AVANT Technology Insights
123 episodes - English - Latest episode: 25 days ago - ★★★★★ - 11 ratingsStrategies for solving business challenges through today’s Information Technologies, featuring the foremost thought leaders in the field. AVANT is an industry-leading platform for IT Decision Making. www.GoAVANT.net
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Episodes
James Ochoa - The Acquisition of VMware by Broadcom and How It Impacts Your Business
April 03, 2024 09:00 - 19 minutes - 18.1 MBIn this episode, Chip Hoisington, Senior Analyst at AVANT Analytics, and James Ochoa, VP of Cloud at Flexential, delve into the VMware situation. Together, they discuss the impacts customers will likely experience as a result of the program updates, as well as the steps organizations can take to better prepare for success amidst these significant changes. Join us for an insightful conversation to understand why this situation has caused such a massive ripple effect for customers and technol...
Chip Hoisington - What's Driving Colo - Repatriation and Real Estate
March 06, 2024 10:00 - 22 minutes - 18.8 MBColocation is experiencing a resurgence in popularity! What's behind this renewed interest in popularity? Join Alex Danyluk, Managing Director of AVANT Analytics, and Chip Hoisington, Senior Director of Connectivity, Colo, and Wireless at AVANT, as they delve into the current Colo landscape. Discover why, after a decade of prioritizing cloud strategies, some are returning to data centers and others are venturing into them for the first time. Let's explore together! Listen in to get started.
Brent Wilford - 2024 Outlook for UC
February 21, 2024 10:00 - 37 minutes - 32.9 MBIn this episode, Alex Danyluk, Managing Director of AVANT Analytics, and Brent Wilford, Senior Director of Customer Experience and UCaaS at AVANT, focus on the outlook of the UCaaS industry. The good news? Businesses of all sizes can adopt UCaaS from various providers. So, what's the challenge? With an abundance of providers, determining the best fit for your business can be complicated. They explore what IT decision-makers should keep in mind as they evaluate potential providers. Plus, th...
John Paullin - Allergic to AI? Not So Fast!
February 07, 2024 10:00 - 22 minutes - 22.2 MBIn this episode, Managing Director of AVANT Analytics, Alex Danyluk, interviews our very own John Paullin, Sales Engineer and Senior Analyst of AVANT Analytics! Together, they discuss what enterprise customers are really asking about in regard to AI in the contact center. John shares his experience speaking to hundreds of customers from all walks of life and educating them on the various ways AI can impact not just the customer experience they provide, but also what is often their most expen...
Sarah Arnstein - Review of 2023 SASE Gartner Magic Quadrant
January 03, 2024 10:00 - 23 minutes - 20.8 MBRecently, one of our podcast hosts, Alex Danyluk was scrolling through LinkedIn and saw that AVANT's resident SASE expert, Sarah Arnstein, was compiling her own write-up on the very first Gartner Magic Quadrant for Single-Vendor SASE Report. From there, this episode was born! Dive into our new episode as Alex Danyluk, Managing Director of AVANT Analytics, and Sales Engineer Sarah Arnstein discuss what is going on in the SASE landscape. Listen in and discover how things have evolved even furt...
Todd Cadieux - AI, Where Are We Today and Where Are We Going
December 06, 2023 10:00 - 25 minutes - 20.6 MBIn this episode, John Paullin, AVANT Analytics Senior Analyst, and Todd Cadieux, RVP of Solution Consulting at Five9, are going to talk about everybody's favorite buzzword - you guessed it - AI, AKA Artificial Intelligence. They explore how it fits into today’s modern contact center and what capabilities are being sought out first. In other words, where does the buying journey for AI start? Finally, they wrap up by sharing some bold predictions as to where they believe AI is heading. Listen...
Greg Vander Gaast - Security Products Don’t Work
November 15, 2023 10:00 - 30 minutes - 29.1 MBIn today's episode, Stephen Semmelroth, Sr. Director of Security at AVANT, is joined by Greg Vander Gaast, Chief Technologist of Security at CDW, to talk about security strategy. They explore some methods that some might consider blasphemous, while others think to be the real deal when it comes to building a security program. Plus, they guide listeners on how to prevent security problems before they even happen. Join them as they jump into the security strategy conversation!
