12 years of professional experience in the field of mobile telecommunication systems. Prior to joining WWT he worked as a mobile network planning engineer at U.S. Cellular. Prior to that, he worked at AT&T as a specialist RAN engineer. His interests include mobile communications, cognitive radios, machine learning and scalable data centers.Yohannes's top pick: What NVIDIA AI Aerial Means for Telcos Seeking to Optimize Wireless Networks and Deliver New GenAI ExperiencesThe AI Proving Ground Podcast leverages the deep AI technical and business expertise from within World Wide Technology's one-of-a-kind AI Proving Ground, which provides unrivaled access to the world's leading AI technologies. This unique lab environment accelerates your ability to learn about, test, train and implement AI solutions. Learn more about WWT's AI Proving Ground. The AI Proving Ground is a composable lab environment that features the latest high-performance infrastructure and reference architectures from the world's leading AI companies, such as NVIDIA, Cisco, Dell, F5, AMD, Intel and others. Developed within our Advanced Technology Center (ATC), this one-of-a-kind lab environment empowers IT teams to evaluate and test AI infrastructure, software and solutions for efficacy, scalability and flexibility — all under one roof. The AI Proving Ground provides visibility into data flows across the entire development pipeline, enabling more informed decision-making while safeguarding production environments.

Welcome to The AI Proving Ground Podcast — where enterprise meets artificial intelligence in action. Each week, industry leaders, technologists and innovators join us to share real-world lessons on scaling AI responsibly, securely and with impact. From strategy to infrastructure to culture, this is where bold ideas meet practical execution — everything AI, all in one place.The AI Proving Ground Podcast leverages the deep AI technical and business expertise from within World Wide Technology's one-of-a-kind AI Proving Ground, which provides unrivaled access to the world's leading AI technologies. This unique lab environment accelerates your ability to learn about, test, train and implement AI solutions. Learn more about WWT's AI Proving Ground. The AI Proving Ground is a composable lab environment that features the latest high-performance infrastructure and reference architectures from the world's leading AI companies, such as NVIDIA, Cisco, Dell, F5, AMD, Intel and others. Developed within our Advanced Technology Center (ATC), this one-of-a-kind lab environment empowers IT teams to evaluate and test AI infrastructure, software and solutions for efficacy, scalability and flexibility — all under one roof. The AI Proving Ground provides visibility into data flows across the entire development pipeline, enabling more informed decision-making while safeguarding production environments.

Artificial intelligence has pushed cloud into overdrive. In this episode of the AI Proving Ground Podcast, two of our top cloud experts — Jack French and Todd Barron — reset the approach and detail why cloud is the launchpad but portability is the strategy; how to start greenfield with containers and abstraction; what a real FinOps model for AI looks like (unit economics, tagging, token/GPU visibility); where neo clouds fit versus hyperscalers; and how to handle cross-cloud risk and skill gaps; and the governance moves that accelerate—not restrict—innovation.Support for this episode provided by: TrellixMore about this week's guests:Jack French brings a depth of experience in public cloud technologies to WWT. As the Senior Director of the Cloud Global Solutions and Architecture team, his responsibilities include leading the Cloud presales, business development and solution development efforts around public cloud. This also includes cloud consumption resell, cost management and marketplace.Jack's top pick: The Cloud Advantage for AITodd Barron is a Technical Solutions Architect at Worldwide Technology (WWT), specializing in cloud and AI technologies. With over 34 years of experience, Todd joined WWT in 2023 after serving as a Partner Management Solution Architect at Amazon Web Services (AWS). In his role at WWT, he supports the pre-sales organization and leverages his expertise to help customers navigate the complexities of cloud and AI, particularly focusing on AWS platforms.Todd's top pick: Enterprise Cloud Transformation: Practical Approaches to Migration and Modernization with WWT & AWSThe AI Proving Ground Podcast leverages the deep AI technical and business expertise from within World Wide Technology's one-of-a-kind AI Proving Ground, which provides unrivaled access to the world's leading AI technologies. This unique lab environment accelerates your ability to learn about, test, train and implement AI solutions. Learn more about WWT's AI Proving Ground. The AI Proving Ground is a composable lab environment that features the latest high-performance infrastructure and reference architectures from the world's leading AI companies, such as NVIDIA, Cisco, Dell, F5, AMD, Intel and others. Developed within our Advanced Technology Center (ATC), this one-of-a-kind lab environment empowers IT teams to evaluate and test AI infrastructure, software and solutions for efficacy, scalability and flexibility — all under one roof. The AI Proving Ground provides visibility into data flows across the entire development pipeline, enabling more informed decision-making while safeguarding production environments.

Artificial intelligence investment is exploding, but adoption often stalls. In this episode of the AI Proving Ground Podcast, Great Place to Work CEO Michael Bush and WWT CTO Mike Taylor unpack the real reason why: trust. They reveal how culture, leadership and access — not just technology — determine whether AI pilots fail or flourish, and why people-first leadership may be the ultimate competitive advantage in the age of AI.Support for this episode provided by: TaniumMore about this week's guests:Michael C. Bush is CEO of Great Place To Work, the global research and analytics firm that produces the annual Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For list, the World's Best Workplaces list, the 100 Best Workplaces for Women list, and dozens of other distinguished workplace rankings around the world. Driven by a love of business and an unwavering commitment to fair and equitable treatment, Michael joined Great Place To Work as CEO in 2015, bringing 30 years of experience leading and growing organizations. Michael is a former member of President Obama's White House Business Council and a founding board member of the private equity seed-fund, Fund Good Jobs, which invests in small inner-city businesses.Michael's top pick: Cultivating Workplace Excellence with Fortune’s Alan Murray, Great Place to Work’s Michael Bush and WWT’s Jim KavanaughMike Taylor oversees WWT's Global Engineering and IT organization and Services segment to position WWT as a single-source provider to accelerate digital transformation. Mike aligns WWT's unparalleled technical capabilities with its collective business acumen to both advise and execute customers as they seek to become more agile and innovative. As business and technology become more complex, it is crucial organizations use technology investments to drive strategic initiatives. Mike is responsible for connecting business strategy into the IT organization, and simplifying the sales and services process to create a more seamless experience for both customers and partners.Mike's top pick: Building for Success: A CTO's Guide to Generative AIThe AI Proving Ground Podcast leverages the deep AI technical and business expertise from within World Wide Technology's one-of-a-kind AI Proving Ground, which provides unrivaled access to the world's leading AI technologies. This unique lab environment accelerates your ability to learn about, test, train and implement AI solutions. Learn more about WWT's AI Proving Ground. The AI Proving Ground is a composable lab environment that features the latest high-performance infrastructure and reference architectures from the world's leading AI companies, such as NVIDIA, Cisco, Dell, F5, AMD, Intel and others. Developed within our Advanced Technology Center (ATC), this one-of-a-kind lab environment empowers IT teams to evaluate and test AI infrastructure, software and solutions for efficacy, scalability and flexibility — all under one roof. The AI Proving Ground provides visibility into data flows across the entire development pipeline, enabling more informed decision-making while safeguarding production environments.

Artificial intelligence is reshaping business faster than any technology in history. But while employees are already using AI daily, enterprises are struggling to capture value at scale. In this episode of the AI Proving Ground Podcast, WWT Co-Founder and CEO Jim Kavanaugh explains why executive leadership is the critical factor in moving beyond pilots, how companies should build the right foundations for AI and why waiting on the sidelines may be the biggest risk of all.More about this week's guest:Jim Kavanaugh is a visionary and inspiring leader, who co-founded World Wide Technology in 1990 and serves as CEO — steering the company from its roots as a small startup into a global technology solution provider that helps organizations conquer the speed and complexity of technology, harness the power of digital transformation, and make a new world happen.Jim's top pick: A Guide for CEOs to Accelerate AI Excitement and AdoptionThe AI Proving Ground Podcast leverages the deep AI technical and business expertise from within World Wide Technology's one-of-a-kind AI Proving Ground, which provides unrivaled access to the world's leading AI technologies. This unique lab environment accelerates your ability to learn about, test, train and implement AI solutions. Learn more about WWT's AI Proving Ground. The AI Proving Ground is a composable lab environment that features the latest high-performance infrastructure and reference architectures from the world's leading AI companies, such as NVIDIA, Cisco, Dell, F5, AMD, Intel and others. Developed within our Advanced Technology Center (ATC), this one-of-a-kind lab environment empowers IT teams to evaluate and test AI infrastructure, software and solutions for efficacy, scalability and flexibility — all under one roof. The AI Proving Ground provides visibility into data flows across the entire development pipeline, enabling more informed decision-making while safeguarding production environments.

In this episode of the AI Proving Ground Podcast, we talk with Jordan Wilson, host of the popular Everyday AI Podcast, to unpack the realities of enterprise artificial intelligence (AI) adoption. From tool sprawl and failed pilots to executive sponsorship and agentic models, Jordan shares lessons from thousands of conversations with enterprise leaders — and reveals why soft skills and unlearning old habits may be the ultimate keys to success.Support for this episode provided by: CyeraJordan Wilson is a seasoned digital strategist, a 'Top AI Voice' on LinkedIn, a top-rated Generative AI Instructor on Coursera and AI keynote speaker. He hosts the Everyday AI podcast, a fast-growing media and consulting company helping professionals grow their companies with Generative AI. Everyday AI fills the AI knowledge gap between the demand for GenAI skills and the lack of business trainings.Check out Jordan's podcast: Everyday AIThe AI Proving Ground Podcast leverages the deep AI technical and business expertise from within World Wide Technology's one-of-a-kind AI Proving Ground, which provides unrivaled access to the world's leading AI technologies. This unique lab environment accelerates your ability to learn about, test, train and implement AI solutions. Learn more about WWT's AI Proving Ground. The AI Proving Ground is a composable lab environment that features the latest high-performance infrastructure and reference architectures from the world's leading AI companies, such as NVIDIA, Cisco, Dell, F5, AMD, Intel and others. Developed within our Advanced Technology Center (ATC), this one-of-a-kind lab environment empowers IT teams to evaluate and test AI infrastructure, software and solutions for efficacy, scalability and flexibility — all under one roof. The AI Proving Ground provides visibility into data flows across the entire development pipeline, enabling more informed decision-making while safeguarding production environments.

