George Firican interviews Chris Bevil, former CISO and principal consultant at Commvault, about identity resilience—recovering to a clean, trusted state after an identity attack succeeds. They discuss why identity has become a primary target as cloud/SaaS, hybrid work, federation, and AI agents expand the attack surface and speed of compromise. Using examples like the Change Healthcare incident and an incident-response case where attackers stole session tokens, escalated privileges, created privileged accounts, and disabled defenses, they emphasize business impact, downtime, and loss of trust. Chris Bevil argues teams must break silos, define minimum viable operations, and technically test recovery in small chunks. He outlines Commvault’s pillars: assess attack paths and exposures, detect with continuous visibility, recover precisely (down to objects like users/groups), and keep tools/procedures accessible, stressing evidence-based readiness over tabletop-only plans.

Most organizations treat "human in the loop" like a solved design pattern. Dr. Fern Halper, VP of Research at TDWI and author of Data Makes the World Go 'Round, says it's often just a checkbox — and that the real risk isn't agents replacing us, it's losing the judgment we'd need to supervise them.In this episode, George Firican talks with Fern about why organizations stall on AI, what's actually different about agentic AI, automation bias, the erosion of original thought, and why trust deserves equal billing with data and technology in any AI strategy.AI Foundations Group: https://www.aifoundationsgroup.com/Data Makes The World Go Round: https://datamakesworld.com/

Join George Firican on the Light On Data Show as he discusses the concept of Data Governance 2.0 with Nagim Ashufta, founder and CEO of Driva. They explore the shift from traditional data governance to a collaborative, AI-powered model. Learn about the importance of stewardship, connecting data creators and consumers, ethical AI interactions, and practical steps for successful data governance implementation.

Join George Firican in this insightful episode of the Lights On Data Show as he interviews Matthew Le Merle, Silicon Valley investor and co-founder of Fifth Era Partners. They discuss how blockchain technology is revolutionizing banking, payments, and asset management. La Merrill shares his perspective on blockchain's ability to enhance speed, transparency, and cost-efficiency in financial transactions, and the inherent challenges for legacy financial institutions. He also delves into the role of innovative startups in driving this transformation and provides an overview of his investment strategies at Fifth Era Partners.

In this episode of the Lights On Data Show, host George Firican and guest Scott Eganhouse, Salesforce Address Data Evangelist, discuss the critical role of National Change of Address (NCOA) in data governance, compliance, and AI readiness. They delve into how NCOA updates can significantly improve CRM accuracy, reduce costs from return mail, and enhance trust and analytics. Scott also shares insights on the common misconceptions about address verification and the importance of a people-first data strategy. Tune in to learn how investing in NCOA can yield high dividends for your organization.

In this episode of the Lights On Data Show, host George welcomes Josie Haines, an Emmy-winning technical leader famous for her contributions at Apple. They discuss the complex issues of career burnout, imposter syndrome, and the critical need for tech professionals to redefine their roles in the face of AI advancements. Josie shares personal experiences from her career, including her transition from Apple to Tile, and offers insights into leveraging AI in leadership roles. The conversation emphasizes the importance of identifying personal strengths and building networks to thrive in today's tech landscape.

Career growth in data analytics is often misunderstood.In this episode of The Lights On Data Show, George Firican and Albert Bellamy explore what actually influences career progression, from resumes and LinkedIn profiles to interviews, impact, and mindset.A practical, experience based conversation for data analytics professionals thinking about their next move.

As organizations deploy AI, how should master data management and data governance programs evolve, or be reinvented, to stay relevant?Join George Firican and Bruno Billy, President of APGAR North America, and Ken Brown, Head of Customer Success as they will explore how MDM and Data Governance are being redefined for a world shaped by machine learning, generative models, and data products. Drawing on APGAR’s experience helping organizations define, build, and run their enterprise data programs, Bruno and Ken will share how AI is transforming the purpose and practice of master data management and data governance.Tune in to hear how leading organizations are using AI to strengthen their MDM and Data Governance foundations. And why these disciplines could be even more important than before.Checkout this free ebook for more answers:https://info.apgar-group.com/how-is-ai-reinventing-mdm-ebook

In this episode of The Lights On Data Show, George Firican speaks with Vinay Samuel, CEO and Founder of Zetaris, about how organizations can build AI systems that are cost-efficient, sovereign, and trusted.They explore what it really means to own your AI: from keeping intellectual property and data within your control, to reducing cloud and lakehouse costs by up to 40% using Zetaris’ Query Director.You’ll also learn how the Zetaris Distributed Intelligence Platform enables:- Federated, real-time access to data across clouds and on-prem systems- Query-time governance and cost optimization- A unified semantic layer that protects data and supports AI development- Open-source flexibility and data sovereignty in practiceWhether you’re a data leader, architect, or governance professional, this conversation sheds light on the next evolution of data platforms. Plus where AI, cost control, and sovereignty converge.

Join George Firican as he discusses with Emily Chase Coleman, CEO of HAI Analytics, about the convergence of EdTech and AI in transforming higher education. Learn how predictive modeling and AI are enhancing recruitment and retention strategies, identifying at-risk students, and optimizing financial aid packages. Discover the importance of human oversight in using AI models to make recruitment and retention in higher education more efficient and effective.