Sarah Arnstein - From 'Hold' to Hero - The Supervisor's Guide to Wrangling WFH Contact Center Craziness
November 01, 2023 09:00 - 21 minutes - 19.8 MBIn this episode of AVANT Technology Insights, Brent Wilford, Senior Analyst of AVANT Analytics, is joined by his colleague and Sales Engineer Sarah Arnstein, to talk about Contact Center Supervisors. How valuable are they in the day-to-day operations of your contact center? What impact can they have for your organization as you evaluate solutions and make the shift from on-prem to Contact Center Cloud technology? Listen in to find out! Get SASE with Sarah >> https://getsasewithsarah.com/
Stephen Semmelroth - State of the Threat Right Now
October 18, 2023 09:00 - 23 minutes - 21.9 MBIn our latest podcast episode, Alex Danyluk, Chief Strategy Officer and Managing Director of AVANT Analytics, is joined by AVANT's Cybersecurity guru Stephen Semmelroth! Together, they discuss the whiplash that has been occurring in the cybersecurity space over the past two years, from pre-COVID to present day. Plus, they dive into what's really going on right now in Security, including what they believe is the new North Star of the cybersecurity space!
Tia Hopkins - SEC Regulations
October 04, 2023 09:00 - 35 minutes - 33.5 MBIn our latest Technology Insights podcast, Stephen Semmelroth, Sr. Director of Security at AVANT, dives deep into the new regulations from the SEC (Security and Exchange Commission) on cybersecurity. 'Who does that impact from your board?? How do these regulations affect you and your business? What are the key takeaways you need to know? Stephen is joined by one of the most preeminent on the subject Tia Hopkins, Chief Cyber Resilience Officer and Field CTO from eSentire, and together they ar...
Lou Rabon - Security is the Key to Unlocking Revenue
September 20, 2023 09:00 - 39 minutes - 35.5 MBThis is one episode of Technology Insights you won't want to miss! Host and AVANT Sr. Director of Security Stephen Semmelroth is joined by our guest, Lou Rabon, CEO of CDG. Together, they jump into the cost of a breach to look at how much organizations should actually spend on security. Plus, they explore why it's so important for business leaders to be able to speak security and security leaders to be able to speak business! Don't miss out on the expert insights that will keep your organiz...
Mike Kuch - What AI means in the Contact Center
September 06, 2023 09:00 - 22 minutes - 16.3 MBIn this episode of AVANT Technology Insights, we are talking about everything that is involved when moving from voice to cloud. Senior Analyst of AVANT Analytics Brent Wilford is joined by industry expert and Senior Director of Solutions marketing from Avaya, Mike Kutch! Together, they discuss moving your PBX, understanding the needs of your entire organization to ensure they'll be met before you make the decision, and properly introducing artificial intelligence and other modern features ...
Steven Baer - We Do Nothing But Stop Cyber Threats
August 16, 2023 09:00 - 32 minutes - 28.5 MBIn this episode, Stephen Semmelroth, Sr Director of Security at AVANT, is bringing on Security expert Steve Baer to talk about the history of cybersecurity. Where have we been as an industry? What is the new focus of it? What are some of the things that you need to know about in the world of cybersecurity right now? Listen in to this episode to join us in the cybersecurity conversation!
Tom Nevins & Anish Patel - Taming Cloud Expense Mayhem
August 02, 2023 09:00 - 20 minutes - 16.2 MBIn this episode, Peter Callowhill, Senior Analyst for AVANT Analytics, is joined by Tom Nevins, Tangoe Vice President, Solution Architects, and Anish Patel, Tangoe Cloud Practice Lead. Together, they talk about Cloud Expenses Mayhem and what it means in the world of cloud. Plus, they explain what the impact is for organizations and how help is now available to get "houses in order" while still reaping the benefits of the cloud! Listen in to discover how you can benefit financially by working...
