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The Savvy CIO: Daily Summaries Delivered
by Park Place Technologies
Every CIO right now is being asked to do more with less: modernize the stack, secure the perimeter, embrace AI…and still somehow come in under budget. The Savvy CIO is a podcast for business leaders who are living that tension - not the ones writing thought-leadership posts on LinkedIn about it. This is the show that trades buzzwords for real talk; cost versus control, innovation versus risk, cloud versus local…the tradeoffs that IT leaders navigate every single day, told by people who have actually been through them. Join host and former CIO himself Bradd Busick as he sits down for frank, honest conversations that any CIO worth their salt needs to be having. Because the savviest CIOs aren’t chasing every trend - they’re figuring out which ones are actually worth the budget.
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- 1 weeks ago27 min
The Goldilocks Zone: How Much AI is 'Just Right’ with Swatee Singh
Dr. Swatee Singh, CIO of Data, AI and Corporate Technology at TIAA, joins host Bradd Busick to explore what "careful" really looks like when AI agents start making decisions at scale in the most risk-aware industry in the world: insurance.Bradd and Dr. Singh get into the questions that every IT leader is excited (and maybe a little nervous) to answer. What does it take to move fast with agents, but still sleep well at night? Why might the best governance design look less like a traditional org chart, and more like a knightly round table? And what's the one thing you should never hand to an agent…even when it can do the job?Dr. Singh also shares how TIAA pivoted to avoid a fragmented approach to risk, and instead embraced a shared, enterprise-wide way of working. She also reveals the surprising lesson her team learned about safe experimentation - one that saved them from building something they never needed. Bradd and Dr. Singh also look at where the real value of agentic AI is waiting for organizations that are willing to rethink how work gets done, the unglamorous foundation that makes it all possible, and how leaders can build trust while keeping the pace of innovation high.Highlights:2:11 - When was the moment that the insurance industry started changing around AI? 7:05 - What does it look like when AI agents are deployed with the same rigor that insurance applies to everything else?14:40 - Where's the biggest opportunity to modernize when you’re still carrying tech debt?20:48 - What benefits await the technology leaders who aren’t waiting and seeing before they take action?Links:Park Place Technologies: https://www.parkplacetechnologies.com/The Savvy CIO podcast page: https://www.parkplacetechnologies.com/the-savvy-cio/Bradd Busick: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bbusick/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ParkPlaceTechLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/park-place-technologies/X: https://www.linkedin.com/company/park-place-technologies/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/parkplacetechnologiesInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/parkplacetechnologies/
- 3 weeks ago24 min
How is AI Revolutionizing the Way We Work? with Jason Elrod
In this episode, host Bradd Busick sits down with colleague, IT leader, fellow podcast host - and longtime friend - Jason Elrod. Together, they don their (figurative) hard hats and descend into the crevasse of the IT skills gap. Bradd and Jason answer deep questions - like, why AI can’t be layered onto a legacy mindset? Where’s the first place you should bring AI into your organization? Do we really have to rewrite entire roles, new hire job descriptions…and maybe even the very meaning of work? Jason also sets the backdrop of the AI era's unprecedented pace of change, shares how the purpose-driven origin of his podcast Drink Coffee, Do Cool Stuff has informed the way he thinks about work, and lays out the key difference between leadership by choice versus management by mandate. Bradd and Jason also plumb the depth of how CIOs, CISOs/CTOs, and boards need to be viewing AI through the lenses of strategy, risk, resilience, and fiduciary responsibility; why “AI inventories” are becoming obsolete as AI gets embedded into everything; and why addressing the modern skills gap might be less of a hiring issue, and more of a changing of the guard when it comes to team leadership - a problem that can’t be solved by merely working hard, but requires smarter thinking to shift teams from fear, to curiosity.Highlights:6:47 What makes this moment in IT different?9:50 How can you quantify the value of AI effectively?16:49 How can you patch the talent leaks in your organization?20:58 Where should you start if you’re a leader who wants to fix the skills gap in your own team?Links:Park Place Technologies: https://www.parkplacetechnologies.com/The Savvy CIO podcast page: https://www.parkplacetechnologies.com/the-savvy-cio/Bradd Busick: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bbusick/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ParkPlaceTechLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/park-place-technologies/X: https://www.linkedin.com/company/park-place-technologies/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/parkplacetechnologiesInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/parkplacetechnologies/Limitless Cyber: http://www.limitlesscyber.com/Limitless Cyber YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@LimitlessCyberDrink Coffee. Do Cool Stuff. podcast episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1oJiTLBUN_Q
