The Catalyst by Softchoice

In 2023, organizations face big challenges: an exhausted workforce, growing supply chain pressures, rising inflation and a hyper-competitive talent landscape. In this bonus Season 4 episode, Erika meets with Indeed Canada’s Michelle Slater to talk about the era of quiet quitting and rage applying. They get to the heart of why it’s crucial for employers to pay attention to emerging work trends so they can set strategic talent goals for long-term success. Erika also bids farewell to listeners, as she introduces The Catalyst’s new co-hosts, Softchoice’s Aaron Brooks and Cheryl Stookes.

Featuring: Michelle Slater – Director of Country Marketing Canada at Indeed

The Catalyst by Softchoice is the podcast shining a light on the human side of IT leaders and reframing our relationship with technology.

A global pandemic, an ongoing supply chain crisis, a growing skills gap and a concerning labor shortage. The time for transformational businesses to build a more resilient future is now.  What are the biggest lessons of the last few years – and how can we better prepare for what’s to come in 2023? Erika meets with the Chief Operating Officer at Softchoice, Andrew Caprara, to discuss how IT leaders can tackle the challenges ahead strategically and collaboratively, while driving growth. 

Featuring: Andrew Caprara – Chief Operating Officer, Softchoice 

The Catalyst by Softchoice is the podcast shining a light on the human side of IT leaders and reframing our relationship with technology. 

The July 9th Rogers telecommunications outage left millions of people and businesses without cell phone or internet service, which in some cases lasted for days. In a world dependent on its digital telecommunications network – how do you prepare for the worst? Erika meets with Softchoice’s Vice President of Business Technologies, Al Lakhani, to discuss the impact of the July 9th Rogers service outage, and what digital leaders can do to be more resilient and better prepared for worst-case scenarios. 

Featuring: Al Lakhani – Vice President of Business Technologies at Softchoice 

The Catalyst by Softchoice is the podcast shining a light on the human side of IT leaders and reframing our relationship with technology. 

We all know the best offense is a strong defense – and that’s as true for cybersecurity as it is for football. For all the attention we devote to cybersecurity, it’s a wonder that one essential tool can make all the difference...cyber insurance.  Erika meets with Softchoice’s Director of Security, Matt Sirbu, to discuss the best practices and policies for businesses to stay afloat in a digital era and keep their bottom lines safe. 

Featuring: Matt Sirbu – Director of Security at Softchoice 

The Catalyst by Softchoice is the podcast shining a light on the human side of IT leaders and reframing our relationship with technology. 

The Catalyst listener contest has begun! 

We’re giving away 10 Amazon gift cards to subscribers between now and the end of October. Taking part is as easy as subscribing and leaving us a review. Find out more and see full contest rules at: https://www.softchoice.com/thecatalyst/contest 

Technology leaders need to constantly communicate about complex, nuanced topics – and get people to act on those insights. So, what’s the best way to do it? The answer for Google’s Chief Content Officer, Priyanka Vergadia, lies in visual storytelling. Erika meets with Priyanka – better known as “Cloud Girl” to her online followers – to discuss the beauty and benefits of technical storytelling, female leadership in tech and getting creative with cloud computing. 

Featuring: Priyanka Vergadia – Chief Content Officer Google.  

The Catalyst by Softchoice is the podcast shining a light on the human side of IT leaders and reframing our relationship with technology. 

This episode of the Catalyst is brought to you by Google Cloud Next -- a free, global hybrid event taking place live from October 11 to 13, 2022, and always available online. Learn more about the streamed broadcasts, on-demand digital content and in-person events to connect with Google Cloud experts. Visit cloud.withgoogle.com/next. 

With the pandemic (mostly) behind us, organizations are struggling to shape their return to office policies. For Microsoft’s Head of Modern Work and Security Business, Jason Brommet, the answer is a no-brainer – the future of work is hybrid and there’s no going back. Erika meets with Jason to discuss how organizations can plan for a future-focused work environment. They explore ways to define the employee experience in a hybrid era and the three tenants that lie at the heart of this exercise. 

Featuring: Jason Brommet – Head of Modern Work and Security Business at Microsoft. Special thanks to Softchoice’s Karly Pierce and Craig Smith for sharing their thoughts. 

