Mato just raised pre-seed Read more
Podcast charts
Published by Proudly presented by Eclectic365 IT Consulting - Your Trusted IT Advisors 🤝☁️
Work in IT? You will need to master sourcing management. These podcasts, each less than five minutes, will help you get there. With over 20,000 downloads, it was time to turn the ebooks into podcasts. Enjoy the listen 🎧 👂 and get great insights into IT Sourcing Management from the one and only, the IT Sourcing Sorcerer. 🧙♂️
On the charts
Every published chart this podcast appears in, in the snapshot behind this page. Each one links to the chart it came off.
The Mato Topic Intelligence Platform does not report this podcast as charting in a published category in this snapshot.
From the feed
The latest episodes published to this podcast’s own RSS feed. Titles and descriptions are the publisher’s.
🎙️ The Bot I Built—and Killed Three Months Later 🤖 More information. Less intelligence? Ernie built an IT support bot using Microsoft Copilot, loaded it with policies, standards, and processes—and discovered that knowing where everything lives isn’t the same as being helpful. Three months later, he pulled the plug. But the bot didn’t entirely disappear… 👻 Join Ernie and Tina, his AI co-host, for a candid, lightly humorous episode of EZ & AI– Lessons Learnt , exploring: 📚 Why connecting too much information can get in the way of useful answers. 🔌 Why retiring an AI bot needs more thought than simply pressing delete.🛠️ How a Microsoft IT Helpdesk agent template provided a better starting point. 🙋 Why staff adoption depends on usefulness—not another launch announcement. 🎫 The ambition to make the bot a first stop for IT questions, including ticket updates. The lesson?Don’t just build a bot. Build something people want to use—and know when to let your first attempt go. Keep your head in the Cloud, your feet on the ground, and your Tina’s close. ☁️ 👣 🤖
What exactly is AI, and can AI really have values, morals, or virtues? Disclosure - this episode is 6 minutes long. In Episode 2 of EZ & AI – Lessons Learnt , Ernie and Tina explore what artificial intelligence actually is, why sounding human isn’t the same as being human, and why we can delegate work to AI but never our responsibility. Then comes a deceptively simple question: how old is AI? Is it around 70 years old? Did it really come of age withChatGPT? Or, given that today’s AI can still struggle with something as familiar as reading an analogue clock, does it occasionally behave more like a ten-year-old? Along the way, Ernie and Tina explore AI’s history, its surprising limitations, and one of the most important lessons of the series: Use AI to support your judgement, not surrender it. And next time? Frankenstein, an IT Support Bot, and a lessonErnie learnt the hard way... Until then, keep your head in the Cloud, your feet on the ground, and your Tina’s close.
Join Ernie Zibert, the IT Sourcing Sorcerer, and his AI co-host, Tina, for EZ & AI – Lessons Learnt . In this introduction, they share practical lessons on better prompts, checking answers and keeping human judgement in charge—with candid insights and friendly banter. Two perspectives. Plenty of questions. No autopilot. Keep your head in the Cloud, but your feet on the ground.
A four-minute summary of Microsoft's 2026 Work Trend Index Annual Report. Enjoy the listen. Proudly constructed by Eclectic365 - Your Trusted IT Advisors.
When AI moves from answering questions to taking actions, the governance question changes from ‘Is the answer right?’ to ‘What happens if AI does it twice?’
A virtual CIO (vCIO) provides access to executive-leveltechnology leadership on demand. You gain strategic advice, governance, commercial expertise, supplier management, and technology planning—all without carrying the full cost of a permanent executive. Via a vCIO, organisations can gain enterprise-grade CIO capabilities for around ten percent of the cost of a full-time executive resource. Also known as fractional executive adoption.
Are your IT services delivering real business value… or just keeping the lights on? In this episode of the IT Sourcing Sorcerer Podcast , I break down the core ideas from my ebook “The SDM Formula” —and why Service Delivery Management is the missing link in many organisations. 💡 We explore: ✅ How to move from reactive IT to value-driven service delivery ✅ Why Governance, Performance & Relationships matter more than ever ✅ How to drive measurable outcomes across multi-vendor environments In today’s world of cloud, outsourcing, and AI—strong service delivery isn’t optional. It’s a competitive advantage. 🎧 Tune in now and turn IT into a business enabler. And understand why the answer to this particular IT question is 4!
