Experts In Polo Shirts podcast

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Windows 10 End of Life: What Businesses Need to Know (Uncut) 42:10

vor 7 weeks42:10

42:10

Send us a text Windows 10 support ends in October 2025 — but what does that really mean for organisations still running it? In this uncut episode of Experts in Polo Shirts , Synextra consultants Matt and Chris dive deep into the real-world impact of Windows 10's end of life. From AVD multi-session migration to Windows 11 adoption, extended support costs, and the risks of doing nothing — this is a practical guide for IT leaders, sysadmins, and anyone tasked with upgrading a large estate. They also explore common upgrade pain points, like legacy applications, FSLogix profiles, group policy rework, and migrating from on-prem file servers to OneDrive or SharePoint. Plus, there’s discussion around tools like Intune , Autopilot , MSIX , App-V , PDQ , and more — and whether Windows 12 is worth waiting for. 📍Longer format. More nuance. More detail. 🎧 Listen in full right here, or search “Experts in Polo Shirts” on your podcast platform of choice for all episodes. Alternitvly find the cut version on YouTube Chapters: 0:00 Intro 0:13 History of Windows releases 4:25 What does end of life mean for Windows 10? 11:23 What improvements does Windows 11 bring? 15:06 Staying on Windows 10? How to stay secure 17:42 The upgrade, Windows 10 to 11 20:40 Widows 11 performance 22:21 How will the upgrade affect Azure Virtual Desktop? 29:16 Tips and tools for upgrading to Windows 11 33:47 Windows 12 rumours already? 35:14 Should you upgrade to Windows 11? 38:00 Top tips for upgrading AVD multi-session…

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Is the Cloud Already Out of Date? The Next Shift in Cloud Strategy 39:08

vor 11 weeks39:08

39:08

Send us a text Has the cloud reached its peak, or are we witnessing the next major shift in cloud computing? Many organisations rushed to the cloud, lifting and shifting infrastructure without truly modernising. Now, as serverless, edge computing, and AI-driven operations take centre stage, is the traditional cloud model becoming outdated? In this episode, we break down: Why 'lift and shift' cloud migrations may already be holding businesses back The rise of serverless computing – is it really "serverless"? How edge computing is reshaping cloud strategy The impact of AI and automation on cloud operations Whether businesses should rethink their cloud investments Join us as we explore whether the cloud we know is still the future—or if the next evolution is already here. #CloudComputing #Serverless #FutureOfCloud Chapters: 00:00 Introduction 00:26 Is the cloud we know out of date? 01:42 Modernising virtual machines and improvements 02:39 The benefits of PaaS services 04:21 Is it possible to go serverless? 07:57 Planning the IT budget and actual cost - The importance of developers 09:15 Do we need infrastructure people anymore? - Infrastructure vs developers 13:25 Moving from Azure back to a different cloud provider 15:53 Azure Container instances 17:02 Edge Computing 22:51 AI and Cloud Ops 28:18 Logic Apps 30:25 Will AI remove the need for cloud architects and DevOps engineers? 31:46 What are the dangers of using AI in cloud environments? 33:36 AI in larger organisations would make things faster 34:55 What is the future of AI…

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Are LLMs Living Up to the Hype? 1:11:50

