Cloud computing, first introduced in the 1960s as the "intergalactic computer network," is now essential to our digital existence. There are so many cloud options available on the market today. Private clouds are essentially dedicated environments that offer greater control and security. They are typically used by businesses to store sensitive data…

Ever thought about how much of your life is protected by passwords? And why do hackers want to steal credentials? How do they do it and more importantly, how can we stop them in their tracks? From your emails to your retirement savings, passwords are quite literally the gatekeepers to your online life. And there are layers to password security, fro…

Where do you want to work from today? The coffee shop? The beach? It’s all possible with a Virtual desktop infrastructure. Virtual Desktop Infrastructure, or VDI, lets you access your companies’ systems from almost any device, essentially you can carry your office in your pocket. In this special episode, we’ll answer some important questions to hel…

Customer service is tough for everyone, but how do we make it better for the employee and for the customer? Business contact centres are starting to use AI at the very first step of their customer interactions. By automating elements of the customer service interaction and using AI insights, staff can resolve service incidents faster and keep custo…

In the hybrid working world, everyone needs a fast and secure way to connect to their company's data. WAN or Wide Area Networks technologies have had an impressive impact; It's now easier than ever to do business. Using intelligence to optimize traffic across multiple links, we’ve gone from a trickle of information being sent between two direct poi…

To the public, elections can look relatively simple. However for lots of public sector organisations, there are weeks of preparation fraught with risk, excitement and a huge sense of purpose. Despite using paper ballots and lots of people-based processes on the day, technology and digital is key to delivering a successful election. There are so man…

In the year of AI, can we get even closer to having it right at our fingertips? Helen Gidney, Softcat’s head of Architecture, and a team of experts discuss this fascinating question. AI is developing quicker than we can think and we’re seeing it pop up in our everyday lives more and more and in this episode we'll answer the big AI questions of the …

Do you know everything that’s going on in your organisation? Today we’re talking about Observability. It isn't just a buzzword; it is the evolution of application and network performance monitoring into a seamless way to measure your full systems health. As IT environments become more complicated, observability is crucial for pinpointing the root c…

With the explosive growth of internet connected devices in our everyday world, from mobile phones to our cars and even our homes, we are generating massive amounts of data all the time. Traditional centralised infrastructures just can’t keep up with the pace of information. So how do we bring processing power closer to the source of this data to he…

On this edition of Explain IT we're discussing how to power your SOC. No, we're not talking super powered footwear. SOC stands for Security Operations Centre, and it’s where cyber experts battle threats posed against your data day and night. We know security is a key part of any business, to protect your best kept secrets, and to keep third parties…

AI has been making headlines for a while now, and this year we’ll see more and more businesses adopting it to improve their performance and efficiency. But how do we ensure that AI is used in a responsible and ethical way? How do we avoid the risks and pitfalls that come with such a powerful technology? And how do we stop AI from getting out of con…

In this episode of the Hyper Views podcast, join us for an insightful conversation with Ismar Efendic, the Co-founder and CTO of ⁠DC SMARTER⁠. Together with our CTO, Rami Jebara, they delve deep into the revolutionary impact of Augmented Reality (AR) in the data center industry. Explore how AI and AR play pivotal roles in addressing today's challen…

Part two of our Tech Predictions for 2024! You can hear part one, here. In the past twelve months, Explain I.T has generated over 20,000 unique downloads and covered an array of topics. In the present, we have a collective group of Softcat technologists here to share their thoughts on tech. And in the future, Explain I.T will have a new presenter; …

In the past twelve months, Explain I.T has generated over 20,000 unique downloads and covered an array of topics. In the present, we have a collective group of softcat technologists here to share their thoughts on tech. And in the future, Explain I.T will have a new presenter; Helen Gidney, Softcat's very own Head of Architecture. So, along with De…

In this episode, we're delighted to have Dean Nelson, the founder and chairman of the Infrastructure Masons, joining us. We'll be diving into the world of data centers, specifically focusing on power capacity effectiveness (PCE) as a key metric. We'll highlight the significance of measuring PCE and its impact on sustainability reporting, while alig…

Our team of experts are here to talk tech in simple, jargon free language, and today is no exception, although we do come with a twist. Today we are covering the automotive industry and how it continues to modernise by innovating, designing and building the now and future transportation that positively impacts all of us. What challenges and pressur…

Dean Gardner, Softcat's Technology Director, hosts another episode of Explain I.T. Another team of experts are here to talk tech in simple, jargon free language. Are you open to AI? Yes, we are, but not in the sense of OpenAI who appear to have performed a fire rehire and resign strategy in less than a week. We are open to AI in the sense that it's…

We are motoring towards the end of year like an AI powered electric scooter - and yes, they actually do exist thanks to UK tech startup Hilo One. In a world where AI is now taking charge in every aspect of our daily lives, Microsoft has recently released a Copilot. AI driven, all encompassing, innovation of the ages. What is it? Why do we need it? …

We are thrilled to have David Cappuccio, former Gartner VP Distinguished Analyst, join us for the first episode of our new Hyper Views series. David explores the imminent transformation of the data center management landscape through AI. Connect with us: YouTube Linkedin X (Twitter) Instagram Facebook…

Hello and welcome back to Softcats Explain It Podcast series. This is episode seven of season six, and we are here after a small break in the schedule. And we are back with a corker. My name is Dean Gardner, softcats technology director, and I'm still the host after a busy few months of AI. Today, we are heading into the quantum realm. Is quantum a…

'Customer focus', 'customer obsession' and 'customer first' should surely be at the front of every organisation, but are they? Are we solely relying on technology to solve customer outcomes? Is it old fashioned to say that listening, understanding and being empathetic and solving challenges equally are more important than the tech we provide? This …

Welcome to episode five of season six of Softcat’s ‘Explain IT’ podcast series. We are here to Explain IT. Our team of experts talk tech in simple, jargon free language. This time we’re discussing technology in the education sector. Think of this as the sequel to the first education episode we released in season five - you can listen again to that …

We asked an AI to make us a podcast and this is the result. Just kidding, we don’t trust technology, so we are doing it the old-fashioned way and having a chat about this exciting new technology. To share some fabulous insights, podcast host Dean Gardner is joined by Softcat’s resident AI expert and Account Chief Technologist Andrew Hermsen and the…

Your organisation will be hit by a security breach. It's inevitable. But how can you survive Armageddon if Ben Affleck and Bruce Willis aren’t available? Our experts are on a mission to guide you through the murky black hole of being breached. To share insights Softcat’s CTO Dean Gardner is joined by colleague Kieron Newsham and Ian McShane from Ar…

This week, we talk all things data and the value that everyone is trying to mine, extract and use - data. To share insights, we are joined by two amazing guests today; Francois Zimmerman from our friends Tableau and Eva Murray from one of Softcat’s newest friends, Snowflake. Why does data now appear to be a priority for almost everyone? How does an…

Welcome to Season 6 of Softcat's podcast, Explain I.T. Every episode, our team of experts are here to talk tech in simple, jargon free language. To launch season 6 of our podcast we're here to predict your tech for 2023. We'll be discussing what is on the cusp of revolutionising the world as we know it. Basically, we’re attempting to show that don’…

Today we are discussing key business developments that we’ve seen over the last 12 months with an eye clearly on the year ahead. What is an Account Chief Technologist? Is tech the answer to every business problem? What do you envisage being priorities for many organisations? To help answer these questions and much more, podcast host Dean Gardner is…