In this episode of Edge of Excellence, Jess DeForge and Bryon Beilman sit down again with Matt Freake, VP of Client Services at iuvo. They discuss what separates AI experimentation from AI that delivers real value. Matt draws on his experience building AI tools at iuvo and training client teams. He covers the foundation most organizations skip: securing data through enterprise agreements, setting guardrails that protect the business without stifling experimentation, and running a readiness assessment before rolling out tools like Microsoft Copilot.

The conversation also covers the new reality of non-developers building software with AI. Matt explains why practices like a software development lifecycle, centralized code repositories, and secure cloud hosting now matter to businesses that never considered themselves software companies. He shares his approach to AI training, which starts with the tasks employees like least. He also explains why measuring success by adoption alone falls short once costs come into view.

Matt closes with his advice for a CEO ready to get serious about AI: understand the business and its pain points, lead adoption from the top by sharing wins, and put the right security and use policies in place from the start.

Learn more about iuvo's AI readiness and consulting services at iuvotech.com.

In this episode, Jess DeForge and Bryon Beilman are joined by Derek Murphy, Senior Consultant at iuvo, for a conversation about what a strategic IT assessment actually reveals, and why it's a business review, not a hardware inventory.

Derek has spent more than 20 years in IT, eight of them at iuvo, working across software, biotech, EDA, and financial services environments. He walks through how technical debt accumulates quietly over 12 to 18 months, why an environment can run smoothly and still carry serious hidden risk, and what gets uncovered once someone starts asking the right questions: dormant privileged accounts, permissions nobody has audited since 2019, documentation that lives in one engineer's head, duplicate tools bought on a credit card, and Microsoft 365 licenses that can quietly cost six figures a year.

They also get into the parts leaders don't expect. Why an assessment matters more if you already have an in-house IT team, not less. Why an acquisition, IPO, or cyber insurance renewal should trigger one. How unaudited access controls turn into data leakage the moment you roll out AI. And Derek's blunt take on backups that aren't actually backups.

The through line: an assessment isn't about finding fault. It's about replacing "we think we're fine" with an answer you can plan and budget against.

Ready for a clearer picture of your environment? Request a complimentary IT assessment at iuvotech.com.

In this episode of Edge of Excellence, Jessica and Bryon are joined by Brian O'Neill, Principal Consultant at iuvo, for a practical conversation about cloud cost management, AWS and Azure spend, and cloud governance.

Brian explains why the ease and flexibility of the cloud can also make it surprisingly easy to spend money without realizing it. From forgotten development environments and oversized databases to running workloads 24/7 that don't need to be, the conversation explores some of the most common sources of unnecessary cloud spend.

The episode also dives into right-sizing, scaling, tagging, account and subscription structures, Infrastructure as Code, budgets, alerts, and governance guardrails, and how organizations can implement these practices without slowing down the teams that depend on cloud resources.

You'll hear a real-world example of how identifying unused and over-provisioned resources helped a client save roughly $50,000, as well as why some workloads may actually be more cost-effective to run outside of the cloud.  

Brian's central message is simple: you need to know what exists in your cloud environment, what it's doing, who owns it, and why you're paying for it. Effective cloud governance isn't about putting up barriers, it's about creating guardrails that give teams freedom while keeping costs, security, and the overall environment under control. 

If your organization is managing AWS or Azure and wondering whether you're spending more than you should, this episode offers practical ideas for where to look and how to start.

Topics covered include:

•  AWS and Azure cost optimization 
•  Cloud cost management 
•  Cloud governance 
•  Right-sizing cloud resources 
•  Cloud architecture 
•  Lift-and-shift migrations 
•  AWS tagging and Azure subscriptions 
•  Shadow IT 
•  Infrastructure as Code 
•  Cloud budgets and alerts 
•  Cloud security 
•  Cloud scalability 
•  DevOps and governance 
•  When to bring in cloud consulting expertise 
•  When cloud may not be the right choice for a workload 

Learn more about iuvo

Brian St. Marie, iuvo's VP of Technology, says Copilot adoption is now the single most common AI conversation he has and it's the same conversation whether the company has fifteen employees or several thousand. In this episode, Bryon Beilman and Jess DeForge dig into why that is, and what to do about it.