vor 13 weeks1:11:50

1:11:50

Send us a text Are LLMs living up to the hype, or are they failing to deliver? In this episode of Experts in Polo Shirts , we examine the real-world impact of large language models (LLMs) beyond the marketing promises. From Google Gemini’s rocky launch to businesses struggling with AI adoption , we explore the pitfalls, misconceptions, and challenges facing LLMs today. Key Topics: Is Big Tech too big to innovate? Why some AI chatbots are easily manipulated , and how it’s costing businesses. How LLMs learn from your data , and what that means for privacy. Can small businesses run their own LLMs , or is it only for tech giants? The hidden biases in OpenAI , and what it means for AI fairness. With LLMs moving from hype to hands-on reality , this episode is essential viewing for business leaders, AI professionals, and anyone curious about the future of AI-driven technology . What do you think? Are LLMs failing, or is this just part of the innovation cycle? Let us know in the comments. #LLMs #ArtificialIntelligence #AI #MachineLearning #TechInnovation #BigTech #OpenAI #GoogleGemini #AIChatbots #AIethics Chapters: 00:00 – Introduction: from Aircraft Engineer to Integration Developer 05:50 What companies should be doing with LLMs 14:19 Business advantages and limitations of LLMs 18:07 The core principles of LLMs employees need to know 22:15 Pitfalls for companies using LLMs 25:45 Open AI using your Personal Data 29:20 Experiment with LLMs - but be careful, they're learning about you too 33:25 How do LLMs compare on cost? 45:46 Advice to Small Businesses Adopting AI 48:42 LLMs are Adapting to Please Us 52:17 Automation with Voice Recognition and Human Validation 58:10 Eroding Trust, AI Clones Are Now Producing Content 1:01:32 What’s next for AI? Possibilities beyond LLMs 1:05:39 Where do LLMs go from here?…

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Cloud Costs Are Out Of Control - Stop Wasting Money 37:37

vor 23 weeks37:37

37:37

Send us a text Cloud cost management is a challenge for many businesses, with 91% of organisations admitting they’re wasting money in the cloud. In this episode of Experts in Polo Shirts, Ryan Tracey and Matt Dyson tackle the most common reasons cloud bills spiral out of control and discuss strategies for effective optimisation. What are the top three reasons for wasted cloud spend? Lack of skills, overprovisioned resources, and idle assets are costing businesses thousands. Join us as we discuss the actionable steps you can take to reduce your Azure price tag, from addressing hidden costs in storage and backups to using reserved instances, scaling plans, and better governance. Whether you're struggling to manage your cloud bills or want to ensure your environment is optimised for efficiency, this episode is packed with practical advice to help you control costs and boost your ROI. #CloudCostManagement #AzureCostManagement #CloudCostOptimisation Chapters 00:00 Introduction 00:58 3 top reasons for wasting money on cloud 02:21 Addressing the skills gap 03:19 Over provisioning: the on-premises mentality 10:10 Idle and underused resources 11:29 Monitoring systems: what we do 16:17 Who is responsible for Cloud Cost Management? 19:14 Business forecasts and IT budgets 20:20 Retention on backups 22:24 Why reducing redundancy might be a bad idea 24:54 Converting to PaaS 25:58 Committing Technical Resource 27:09 Saving plans and reserved instances 29:57 The Importance of Preplanning 32:29 Company buy-in 35:27 Developer resources and subscriptions…

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Developer Revolution: Turbocharging Teams with Azure DevOps 19:22

vor 29 weeks19:22

19:22

Send us a text Azure DevOps, CI/CD pipelines, and Infrastructure as Code (IaC) are revolutionising modern development. These tools transform outdated workflows into efficient, automated pipelines, helping developers focus on innovation. This episode explores how practices like automated testing, platform-as-a-service options, and security automation boost productivity, security, and flexibility in Azure. Whether you’re a seasoned developer or managing a dev team, learn how Azure’s tools can help you work faster and smarter. #AzureDevOps #CloudDevelopment #ModernDevelopment 0:00 Introduction – What Does Legacy Development Look Like? 1:19 What is Azure DevOps? Automating Code and Infrastructure Deployment 2:12 Benefits of Pipeline Automation and Gated Deployments 3:02 Security in DevOps: OWASP 10 4:10 Enhancing Security in the Pipeline 4:42 Increasing Deployment Velocity with Azure Tools 5:22 The ROI of Prioritising Development Thruput 6:26 Platform as a Service: App Services vs. IIS 7:38 Certificate and Server Management with App Services 8:36 Application Insights and Debugging in Azure 9:38 SQL as a Service and Performance Optimisation 11:01 Infrastructure as Code (IaC) for Resilience 14:00 Integrating AI Tools Like GitHub Copilot 15:56 Leveraging Replit and AI for Prototyping 17:58 Conclusion – Enabling Innovation and the Future of DevOps…