Millions of employees now have Microsoft Copilot at their fingertips, but only a small fraction of organizations have scaled it successfully. In this episode of the AI Proving Ground Podcast, World Wide Technology's Mike Davis and Softchoice's Craig McQueen share hard-won lessons on driving artificial intelligence adoption, overcoming change management challenges and moving from pilots to measurable ROI. If your Copilot rollout has stalled, this conversation could be your roadmap forward.Support for this episode provided by: LogitechMore about this week's guests:Craig McQueen, Vice President for Digital Acceleration provides strategic direction and leadership in driving the creation of highly differentiated, customer-centric service capabilities and offerings for Softchoice. Craig and his team bring to life Softchoice strategy by painting a vision for technologies we take to customers, lead the development of the services required to help our customers adopt the most secure solutions across cloud, data center, collaboration and the digital workplace.Craig's top pick: Microsoft 365 Copilot Wave 2: Spring 2025 Release OverviewMike Davis has more than 20 years of experience in the IT services industry, specializing in voice and video technologies from Microsoft, Cisco, Zoom, Poly, and Pexip. With a business-driven approach, he possesses extensive knowledge of professional services to guide cross functional teams in diverse projects from execution to completion and is recognized as a trusted advisor for public and private sector customers throughout the technology life cycle.Mike's top pick: Digital Trends Spotlight: Key Insights on Workforce Productivity ToolsThe AI Proving Ground Podcast leverages the deep AI technical and business expertise from within World Wide Technology's one-of-a-kind AI Proving Ground, which provides unrivaled access to the world's leading AI technologies. This unique lab environment accelerates your ability to learn about, test, train and implement AI solutions. Learn more about WWT's AI Proving Ground. The AI Proving Ground is a composable lab environment that features the latest high-performance infrastructure and reference architectures from the world's leading AI companies, such as NVIDIA, Cisco, Dell, F5, AMD, Intel and others. Developed within our Advanced Technology Center (ATC), this one-of-a-kind lab environment empowers IT teams to evaluate and test AI infrastructure, software and solutions for efficacy, scalability and flexibility — all under one roof. The AI Proving Ground provides visibility into data flows across the entire development pipeline, enabling more informed decision-making while safeguarding production environments.

Artificial intelligence is transforming higher education — from classrooms to research labs — but with innovation comes risk. How can universities protect sensitive data, meet compliance obligations, and still foster discovery? In this episode of the AI Proving Ground Podcast, WWT Higher Ed Principal Advisor Janet and Principal Cybersecurity Consultant for AI Bryan Fite share how one leading university is tackling AI governance and building guardrails that empower rather than restrict. Their insights reveal why higher ed is a proving ground for responsible AI adoption — and why every industry should be paying attention.Support for this episode provided by: InfobloxMore about this week's guests:Bryan Fite is a committed security practitioner and serial entrepreneur, who uses Facilitated Innovation to solve "Wicked Business Problems". Having spent over 25 years in mission-critical environments, Bryan is uniquely qualified to advise organizations on what works and what doesn't. He has worked with organizations in every major vertical throughout the world and has established himself as a trusted advisor. "The challenges facing organizations today require a business reasonable approach to managing risk, trust and limited resources, while protecting what matters."Bryan's top pick: Shadow AI: The Threat You Didn't See ComingJanet McIllece serves as a Principal Advisor for World Wide Technology with a focus on higher education. Her specialties include strategy design and aligning technology solutions with business architecture, institutional priorities, processes and operations. She uses human-centered innovation approaches to help stakeholders align on a vision and successful implementation path forward by advising, guiding and collaborating on how various paths do - and don't - translate to WWT's technology solutions.Janet's top pick: Using AI to Elevate the Student Experience in Higher Education The AI Proving Ground Podcast leverages the deep AI technical and business expertise from within World Wide Technology's one-of-a-kind AI Proving Ground, which provides unrivaled access to the world's leading AI technologies. This unique lab environment accelerates your ability to learn about, test, train and implement AI solutions. Learn more about WWT's AI Proving Ground. The AI Proving Ground is a composable lab environment that features the latest high-performance infrastructure and reference architectures from the world's leading AI companies, such as NVIDIA, Cisco, Dell, F5, AMD, Intel and others. Developed within our Advanced Technology Center (ATC), this one-of-a-kind lab environment empowers IT teams to evaluate and test AI infrastructure, software and solutions for efficacy, scalability and flexibility — all under one roof. The AI Proving Ground provides visibility into data flows across the entire development pipeline, enabling more informed decision-making while safeguarding production environments.

Is your organization ready to own artificial intelligence or are you better served by leveraging the speed and scale of the cloud? In this episode of the AI Proving Ground Podcast, WWT High-Performance Architecture Director Jeff Fonke and VP of Advanced Technology Solutions Jeff Wynn break down the toughest question facing IT leaders today: should you build or buy your AI capabilities? From the economics of inference costs to hybrid cloud realities, the two Jeffs share practical strategies on private AI, workload orchestration, data readiness and overcoming the enterprise skills gap.Support for this episode provided by: Google CloudMore about this week's guests:Jeff Fonke is a passionate technology leader, who leads new and growth solutions areas at World Wide Technology, including High-Performance Architectures that support AI and Data. With over 25 years of experience in the tech industry at WWT, he has a proven track record of building scalable data center architecture solutions within WWT's own IT organization, WWT's Advanced Technology Center, leveraging those experiences to help advance customers along their journey to simplify the complex.Jeff F.'s top pick: Avoiding an AI Nightmare: Strategies for Scalable IT InfrastructureJeff Wynne is a highly accomplished technology professional with an unwavering commitment to client success. As Vice President of Technical Delivery & Engineering, Jeff is responsible for leading teams that help clients achieve their business goals through technology solutions. With more than 20 years of experience in the industry, Jeff has developed specialized expertise in cloud computing, networking, cybersecurity, and software development. He is a strategic thinker and adept problem-solver who excels at delivering outcomes that exceed client expectations. Above all, Jeff is deeply passionate about building lasting relationships and creating positive impact for clients, which he believes is the true measure of his success.Jeff W.'s top pick: Modernizing the Point of Sale at Jack in the Box to Drive Efficiency, Insights and GrowthThe AI Proving Ground Podcast leverages the deep AI technical and business expertise from within World Wide Technology's one-of-a-kind AI Proving Ground, which provides unrivaled access to the world's leading AI technologies. This unique lab environment accelerates your ability to learn about, test, train and implement AI solutions. Learn more about WWT's AI Proving Ground. The AI Proving Ground is a composable lab environment that features the latest high-performance infrastructure and reference architectures from the world's leading AI companies, such as NVIDIA, Cisco, Dell, F5, AMD, Intel and others. Developed within our Advanced Technology Center (ATC), this one-of-a-kind lab environment empowers IT teams to evaluate and test AI infrastructure, software and solutions for efficacy, scalability and flexibility — all under one roof. The AI Proving Ground provides visibility into data flows across the entire development pipeline, enabling more informed decision-making while safeguarding production environments.

Organizations are racing to unlock the potential of workforce AI, but only a few have cracked adoption at scale. In this episode of the AI Proving Ground Podcast, VP of Digital Experiences Joe Berger and workforce AI expert Kait Miller break down why artificial intelligence pilots stall, how to move from pockets of success to enterprise-wide impact and why employees often trust consumer AI more than company-approved tools. Kait and Joe explore the hidden gap between employee adoption and enterprise rollout, address the build vs. buy conundrum and walk through a real-world case study at WWT that slashed days of work into hours and generated new revenue.Support for this episode provided by: OmnissaMore about this week's guests: Joe Berger is Vice President of WWT's Digital Experience Practice, with over 20 years of expertise in end-user computing, collaboration and AI-driven workforce solutions. He has partnered with Microsoft and Cisco on innovative initiatives and frequently speaks at client advisory boards. Passionate about simplifying experiences to drive productivity, Joe also contributes to outlets like Forrester Research, CIO.com, Wired and CRN.Joe's top pick: How Forward-Thinking Leaders Integrate Culture and Tech to Amplify Organizational SuccessKait Miller specializes in Workforce AI at WWT. She aims to identify growth opportunities and partnerships in this field, leveraging WWT's capabilities around worker productivity solutions. These tools enhance productivity, efficiency and innovation by integrating AI into everyday business processes.Kait's top pick: Digital Trends Spotlight: Key Insights on Workforce Productivity ToolsThe AI Proving Ground Podcast leverages the deep AI technical and business expertise from within World Wide Technology's one-of-a-kind AI Proving Ground, which provides unrivaled access to the world's leading AI technologies. This unique lab environment accelerates your ability to learn about, test, train and implement AI solutions. Learn more about WWT's AI Proving Ground. The AI Proving Ground is a composable lab environment that features the latest high-performance infrastructure and reference architectures from the world's leading AI companies, such as NVIDIA, Cisco, Dell, F5, AMD, Intel and others. Developed within our Advanced Technology Center (ATC), this one-of-a-kind lab environment empowers IT teams to evaluate and test AI infrastructure, software and solutions for efficacy, scalability and flexibility — all under one roof. The AI Proving Ground provides visibility into data flows across the entire development pipeline, enabling more informed decision-making while safeguarding production environments.

At a time when artificial intelligence feels like oxygen — powering every tool, every conversation, every strategy — security leaders at the forefront are sounding the alarm: it won’t fix the fundamentals. In this episode, top voices from government, industry and the next generation of cyber talent share unfiltered perspectives on AI-augmented threats, the velocity of attacks and what it really takes to defend in 2025 and beyond. Interviews include former CISA Director Jen Easterly, former NSA Cybersecurity Director Rob Joyce and a bevy of cyber experts from inside and out of WWT.Support for this episode provided by: SentinelOne The AI Proving Ground Podcast leverages the deep AI technical and business expertise from within World Wide Technology's one-of-a-kind AI Proving Ground, which provides unrivaled access to the world's leading AI technologies. This unique lab environment accelerates your ability to learn about, test, train and implement AI solutions. Learn more about WWT's AI Proving Ground. The AI Proving Ground is a composable lab environment that features the latest high-performance infrastructure and reference architectures from the world's leading AI companies, such as NVIDIA, Cisco, Dell, F5, AMD, Intel and others. Developed within our Advanced Technology Center (ATC), this one-of-a-kind lab environment empowers IT teams to evaluate and test AI infrastructure, software and solutions for efficacy, scalability and flexibility — all under one roof. The AI Proving Ground provides visibility into data flows across the entire development pipeline, enabling more informed decision-making while safeguarding production environments.