- Sep 30, 202625 min
The Renew, Refresh, Replace Dilemma with Rob Brothers
Host Bradd Busick is joined by Rob Brothers, Program Vice President of Cloud and Infrastructure Services at IDC, where he also leads their Financing and Lifecycle Services programs - making him the perfect guest to discuss what a CIO’s first step should be when the dreaded OEM warranty expiry notice lands at their doorstep.David Cramer, Park Place Technology’ President of Service Delivery, also gives his two cents on what ROI really looks like for CIOs that elect to extend the life of their hardware versus those who go the path of refresh, and sheds light on how AI is changing the game for capital and operational expenditures.Bradd and Rob also discuss some of the significant overhead costs of new technology (beyond the price tag of the tool or hardware itself, of course): teams need to be trained; installation and configuration needs to be paid for, somehow; and organizations need time to let the technology “bake in” through testing across real systems and environments. Rob leans on his past experiences as a value-added reseller and third-party maintainer to unravel the often messy compatibility matrix that complicates transformation projects, and regales Bradd with some of the best worst stories he witnessed from businesses forced into rushed refreshes.The added friction, time, and cost to asset migrations and broader transformation efforts can be a headache waiting to happen for any CIO - but picking the right partner in navigating the post-warranty world might just be the medicine you didn’t know you needed.Highlights:3:06 What’s changed in the last couple of years for CIOs seeking options when warranty ends?9:19 Which path leads to the best ROI? with David Cramer14:24 What can go wrong if you make the wrong choice?19:55 How do you pick the right third-party service partner?Links:Park Place Technologies: https://www.parkplacetechnologies.com/The Savvy CIO podcast page: https://www.parkplacetechnologies.com/the-savvy-cio/Bradd Busick: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bbusick/Rob Brothers: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rob-brothers-b787427/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ParkPlaceTechLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/park-place-technologies/X: https://www.linkedin.com/company/park-place-technologies/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/parkplacetechnologiesInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/parkplacetechnologies/Infographic: https://www.parkplacetechnologies.com/resources/what-to-do-once-an-oem-warranty-expires/
- Sep 16, 202627 min
Managing the Spend you Can’t See with Mark Dunkerley
Mark Dunkerley, VP of Enterprise Technology Services and CISO at Coca-Cola Bottlers Sales and Services, sits down with host Bradd Busick to talk through the invisible costs that quietly erode IT budgets: cloud sprawl, unused tools, lingering AI pilots, and emerging token-based AI pricing…not to mention the persistent drain of legacy and technical debt. Mark and Bradd also discuss why the most successful modern CIO and CISO roles are shelving their egos to converge around shared risk ownership, business continuity, and data-driven communication with executives and boards. But it’s not all sharing-is-caring sunshine and rainbows: they also dig into why rapid technology changes are making long-range budgeting difficult (and by long-range, they mean longer than 6 months); why relational capital built between IT leaders and the business is essential for project funding, and fast due diligence; and why the process side of AI ROI still needs a lot of work to show potential, while user productivity tools are already showing faster value returns - IF adoption is properly managed, that is. Mark’s key advice that we all can get behind? Businesses need to shift from reactive to proactive governance…and now is finally the time to share the load of accountability beyond the CIO and CISO.Highlights:6:38 What is hidden spend, and why does it seem to be getting worse?10:10 How are you supposed to budget in these hyper-agile times?14:28 What’s the real ROI on AI?18:00 What’s the biggest mistake tech leaders are making when it comes to hidden costs?Links:Park Place Technologies: https://www.parkplacetechnologies.com/The Savvy CIO podcast page: https://www.parkplacetechnologies.com/the-savvy-cio/Bradd Busick: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bbusick/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ParkPlaceTechLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/park-place-technologies/X: https://www.linkedin.com/company/park-place-technologies/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/parkplacetechnologiesInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/parkplacetechnologies/Article: https://www.ccbss.com/mark-dunkerley-recognized-as-2026-oncon-icon-awards-top-100-winner/
