Why Hybrid IT Is So Hard — And How SolarWinds Helps Simplify It

AI Agents Are Moving into Windows and IT Needs a Plan

AI agents are moving beyond simple productivity helpers and becoming autonomous workers across Windows, Microsoft 365, and enterprise systems.In this episode of Petri Dish, Russell Smith talks with Craig Birch, Principal Technologist at Cayosoft, about Microsoft’s AI agent announcements from Build, including Agent 365, Microsoft 365 E7, agent identity, permissions, governance, and the risk of agent sprawl.If you manage Microsoft 365, Entra ID, security, or IT operations, this conversation explains why AI agents need to be treated like first-class identities and not trusted employees on day one.#microsoft365 #windows11 #artificialintelligence Thanks to  Cayosoft [https://cayosoft.com]  for sponsoring this episode!

From NASA to The White House: How WordPress VIP Protects High-Risk, High-Traffic Websites

In this epsidoe of Petri Dish, we’re joined by Brian Alvey, CTO of WordPress VIP, the enterprise-grade CMS platform trusted by organisations like NASA, Salesforce, and major global publishers. Brian has been building on the web since the earliest days, bringing a rare mix of builder and operator experience to modern content platforms. In this conversation, we’ll explore how enterprise CMS platforms are no longer just publishing tools, but core IT infrastructure that are deeply tied to identity, security, resilience, and governance. And what that shift means for IT teams as AI and automation reshape content systems. Thanks to our sponsors, Cayosoft [https://www.cayosoft.com/]!

Why Hybrid IT Is So Hard — And How SolarWinds Helps Simplify It

Virtualized infrastructure across on-premises data centers and the cloud was supposed to make life easier for IT teams. Instead, it’s often become a tangle of complexity. Why is something as established as virtualisation turning into a headache and what are we missing? To find out, I’m joined by Brad Cline, Vice President of IT Operations at SolarWinds [https://www.solarwinds.com/]. With nearly 30 years in IT, Brad’s seen virtualization evolve from a neat idea to a real-world minefield. He’s here to help us unpack where teams get stuck – and why managing virtual environments isn’t as straightforward as it seems. Thanks to Cayosoft [https://cayosoft.com] for sponsoring this episode!

Entra App Owners = Global Admin Power? Audit It with Privileged App Path Auditor

Most Entra ID reviews focus on roles and permissions. I.e., who’s a Global Admin, what’s been consented, what looks obviously dangerous. But what if the real risk isn’t a privileged user at all? What if a regular user, with no admin role, can still put themselves on a path toward Global Administrator, simply because of an application they own? That’s the question behind today’s episode. Today on Petri Dish, I’m joined by Nicolas Blank, identity architect and Microsoft MVP, to talk about a class of Entra ID risk that many teams completely miss, why traditional reviews don’t catch it, and a new tool that he’s developed called Privileged App Path Auditor. Thanks to Cayosoft [https://www.cayosoft.com/] for sponsoring this episode!

90% of AI Token Spend “Goes Nowhere” — What CIOs Must Measure Now

In this episode of Petri Dish, we’re looking at one of the most important shifts happening in enterprise work right now: the rise of AI-powered document creation. Joining me is Jean-Marc Chanoine, Chief Sales Officer at Templafy [https://www.templafy.com/], a company that’s been at the forefront of integrating AI and automation into the everyday tools knowledge workers already use, like Microsoft 365 and Copilot. Templafy helps orgs automate and standardize business document creation, helping large organizations produce compliant, on‑brand documents quickly and at scale.