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Is Public Cloud Losing Its Edge? 35:43

vor 36 weeks35:43

35:43

Send us a text Description: People are abandoning public cloud in their droves, or at least that's what Michael Dell might like you to think when he recently posted a stat which stated, "83% of enterprises plan to move workloads back to private cloud from public cloud." In this episode, our techies are debating the Logic of Repatriating Workloads. What is it, and what do the stats point to is the public cloud a sinking ship, or are we moving to a more nuanced cloud era, where companies have become more aware of the pros and cons of both on-premises and public cloud and have begun their truly hybrid cloud approach to their systems. Find out the opinions of the experts in polo shirts: Chris Piggot, CEO, Ryan Tracey, Head of Technical Operations; and Matt Dyson, Consultant at Synextra. Click the link below for the Barclays CIO Survey. https://8198920.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/8198920/Barclays_Cio_Survey_2024-1.pdf #cloudrepatriation #publiccloud #privatecloud Chapters: 0:00 Intro 0:47 What is cloud repatriation 1:15 The cloud repatriation statistic 2:50 Will SMEs repatriate? 4:36 The cost of cloud migration without optimisation 6:05 On-premises vs cloud 7:23 AI, what does it mean for the privacy of workloads in the cloud 9:47 Budgeting for future technical advances 10:52 Repatriation, the loss of functionality and a waste of time? 11:38 The infrastructure technical skill set in the future 15:38 Latency, cloud vs on-premises 18:47 Vendor lock-in 22:46 Cost management, doing public cloud correctly 29:37 A modern application stack 31:05 Reliability and the IT roadmap 34:28 Summary 35:30 Out…

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VMware is Out: What Alternatives Are There? 22:26

vor 40 weeks22:26

22:26

Send us a text As we say a sad goodbye to VMware, we discuss the realistic hypervisor alternatives for businesses and their pros and cons. Hyper-V, XenServer, and VMware, wait what I thought it was alternatives to Broadcoms latest cash cow!? For better or worse, sticking with the top performer might be your best choice. Unless you want to Migrate to one of the big players in Cloud, Azure and AWS, Microsoft's offering is the more obvious option with infrastructure professionals likely being more familiar with the user interface. All that and more in this episode of Experts in Polo Shirts with Synextra Consultant Matt Dyson, and Host Michael Clegg. #VMware #hypervisor #hyper-v #XenServer #publiccloud 0:00 Intro 0:18 Realistic Alternatives to VMware 0:42 VMware 2:36 HyperV 4:19 Xenserver 6:19 Hypervisor Migration Considerations 12:02 Non Hypervisor Alternatives to VMware 12:18 Public Cloud Azure & AWS 14:16 Scalability Advantages 17:44 Security Advantages 19:24 Motivation to Migrate…

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VMware is Dead - Broadcom Acquisition 16:17

vor 46 weeks16:17

16:17

Send us a text Since Broadcom acquired VMware we have seen a radical reorganisation of the company; eliminating products, packaging together what little is left and ratcheting up the prices giving consumers little choice but to plan their exit from the ecosystem. CEO Chris Piggott and HTO Ryan Tracey discuss what has happened, how it affected us and what we recommend to move forward. 0:00 Intro 0:14 What has happened to VMware? 3:02 Why did Broadcom move so fast? 4:19 What does this change mean for VMware customers? 6:08 What is Broadcom's track record? 7:15 How has this change impacted Synextra? 8:24 Are there any real benefits to clients now that Broadcom has taken over? 10:47 What's next? 12:22 Considering the future, is there anything to stop more price increases? 13:03 What does Synextra recommend? 14:48 What is the future for techies?…

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The Modernisation of the End User 7:14

vor 1 year7:14

7:14

Send us a text Aaron Naisbitt has joined Synextra, and he’s brought with him some fresh insights about the modern end user. Exploring the headwinds that IT teams have to fight in a modern-day workplace he suggests that the improving technology people have at home, making everything accessible at the touch of a button, has given employees higher expectations of tech in the workplace. Alongside this, workplace technology has become more complex, involving layers of security thus slowing systems down. Chapters: 0:00 Teaser 0:23 The Modernisation of the End User 4:40 The Changing Landscape 5:13 The Effect on Recruitment and Retention --- Visit our website: https://www.synextra.co.uk --- Social media// • Twitter: https://twitter.com/Synextra • Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/synextra • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/synextra-ltd- • YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPNhzi_d1GyV1WKtvO4sbdA • Linktree: https://linktr.ee/synextra…

