The ITPro Podcast

Organizations have been rushing to the public cloud, often without much thought given to strategically placing workloads.
Over the intervening years, however, IT and business decision makers have learned that while public cloud can be useful for some applications, there's no one size fits all and AI has brought this to even greater focus.
What's the role of private cloud in managing workloads effectively and how can businesses strategically choose what path is best for them?
In this episode, in association with Redcentric, the ITPro Podcast is joined by senior product manager for cloud, Darren Adcock, and senior technical architect, Paul Jenner, to discuss the legacy of cloud investment and how organizations can manage their workloads better.
Highlights
"In many respects, the cloud hangover is kind of a consequence of various factors that people maybe didn't take into account when they moved into cloud... maybe we've got the wrong cloud in use for the wrong application. Maybe we're seeing overspend. Maybe we're seeing just poor customer performance."
"It goes back to the early adoption of public cloud being a one size fits all. We've got to move to cloud, we've got to move everything to cloud without necessarily spending the time to think what's most appropriate to move to cloud, what's the most appropriate to keep on private cloud."
"Generally, if you re-architect when you move to cloud, then you are more likely to get a cost-effective outcome. If you don't re-architect, the chances are you are just moving a cost to somewhere else where it actually might be more expensive to run than if it was on private cloud."
"It's about a sensible view of your workloads of the requirements for those workloads against the capabilities and constraints of each of those clouds and choosing the right environment."
Resources
https://www.redcentricplc.com/
https://www.redcentricplc.com/managed-services/cloud/
https://www.redcentricplc.com/managed-services/cloud/private-cloud/
https://www.redcentricplc.com/sovereignty/

Data is treated as a source of untapped riches for businesses, promising a world of better insight and easier management. What’s less discussed is how it’s possible to drown in this ocean of information – more data sometimes just means more noise, and this is as true in IT as in any other profession.
Why doesn’t more data produce better results? Is there a better way forward? And what does this mean for the end users? On this episode of the ITPro Podcast, Bobby Hellard and Ross Kelly talk to Fernando Castanheira, the CIO of Riverbed.
Castanheira's career has struck a balance between tech and finance, and how data is used to power businesses. He talks us through the mismatch between the amount of data available and how it's being used.

Digital twins have been a key tool for organisations to create virtual replicas of operating environments. From transportation to manufacturing and oil & gas, they help simulate performance and prepare for ‘what-if scenarios’. But they’re evolving.
On this week’s episode, Bobby talks to ITPro’s news and analysis editor, Ross Kelly, to ask what exactly a digital twin is and how they are evolving since the arrival of generative AI.
The term ‘digital twin’ is even taking on different meanings; in some cases it’s not just a virtual replica of a factory floor, for example. We are now seeing digital twins of people, with Forrester describing them as ‘Digital Doubles’. Gartner also predicts that some organisations will begin creating ‘Digital Twins of Customers’ as a way to simulate how customers might respond to specific scenarios.
Does your business need a digital twin? | IT Pro
Are AI digital twins a match made in heaven? | IT Pro

The rise and fall of tokenmaxxing has been dramatic, not least because of how quickly it happened. From a darling of CEOs wanting to show how AI-forward they are to a balance sheet nightmare, the journey this particular strategy for measuring AI lasted mere months before its star started to fade.
In this episode of the ITPro Podcast, Jane and Bobby are joined by Frank Böhmer, CEO of Ninox, to talk about what prompted the trend in tokenmaxxing, why it fell apart, and what comes next.
Could rising token costs boost interest in on-premises hardware?
Uber’s eye-watering AI bill shows enterprises are still measuring AI success through consumption rather than outcomes’
IT leaders are being stung by "unexpected" AI costs
The AI pricing time bomb
‘What we’re seeing right now is just rapid escalation in AI token spend’: Accenture tells staff to stop using AI for unnecessary tasks amid surging costs
Surging AI costs could exceed developer salaries by 2028 – analysts say context engineering could be the key to optimizing token consumption
Companies are regretting investing in generative AI so quickly – here’s how to avoid buyer’s remorse

Image credit: Getty Images

It’s a very uncomfortable end to June with temperature records once again being broken across Europe. The technology world is moving forward unabated, though, still talking about AI and, in particular, the workforce and infrastructure that underpins it.
Do we have the talent to meet the demand for AI? Do we have the power to keep our data centers operational? And can the European Union get us off our dependence on Google Workspace and Microsoft 365?
ITPro’s news editor Ross Kelly joins Jane and Bobby to look back on some of the most interesting stories of the month.
‘Open source should rest on transparency, not deception’: Euro-Office ‘sovereignty’ claims questioned in scathing open letter by LibreOffice maintainers | IT Pro
The UK is running on fumes as data center build-outs can’t keep pace with demand | IT Pro
UK faces huge AI talent shortage | IT Pro