Let’s Solve IT! Podcast

The technology industry is facing an ever-increasing supply chain crisis, and AI is rapidly making it worse. What started as a hardware shortage is now forcing enterprises to rethink storage, data center capacity, procurement strategy, and whether their infrastructure is truly prepared for the next wave of demand. 
 In this episode of Let’s Solve IT!, Matt Brown speaks with NetApp Technical Evangelist and The STEMINISTS co-host Phoebe Goh about a question many IT and engineering leaders are facing: Should you buy your way out of a supply chain crisis? 
The conversation explores why throwing money at the problem and panic-buying hardware may make things worse. As AI demand explodes, enterprises are discovering that you can’t simply hoard your way out of a supply chain crisis, especially when the real problem is how data, storage, cloud, and infrastructure strategy are being managed in the first place. 
You’ll hear: 
Why AI is increasing pressure on enterprise storage and data center capacity 
How the DRAM shortage and SSD supply chain challenges are affecting infrastructure decisions 
Why buying more hardware may not solve the real problem 
How AI is changing the value of cold data and historical data 
Why storage teams need to think more strategically about data mobility, security, and performance 
How cloud, tiering, and modernization can help organizations stay flexible 
Why IT strategy, procurement, sustainability, and infrastructure planning must be connected 
Because the real question may not be whether you can buy your way through the crisis. 
It may be whether that decision prepares you for what comes next. 
You are not alone. Let’s Solve IT! 
 
Learn More 
IT case studies | NetApp 
 
Check out The STEMINISTS Podcast: 
The STEMINISTS Podcast | Phoebe Goh and Mekka Williams 
 
Connect with us!
https://www.linkedin.com/in/cmattbrown 
Phoebe Goh | LinkedIn 
 
AI data center, enterprise storage, storage infrastructure, supply chain crisis, DRAM shortage, SSD shortage, data center capacity, data mobility, cloud strategy, infrastructure modernization, IT strategy, storage optimization, AI infrastructure, cloud tiering, data center sustainability, AI workloads, enterprise AI, hybrid cloud, storage performance, data management

AI is no longer just a productivity tool. It is quickly becoming one of the biggest operational, security, and governance challenges enterprises have faced since the rise of the cloud. 
In this episode of Let’s Solve IT!, Matt Brown speaks with NetApp IT Director of Enterprise Architecture and AI, Paul Carau, about the uncomfortable reality many technology leaders are now facing: Employees are adopting AI faster than most organizations can govern it. 
The conversation explores why AI success requires far more than simply deploying the latest toolset. Leaders must now navigate employee personas, data access, governance, change management, overlapping AI capabilities, and the growing pressure to move faster without losing control of the environment. 
You’ll hear: 
Why uncontrolled AI adoption is becoming a major enterprise risk 
How shadow AI is creating new challenges of security and governance 
Why employee personas matter when deploying AI at scale 
The growing complexity caused by overlapping AI platforms and tools 
How organizations can balance innovation speed with operational control 
Why AI governance must evolve alongside business expectations 
Because the real question may no longer be whether your company is using AI. 
It may be whether you still control how it’s being used. 
Let’s talk about what that means, and Let’s Solve IT! 
 
Resources just for you:
IT case studies | NetApp 
 
Connect with us!
https://www.linkedin.com/in/cmattbrown 
https://www.linkedin.com/in/paul-carau  
 

Are your technology investments driving developer productivity—or just adding complexity? 
In this episode of Let’s Solve IT!, Matt Brown sits down with Mekka Williams, Director of Innovation and Solutions and co-host of The STEMINISTS podcast, to unpack one of the biggest disconnects in modern IT: the gap between investment and impact. 
They explore why more tools don’t always lead to better outcomes, what developer productivity really looks like from a business perspective, and how leading organizations are aligning people, processes, and technology to drive measurable results. 
You’ll hear: 
Why time-to-value continues to fall short of expectations
How DevOps complexity is slowing teams down
What meaningful productivity measurementlookslike 
Where AIdelivers real valueand where it introduces risk 
Why progress starts with action, not perfection
Because improving productivity isn’t a one-time fix—it’s an ongoing business priority. 
You are not alone. Let’s Solve IT! 
 