53% of leaders say productivity must increase, but 80% of the global workforce says they’re lacking the time or energy to do their work. The first Frontier Firms are emerging, and 71% of workers at these firms say their company is thriving, compared to just 37% globally. Enjoy the listen.
“90% of Outsourcing Deals Lose Over Half Their Value—Here’s Why” According to Ernie Zibert’s research, the problem isn’t outsourcing itself—it’s how we manage it. 📊 A survey of 100+ IT professionals revealed: 50% cite low customer satisfaction as the biggest issue 90% believe 60% or more of expected value is lost over the lifetime of an outsourcing deal Shockingly, 1 in 3 say 100% of value disappears, The takeaway? Poor governance erodes value. If you’re outsourcing, rethink your approach today. Implement strong sourcing governance frameworks and tools like the Sourcing Compass to turn things around.
What’s the real difference between a $1 Million and a $1 Billion IT sourcing deal? Surprisingly… almost nothing. Whether you’re negotiating a small agreement or a mega-deal, the fundamentals remain the same: ✅ Contract clarity ✅ Performance accountability (SLAs) ✅ Transparent invoicing ✅ Demand management ✅ Relationship governance Scale adds complexity—but the playbook doesn’t change. If you’re a CIO, vCIO, VMO manager, or sourcing leader, focus on these five pillars and you’ll win—regardless of deal size. Enjoy the listen.
Are you still measuring outsourcing success by cost alone? 💰🤑💲 That’s a trap many organizations fall into—and it leads to missed opportunities, unhappy customers, and stalled innovation. In my latest piece, I break down the Five Dimensions of Sourcing Value —a practical model that helps you: ✔ Reduce value leakage ✔ Align sourcing with strategic priorities ✔ Balance trade-offs between cost, flexibility, and customer satisfaction Key takeaway: Outsourcing isn’t just about saving money. It’s about knowing where your Sourcing Value Compass points—and why. Enjoy the listen. 🎧 👂
Unlock the Science Behind Sourcing Governance 🚀 Most organizations spend 70–80% of their IT budgets just “keeping the lights on” —and the same inefficiency plagues sourcing governance. The result? Strategic forums are often cosmetic, while operational meetings dominate. This imbalance costs businesses 15–50% of annual contract value in lost opportunities. It’s time for a shift. ✅ People – Invest at least 5% of ACV in governance resources and ensure clear accountability. ✅ Processes – Own the right governance processes (Contract, Issues, SLAs, Invoice, Service Requests). ✅ Tools – Structure governance meetings with discipline and transparency using formulas like Fmtg = (Frequency, Type, Duration) . Good governance = clarity on “who talks with whom, about what, and when.” When done right, sourcing governance moves from a rear-view mirror IT agenda to a proactive business value engine . 💡 Key takeaway: Effective governance isn’t optional—it’s the foundation for safer, cheaper, faster, smarter, and greener IT decisions.
Sourcing Success: The Three Fates Every IT Leader Must Master Enjoy the listen. 🎧👂 🔮 Are your sourcing strategies guided by fate—or by design? Drawing inspiration from Shakespeare and centuries-old wisdom, our podcast, Sourcing’s Three Fates , explores the three critical forces that shape every sourcing relationship: TINA (There Is No Alternative) SAM (Sourcing Account Management) DAE (Dollars Are Everything) . Whether you’re a CIO, procurement leader, or business strategist, understanding these “fates” is essential for driving value, managing risk, and achieving sustainable savings. Key Takeaways: TINA : Every organization sources—make sure your agreements are clear and aligned with business needs SAM : Relationship management is dual-sided; governance and adaptability are vital for success DAE : If the dollars don’t add up, the deal is doomed. Financial rigor is non-negotiable. 💡 Pro Tip: Don’t let your sourcing journey become a tale of “double, double, toil and trouble.” Clarity on TINA, SAM, and DAE is your roadmap to success.
