What's Up with Tech?

Hosted by Evan Kirstel

Technology Business

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Episodes

687

Latest episode

Oct 2026

Language

EN-US

About the show

Tech Transformation with Evan Kirstel: A podcast exploring the latest trends and innovations in the tech industry, and how businesses can leverage them for growth, diving into the world of B2B, discussing strategies, trends, and sharing insights from industry leaders! With over three decades in telecom and IT, I've mastered the art of transforming social media into a dynamic platform for audience engagement, community building, and establishing thought leadership. My approach isn't about personal brand promotion but about delivering educational and informative content to cultivate a sustainable, long-term business presence. I am the leading content creator in areas like Enterprise AI, UCaaS, CPaaS, CCaaS, Cloud, Telecom, 5G and more!

Listen to episodes

60 recent

October 28, 202624 min

Building Reliable AI For Industrial IoT And Edge Systems

Interested in being a guest? Email us at admin@evankirstel.com AI gets a lot messier the moment it leaves the chat window and touches real sensors, machines, and buildings. We sit down with Anthony Canterbury, Head of Engineering and Architecture, JIG-SAW US to dig into AIoT, the intersection of AI and industrial IoT, and why reliability and safety matter more than hype when you are dealing with edge computing, automation, and real operational risk. We talk through what has actually changed over the last couple decades of machine intelligence, from expert systems and early neural nets to today’s transformer models. Then we get practical: device onboarding, decoding weird formats, parsing, and data normalization. Anthony explains why pairing LLMs with deterministic algorithms can remove a huge amount of manual integration work, and why in-house benchmarking beats trusting public leaderboards when your data is specialized and messy. From there we tackle the uncomfortable part: hallucinations. If you simply bolt a chatbot onto an existing platform, you can see extreme error rates on IoT workflows. The path forward is architectural, not cosmetic: constrain the model, validate outputs, specialize where needed, and keep a human in the loop so alerting systems evolve without becoming a false-alarm factory. We also dig into treating cloud APIs like “devices,” plus when small, custom edge models win on security, cost, and accuracy for sensitive environments. If you care about industrial AI, IoT security, edge AI, and building systems that work in the real world, this one is for you. Subscribe for more, share this with a CTO or engineer who is building with AI, and leave a review with your biggest question about AIoT reliability. Learn more about Microsoft's ISOC announcement: https://fandf.co/4iQ9b5n Support the show More at https://linktr.ee/EvanKirstel

October 27, 202628 min

Engineering Trustworthy Enterprise AI

Interested in being a guest? Email us at admin@evankirstel.com Only 35% of executives say AI consistently delivers the business outcomes they expect, and that single stat explains why “AI everywhere” suddenly feels risky. We sit down with Sushant Tripathi Vice President & North America Lead – AI & Digital Transformation from TCS to talk about what changes when enterprises move beyond experimentation and put autonomous agents into real business operations, where the cost of a bad decision is measured in customer harm, regulatory exposure, and millions in downtime. We dig into why classic IT reliability metrics like uptime and latency are no longer enough. AI reliability now includes service-level experience, trust, and the ability to prove what happened and why it happened. Sushant breaks down how enterprises should think about trustworthiness as an engineering responsibility, not just a compliance checkbox, and why “more model capacity” does not automatically create dependable outcomes without strong data, integrations, evaluation, and observability. We also get practical about controls: why many companies can detect AI failures but far fewer can stop them, what “kill switch” thinking looks like, and how an AI maturity journey changes the right level of autonomy. Finally, we talk governance and ROI: who inside the organization must own the policies that let agents act, and how to turn individual productivity gains into measurable enterprise KPIs like revenue, faster resolution, and better customer experience. If you’re building enterprise AI, agentic AI, or AI governance programs, this is the reliability playbook you’ll want. Subscribe, share this with a leader who owns risk or operations, and leave a review with your take: what is the first guardrail every autonomous agent should have? Learn more about Microsoft's ISOC announcement: https://fandf.co/4iQ9b5n Support the show More at https://linktr.ee/EvanKirstel