Learn More 
IT case studies | NetApp 
 
Also make sure you check out The STEMINISTS Podcast | Phoebe Goh and Mekka Williams 
 
Connect with us! 
https://www.linkedin.com/in/cmattbrown 
Mekka Williams | LinkedIn 

It sounds extreme, but it’s not as far off as you might think. 
In this episode of Let’s Solve IT!, Matt Brown talks with Ralph Renne, Sr. Director, Workplace Experience, to break down what’s really happening behind the scenes: massive increases in power demand, the shift to water-cooled environments, and why most data centers aren’t built for what’s coming next. 
 
In this episode, you’ll learn: 
What’s driving these new AI infrastructure demands 
Why this isn’t just an IT problem, it’s a facilities and business problem 
The real timelines and costs to get ready
And what you should be doing right now to prepare
Because this isn’t a future problem. 
It’s already here. 
And if you’re not planning for it, chances are, you're already behind. 
You’re not alone. Let’s Solve It! 
 
Learn More 
IT case studies | NetApp 
 
Connect with us!
https://www.linkedin.com/in/cmattbrown 
https://www.linkedin.com/in/ralph-renne-36ab0a6/ 

Why do so many ERP transformations derail careers at the highest level? 
It’s not the technology. It’s everything else.  In this episode of Let’s Solve IT!, Matt Brown sits down with NetApp CIO Hem Nerkar to confront one of the most uncomfortable truths in enterprise IT: ERP transformations don’t start by failing systems—they start by breaking the people leading them. 
Because what looks like a software upgrade is actually a high-risk, multi-year bet on your company’s culture, operations, and future.  In this episode, you’ll learn: • Massive financial investment with no immediate payoff • Organizational resistance at every level • Hundreds of systems and stakeholders in play • And a clock that never stops ticking while the business keeps running  Hem Nerkar pulls back the curtain on what really makes these transformations so dangerous and what separates those projects that succeed from those that quietly unravel careers.  This isn’t about features. This isn’t about vendors.  This is about pressure, risk, and leadership when there is no safe path forward. 
Let’s talk about what that really means. Let’s Solve IT! 
 
Learn More Here: 
IT case studies | NetApp 
 
Connect with us!
https://www.linkedin.com/in/cmattbrown 
https://www.linkedin.com/in/hem-nerkar-445b731 

AI budgets are blowing up. Hardware prices are all over the place. And executives want ROI yesterday. 
So here’s the real question nobody wants to say out loud: How are you supposed to afford the tech and the people to run it? 
In this week’s episode of Let’s Solve IT!, host Matt Brown and Stephan Stelter, NetApp Manager, Solutions Engineering, confront the tension IT leaders feel every day: innovation pressure vs. finite budgets. They get into FOMO-driven spending, AI productivity myths, and resource scarcity.  
Rather than defaulting to layoffs or across‑the‑board cuts, this conversation explores a smarter path forward: reallocating resources, retasking talent, and placing the right workloads in the right environments to maximize impact without burning out teams or budgets. 
If you’re feeling squeezed between transformation goals and headcount limitations, this episode is for you.  
Let’s talk about what that really means, and Let’s Solve IT! 
 
Learn more about the world of NetApp on NetApp: IT case studies | NetApp
 

AI is everywhere — recording meetings, transcribing conversations, summarizing discussions, and storing more data than ever before. But as AI-powered productivity tools become the norm, how do organizations protect themselves from growing security and legal risk? 
 In this first episode of Let’s Solve IT!, host Matt Brown sits down with NetApp CISO Gavin Guttersen to explore a sobering reality: AI tools can create powerful productivity gains and unexpected exposure.  From litigation risk to data governance gaps, from “AI companions” in meetings to agents talking to agents, this conversation dives into the uncomfortable truth: Security through obscurity is gone.  In this episode, you’ll learn: 
How AI transcription and meeting recording tools create unexpected security and legal exposure 
Where data governance breaks down as enterprise AI adoption accelerates 
What CISOs, IT leaders, and business teams must consider in an always‑recorded environment 
If you’re responsible for AI security, data governance, or risk management, this episode sets the foundation for the conversations organizations can’t afford to avoid. 
Let’s talk about what that really means. Let’s Solve IT! 
 
Learn more about the world of NetApp on NetApp: IT case studies | NetApp 
 
Connect with us! 
https://www.linkedin.com/in/cmattbrown 
https://www.linkedin.com/in/gaving