Charged with moving fast on artificial intelligence? You might be setting yourself back. In this episode of the AI Proving Ground Podcast, WWT AI expert and data scientist Ina Poecher and Chief Technology Advisor Bill Stanley break down why the organizations that win with AI won't be the ones spending the most — they'll be the ones that get the fundamentals right. From "garbage in, garbage out" to building modular, reusable solutions, they share hard-earned lessons on how to align your teams, clean your data and choose the right first use cases to create a compounding "flywheel" of success. If you're feeling the pressure to move fast, this conversation will show you why the smartest move might be to slow down.Support for this episode provided by: NetscoutMore about this week's guests: Ina Poecher is a Technical Solutions Architect at World Wide Technology (WWT) and collaborates with customers and internal teams to design and validate innovative technology solutions. Working within WWT's Advanced Technology Center, she leverages extensive experience across IT infrastructure, cloud, networking and automation to develop and test complex architectures that drive business outcomes and support strategic initiatives.Ina's top pick: AI Agents: Scaling Your Digital WorkforceWilliam Stanley is a Chief Technology Advisor with nearly 30 years in IT, specializing in data strategy. With an MBA and BS in Computer Science, he aligns data, technology and business goals to drive outcomes. A trusted advisor and innovative leader, his expertise spans IT strategy, architecture and analytics. A lifelong educator, he also teaches a graduate big data course and brings deep, cross-industry experience to every engagement.Bill's top pick: The Data Traps That Are Killing AI InitiativesThe AI Proving Ground Podcast leverages the deep AI technical and business expertise from within World Wide Technology's one-of-a-kind AI Proving Ground, which provides unrivaled access to the world's leading AI technologies. This unique lab environment accelerates your ability to learn about, test, train and implement AI solutions. Learn more about WWT's AI Proving Ground. The AI Proving Ground is a composable lab environment that features the latest high-performance infrastructure and reference architectures from the world's leading AI companies, such as NVIDIA, Cisco, Dell, F5, AMD, Intel and others. Developed within our Advanced Technology Center (ATC), this one-of-a-kind lab environment empowers IT teams to evaluate and test AI infrastructure, software and solutions for efficacy, scalability and flexibility — all under one roof. The AI Proving Ground provides visibility into data flows across the entire development pipeline, enabling more informed decision-making while safeguarding production environments.

Artificial intelligence isn't just evolving — it's accelerating into every corner of business and society. But while innovation surges ahead, AI policy and regulation is playing catch-up. In this episode of The AI Proving Ground Podcast, two of WWT's foremost AI and cyber experts — Kate Kuehn and Bryan Fite — dive deep into the fragmented and fast-changing world of AI policy, regulation and governance. Plus, what every enterprise should be doing right now to stay ahead of regulatory change while building AI systems that are secure, inclusive and future-proof. We’re replaying an episode of the AIPG Podcast to celebrate Kate Kuehn, who will be a prominent guest and speaker at Black Hat 2025. This episode originally aired in April 2025.Kate Kuehn joined WWT in early 2024. She brings more than 25 years of experience leading and advising cyber security, technology, innovative AI strategies and teams to help shape the industry with better business security and risk decisions. Kate is a trusted advisor, thought leader, speaker, published author, and mentor. Currently, her main area of expertise focuses on the collaboration of Risk Executives and Boards to achieve a successful and secure integrated cyber risk management program in this new normal of ever-changing regulations in this elevated threat landscape. Kate also has expertise in the correlation between security, traditional IT initiatives and the implications of AI.Kate's top pick: Trustworthy and Responsible AI at the Global ScaleBryan Fite is a committed security practitioner and serial entrepreneur who uses Facilitated Innovation to solve "Wicked Business Problems". Having spent over 25 years in mission-critical environments, Bryan is uniquely qualified to advise organizations on what works and what doesn't. Bryan has worked with organizations in every major vertical throughout the world and has established himself as a trusted advisor. "The challenges facing organizations today require a business reasonable approach to managing risk, trust and limited resources, while protecting what matters.Bryan's top pick: Shadow AI: The Threat You Didn't See ComingThe AI Proving Ground Podcast leverages the deep AI technical and business expertise from within World Wide Technology's one-of-a-kind AI Proving Ground, which provides unrivaled access to the world's leading AI technologies. This unique lab environment accelerates your ability to learn about, test, train and implement AI solutions. Learn more about WWT's AI Proving Ground. The AI Proving Ground is a composable lab environment that features the latest high-performance infrastructure and reference architectures from the world's leading AI companies, such as NVIDIA, Cisco, Dell, F5, AMD, Intel and others. Developed within our Advanced Technology Center (ATC), this one-of-a-kind lab environment empowers IT teams to evaluate and test AI infrastructure, software and solutions for efficacy, scalability and flexibility — all under one roof. The AI Proving Ground provides visibility into data flows across the entire development pipeline, enabling more informed decision-making while safeguarding production environments.

Federal technology leaders reveal how to start small, set data‑cyber guardrails and scale fast — all without blowing the budget . Listen to Dan Carroll (Dell Federal Field CTO), Ryan Simpson (NVIDIA Chief Technologist for Public Sector Partners) and Brandon Bulldis (WWT Federal Civilian Engineering Director) discuss how federal government agencies are sprinting from artificial intelligence hype to real mission impact. Hear wins like multimodal chatbots and desk‑side AI supercomputers, plus three battle‑tested rules: guardrails first, design for surge and invest in people. Watch or listen now and leave with a clear playbook for infrastructure, talent and funding.More about this week's guests:Dan Carroll is the Field CTO for Cybersecurity – US Federal at Dell Technologies, helping government customers meet cybersecurity and compliance goals. He partners with teams to build solutions that align with standards like HIPAA, FISMA and NERC-CIP. Dan also leads R&D collaborations with groups like NIST and DoD labs, shaping future tech in areas like 5G, IoT, supply chain assurance and digital twins.Dan's top pick: Advancing IT for Federal Agencies with Dell and WWTRyan Simpson is the Engineering Chief Technologist for Federal Partners at NVIDIA, driving AI and data analytics adoption across agencies through the NVIDIA Partner Network. With nearly 20 years in government, including key AI work at USPS, he holds 16 patents in AI and image processing. Ryan brings deep expertise in aligning advanced technologies with public sector needs, policies and mission-driven impact.Ryan's top pick: About NVIDIA & WWTBrandon Bulldis began his career as a Communications Tech in the U.S. Air Force and now brings over 20 years of IT experience to WWT's Federal Civilian Engineering team. With a passion for continuous learning, he's helped public and private sector customers align technology with mission and business goals. A strong advocate for WWT's Advanced Technology Center, Brandon is dedicated to empowering organizations through education and innovation in an ever-evolving tech landscape.Ryan's top pick: Public Sector OverviewThe AI Proving Ground Podcast leverages the deep AI technical and business expertise from within World Wide Technology's one-of-a-kind AI Proving Ground, which provides unrivaled access to the world's leading AI technologies. This unique lab environment accelerates your ability to learn about, test, train and implement AI solutions. Learn more about WWT's AI Proving Ground. The AI Proving Ground is a composable lab environment that features the latest high-performance infrastructure and reference architectures from the world's leading AI companies, such as NVIDIA, Cisco, Dell, F5, AMD, Intel and others. Developed within our Advanced Technology Center (ATC), this one-of-a-kind lab environment empowers IT teams to evaluate and test AI infrastructure, software and solutions for efficacy, scalability and flexibility — all under one roof. The AI Proving Ground provides visibility into data flows across the entire development pipeline, enabling more informed decision-making while safeguarding production environments.

Enterprise adoption of artificial intelligence agents is skyrocketing, with most large organizations already running pilots — but not all that glitters is gold. In this episode of the AI Proving Ground Podcast, Technical Solutions Architect Ina Poecher and Senior Director of WWT’s AI Practice cut through the noise to expose widespread “agent-washing” and spotlight practical, ROI-driven use cases you can implement today. Tune in to learn how agentic architecture transforms generative AI hype into secure, measurable enterprise outcomes — and what’s next for the multi-agent future.Support for this episode provided by: IslandMore about this week's guests:Ina Poecher is a Technical Solutions Architect at World Wide Technology (WWT) and collaborates with customers and internal teams to design and validate innovative technology solutions. Working within WWT's Advanced Technology Center, she leverages extensive experience across IT infrastructure, cloud, networking and automation to develop and test complex architectures that drive business outcomes and support strategic initiatives.Ina's top pick: Hack the Future: AI Meets SecurityJason Campagna leads AI solution strategy at World Wide Technology, helping enterprises adopt intelligent systems from AI assistants to autonomous agents. A technologist since 2001, he brings deep expertise in cloud, automation and platform architecture. Jason is known for bridging disruptive tech with real-world execution and building agile, diverse teams to drive innovation at scale.Jason's top pick: WWT at ONUG AI Networking Summit—Dallas 2025The AI Proving Ground Podcast leverages the deep AI technical and business expertise from within World Wide Technology's one-of-a-kind AI Proving Ground, which provides unrivaled access to the world's leading AI technologies. This unique lab environment accelerates your ability to learn about, test, train and implement AI solutions. Learn more about WWT's AI Proving Ground. The AI Proving Ground is a composable lab environment that features the latest high-performance infrastructure and reference architectures from the world's leading AI companies, such as NVIDIA, Cisco, Dell, F5, AMD, Intel and others. Developed within our Advanced Technology Center (ATC), this one-of-a-kind lab environment empowers IT teams to evaluate and test AI infrastructure, software and solutions for efficacy, scalability and flexibility — all under one roof. The AI Proving Ground provides visibility into data flows across the entire development pipeline, enabling more informed decision-making while safeguarding production environments.

