A podcast about best practice, guidance, news and cutting edge Microsoft cloud technologies. Interviews with passionate people in the cloud space, hosted by MVPs Nicolas Blank (twitter.com/nicolasblank), Warren du Toit (twitter.com/warrendt) and Chris Goosen (twitter.com/chrisgoosen)
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Episode 104: "Vibe" Coded! by The Cloud Architects
Almost Ten years and 100+ episodes in, we reunite for a conversation that has nothing to do with prompts and everything to do with the infrastructure most of us still actually run. In this episode we're joined by Claudia Perez, who's spent the last several months leading a complex Windows 11 deployment and brings a refreshingly practical take on modern endpoint management. We dig into why Windows is far from dead, why identity and data - not the device - are where every modernization journey should start, and how to think about the messy reality of hybrid-joined environments still tethered to
In Episode 102 of the Cloud Architects Podcast, we sit down with Mona Ghadiri to explore the rapidly evolving world of AI governance. As organizations rush to deploy AI agents, copilots, and automated workflows, Mona argues that the industry is focusing too much on shiny tools and “guardrails” while neglecting the broader governance frameworks needed to manage risk responsibly. The conversation covers everything from prompt injection and supply chain vulnerabilities to the challenges of securing AI across users, applications, models, and training data. Mona shares practical insights on why man
In Episode 101 of the Cloud Architects Podcast, we welcome Microsoft AI MVP James Westall for a candid “state of the nation” discussion on AI in 2026. Moving beyond the LLM hype of 2024 and the agent frenzy of 2025, the conversation explores what’s actually delivering value for organizations today and what isn’t. We unpack common pitfalls like oversold expectations, poor use case selection, and the challenge of measuring ROI, while highlighting practical success stories. We also tackle model “religion wars,” cost realities, developer productivity, and the importance of strategy and governance.
In this milestone 100th episode, we sit down with Daniel Brown, a Microsoft MVP based in Adelaide, to explore how AI is transforming the rugged world of opal mining. Daniel shares the fascinating story of how he developed Opal AI, a computer vision system that uses Microsoft’s Custom Vision and Azure services to identify precious opals in the harsh environment of Coober Pedy. By leveraging AI to detect opal, and safety hazards in real-time, Daniel demonstrates how edge computing can bring tangible efficiency and safety improvements to a traditionally manual industry. The discussion delves into
In this episode we are joined by guest Kirsty McGrath, a Microsoft MVP and adoption expert, for an insightful conversation on working smarter in today’s AI-driven workplace. Kirsty shares her extensive experience leading adoption programs across Australia and consulting with top Microsoft clients, offering practical wisdom on the importance of user training and change management in maximizing the impact of tools like Microsoft Copilot. The episode delves into the common confusion users face when navigating Microsoft 365’s vast ecosystem—especially with tools that overlap or are frequently upda
In this episode we are joined by guests Ernie Anderson and Darrell Switzer from TBDCyber to discuss the critical topic of incident response (IR). Ernie and Darrell share their insights and experiences in IR. They highlight the importance of having a well-prepared incident response plan, how to effectively use EDR tools, and the value of proactive measures such as vulnerability testing and tabletop exercises. We also discuss the challenges of modern ransomware attacks, the role of cyber insurance, and the need for adaptive communication strategies during incidents. Both guests underscore the ne
At Microsoft Ignite 2024, we sat down with our old friend Anthony Bartolo to discuss the industry’s shift from traditional infrastructure roles to development, a transition heavily influenced by AI and automation. As companies increasingly adopt "vibe coding" — the trend where developers focus on rapid prototyping and intuition-driven coding rather than rigid syntax — Anthony’s journey is a perfect example of how infrastructure professionals are embracing this new paradigm. He shared his experience moving from network engineering to full-stack development, and how AI tools helped bridge knowle
In this episode we sit down with our old friend Antonio Maio. We recorded this episode at Microsoft Ignite 2024 in Chicago, and as always it was an enjoyable conversation with actionable insights. Antonio shares some tips from this Ignite talk to help you assess your environment at scale, protect your information and educate your users Antonio gives us some great information about preparing for Copilot, why it helps to encourage everyone to build their own relationship with Copilot and how to find the balance between data protection and productivity. Antonio Maio is a Managing Director and Sen
