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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 MicrosoftSpecial 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 GoogleNicola Peill-Moelter, Director, Sustainability Innovation at VMwareSpecial 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. 

Over the last two years, we’ve adjusted to a digital life. But our daily life has also become a lot lonelier because of it, and people don’t want to do everything from home.   In this episode, Erika Van Noort is joined by Kyle Gibson, Co-founder and CEO of the Canadian spin studio, Wheelhouse Cycle Club, to expand the conversation around hybrid models to more than our professional lives. When the pandemic hit, Wheelhouse made a massive pivot and took their thriving, in-person spin community to a digital fitness model. Now, Kyle is building on that approach for a future that provides the same, interactive experience for fitness fanatics whether they’re at home or in studio.   Featuring:       Kyle Gibson, Co-founder and CEO at Wheelhouse Cycle Club  Special thanks to Softchoice voices, Marie Rodgers and Megan Northey, 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. 

From rooting out government corruption to taking down some of the world’s worst criminals, hacktivists often say they are motivated by the greater good. But the legality of their methods – and the outcomes they deliver – aren’t always so black and white.  Erika dives into the fascinating world of white-hat hackers, OpSec Groups and all the moral questions and curiosities in between, with Crowdstrike Canada’s Stephane Asselin, senior sales engineer manager. Find out who these hacktivists are, how they operate and whether they are helping the professionals, like Stephane, get a better night’s sleep.  Featuring:       Stephane Asselin, Senior Sales Engineer Manager - Crowdstrike Canada  Special thanks to Sushma Shankar, Filipe Dimas, Areej Shah and Harriet Han 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 are currently trillions of dollars' worth of government funding in the US  being processed every day through cities, counties and states, all aimed at bettering the communities who need it. But the reality is that despite the best intentions, all the administrative work needed to actually roll out that funding is slowing everything down.   That means that government funding is not going to where it's supposed to. So, is there anything anyone can do about it?  In this episode, Erika Van Noort is joined by Chris Behm, Founder and COO at Atlanta based, Neighborly Software, to discuss how his company’s  cloud-based software solution is improving administrative efficiency and regulatory compliance of Housing, Economic and Community Development programs. And the impact this technology is having in the communities it serves.  Featuring:       Chris Behm, COO and Co-Founder at Neighborly Software  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. 

The demands to move to the cloud faster are increasing as IT leaders face growing pressure to address mounting operational and business challenges. Now, they’re looking across the entirety of their infrastructure with a new lens and a push to challenge the status quo.  However, skills developed in the traditional data center or private cloud environment don’t translate easily to public cloud infrastructure - so what do IT leaders do now?  In this episode, Erika is joined by Claude Reeves, Vice President & Country Manager at VMware Canada and Christopher Woodin, Vice President, Cloud Business Unit at Softchoice, to explore the landscape of IT teams tackling public cloud, and to look at real-world examples of organizations facing various challenges and have ultimately benefited in their move to public cloud.     Featuring:      Claude Reeves, Vice President & Country Manager at VMware Canada Christopher Woodin, Vice President, Cloud Business Unit at Softchoice Special thanks to Jeff Reis, Lester Moniz and Doug Fisher 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. 

Only 24% of households in Indigenous communities across Canada have access to modern, highspeed Internet, which means students in these places aren’t getting the same new digital learning experiences as kids throughout the most of the country. Now, a program called Connected North is aiming to change all of that.   In this episode, Michael Furdyk joins Erika Van Noort to discuss how Connected North is using two-way telepresence video technology to enhance the classroom experience in Indigenous Communities - through physical technology and interactive software specifically designed for remote access. Best of all, it’s leading to lower dropout rates and more empowerment for First Nations students in school and life.  Featuring:      Michael Furdyk, Director of Innovation at TakingITGlobal Special thanks to Rebecca Martinez, Karen Buttigieg and Cheryl Stookes 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. 

The nature of ransomware attacks is evolving to a level of viciousness that impacts humanity as we know it. While the end game is typically money, today ransomware attacks threaten  people’s lives and our world. Ransomware has become a service and an industry. So, what can we do about it?  In this episode, Andrea Knoblauch joins Erika Van Noort to share the big picture on the ransomware landscape and inspire you to swap a reactive approach to ransomware and move toward a new, cloud-forward, industry-wide protection initiative.  Featuring:      Andrea Knoblauch, Technical Security Architect at Softchoice Special thanks to Tara Brydges, Chris Vassallo and Greg Rainbird for lending their honest thoughts to the podcast!     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. 

