ClearTech Loop: In the Know, On the Move
Be in the Loop
Welcome to ClearTech Loop—your fast, focused, and fresh/ take on what’s next in technology. This 10-minute “HotTake” podcast delivers sharp, soundbite-ready insights on Cloud, Cybersecurity, Cloud Security, and AI Security. Built for busy tech leaders and practitioners, each episode brings clarity to a rapidly shifting landscape.
Each week, we explore the most pressing issues through a 3-question lens, offering listeners a pulse-check on the business and technical conversations shaping the security space today.
The ClearTech Loop Mission
ClearTech Loop exists to:
- Raise awareness about evolving risks and opportunities
- Share real-world insights from the field
- Explore best practices and what’s working now
- Investigate emerging trends with curiosity and candor
- Spark meaningful dialogue and debate
Series Spotlight: The CISO Slant (Episodes 1-10)
We kick things off with a special series: The CISO Slant. In this 10-episode arc, we sit down with prominent CISOs to unpack how they’re navigating challenges, redefining priorities, and managing risk in the age of AI.
Hybrid Integration in the Era of AI | Turning Legacy Systems Into Intelligent Platforms
By Jo Peterson · ClearTech Loop — Special Edition (sponsored by IBM/webMethods) Download Transcript (pdf) Episode Summary Enterprises run a mix of legacy systems, cloud platforms, SaaS, and mobile endpoints. Leaders...
Guardrails for Growth: AI in Regulated Industries
layer='true'] Download Transcript (pdf) Byline: Hosted by Jo Peterson · ClearTech Loop How a CISO operationalizes AI inside banking without slowing the business — or inviting regulators...
Talk Dollars Not FUD: The CISO’s New Mandate
Download Transcript (pdf) Byline: Hosted by Jo Peterson · ClearTech Loop Episode Summary: Turning Risk into Business Impact This week on ClearTech Loop, Jo Peterson talks with John Carse, Field CISO at SquareX and...
The Integration Imperative: Why AI Starts ( and Succeeds ) With webMethods Hybrid Integration
true'] By Jo Peterson · ClearTech Loop — Special Edition (sponsored by IBM/webMethods) Download Transcript (pdf) Episode Summary Most AI projects don’t collapse under their own...
Bumpers, Not Brakes — Pragmatic AI Safety with Dutch Schwartz
Download Transcript (pdf) Byline: Hosted by Jo Peterson · ClearTech Loop How CISOs Turn AI Hype Into Guardrails This week on ClearTech Loop, Jo Peterson talks with Dutch Schwartz, VP of Cloud Services and...
The CSA AI Safety Initiative with George Finney
Byline: Hosted by Jo Peterson · ClearTech Loop Download Transcript (pdf) What happens when AI adoption outruns governance? We’ve seen this before. This time, the CSA is moving first. Episode Summary In...
The CISO’s Backbone: Hybrid Integration for Full Stack Automation
Byline: Hosted by Jo Peterson · ClearTech Loop Download Transcript (pdf) Episode Summary Today’s enterprise is hybrid by design. Applications, data, and APIs live across on-prem, cloud, SaaS, and edge. The hard...
The CISO’s Financial Reality Check: Building Security that Pays for Itself
Byline: Hosted by Jo Peterson · ClearTech Loop Download Transcript (pdf) Episode Summary: From Risk Posture to Financial Fluency CISOs love to talk about risk appetite—but few can define it in business terms. In...
The CISO’s AI Dilemma: Move Fast, Don’t Break Trust
Byline: Hosted by Jo Peterson · ClearTech Loop Download Transcript (pdf) From Hype to Accountability CISOs are being asked two conflicting things at once: deploy AI faster and guarantee it won’t backfire. In this...
The Evolution of Full Stack Automation in the Era of AI
Episode Summary: From Fragmentation to Full Stack Byline: Hosted by Jo Peterson · ClearTech Loop Download transcript (PDF) Enterprise IT is more fragmented than ever—apps, processes, and clouds that don’t talk...
