Advertise on podcast: Lifting the Lid on Technology

1.3 billion AI agents are forecast within a couple of years. The population of India. But who is watching what they do? In this Episode of Lifting the Lid, Barry White and Philip Meyer dig into Agent 365 and Microsoft Cowork, the governancekeeping the agent world under control, and the harder questions about jobs and choice. Covered in this episodeAgent 365 and agent observability, giving agents Entra IDs and Purview controls, the AWS data centre outage, Microsoft Cowork versus Claude, choice of language models across Copilot and Azure AI Foundry, and why a human still needs to check the work. Governance, compliance and the importance of our roles with AI. Bought to you in partnership with Microsoft. New episodes weekly.

This episode is a practical one, and it could save you money. There's a change to licensing that could raise your monthly bill, and many businesses need to act quickly. In episode five, Barry White and Philip Meyer break down Extended Service Terms in plain language, with the context you only get from 35 years inside Microsoft. Covered in this episodeWhat Extended Service Terms are, why the grace period is gone, auto renew and payment mechanics, how an annual deal can flip to monthly with an uplift, and how to get your renewal in order before the end date. Essential listening on Microsoft CSP, Extended Service Terms and licensing for New Zealand business. Bought to you in partnership with Microsoft. New episodes weekly.

A student used their school AI LLM to show the salaries of every teacher. Is this an AI problem or a security problem? In episode four, Barry White and Philip Meyer take on confidentiality in the age of AI, and why the biggest risk is usually a helpful person, not a bad one. Covered in this episode The end of security by obscurity, accidental oversharing, Microsoft Purview and data security posture management for small business, classifying data as confidential by default, insider risk, and the scale of intellectual property loss. Real talk on AI confidentiality, data governance and Purview for New Zealand business. Bought to you in partnership with Microsoft. New episodes weekly.

People didn't pilot electricity. They adopted electricity. They didn't trial it for six months to see how it felt. They said, right, we're shutting down the steam engine and we're electrifying the business. In episode three, Barry White and Philip Meyer take a critical look at Copilot adoption and mindset, with the experienced talk of someone who spent 35 years inside Microsoft. Covered in this episode Free versus paid Copilot, security and governance, why AI is a business transformation and not an IT project, AI as electricity, why you should not bet on a single language model, and why older users often adopt with more intent. Honest talk on AI adoption and business transformation. Bought to you in partnership with Microsoft. New episodes weekly.

The loss of information of businesses, the damage done to them, equates to the third largest economy in the planet. In episode one, Barry White sits down with Philip Meyer, 35 year Microsoft Veteran, now out on his own. They dig into the questions every New Zealand business is quietly asking about the cloud and AI. Covered in this episode Why New Zealand stays hybrid, data sovereignty and the ANZ government data centre, latency andtransactional workloads, the diluted promise of cloud scalability, the real cost of lost intellectual property, and the shift from Shadow IT to Shadow AI. Straight talk on cloud compliance, data sovereignty and governance, built for New Zealand business. New episodes weekly

Right now, tens of millions of AI agents are talking to each other. Not to us. To each other. In episode two, hear the insights from someone who spent 35 years inside Microsoft. Philip Meyer and Barry White get past the hype and into the machinery of real business AI in New Zealand. Covered in this episode The agentic shift, hiring digital agents, machine to machine knowledge transfer, why AI still needs data plumbing and security, the five pillars of an AI shift, Microsoft Fabric andCopilot Studio, and why Copilot is the UI for AI. Practical talk on all things Microsoft: Copilot, agents, Fabricand generative AI for business. New episodes weekly.

Most acquisitions are messy. Two companies, two cultures, two ways of doing things: and often casualties along the way.  Sometimes, it goes differently. In episode 23 of Lifting the Lid, Barry White sits down with Pablo Garcia-Curtis (Group CEO, Softsource vBridge) and Mark Mayo (CEO, The Laptop Company) to talk about what actually happens when you bring 200 people under one company, and why taking time turned out to be the smartest move they made. If you're a business leader navigating growth, thinking about acquisition, or just trying to build a team that doesn't wants to do the right thing, this episode is worth a listen. See spotify.com/nz/legal/privacy-policy for privacy information.

Are NZ workplaces keeping pace with the rest of APAC in the new era of collaboration?  With hybrid work now the norm, organisations across New Zealand are rethinking how people connect, communicate, and collaborate.  In this episode of Lifting the Lid on Technology, Jason MacBride, Regional Director ANZ at Neat, joins Barry White to unpack the latest IDC APAC Team Collaboration Benchmarks Report, revealing how NZ businesses compare with their regional peers and how Neat is paving the way for customers with innovative workplace collaboration solutions that simplify hybrid meetings, enhance inclusivity, and drive smarter, more sustainable experiences.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode of Lifting the Lid on Technology, we were joined by Olivia Brown, Group People and Culture Lead at Softsource vBridge for a different perspective on technology. With years of experience leading large technical teams, Olivia sits down with Barry to discuss why workplace success depends on people and culture as much as technology.   Olivia offers practical insights into how leaders can embrace AI as a strategic asset while protecting collaboration, well being, and the connections that help people thrive.   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What if the key to stronger security is thinking like the threat?  In this episode, Barry White sits down with SASE Lead Steve Isles from HPE Aruba and Softsource vBridge’s Security Contsultant and Penetration Tester Alex, to explore how attackers are thinking, what defences are failing, and where businesses should focus next.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is part 2 of episode 15 of Lifting the Lid on Technology, our host Barry White sits down with Lauren Nobbs, Partner Solutions Sales Manager for Copilot Global Partner Solutions at Microsoft ANZ, to explore the rapidly evolving landscape of artificial intelligence in the workplace.  From Lauren's frontline experience working with partners and customers across New Zealand and Australia, discover how businesses are navigating the spectrum of AI adoption – from individual productivity gains to fully autonomous agents managing entire workflows.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In our latest episode, host Barry White catches up with Ben Young, Field CTO for APJ at Veeam and former Head of Cloud Products at Softsource vBridge on the future of managing your data with AI. In this episode we cover the role of Security, GPU as a Service and backup data in your journey to AI readiness. From GPUaaS to Veeam’s new Model Context Protocol, Ben shares what’s shaping the future of data protection, AI integration and cloud infrastructure across the region. Whether you're planning your AI strategy or rethinking your backup architecture, this episode is packed with timely insights. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this comprehensive episode of Lifting the Lid on Technology, our host Barry White sits down with Lauren Nobbs, Partner Solutions Sales Manager for Copilot Global Partner Solutions at Microsoft ANZ, to explore the rapidly evolving landscape of artificial intelligence in the workplace.  From Lauren's frontline experience working with partners and customers across New Zealand and Australia, discover how businesses are navigating the spectrum of AI adoption – from individual productivity gains to fully autonomous agents managing entire workflows.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the latest episode of the Lifting the Lid on Technology, host Barry sits down with Adam Foy, Head of Performance Analysis at the Blues Rugby team, to explore the high-performance world where data, coaching, and game-day decisions intersect. From Adam’s roots at Munster Rugby and the Irish National team to his current role in at The Blues in New Zealand, discover how advanced tools like Hudl SportsCode and Power BI help shape training, analyse the opposition, and tell a compelling data story.  Whether you're a sports fan, data enthusiast, or IT professional, this episode reveals the powerful role of tech in high-performance environments. Bought to you by HP, NExt Gen AI PCs. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome to the latest episode of Lifting the Lid on Technology. In this thought-provoking episode, Barry is joined by Steve Isles, a leading expert in cybersecurity and cloud security, to explore the pressing challenges and opportunities facing New Zealand businesses today.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.