What's Up with Tech?

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Networks don’t “run themselves” by magic, they do it by stacking the right data, platforms, and automation logic until the network can sense trouble, reason about options, and act safely. We sit down with Rodrigo from Ericsson to unpack what autonomous networks really mean in practice: self-healing, self-optimizing, and self-configuring capabilities that reduce operational effort for communication service providers while improving quality of service for all of us using mobile networks every day.

From there, we get concrete about how you scale automation beyond isolated point solutions. Rodrigo explains how an open service management and orchestration (SMO) approach, rooted in O-RAN concepts, creates a common platform where multiple automation apps can run side by side. Think R apps for RAN automation, a growing ecosystem, and the governance needed to make AI-driven changes trustworthy. We talk about why trusted, granular, low-latency data matters so much, and why “built for AI” is more than a slogan when you’re operating a live 5G network.

The big news is the move from radio automation into core network automation, introducing C apps and the kinds of high-impact use cases operators care about most: anomaly detection, root cause analysis, proactive fixes, capacity forecasting, and premium experience. We also dig into agentic AI and why it changes the game from automating single tasks to automating entire workflows, with human guardrails, permissions, and runtime knowledge to keep reliability high.

If you care about 5G, RAN automation, core network automation, SMO, O-RAN, or agentic AI for network operations, this conversation is for you. Subscribe, share this with a colleague, and leave a review with the one network workflow you wish could be fully automated.
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Interested in being a guest? Email us at admin@evankirstel.com
A major deal just landed in cloud communications: CallTower is acquiring Momentum Telecom. We sit down with William Rubio right after the news to explain what CallTower actually does as a managed service provider, why this acquisition matters, and what customers and partners should expect next. If you’ve ever wondered why the communications industry keeps consolidating, or how providers stitch together Microsoft, Cisco, and Zoom into something businesses can actually run, this conversation puts real clarity around it. 

We also get honest about the problem most teams are living with: too much choice and too much complexity. Unified communications, contact center platforms, CRM integrations, compliance needs, and even legacy requirements like analog lines can turn a “modern stack” into a support nightmare. We talk about why a one-stop shop model can cut the time wasted on vendor finger-pointing, and why experienced support and solution architects matter when the environment is both global and regulated. 

Then we zoom in on AI with a practical lens. The biggest wins are showing up in contact centers through interactive virtual agents, agent assist, analytics, and transcription that turns messy call notes into clean summaries fast. We also explore where AI is heading in UC: personal-assistant style workflows that can schedule, message, and route calls without the usual back-and-forth. The thread that ties it together is outcomes over features: efficiency, productivity, lower costs, and happier employees who are less burned out by broken processes. 

If you care about telecom consolidation, CCaaS, unified communications, AI in customer experience, and the evolving role of channel partners, hit play. Subscribe, share this with a teammate, leave a review, and tell us: what part of your communications stack would you simplify first?
Learn more about Microsoft's ISOC announcement: https://fandf.co/4iQ9b5n
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Resumes are getting easier to generate and harder to trust and that is forcing HR teams to rethink how hiring works from the ground up. We sit down with Navneet “Nav” Singh the Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) at Eightfold AI. Nav from Eightfold to explore what happens when AI agents enter talent acquisition, not as a gimmick, but as a skills-first system designed to match people to roles based on capability, potential, and learnability. If you care about the future of work, hiring fairness, or scaling recruiting without burning out your team, this conversation gets specific fast. 

Nav breaks down how Eightfold built a deep skills engine, including a massive skills catalog and career trajectory data, then used it to power vertical AI for HR. We talk about why verticalized intelligence matters even in a world full of powerful general-purpose models, and how this approach can improve outcomes like retention and promotability. You will also hear real examples of AI interviewer agents helping companies move from application to hire in days, opening interview access on evenings and weekends, and giving every candidate a consistent shot to show what they can do. 

We also dig into internal mobility and workforce planning, including how a talent marketplace can uncover hidden strengths inside an organization and keep people growing instead of leaving. On the tech side, we discuss how AI can live alongside legacy HR systems like Workday, SAP, and Oracle as a “system of intelligence”, plus what changes when resume-only hiring collides with impersonation, fake candidates, and AI-written applications. If you find this useful, subscribe, share it with a hiring leader, and leave a review with your biggest question about AI agents in HR.
Learn more about Microsoft's ISOC announcement: https://fandf.co/4iQ9b5n
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Everyone is flipping on Microsoft 365 Copilot and AI agents, and then realizing they can’t answer a basic question: what data can those agents actually reach? We sit down with Rick from Veeam to unpack the messy reality behind “safe AI at scale” and why AI success starts with data resilience, not demos. When agents can search, summarize, move, and delete content at machine speed, the cost of unclear permissions and unmanaged data sprawl spikes overnight.

We dig into ROT data (redundant, obsolete, or trivial) and why it shows up in every organization, even the ones that think they’re clean. Rick explains how “toxic combinations” form when obsolete content mixes with sensitive data or when excessive access meets automated workflows. The result can be a disaster within a disaster: a security incident plus exposed data that should never have been available in the first place. We also talk practical mitigation strategies like archiving to lower cost, reduce exposure, and prevent bad inputs from tainting AI outputs.

From there, we zoom out to day two operations: what happens when auditors show up, when an AI agent goes rogue, or when someone needs to restore what got deleted. Rick shares what Veeam is building around intelligent resilience operations for Microsoft 365, why context-rich visibility matters, and how Veeam fits alongside Microsoft’s expanding native governance and security roadmap. We wrap with a preview of the VeeamON Global Launch Virtual Event on October 15, including the vision and product updates the team will share.

If you’re rolling out Copilot, building agents, or just trying to keep Microsoft 365 under control, subscribe, share this with your admin team, and leave a review with the one AI risk you’re most worried about.
Learn more about Microsoft's ISOC announcement: https://fandf.co/4iQ9b5n
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Interested in being a guest? Email us at admin@evankirstel.com
AI is forcing a hard reset in telecom, and it’s not just about models or GPUs. The real shockwave hits the CIO’s mandate: reinvent IT fast enough to enable enterprise AI while still keeping the lights on across sprawling legacy stacks. We sit down with TM Forum leader and veteran CIO Willie Stegmann to break down why this moment feels different from past digital transformation and cloud migrations, and why boards are pushing for measurable impact rather than more pilots.

We get specific about the economics: AI doesn’t come for free, and many executive teams are telling CIOs to self-fund it. That turns AI into both the goal and the lever, using automation inside IT to create budget headroom for broader customer experience and business transformation. From there, the conversation moves into what actually blocks scale in real operators: culture, process change, leadership intent, and the very human question of “what happens to my job?”

We also unpack where momentum is building right now, from autonomous networks and intent-based operations to customer contact centers and the rise of AI agents as “machine customers.” Composable IT comes up as a practical path forward, decoupling systems of record from systems of engagement so operators can move faster without dangerous rip-and-replace projects. Finally, we zoom out to the bigger industry landscape, including 5G reality checks, early 6G signals, and satellite connectivity disruptions that could rewrite coverage economics.

If you care about telecom IT modernization, autonomous enterprise strategy, and the future of the CIO role, listen now, then subscribe, share this with a colleague, and leave a review with your biggest takeaway.
Learn more about Microsoft's ISOC announcement: https://fandf.co/4iQ9b5n
Support the show
More at https://linktr.ee/EvanKirstel