Cloud-native artificial intelligence is rewriting the enterprise playbook. In this episode of the AI Proving Ground Podcast, guest host Robb Boyd joins data strategist Ina Poecher and cloud architect Zaid Elkhateeb to explore why 2025 belongs to firms that treat hyperscale cloud as their default R&D lab. Reporting from WWT’s AI Proving Ground, they reveal how on-demand GPUs, modular services, and policy-as-code governance collapse GenAI timelines from quarters to days — without riling security auditors. Tune in for a four-step blueprint — clean data, outcome-driven architecture, elastic cloud services, and continuous guardrails — that turns artificial intelligence experiments into production-grade advantage.More about this week's guests:Ina Poecher is a Technical Solutions Architect at World Wide Technology (WWT), and collaborates with customers and internal teams to design and validate innovative technology solutions. Working within WWT’s Advanced Technology Center, she leverages extensive experience across IT infrastructure, cloud, networking, and automation to develop and test complex architectures that drive business outcomes and support strategic initiatives.Zaid Elkhateeb is a Technical Solutions Architect at World Wide Technology (WWT), specializing in Google Cloud Platform. He brings deep expertise in cloud engineering, data architecture, and AI/ML services, joining WWT's GS&A team from another leading Google partner. Zaid helps enterprise clients design and implement scalable cloud solutions that power innovation and drive real business outcomes.The AI Proving Ground Podcast leverages the deep AI technical and business expertise from within World Wide Technology's one-of-a-kind AI Proving Ground, which provides unrivaled access to the world's leading AI technologies. This unique lab environment accelerates your ability to learn about, test, train and implement AI solutions. Learn more about WWT's AI Proving Ground. The AI Proving Ground is a composable lab environment that features the latest high-performance infrastructure and reference architectures from the world's leading AI companies, such as NVIDIA, Cisco, Dell, F5, AMD, Intel and others. Developed within our Advanced Technology Center (ATC), this one-of-a-kind lab environment empowers IT teams to evaluate and test AI infrastructure, software and solutions for efficacy, scalability and flexibility — all under one roof. The AI Proving Ground provides visibility into data flows across the entire development pipeline, enabling more informed decision-making while safeguarding production environments.

Agentic artificial intelligence systems have the potential to work together — but not yet at scale. In this episode of the AI Proving Ground Podcast, WWT engineer Sally Jankovic and AI advisor David Geddam break down two emerging standards — Model Context Protocol (MCP) and Agent-to-Agent (A2A) communication. Both promise modular AI integration, safer data flows, and agentic collaboration that actually scales, making them essential infrastructure for enterprise artificial intelligence.Support for this episode provided by: GleanMore about this week's guests:Sally Jankovic earned her PhD in Applied Math from the University of Minnesota in 2023. Drawn to real-world problem-solving, she began her career as a data scientist at a healthcare startup, working on ML, NLP, and LLMs. Her hands-on experience led her to the platform team before joining WWT, where she was inspired by the MC group's collaborative culture and the chance to work across diverse tech stacks and projects.Sally's top pick: Agent-2-Agent Protocol (A2A) - A Deep DiveDavid Geddam is a Senior AI Advisor and Chief Solution Architect at World Wide Technology, with 25+ years of experience in AI, healthcare tech and enterprise solutions. He’s held key roles at Kaiser Permanente, GE Healthcare, Philips, IBM Watson Imaging and multiple startups. David holds degrees in Biomedical Engineering and Healthcare Technology and specializes in AI, cloud, NLP, computer vision and real-time navigation. On the hobbies front, he is involved in playing competitive tennis at USTA 4.0 level for teams in St. Louis.David's top pick: Scaling Agentic AI: Impact of Model Context (MCP) and Agentic (A2A) protocolsThe AI Proving Ground Podcast leverages the deep AI technical and business expertise from within World Wide Technology's one-of-a-kind AI Proving Ground, which provides unrivaled access to the world's leading AI technologies. This unique lab environment accelerates your ability to learn about, test, train and implement AI solutions. Learn more about WWT's AI Proving Ground. The AI Proving Ground is a composable lab environment that features the latest high-performance infrastructure and reference architectures from the world's leading AI companies, such as NVIDIA, Cisco, Dell, F5, AMD, Intel and others. Developed within our Advanced Technology Center (ATC), this one-of-a-kind lab environment empowers IT teams to evaluate and test AI infrastructure, software and solutions for efficacy, scalability and flexibility — all under one roof. The AI Proving Ground provides visibility into data flows across the entire development pipeline, enabling more informed decision-making while safeguarding production environments.

For many, artificial intelligence success isn’t limited by how many GPUs you can buy; it’s limited by how fast those GPUs can talk to each other without tripping over the plumbing. In this episode of the AI Proving Ground Podcast, two of WWT’s top networking minds —Justin van Schaik and Eric Fairfield — lay out the real choke points slowing AI projects to a crawl and how powerful, modernized network architectures are quietly rewriting the rulebook for scaling AI.Support for this episode is provided by: NokiaLearn more about this week's guest:Justin van Shaik is a Technical Solutions Architect at World Wide Technology, specializing in High Performance Networking, AI and Open Networking. A seasoned technologist, he helps organizations design and deploy advanced infrastructure to support next-gen workloads at scale.Justin's top pick: The Future of High Performance Networking: Ultra Ethernet ExplainedEric Fairfield is a Technical Solutions Architect at World Wide Technology with a passion for solving data center networking challenges. He specializes in Cisco ACI, VMware NSX and their integration. Outside of tech, Eric has spent over 30 years immersed in motorsports, working with F1, IndyCar, IMSA and other major racing organizations.Eric's top pick: WWT at ONUG AI Networking Summit—Dallas 2025The AI Proving Ground Podcast leverages the deep AI technical and business expertise from within World Wide Technology's one-of-a-kind AI Proving Ground, which provides unrivaled access to the world's leading AI technologies. This unique lab environment accelerates your ability to learn about, test, train and implement AI solutions. Learn more about WWT's AI Proving Ground. The AI Proving Ground is a composable lab environment that features the latest high-performance infrastructure and reference architectures from the world's leading AI companies, such as NVIDIA, Cisco, Dell, F5, AMD, Intel and others. Developed within our Advanced Technology Center (ATC), this one-of-a-kind lab environment empowers IT teams to evaluate and test AI infrastructure, software and solutions for efficacy, scalability and flexibility — all under one roof. The AI Proving Ground provides visibility into data flows across the entire development pipeline, enabling more informed decision-making while safeguarding production environments.

Jack in the Box CTO Doug Cook and WWT Chief Digital Advisor Charlie Lawhorn detail how a multi-year modernization sprint paved the way for advancements in artificial intelligence — and what every business can learn from the fast-food chain's journey. Doug and Charlie offer a candid conversation that delivers a playbook for prioritizing AI use cases, funding innovation in capital-constrained environments and rolling out AI with minimal disruption.For more about this week's guests:Doug Cook joined Jack in the Box as Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer in October of 2021. Cook brings more than 20 years of industry experience leading guest and employee-facing platforms to Jack in the Box. Cook most recently served as interim CTO of Jack in the Box, effectively leading the technology team and strategy during his interim period. Prior to joining Jack in the Box, Cook served as Chief Information Officer at Pizza Hut. Before Pizza Hut, Cook spent two decades with Sonic applying leading-edge technologies and analytics to grow the company's innovation and market position.Doug's top pick: Jack in the Box Case StudyCharlie Lawhorn is an experienced transformation leader with a career dedicated to designing and executing complex programs that help organizations navigate digital change. He specializes in aligning process design with modern digital technologies to enhance enterprise relevance and performance in a data-driven marketplace. Charlie leads teams that prioritize business outcomes, working closely with stakeholders to identify opportunities, apply the right processes and technologies and deliver measurable business value.Charlie's top pick: Modernizing the Point of Sale at Jack in the Box to Drive Efficiency, Insights and GrowthThe AI Proving Ground Podcast leverages the deep AI technical and business expertise from within World Wide Technology's one-of-a-kind AI Proving Ground, which provides unrivaled access to the world's leading AI technologies. This unique lab environment accelerates your ability to learn about, test, train and implement AI solutions. Learn more about WWT's AI Proving Ground. The AI Proving Ground is a composable lab environment that features the latest high-performance infrastructure and reference architectures from the world's leading AI companies, such as NVIDIA, Cisco, Dell, F5, AMD, Intel and others. Developed within our Advanced Technology Center (ATC), this one-of-a-kind lab environment empowers IT teams to evaluate and test AI infrastructure, software and solutions for efficacy, scalability and flexibility — all under one roof. The AI Proving Ground provides visibility into data flows across the entire development pipeline, enabling more informed decision-making while safeguarding production environments.

At Cisco Live 2025, the networking giant rolled out a sweeping agenda to make artificial intelligence not just powerful, but practical — and secure. In this episode, we caught up with leaders from Cisco, NVIDIA and WWT to talk about what this year's announcements actually mean for enterprise teams tasked with building scalable, secure, AI-ready infrastructure. From the rise of the Cisco Secure AI Factory with NVIDIA to the reality of agentic workflows and persistent inference traffic, this episode unpacks the architectural shifts reshaping the modern data center.Learn more about this week's guests:Kevin Wollenweber is Cisco's Senior Vice President and General Manager of Data Center, Internet, and Cloud Infrastructure. In this role, he leads product strategy to enhance Cisco's infrastructure solutions for the data center, high-performance routing, and mobile networks. His leadership is pivotal in driving growth and developing cutting-edge solutions to meet the dynamic needs of businesses worldwide.Kevin's top pick: About Cisco and WWTChris Marriott is the VP/GM of Enterprise Platforms at NVIDIA, where he has spent 14 years advancing enterprise solutions. With a background in engineering, including 10 years in ASIC development, Chris combines technical expertise with strategic insight to address the evolving tech landscape.Chris's top pick: About NVIDIA and WWTNeil Anderson has over 30 years of experience in Software Development, Wireless, Security, Networking, Data Center, Cloud and AI technologies. At WWT Neil is an VP in our Global Solutions and Architecture team, with responsibility for over $16B in WWT's solutions portfolio across AI, Networking, Cloud, Data Center, and Automation. Neil advises many large organizations on their global architecture and IT strategy across Global Enterprise, Global Service Provider, and Public Sector. Neil is also on the advisory board of several high-tech companies and startups.Neil's top pick: Building for Success: A CTO's Guide to Generative AIThe AI Proving Ground Podcast leverages the deep AI technical and business expertise from within World Wide Technology's one-of-a-kind AI Proving Ground, which provides unrivaled access to the world's leading AI technologies. This unique lab environment accelerates your ability to learn about, test, train and implement AI solutions. Learn more about WWT's AI Proving Ground. The AI Proving Ground is a composable lab environment that features the latest high-performance infrastructure and reference architectures from the world's leading AI companies, such as NVIDIA, Cisco, Dell, F5, AMD, Intel and others. Developed within our Advanced Technology Center (ATC), this one-of-a-kind lab environment empowers IT teams to evaluate and test AI infrastructure, software and solutions for efficacy, scalability and flexibility — all under one roof. The AI Proving Ground provides visibility into data flows across the entire development pipeline, enabling more informed decision-making while safeguarding production environments.

