Ready.Set.Midmarket!: CISO Strategies In 2026

From VMware to Azure: How a Midmarket Credit Union Cut Costs & Built Resilient Hybrid IT

What does infrastructure modernization actually look like for a midmarket IT team? In this episode of Ready.Set.Midmarket!, Adam Dennison and Samara Lynn sit down with Ali Molavi, Infrastructure Solutions Architect and Team Lead at Publix Employees Federal Credit Union (PEFCU), to break down a real-world migration from VMware to a hybrid cloud environment powered by Azure. Facing rising costs, aging infrastructure, and increasing disaster risks (including hurricanes), PEFCU rethought its entire IT strategy—moving from a dual data center model to a hybrid cloud architecture with Azure as a disaster recovery platform. Ali shares how his team consolidated infrastructure, migrated workloads with minimal downtime, and delivered measurable business outcomes—including lower licensing costs and improved uptime—all while operating with a lean IT team. The conversation also covers a critical but often overlooked factor in modernization: culture change. As Ali explains, successful transformation isn’t just about new technology—it’s about whether your team is ready to adopt it. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Windows 11 Update Delays: The Hidden Cyber Resilience Risk for Midmarket IT

Microsoft is giving Windows 11 users more control over when, or if, updates are installed. For many IT teams, that flexibility sounds appealing. But according to new data from Absolute Security, delaying OS updates may be creating a much larger cyber resilience problem — especially for midmarket organizations with lean IT teams and aging infrastructure. In this episode of Ready.Set.Midmarket!, MES Computing sits down with Andy Ward, SVP International at Absolute Security, to unpack why patching is no longer routine maintenance — it’s now a critical factor in an organization’s ability to withstand and recover from cyber incidents Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Here's What Happens When Midmarket's AI Adoption Strategy Is 'Active' But 'Informal'

Midmarket IT teams are struggling to deploy AI projects. As a result, some business target goals are stalling. In this episode of Ready.Set.Midmarket!, Steve Leslie, CEO of Quadbridge -- a Montreal-based IT solutions provider and managed service provider (MSP) -- discusses the company's recent research on AI adoption in midmarket organizations. One key finding: AI adoption is "active" in the midmarket but is "informal" -- meaning, AP projects are often launched without strategic alignment, executive sponsorship, and data governance. Leslie weighs in on how midmarket teams can navigate cultural pushback and employee fears surrounding AI, and offers practical actions for CIOs to prepare their organizations for AI scaling success. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Midmarket CIO Priorities for 2026 - Why AI Can’t Move Faster Than Your Data Security

In the latest episode of Ready.Set.Midmarket!, Samara Lynn, senior editor of MES Computing, sits down with Ron Reiter, CTO and co‑founder of Sentra, to break down what midmarket IT leaders must get right before rolling out AI at scale. Reiter makes a clear case that AI doesn’t just improve productivity—it magnifies existing data security gaps. When organizations enable tools like Copilot or enterprise AI assistants without a solid data access governance model, AI can instantly surface sensitive information that previously went unnoticed. The conversation explores why data visibility has become one of the most urgent CIO priorities for 2026, how CISOs and CIOs can align instead of clash, and why midmarket organizations can’t afford to “lock everything down” in the name of security. Instead, Reiter argues, leaders need technology that enables teams to run fast and secure at the same time. 🎧 Watch the full episode to hear: Why AI acts as an accelerator for both productivity and risk How midmarket IT teams can prepare decades of data for AI without massive headcount The one metric CIOs should stop relying on in 2026 Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Ready.Set.Midmarket!: CISO Strategies In 2026

In this episode of Ready.Set.Midmarket! we explore the evolving landscape of cybersecurity leadership in 2026 with leading CISOs and industry innovators. Discover the key shifts, challenges, and strategic priorities shaping the future of security for midmarket organizations. Our Guests: Richard Bird - Chief Security Officer, Singulr AI Cyrus Robinson - Vice President of Security Operations at C3 Integrated Solutions Chris Boehm - Field CTO, Zero Networks Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.