The conversation covers the free Copilot access already included with every Microsoft 365 license and what it does and doesn't reach; why adoption and governance are two separate problems that stall each other when treated as one; the SharePoint permissions and data hygiene issues that surface the moment Copilot can search your tenant; and why top-down AI mandates and usage leaderboards tend to backfire.

Brian and Bryon also get practical about measurement, the adoption data Microsoft already gives you, what leaders should be asking for, and how to think about ROI on an investment whose target keeps moving. The episode closes on the most common mistake Brian sees: organizations that skip governance at the start, then discover where their data has been going.

In this episode of Edge of Excellence, Jess DeForge and Bryon Beilman speak with Phil Howard about what it takes for CIOs, CTOs, IT Directors, VPs of IT, and technology leaders to move from being treated like the “Department of IT” to becoming strategic business voices.

Phil brings experience across sales training, telecom, consulting, vendor-neutral advisory, podcasting, and hundreds of conversations with IT leaders. Together, the group explores why technical leaders can understand the full complexity of the business and still struggle to communicate value in a way executives understand.

The conversation covers executive buy-in, vendor pressure, cost control, mid-market IT complexity, business communication, defensible technology decisions, and why IT is often invisible when things work but treated as a cost center when leadership does not understand the value behind the systems.

This episode is especially relevant for IT leaders, business executives, consultants, service providers, and mid-market organizations that want technology to be more strategically aligned with business outcomes.

At its core, this is a conversation about communication, trust, leadership maturity, and helping IT leaders become heard, respected, and involved before critical technology decisions are already made.

Learn more about iuvo by visiting www.iuvotech.com

Connect with Phil Howard 

Check out the You've Been Heard Podcast 

In this episode of Edge of Excellence, iuvo's Jessica DeForge and Bryon Beilman speak with Ian Findlay, Partner in TechCXO’s Product & Technology practice, about technology debt, IT strategy, and the value of fractional CIO guidance for growing companies.

Ian shares how startups and small to mid-sized businesses often make technology decisions based on what is familiar, fast, or inexpensive in the moment. Those decisions may work when a company has five people, but they can become painful to unwind when the organization is preparing for funding, hiring quickly, expanding operations, or trying to reduce risk.

The conversation explores how early IT choices affect security, collaboration, infrastructure, cloud platforms, Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace environments, device management, documentation, and overall business readiness. Ian also explains how IT health assessments help leadership teams understand where they stand and how fractional CIO support can give growing companies senior technology guidance without requiring a full-time executive hire.

This episode is especially relevant for founders, CEOs, COOs, CFOs, biotech and life sciences leaders, startup teams, and business leaders who want to build a stronger technology foundation before growth creates pressure.

Krenar shares the pivots, near-failures, and defining moments behind Tive, now on track for $100M in revenue and growing at 50% annually. From designing wireless chips in Boston to watching his father-in-law struggle with outdated logistics tools, he traces the winding path that led to one of the fastest-growing supply chain visibility companies in the world.

In this episode, Krenar talks about getting the entrepreneurship bug at 16 while helping launch a TV station in Kosovo, the bottom-up management lesson he learned as a junior engineer that he still uses as CEO, why almost every early assumption about Tive's market was wrong, the $10,000-in-the-bank moment that cemented his conviction, and what Tive actually tracks.

If you're a founder, operator, or anyone navigating a path that doesn't follow a straight line, this one is worth your time.

Learn more about Tive at tive.com and connect with Krenar on LinkedIn. Visit iuvotech.com for more Edge of Excellence episodes.

In this episode of Edge of Excellence, Jess DeForge and Bryon Beilman are joined by iuvo team members Derek Murphy and Ken Hillstrom for an honest, relatable conversation about imposter syndrome, self-doubt, high performance, and growth.

They explore how imposter feelings show up during career transitions, leadership moments, high-pressure work, and periods of rapid change. The conversation also looks at the role leaders play in creating cultures where people feel psychologically safe to learn, ask questions, make mistakes, and continue growing.

This episode is for high performers, emerging leaders, managers, culture builders, and anyone who has ever felt like everyone else has it figured out.