AI leaders these days have little time for proofs of concept. They need ROI. If you're leading the artificial intelligence transformation in a large organization, this episode of the AI Proving Ground Podcast is your blueprint. AI consultants Kathleen Nowicke and Yoni Malchi share how top enterprises prioritize use cases, align across business units and unlock lasting ROI, and detail a three-step process to get AI right from the start.Support for this episode provided by: VAST DataMore about this week's guests:Kathleen Nowicke is an experienced consultant in data-driven digital transformation, with a broader background in Enterprise Architecture and a passion for healthcare. Skilled in leading delivery of complex services engagements, business development, and building high-performing teams. Previous consulting experience with Boston Consulting Group; PhD in Biomedical Engineering from Johns Hopkins University.Kathleen's top pick: Building for Success: A CTO's Guide to Generative AIYoni Malchi is a Managing Director in Consulting Services at WWT focused on AI and Cloud Strategy. He leads AI engagements with key customers bridging the gap between the business and technology teams. Yoni also leads the AI R&D efforts which researches cutting-edge AI techniques, tools, and platforms to provide differentiated recommendations to our clients.Yoni's top pick: A Guide for CEOs to Accelerate AI Excitement and AdoptionThe AI Proving Ground Podcast leverages the deep AI technical and business expertise from within World Wide Technology's one-of-a-kind AI Proving Ground, which provides unrivaled access to the world's leading AI technologies. This unique lab environment accelerates your ability to learn about, test, train and implement AI solutions. Learn more about WWT's AI Proving Ground. The AI Proving Ground is a composable lab environment that features the latest high-performance infrastructure and reference architectures from the world's leading AI companies, such as NVIDIA, Cisco, Dell, F5, AMD, Intel and others. Developed within our Advanced Technology Center (ATC), this one-of-a-kind lab environment empowers IT teams to evaluate and test AI infrastructure, software and solutions for efficacy, scalability and flexibility — all under one roof. The AI Proving Ground provides visibility into data flows across the entire development pipeline, enabling more informed decision-making while safeguarding production environments.

Nearly half of today's artificial intelligence initiatives are dead on arrival. The culprit? The data. From disjointed systems and undefined use cases to cultures that overestimate readiness, WWT data strategists Bill Stanley and Jonathan Gassner break down why many organizations struggle and detail how you can build real momentum for AI transformation.Support for this episode provided by: DataminrLearn more about this week's guests:Jonathan Gassner is a Technical Solutions Architect at WWT specializing in data engineering. He leads pre-sales efforts, aligning sales and delivery through consultative engagement. Jonathan crafts executive briefings, workshops and GTM strategies, supporting clients across sectors. He advances AI R&D, mentors future leaders, manages partner relations and drives innovation by staying ahead of data and AI trends.Jonathan's top pick: Data Maturity ModelWilliam Stanley is a Chief Technology Advisor with nearly 30 years in IT, specializing in data strategy. With an MBA and BS in Computer Science, he aligns data, technology and business goals to drive outcomes. A trusted advisor and innovative leader, his expertise spans IT strategy, architecture and analytics. A lifelong educator, he also teaches a graduate big data course and brings deep, cross-industry experience to every engagement.Bill's top pick: A Practical Playbook for AI: Driving AI Adoption in the EnterpriseThe AI Proving Ground Podcast leverages the deep AI technical and business expertise from within World Wide Technology's one-of-a-kind AI Proving Ground, which provides unrivaled access to the world's leading AI technologies. This unique lab environment accelerates your ability to learn about, test, train and implement AI solutions. Learn more about WWT's AI Proving Ground. The AI Proving Ground is a composable lab environment that features the latest high-performance infrastructure and reference architectures from the world's leading AI companies, such as NVIDIA, Cisco, Dell, F5, AMD, Intel and others. Developed within our Advanced Technology Center (ATC), this one-of-a-kind lab environment empowers IT teams to evaluate and test AI infrastructure, software and solutions for efficacy, scalability and flexibility — all under one roof. The AI Proving Ground provides visibility into data flows across the entire development pipeline, enabling more informed decision-making while safeguarding production environments.

As artificial intelligence innovation intensifies, one domain is already feeling the impact: software development. In this episode, WWT experts Nate McKie and Andrew Athan explore how AI-powered coding assistants are improving developer productivity and reshaping enterprise engineering. From Copilot to agentic tools capable of autonomous code generation, they examine how organizations are navigating this transition, balancing speed with quality and redefining the role of human developers. Whether you're leading a dev team or charting your company’s AI roadmap, this is a must-listen for understanding the real-world implications of AI in engineering.Support for this episode provided by: WindsurfLearn more about this week's guests:Nate McKie's passion for computers started as a child, inspired by his father's work at Radio Shack. With a B.S. in Computer Studies, he has over 25 years of experience in software and automation engineering. Now a senior-level AI Advisor, Nate helps customers leverage AI technologies to achieve their business goals, combining his expertise in hardware, software and data to guide smart, impactful decisions on their AI journey.Nate's top pick: Unlocking the Power of AI Coding AssistantsAndrew Athan is a Technical Solutions Architect III with deep expertise in high-performance, low-latency, distributed computing, consensus and blockchain and high-frequency trading. With a strong background in networks and software, he specializes in designing and implementing cutting-edge solutions to meet complex technical challenges. Andrew's work focuses on optimizing systems for speed, scalability and reliability in fast-paced environments.Andrew's top pick: Codeium Windsurf Coding Assistance DemoThe AI Proving Ground Podcast leverages the deep AI technical and business expertise from within World Wide Technology's one-of-a-kind AI Proving Ground, which provides unrivaled access to the world's leading AI technologies. This unique lab environment accelerates your ability to learn about, test, train and implement AI solutions. Learn more about WWT's AI Proving Ground. The AI Proving Ground is a composable lab environment that features the latest high-performance infrastructure and reference architectures from the world's leading AI companies, such as NVIDIA, Cisco, Dell, F5, AMD, Intel and others. Developed within our Advanced Technology Center (ATC), this one-of-a-kind lab environment empowers IT teams to evaluate and test AI infrastructure, software and solutions for efficacy, scalability and flexibility — all under one roof. The AI Proving Ground provides visibility into data flows across the entire development pipeline, enabling more informed decision-making while safeguarding production environments.

As artificial intelligence pushes the limits of traditional IT infrastructure, enterprises are racing to modernize their data centers. In this episode, Mike Parham and Bruce Gray walk us through the behind-the-scenes decisions that matter — from power and cooling challenges to GPU readiness and sustainability. Whether you're modernizing or starting from scratch, this conversation is your blueprint for AI-ready infrastructure.Support for this episode provided by: VertivMore about this week's guests:Bruce Gray, a results-driven IT executive at World Wide Technology since 2007, brings 25+ years of experience in Building Automation, IT, and Telecom. As Practice Manager, he leads business development and execution for data center design and IT facilities infrastructure. With a background in architecture, programming, and electrical engineering, Bruce excels in strategy, project management, and vendor relations—always seeking challenges that drive impact.Bruce's top pick: Data Center Priorities for 2025Mike Parham is a Technical Solutions Architect at World Wide Technology, where he has been delivering innovative IT solutions since 2011. With a strong technical background and a focus on aligning technology with business goals, Mike helps clients design and implement scalable, efficient architectures. He is known for his collaborative approach, deep expertise, and commitment to driving successful outcomes.Mike's top pick: AI and Data Priorities for 2025The AI Proving Ground Podcast leverages the deep AI technical and business expertise from within World Wide Technology's one-of-a-kind AI Proving Ground, which provides unrivaled access to the world's leading AI technologies. This unique lab environment accelerates your ability to learn about, test, train and implement AI solutions. Learn more about WWT's AI Proving Ground. The AI Proving Ground is a composable lab environment that features the latest high-performance infrastructure and reference architectures from the world's leading AI companies, such as NVIDIA, Cisco, Dell, F5, AMD, Intel and others. Developed within our Advanced Technology Center (ATC), this one-of-a-kind lab environment empowers IT teams to evaluate and test AI infrastructure, software and solutions for efficacy, scalability and flexibility — all under one roof. The AI Proving Ground provides visibility into data flows across the entire development pipeline, enabling more informed decision-making while safeguarding production environments.

Artificial intelligence systems are only as trustworthy as the data they're trained on — but what happens when that data is intentionally corrupted? WWT's Justin Hadler and Chance Cornell break down the growing threats of data poisoning and prompt injection, explore the challenges of securing AI pipelines and dive into why the next big cybersecurity frontier starts inside the model.Learn more about this week's guests: Chance Cornell joined WWT in 2021 as an intern and is now a Technical Solutions Engineer on the Users and Devices Team, focusing on Endpoint Security, including EDR and XDR. He has developed labs and content around technologies like CrowdStrike, Elastic, and Fortinet. Chance holds a B.S. in Computer Engineering from the University of South Florida.Chance's top pick: Hands-On Lab Workshop: LLM SecurityJustin Hadler is a seasoned technologist with over 20 years of experience in sales and technology. As a Technical Solutions Architect at WWT, he specializes in AI Security. Previously, Justin was a Regional Sales Manager at BigID, helping organizations tackle data discovery and classification challenges. He holds multiple certifications, including CCIE and CISSP, and degrees in Finance, MIS, and Economics. Justin is also Vice Chairman of Search Ministries' Leadership Board and mentors the next generation in tech and sales.Justin's top pick: Secure Your Future: A CISO's Guide to AISupport for this episode provided by: CrowdstrikeThe AI Proving Ground Podcast leverages the deep AI technical and business expertise from within World Wide Technology's one-of-a-kind AI Proving Ground, which provides unrivaled access to the world's leading AI technologies. This unique lab environment accelerates your ability to learn about, test, train and implement AI solutions. Learn more about WWT's AI Proving Ground. The AI Proving Ground is a composable lab environment that features the latest high-performance infrastructure and reference architectures from the world's leading AI companies, such as NVIDIA, Cisco, Dell, F5, AMD, Intel and others. Developed within our Advanced Technology Center (ATC), this one-of-a-kind lab environment empowers IT teams to evaluate and test AI infrastructure, software and solutions for efficacy, scalability and flexibility — all under one roof. The AI Proving Ground provides visibility into data flows across the entire development pipeline, enabling more informed decision-making while safeguarding production environments.