Legacy education systems in the US have not changed in 100 years, and now we’re seeing a fresh perspective on education from one school district in Mesquite, Texas. In this episode, Erika Van Noort is joined by Dr. David Vroonland and Softchoice’s Ron Espinosa, who are at the center of it all. They’re working with Google and SoftServe to create “AYO”: a program where a student’s aptitude and passion is mapped using Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning to create a “tailored learning” experience for each student. Now, Mesquite Independent School District envisions this program being applied in other schools and districts across the US and even North America - and completely changing how our future leaders and change makers are being shaped.  Featuring:      Dr. David Vroonland, Superintendent at Mesquite Independent School District  Ron Espinosa, Specialty Sales Executive, Google Cloud, Softchoice   Special appearances by:      Jessica Schmidt, Associate Podcast Producer  Nicole Francis, Senior Manager, Content Operations  Kattie Laur, Podcast Producer     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. 

The new normal is here, and that means the gap between humanity and technology is quickly disappearing.  While the pandemic was a catalyst for tech innovations making record speed, it doesn’t seem like things are slowing down any time soon. Tech leaders of the 2020’s across all industries and sectors are still busy, shaping our future and our world as we know it.  This season, we’re exploring digital transformation and talking to tech leaders who are inspired by people. We’re looking ahead at what the strengthening relationship between people and technology means for cloud innovation, cybersecurity risks, the workplace of the future, and diversity & disruption - key themes that we see shaping our future.  Join host Erika Van Noort for the Season 3 premiere on September 22nd, 2021. New episodes 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/   

The pandemic caused a major change to retail tech and the customer experience, from eCommerce, to in-store, to mobile apps. In this episode Erika is joined by retail veteran, Michael LeBlanc, to unpack how these changes worked out. What is the future of retail going to look like, post-pandemic?  Featuring:     Michael LeBlanc, Founder, Strategic Advisor, Keynote Speaker and Host at the Remarkable Retail Podcast  Special appearances by:     Noureddine Talmoudi, Solution Marketing Manager for Workplace at Softchoice  Alison Clarey, Senior Manager Integrated Go to Market at Softchoice  Brandon Ram, Director of Talent Acquistion and Candidate Experience at Softchoice  Braeden Banks, Content Production Lead 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.      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. 

Recently we've been hearing the same story from Softchoice customers: they’re concerned about how to prepare their people for the journey back to the office. Today, “the office” is a tool among other workplace tools –  and we need to reimagine how that space is best used .    In this episode, Softchoice colleagues, Jeff Gwinnett and David Erlich, join Erika Van Noort to get the insider scoop on the types of barriers that organizations are facing as they prepare for the return to the office and what the future looks like for how we use office space in the digital age. How do we go digital while maintaining an inclusive work culture?   Featuring:  Jeff Gwinnett, Director of Workplace at Softchoice  David Erlich, District Sales Leader at Softchoice  Special thanks to: Michelle, Katey, Stephanie and Chris for sharing your 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. 

The shift to digital collaboration in the workplace hasn’t just impacted regular office-goers – it changed the game for frontline healthcare workers, too. Katie Poolton, Product Marketing Manager at Microsoft is one of the people guiding the healthcare industry through this massive change, and joins Erika Van Noort to discuss how the pandemic helped radically evolve digital healthcare collaboration and the patient experience.  Featuring:     Katie Poolton, Product Marketing Manager at Microsoft  Special appearances by:     Noureddine Talmoudi, Solution Marketing Manager for Workplace at Softchoice  Alison Clarey, Senior Manager Integrated Go to Market at Softchoice  Brandon Ram, Director of Talent Acquistion and Candidate Experience at Softchoice  Braeden Banks, Content Production Lead 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.      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. 

In order to power the major shift to the remote workplace, enterprises drastically changed the tools and applications we use to get work done - and faster than they ever anticipated! As a result, organizations are now dealing with employee burnout and overheating laptops filled with apps wondering where they went wrong.   Luisa Colmenares, Director of Workplace Innovation at Softchoice joins Erika Van Noort to examine the gaps, learning curves and challenges created by the rush to evolve, and share some advice about how to get the most out of the new remote everything world.  Featuring:     Luisa Colmenares, Director, Workplace Innovation at Softchoice  Special appearances by:     Braeden Banks, Content Production Lead at Softchoice  Noureddine Talmoudi, Solution Marketing Manager for Workplace 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.      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. 

The pandemic might have accelerated the journey to Cloud – but it hasn’t made the road there any less bumpy. We speak to Craig McQueen about the pitfalls – new and old – of cloud migration, and the amazing value and innovation you can unlock with a well-executed cloud strategy.  Featuring:    Craig McQueen, Vice President of Innovation 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.     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.