NODE Podcast

Intelligent automation and AI offer fantastic opportunities to CIOs and IT teams to rapidly revolutionise the ways they can efficiently manage their operations. They know that already, of course, which is why many are already struggling with it.Organisations typically manage 20-30 different monitoring tools already, and are frequently wrestling with fragmented operations where any number of the latest, shiniest AI tools are being deployed to solve problems across any number of devices and organisational siloes.As the pace of change accelerates, operational chaos has a knack of increasing, along with the costs. The time has come to demonstrate ROI on all those AI investments, and many are finding that problematic.In this episode of the NODE podcast, host Romily Broad meets Riverbed’s SVP of Global Solutions Engineering, Charbel Nicer, to take a deep dive into the emerging art of AIOps.A long-time leader in the field of IT observability, Riverbed has now positioned itself as a one-stop shop for AIOps.Charbel explains that Riverbed has been able to flex its observability chops to cut through the complexity and offer a platform focused on three core principles: AI solutions should be smart, open, and simple.It’s a solution Charbel says helped a top-five global bank save $1.6 million in just three months through automated support processes. Meanwhile, a British bank with 150,000 devices implemented proactive problem identification, executing 322,000 automated remediation activities.Generative AI is opening new frontiers, too. Effective AIOps can provide new levels of instant, intelligent insights, transforming how IT teams diagnose and resolve complex technological challenges.But the trick, says Charbel, isn’t to simply snatch at the latest technology – it’s about creating an intelligent, integrated approach that delivers tangible value.More thoughts from Charbel:https://www.node-magazine.com/

From a functionally illiterate dyslexic child to the CEO of a company with the potential to help solve the scourge of multi-billion-dollar card fraud, Ben Jordan has been on a journey.Ben established Safecypher just three years ago on the back his senior leadership roles in payments services and at the forefront of tackling fraud prevention with Europol, and since then his company’s unique dynamic CVV service has proved its mettle.In Ireland, the company has worked with the banking arm of the country’s national post office, An Post, to not just reduce card-not-present (CNP) fraud, but erase it as a problem altogether.It’s a remarkable statistic, and he is now seeking to take the solution to the world. CNP fraud is a problem of staggering scale: Ben tells us in this episode of the NODE podcast that it is estimated 80% of US credit cards are compromised, with 150 million Americans experiencing fraud annually. Prevention methods typically rely on complex risk analysis and, now, AI-driven solutions, but Safecypher’s approach is elegantly simple: a dynamic CVV system that generates a unique three-digit security code for each transaction, right inside people’s usual banking app. It’s a simple binary solution - you're either the legitimate cardholder or you're not. And while it’s been tried before, it’s only now with the benefit of cloud compute and emerging technologies that it can be integrated in a simple, cost-effective (Ben reckons a bank can deploy the solution for just $85,000) and flexible way.Not only has it zeroed out CNP fraud for An Post’s customers, it has also resulted in those customers using their cards up to three times more frequently after implementation.As online transactions continue to grow and fraudsters become ever more sophisticated, Safecypher’s simpler thinking holds the potential to transform a complex security problem into an easily scaled solution.

Dr. Elinor Carmi is a senior lecturer specialisng in data politics and data justice at City St. George’s, University of London.An author, researcher, and digital rights activist with a profound interest in data justice and internet governance, she has made significant contributions to policy and provided evidence for the UK Government, UNESCO, World Health Organistion, and the European Commission. She currently collaborates with the Weizenbaum Institute to establish global standards for AI practitioners.She is now co-director of a new masters degree programme that is a unique collaboration between City St George's' computer science department and her own Department of Sociology and Criminology.Now enrolling students to begin in September 2025, the course aims to combine an understanding of the underlying AI technologies driving our economic and social revolution with the tools they need to examine its true consequences for society.As Elinor explains, neither the technologies or the data they use are neutral actors. The further AI systems embed themselves into our work and lives, the more we must question the completness or validity of the data they use. And the more we come to depend on AI, the more informed and critical policymakers must become to ensure the beneficary is society as whole, 'not just the profits of tech CEOs'.The newMSc Data, Policy & Societycourse aims to equip students with both the technical and academic knowhow to become the policymakers of the future by providing them with the practical research skills and knowledge to critically understand and ethically assess how data is used across a multitude of industries.

Emigrating from Ukraine to Chicago as a boy in the early 1990s, Vadim Vladmirskiy found his calling plugging in dial-up modems under the desks of his family and neighbours. Thirty years later he is the founder and CEO of Nerdio, which serves thousands of companies across 50 countries helping to manage and cut costs on their Microsoft deployments in the cloud. Vadim's journey from high-school side-hussler to multinational tech leader has seen him build and grow a number of successful ventures along the way. He says the secret to success has been 'naively' failing to set limits on his own expectations - something he'd recommend for all budding entrepreneurs. Nerdio started as an internal project at a Managed Service Provider (MSP) Vadim helped set up and run in his native Chicago. It was a tool to help the company manage client needs in delivering desktop virtualisation from their own private cloud. Soon enough, however, other MSPs learned of their innovation and asked to license it themselves. A move away from their private cloud to Microsoft Azure allowed Nerdio to offer its services to other MSPs without competive tensions, and that's when things really took off. Then, in 2019, Microsoft released Azure Virtual Desktop and Nerdio chose to rapidly expand its feature set. It was just in time. A few months later, COVID-19 lockdowns began and seemingly half the world surged into Nerdio's inbox looking for solutions for suddenly dispersed workforces. In this episode of the NODE podcast, Vadim takes us back to his roots and explains how his mission to 'destress IT pros' has helped Nerdio seize its opportunities and expand both its offering and its workforce at pace.

Rajiv Shesh, Corporate Vice President of HCLTech and Chief Revenue Officer of HCLSoftware, shares his extensive experience and perspective on the impact of AI in the technology industry. From his early days as an electrical engineering student to his current role helping to oversee HCLSoftware, Rajiv delves into the evolution of AI and its implications for businesses and society. Rajiv discusses managing client expectations, the role of AI in transforming organisations, and the importance of fostering creativity and innovation in the age of automation. Discover how AI is reshaping the workforce and the skills needed for future success. Visit NODE for more insightful content and stay tuned for future episodes with industry experts like Rajiv Shesh.