We've all been prompted to create a Passkey when logging in to online services like Google - but are Passkeys ready for enterprise use? Do we still need MFA? What's is FIDO2? We asked Microsoft MVP Darren Robinson to help us dive into the world of Passkeys & verifiable credentials. Darren helps us understand the different types of Passkeys, their use-cases and, he shares some strategies for dealing with those pesky legacy apps and authentication protocols. Darren Robinson is an Identity Architect and Microsoft MVP with over 30 years' experience in technical sales, holistic strategy, detailed d
It seems everyone is selling AI at the moment - how can we make the most of these technologies in a measured, controlled way without exposing ourselves to data leakage or other unintended consequences? In this episode we're joined by Saaim Khan as we dive into some of the challenges faced by organizations rushing to adopt AI technologies. Saaim takes us through the role of governance in AI, the importance of a well-thought-out business case, and shares 5 simple questions to help you start taking control of your data governance. With over 20 years in IT and cybersecurity, Saaim's journey has be
Have you heard the story of malware that targets programmable logic controllers (PLCs) on industrial systems and causing fast-spinning centrifuges to tear themselves apart? How about the disgruntled employee in Australia who tampered with a supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) system and released 265,000 gallons (~1M l) of sewage from a waste management plant? In this episode we're joined by Operational Technology (OT) Security expert Roger Hill as we discuss OT security, the convergence of OT and IT and how we can defend against OT / IOT attacks. As the Founder of Hillstrong Group
No language encryption here... In this episode we have the honor of sitting down for a late-night discussion with our Dutch friends Koos, Jeroen and Maarten. We really enjoyed their interesting and unique perspective on the global threat landscape and how the ransomware-as-a-service economy continues to grow. We also talk about cyber warfare, the challenge of attack attribution and share some practical guidance on how keep your organization secure. Koos Goossens is a Microsoft Security MVP with a focus on Microsoft Azure Security and other Microsoft Security products like Microsoft Sentinel. K
In this episode we welcome back a couple of our old friends Stephen Rose and Darrell Webster to talk about Copilot and AI - how useful or useless are these technologies and what does it take to get it to work as advertised. Our guests share some great insight on what is needed to make the most of AI and why so many organizations struggle soon after going all in. We each talk about our own favorite Copilot and how it has changed the way we work - and Warren has a conversation with ChatGPT about living on the moon. Stephen Rose a highly experienced change management and an adoption expert with a
In this episode we have the honor of being joined by Richard Campbell - an industry veteran and podcast legend who has recorded more than 3,000 episodes. Richard is a professional storyteller and we really enjoyed talking about a variety of things, including .NET, AI and even Windows on ARM. Richard Campbell started playing with microcomputers in 1977 at the age of 10. He's really never done anything else since. He is a Microsoft Regional Director and is recognized as a Microsoft Most Valuable Professional (MVP) in the area of ASP.NET development. You can connect with Richard on Twitter (https
Another in-person episode! We recorded this one at the MVP Summit in Redmond earlier this year and had a great time talking to Katie and Pablo about community as they introduced us to The Microsoft Security Customer Connection Program (CCP). Katie and Pablo help us understand the value the program provides to both Microsoft and its customers, how they gather feedback and what the requirements are to join the program. Here are the links mentioned during the episode: * Security Connection Program (CCP) (https://aka.ms/joinccp) * Microsoft Security Community (https://aka.ms/securitycommunity) Kat
In this episode we're once again joined by Philip Miller to continue our AI discussion, and this time we also invited Todd Wright from Progress to discuss data and the importance of data accessibility and connectivity within AI. Generic large language models (LLMs) like ChatGPT are fun and all, but being able to leverage your own organizational data in a secure way to train models is where the real magic happens. AI is a long-term program and not just a short term 'one and done' project. We discuss some practical guidance on how to make the most of your data and why data quality and governance
