Things. Reasons: The independent show for Australian IT leaders (AI, Tech & IT Leadership)
Published by Things. Reasons.
Technology
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Things. Reasons. is the independent podcast for Australian IT leaders. Hosted by Naran McClung and Jono Staff, we unpack what is actually driving change in Australian IT — cloud strategy, AI, cybersecurity, managed services, and vendor dynamics. Not vendor theatre. The conversation after the meeting. New episodes every two weeks. A podcast for CIOs, CTOs, and technology leaders navigating AI, cloud, and enterprise transformation.
Episode overview AI adoption is the number one priority for Australian IT leaders, and that is exactly why the unglamorous work of replacing what no longer works keeps sliding down the list. Meanwhile the risk is growing, because AI is now finding and exploiting legacy weaknesses faster than any human team can. The Telstra outage on 8 July, traced to a defect the vendor had flagged since 2022, is what happens when technical debt is left at the bottom of the pile. About the hosts Jono Staff is CRO at ASE Group and Executive Director of WinDC, with more than 20 years in cloud infrastructure, managed services and critical infrastructure. Naran McClung leads Australia's leading Azure managed services practice as Executive, Azure at Macquarie Cloud Services, and thinks in cloud economics and AI. In this rant cast they go without a guest and pull apart the question the industry keeps ducking: why are we still so bad at replacing the old things that no longer work? What this episode covers • The Telstra outage on 8 July, traced back to a timekeeping software defect the vendor had warned about since 2022, and why that is a technical debt story rather than a one-off • Why 93% of organisations carry technical debt yet only 24% feel confident they can track it, and what that gap costs • How AI is changing the maths on legacy kit: the largest Patch Tuesday on record at 570 vulnerabilities, and end-of-life systems accruing 218 new vulnerabilities every six months • Whether AI is now the threat, the defence, or both, and why a runaway agent is a tooling failure rather than Skynet • Sovereignty and token economics: what happens when the frontier model you built on gets pulled or triples in price, and why sovereign is being redefined • Data centre scarcity in Australia, with 14 companies bidding on the last three megawatts of air-cooled capacity • The closing argument: make technical debt a board-issued KPI so it can never be quietly deprioritised again Why now Adapt's latest survey of more than 2,400 Australian CIOs and IT leaders puts AI adoption as the number one priority. The risk is that everything else slides down the list while the attack surface grows. AI is now finding and exploiting legacy weaknesses faster than any human team can, which turns years of deferred maintenance into a live liability rather than a someday problem. Who this episode is for • CIOs, IT directors and heads of infrastructure balancing an AI mandate against ageing estate • CISOs and security leaders watching vulnerability counts climb on end-of-life systems • Boards and executives deciding how to fund and measure risk they cannot see • MSP and cloud leaders advising customers on remediation, sovereignty and cost Leave your anonymous confession here: https://thingsreasons.show/confessions/ Subscribe for new episodes every two weeks. LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/things-reasons Follow Naran's Newsletter: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/things-reasons-newsletter-7371660254704701440/ Follow Jono's Newsletter: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/things-reasons-newsletter-7371662467678023680/ Instagram: @things.reasons
In February 2026, roughly 285 billion US dollars fell off software valuations in 48 hours, on the theory that AI would gut per-seat SaaS. NinjaOne sells per-seat SaaS and is growing about 70 percent a year. About the guest Vic Guerrero runs channel and enterprise for NinjaOne across Asia Pacific. He has spent more than two decades in the channel, from Adobe in the late 1990s through to chief revenue officer at Jabra and nearly eight years at Orro Group before joining NinjaOne . He grew NinjaOne's APAC partner-led revenue 166 percent year on year on a deliberately selective model, and he may be the original source of the phrase things, reasons. What this episode covers Why NinjaOne runs almost all of its growth through the channel when going direct would be easier The selective, go-deep partner model, and why 25 to 30 partners can cover most of the ANZ market The question Vic uses to expose a weak vendor relationship: what do they actually do for you The SaaS apocalypse, and whether AI is a threat to platforms or a tailwind for consolidation What Vic learned at Adobe in the late 90s that he is deliberately applying now Two IT confessions, including the outage that accidentally killed an unprofitable contract Why now Every IT leader is building an FY27 plan against the same open question: how much to keep buying from SaaS platforms, and how much to try to build in-house with cheap models and AI agents. NinjaOne is a live test of the case for buying, a per-seat platform embedding AI and still compounding while the market debates whether SaaS is finished. For MSP owners and vendors, the channel thread is just as timely , because the recruit-wide playbook is under pressure. Who this episode is for MSP and IT services owners choosing vendors and planning FY27 Channel and partner leaders inside technology vendors CIOs and IT directors weighing build versus buy on AI Anyone selling or buying per-seat SaaS as AI reshapes the stack Show notes The Quick Fire Three in this episode is supported by NinjaOne .