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How safe is your business? - Cyber Security deep dive with DCI Chris Maddocks 1:10:42

vor 1 year1:10:42

1:10:42

Send us a text Join our special guest DCI Chris Maddocks, the head of Economic and Cyber teams in the North West and our very own Chris Piggott, Synextra CEO. Our Cyber Security webinar is where we’ll be sharing the most common mistakes that we see in businesses and organisations when it comes to Cyber Security and Phishing. We will explore how these mishaps can be avoided and examine the real impacts and repercussions on real organisations that members of the police force such as DCI Chris Maddocks have experienced and investigated firsthand. From easy-to-implement VPN systems to staff training we discuss the best practices for businesses and individuals to stay safe against cyber criminals and phishing attacks. Useful links: Northwest regional crime unit https://www.nwrocu.police.uk Northwest Cyber resilience centre https://www.nwcrc.co.uk Report Phishing https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/collection/phishing-scams/report-scam-email report@phishing.gov.uk Report to Action Fraud 24-hour City of London police https://www.cityoflondon.police.uk/advice/advice-and-information/fa2/fraud/action-fraud/ Have I been pwnd https://haveibeenpwned.com #cybersecuritytraining #phishing #webinar #cybercrime #cyberattack #socialmedia 00:00 Introduction 02:00 Protecting Businesses-2FA 03:01 Risks Of Ransomware 05:28 Social Media Compromises 07:30 The Cyber Security Skills Gap 13:19 Phishing Attack Vectors-Email 15:30 Crypto Currency And Crime 16:38 Exchange Web Proxy Exploits 18:03 Phishing Awareness 20:59 Turning The Tide On Ransomware 26:36 What Can People Do To Protect Themselves 33:30 Password Advice 41:15 Advice For Small Businesses And Charities 44:13 Distributed Denial-Of-Service DDoS 45:48 Police Cyber Investigation Process 47:42 Security Of Public Wifi 52:29 Other Attack Vectors 53:14 Disgruntled Employees 57:21 DDoS Analogy 58:28 Laws Around Cyber Crime 1:03:59 Conclusions --- Contact// Tel: 0161 883 1383 Email: enquiries@synextra.co.uk Visit the website: https://www.synextra.co.uk --- Social media// • Twitter: https://twitter.com/Synextra • Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/synextra • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/synextra-ltd- • YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPNhzi_d1GyV1WKtvO4sbdA • Linktree: https://linktr.ee/synextra…

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The Cyber Security Risks of TikTok 23:56

vor 2 years23:56

23:56

Send us a text The Experts in Polo Shirts are discussing the issues around TikTok, the hugely popular short video app every person and their cat is rushing in to use and yet it is being banned on government and company phones; but why? We discuss the security and misinformation issues that surround the platform. It is the fastest-growing social media platform, but today we'll be asking "is time up for TikTok?" --- 0:00 Introduction 0:28 Do we use TikTok? 1:58 TikTok Security Risks 3:34 Online disinformation and Silicon Valley bank 5:48 Censorships and suspensions 7:30 Cyber Security and data collection 10:55 The “Troll Factory” 12:20 Steven Bartlett’s fake footballer Pitch deck 13:20 TikTok as a search engine 14:27 Does google control online information? 16:39 TikTok, ad products and info collection 19:30 TikTok short-form content and how it affects other social media apps 20:35 TikTok online shop and commissions --- Want to watch the video version of the podcast, follow the link below https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GJkcn9XyF2Y --- Useful links: https://www.dailywire.com/news/navarro-on-tiktok-all-the-data-goes-right-to-servers-in-china https://www.cnbc.com/2020/01/02/google-abandoned-its-dont-be-evil-mantra-former-exec-says.html https://512.soccer/the-day-arsenal-signed-rex-secco/ https://metro.co.uk/2015/09/07/the-truth-behind-rex-seccos-34million-transfer-move-to-arsenal-5380023/ https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2023/mar/16/the-tiktok-wars-why-the-us-and-china-are-feuding-over-the-app#:~:text=A%20law%20implemented%20by%20China,other%20social%20media%20companies%2C%20collects. --- Contact// Tel: 0161 883 1383 Email: enquiries@synextra.co.uk Visit the website: https://www.synextra.co.uk --- Social media// • Twitter: https://twitter.com/Synextra • Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/synextra • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/synextra-ltd- • YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPNhzi_d1GyV1WKtvO4sbdA • Linktree: https://linktr.ee/synextra…