Theresa Lanowitz - Joining Forces to Analyze the CSI Report Findings
July 19, 2023 09:00 - 34 minutes - 25.2 MBIn this episode, Stephen Semmelroth, Senior Analyst of AVANT Analytics, is joined by Theresa Lanowitz, Head of Evangelism at AT&T Cybersecurity, to discuss the AT&T Cybsecurity Insights Report for 2023! This is a phenomenal report that will change the way you do business. Together, Stephen and Theresa dive into the report, exploring budget planning strategies for tech-service organizations and answering the question: should you be an optimist in this space or not? Find out the answer, ...
Brent Wilford & John Paullin - CCaaS 6-12 Report
July 05, 2023 09:00 - 27 minutes - 22.7 MBAre you looking to move to a CCaaS solution? Interested in learning how many of your peers in the industry are also currently making the CCaaS shift? In this episode, AVANT Analytics Managing Director Alex Danyluk is joined by AVANT CCaaS experts and Sales Engineers, Brent Wilford and John Paullin, to dive into the key takeaways of the latest 6-12 Report, focused on the evolving CCaaS landscape! For the best listening experience, we recommend you follow along with us as we explore the ...
Gabe Sette - Skyrocketing Costs and Decommissioning of POTS Lines Addressed
June 21, 2023 09:00 - 24 minutes - 21.3 MBIn this episode of AVANT Technology Insights, Chip Hoisington, AVANT Senior Director of Engineering, and Gabe Sette, Spectrotel Senior Vice President, talk about what exactly is going on with POTS lines! Everybody is calling them about these crazy POTS lines, as costs skyrocket and users receive shut-off notices. To answer all your questions, Chip and Gabe review what's in the POTS line and TDM copper-based kind of connectivity world today and explain how their organizations are helping sol...
Derek Siler - Protect Applications using NIST Cybersecurity Framework
June 07, 2023 09:00 - 25 minutes - 25.1 MBIn this episode, Niko O’Hara, the Head of Engineering at AVANT, and Derek Siler, the Solutions Architect at Flexential, dive into the NIST cybersecurity framework, focusing specifically on how we can use it to protect critical IT workloads. They talk through the details of the framework itself, as well as each individual category. Lastly, they hit on how you can use this as the foundation for a complete cybersecurity strategy. Click the “play” button to get started!
Todd Surdey - The Future of Communication
May 17, 2023 09:00 - 35 minutes - 31.4 MBIn this episode of AVANT Technology Insights, AVANT President and co-founder Drew Lydecker is joined by Todd Surdey, Head of Global Channels & Business Development at Zoom. Together, they talk about the absolute disruption they're creating - in unified communications, contact center, video, and AI. Zoom is the definition of everything is changing. Listen in and join the evolution! This one's going to be fun.
Dave Watson - How Modern CCaaS Solutions Can Impact Your KPIs
May 03, 2023 09:00 - 31 minutes - 20.4 MBIn this episode of AVANT Technology Insights, Senior Analyst John Paullin and UC/CC Field Sales Engineer David Watson discuss the importance of mapping CCaaS technologies to Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and explore how the former can positively impact the latter. Don't miss these great insights that will help you and your customers navigate the IT decision-making journey! To learn more about this topic, download our free e-book, The Connection Between CCaaS Solutions and Your Cust...
Drew Lydecker, Brent Wilford, Stephen Semmelroth - State of Disruption in 2023
April 19, 2023 09:00 - 33 minutes - 26.1 MBIt's the one hundredth episode of the AVANT Technology Insights podcast, and this is one you shouldn't miss. Drew Lydecker, Alex Danyluk, Stephen Semmelroth, and Brent Wilford cover the state of disruption in our industry RIGHT NOW, diving into UCaaS/CCaaS, security, cloud, the as-a-service movement, and MUCH more! This episode provides some great market insights and is a must-listen for those who are focused on growing and evolving their business along with the industry! Check it out! ...
Terry Corder - Solving the Microsoft Teams Communication Puzzle
April 05, 2023 10:00 - 18 minutes - 12.8 MBIn our latest AVANT Technology Insights episode, Sr. Research Analyst Christopher Brennan is joined by Terry Corder, Fusion Connect's Sr. Director of Solution Engineering! Together, they discuss how to solve the puzzle of using Microsoft Teams for both collaboration and communication. What is the cleanest and easiest way to unpack this for a confused client? What is the Microsoft Contact Center strategy today, as it pertains to Teams and future plans? Listen in to find out!