The IT industry is shedding jobs to cost-cutting, AI restructuring and the usual business cycles, and the man who chairs the Australian Men's Shed Association thinks the real cost, what it does to people's identity and purpose, is the thing nobody is talking about honestly. About the guest Luke Clifton spent nearly 15 years in senior leadership at Macquarie Technology Group, more than a decade of it running Macquarie Telecom, where he drove the SD-WAN transition and built out the cyber security and cloud practice for the mid-market. He stepped back from the operational role in late 2025 and is now Director of Macquarie Technology Operations, focused on governance, risk, partnerships and strategy. He also chairs the Australian Men's Shed Association, which is where his thinking on purpose, identity and men's mental health comes from. What this episode covers Why Luke stepped out of a decade-long operational role, and why he frames it as retiring into something rather than retiring from work. What it actually takes to move into board and NED work: more responsibility, less control, less pay, and a completely different skill set from running a P&L. The crisis of purpose Luke sees coming as AI restructures the IT workforce, and why men in particular tie too much of their identity to a title. Inside the Men's Shed movement: the origin story, the scale, and the Spanner in the Works health checks that have caught men mid heart attack. Practical advice for navigating AI disruption: more than one iron in the fire, broadening beyond a single specialism, and starting while you are still employed. Confessions of an IT Professional: a listener's story of a change in Washington DC that kept a US President's plane in the air for ten minutes, plus Luke's own confession. Quick Fire Three: dedicating people to a tech change, why results are the wrong thing to manage by, and the one gut check Luke uses on every partner. Why now The IT industry is shedding jobs through a mix of cost pressure, AI restructuring and ordinary business cycles, and the human cost is not being discussed honestly. Releasing during Men's Health Week, with its See Your GP theme, gives the show a reason to put the men's health thread front and centre . The board and NED angle is just as current, with a generation of senior tech leaders weighing up what their next decade looks like. Who this episode is for CIOs, CTOs and senior IT leaders thinking about board and NED roles as their next move. Technology executives navigating AI-driven restructures, in their own teams or their own careers. Anyone in tech leadership who has tied their identity to a title and is starting to wonder what comes next. Listeners who care about men's mental health and want a candid take from inside the industry. Hosts: Naran McClung & Jono Staff. Follow Naran McClung: https://www.linkedin.com/in/naranmcclung/ Follow Jono Staff: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathanstaff/ Follow Things. Reasons.: https://www.linkedin.com/company/things-reasons/ Instagram / TikTok: @things.reasons Enquiries: pru@thingsreasons.show
Twenty years ago, the IT professional's primary qualification was confidence. Nobody had the context to evaluate you . You showed up, tried a reboot, and if it worked, you were a genius. This is the episode where Jono Staff and Naran McClung look back honestly at how the job actually was , what changed, and where it is going. About This Episode A special edition with no guest . Two 20-year IT veterans reflecting on three distinct eras of the profession: the pre-SaaS field tech years, the cloud and SaaS shift that solved most of the old problems and created new ones, and the AI era that is moving faster than anything before it. What This Episode Covers What IT work looked like before cloud, before SaaS, and before anyone had decent