042: SUSTAINABLE CONSTRUCTION: Reducing Emissions WITHOUT Increasing Costs w/ Ampd Energy's Brandon Ng

Cyber attackers aren't smashing down doors anymore. They're moving in, settling down, and learning the house before anyone notices. Host Charles sits down with Adam Basedow, CTO at VECTRA (an Ensign InfoSecurity company), to unpack why AI is accelerating cyber risk faster than most organisations can keep up — and why the fundamentals still matter more than ever. Adam brings twenty-five years of experience across systems, infrastructure, managed services and security operations to explain VECTRA's practical, operating-model approach to cybersecurity, and how its position within Ensign InfoSecurity — Asia's largest pure-play cybersecurity group — gives clients local accountability backed by 24/7 global SOC scale, threat intelligence and incident response. Together they dig into the state of the threat landscape: attackers automating faster with AI, dwell times creeping upward as adversaries linger undetected to steal credentials and move laterally, and the unglamorous root causes still behind most breaches — weak MFA, stolen credentials, unpatched systems, poor visibility and slow response. From there, the conversation turns to the risks reshaping boardrooms in 2026: shadow AI and the data walking out the door through unmanaged LLMs, the danger of putting all your security eggs in one AI vendor's basket, and a sobering real-world case of deepfake-enabled fraud that cost one engineering firm US$25 million. They close with practical, personal advice — password managers, passphrases, and why you should ditch SMS-based MFA for good. In this episode: 00:00 — Welcome and Security Focus

Your board has an AI strategy. It's probably rubbish. Nathan Bell has spent 25 years delivering transformation programmes inside the world's biggest telcos. Now a Partner at Kearney, he's the person companies call when the proof-of-concept graveyard keeps growing and the CFO starts asking uncomfortable questions. In this episode: why most AI programmes are expensive theatre, how to actually get ROI, and why your change management track record matters more than your technology choices. We also get into agentic AI gone wrong — a recruiting agent that only wanted to hire golfers, a CEO town hall that triggered a queue at HR, and an AI agent that doxxed a developer and got its creator hired by Sam Altman. Make of that what you will. Plus rapid-fire telco takes and a deeply scientific Australia vs Netherlands lifestyle quiz that ended in a draw. Time Stamps: 00:00 — AI Strategy Hype vs Reality: Why Most Exec Talk Is Rubbish 00:37 — Is This AI Wave Different from Dot-Com, Cloud, and 5G? 02:19 — From Boardroom Buzz to Production: The Proof-of-Concept Trap 03:44 — How to Actually Get ROI: Start Small, Make Big Bets, Fund Like a VC 06:47 — Low-Hanging Fruit: Internal Knowledge, Customer Service, and Procurement 09:16 — Metrics That Matter: MVP Milestones Over 2-Year "Goals" 11:21 — Making the VC Model Real: Phased Rollout and Cultural Change 13:26 — Market Whiplash: When AI Adoption Threatens Your Revenue Model 14:51 — AI as a Business Capability, Not a Shopping List of Tools 16:10 — Agentic AI and the Human Factor: Bias, Process Drift, and Set-and-Forget Myths 21:10 — The People Side of Agents: Fear, Trust, and How Leaders Miscommunicate 24:41 — Why AI Transformations Fail: Change Management and HR as the Quarterback 26:44 — When Agents Go Rogue: The Python Library Incident and What It Signals 28:28 — Who's Responsible for AI Agents? Why Human-in-the-Loop Still Matters 29:19 — When AI Monitors AI: The Two-Agent Marketing Campaign Story 31:03 — Legacy, Culture and Operating Model: Why Big Firms Struggle to Adopt AI 33:49 — Ethics, Bias and Copyright: The Legal Minefield of Generative AI 35:40 — Who's Winning with AI and Why: Consumer Goods, Banks and Telcos 38:01 — Regulation Reality Check: EU AI Act, Vendor Audits and the Air Canada Case 39:37 — Where Telcos Should Start with AI: Customer Service, Vendors and Billing 41:41 — Transformation Lessons from Telcos: People, Forgive the Past, Progress Over Perfection 44:39 — AI Hype vs Jobs Reality: Using AI to Augment People, Not Just Cut Headcount 46:51 — What Still Motivates Transformation Leaders + Rapid-Fire Telco Takes 51:49 — Finale: Australia vs Netherlands Quickfire (and a Perfect Tie)

The New World Order: It's Not a Transition, It's a Rupture The world's gone completely mental since Andy Staples left The Economist and launched GeoPol Asia. Turns out his timing was perfect - just in time for Trump's tariff chaos, military interventions, and the complete breakdown of the "rules-based order" everyone keeps banging on about. The old playbook is dead. This isn't your typical trade spat or diplomatic tiff. As Mark Carney put it at Davos: we're witnessing a rupture, not a transition. And from Singapore's "grave concern" over Venezuela to Japan's new PM calling China's bluff, everyone's scrambling to figure out what the hell comes next. Andy breaks down why Singapore's politicians are probably doing constant eye-rolls dealing with Trump's "favours from friends" tariff nonsense, why Malaysia's quietly winning at this geopolitical game, and whether we're all heading to the pub because the world's ending (spoiler: we're definitely putting our coats on). If you're trying to run a business in this chaos or just want to understand why everything feels completely unhinged, this is your reality check. Timestamps: 00:00 Welcome Back, Andy Staples! 00:26 Reflecting on a Year of Chaos 02:00 Predictions and Realities 04:45 Hard Power and Global Dynamics 05:28 Trump's Davos Speech 08:27 Middle Powers and Global Order 11:47 Asian Geopolitical Landscape 14:36 Japan's New PM and China Relations 17:49 Elections and Political Shifts in Asia 20:25 Singapore's Resilience 21:56 Johor's Investment Boom 23:12 Vietnam's Economic Resilience 24:13 US-Singapore Relations 26:44 Business Sentiment in Asia 30:27 Geopolitical Risks and Predictions 34:08 Rapid-Fire Questions 40:06 Closing Thoughts and Future Outlook Key Takeaways: The US has shifted to unilateral military action as policy tool