You do not need to eliminate imposter feelings to succeed. You need the right support, the right environment, and the confidence to keep moving forward anyway.

To learn more about iuvo visit iuvotech.com

In a work culture often driven by constant output, metrics, and availability, Jesse offers a more human-centered perspective on what helps teams think, create, and perform sustainably. The conversation explores why play matters at work, how unstructured time supports innovation, and why trust and flexibility are not the opposite of accountability.

Jesse shares thoughtful examples from his own leadership experience, including how exploration, psychological safety, work-life integration, and “loosening the reins” can help people do their best work without burning out.

This episode is for leaders, managers, and professionals who want to build healthier, more creative, and higher-performing teams without measuring every moment by a deliverable.

In this episode of Edge of Excellence, Bryon Beilman and Jessica DeForge sit down with Bethany Haley to talk about the human side of exceptional service. The conversation explores how trust, empathy, communication, preparation, and team culture shape the client experience long before and long after a problem is solved.

Bethany shares her perspective on what it means to make clients feel heard, supported, and confident, especially during stressful situations. The episode also looks at the invisible work behind great service, from documentation and follow-through to team collaboration and emotional intelligence.

Whether you lead a team, work in a client-facing role, or want to create stronger customer relationships, this conversation offers practical takeaways for building a culture clients remember.

Learn more about iuvo at iuvotech.com.

In this episode, we talk with Jacob Hesterman, Ph.D., Chief Data Officer at Ratio Therapeutics, about how his team built a structured, governed data ecosystem from the ground up and why that foundation is now accelerating scientific discovery, efficiency, and collaboration across the organization.

Jacob shares what it took to bring scientists from different disciplines around a shared data model, why full buy-in took two and a half years, and how that effort created a feedback loop that changed how the entire company operates. We also explore real examples of lab data flowing into analysis systems, how Ratio is positioned for AI because they invested in fundamentals first, and why IT and data teams need to work hand in hand.

Whether you're a data leader, a CIO supporting research teams, or just trying to figure out where AI fits into your organization, this conversation is a great place to start.

Learn more at iuvotech.com.

Mentioned in this episode:

• Ratio Therapeutics
• Merlin bird ID app
• Mass Audubon

In this episode of Edge of Excellence, hosts Jess DeForge and Bryon Beilman sit down with Dora Farkas, Ph.D., Director of Business Development at Connex Ecommerce, author, storyteller, and leadership advisor, to explore how intuition and narrative drive meaningful change in careers, leadership, and life.

Dora shares how she built a six-figure consulting business as a stay-at-home mom, what her experience with mental health during her Ph.D. taught her about trusting herself, and how she helped a B2B company shift from a product-focused pitch to a compelling human story. She also opens up about her fiction trilogy — Choice and Lost Illusion — and what she's discovering as she writes the third book.

This conversation covers the neuroscience behind intuition, the strategic power of storytelling, and practical ways to access both, whether you're leading a team, navigating a pivot, or just ready to rewrite your own narrative.

Dora's Links

• DoraFarkas.com 

Dora's Books

• "The Smart Way" to Your PhD 
• Choice 
• Lost Illusion 
• The $20 SaaS Company 

In this episode of Edge of Excellence, we’re joined by Kevin Eberman, a leader in information security, cloud operations, and compliance, to explore how DevOps has evolved into DevSecOps, and why governance (GovOps) is emerging as the next critical phase.

Drawing on lessons from manufacturing systems like Toyota’s production model, Kevin explains how DevOps is fundamentally about optimizing how work gets done. As organizations scaled, security became inseparable from operations, giving rise to DevSecOps. Now, with the rise of automation and AI, governance must be embedded directly into operational design. 

We also explore how AI is reshaping workflows in cloud environments, why risk-based thinking matters more than chasing vulnerability scores, and how leaders can navigate rapid change without losing control or visibility.

This episode is for CIOs, CISOs, IT leaders, and anyone responsible for scaling technology in a secure, compliant, and sustainable way.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why DevOps is more about systems thinking than tools
• How DevSecOps changed the relationship between development, security, and operations
• What GovOps means, and why it’s the next evolution
• How AI is shifting (not eliminating) risk
• Why critical thinking is becoming the most valuable skill in tech

Resources & Links:

• Kevin Eberman on LinkedIn
• Kevin’s blog:
  From DevOps to DevSecOps to GovOps: How We Keep Getting Better at Work Without Calling It That
• Learn more about iuvo

If you’re navigating DevOps maturity, cloud transformation, or AI adoption, this conversation offers both strategic insight and a practical perspective on what comes next.