October 27, 202615 min

How AWS CloudWatch Omni Monitors Agents And Apps Together

Interested in being a guest? Email us at admin@evankirstel.com AI agents are starting to run real customer workflows, and the hardest part isn’t getting a demo to work, it’s knowing the agent is behaving correctly at scale. We talk with Mukul Karnik Vice President of AWS Observability at Amazon Web Services about what “observability for AI agents” actually means when the system can be up, fast, and still wrong. Think guardrails, accuracy, and policy compliance alongside the classic metrics like latency and availability. We get specific about failure modes that don’t look like normal software bugs: an agent that confidently approves a hazmat return because a user asked the question in an odd way, or an agent that answers something it should refuse. Mukul explains how evals act like tests for agent behavior, how tracing and telemetry help you see tool calls and dependencies end to end, and why a unified view matters when the agent relies on apps, databases, and infrastructure to get the job done. We also dig into what CloudWatch Omni is aiming for with an AI-first experience, including deeper investigations that can be driven by a DevOps agent for root cause analysis. We also cover how teams can start earlier in the workflow with a free local IDE plugin to visualize agent traces, then bring the same evals and monitoring into production. On top of that, we talk multi-cloud realities, supporting different agent frameworks, and why the line between observability and security keeps getting blurrier as more signals live in the same logs and telemetry. If you’re building agentic systems, this is a practical look at monitoring, debugging, and building trust in autonomous behavior. Subscribe for more conversations on AI infrastructure and production engineering, share this with a builder on your team, and leave a review with the toughest agent reliability problem you’re trying to solve. Support the show More at https://linktr.ee/EvanKirstel

October 26, 202616 min

Building Self-Learning Robots For Hazardous Real-World Missions

Interested in being a guest? Email us at admin@evankirstel.com Robots are leaving the lab, and the real world does not hold still. We sit down with Dr. Amarjot Singh Founder and CEO of Skylark Labs to unpack what “physical AI” actually means when a machine has to operate outdoors, in hazardous environments, and keep learning after deployment, without a safety net of perfect data or constant cloud access. We walk through mission-critical examples where edge AI and continual learning are not optional. Think military tarmacs where a 1 cm piece of debris can cripple a jet engine, and where new debris types and surface imperfections can trigger costly false positives. We also get into why on-device learning changes the game: lower latency, better privacy, and resilience when connectivity drops. Amarjot shares how Skylark shrinks models onto edge hardware so robots, robotic dogs, and other platforms can adapt in the field instead of waiting for a retraining cycle back at HQ. Then we go deep on drones and UAV autonomy. The conversation moves beyond “spot the crack” into drones that can take action with robotic arms, from cleaning solar panels in dusty deserts to applying quick fixes on industrial equipment. That upgrade introduces hard control problems: once a drone touches the world, it has to handle new forces, wind, and unexpected obstacles like scaffolding, all while staying stable and safe. We also cover what still holds the industry back, including data bottlenecks and rugged humanoid hardware needs like waterproofing, safer batteries, and stronger hands. If you care about robotics, edge computing, autonomous drones, and mission-critical humanoid robots, subscribe, share this with a friend, and leave a review so more people can find the show. Support the show More at https://linktr.ee/EvanKirstel

October 23, 202626 min

Why European Buyers Need Proof Before Hype

Interested in being a guest? Email us at admin@evankirstel.com US tech companies don’t usually lose in Europe because the product is bad. They lose because they market like Europe is one big country. From Berlin, B2B marketer and podcast host William Delaney joins us to compare how SaaS and tech companies sell, market, and grow across Europe versus the United States, especially in traditional industries like manufacturing, pharma, and logistics where trust is everything and “move fast” is not the default setting. We dig into a simple but revealing contrast: in many European markets, buyers want the “instruction manual” before they buy. That shows up as longer decision cycles, more cautious adoption of new tools, and a stronger demand for proof. William shares why testimonials and human credibility often beat ads, why feature-driven product marketing can matter more than broad “solutions” language, and how community-led growth can open doors when you’re an unknown vendor. We also get practical about localization, not just translation. Messaging that works in the UK and Ireland can fall flat in Germany, Austria, or Benelux, and the tone shifts again in Mediterranean markets. Then we tackle GDPR and data privacy: when regulation slows scaling, when it strengthens long-term trust, and how that intersects with AI adoption right now. If you’re building a go-to-market strategy for Europe or trying to sell complex B2B software anywhere, you’ll leave with clearer angles, better expectations, and tactics you can apply immediately. Subscribe, share this with a founder or marketer who needs it, and leave a review with your biggest Europe go-to-market question. Learn more about Microsoft's ISOC announcement: https://fandf.co/4iQ9b5n Support the show More at https://linktr.ee/EvanKirstel