AI is everywhere at the moment - it seems like every product or service now includes AI. What does that mean exactly? Can technology really think for itself? What is the difference between Copilot and an LLM and how do these relate to Generative AI? In this episode, we chat to Philip Miller from Progress in an attempt to break down these concepts and discuss how they relate to each other. Is this all hype or are there real-world business benefits? We discuss some interesting AI use cases and Philip recommends an agile approach to AI implementation. Here are the links to content mentioned in th
We recently had the pleasure of sitting down with Camila Martins from Microsoft to talk about Microsoft's new Security Service Edge (SSE) solution. SSE includes Microsoft Entra Internet Access and Microsoft Entra Private Access. In this episode, we dive deep into these new capabilities that Microsoft is making available to customers and discuss how these can work with technologies like Conditional Access to help secure those 'crusty' critical applications that so many organizations have. Here are the links to content mentioned in the episode: * Microsoft's Security Service Edge Solution Deploy
In today’s episode we talk to Twan, Neil and Conrad who are the founders of PowerSyncPro, a software vendor solving complex migration problems for customers in a unique way and, in the shadow of some giant competitors. We delve into their interesting story, their technology and the problems they are working to solve. After more than 5 years heavily investing into developing PowerSyncPro, PSP is now a world class robust identity sync and Windows workstation migration tool that facilitates cross company collaboration with ease. Written and designed by migration experts. PSP is solving directory
"Back by popular demand" - even if they do say so themselves! In this episode we are excited to welcome back to the show Tarek Dawoud and Mark Morowczynski from Microsoft's Identity CXP team. We discuss the current state of Identity and dive into Conditional Access, phish-resistant MFA, the latest threats and why attacks only get better, they never get worse. Tarek and Mark share some great tool tips and we close the episode by talking about Mark's new KQL book and how KQL is fast becoming an essential skill. Here are the links to content mentioned in the episode: Microsoft Digital Defense Rep
If you follow the latest developments in the Entra space, you have no doubt come across Merill Fernando. In this episode Merill joins us for a great discussion as we geek out about Entra and authentication in general. Why is it called Entra (RIP AAD!)? Merill sheds some light on the name change, we talk about AD FS and its relevance today, discuss the deprecation of AzureAD and MSOnline PowerShell modules and introduce some of the great tools and resources he's developed for the community. Merill Fernando is a Principal Program Manager at Microsoft and Senior member of the "Customer Success Te
Shortly before Thanksgiving, Nic and I had the great pleasure of talking to John Kindervag. I once read about John that he has "forgotten more about technology than most people learn in their careers" and I'm sure after listening to this episode you'll understand why he is referred to as the Godfather of Zero Trust. In this episode we discuss the origins of Zero Trust and some of the history behind it. John also talks about why trying to control the attack surface is a fool's errand and introduces the concept of a protect surface. With over 25 years of experience as a practitioner and industry
We recently had a great conversation with Joe Flynn about modern endpoint management and how the way we manage our devices has changed over the years - we reminisce about the old ways and talk the future of Active Directory. We also discuss management friction, current hybrid work trends and scenarios where technologies like Windows 365 just make sense. Joe Flynn is a Director and Distinguished Engineer at Insight. With more than 25+ years in the IT industry, Joe loves that technology is constantly changing and providing new challenges — pushing him to learn and absorb more each day. Joe is pa
It's Cyber Security Awareness month and in this episode, we talk to Shannon Garcia about the realities of the security industry and have an honest discussion about some of the areas where we could be doing more to raise awareness and educate our organizations, customers and stakeholders. Shannon shares some fundamental guidance, and we discuss how we could and should be learning from highly publicized incidents and breaches that occur far too often these days. Shannon Garcia is an experienced Senior Leader with a demonstrated history of working in the computer and cybersecurity industry. Skill
