The CDW OCTOpod

Breaking the Data Centre: How Coventry University Rebuilt for the Hybrid Era - Part 3

Episode 3: Securing the Future & Designing the Smart Campus

In the final part of the series, Rob Sims and Coventry University CTO Steve Rogers look beyond the last decade of transformation and focus on what comes next for hybrid in higher education.

Steve shares why his immediate priority isn’t “jumping on the AI bandwagon,” but doubling down on cybersecurity, human firewalls and smarter use of data to drive better decisions. He explains how Coventry is consolidating tools, moving away from “premium by default” vendors, and choosing platforms that are good enough, cost-effective, and tightly aligned to real needs.

The conversation then widens to the future student experience: immersive learning spaces, VR and AR, sensor-driven smart campuses, edge capabilities, and how technologies like Cisco Spaces are already helping Coventry make data-informed decisions about estate usage. Steve outlines his ambition to become a cloud-native, cloud-only organisation for core infrastructure within five years, with on-premise reduced to focused edge processing.

Packed with forward-looking insight, this episode explores how universities can prepare their networks, teams and strategies today to stay competitive tomorrow—and why continuous innovation, smart partnerships and a clear view of the “connected campus” are now essential to attracting and retaining the next generation of students.

Breaking the Data Centre: How Coventry University Rebuilt for the Hybrid Era - Part 2

Episode 2: Why Partnership Became the Missing Piece

In part two of the series, Rob Sims is joined again by Coventry University CTO Steve Rogers—this time alongside Matt Smith, Higher Education Account Director at CDW—to explore the strategic leap that shaped Coventry’s next decade of hybrid evolution.

With the university already deep into its cloud-driven transformation, Steve reveals the moment he realised that future progress required more than technology alone. As platforms modernised, teams shrank and skills became harder to retain, the pace of innovation risked being slowed by prolonged procurement cycles and fragmented vendor engagements. The answer? A new kind of partnership.

Rob, Steve and Matt unpack how Coventry moved from traditional framework-driven tendering to a strategic, long-term collaboration with CDW—designed to unlock agility, simplify decision-making, and give the university direct access to deep technical expertise across the entire stack. They discuss co-sourcing over outsourcing, building trust, aligning visions, and why cultural fit matters just as much as technology capability.

Packed with honest reflections from both sides of the partnership, this episode provides a practical blueprint for universities considering a strategic technology partner—and highlights the mindset shifts required to make it successful.

Breaking the Data Centre: How Coventry University Rebuilt for the Hybrid Era - Part 1

Episode 1: A Decade of Change, Culture and Cloud

Rob Sims welcomes Coventry University CTO Steve Rogers to unpack the university’s bold shift away from overloaded comms rooms and sprawling legacy infrastructure toward a modern hybrid cloud strategy.
Steve reveals what sparked the transformation, how 850 services were re-imagined for the cloud, why culture and skills mattered more than servers, and how universities can unlock agility for a new generation of digitally-native students.

Part 1: Building a Sustainable Hybrid Strategy past

Part 2: The Partnership Approach 

Part 3: The Future View in Higher Education

A candid, practical and inspiring conversation that any technology leader grappling with hybrid strategy will want to hear.

Pure Accelerate 2025 Announcement – CTO View

In this special extended edition of Rob’s Hybrid Platforms Trends Podcast, he is joined by Patrick Smith for a CTO view of this year’s Pure Accelerate announcements. Recorded during an embargo before the New York and UK Accelerate events, Rob and Patrick discuss the new announcements being made and how they will impact customers in areas of cost, operations, and performance. Covering Pure Fusion, Enterprise Data Cloud, Intelligent control plane, data plane, and cyber recovery.  

Speakers:

Rob Sims. Chief Technologist, CDW
Patrick Smith, CTO EMEA

 

Empowering People, Not Just Tech

In this episode of The OCTOPod, Tim Russell, Chief Technologist at CDW, is joined by Sophia Swain, CTO at Leaders Romans Group, to explore the real-world realities of hybrid working, employee enablement, and what it truly takes to create a productive, inclusive digital workplace.