Telco's Sophistication Paradox: Why They Can't Explain Their Own Genius The Telco Century Club (100+ years of telco experience between us) is back with a brutal reality check on an industry that's mastered building brilliant technology but completely botched explaining why anyone should care. Charles teams up with telecoms veterans Rob Jones (Sylva Growth Partners) and Chris Lewis (Lewis Insights, The Great Telco Debate) for an unfiltered dissection of why 25 years of "transformation talk" has changed absolutely nothing. From Telstra's genius digital twin platform that died because no one could pitch it internally, to network APIs that sound impressive but solve problems nobody asked for - this episode exposes the sophistication paradox that's killing telco innovation. Key Battlegrounds: Why telco layoffs are a perpetual pattern, not strategic responses The "build it and they will come" mentality that's still sabotaging 5G monetisation How MVNOs are eating traditional operators' lunch through superior segmentation AI-native platforms making MVNO entry cheaper and easier than ever Middle Eastern operators like e& and STC outplaying Western telcos with actual execution The coming satellite reality check (spoiler: it won't replace mobile networks) Network APIs heading to the technology graveyard alongside network slicing Reputation-Staking Predictions for 2026: Chris bets on AI chatbots finally becoming genuinely useful. Rob sees Google dominating user experience through AI integration. Charles predicts internal AI efficiency gains - if telcos can resist their urge to overcomplicate everything. Plus: Will the US take a stake in Nokia or Ericsson? And our final verdict on whether telcos will transform, disappoint as usual, or somehow make things worse.

Here's the complete description with show notes for Libsyn: IoT Reality Check: Fresh Insights from the Latest Benchmarking Report - Matt Hatton from Transforma Insights Breaks Down What's Really Working In this episode of TechBurst Talks, I sit down with Matt Hatton, founding partner at Transforma Insights, to dive deep into his latest IoT peer benchmark report covering 27 MNOs and MVNOs worldwide. Matt brings over 15 years of industry experience, having founded Machina Research (sold to Gartner in 2016) before launching Transforma Insights. We explore the most surprising findings from his fresh research, including the rise of SGP 32 for eSIM localization, how AI is finally being used for IoT-specific operations rather than just generic business functions, and why many connectivity providers are diversifying into adjacent markets like fixed wireless access. Matt breaks down the persistent challenges around network fragmentation, explains why IoT growth remains steady rather than explosive, and shares his outlook for 2026. We also discuss the symbiotic relationship between IoT and AI, where IoT provides the essential data feeds that make AI applications truly valuable. The conversation wraps up with some personal insights about music, favorite bands, and best concert experiences. SHOW NOTES: 00:00 Introduction and Guest Background Matt Hatton introduces himself as founding partner at Transforma Insights, sharing his journey from telematics and M2M days through founding Machina Research (sold to Gartner in 2016) to his current focus on IoT, AI, and edge computing. 00:17 Transforma Insights and IOT Market Overview of Transforma Insights' focus areas and Matt's specialization in connectivity, mobile network operators, MVNOs, and the supporting infrastructure that makes IoT deployments possible. 00:56 Telecoms and Connectivity Focus Discussion of the complexity and diversity of IoT solutions, covering the full tech stack from devices through networks, platforms, and applications - and why telecoms expertise is crucial for understanding the space. 02:51 IOT Peer Benchmark Reports Deep dive into Transforma Insights' comprehensive research analyzing 27 MNOs and MVNOs worldwide - the methodology, scope, and dual purpose of identifying industry trends while helping enterprises evaluate connectivity providers. 04:43 Surprising Findings in IOT Key discoveries from the latest report including: localization trends driven by regulatory and performance needs, AI evolution from generic business tools to IoT-specific operations, and diversification into adjacent higher-revenue markets like fixed wireless access. 15:25 Challenges in IOT Connectivity The persistent problem of network fragmentation - 2G/3G shutdowns, patchy 5G rollouts, NB-IoT adoption challenges, and why the mobile industry's choppy technology evolution continues to complicate global IoT deployments. 19:25 SGP 32 and Its Impact Explaining SGP 32 eSIM localization technology in layman's terms - how it enables better multi-country IoT connectivity, reduces reliance on roaming, but doesn't solve all the commercial relationship challenges. 26:22 The State of IoT: Current Trends and Challenges Assessment of where IoT stands today - realistic expectations vs. hype cycles, the role of specialist players vs. major tech vendors, and why steady incremental growth remains the norm. 26:52 The Evolution of IoT: From Telematics to Today Matt's perspective on IoT's steady evolution since 2011, the importance of expectation management, and how regulated mandated use cases provide the few "hockey stick" growth moments in the industry. 28:54 The Role of Major Tech Vendors in IoT Discussion of how major tech vendors have stepped back from IoT, the transition from buzzword marketing to business-as-usual implementations, and the value of focusing on business outcomes rather than technology labels. 31:57 The Intersection of AI and IoT Exploring how IoT serves as the "eyes and ears" fo