The CISO Role in the Age of Generative AI
Episode Summary: From Hype to Trust Byline: Hosted by Jo Peterson · ClearTech Loop Download transcript (PDF) CISOs don’t need more AI hype—they need clarity, strategy, and trust. In this ClearTech Loop episode,...
Proactive AI Security for CISOs
Hack Yourself Before the Hackers Do! Proactive AI Security for CISOs Byline: Hosted by Jo Peterson · ClearTech Loop Download transcript (PDF) Episode Summary: Why AI Security Can’t Be an...
The CISO Field Guide to Becoming Operator, Strategist, Storyteller
The 3 Jobs Every CISO Must Master in 2025 Byline: Hosted by Jo Peterson · ClearTech Loop Download transcript (PDF) Episode Summary Today’s CISO isn’t one job — it’s three. You’re running operations, architecting...
AI Security Isn’t a Regex Problem | Lori MacVittie | ClearTech Loop S1E10
Stop bolting on “controls.” Start governing the system. Hosted by Jo Peterson · ClearTech Loop | Download Transcript (pdf) Episode Summary Rules don’t scale. Architecture does. In this conversation, Lori...
ClearTech Loop Ep. 9 with Brad Moldenhauer, Zscaler
Cybersecurity is a Business Risk, So Why are We Still Talking Tech? A hard-hitting look at how cyber risk is reshaping the executive seat — and why the next mistake could be your last. Hosted by Jo Peterson ·...
Fake AI Won’t Innovate — It’ll Infect You | ClearTech Loop Ep. 8 with Rob Bair, Zscaler
Ransomware gangs aren’t just hiding on the dark web anymore. They’re running polished fake AI startups — complete with sleek websites, SEO strategies, and marketing campaigns. And it’s working. People are downloading...
AI Won’t Save You, But It Can Sink You Faster | ClearTech Loop Ep. 7
AI Won’t Save You, But It Can Sink You Faster Every board wants AI in the stack. V-CISO Danny Pastrana explains when it helps and when it multiplies risk. Episode Summary AI won’t make you bulletproof. It might...
ClearTech Loop Podcast Ep 6 Robert Uno, Global CISO Triden Group
Release Date: August 5, 2025 Series: The CISO Slant (Episode 6 of 10) Guest: Robert Uno, Chief Information Security Officer, Triden Group Host: Jo Peterson, Chief Analyst, ClearTech Research Transcript: View/download transcript (pdf)Episode Summary In Episode 5 of In...
ClearTech Loop Ep 5 Stan Lowe, CISO Dept of the Interior
Release Date: July 30, 2025 Series: The CISO Slant (Episode 5 of 10) Guest: Stan Lowe, Chief Information Security Officer, U.S. Department of the Interior Host: Jo Peterson, Chief Analyst, ClearTech Research Transcript: View/download transcript (pdf)Episode Summary In...
ClearTech Loop Podcast Ep 4 Mike Britton, CIO Abnormal AI
Release Date: July 23, 2025 Series: The CISO Slant (Episode 4 of 10) Guest: Mike Britton, CIO, Abnormal AI Host: Jo Peterson, Chief Analyst, ClearTech Research Transcript: View/download transcript (pdf)Episode Summary In this episode of The CISO Slant, Jo Peterson...
ClearTech Loop Podcast Ep 3 Thomas LaBonte CISO Saint-Gobain NA
Release Date: July 16, 2025 Series: The CISO Slant (Episode 3 of 10) Guest: Thomas LaBonte, CISO, Saint-Gobain North America Host: Jo Peterson, Chief Analyst, ClearTech ResearchEpisode Summary In this third episode of The CISO Slant, Jo Peterson sits down with Thomas...