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The Death of the Sysadmin 15:04

vor 3 years15:04

15:04

Send us a text Ladies and gents, we are back again with another contentious episode! Or maybe not contentious enough... Today we're playing a twisted game of Cluedo with IT, and it looks like Colonel Mustard has done the wicked deed with a Candlestick in the Billiard Room! In this instance Colonel Mustard is Microsofts Azure platform, the Candlestick is Public Cloud, and the unfortunate soul is our beloved SysAdmin IT Professional. Forget about the Billiard Room, it doesn’t fit into this metaphor really well so we're hoping you don't read this far! Seriously tho, we're talking about the Death of the SysAdmin and the role that Azure and the public cloud plays in its demise! *Spoilers we don't actually think the role of the Sysadmin is done, we do think it will begin to look pretty different in the near future, watch now to find out the opinions of or CEO Chris Piggott and Infrastructure Engineer Michael Wilde. Four our UK audience and people unfamiliar with the term, SysAdmin is short for System administrator, the are our IT professionals who ensure an organisation's computer systems are functioning and meet the organisation's needs. In other words, SysAdmin support, troubleshoot, and maintain computer servers and networks. --- Contact// Tel: 0161 883 1383 Email: enquiries@synextra.co.uk Visit the website: https://www.synextra.co.uk --- Social media// • Twitter: https://twitter.com/Synextra • Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/synextra • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/synextra-ltd- • YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPNhzi_d1GyV1WKtvO4sbdA • Linktree: https://linktr.ee/synextra…

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Where have we been!? 16:26

vor 3 years16:26

16:26

Send us a text It has been a long time since our last podcast, but we are back!💪 Today we're talking about where have we been, the cost of living crisis and how crazy is at the moment for the public sector, our temporary (for 3 months already 😝) studio and its "fancy" chandelier, the new technology and the old fashioned but still a beast AS/400, customer projects and Cohesity the baffling backup solution (seemingly magical) that has our experts wondering how it work and much much more... That's enough with the spoilers! Get some popcorn, a soft drink, sit back and enjoy! #podcast #technology #business 00:00 Intro 00:34 Office renovation recap 02:57 New PCs, laptops on lease and browser tabs 05:49 Inflation and the cost of living 07:26 Customer projects 09:36 Cohisity backup solution - how does it work? 14:30 Old technology - AS/400 15:58 What's coming up 16:32 Fin --- Contact// • Tel: 0161 883 1383 • Email: enquiries@synextra.co.uk • Synextra: https://www.synextra.co.uk --- Social media// • Twitter: https://twitter.com/Synextra • Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/synextra • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/syne... • YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPNh...…

vor 4 years30:15

30:15

Send us a text How did one person go from a service desk engineer to a CEO of a successful technology company? What did the journey look like? Were there any stumbling blocks along the way? In our first episode of Experts in Polo Shirts, we sit down with Synextra founder and CEO, Chris Piggott and discuss where his journey began and what challenges he has faced to get where he is today. We delve into his chosen leadership styles, his view on being a young CEO in technology and how his career has developed working in the cloud industry. If you’re looking for some inspiration or just want to listen to an interesting story, get comfy and enjoy! Watch our video podcast here - https://youtu.be/V7wnIgK5FIE TAKE A LOOK AT OUR NEW WEBSITE! https://www.synextra.co.uk LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/company/synextra-ltd-/ Twitter | @synextra Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/synextra/…

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Experts In Polo Shirts

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The Let Them Theory: A Life-Changing Tool That Millions of People Can't Stop Talking About

The Let Them Theory: A Life-Changing Tool That Millions of People Can't Stop Talking About

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The Let Them Theory: A Life-Changing Tool That Millions of People Can't Stop Talking About

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