October 23, 202611 min

Programmable Networking Now

Interested in being a guest? Email us at admin@evankirstel.com Your network can be “up” and still be the thing that slows every cloud migration, security rollout, and AI initiative. From the Lumen booth at the Gartner IT Symposium, we sit down with Scott Yao to get specific about what’s really driving enterprise network complexity: different networking models to the cloud, inside each cloud, and between clouds, plus the operational burden that grows every time you add another workload or provider. Scott walks us through Lumen’s push to modernize the old telco experience and flip the model from ticket-based provisioning to on-demand, software-defined connectivity. The conversation gets practical fast: pre-provisioning capacity to the destinations enterprises actually use (cloud platforms, GPU and AI farms, SaaS), then exposing that capacity as programmable capabilities so teams can turn services on and off, scale bandwidth, and add destinations in minutes instead of waiting weeks. AI is the accelerant. When machines talk to machines and data pipelines move petabytes, the network can’t be the bottleneck, and the control plane matters as much as the fiber in the ground. We dig into why orchestration and intent-based operations are becoming mandatory, how Alkira fits into Lumen’s strategy for unified multi-cloud networking, and why security, encryption, and services like DDoS protection need to be built in, not bolted on. You’ll also hear a clear “where do we start?” framework and a real-world example of colo simplification by virtualizing expensive hardware-heavy deployments. If you’re responsible for multi-cloud connectivity, network automation, or AI-ready infrastructure, subscribe, share this with your team, and leave a review with the one network problem you want solved next. Support the show More at https://linktr.ee/EvanKirstel

October 22, 202612 min

Always-On Enterprise Connectivity

Interested in being a guest? Email us at admin@evankirstel.com A fiber cut, a congested wireless sector, a storm blocking satellite visibility: any one of these can happen on a normal day. The real question is whether that moment turns into a business outage. We walk through what “virtually unbreakable” enterprise networking looks like when you plan for failure up front and build an always-on connectivity model that keeps traffic moving even when a link goes bad. We’re joined by Jonathan Drexel from T-Mobile, who shares why outage risk has changed shape and scale, including the hard costs leaders now track at the board level. We unpack the trap hidden in many “redundant” wired designs, where two circuits that look diverse on paper still share common underground or upstream failure points. From there, we explore why the golden age of connectivity is here: fiber remains the capacity anchor, but 5G fixed wireless and LEO satellite internet have matured into enterprise-grade options that break differently, giving you a realistic path to network resilience and business continuity. You’ll hear a practical framework for designing resilient networks: start by defining business requirements by site criticality, then confront your network reality by building an availability matrix for each address. We also dig into why the convergence point matters, how to pressure test failover with real corporate traffic, and what operational burden shows up when you try to stitch multiple providers and hardware stacks together. Jonathan also explains how a managed 5G plus Starlink approach can keep a secondary path always ready and support a strong service-level commitment. If you care about uptime, redundancy, failover testing, and keeping critical applications online, this one is for you. T-Mobile for Business Partner Support the show More at https://linktr.ee/EvanKirstel