documentation Why confidence was the most valuable skill a field tech could have in the early 2000s The specific disasters that happen when test and production environments meet unexpectedly How the MSP job changed when SaaS arrived and made most of the old technical problems someone else's problem Why the modern IT professional has to be commercially fluent in a way that was never expected before The rising cost of SaaS and AI tools, and what it means for IT budgets Where AI agents and automation are taking the profession in the next five years A call for listener confessions: the outages, the cover-ups, and the tickets that got closed before they were really fixed Why Now AI is reshaping the IT profession faster than cloud did, but the context for understanding that shift is rarely discussed honestly. This conversation provides it: what the job has been, what changed at each inflection point, and why it matters now. Who This Episode Is For IT professionals who built their careers before the cloud era and want to hear their experience reflected honestly MSP and managed service leaders thinking about how the profession is evolving CIOs and IT directors interested in a candid take on how the job has changed over two decades Anyone who has ever merged a test environment with production by accident Leave your anonymous confession here: https://thingsreasons.show/confessions/ Listen to The Hyperscalers Are Winning. Are You? | Rant Cast #2 | Ep. 9: https://youtu.be/uJkewa9GYV4 Subscribe for new episodes every two weeks. LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/things-reasons Follow Naran's Newsletter: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/things-reasons-newsletter-7371660254704701440/ Follow Jono's Newsletter: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/things-reasons-newsletter-7371662467678023680/ Instagram: @things.reasons H8P6U4MawpmxqKHSIwbS
Episode overview Australia's startup market just hit an inflection point. $503 million raised across 25 rounds in the first two months of 2026. Twenty five per cent up on the year before. US venture funds are looking south. Singapore now has more family offices per capita than anywhere else in the world, and they are writing cheques into Australian tech. Something has shifted, and the rules of who gets funded have shifted with it. About the guest Jason Serda founded Blue Fire and sold it to Dimension Data. He ran global CTO at NTT. He now leads Utiliti Group, a Sydney and US-based venture firm with $150 million invested, 50-plus companies backed, and 13 exits on the board. His focus is helping Australian founders crack the US market. What this episode covers: Why a $10m ARR business now runs on 15 to 20 people instead of 50 to 70. Why 'growth at any cost' is finished and 'profit in months, not years' is the new venture standard. How Utiliti uses AI to assess 80 to 90 pitch decks every month before a human reads one. The single ratio Jason uses to read a founder's execution capability in under a minute. The ZOUD, the named meeting Jason ran at NTT that he thinks every exec team should bring back. What separates the founders who get funded from the ones who get politely declined. Why now: AI is reshaping how Australian companies raise capital, build product, and run operations. The investors with the lowest cost of selection win. The founders with the highest revenue per employee compound. The teams that can hold a difficult conversation in private avoid the public correction. Who this episode is for: Founders thinking about their first or next raise. Tech and commercial leaders being asked by their boards what AI changes for headcount and capital allocation. Investors who want to see how a working AI venture pipeline operates in practice. Anyone with an idea sitting on the back burner who needs a reason to pick it up.