Duane Barnes and Kenneth Ziegler - Joining Forces to Simplify Managed Services
March 15, 2023 10:00 - 32 minutes - 26.8 MBIn our latest episode, AVANT President Drew Lydecker discusses one of the best mergers and acquisitions he has seen in the industry with Duane Barnes, GM of RapidScale, and Ken Ziegler, CEO of Logicworks. How does this acquisition expand on the already powerful suite of managed IT solutions that RapidScale offers today? What are the benefits that end customers can expect as a result? Click the “play” button to find out!
George Just - How Much Can You Block
March 01, 2023 10:00 - 22 minutes - 23.1 MBWelcome to another Security-focused episode of Technology Insights, hosted by Stephen Semmelroth, AVANT Sr. Director of Security, and George Just, Chief Revenue Officer of ThreatBlokr. In this episode, Stephen and George take a step back to think about security and the problems in this space that you're facing. For the next 30 minutes, listen in as they guide you on how to tackle those problems and more!
Marcus Garcia - The Evolution of Great CX
February 15, 2023 10:00 - 23 minutes - 18.2 MBIn our latest AVANT Technology Insights podcast, AVANT Senior Analyst Chris Brennan is joined by Marcus Garcia, VP of Sales at NICE CXone! They explore shifting customer tendencies, and what that evolution means for organizations focused on delivering an exceptional customer experience, or CX.
Boris Ginshpun - Common Pitfalls in Digital Communications
February 01, 2023 10:00 - 24 minutes - 19.2 MBDigital communications between a company and its customers and prospects certainly doesn't feel new. After all, many companies have chat, email, and web forms as "Contact Us" options on their websites. Additionally, several organizations market to their prospects using email and SMS. While these digital mediums were intended to offer convenience and promised efficiencies, many barriers to effective digital communications still exist. Why is that the case? What are the best practices when get...
Tony Lauro - The Light at the End of the Cybersecurity Tunnel
January 18, 2023 10:00 - 27 minutes - 26.5 MBIn this podcast, AVANT President and co-founder Drew Lydecker is joined by Tony Lauro, Director of Security Technology and Strategy at Akamai. They're focusing on educating, entertaining, and sparking thoughtful conversation all around cybersecurity with Akamai, one of its biggest players. They explore what keeps CIOs up at night - and what Akamai is doing to help them sleep better. Plus, they explain how beneficial utilizing the technologies Akamai builds is for leadership visibility. How c...
Tony Scribner - People-Process-WHAT
January 04, 2023 10:00 - 27 minutes - 19.9 MBIn this episode, we talk with Tony Scribner of Ntirety, who challenges the way we think about build-or-buy decisions and how to apply security. Does it really move the needle? Jump in and get ready for the newest episode of the AVANT Technology Insights podcast.
Rob Stephenson - The Talent Balance
December 21, 2022 09:00 - 22 minutes - 21.6 MB“Find an employer that is going to support you, train you, and give you that opportunity.” All along the cybersecurity side of the house, everyone needs to take best practices and precautions seriously. You should assume someone is attempting to get into every single device you have that is connected to the Internet. Enterprises must make sure they are protected by seeking out talented people who can provide that necessary support. How does Thrive solve the talent balancing problem? They...
Tim Joos - All-in-One Enterprise Technology Management
December 07, 2022 09:00 - 15 minutes - 19 MBIn this episode, we discuss enterprise technology management and what it can do for your business. Gone are the days of having a small pool of vendors supporting your business. Now, it’s dozens of technologies, and brand-new or evolving ones at that! We explore some of the common questions that arise as a result of these changes. How can you keep track of the rapid pace of evolution in technology? How do you know what you’re actually spending your money on? How do you integrate new technolog...
Kyle Hall and Adrian Tilston - Hiring Veterans with the Skillbridge Program
November 09, 2022 09:00 - 33 minutes - 33.4 MBWelcome to a special Veteran's Day podcast hosted by AVANT Sr. Director of Security and Kyle Hall and Adrian Tilston of Resourcive. In this episode, they discuss how they bring on transitioning veterans and explore their own journeys of transition. Join us and learn how to capitalize on talent that can help you move that needle. “It doesn't matter how big or small your organization is if you're hiring right now. There is a program that can get transitioning veterans into that through Skill...