Where should your AI workloads run? It's one of the most overlooked questions in artificial intelligence strategy. From surprising constraints around power, cooling and floor space, to the growing demand for GPU-as-a-Service models, this episode delivers a field-level view of the challenges enterprises face when moving from AI proof of concept to production. You’ll hear why infrastructure readiness assessments are essential, how AI workloads differ from traditional IT, and what to consider before buying that next GPU cluster.Support for this episode provided by: EquinixLearn more about this weeks guests: Chris Campbell is Sr. Director of AI Solutions at WWT, overseeing AIaaS/GPUaaS, Facilities & Infrastructure strategy and delivery. He's held leadership roles in executive engagement, engineering, and architecture at WWT, and led practices at Forsythe, Red Hat, BEA Systems, and AT&T. Chris holds a BA from Columbia University and an MBA from the University of Maryland, where he was a Dingman Entrepreneur Scholar.Don Molaro is a tech professional focused on making data centers carbon neutral. Based in Cupertino, he holds a master's in Computer Science and 33 U.S. patents. He specializes in systems programming, high-performance storage, and software-defined systems, with experience across industries from finance to HPC. Previously, he held senior roles at Citibank, DataDirect Networks, and Hitachi Data Systems.Chris and Don's top pick: What is GPU-as-a-Service (GPUaaS) or GPU Cloud?The AI Proving Ground Podcast leverages the deep AI technical and business expertise from within World Wide Technology's one-of-a-kind AI Proving Ground, which provides unrivaled access to the world's leading AI technologies. This unique lab environment accelerates your ability to learn about, test, train and implement AI solutions. Learn more about WWT's AI Proving Ground. The AI Proving Ground is a composable lab environment that features the latest high-performance infrastructure and reference architectures from the world's leading AI companies, such as NVIDIA, Cisco, Dell, F5, AMD, Intel and others. Developed within our Advanced Technology Center (ATC), this one-of-a-kind lab environment empowers IT teams to evaluate and test AI infrastructure, software and solutions for efficacy, scalability and flexibility — all under one roof. The AI Proving Ground provides visibility into data flows across the entire development pipeline, enabling more informed decision-making while safeguarding production environments.

Can deepfakes go from dangerous to delightful? In this episode of the AI Proving Ground Podcast, Adam Dumey and Chris Roberts explore one of the more surprising — and controversial — applications of artificial intelligence: the use of synthetic media and deepfakes in personalized customer experiences. You'll learn what deepfakes really are and why they're no longer just a security threat, how AI-powered personalization is reshaping the customer experience, and the ethical and technical challenges of using AI-generated content responsibly.Learn more about this weeks guests: Adam Dumey is a tech executive with 20+ years of experience leading AI, Autonomous Retail, and Cloud initiatives across sectors. He advises Boards and C-suites on digital transformation, driving major efficiency and revenue gains. At WWT, he leads Global Retail Sales, helping clients grow revenue and optimize operations by aligning strategy, tech, and partners like Nvidia, Dell, Crowdstrike, and Cisco.Adam's top pick: Navigating the Future: Three Emerging Trends in the QSR IndustryChris Roberts is a technology expert at World Wide Technology with extensive experience across aerospace, AI, adversarial AI, deepfakes, cryptography, and deception technologies. He has founded or collaborated with multiple organizations in human research, data intelligence, and security. Today, he focuses on advancing risk management, maturity models, and industry-wide collaboration and communication.Chris's top pick: Deepfake Deception: Can You Trust What You See and Hear?The AI Proving Ground Podcast leverages the deep AI technical and business expertise from within World Wide Technology's one-of-a-kind AI Proving Ground, which provides unrivaled access to the world's leading AI technologies. This unique lab environment accelerates your ability to learn about, test, train and implement AI solutions. Learn more about WWT's AI Proving Ground. The AI Proving Ground is a composable lab environment that features the latest high-performance infrastructure and reference architectures from the world's leading AI companies, such as NVIDIA, Cisco, Dell, F5, AMD, Intel and others. Developed within our Advanced Technology Center (ATC), this one-of-a-kind lab environment empowers IT teams to evaluate and test AI infrastructure, software and solutions for efficacy, scalability and flexibility — all under one roof. The AI Proving Ground provides visibility into data flows across the entire development pipeline, enabling more informed decision-making while safeguarding production environments.

Many organizations are chasing artificial intelligence's promise. But who's actually delivering results? In this episode of The AI Proving Ground Podcast, we take you inside WWT's AI Day STL, where real-world success stories meet tactical, boots-on-the-ground guidance for enterprise AI transformation. It's what we call "Practical AI." This episode explores the four phases of AI maturity, why clear use cases are more valuable than code, and how agentic AI and data readiness are reshaping the enterprise landscape.The AI Proving Ground Podcast leverages the deep AI technical and business expertise from within World Wide Technology's one-of-a-kind AI Proving Ground, which provides unrivaled access to the world's leading AI technologies. This unique lab environment accelerates your ability to learn about, test, train and implement AI solutions. Learn more about WWT's AI Proving Ground. The AI Proving Ground is a composable lab environment that features the latest high-performance infrastructure and reference architectures from the world's leading AI companies, such as NVIDIA, Cisco, Dell, F5, AMD, Intel and others. Developed within our Advanced Technology Center (ATC), this one-of-a-kind lab environment empowers IT teams to evaluate and test AI infrastructure, software and solutions for efficacy, scalability and flexibility — all under one roof. The AI Proving Ground provides visibility into data flows across the entire development pipeline, enabling more informed decision-making while safeguarding production environments.

As enterprise artificial intelligence strategies mature, the user interface is evolving beyond chatbots. Enter the digital human — real-time, emotionally aware, multilingual AI avatars designed to mimic human interaction with uncanny realism. In this episode of AI Proving Ground Podcast, WWT Chief Technology Advisor Ruben Ambrose and Area Director of Strategy an Innovation Eric Jones unpack their journey building WWT’s own avatar, “Ellie,” and offer a revealing look at the infrastructure, latency tradeoffs and feedback loops driving this frontier.Learn more about this week's guests:Ruben Ambrose is an AI Product Manager at World Wide Technology with over 25 years of experience in corporate IT. His background spans application development, IT operations, enterprise architecture, and sales advisory. Today, he leads teams focused on prototyping AI solutions that drive innovation and business value.Ruben's top pick: The Making of Ellie: How WWT Built its Cutting-Edge Digital Human in 5 Weeks Using NVIDIA AI PlatformsEric Jones is an Area Director of Strategy and Innovation at World Wide Technology. He has been in the software industry for over twelve years. For the last two years, he has been focused on Generative AI and its application to enterprise workflows. This research helps World Wide Technology provide industry-leading services in building Generative AI solutions for customers around the globe.Eric's top pick: Join WWT in the AI and Digital Revolution at NVIDIA GTC 2025!The AI Proving Ground Podcast leverages the deep AI technical and business expertise from within World Wide Technology's one-of-a-kind AI Proving Ground, which provides unrivaled access to the world's leading AI technologies. This unique lab environment accelerates your ability to learn about, test, train and implement AI solutions. Learn more about WWT's AI Proving Ground. The AI Proving Ground is a composable lab environment that features the latest high-performance infrastructure and reference architectures from the world's leading AI companies, such as NVIDIA, Cisco, Dell, F5, AMD, Intel and others. Developed within our Advanced Technology Center (ATC), this one-of-a-kind lab environment empowers IT teams to evaluate and test AI infrastructure, software and solutions for efficacy, scalability and flexibility — all under one roof. The AI Proving Ground provides visibility into data flows across the entire development pipeline, enabling more informed decision-making while safeguarding production environments.

Artifical intelligence isn't just evolving — it's accelerating into every corner of business and society. But while innovation surges ahead, AI policy and regulation is playing catch-up. In this episode of The AI Proving Ground Podcast, two of WWT's foremost AI and cyber experts — Kate Kuehn and Bryan Fite — dive deep into the fragmented and fast-changing world of AI policy, regulation and governance. Plus, what every enterprise should be doing right now to stay ahead of regulatory change while building AI systems that are secure, inclusive and future-proof.For more on this week's guests:Kate Kuehn joined WWT in early 2024. She brings more than 25 years of experience leading and advising cyber security, technology, innovative AI strategies and teams to help shape the industry with better business security and risk decisions. Kate is a trusted advisor, thought leader, speaker, published author, and mentor. Currently, her main area of expertise focuses on the collaboration of Risk Executives and Boards to achieve a successful and secure integrated cyber risk management program in this new normal of ever-changing regulations in this elevated threat landscape. Kate also has expertise in the correlation between security, traditional IT initiatives and the implications of AI.Kate's top pick: Trustworthy and Responsible AI at the Global ScaleBryan Fite is a committed security practitioner and serial entrepreneur who uses Facilitated Innovation to solve "Wicked Business Problems". Having spent over 25 years in mission-critical environments, Bryan is uniquely qualified to advise organizations on what works and what doesn't. Bryan has worked with organizations in every major vertical throughout the world and has established himself as a trusted advisor. "The challenges facing organizations today require a business reasonable approach to managing risk, trust and limited resources, while protecting what matters.Bryan's top pick: Shadow AI: The Threat You Didn't See ComingThe AI Proving Ground Podcast leverages the deep AI technical and business expertise from within World Wide Technology's one-of-a-kind AI Proving Ground, which provides unrivaled access to the world's leading AI technologies. This unique lab environment accelerates your ability to learn about, test, train and implement AI solutions. Learn more about WWT's AI Proving Ground. The AI Proving Ground is a composable lab environment that features the latest high-performance infrastructure and reference architectures from the world's leading AI companies, such as NVIDIA, Cisco, Dell, F5, AMD, Intel and others. Developed within our Advanced Technology Center (ATC), this one-of-a-kind lab environment empowers IT teams to evaluate and test AI infrastructure, software and solutions for efficacy, scalability and flexibility — all under one roof. The AI Proving Ground provides visibility into data flows across the entire development pipeline, enabling more informed decision-making while safeguarding production environments.