The cloud was supposed to connect everyone. It didn't . When the hyperscalers built their massive data centers, they reached about 30% of the world and called it a day . The other 70%? Left behind. And as AI explodes into every corner of our lives — from autonomous vehicles to oil rigs to disaster response — that gap is becoming a crisis. Dan Wright, co-founder and CEO of Armada, is on a mission to close that gap . His answer is modular, rapidly deployable AI factories called Galleons that sail to wherever the data is, not the other way around. Remote mines. Ships in the middle of the ocean. The Alaskan wilderness. Anywhere. In this episode, Dan joins Jono and Naran fresh off the plane from San Francisco to talk about why sovereign AI is the most important conversation, what the US National AI Action Plan actually means on the ground, and why physical AI — robots, autonomous rigs, self-driving everything — is coming faster than any of us are ready for. He also makes the case that Australia, with its land, its energy, and its strategic position, has a once-in-a-generation opportunity to matter in the global AI race. The question is whether we'll move fast enough to take it. Buckle up. Follow Naran McClung on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/Naranmcclung/ Follow Jono Staff on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathanstaff/
Artificial intelligence is everywhere , in headlines, boardrooms, and strategy decks. In this episode, we sit down with Dr. Kate Gwynn e , who works at the intersection of technology, leadership, and education, helping organizations navigate AI adoption while keeping people at the center of the equation. We talked about the gap between AI ambition and execution inside businesses . Why leaders are struggling to translate AI strategy into real organizational impact. And why the future of AI might not be about replacing human intelligence — but amplifying it. We also asked mandatory uncomfortable questions shaping the future of work: What happens to entry-level jobs? How should universities prepare the next generation? And what responsibility do leaders have when automation starts reshaping entire roles? Technology may be advancing quickly , b ut the real challenge is still deeply human. This episode explores why human- centred AI might be the only path forward. Follow Naran McClung on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/Naranmcclung/ Follow Jono Staff on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathanstaff/ Listen on Spotify: Listen on Apple Podcasts: Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/He4CTa26Rj4 If your need beautiful merch with zero hassle, head to: Marque Store And don't forget to subscribe and rate the show! We love hearing your thoughts and answering questions. For all enquiries, contact pru@thingsreasons.show
Most hyperscale sellers are formally trained. Most hyperscale buyers are not. And that imbalance isn't theoretical — it shows up in your contract terms, your cloud architecture, and your long-term bill. In this episode, we unpack how hyperscalers like AWS actually sell: the methodologies, champion strategies, architectural tactics, and trust-based playbooks that quietly influence major decisions inside your organization. We're not here to bash hyperscalers. They're doing exactly what they're designed to do. The question is whether you're equally prepared on the other side of the table. If you're accountable for a multi-million-dollar cloud relationship and you've never been trained to sell, this conversation may change how you approach every renewal, optimization review, and "strategic partnership" meeting. This is about levelling the playing field — and asking whether you're negotiating… or just approving. Hosts: Naran McClung & Jono Staff. Follow Naran McClung: https://www.linkedin.com/in/Naranmcclung/ Follow Jono Staff: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathanstaff/ Follow Things. Reasons.: https://www.linkedin.com/company/things-reasons/ Instagram / TikTok: @things.reasons Enquiries: pru@thingsreasons.show
Things. Reasons. is an independent podcast. The views expressed by hosts and guests are their own and do not represent any company or organisation. Content is for general information and entertainment only and should not be taken as professional, legal, or financial advice. While care is taken, no guarantee is made as to accuracy. Any references to people or organisations reflect personal opinions only and are not intended to harm reputation or imply wrongdoing. Follow Naran McClung on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/naranmcclung/ Follow Jono Staff on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathanstaff/ Watch on Youtube: https://youtu.be/0YbxPo0LFFc And don't forget to subscribe and rate the show! We love hearing your thoughts and answering questions. For all enquiries, contact pru@thingsreasons.show