- Sep 2, 202628 min
The Hidden Cost of AI Readiness with Roy Illsley
Host Bradd Busick welcomes Omdia analyst Roy Illsley onto The Savvy CIO to get the data-informed skinny on the sunk costs that bleed out AI initiatives - and you might be surprised to hear that it’s not necessarily the pilots, consultants, or even the platforms themselves.Roy pulls back the curtain on some of the more insidious costs of AI: poor utilization, lack of monitoring or proper measuring, and underestimations of token economics. He explains that being AI ready doesn’t just mean that your infrastructure can support the physical tech demand - it also needs to include organization-wide upskilling, strong data and security protocols, and clear governance led by accountable leadership. In the balancing act of innovation versus risk, AI makes it easier than ever for anyone in your organization to accidentally expose corporate data through public models, creating all new challenges in compliance and competitive threats - and with decades of experience under his belt and vast amounts of data at his fingertips, Roy’s seen all the mistakes that can be made with his own eyes. While there’s no “Roy-AI” yet, at least in this episode you can get answers to some of the biggest questions facing CIOs today: if the real value of AI comes from productivity gains, what kind of process, role, and model redesign needs to make it happen - and how can you manage all these rapid changes AND keep your budget, job, and sanity?Highlights:5:24 What does “being AI ready” actually mean?9:45 What are the real hidden costs of AI?16:39 Horror stories from the front lines of AI adoption19:08 What does a company have to do differently to make their AI buildouts worth the cost?Links:Park Place Technologies: https://www.parkplacetechnologies.com/The Savvy CIO podcast page: https://www.parkplacetechnologies.com/the-savvy-cio/Bradd Busick: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bbusick/Roy Illsley: https://www.linkedin.com/in/royillsley/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ParkPlaceTechLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/park-place-technologies/X: https://www.linkedin.com/company/park-place-technologies/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/parkplacetechnologiesInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/parkplacetechnologies/Report: https://omdia.tech.informa.com/om142916/the-ai-data-readiness-mandateAI Readiness Tool: https://omdia.tech.informa.com/-/media/tech/omdia/brochures/ai/ai-readiness-tool-user-guide-040821.pdf?rev=305bff37956a465db04f08ae0634e646&hash=34F6FCB58AFBEAB33F08DCB000D74F40
- Aug 19, 202626 min
Why do AI Buildouts Fail? with Skylar Roebuck
Skylar Roebuck, CTO of Solvd and self-proclaimed serial entrepreneur with the receipts to back it up, sits down with host Bradd Busick to talk about what he calls the “last mile” of AI engineering: making ambition align with infrastructure reality. They bite into one of the toughest questions facing industry right now to get to the bottom of why AI proof-of-concepts that seem to work perfectly as a demo crash and burn when they’re rolled out at scale. Skylar explains that the problem most people run into with AI is treating it like a tech project, when in reality successful integration relies on organizational change efforts to embed the “how” into the “what”. They discuss the need to weave agents across all business units into the very fabric of the way things get done, how weak infrastructure and unclear value beyond cost-cutting contribute to the all-too-common story of AI buildouts failing, and why slow movers are facing an existential risk - while fast movers are contending with an ever-increasing demand for agility. Tune in to hear Skylar’s recommendations on why keeping a diversified AI portfolio is the best option for quick wins, steady bets, and game-changing ideas that go beyond “random acts of AI”.Highlights:6:06 How many AI buildouts are really failing?13:40 What does AI actually cost?16:30 What’s at risk if you’re slow to the ball on AI?21:24 How can you make your AI buildout successful?Links:Park Place Technologies: https://www.parkplacetechnologies.com/The Savvy CIO podcast page: https://www.parkplacetechnologies.com/the-savvy-cio/Bradd Busick: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bbusick/Skylar Roebuck: https://www.linkedin.com/company/solvdinc/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ParkPlaceTechLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/park-place-technologies/X: https://www.linkedin.com/company/park-place-technologies/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/parkplacetechnologiesInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/parkplacetechnologies/Solvd: https://solvd.com/Solvd press release: https://solvd.com/news/new-ai-research-solvd/