Outsourcing can unlock efficiency and cost savings—but italso hides two costly evils: 🔍 Paying for Nothing 🔍 Paying Twice for Something From inflated SLAs to duplicate software licenses, these traps quietly drain budgets and erode value. In his guide Outsourcing’s Two Evils , Ernie Zibert shares practical strategies to avoid them: ✔ Audit your agreements —cancel overlapping maintenance and warranties. ✔ Right-size SLAs —don’t pay for 99.99% uptime if 99.9% meets business needs. ✔ Avoid prepaying for services —negotiate discounts based on actual spend. ✔ Clean up billable objects —unused AD accounts and SaaS seats inflate costs. ✔ Align backup strategies with business risk —ditch redundant layers. The moral? Clarity and vigilance will save thousands if not millions. Enjoy the listen.
Why “Lowest Cost” Outsourcing Could Be Your Biggest Risk When it comes to outsourcing, chasing the lowest price often feels like a win—until reality hits. According to Ernie Zibert’s Sourcing Value Compass , the five dimensions of sourcing value— Financial Benefit, Market Discipline, Flexibility, Specialization, and Customer Satisfaction —are deeply interconnected. Here’s the kicker: • Lowest cost ≠ best deal . It often comes bundled with poor performance and rigidity. • The relationship between price and satisfaction follows a U-curve: too cheap or too expensive, and satisfaction plummets. • Push suppliers too hard on price, and you invite the “sourcing nightmare”—scope creep, reduced service quality, and hidden costs. Pro tip: Focus on Finance vs. Market Discipline first. Make sure price reflects performance. If your business is transforming fast, invest in Flexibility —it’s your insurance against future constraints. 💡 Want to dive deeper? Check out Ernie Zibert’s insights on sourcing strategy and governance.
🚀 Why P5 Pricing is the Future of IT Managed Services For over two decades, IT pricing has been dominated by P x Q models—Price × Quantity. While functional, these models fail to align IT costs with actual business demand. Enter P5: Price per Period per Person—a game-changer for transparency and scalability in IT services.
When most managers order IT services, they assume they’ll “get what they paid for.” Reality check: You always get CHIPS with that order. And no, not the crunchy kind! CHIPS = ✔ C – Customer involvement ✔ H – Heterogeneity of service quality ✔ I – Intangibility ✔ P – Perishability ✔ S – Simultaneity These five characteristics make IT services fundamentally different from IT products. 👉 You can’t stockpile services. 👉 Quality varies. 👉 Value depends on active involvement.
Rethinking Cloud Value Assessment This podcast challenges outdated IT cost‑comparison models and introduces a modern framework for evaluating cloud investments. Traditional “generation one” metrics—comparing on‑premises costs to cloud pricing—fail to capture agility, scalability, and flexibility. Instead, businesses should benchmark service‑to‑service across cloud providers, ensuring true apples‑to‑apples comparisons. Bottom line : Stop asking for the “price of a mousetrap.” Focus on comparative cloud services, agility, and strategic sourcing to maximize value.
This podcast identifies the ten things every CxO should do to slash cloud waste. 2025 marks the first-year cloud spend exceeds traditional IT, with cloud revenue forecast around $917B versus $868B for traditional tech (Gartner). This trend only accelerates into trillion-dollar territory by 2028. If you need one number to mobilize the board: assume 40% of your cloud spend is wasted.
This podcast discusses the IT tendering processes and critiques traditional Request for Proposal (RFP) methods. The metaphor “RFP cow is too fat” suggests that the conventional RFP/RFx process has become bloated, inefficient, and overly complex . Organizations invest too much time and effort upfront in procurement, even though this phase contributes only a small fraction, less than 10%, of overall value. The podcast shows that most value in IT outsourcing is lost after the contract is signed , not during the tendering phase. So, focusing excessively on RFP details is misguided. Instead, it recommends leaner, smarter approaches. Enjoy the listen.
Ranking source
Apple Podcasts rankings via the Mato Topic Intelligence Platform.
Observed November 3, 2026. Cached outside the daily freshness window; the positions keep the date they were taken on.
Apple and Apple Podcasts are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries.
Pairs with
Bring this source into Mato to read its transferable patterns, then turn them into an original show for your own audience.