The Catalyst by Softchoice is the podcast shining a light on the human side of IT leaders and reframing our relationship with technology. 

This episode of the Catalyst is brought to you by Microsoft Viva. Download our new e-book “An Introduction to Microsoft Viva” today. 

Blockchain isn’t just about crypto gains and trading NFTs. Aside from endless industrial use cases, you can now use it to invest in the world’s finest wine. Erika meets with Corey Parkinson, the Global Head of Product of Cult Wines, to talk about how his organization is innovating and democratizing the fine wine trade through blockchain technology. Plus, Corey shares insights on how to make the most of Cult Wines new trading app. 

Featuring: Corey Parkinson, Global Head of Product at Cult Wines. Special thanks to the Pilgrim production team for sharing their thoughts. 

The Catalyst by Softchoice is the podcast shining a light on the human side of IT leaders and reframing our relationship with technology. 

How will the metaverse transform modern business? And how can companies seize this virtual opportunity? Medha Parlikar, co-founder and CTO of CasperLabs, joins Erika to explore how IT leaders can leverage the metaverse with real-world applications. Medha reviews the pros and cons of engaging in a virtual world and explains how a 3D version of the internet will create the most immersive user experience yet. 

Featuring: Medha Parlikar, Co-Founder and CTO at CasperLabs. Special thanks to Softchoice and the Pilgrim production team for sharing their thoughts. 

The Catalyst by Softchoice is the podcast shining a light on the human side of IT leaders and reframing our relationship with technology. 

While on vacation last Spring, Erika caught COVID-19. When her symptoms went from bad to worse, she decided to head to her local hospital, where she was treated and monitored using their highly innovative, digital post care program. On this episode of The Catalyst, Erika speaks to the Director of Community Partnerships at Southlake Regional Health Centre, Gayle Seddon, and the VP of Strategy, Analytics and Communications, Tyler Chalk, to discuss the integrative and collaborate approach they used to create their highly regarded – and transformative – COVID at Home Program. 

Featuring: Gayle Seddon, Director of Community Partnerships at Southlake Regional Health Centre and Tyler Chalk, VP Strategy, Analytics and Communications at Southlake Regional Health Centre. Special thanks to Softchoice’s Nicole Francis and the Pilgrim Production Team for lending their thoughts. 

The Catalyst by Softchoice is the podcast shining a light on the human side of IT leaders and reframing our relationship with technology. 

How do we start to close the ever-widening IT skills gap? In the second of this two-part series, Erika meets with technologist Shauna Begley to talk about the importance of digital literacy as a way to create a more robust and adaptable future of work. Shauna also shares valuable insight on how companies can encourage employees to “learn as they earn.” 

Featuring: Shauna Begley, faculty member at the British Columbia Institute of Technology and co-founder of Modern Work. Special thanks to Softchoice’s Ashley Arruda for sharing her thoughts. 

The Catalyst by Softchoice is the podcast shining a light on the human side of IT leaders and reframing our relationship with technology. 

This episode is sponsored by The Design Studio at Softchoice. Visit www.softchoice.com/solutions/consulting-and-complex-solutions/digital-acceleration to learn more
 

The IT skills gap is bad – and it’s only getting worse. The good news is there’s still plenty you can do about it. In the first of this two-part series, Erika meets with AWS’ Brian Graf to share some tips to train and retain talent in our highly-competitive industry. You’ll also find out how companies of all sizes can encourage innovation in order to bridge the cloud skills gap.  

Featuring: Brian Graf, Senior Partner Solutions Architect at AWS.  

The Catalyst by Softchoice is the podcast shining a light on the human side of IT leaders and reframing our relationship with technology. 

This episode is sponsored by VMware Cloud for AWS. Visit softchoice.com/asksoftchoice to learn about our fully funded Cloud Readiness Review. 

From dial up to high-speed connectivity, the Internet has come a long way in shaping and shifting how we connect with people and business. 

Host Erika Van Noort meets with Softchoice’s Vice President of Digital Acceleration Craig McQueen to discuss the internet’s next big wave: Web3. He explains what exactly Web3 will entail, how it differs from Web 1.0 and 2.0, and why IT leaders need to be paying attention to this budding tech. Plus, Craig shares key use cases for Web3 and gives practical tips for how anyone can get involved.