Can artificial intelligence help solve the healthcare crisis? In this episode of The AI Proving Ground Podcast, frontline healthcare executives Dr. Sanaz Cordes and Dr. Eric Quinones — both Chief Digital Advisors at WWT — share how AI is transforming clinical care and hospital operations. From ambient scribing and inbox management to predictive analytics and automation, they reveal how healthcare CIOs and clinicians are scaling AI responsibly to restore physician focus, improve efficiency and shape the future of healthcare delivery.More about this week's guests:Sanaz Cordes is a physician executive with 20 years of healthcare and healthtech experience. Serial entrepreneur, investor, venture advisor, and industry expert on healthcare innovation and clinical workflow. She is a speaker, blogger, and clinical thought leader that has built and helped scale healthcare companies from idea to acquisition. A pediatrician, Dr. Cordes began her career as a medical director for Providence Health and Services.Dr. Cordes's top pick: Patient Experience Landscape in 2025Eric Quinones is a disciplined physician leader driven by the Quintuple Aim; enhancing the patient experience, improving population health, reducing cost of care, improving the work-life of clinicians, and focusing on SDoH through the successful use of digital & data transformational tools, that support clinical and business objectives.Dr. Quinones's top pick: Key Highlights from HIMSS 2025: A Transformative Year for Digital HealthThe AI Proving Ground Podcast leverages the deep AI technical and business expertise from within World Wide Technology's one-of-a-kind AI Proving Ground, which provides unrivaled access to the world's leading AI technologies. This unique lab environment accelerates your ability to learn about, test, train and implement AI solutions. Learn more about WWT's AI Proving Ground. The AI Proving Ground is a composable lab environment that features the latest high-performance infrastructure and reference architectures from the world's leading AI companies, such as NVIDIA, Cisco, Dell, F5, AMD, Intel and others. Developed within our Advanced Technology Center (ATC), this one-of-a-kind lab environment empowers IT teams to evaluate and test AI infrastructure, software and solutions for efficacy, scalability and flexibility — all under one roof. The AI Proving Ground provides visibility into data flows across the entire development pipeline, enabling more informed decision-making while safeguarding production environments.

Artificial intelligence is moving beyond predictive analytics into real-time, autonomous decision-making — and enterprises must scale securely and efficiently to keep up. In this episode of The AI Proving Ground Podcast, WWT VP of Networking and AI Solutions Neil Anderson, NVIDIA SVP of Networking Kevin Deierling and Cisco SVP of Networking Kevin Wollenweber unpack the biggest takeaways from NVIDIA GTC. They explore the evolving Cisco–NVIDIA partnership, the critical role of AI infrastructure and how innovations in networking, security and compute are shaping the future of AI-powered enterprises.More about this weeks guests:Neil Anderson has over 30 years of experience in software development, wireless, and networking technologies. At WWT Neil is the Area VP for our Cloud & Infrastructure Solutions global practice, with responsibility for Cloud, Data Center, Networking, AI, and Automation Solutions, representing over $15B in revenue. Neil works daily across WWT's customer segments, which include Global Enterprise, Global Service Provider, and Public Sector.Neil's top pick: Building for Success: A CTO's Guide to Generative AIKevin Deierling is the senior vice president of Networking at NVIDIA. He has been a founder or senior executive at five startups that have achieved positive outcomes. Combining both technical and business expertise, Deierling has variously served as the chief officer of technology, architecture, and marketing at these companies, where he led the development of strategy and products across a broad range of disciplines including networking, security, cloud, big data, virtualization, storage, smart energy, and DNA sequencing. Deierling has contributed to multiple technology standards and has over 25 patents. Kevin Wollenweber is Senior Vice President and General Manager of the Cisco Networking – Data Center and Provider Connectivity organization. In this role, he leads a portfolio that transforms how our customers build and manage their network architectures. He has worked with the world's largest Service Provider, Enterprise, and Web Companies for the last three decades and has been with Cisco since 1997. As the leader for Cisco's Data Center and Provider Connectivity portfolio, Kevin is focused on how the industry and technologies are transforming and continuously evolving Cisco's products and solutions.The AI Proving Ground Podcast leverages the deep AI technical and business expertise from within World Wide Technology's one-of-a-kind AI Proving Ground, which provides unrivaled access to the world's leading AI technologies. This unique lab environment accelerates your ability to learn about, test, train and implement AI solutions. Learn more about WWT's AI Proving Ground. The AI Proving Ground is a composable lab environment that features the latest high-performance infrastructure and reference architectures from the world's leading AI companies, such as NVIDIA, Cisco, Dell, F5, AMD, Intel and others. Developed within our Advanced Technology Center (ATC), this one-of-a-kind lab environment empowers IT teams to evaluate and test AI infrastructure, software and solutions for efficacy, scalability and flexibility — all under one roof. The AI Proving Ground provides visibility into data flows across the entire development pipeline, enabling more informed decision-making while safeguarding production environments.

Jensen Huang’s keynote at NVIDIA GTC 2025 made one thing clear: artificial intelligence is entering a new era of enterprise transformation. No longer just a supporting tool, AI is evolving into a decision-making and autonomous agent. In this episode of The AI Proving Ground Podcast, WWT experts on the ground at GTC 2025 share quick-hit reactions and insights on what this shift means for business and technology leaders.More AI Proving Ground Podcast: https://www.wwt.com/events/ai-proving-ground-podcast/overviewThe AI Proving Ground Podcast leverages the deep AI technical and business expertise from within World Wide Technology's one-of-a-kind AI Proving Ground, which provides unrivaled access to the world's leading AI technologies. This unique lab environment accelerates your ability to learn about, test, train and implement AI solutions. Learn more about WWT's AI Proving Ground. The AI Proving Ground is a composable lab environment that features the latest high-performance infrastructure and reference architectures from the world's leading AI companies, such as NVIDIA, Cisco, Dell, F5, AMD, Intel and others. Developed within our Advanced Technology Center (ATC), this one-of-a-kind lab environment empowers IT teams to evaluate and test AI infrastructure, software and solutions for efficacy, scalability and flexibility — all under one roof. The AI Proving Ground provides visibility into data flows across the entire development pipeline, enabling more informed decision-making while safeguarding production environments.

Artificial intelligence is transforming enterprises — but are organizations really using it effectively? In this episode of The AI Proving Ground Podcast, experts Jon Duren and Jay Custard unpack the toughest challenges of enterprise AI adoption, from underutilized AI tools and shadow AI risks to the ongoing struggle of proving real ROI.Learn more about this weeks guest:Jay Custard has deep experience helping companies harness the power of digital technologies to drive meaningful customer experiences. An experienced digital marketing and ecommerce executive, he has worked across multiple disciplines with both large and small companies to enable integrated transformational retail experiences on a global scale. He has been fortunate to serve the customers of Crocs, New Balance, FinishLine, Southeastern Grocers, and Cabela's with a focus on user experience, analytics, marketing, merchandising, and technology transformations.Jay's top pick: 4 Key Principles for Reimagining Retail with Science and VisionJon Duren is an accomplished technology professional with over 25 years of experience in service-provider, data center, cloud and AI solutions. He is driven by a passion for applying technical solutions to achieve business outcomes and is currently working to expand the WWT AI Solutions practice. Jon actively seeks out the best strategies to create customer value. He is constantly monitoring marketing trends, innovative and disruptive technologies, and significant market transitions to identify opportunities for driving customer growth and success. With a talent for breaking down complex topics into easy-to-understand concepts, Jon is able to develop and share a vision of where business and technology intersect to create better outcomes.Jon's top pick: Agentic AI Sounds New—But Haven't We Been Doing This Already?The AI Proving Ground Podcast leverages the deep AI technical and business expertise from within World Wide Technology's one-of-a-kind AI Proving Ground, which provides unrivaled access to the world's leading AI technologies. This unique lab environment accelerates your ability to learn about, test, train and implement AI solutions. Learn more about WWT's AI Proving Ground. The AI Proving Ground is a composable lab environment that features the latest high-performance infrastructure and reference architectures from the world's leading AI companies, such as NVIDIA, Cisco, Dell, F5, AMD, Intel and others. Developed within our Advanced Technology Center (ATC), this one-of-a-kind lab environment empowers IT teams to evaluate and test AI infrastructure, software and solutions for efficacy, scalability and flexibility — all under one roof. The AI Proving Ground provides visibility into data flows across the entire development pipeline, enabling more informed decision-making while safeguarding production environments.

The artificial intelligence hype cycle pushed enterprises to stockpile GPUs — but how are they being used today? In this episode of The AI Proving Ground Podcast, Chris Braun and Andy Moser break down how organizations are maximizing their GPU investments, the rise of fractional GPUs and the new skills IT teams need to run AI workloads efficiently. They also explore GPU power and cooling challenges, what’s next in AI computing and whether GPUs will remain the backbone of artificial intelligence or if new architectures are set to take over.Learn more about this week's guests:Chris Braun brings over 20 years of IT experience across roles such as Helpdesk, Systems Administrator, and Technical Architect. Currently a Technical Solutions Architect at the ATC, he evaluates a wide range of technologies including hyper-converged infrastructure, SDDC, networking, and more.Chris's top pick: Hands-On Lab Workshop: Liqid Disaggregated Composable InfrastructureAndy Moser is a Solutions Architect with deep expertise in IT infrastructure, specializing in next-generation data center and cloud solutions for large enterprises. At World Wide Technology's Advanced Technology Center, he designs complex proof of concepts, leveraging his knowledge in compute, virtualization, and automation across leading OEM technologies to support customers and field sales teams.Andy's top pick: A Deep Dive into AWS and NVIDIA NIM IntegrationThe AI Proving Ground Podcast leverages the deep AI technical and business expertise from within World Wide Technology's one-of-a-kind AI Proving Ground, which provides unrivaled access to the world's leading AI technologies. This unique lab environment accelerates your ability to learn about, test, train and implement AI solutions. Learn more about WWT's AI Proving Ground. The AI Proving Ground is a composable lab environment that features the latest high-performance infrastructure and reference architectures from the world's leading AI companies, such as NVIDIA, Cisco, Dell, F5, AMD, Intel and others. Developed within our Advanced Technology Center (ATC), this one-of-a-kind lab environment empowers IT teams to evaluate and test AI infrastructure, software and solutions for efficacy, scalability and flexibility — all under one roof. The AI Proving Ground provides visibility into data flows across the entire development pipeline, enabling more informed decision-making while safeguarding production environments.