What happens when the world's fastest-growing technology meets one of Australia's biggest natural advantages — renewable energy? In this episode, Andrew Sjoquist — Australian tech founder and CEO of WinDC — joins us to unpack the explosive energy demands of AI, why traditional data centers can't keep up, and the bold idea he believes could reshape the industry. Andrew breaks down: How portable, renewable-powered AI data centers actually work — and why they could transform access to compute. The limitations of today's hyperscale data centers and why proximity to energy matters more than ever. What this shift means for regional Australia — jobs, infrastructure, and new innovation hubs. Why understanding the power supply chain is becoming a core skill for tech leaders. The role of government, regulation, and long-term policy in enabling (or blocking) AI growth. A sharp, practical conversation about energy, innovation, and the global race to build the infrastructure AI will need next. Show Notes: Things. Reasons. is an independent podcast. The views expressed by hosts and guests are their own and do not represent any company or organisation. Content is for general information and entertainment only and should not be taken as professional, legal, or financial advice. While care is taken, no guarantee is made as to accuracy. Any references to people or organisations reflect personal opinions only and are not intended to harm reputation or imply wrongdoing. And don't forget to subscribe and rate the show! We love hearing your thoughts and answering questions. For all enquiries, contact pru@thingsreasons.show
Why would someone leave Microsoft — twice — and still come back for a third round? Gustavo Fuchs has done exactly that. Now leading Channel Sales across Asia, he's seen the company evolve from the inside out — from old -school enterprise to AI -era operator. In this episode, Gustavo joins Naran and Jono to unpack: What's really changed inside Microsoft — culture, speed, and decision-making in the AI era. Why so many AI projects stall at proof-of-concept stage — and how to break through it. How leaders should approach their first 90 days differently — what to do before you make any big calls. The rise of the intrapreneur — building, learning, and influencing fast inside complex organisations . Why some people just can't stay away from big tech — and what that says about the culture at Microsoft. A grounded conversation about leadership, culture, and staying relevant when the pace of change never slows down. Show Notes Things. Reasons. is an independent podcast. The views expressed by hosts and guests are their own and do not represent any company or organisation . Content is for general information and entertainment only and should not be taken as professional, legal, or financial advice. While care is taken, no guarantee is made as to accuracy. Any references to people or organisations reflect personal opinions only and are not intended to harm reputation or imply wrongdoing. Follow Naran McClung on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/naranmcclung/ Follow Jono Staff on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathanstaff/ And don't forget to subscribe and rate the show! We love hearing your thoughts and answering questions. For all enquiries, contact pru@thingsreasons.show
We finally tempted Matt Boon to 'rant cast ', and it didn't disappoint. Matt's been shaping how Australian IT leaders think for decades. He's the person the industry turns to when it needs perspective. Together with Jono and Naran, the conversation hits the uncomfortable stuff: the tech layoffs dressed up as "AI efficiency," AWS's 30,000 cuts, and why announcing record profits straight after firing people is a leadership fail. They dig into cloud overspend, digital transformation fatigue, and the reality that most " modernisation programs" never actually end. Matt throws out ROI in favour of ROV — Return on Value . Jono questions why boards never carry the cost of technical debt, and Naran presses on what real accountability should look like. It's direct, a bit uncomfortable, and exactly the kind of conversation our sector needs more of. Show Notes Things. Reasons. is an independent podcast. The views expressed by hosts and guests are their own and do not represent any company or organisation . Content is for general information and entertainment only and should not be taken as professional, legal, or financial advice. While care is taken, no guarantee is made as to accuracy. Any references to people or organisations reflect personal opinions only and are not intended to harm reputation or imply wrongdoing. Follow Naran McClung on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/naranmcclung/ Follow Jono Staff on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathanstaff/ And don't forget to subscribe and rate the show! We love hearing your thoughts and answering questions. For all enquiries, contact pru@thingsreasons.show
Show Notes: Things. Reasons. is an independent podcast. The views expressed by hosts and guests are their own and do not represent any company or organisation . Content is for general information and entertainment only and should not be taken as professional, legal, or financial advice. While care is taken, no guarantee is made as to accuracy. Any references to people or organisations reflect personal opinions only and are not intended to harm reputation or imply wrongdoing. Follow Naran McClung on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/naranmcclung/ Follow Jono Staff on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathanstaff/ And don't forget to subscribe and rate the show! We love hearing your thoughts and answering questions. For all enquiries, contact pru@thingsreasons.show Episode Summary: In this episode of Things. Reasons. , Jono Staff and Naran McClung fire up a new segment — What Grinds Our Gears. From the government's half-billion-dollar AWS bill and the question of who's really keeping watch on cloud spend, to CommBank's public AI fail that saw staff replaced by their own automation, Jono and Naran get into the uncomfortable questions others won't ask. They also look at the hype cycle around generative AI — from pilot fatigue to talk of an "AI bubble" — and what it means for Australian IT leaders trying to balance cost, risk and reputation. It's independent commentary on the decisions shaping tech in Australia — and why sometimes the "easy" choice isn't the right one.
