• IT Resilience: Why Planning for Failure is The Real Key to Physical & Cyber Resilience
    Aug 20 2025

    In the latest episode of In Conversation With, Asanti’s Emma Lauchlan hosts two industry leaders for a deep dive into the meaning of resilience - both physical and digital.

    Joining the conversation are:

    • Ian Stuart, Director of Technical and Compliance at Livingston, with over 16 years’ experience at NatWest Group safeguarding critical data centre environments.
    • Brett Rowe, Founder of Securus Communications, a leading UK cyber security consultancy.

    Together, they unpack:

    • Why resilience is about more than redundant systems - it’s about people, training and testing.
    • How “currency of competency” determines whether teams can truly respond under pressure.
    • The hidden risks to resilience in supply chains, building management systems and third-party technologies.
    • Why prevention, not ransom payments, is the only defence against cyber threats.
    • The future of resilience as AI reshapes both attacks and defenses.

    This episode offers a mix engineering expertise with cyber security insight, providing a rare 360° view of risk and resilience. For leaders managing critical systems, it’s a must-listen conversation.

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    1 hr and 8 mins
  • The Founder Playbook: Brett Rowe on why cybersecurity is never “done” and how to stay ahead
    Aug 14 2025

    In this episode, Asanti’s Emma Lauchlan talks with Brett Rowe, Founder and Director of Securus Communications, one of the UK’s leading cybersecurity consultancies. Brett shares the story of launching Securus 12 years ago to bring service back into the heart of security solutions and why that customer-first approach still sets them apart today.

    From the misconception that public cloud providers handle your security, to why cyber risk should be treated as a core business risk, Brett offers sharp insights for leaders navigating today’s constantly evolving threat landscape. He also talks about the role of AI in shaping the future of cyber – both as a tool for defence and as a weapon for attackers – and reflects on the business lessons he’s learned along the way.

    If you want to understand why cybersecurity is never “done” and how to stay ahead, this conversation is a must-listen.

    Brett Rowe on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rowebrett/

    Emma Lauchlan on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emmaeboyle/

    Download our whitepaper on IT Resilience: https://asanti.com/resource-centre/guides-white-papers/whitepaper-why-some-organisations-are-still-not-getting-their-it-resilience-plans-right/

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    12 mins
  • The Founder Playbook: Ian Stuart on Risk, Resilience and the Reality of Critical Environments
    Aug 5 2025

    In the latest episode of “The Founder’s Playbook” podcast, Asanti’s Emma Lauchlan sits down with Ian Stuart, the former Chief Engineer at NatWest Group and now Director of Technical & Compliance at M&E specialists, Livingston.

    With over 16 years in one of the UK's most scrutinised financial institutions - 11 of them leading critical engineering efforts - Ian brings deep insight into the complex world of risk management, infrastructure resilience and operational continuity. Now, at Livingston, he’s on a mission to change how contractors support clients in critical environments.

    In this thought-provoking episode, Ian shares:

    Why "competency today" isn’t good enough for tomorrow’s infrastructure demands

    • How regulated environments shaped his approach to de-risking operations
    • Why true resilience is more than just redundancy - and often misunderstood
    • The critical importance of continuous professional development in high-stakes roles
    • Why collaboration and honesty are the foundations of trust in client-contractor relationships.

    This episode is packed with insight for leaders who can’t afford to fail. Listen now to hear Ian’s perspective on evolving skills, contractor accountability and why every day should be a school day.

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    12 mins
  • The Future of Public Cloud Strategy; Why Sovereignty and Residency are the Latest Drivers of Change
    Jul 7 2025

    In the latest episode of the “In Conversation With” podcast, Asanti’s Emma Lauchlan speaks with Chris Talliss, Director of Cloud, Data and Apps at Wavenet, to unpack the evolving challenges and decisions surrounding public cloud strategy.

    Drawing on Asanti’s recent research, which found that 52 percent of UK organizations plan to reduce their reliance on US-based cloud providers, Chris discusses the two major drivers of this trend: data sovereignty and data residency.

    In this insightful episode, Chris shares:

    • Why hybrid and private cloud strategies are growing in importance
    • How the Cloud Act and global politics are prompting a rethink of cloud-first strategies
    • The danger of falling into “modern legacy” through well-intentioned cloud migrations
    • How AI is reshaping infrastructure needs and driving demand for colocation
    • Why understanding your workloads, not just your infrastructure, is critical.

    Whether you're re-evaluating your current architecture or exploring how to scale AI workloads securely and cost-effectively, this episode offers valuable guidance and perspective.

    This is a must-listen for any IT leader navigating cloud transformation.

    Read the latest research here: https://asanti.com/press-release/uk-it-leaders-shift-cloud-strategy-over-data-sovereignty-concerns-new-research-finds/

    Read out whitepaper on public cloud adoption and challenges - https://asanti.com/resource-centre/guides-white-papers/whitepaper-public-cloud-does-the-reality-live-up-to-the-hype/

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    28 mins
  • Consumer Data and AI; How Will They Shape the Data Centre of the Future?
    Jun 18 2025

    In this episode, Asanti's CEO, Stewart Laing, is joined by journalist Martin Veitch and IT industry veteran and journalist, Steve Broadhead, as they discuss the shifting landscape of data centre infrastructure following the explosion of data and the new demands of AI. The trio explore how location, power constraints, and fibre availability are reshaping where and how data centres are built - particularly the northward shift in the UK. They delve into skills shortages, the role of apprenticeships, government policy, and why edge infrastructure and localised data sovereignty matter more than ever, given the direction of US politics. This episode paints a pragmatic yet hopeful picture of a rapidly evolving industry.

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    29 mins
  • Neuroscientist Interview: AI Models and Hallucinations, How to Build an AI Enabled Application
    May 29 2025

    In the second episode of our “In Conversation With” series, Martin Veitch dives deep into the reality, and future, AI.

    This time, Stewart Laing, CEO of Asanti is joined by neuroscientist Steve Elcock, who is Director of Product, AI and HCM at Zellis, who talks us through the process for developing LLM for AI applications and just why they need so much power. The trio also tackle hot topics like GPU-powered infrastructure, data sovereignty, UK government policy, sustainability, and how AI is reshaping HR and enterprise systems.

    With a healthy dose of realism and optimism, this episode unpacks whether AI-driven data centres are the next evolution or just hype.

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    36 mins
  • The Founder Playbook: How Stewart Laing founded Asanti after seeing a gap in the data centre market
    May 20 2025

    In this episode, we meet Stewart Laing, CEO of Asanti Data Centres.

    In this, our very first podcast episode, we explore why, after spending 20 years consulting in the industry, and sitting on his business plan for 12 years, he felt now was the time to launch a data centre business.

    Hear his thoughts and views on the major challenges and impacting the industry in he UK today, what the emerging trends are and find out what his biggest gripe is with the data centre industry.

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    29 mins