Craig Walker - Embracing both Fears and Opportunities - The Journey of an Entrepreneur
November 02, 2022 09:00 - 32 minutes - 25.9 MBThis is the very first podcast from AVANT President and co-founder Drew Lydecker. In this episode, he and CEO of Dialpad Craig Walker are covering a lot of ground! Listen in to learn what it truly takes to become an entrepreneur and why it’s so important to develop a unique culture that matches your company. Plus, they explain why unified communications in CCaaS are potentially the greatest weapon EVER invented for sales and how they can help an organization evolve from good to great. Put yo...
Duane Barnes - The Everything-as-a-Service Movement
October 19, 2022 09:00 - 15 minutes - 16 MBIn this episode, we're talking about “Everything as a Service” in IT, and it's a game changer for how you consume and manage anything in this ever-changing fast-paced world.
Armando Martinez - Consumerization of CCaaS is Changing the Game
October 05, 2022 09:00 - 19 minutes - 22.6 MBThe consumerization of IT continues at a rapid pace and nowhere is that truer than in contact centers and UCaaS solutions. In this episode, we discuss how contact centers are popping up in 20-, 10, and even 5-people environments, departments, or front desk situations. It's all getting integrated as one big solution between CCaaS and UCaaS. Listen in and discover the main takeaways you should know as consumerization changes the game again in IT.
Tia Hopkins - People vs. Technology in Security
September 21, 2022 09:00 - 26 minutes - 24.3 MBDuring the Black Hat Security Conference 2022 in Las Vegas, Stephen Semmelroth, AVANT’s Senior Director of Security, interviewed Tia Hopkins, Field CTO and Chief Cyber Strategist at eSentire They talk about important players and technology in Security and discuss important questions you need to know the answers to. What is the purpose of security? Is it only a technical problem, or a combination of technical and people problems? What is Tia Hopkins’ point of view on solving the people proble...
Stephen Semmelroth - Pathfinding Security in 2023
September 14, 2022 09:00 - 26 minutes - 24 MBDoes anyone really understand what security means in today's IT? We sat down with AVANT’s Senior Director of Security to talk about our predictions for the next year in infosec, what a company needs to know in the next six to 12 months about security, and how to protect themselves and their security posture. It's all about the 6-12 Security NIST Report!
Ben Bohman, Jody Hagemann - Concurrent Network & Security Gameplan
September 07, 2022 09:00 - 18 minutes - 16.4 MBIn this episode, we explore best cost connectivity solutions and the importance for clients to consider their Networking and Security requirements simultaneously. We also dive into the process for developing best security practices to achieve superior results and explain how you can benefit from the competitive connectivity market and the availability of advanced strategies!
Brian Bonebrake - Benefit of Cloud Base Communications
August 17, 2022 09:00 - 31 minutes - 30.3 MBIn this episode of our podcast, we're going to be talking about the benefits of unified communications contact center as a service, and how all of that has changed coming out of the global pandemic. Businesses can realize tangible benefits from establishing a cloud-based communications infrastructure and stay tuned to listen to how that could benefit your business, no matter what the size.
Josh Stanley - The Video-Centric Contact Center
August 03, 2022 09:00 - 19 minutes - 17.7 MBAdoption of video as a collaboration tool has skyrocketed over the past 3 years. However, it hasn’t historically been heavily used in the contact center space until now. Why has that been the case, and what benefits can video offer from a customer service and sales standpoint? What are the cost benefits and training considerations for companies interested in adopting video as a communication channel? Join us as we discuss these topics with Josh Stanley, Sales Strategy Leader for Zoom Contact...
Sanjay Srinivasan - Personalizing interactions in today’s market
July 20, 2022 09:00 - 32 minutes - 21.2 MBIn this podcast, we examine the tough challenge of personalizing every interaction a customer has with an enterprise’s support contact center and how the convergence of CCaaS, UCaaS, and CPaaS enables this through the building of customized communications. We demonstrate this using vertical-specific use cases, including insurance, healthcare, and financial services.
