The Catalyst by Softchoice

Apr 16 2024 1.3k

The Catalyst by Softchoice Podcast artwork

A podcast about unleashing the full potential in people and technology.

When people and technology come together, the potential is limitless. But while everyone is used to hearing about the revolutionary impact of tech, it can be easy to forget about the people behind it all. This podcast shines a light on the human side of innovation, as co-hosts Aaron Brooks and Heather Haskin explore and reframe our relationship to technology.

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Power to the people: Eric Champagne, CIO of La Vie en Rose

Apr 16 2024 38 mins

Season 6 of The Catalyst by Softchoice kicks off with an episode that questions conventional wisdom about IT leadership. Aaron Brooks sits down with Eric Champagne, CIO of La Vie en Rose, to hear how Eric is flipping the script. Eric’s story is all about bridging a longstanding gap between IT and end-users, with the goal of making technology a tool for empowerment and efficiency.

Season 6 Trailer

Apr 16 2024 1 mins

This season on The Catalyst, a podcast about unleashing the full potential in people and technology, co-hosts Aaron Brooks and Heather Haskin explore the transformative power of tech, not just within businesses, but also through the personal journeys of those at the forefront of change. Every episode is packed with stories of triumph and the valuable lessons learned from the setbac

5 imperatives for responsible competition when AI is for everyone

Jan 05 2024 34 mins

Imagine everyone with a great business idea could make it happen without a deep engineering bench or tens of millions of dollars in funding. How would that change competition in an already hypercompetitive marketplace? How do the principles of responsible AI show up when AI is accessible to everyone? What responsibility do enterprise firms have to help shape a world where this tech

Wearable robots are here to help bridge the labor gap

Dec 13 2023 35 mins

Robotic exoskeletons have gotten a whole lot better.No longer just for rehabilitation, manufacturer German Bionic is applying active exoskeleton devices to support workers in a number of ways. These wearable robotic devices work in tandem with the user, allowing them to handle a wider range of physical tasks. The result: physically-demanding jobs are now open to a wider range of ca

Chasing cybersecurity Avalon: Is such a thing even possible?

Nov 07 2023 39 mins

Is a cybersecurity utopia – where no CISO lies awake at night worrying about threats known and unknown – even possible? If you believe “yes,” how do you get others to share that vision? That’s what we discussed with Lou Senko, Chief Availability Officer at global banking technology company Q2 on this episode of The Catalyst. First and foremost, Senko doesn’t believe in

“CISO therapy” and the real reasons security talent is so hard to find

Oct 25 2023 39 mins

As a CISO, how do you know when you’re getting through to the board and the C-suite? One way is to look at the quality of the questions they ask you. Are they learning? This is just one of the questions Kevin Magee fields a lot during “CISO therapy,” a discipline he finds himself practicing more often as Chief Security Officer at Microsoft Canada. Aside from the technology co

Toward the “un-hackable” identity with Cisco’s Mike Storm

Oct 11 2023 39 mins

Is it time to pick a cybersecurity safeword? Mike Storm, Cisco Cybersecurity Distinguished Engineer and our guest on The Catalyst, thinks so. With over 30 years of cybersecurity experience, even he finds himself challenged by new AI-powered scams. Why? The short answer: At the heart of it, humans are an easier target than computers and software, because human psychology and behavi

From the bar to the boardroom: Practical steps toward a GenAI strategy

Sep 28 2023 25 mins

It’s official: generative AI has permeated the culture, appearing in conversations at work, around the dinner table and yes, even over drinks with friends. With 2024 on the horizon and technology budgets due to reset, C-suite leaders and boards are talking about it, too. So how do you take this hot topic from casual chat to enterprise strategy? This week, Craig McQueen, VP of Dig

Robots at the water cooler: Heralding the arrival of Microsoft 365 Copilot

Sep 19 2023 37 mins

Will your next new colleague be a machine? It’s no longer so far-fetched. Natural language interfaces will soon replace software UIs we’re used to with good old fashioned conversation. That’s according to Doug Smith, GM of Solutions for Microsoft Canada. This week on The Catalyst, he provides insights into the rapid adoption of GenAI, the hype around it, and why it matters to

Science fiction no more: Exploring AI in philosophy and in practice

Aug 29 2023 52 mins

The best sci-fi stories explore the question, “What exactly does it mean to be human in the face of evolving technology?”As we dive headfirst into the era of generative AI, this philosophical question has taken on a new, more practical dimension. As GenAI begins to upend the ways we work, live and do business, where do humans fit in? How will it change the ways we think about o