Show Notes: Follow Naran McClung on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/naranmcclung/ Follow Jono Staff on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathanstaff/ Check the episode out on Youtube here: https://youtu.be/hGQIVi84Tmk And don't forget to subscribe and rate the show! We love hearing your thoughts and answering questions. For all enquiries, contact pru@thingsreasons.show Episode Summary: In this episode of Things. Reasons. , Naran McClung and Jono Staff sit down with James Henderson , Editorial Director at Moxie Insights — the media insider who's spent his career turning complex tech and business shifts into stories that leaders actually pay attention to. They get into: Thought leadership fatigue — why the term's lost meaning, and how authenticity became the real differentiator. B2B media myths — how the sausage is really made, why "copy-and-paste content" still dominates, and what it'll take for the industry to evolve. The authenticity gap — why most corporate content still sounds fake, and how leaders can tell better stories without a personal brand coach. From "find your fusion" to fanzines and fake job titles, James pulls back the curtain on media, messaging, and the art of saying something worth hearing.
Show Notes: Follow Naran McClung on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/naranmcclung/ Follow Jono Staff on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathanstaff/ Check the episode out on Youtube here: https://youtu.be/e8kexzZSAl8 And don't forget to subscribe and rate the show! We love hearing your thoughts and answering questions. For all enquiries, contact pru@thingsreasons.show Episode Summary: In this episode of Things. Reasons. , Naran McClung and Jono Staff sit down with our inaugural guest — the indomitable Simon Reiter, CTO at CareSuper — an experienced technology leader shaping the future of superannuation. Adapt CIO Edge: AI dominates the agenda, but only 2% of organisations have moved past proof-of-concept. Superannuation's next chapter: consolidation, digitisation , and automation reshaping a $4.1 trillion industry. Leadership realities: from compliance to stress management — what it actually takes to deliver for members. Plus, Simon takes on the Quickfire Three: the advice he'd give his younger self, a belief he's abandoned, and how he spots a true partner.
In the launch episode of Things Reasons , Naran McClung and Jono Staff dive into the forces reshaping Australian IT leadership , from AI disruption to shifting enterprise strategy. They explore how major players like Telstra are refocusing on core connectivity, what the rise of AI means for traditional consultancies, and how deals like CyberCX signal deeper changes across cybersecurity and the broader Australian tech landscape. In this episode, we unpack: Why Telstra's strategic reset could redefine its position in Australian IT How AI is challenging traditional MSP and consulting business models What's really behind the CyberCX acquisition — capability, brand, or talent The impact of AI on talent pipelines, early careers, and the future of CIOs Plus, Jono takes on the Quickfire Three — sharing leadership lessons, myths he's left behind, and how to identify true strategic partners in a rapidly changing tech environment. 👉 Tune in for candid, unfiltered perspectives on AI, enterprise technology, and the decisions shaping Australia's IT leaders.
Show Resources: Follow Jono Staff on LinkedIn Follow Naran McClung on LinkedIn Cloud Reset's YouTube Channel Contact us at enquiries@macquariecloudservices.com with any questions, suggestions, or corrections. And don't forget to rate/review! Episode Summary: In this episode of Cloud Reset, we sit down with Cliff Ashford, Senior Director at Monash University, to dive into what it really takes to make a university data- and AI-ready. Cliff shares hard-earned lessons from leading a full-scale digital transformation—from overhauling Monash's 25-year-old student management system to building a cloud-native data lakehouse with Databricks. We cover: Why real AI success starts with governance—years in advance The shift from legacy platforms to agentic models and LLMs Building an institution-wide data model that's both secure and open Democratising access to data across all departments, not just IT Why HR and education teams were the fastest adopters of generative AI Monash's vision for peer-level AI assistants that enhance—not replace—staff How AI will reshape student experiences through simulated scenarios and real-time models Cliff also shares how Monash built safe-by-design infrastructure that enables innovation without compromising on data ethics or control. His favourite project? A fully governed, infinitely scalable data lakehouse that opens AI capabilities to the whole university. 🎧 Tune in now to hear how one of Australia's leading institutions is turning data into their biggest strategic asset.
