In the two years since we focused on AI on this podcast, OpenAI added a simple conversational interface to their deep-learning model and AI has exploded on society. This season of Utilizing Tech focuses on practical applications for artificial intelligence and features co-hosts Frederic Van Haren and Mark Beccue along with Stephen Foskett. In this episode we return to AI with a look back at the incredible impact that generative AI has had on society. Humans traditionally interfaced with machines using keyboard and mouse, touch and gesture, but ChatGPT changed all that by enabling people to communicate with computers verbally. But this is just one of many potential AI model components that can be used to build business applications. The true power of generative AI will be realized when these other components appear, and when they are able to integrate custom data. We will also see innovation in the AI infrastructure stack, from GPUs to NPUs to CPUs, storage and data platforms, and even client devices.

Platform engineering has been happening for a long time, but today’s implication is quite different. This episode of the On-Premise IT podcast brings platform engineering expert Michael Levan, industry analyst Steven Dickens, and host Stephen Foskett to consider what platform engineering is today. Building a platform for self service in the cloud has more in common with product development than the platforms delivered historically by IT infrastructure teams. One of the drivers for the DevOps trend was the divergence of IT development and operations over the last few decades, but this was different in the mainframe world. In many ways, today’s platform engineering teams are more mature process-wise thanks to the demands of multi-tenant cloud applications.

The first event of 2024 is approaching with Cloud Field Day happening live on January 31st and February 1st. The event will focus on navigating the hybrid-cloud era, where traditional data centers integrate with different cloud solutions. See live presentations from Neuroblade, SoftIron, Broadcom, Platform9, and Dell Technologies and what they have to say about the future of hybrid-cloud. The event will be live-streamed on the Tech Field Day website and on LinkedIn.

Now that businesses have deployed modern applications in the cloud they are starting to ask whether it might be more attractive to run these on-premises. This episode of the On-Premise IT podcast features Jason Benedicic, Camberley Bates, and Ian Sanderson discussing the pros and cons of cloud repatriation with Stephen Foskett. A recent blog post by 37 Signals got the Tech Field Day delegates talking about the reality of running modern applications in enterprise-owned clouds, whether in the datacenter or co-located. Certainly the hardware and software are available to move applications on-prem, and some workloads may be better served this way. Most of the necessary components to run modern web applications are available on-prem, from Kubernetes to Postgres to Kafka, but these can prove difficult to manage, which is one of the things as-a-service customers are paying for. Looking back to the debut of OpenStack, enterprises have wanted to run applications in-house but they found it too difficult to manage. OpenShift is much more attractive thanks to the support and integration of the platform, but many customers have financial and administrative reasons for as-a-service deployment. It might not be a mass exodus, but there are plenty of examples of repatriation of modern applications.

Stephen Foskett sits with Jon Hildebrand to discuss the prevalent misconceptions surrounding Kubernetes and its role in solving all IT problems. He emphasizes that Kubernetes is essentially an orchestrator, providing a pluggable infrastructure for managing containerized environments. Hildebrand cautions against the assumption that virtualization equals containerization, highlighting the need for proper application refactoring to achieve true cloud-native capabilities. Despite acknowledging Kubernetes’ widespread adoption and momentum, he underscores the importance of learning the technology correctly and dispels the notion that containerization alone makes an application cloud-native.

Containerization of applications is only a small step forward from virtualization, but WebAssembly promises a real revolution. This episode of the On-Premise IT podcast, recorded live at KubeCon 2023 in Chicago, features Nigel Poulton, Ned Bellavance, Justin Warren, and Stephen Foskett discussing the prospects for WebAssembly. WebAssembly (WASM) is lauded for its potential to be faster, smaller, and more secure than its predecessors. But skepticism surrounds its long-term adoption and development trajectory, with debates centering on whether WASM can achieve the transformative status that containers once held. While WASM applications are technically more portable, smaller, and quicker to start, adoption remains at an early stage, appealing more to developers than operations professionals.

With every business reliant on software and digital services, cybersecurity is more pressing than ever. But most companies have not yet adapted to this new reality, and face challenges obtaining executive buy-in for cyber resilience. This challenge was front and center at the recent Commvault Shift event in New York City, and was the central premise of the keynote presentation by cybersecurity expert Melissa Hathaway. In this article I will explore the strategic, regulatory, and practical reasons pushing executives to focus their attention on cyber resilience.

The concept of identity management has become increasingly complex and challenging due to the purely digital nature of modern identity. This episode of the On-Premise IT podcast, recorded on-premises at ISS in Cleveland, features Bob Kalka of IBM, Leon Adato of Kentik, and Stephen Foskett discussing the various ways identity management tweaks our neuroses. As organizations grapple with this issue, they face the daunting task of merging elements such as identity, passkeys, passwords, and AI in a way that is seamless and less nerve-wracking.

As ransomware continues to pose a significant threat to enterprises, C-level executives must collaborate and communicate with IT. This episode of the On-Premise IT podcast, brought to you by Commvault and recorded live in New York at their Shift event, features Thomas Bryant of Commvault along with Gina Rosenthal, Eric Wright, and Stephen Foskett. The discussion focused on the crucial need to bridge departmental gaps so IT and executive management can work together. The panel also emphasized the need for openness about risks, lessons from past attacks and the role of government mandates.

As Supercomputing 2023 is held in Denver this week, we’re on the lookout for all the latest news. We have a new list of Top-500 supercomputers, more Nvidia announcements, and lots of AI. Perhaps the biggest topic of discussion, though, are the many questions about HPC itself: Will we be able to live in an exascale world? And what does that even mean when AI is the main application?