- Aug 5, 202626 min
Liquid Cooling: When, Why, and Which? with Zachary Smith
Zachary Smith, CEO and co-founder of Datum, joins host Bradd Busick to talk about why data centers are breaking their longstanding rule of keeping liquid away from the chips. Zac walks Bradd through the history 101 lesson on why AI has superheated cooling needs beyond what air can handle, how to choose the right liquid cooling option for your stack, and when you need to start planning for more efficient heat extraction (spoiler: it’s probably sooner than you think.) Drawing on his own journey of fixing PCs to pay his way through his degree in classical performance at Julliard, to becoming a trusted expert in the latest tech advances for digital infrastructure, Zac delves into the very real constraints facing mixed and legacy facilities alike and practical tips on how to avoid an expensive 2am maintenance disaster.Plus Chris Carreiro, Chief Technology Officer at Park Place Technology, also weighs in with his take on whether data centers are actually ready to embrace liquid cooling, what needs to change in order to effectively transition away from air without melting everything down, and the puzzle pieces that companies and leadership cannot overlook if they want to keep up.Highlights:8:56 What even is liquid cooling?12:57 How do you pick the right kind of liquid cooling?17:22 How hard is it for a data centre to implement liquid cooling? with Chris Carreiro 21:31 What do you need to be aware of when it comes to implementing liquid cooling?Links:Park Place Technologies: https://www.parkplacetechnologies.com/The Savvy CIO podcast page: https://www.parkplacetechnologies.com/the-savvy-cio/Bradd Busick: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bbusick/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ParkPlaceTechLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/park-place-technologies/X: https://www.linkedin.com/company/park-place-technologies/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/parkplacetechnologiesInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/parkplacetechnologies/Blog post: https://www.parkplacetechnologies.com/blog/data-center-liquid-cooling-vs-air-cooling/
- Jul 22, 202626 min
Can Your LLM Pass an Audit? with Radha Plumb
In this inaugural episode of The Savvy CIO, host Bradd Busick speaks with Dr. Radha Plumb, IBM’s VP of AI-first transformation and former Pentagon chief digital and AI officer, about making real-world AI deployments audit ready. She breaks down the tough questions, like: How does your LLM differ from the legacy systems your auditor is used to looking at? Which amorphous risks do you need to be on the lookout for if you want to keep up the pace of progress? Can ensuring your systems are doing what you want them to do actually enable speed in your AI governance?They also discuss end-to-end compliance hurdles: role-based access control and data access decisions; the need for an orchestration layer to route data between LLM and deterministic methods; and why many failures occur at this intersection between technology and process. Using the IBM model, where they’re “taste testing their own cooking”, Dr. Plumb emphasizes model transparency, the importance of bounded data for regulated decisions, why early CISO involvement is critical in designing for security, and why documenting enterprise workflows allows for not just a faster AI deployment - but one that can actually withstand an audit.Highlights:02:53 Meet Dr Radha Plumb06:17 Why are auditors & LLMs fundamentally at odds?14:07 What’s the difference between governing the data versus governing the LLM itself?18:40 Is it possible to have speed and security in AI?Links:Park Place Technologies: https://www.parkplacetechnologies.com/The Savvy CIO podcast page: https://www.parkplacetechnologies.com/the-savvy-cio/Bradd Busick: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bbusick/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ParkPlaceTechLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/park-place-technologies/X: https://www.linkedin.com/company/park-place-technologies/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/parkplacetechnologiesInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/parkplacetechnologies/
About The Savvy CIO
Every CIO right now is being asked to do more with less: modernize the stack, secure the perimeter, embrace AI…and still somehow come in under budget. The Savvy CIO is a podcast for business leaders who are living that tension - not the ones writing thought-leadership posts on LinkedIn about it. This is the show that trades buzzwords for real talk; cost versus control, innovation versus risk, cloud versus local…the tradeoffs that IT leaders navigate every single day, told by people who have actually been through them. Join host and former CIO himself Bradd Busick as he sits down for frank, honest conversations that any CIO worth their salt needs to be having. Because the savviest CIOs aren’t chasing every trend - they’re figuring out which ones are actually worth the budget.
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