Many enterprises see the promise of artificial intelligence but stall when faced with risks, legacy infrastructure and data chaos. In this episode of The AI Proving Ground Podcast, WWT experts Mike Trojecki and Ina Poecher reveal how to overcome these barriers by starting with small, high-impact AI use cases, unlocking value from existing data and aligning technical capabilities with business strategy.For more about this week's guests:Ina Poecher is a Technical Solutions Architect at World Wide Technology (WWT), and collaborates with customers and internal teams to design and validate innovative technology solutions. Working within WWT’s Advanced Technology Center, she leverages extensive experience across IT infrastructure, cloud, networking, and automation to develop and test complex architectures that drive business outcomes and support strategic initiatives.Ina's top pick: Data Maturity ModelMike Trojecki began his career in the U.S. Air Force supporting missions for the White House and Air Force One. He later led emerging tech practices at firms like ePlus and Logicalis, with expertise in security, networking, cloud, and AI. Now leading the AI Practice at WWT, he focuses on high-performance architectures, data management, and AI data center design, delivering innovative solutions that drive business transformation.Mike's top pick: Building for Success: A CTO's Guide to Generative AIThe AI Proving Ground Podcast leverages the deep AI technical and business expertise from within World Wide Technology's one-of-a-kind AI Proving Ground, which provides unrivaled access to the world's leading AI technologies. This unique lab environment accelerates your ability to learn about, test, train and implement AI solutions. Learn more about WWT's AI Proving Ground. The AI Proving Ground is a composable lab environment that features the latest high-performance infrastructure and reference architectures from the world's leading AI companies, such as NVIDIA, Cisco, Dell, F5, AMD, Intel and others. Developed within our Advanced Technology Center (ATC), this one-of-a-kind lab environment empowers IT teams to evaluate and test AI infrastructure, software and solutions for efficacy, scalability and flexibility — all under one roof. The AI Proving Ground provides visibility into data flows across the entire development pipeline, enabling more informed decision-making while safeguarding production environments.

AI strategy without execution is just a dream — but execution without strategy is a nightmare. In this episode of The AI Proving Ground Podcast, WWT experts Jeff Fonke and Matt Halcomb break down what it really takes to build AI-ready infrastructure. From data centers to high-performance architecture, they explore how organizations can align strategy and execution to unlock the full potential of artificial intelligence.Learn more about this week's guests:Jeff Fonke is a passionate technology leader who leads new and growth solutions areas at World Wide Technology, including High-Performance Architectures that support AI and Data. With over 25 years of experience in the tech industry at WWT, he has a proven track record of building scalable data center architecture solutions within WWT's own IT organization, WWT's Advanced Technology Center, leveraging those experiences to help advance customers along their journey to simplify the complex.Jeff's top pick: Pure Storage FlashBladeMatt Halcomb is a Data Center Principal Solutions Architect with over 25 years in IT, including 17+ at WWT. He is part of the Global Solutions Development Team, focused on creating and deploying innovative technologies in WWT’s Advanced Technology Center. His expertise spans compute, storage, hyperconverged, software-defined, and composable infrastructure, with an emphasis on next-gen solutions that incorporate ESG and sustainability principles.Matt's top pick: Enterprise-Ready Supercomputing: The HPE Cray XD Approach to Agile AI InfrastructureThe AI Proving Ground Podcast leverages the deep AI technical and business expertise from within World Wide Technology's one-of-a-kind AI Proving Ground, which provides unrivaled access to the world's leading AI technologies. This unique lab environment accelerates your ability to learn about, test, train and implement AI solutions. Learn more about WWT's AI Proving Ground. The AI Proving Ground is a composable lab environment that features the latest high-performance infrastructure and reference architectures from the world's leading AI companies, such as NVIDIA, Cisco, Dell, F5, AMD, Intel and others. Developed within our Advanced Technology Center (ATC), this one-of-a-kind lab environment empowers IT teams to evaluate and test AI infrastructure, software and solutions for efficacy, scalability and flexibility — all under one roof. The AI Proving Ground provides visibility into data flows across the entire development pipeline, enabling more informed decision-making while safeguarding production environments.

WWT AI researchers Brian Vaughan and Jason Lu unpack the latest advancements in large language models (LLMs) and reasoning artificial intelligence. From DeepSeek’s efficiency breakthroughs to the shift from simple pattern prediction toward true reasoning, they explore how these innovations are reshaping enterprise AI. The conversation also dives into the rise of agentic AI and what it means for businesses looking to stay competitive in today’s rapidly evolving landscape.Learn more about this week's guests:Jason Lu is a Chief Data Scientist, consultant and advisor at World Wide Technology, specializing in data and AI. In this role, he leverages his expertise in mathematics and natural sciences to develop innovative solutions for complex business challenges. Based in San Diego, California, Jason has contributed significantly to the field through various publications and events. He has a Ph.D. in theoretical physics from Stanford University.Jason's top pick: Machine Learning Models for Route ConsolidationBrian Vaughn is co-lead and co-founder of the Business and Analytics Advisors Team at WWT, with 20 years of experience in management consulting, analytics, and solution development. He currently focuses on AI and machine learning solutions in the mining industry. He holds a PhD in Physics from Stanford University and a BA in Physics from Oberlin College.Brian's top pick: MLOps Platforming WorkshopThe AI Proving Ground Podcast leverages the deep AI technical and business expertise from within World Wide Technology's one-of-a-kind AI Proving Ground, which provides unrivaled access to the world's leading AI technologies. This unique lab environment accelerates your ability to learn about, test, train and implement AI solutions. Learn more about WWT's AI Proving Ground. The AI Proving Ground is a composable lab environment that features the latest high-performance infrastructure and reference architectures from the world's leading AI companies, such as NVIDIA, Cisco, Dell, F5, AMD, Intel and others. Developed within our Advanced Technology Center (ATC), this one-of-a-kind lab environment empowers IT teams to evaluate and test AI infrastructure, software and solutions for efficacy, scalability and flexibility — all under one roof. The AI Proving Ground provides visibility into data flows across the entire development pipeline, enabling more informed decision-making while safeguarding production environments.

Deepfakes powered by artificial intelligence are getting smarter — is your security strategy keeping up? On this episode of The AI Proving Ground Podcast, cybersecurity veterans Kent Noyes and Chris Roberts expose the latest AI-driven deepfake tactics used by cybercriminals, discuss real-world attacks that have cost companies millions, and share strategies for staying ahead of this artificial intelligence–fueled threat. They also unpack the regulatory landscape and the broader geopolitical stakes at play.Learn more about this week's guests:Kent Noyes began his WWT career over 20 years ago as a consultant and became the first to earn the title of Distinguished Solutions Architect. His expertise includes Enterprise Segmentation, Zero Trust, SASE, and Cyber Resilience. Today, he focuses on AI Security, advising enterprise clients and addressing complex business challenges in this evolving space.Kent's top pick: Shadow AI: The Threat You Didn't See ComingChris Roberts is a seasoned technologist at World Wide Technology with deep experience across aerospace, identity, cryptography, AI/adversarial AI, and deception technologies. He has founded or collaborated with organizations focused on human research, data intelligence, and cybersecurity. Today, he drives industry conversations around risk, maturity, and collaboration, and is known for his engaging, thought-provoking presence in both technical and public forums.Chris's top pick: Deepfakes for Good? How AI is Powering the Next Era of PersonalizationThe AI Proving Ground Podcast leverages the deep AI technical and business expertise from within World Wide Technology's one-of-a-kind AI Proving Ground, which provides unrivaled access to the world's leading AI technologies. This unique lab environment accelerates your ability to learn about, test, train and implement AI solutions. Learn more about WWT's AI Proving Ground. The AI Proving Ground is a composable lab environment that features the latest high-performance infrastructure and reference architectures from the world's leading AI companies, such as NVIDIA, Cisco, Dell, F5, AMD, Intel and others. Developed within our Advanced Technology Center (ATC), this one-of-a-kind lab environment empowers IT teams to evaluate and test AI infrastructure, software and solutions for efficacy, scalability and flexibility — all under one roof. The AI Proving Ground provides visibility into data flows across the entire development pipeline, enabling more informed decision-making while safeguarding production environments.

Artificial intelligence is evolving beyond simple prompts and responses. The future is agentic — AIs that think, act and collaborate to achieve complex goals without constant human guidance. But with this power comes new challenges in control, ethics and implementation. In this episode of The AI Proving Ground Podcast, WWT’s Marc DeSantis and Andy Weisman dive into the world of agentic frameworks — how they extend AI’s capabilities, what it takes to build them, and why a human-in-the-loop approach is still essential.Learn more about this week's guests:Marc DeSantis is Senior Director of IT at World Wide Technology, leading the ATC Platform, Gen AI, and UX Design teams. Since joining WWT in 2005, he has advanced from Developer to key IT leader, driving innovation in AI and user experience. Marc is passionate about generative AI and agentic architectures and actively contributes to WWT’s AI strategy, including co-hosting the AI Proving Ground podcast and speaking at events like AI Day.Marc's top pick: Building AI-Powered ChatbotsAndy Weisman is a Lead Solutions Architect at World Wide Technology, where he leverages extensive experience to design and implement innovative technology solutions for clients. With a strong background in IT infrastructure, cloud computing, and system integration, Andy specializes in creating tailored solutions that drive business transformation. He collaborates with cross-functional teams to ensure optimal technology deployments, aligning solutions with client objectives and industry best practices.Andy's top pick: How to Build an AI Center of ExcellenceThe AI Proving Ground Podcast leverages the deep AI technical and business expertise from within World Wide Technology's one-of-a-kind AI Proving Ground, which provides unrivaled access to the world's leading AI technologies. This unique lab environment accelerates your ability to learn about, test, train and implement AI solutions. Learn more about WWT's AI Proving Ground. The AI Proving Ground is a composable lab environment that features the latest high-performance infrastructure and reference architectures from the world's leading AI companies, such as NVIDIA, Cisco, Dell, F5, AMD, Intel and others. Developed within our Advanced Technology Center (ATC), this one-of-a-kind lab environment empowers IT teams to evaluate and test AI infrastructure, software and solutions for efficacy, scalability and flexibility — all under one roof. The AI Proving Ground provides visibility into data flows across the entire development pipeline, enabling more informed decision-making while safeguarding production environments.