Forget the buzzwords—this episode cuts through the noise to reveal:

• Why choice and flexibility are essential in the modern workplace

• How hybrid working is evolving beyond fixed rules and rigid policies

• Why technology still isn’t fully meeting the needs of today’s diverse workforce

• How AI, collaboration platforms, and smarter tooling are (slowly) closing the equity gap in meetings

• Why employee experience and enablement must be part of your retention and recruitment strategy

• And how the “first 10 minutes of someone’s day” can set the tone for productivity—or frustration

🎯 Key Takeaway:
Hybrid working isn’t just about location. It’s about experience, empowerment, and giving people the tools—and trust—they need to thrive.

Outdated to Compliant: Fixing the Final Mile & Embracing Martyn’s Law

In this episode of The OCTOPod, Tim Russell is joined by Ryan Zoehner, CEO of Algo, to unpack two critical and timely topics affecting IT, security, and facilities teams alike:

The Legacy Communications Challenge
Why are so many organisations still struggling to complete their migration from outdated comms infrastructure to modern cloud-based platforms? Tim and Ryan explore:

• Why 46% of UK businesses haven’t yet modernised their comms stack

• The often-overlooked “final mile” blockers—from door entry systems to public address equipment

• How Algo’s smart endpoints (speakers, strobes, intercoms) can extend the value of Microsoft Teams, Zoom, Webex and more

• The importance of stakeholder alignment and breaking down organisational silos between IT, security, and facilities

• How inclusive, visual alerting can drive a more equitable and efficient workplace experience

Understanding Martyn’s Law (UK 2025)
The conversation then shifts to Martyn’s Law—new UK legislation mandating clear emergency communication and response plans for any public premises expected to host 200+ people. Tim and Ryan cover:

• What the law requires—and what it doesn’t explicitly dictate

• Why this is not just a compliance issue—but a chance to enhance safety, experience, and operational efficiency

• How existing cloud communication platforms can be extended with smart endpoints to meet the law’s intent

• Lessons learned from similar laws abroad (e.g. Alyssa’s Law in the US)

• A practical roadmap for getting started with zero re-skilling and minimal budget impact

Let CDW and Algo help you connect the dots—because resilience, communication, and safety aren’t just IT issues anymore.

Digital Resilience = Business Resilience - Part 3

In the final episode of our three-part Cisco 2025 series, we go straight to the heart of the conversation: digital resilience—why it’s no longer a technology discussion, but a critical business necessity.

You'll hear from:

• Rob Sims - Chief Technologist, CDW
• Joachim Mason - Managing Director, Partner Sales, Cisco UK & Ireland
• Scott Manson - Director of Cyber Security and Resilience
• Ged Fitton Leader - Cloud Infrastructure & Software Group (CISG)

Together, the panel explores how:

• Digital downtime can now lead to life-threatening scenarios, societal disruption, and brand collapse

• Observability is no longer a luxury, but a core component of any resilient IT architecture

• Tech debt and outdated infrastructure are quietly sabotaging business resilience

• Cisco’s strategic acquisitions (like Splunk, ThousandEyes, AppDynamics, and Isovalent) are reshaping how security, operations, and data insight come together

• A true platform approach is needed to fight AI-powered adversaries and deliver machine-speed protection

This is not the Cisco of ten years ago. This is a new, modern Cisco—focused on digital resilience, powered by platforms, and built for the future.

Catch up on Parts 1 & 2 if you missed them—and get ready to lead your organisation into a more resilient, intelligent, and secure tomorrow.

Digital Resilience = Business Resilience - Part 2

In Part 2 of our Cisco 2025 special, we continue the conversation on digital resilience as business resilience, this time focusing on the hybrid cloud, modern data centres, and preparing for the future of AI-powered workloads.

You'll hear from:

• Rob Sims - Chief Technologist, CDW
• Joachim Mason - Managing Director, Partner Sales, Cisco UK & Ireland
• Scott Manson - Director of Cyber Security and Resilience
• Ged Fitton Leader - Cloud Infrastructure & Software Group (CISG)

Together, they break down:

• Why the term AI-Ready Data Centre matters – and what “ready” actually means

• The resurgence of hybrid cloud and why workload placement still matters in 2025

• Why virtual machines aren’t going anywhere—yet—and how containers are changing the game

• Cisco’s approach to simplification through silicon, partnerships (NVIDIA, Nutanix, etc.), and validated designs

• How Cisco’s own silicon strategy gives customers choice, performance, and control

• The importance of observability and security in every data strategy

• Why “outcome-led” thinking is critical for building resilient infrastructure—especially when preparing for AI

Don’t miss Part 3, where we unpack digital resilience in detail—from threat response to observability and the future of secure, connected enterprise environments.