Experts In Polo Shirts
The tech podcast where Synextra's technical Experts in Polo Shirts talk about what's actually happening in enterprise technology, not what the vendors want you to believe.
Each episode features different members of the Synextra team—from Azure specialists and security professionals to developers and infrastructure architects—discussing the latest developments and real-world challenges in cloud, security, AI, and the broader tech industry. These are the people who spend their days implementing enterprise solutions, locking down networks, and testing whether the latest tech lives up to the hype (spoiler: sometimes yes, often no).
Whether we're breaking down industry news, sharing how we solve problems in our own business, or exploring emerging technologies, every conversation comes from the implementation trenches, not the executive suite. We discuss what works, what doesn't, and why—with the honesty that comes from practical experience.
If you want honest tech talk that sounds like the conversations already happening in your IT department—just better informed—you're in the right place.
Episodes
25 episodes
The Future of Backups Is Weirder Than You Think
Data backup, disaster recovery, and cyber resilience are evolving faster than most people realise — and the technology on the horizon is genuinely wild.In this episode, Alex Wells-Linder (Cyber Security Analyst) and Matt Parker (Infrast...
IoT Gone Wild: From Roombas to Regime Change
From accidentally hacking 7,000 robot vacuums with a PS5 controller to nation-states using traffic cameras to conduct assassinations—this episode covers the full spectrum of IoT security in 2026.We start light with the story of a Spanish en...
The Blueprint for Fundamental App Re-architecture in Azure
Elliott and Matt are back, taking on the complex, often misunderstood world of app modernisation. Whether you’re migrating, rebuilding, or questioning whether that old VM has had its day, this episode lays out what modernising in Azure really l...
Ransomware: Is Your Untested DR Plan Your Biggest Weakness?
Disaster Recovery has shifted from protecting against a flood or a fire to protecting against a cyber attack.In this critical discussion, we break down the reality that a ransomware hit is "a when not an if" and why your backup is only as g...
Jaguar Land Rover Recovery: What's Taking So Long?
Jaguar Land Rover was hit by a massive cyberattack in September 2025, forcing systems offline for weeks, disrupting production, and leaving suppliers in chaos. In this episode, we break down what went wrong, who was behind it, and the critical ...
Will Quantum Computers Change Everything We Know?
Quantum computing holds the potential to change everything we know. This video provides a clear overview of quantum computing in layman's terms. It explains how this technology could break current encryption standards, including SSL and VPNs, a...
Windows 10 End of Life: What Businesses Need to Know (Uncut)
Windows 10 support ends in October 2025 — but what does that really mean for organisations still running it?In this uncut episode of Experts in Polo Shirts, Synextra consultants Matt and Chris dive deep in...
Is the Cloud Already Out of Date? The Next Shift in Cloud Strategy
Has the cloud reached its peak, or are we witnessing the next major shift in cloud computing? Many organisations rushed to the cloud, lifting and shifting infrastructure without truly modernising. Now, as serverless, edge computing, and AI-driv...
Are LLMs Living Up to the Hype?
Are LLMs living up to the hype, or are they failing to deliver?In this episode of Experts in Polo Shirts, we examine the real-world impact of large language models (LLMs) beyond the marketing promises. From Goog...
Cloud Costs Are Out Of Control - Stop Wasting Money
Cloud cost management is a challenge for many businesses, with 91% of organisations admitting they’re wasting money in the cloud. In this episode of Experts in Polo Shirts, Ryan Tracey and Matt Dyson tackle the most common reasons cloud bills s...
Developer Revolution: Turbocharging Teams with Azure DevOps
Azure DevOps, CI/CD pipelines, and Infrastructure as Code (IaC) are revolutionising modern development. These tools transform outdated workflows into efficient, automated pipelines, helping developers focus on innovation.This episode ex...
Is Public Cloud Losing Its Edge?
Description:People are abandoning public cloud in their droves, or at least that's what Michael Dell might like you to think when he recently posted a stat which stated, "83% of enterprises plan to move workloads back to private cloud from ...
VMware is Out: What Alternatives Are There?
As we say a sad goodbye to VMware, we discuss the realistic hypervisor alternatives for businesses and their pros and cons. Hyper-V, XenServer, and VMware, wait what I thought it was alternatives to Broadcoms latest cash cow!? For better or wor...
VMware is Dead - Broadcom Acquisition
Since Broadcom acquired VMware we have seen a radical reorganisation of the company; eliminating products, packaging together what little is left and ratcheting up the prices giving consumers little choice but to plan their exit from the ecosys...
The Modernisation of the End User
Aaron Naisbitt has joined Synextra, and he’s brought with him some fresh insights about the modern end user. Exploring the headwinds that IT teams have to fight in a modern-day workplace he suggests that the improving technology people have at ...
How safe is your business? - Cyber Security deep dive with DCI Chris Maddocks
Join our special guest DCI Chris Maddocks, the head of Economic and Cyber teams in the North West and our very own Chris Piggott, Synextra CEO.Our Cyber Security webinar is where we’ll be sharing the most common mistakes that we see in busi...
The Cyber Security Risks of TikTok
The Experts in Polo Shirts are discussing the issues around TikTok, the hugely popular short video app every person and their cat is rushing in to use and yet it is being banned on government and company phones; but why? We discuss the security...
The Death of the Sysadmin
Ladies and gents, we are back again with another contentious episode! Or maybe not contentious enough...Today we're playing a twisted game of Cluedo with IT, and it looks like Colonel Mustard has done the wicked deed with a Candlestick ...
Where have we been!?
It has been a long time since our last podcast, but we are back!💪Today we're talking about where have we been, the cost of living crisis and how crazy is at the moment for the public sector, our temporary (for 3 months already 😝) ...
Tech Talk With Andy Sefton, Head of IT & Security @ Centrepoint Charity
Meet Andy Sefton, Head of IT and Data Security @ Centrepoint, the tech-powered UK charity with standout ambitions to “end youth homelessness by 2037”… · Centrepoint charity:
What Is Hyperconverged Infrastructure & VMware Infrastructure Software
A hyperconverged infrastructure (HCI) is a software defined IT solution, redeploying elements such as storage & network to the cloud. Join the debate.---Today, we’re unpacking a two-word topic with the vast potential to tran...
The Value of a Non-Exec with Paul Beaumont
Ever wondered what the role of a non-executive is in a business? With a huge amount of experience, not just as a non-exec, but in business as whole, we sit down with Paul Beaumont and dig into how he helps businesses ac...
The Ugly Truth, Recruitment in 2021
This is your chance to get behind the scenes of recruitment... In this episode we explore the good, the bad and the ugly truth of recruitment - offering genuine insights and insider information. Join us as we talk CV red flags...
Not Quite Working From Home
Experts in Polo Shirts: Why Working From Home Isn’t Working for UsWe’re all familiar with remote working or as we often see it, WFH. We are also familiar with the benefits associated with working from home as we see post upon post on social...
Tech CEO Secrets - From Service Desk to CEO with Chris Piggott
How did one person go from a service desk engineer to a CEO of a successful technology company? What did the journey look like? Were there any stumbling blocks along the way? In our first episode of Experts in Polo Shirts, we sit down with Syne...