Show Resources: Follow Jono Staff on LinkedIn Follow Naran McClung on LinkedIn Cloud Reset's YouTube Channel Contact us at enquiries@macquariecloudservices.com with any questions, suggestions, or corrections. And don't forget to rate/review! Episode Summary: Live from Day 3 of the THETA Conference in Perth, we're joined by Kathleen Mackay, CIO at the University of Tasmania and former Australian CIO of the Year. With two decades of digital leadership experience, Kathleen brings powerful insights into how AI is reshaping the higher education sector - from research to student learning to cybersecurity. In this episode, we explore: Why AI should augment - not replace - humans in education The difference between using AI in university operations vs teaching and research Preparing students for future roles where AI is embedded in professions like healthcare, law, and engineering The potential for AI agents and digital twins to support both students and academic staff How UTAS is innovating with cyber escape rooms to make cybersecurity training engaging and memorable The need for new commercial models where universities can monetise their research data to train AI models responsibly Kathleen also shares her thoughts on funding challenges, the role of human mentorship in education, and why free donuts are the ultimate phishing scam. 🎧 Tune in to hear how one of Australia's most forward-thinking university leaders is balancing innovation, responsibility, and humanity in the age of AI.
Show Notes Follow Jono Staff on LinkedIn Follow Naran McClung on LinkedIn Cloud Reset's YouTube Channel Contact us at enquiries@macquariecloudservices.com with any questions, suggestions, or corrections. And don't forget to rate/review! Episode Summary In this episode of Cloud Reset , we're joined by Jim Cook , Manager of Digital Innovation at the University of Sydney, to unpack the uni's groundbreaking journey in building and scaling Cogniti —their in-house AI teaching platform now used by over 70,000 students and expanding across 22 institutions. Jim shares how Cogniti was born out of the need to create safe, responsible, and equitable AI experiences in education—addressing challenges like authentic assessment in the age of generative AI, and ensuring students from all backgrounds have access to transformative tools. He dives into: The origins of Cogniti and how it was designed with educators and students, for students The shift from policing AI use to embracing it as a teaching and learning tool How Cogniti enables AI-guided roleplay and Socratic tutoring , and even allows students to build their own agents The impact on educators' productivity and how AI helps lighten the teaching load Insights into the deep partnership with Microsoft , the commercialisation journey via Azure Marketplace, and managing infrastructure at scale Jim also offers advice to any organisation wanting to get started with AI: "Just do one thing. Start small, play with it—and the use cases will come." If you're interested in the future of education, practical AI implementation, or how to scale innovation within a large institution—this episode is a must-listen. 🎧 Tune in now to hear how Sydney Uni is reshaping the future of learning with AI.
Show Resources: Follow Jono Staff on LinkedIn Follow Naran McClung on LinkedIn Cloud Reset's YouTube Channel Contact us at enquiries@macquariecloudservices.com with any questions, suggestions, or corrections. And don't forget to rate/review! Episode Summary: As generative AI systems mature, the conversation is shifting—from what they can do, to what (and who) they're trained on. In this episode, Luc Betbeder-Matibet, President of the Australasian eResearch Organisations (AeRO), joins Jono and Naran to unpack the broader implications of AI infrastructure, data quality, and sovereign value. Forget the hyperscale data centres and shiny AI demos for a moment—this is a conversation about control. Control over data. Control over what models learn. Control over where value flows. Inside this episode: Why "sovereign" needs to mean more than just data residency What it would take for Australia to own the full economic value chain of AI Why we may not know when AGI is achieved—and why that matters Who's paying (and who should be paid) when public data trains private models Whether the future of trust in AI comes down to who controls the training loop Luc doesn't speak in hypotheticals—he's been inside the systems, built national infrastructure, and counted the GPUs. This episode won't tell you how to prompt better—it asks whether your data, your infrastructure, and your business are serving someone else's roadmap.