ClearTech Loop Podcast Episode 2 Scott Howitt, Founder SVH Cyber
Release Date: July 8, 2025 Series: The CISO Slant (Episode 2 of 10) Guest: Scott Howitt, Founder, SVH Cyber Host: Jo Peterson, Chief Analyst, ClearTech ResearchEpisode Summary In this second installment of The CISO Slant, Jo Peterson talks with Scott Howitt, Founder,...
ClearTech Loop Podcast Ep 1 Stephenie Southard, CISO Baxter Credit Union
Release Date: July 1, 2025 Series: The CISO Slant (Episode 1 of 10) Guest: Stephenie Southard, Chief Information Security Officer, Baxter Credit Union Host: Jo Peterson, Chief Analyst, ClearTech ResearchEpisode Summary In this kickoff episode of The CISO Slant, Jo...
ClearTech Loop Research
Inferencing and ESMB through Lenovo’s ISG Lens at GIAC25
During a couple of absolute perfectly cool, crispy, sunny days this October in Raleigh, NC about 70 analyst from around the world gathered at Lenovo’s US headquarters for the Global Industry Analyst Conference or GIAC25. The entire executive team greeted us and their...
The Identity Gap in AI
The identity gap in AI security refers to the significant challenges and vulnerabilities that arise because existing identity and access management (IAM) systems are ill-equipped to handle the proliferation and autonomous nature of non-human identities, particularly...
Neoscalers on the Rise
A neoscaler is a new type of cloud provider, often called a "neocloud," that specializes in delivering high-performance infrastructure for intensive artificial intelligence (AI) workloads. Unlike traditional hyperscalers (like Amazon, Google, and Microsoft),...
#BlackHat2025 Wrap Up
The 8 Key Themes of BlackHat 2025 Las Vegas’ Mandalay Bay hosted the 2025 BlackHat conference last week with an estimated 22,000 guests. The focus of Black Hat is to provide a platform for the latest cutting-edge research, developments, and trends in...
The Gap Between AI Adoption and AI Security is Wide
Thoughts from the ground at #BlackHat2025 Headed to #BlackHat2025 in Las Vegas where one of the key themes will be #AISecurity. Check out the futuristic image that Chat GPT created of AI Security in Las Vegas! No doubt that AI has had a huge impact on cybersecurity,...
The Business Value of AI Powered Network Automation
Last week, Extreme Networks Platform ONE (https://www.extremenetworks.com/platform-one), an integrated AI-Powered automation that simplifies Enterprise Networking and Security went GA. The platform offers 3 main benefits: · AI-Driven Insight and Automation ·...
AWS re:Inforce 2025– A Secure Foundation Enables Innovation
June 19, 2025 A secure foundation acts as a catalyst for innovation. It's not a barrier but rather a necessary element that allows organizations to confidently pursue new ideas, technologies, and strategies, leading to sustainable growth and competitive advantage. ...
Commvault’s MVC
Commvault's Minimum Viable Company (MVC)—A Restore and Recovery Playbook for Success What is that Critical Customer WorkFlow Sequence? There are 4 Must Do’s and there is a playbook order to them. Read the full article for that WorkFlow Sequence Or just want to learn...
AI, Zero Trust & Vegas Converge During Zenith Live 25
June 9, 2025 Q: What does Las Vegas, Zero Trust and AI have in common? A: Everything! One of the key themes of Zenith Live 2025, which took place in Las Vegas this week and hosted about 4000 customers, prospects, vendors, analysts, media, and Zscaler employees was the...
Google Cloud WAN: A network built for and powered by AI
What does a Wide Area Network and AI have in common? The short answer is a lot. AI is one of the next evolutions in technology and it represents its own set of workload challenges. This raises an issue that many IT operations teams don’t see coming until it is often...
Why ClearTech Loop?
Because tech doesn’t stand still—and neither do we. We cut through hype to bring actionable insight with an unconventional voice. Whether decoding complex topics or rethinking long-held assumptions, ClearTech Loop keeps you in the circle and ahead of the curve.