Category: Podcast

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m9-Tr_Rf7FA

Modernizing databases in practice involves more than just moving data—it requires rethinking how systems, developers, and AI interact. In this episode, Shireesh Thota, Corporate Vice President of Azure Databases at Microsoft, joins Alok Pareek, co-founder and Executive Vice President of Product Development at Striim, to discuss the evolution of operational databases, the rise of real-time data movement, and what it really takes to modernize at scale.

Together, they discuss how Microsoft’s Unlimited Database Migration Program, powered by Striim, enables organizations to migrate heterogeneous sources—from SQL Server and Oracle to Postgres and beyond—into Azure with speed and precision, creating a modern data foundation ready for the next generation of intelligent applications.

In this episode of What’s New in Data, we’re joined by Clare from AWS to dig into the evolving role of retrieval in modern AI systems. Clare unpacks why retrieval shouldn’t just be thought of as a technique to get documents — it’s a strategic tool that can unlock smarter, more adaptive agents. We also explore how AWS is thinking about orchestration, what actually counts as “reasoning,” and why the real power lies in combining structured memory with real-time context. If you’re building with agents, this one’s packed with insight.

Get started with Strands Agents: https://github.com/strands-agents

Follow Clare on LinkedIn

Jonathan Shough, CIO of Parexel, joins us to talk about leading data modernization in one of the world’s most regulated industries. He shares how compliance can be reframed as an enabler, not a blocker—and why it’s critical to deliver value to patients, not just platforms. We get into Parexel’s pragmatic approach to AI adoption, the role of human interaction in digital transformation, and what it really means to modernize data infrastructure without breaking what works. If you’re balancing transformation with trust—or just trying to give your teams back their Fridays—this one’s for you.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ft0qY55Rsqw

Joe Reis joins us to reflect on life after Fundamentals of Data Engineering, what makes data content worth consuming, and why good taste matters as much as technical skill. We talk about burnout in big tech, the myth of AI replacing everyone, and how Discord communities, DJ sets, and a sense of humor are helping shape the future of data. This one’s part industry pulse check, part real talk.

Follow Joe on:

• LinkedIn
• Substack
• Discord

http://youtu.be/0xj2-PRX2R8

Barzan Mozafari, CEO of Keebo and former computer science professor, joins us to explore how AI is changing the way data teams work. We talk about the hidden inefficiencies in cloud data platforms like Snowflake and Databricks, how reinforcement learning can automate performance tuning, and why the tradeoff between cost and speed isn’t always what it seems. Barzan also shares thoughts on LLMs, the future of conversational analytics, and what data teams should (and shouldn’t) try to build themselves.

Follow Barzan on LinkedIn

Keebo – https://keebo.ai/ 

Get More Insights In Your Inbox

What if your data pipeline could run 10x faster without the overhead? Jacopo Tagliabue, CTO of Bauplan and NYU adjunct professor, is pushing the boundaries of data infrastructure with lightweight DAGs, Apache Arrow, and a radically different take on functions as a service. In this episode, he breaks down the tech stack behind Bauplan and why the future of scalable data pipelines is all about speed, modularity, and zero-copy design.

Follow Jacopo on LinkedIn

Bauplan – https://www.bauplanlabs.com/

Get More Insights In Your Inbox

Sol Rashidi has built AI, data, and digital strategies inside some of the world’s biggest companies—and she’s seen the same mistakes play out again and again. In this episode, she unpacks why AI initiatives often stall, how executives misread what “transformation” really requires, and why the future of AI success isn’t technical—it’s cultural. If you think AI is just a tech problem, Sol is here to change your mind.

Follow Sol on LinkedIn

Learn more about Your AI Survival Guide by Sol Rashidi

Get More Insights In Your Inbox

Spencer Cook, Lead Solutions Architect at Databricks, joins to unpack how enterprises are moving beyond hype and building practical AI systems using vector search, RAG, and real-time data pipelines. He and John Kutay get into what it really takes to serve production LLMs safely, avoid hallucinations, and tie AI back to business outcomes—without losing sight of governance, latency, or customer experience.

Follow Spencer on: LinkedIn

Get More Insights In Your Inbox

Peter Laflin, Chief Data Officer at Morrisons, shares how his team turned customer confusion into a cutting-edge vector search experience—bridging physical retail with AI-powered search. He and John Kutay dive into the practical challenges of implementing LLMs and real-time data pipelines at scale, the importance of starting with actual customer problems, and why the best engineering feels a little lazy (on purpose). A real-world look at what happens when modern search meets supermarket shelves.

What’s New In Data is a data thought leadership series hosted by John Kutay who leads data and products at Striim. What’s New In Data hosts industry practitioners to discuss latest trends, common patterns for real world data patterns, and analytics success stories.

Get More Insights In Your Inbox

Alok Pareek, Co-founder and EVP of Products at Striim, joins What’s New in Data to dive into the game-changing innovations in Striim’s latest release. We explore how real-time data streaming is transforming analytics, operations, and decision-making across industries. Alok breaks down the challenges of building reliable, low-latency data pipelines and shares how Striim’s newest advancements help businesses process and act on data faster than ever. From cloud adoption to AI-driven insights, we discuss what’s next for streaming-first architectures and why the shift to real-time data is more critical than ever.

Learn more about our latest release on Striim’s Release Highlight page here:  https://www.striim.com/whats-new-in-striim/

What’s New In Data is a data thought leadership series hosted by John Kutay who leads data and products at Striim. What’s New In Data hosts industry practitioners to discuss latest trends, common patterns for real world data patterns, and analytics success stories.