Featuring:
Craig McQueen, Vice President of Digital Acceleration at Softchoice
Special thanks to Softchoice voices, Makenzie Wiwchar and Evan Wee, for lending their honest thoughts!

The Catalyst by Softchoice is the podcast shining a light on the human side of IT leaders and reframing our relationship with technology.

Is it really time to get rid of the IT department? According to a recent Wall Street Journal article, it may just be. In this episode, Erika Van Noort sits down to discuss a 2021 article where the author warns that our traditional concept of the IT department and the way it’s set up is not only outdated, but it’s also putting the way we grow business and drive innovation at risk. For a deeper look at whether it’s really time for IT leaders to ditch their self-titled department, Erika welcomes Chris Woodin, VP of the Cloud Business Unit at Softchoice, along with Jeff Reis, Senior VP of Information Technology & Workplace. In a roundtable discussion, they dive into how we can create more value for organizations by integrating the IT function into core planning processes.

The path forward is going to come down to a lot of teamwork, a lot of vision, and a lot of groundbreaking technical transformation.

Featuring:
Chris Woodin, VP of the Cloud Business Unit at Softchoice
Jeff Reis, Senior VP of IT & Workplace at Softchoice
Special thanks to the Catalyst production team for voicing the comments on the article.

The Catalyst by Softchoice is the podcast shining a light on the human side of IT leaders and reframing our relationship with technology.

In this episode, Erika Van Noort welcomes Oguo Atuanya, General Manager of Global Scale and Global Partner Solutions at Microsoft. As a Senior Executive leading Microsoft’s global cloud scale services, Oguo weaves together a mixed cultural background from his education in three different continents and passion for democratization in technology. He talks about how the Microsoft workforce is more diverse than it’s ever been, and how the new generation of employees is making it a priority to work for a company that shares their values. Oguo also discusses the real concrete DEI efforts underway at Microsoft to move us from tokenism to transformation. His unique personal story and passion for mentorship and making a difference, will inspire you in your own  journey.

Featuring:
Oguo Atuanya, General Manager of Global Scale and Global Partner Solutions at Microsoft
Special thanks to Softchoice voices Houman Aryan and Karly Pierce for lending their thoughts!

The Catalyst by Softchoice is the podcast shining a light on the human side of IT leaders and reframing our relationship with technology.

This episode is brought to you by Microsoft – a proud leader when it comes to diversity and inclusion. To start building your cloud and workplace strategy with an organization that’s committed to making the world a better place to live and work, visit Softchoice.com/Microsoft to learn more.

In this episode, fill-in host  Nicole Francis steps in and meets with Softchoice’s Jeffersen Sylvia to discuss how Russia and Ukraine are using cybersecurity in this modern-day war – and why businesses and IT leaders in North America should take note. Jeffersen takes us through his journey to cybersecurity as an enterprise architect and how the traditional way of thinking about security has shifted, both in the physical sense and from a mindset perspective. Jeffersen talks about how ransomware has become a huge issue over the last several years, how teams have to work together to be effective, and his 10-Point Plan to address and strengthen your weakest links. 

Featuring:

Jeffersen Sylvia, Principal Enterprise Architect for Security in the Design Studio at Softchoice

Special thanks to Softchoice voices, Andrea Knoblauch and Shawn Dickson, for lending their honest thoughts!

The Catalyst by Softchoice is the podcast shining a light on the human side of IT leaders and reframing our relationship with technology.

Just in time for Earth Day, we’re launching Season 4 of The Catalyst by Softchoice with a look at why the world’s biggest innovators are putting sustainability first. 

Erika Van Noort meets VMware’s Nicola Peill-Moelter and Google’s Trinity Lloyd to discuss the growing need for green technology. From new regulatory burdens to an increasing sense of urgency, corporate responsibility is something today’s CIO can’t ignore. We also discover some of the incredible ways Google and VMware are driving sustainability through technological innovation, with a focus on hybrid cloud, big data, artificial intelligence and strategic partnerships. 

Featuring:
Trinity Lloyd, Sustainability and Energy Transition Lead at Google
Nicola Peill-Moelter, Director, Sustainability Innovation at VMware
Special thanks to Softchoice voices, Cole Pascua, Ryan Landreville, and Matt Sherman, for lending their honest thoughts!