October 18, 202629 min

Hybrid UC That Actually Works

Interested in being a guest? Email us at admin@evankirstel.com Hybrid isn’t a stepping stone anymore. For a lot of organizations, it’s the only realistic way to balance cloud innovation with the uptime, compliance, and control they cannot give up, especially in healthcare, public sector, utilities, and other high-stakes environments. We sit down with a panel from Mitel and GlobalData to get specific about what’s changing in unified communications, why “move everything to the cloud” keeps running into the real world, and what buyers should demand from vendors when resilience is non-negotiable. Our GlobalData principal analyst walks through what “integrated workforce experience” should actually mean, and why most collaboration stacks still miss the point: about 70% of the workforce is deskless. When frontline teams are cut off, work gets done through a patchwork of apps and unofficial tools, which creates delays, service quality issues, and real security risk, especially as unmanaged AI usage grows. We break down the three core questions leaders need to press on: coverage for the whole workforce, what happens during an outage, and how AI is governed across roles and devices. Mitel leaders Eric and Martin share what they built with Mitel Workforce Experience (Mitel WX) and why it’s designed around workflows, plugins, and deployment choice across public cloud, hybrid, and private models. We also tackle the obvious question: can you just use Microsoft Teams, and where does a workflow-first frontline layer add value without ripping anything out. If you’re trying to unify communications, improve frontline productivity, and reduce tool sprawl while staying compliant, this conversation is for you. Subscribe, share with your IT or operations team, and leave a review with the biggest communications gap you’re trying to fix. Learn more about Microsoft's ISOC announcement: https://fandf.co/4iQ9b5n Support the show More at https://linktr.ee/EvanKirstel

October 13, 202617 min

Autonomous Networks Explained

Interested in being a guest? Email us at admin@evankirstel.com Networks don’t “run themselves” by magic, they do it by stacking the right data, platforms, and automation logic until the network can sense trouble, reason about options, and act safely. We sit down with Rodrigo from Ericsson to unpack what autonomous networks really mean in practice: self-healing, self-optimizing, and self-configuring capabilities that reduce operational effort for communication service providers while improving quality of service for all of us using mobile networks every day. From there, we get concrete about how you scale automation beyond isolated point solutions. Rodrigo explains how an open service management and orchestration (SMO) approach, rooted in O-RAN concepts, creates a common platform where multiple automation apps can run side by side. Think R apps for RAN automation, a growing ecosystem, and the governance needed to make AI-driven changes trustworthy. We talk about why trusted, granular, low-latency data matters so much, and why “built for AI” is more than a slogan when you’re operating a live 5G network. The big news is the move from radio automation into core network automation, introducing C apps and the kinds of high-impact use cases operators care about most: anomaly detection, root cause analysis, proactive fixes, capacity forecasting, and premium experience. We also dig into agentic AI and why it changes the game from automating single tasks to automating entire workflows, with human guardrails, permissions, and runtime knowledge to keep reliability high. If you care about 5G, RAN automation, core network automation, SMO, O-RAN, or agentic AI for network operations, this conversation is for you. Subscribe, share this with a colleague, and leave a review with the one network workflow you wish could be fully automated. Support the show More at https://linktr.ee/EvanKirstel

October 12, 202616 min

How CallTower Builds One-Stop Cloud Communications For Global Teams

Interested in being a guest? Email us at admin@evankirstel.com A major deal just landed in cloud communications: CallTower is acquiring Momentum Telecom. We sit down with William Rubio right after the news to explain what CallTower actually does as a managed service provider, why this acquisition matters, and what customers and partners should expect next. If you’ve ever wondered why the communications industry keeps consolidating, or how providers stitch together Microsoft, Cisco, and Zoom into something businesses can actually run, this conversation puts real clarity around it. We also get honest about the problem most teams are living with: too much choice and too much complexity. Unified communications, contact center platforms, CRM integrations, compliance needs, and even legacy requirements like analog lines can turn a “modern stack” into a support nightmare. We talk about why a one-stop shop model can cut the time wasted on vendor finger-pointing, and why experienced support and solution architects matter when the environment is both global and regulated. Then we zoom in on AI with a practical lens. The biggest wins are showing up in contact centers through interactive virtual agents, agent assist, analytics, and transcription that turns messy call notes into clean summaries fast. We also explore where AI is heading in UC: personal-assistant style workflows that can schedule, message, and route calls without the usual back-and-forth. The thread that ties it together is outcomes over features: efficiency, productivity, lower costs, and happier employees who are less burned out by broken processes. If you care about telecom consolidation, CCaaS, unified communications, AI in customer experience, and the evolving role of channel partners, hit play. Subscribe, share this with a teammate, leave a review, and tell us: what part of your communications stack would you simplify first? Learn more about Microsoft's ISOC announcement: https://fandf.co/4iQ9b5n Support the show More at https://linktr.ee/EvanKirstel