Dan Webb - Robust security requires scarce human skills. MDR services can help!
July 06, 2022 09:00 - 21 minutes - 24.1 MBWhat does it take to be ready for the security challenges that are out there today? Scarce and costly security resources play a key part in a robust security posture! Join us as we explore where technology solutions alone fall short, the critical need for people to interact with technical solutions, and the role manage detection and response (MDR) services can play in helping companies focus on business outcomes while reducing the burden on staff.
Jon Heaps - "Your Call May Be Monitored by" AI
June 08, 2022 09:00 - 15 minutes - 17.5 MBWe’ve all heard the typical “This call may be recorded and monitored for quality assurance” message before during a phone call. However, the challenge is that less than 3% of those calls are monitored. What happens with the other 97%? And how does a company possibly know what’s really happening on their phone calls? Listen in as Observe.ai’s Jon Heaps explores AI, how it is changing the game when it comes to monitoring and improving the quality of these phone calls, and what that could mean f...
Mike Ferry - Untying the Knots with Pots
May 18, 2022 09:00 - 17 minutes - 16.5 MBJoin host Chip Hoisington and guest, Mike Ferry, from Granite Epik as they discuss what’s going on with POTS Lines and why you need to prepare now to get ahead of the challenges facing millions of business customers around this issue. Plus, they’ll explore the importance of affordable and reliable solutions to replace outdated, costly, and endangered POTS lines that will work when the internet is down, or the power is out.
Chad Haydar - AI is The Core Piece of The Modern Contact Center
May 04, 2022 09:00 - 13 minutes - 14.3 MBIn this episode of Technology Insights, we’ll be talking about the role of artificial intelligence in the modern content center and the impact it has on the customer experience and your bottom line.
Bill Brower - UCaaS Implementation & CCaaS Study
April 20, 2022 09:00 - 14 minutes - 13.4 MBIn this episode of Technology Insights, we dive into a piece of unified communications that often gets overlooked – implementation. Listen in and learn how to deploy your new unified communication system and make sure your customers are happy with their new purchase.
Warning: Russian Cyber Attacks on The Rise
April 10, 2022 09:00 - 13 minutes - 17.2 MBListen in as AVANT's Chief Strategy Officer, Alex Danyluk, and Senior Director of Security, Stephen Semmelroth, two members of the AVANT Analytics team, discuss the recent Russian attacks on Ukraine and the technological impact they're having on a global scale. Plus, they'll outline what the technology partner community is doing in response and what actions you should be taking to help protect your customers from potential Security threats.
Emil Sayegh - Security is a Critical Factor for Cloud Success
April 06, 2022 09:00 - 18 minutes - 18.3 MBToday we'll be talking about hybrid cloud, security, and Maslow's hierarchy of IT. What's at the bottom of that pyramid? You guessed it - Security.
Mike Stowe: Business SMS - The Change You Need to Know
March 16, 2022 12:35 - 24 minutes - 22.8 MBIn this episode, John Paullin, Senior Analyst of AVANT Analytics, and Mike Stowe, Director of Developer Marketing at RingCentral, will be talking about The Campaign Registry, a reputation authority working with North American mobile operators to help combat the rise in spam SMS. What are the implications for you? What actions need to be taken? Stay tuned to find out. http://goavant.net/answering-your-questions-about-the-recent-business-sms-change
Ray Watson, Kevin Thomsen, and Bharath Vasudevan: State of Disruption in 2022
March 02, 2022 14:00 - 30 minutes - 27 MBThe pace of change in technology is accelerating, and never has that been truer than in the past 2 years. Join us as we explore the impact of technology disruption on today's business in 2022. Host: Alex Danyluk, Managing Director of AVANT ANALYTICS Guests: Kevin Thomsen – Zoom Bharath Vasudevan – AlertLogic Ray Watson – Masergy
Brent Wilford: Getting the Most from UCaaS & CCaaS
December 29, 2021 16:10 - 24 minutes - 18.9 MBThere is a lot of evolution in the UCaaS and CCaaS space these days. In this episode, Brent Wilford, AVANT’s Director of Cloud Engineering, talks to Ken Presti about the benefits of convergence, the right place to begin migrations, and how all of this is impacting customer expectations.