This episode of the Catalyst is brought to you by Google Cloud and VMware. See how you can move to more sustainable cloud computing, using the tools you already know and trust. Visit www.softchoice.com/gcve to learn more.

The Catalyst by Softchoice is the podcast shining a light on the human side of IT leaders and reframing our relationship with technology.

The Catalyst podcast first launched way back in the first wave of the pandemic. And as we enter our fourth season, we’re keenly aware this is a very different world than the one we started out in.

With host Erika Van Noort at the helm, we speak to the business leaders who are helping drive some amazing change across industries and exploring why this might just be the most exciting time to be in IT – and the most challenging.

This season, we’re exploring digital transformation from all sides, offering insight into the greatest changes just over the horizon, but also the real-life people that will be impacted by it all.

We’re bringing you stories like: How sustainability is fast becoming a key and necessary feature of every business strategy, what your cybersecurity team needs to do in the face of encroaching international digital threats, and how effective global strategies for cloud and beyond can be buoyed by Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DE&I) as core pillars – and that’s just the first 3 episodes!

Season 4 premieres on April 20th, 2022 with our biggest season ever of 15 new episodes dropping every two weeks after that.

The Catalyst is an original podcast from Softchoice and Pilgrim Content.
 For more on Softchoice, go to http://www.softchoice.com/ 

There’s no shortage of disheartening statistics when it comes to women in STEM. But there’s also a new wave of opportunities, momentum and interest coming from young women, looking to grow a career. So, where’s the disconnect? 

For our Season 3 finale, Dawn Armstrong, Head of IT and Mission Operations at ABL Space Systems, joins Erika to explore the inspiring ways she’s grown her career in STEM, the exciting technology she and her teams are building, and how she’s built a leadership style so efficient she scaled herself out of a job. They take a hard look at how organizations can stop contributing to the gender gap in the technology industry. 

Featuring:      

Dawn Armstrong, Head of IT and Mission Operations at ABL Space Systems 

Special thanks to Softchoice voices, Karen Ybanez and Marlowe Woo, for lending their honest thoughts! 
 

The Catalyst by Softchoice is the podcast shining a light on the human side of IT leaders and reframing our relationship with technology.       

Are you a leader in the IT space? Read more on Softchoice’s Innovation Executive Forum, an exclusive, members-only community of over 400 senior IT leaders across North America. 

There is a lot of innovation happening in the sports entertainment space. One of the ways sports fans love to engage is through sports betting, and the sports betting space in the US alone has quadrupled in the last 3 year! So, why now and what exactly is being disrupted? 

Omer Dor, CEO at Sports IQ Analytics, joins Erika to discuss how his company has innovated a static industry using amazing, cloud-powered technology and a constant focus on the fan experience first. 

Featuring:      

Omer Dor, CEO at Sports IQ Analytics 

Special thanks to Softchoice voices, Filipe Dimas and David O’Donovan, for lending their honest thoughts! 
 

The Catalyst by Softchoice is the podcast shining a light on the human side of IT leaders and reframing our relationship with technology.       

In the last two years, organizations have moved over to a remote and hybrid workplace structure faster than they ever could have imagined. Now, companies are seeing that many of their people are struggling with longer work days and less work/life balance. But despite all the downsides, studies and surveys suggestthat most people still prefer to work from home, or at least like having that option. 

So, how do we create a hybrid environment that fosters “good remote” practices, and gets rid of the bad? 

In this episode, Erika Van Noort is joined by Softchoice’s Christine Irving and Craig Smith to explore the technology and business processes that could help address these new challenges in the workplace, and the impact they can have on your employees – and the bottom line. 

Featuring:      

Craig Smith, Vice President, Workplace at Softchoice   

Christine Irving, Principal, Design Studio at Softchoice 

Special thanks to Softchoice voices, Tara Brydges, Karly Pierce and Renee Bradford for lending their honest thoughts! 
 

The Catalyst by Softchoice is the podcast shining a light on the human side of IT leaders and reframing our relationship with technology.       

Are you a leader in the IT space? Read more on Softchoice’s Innovation Executive Forum, an exclusive, members-only community of over 400 senior IT leaders across North America.