In this episode of Edge of Excellence, Bryon Beilman and Jess DeForge sit down with Justin Mantell, Business Operations Analyst at iuvo, to talk about what happened when he spent 90 days building structured workflows with AI.

Instead of simply using AI for quick prompts, Justin pushed multiple models into deeper reasoning, verification processes, and real workflows. Along the way, he discovered surprising insights about how AI behaves and how much the quality of its outputs depends on the human prompting it.

This conversation explores the human side of working with AI: curiosity, discipline, guardrails, and the leadership culture required to experiment responsibly.

Listeners will learn:

• Why AI often reflects the thinking of the person prompting it
• The importance of verification and guardrails in AI workflows
• What responsible AI adoption looks like inside organizations
• How curiosity and experimentation drive meaningful innovation
• Why leadership and culture play a critical role in successful AI adoption

Whether you're a leader navigating AI strategy, a professional experimenting with new tools, or simply curious about how AI works beyond the surface, this episode offers a grounded and practical perspective on working with emerging technology.

Together, they discuss:

• Why activity doesn’t equal impact in AI initiatives
• The importance of aligning AI with real business KPIs
• How hidden growth opportunities exist within existing accounts
• The role of data hygiene, governance, and leadership engagement
• Why human-centered AI drives stronger adoption and trust
• How community involvement and ethical AI shape the future of innovation

Urvashi also shares her perspective on mentorship, democratizing opportunity through AI, and the mindset shift leaders must make to treat AI as a human advantage.

If you're leading AI strategy, managing customer growth, or navigating digital transformation, this episode offers practical insights and powerful takeaways.

Resources

• Rootless Social (community for founders/creators)
• AI-Powered Women: CEO Felicia Newhouse

Massachusetts “Fair Investment” bill referenced

• MA Legislature bill page (H.1922 – “An Act relative to fair investment”): Led by Gita Swamy)

Prioriwise:

• Urvashi's LinkedIn
• Urvashi's email: urvashi@prioriwise.ai
• Book a meeting 

Permissions shift. Settings drift. Updates roll out. Compliance gaps quietly accumulate.

The real risk is not knowing what changed, when it changed, or why it matters.

In this episode of Edge of Excellence, Jess DeForge and Bryon sit down with Adam Jones, Principal Consultant at iuvo and creator of iuvo Guardian, to explore why Microsoft 365 risk is so often invisible, and what IT leaders can do about it.

With over 20 years of experience inside Microsoft environments, Adam has seen the same patterns repeat across organizations of every size:

• Assumptions that defaults are secure
• One-time audits that don’t solve long-term drift
• Overextended IT teams reacting instead of preventing

Instead of accepting that chaos as inevitable, Adam helped build a solution designed to bring clarity, structure, and confidence back to Microsoft 365 governance.

In this episode, we discuss:

• Why organizations believe their Microsoft 365 environment is “fine”
• The hidden dangers of configuration drift
• How constant Microsoft updates quietly introduce risk
• Why automation should empower IT teams
• How visibility reduces stress around audits, cyber insurance, and compliance
• The leadership culture that made innovation possible

This conversation is about empowering teams to solve systemic problems instead of living in constant reaction mode.

If you’re a CIO, CISO, IT manager, compliance leader, or simply someone responsible for Microsoft 365, you won’t want to miss this one.

They discuss:

• Why “just waiting” on AI is a risk
• How to start small with AI pilots instead of massive investments
• The importance of data hygiene and AI use policies
• How shadow AI creates security and compliance risks
• Why the best AI ROI often comes from back-office workflows
• How internal champions and company culture impact AI success

This episode is for leaders and teams who want clarity on how to approach AI.

Key Takeaways

• Your employees are likely already using AI
• Start with everyday use cases to build comfort and momentum
• Poor data hygiene can derail AI efforts
• AI governance and policies protect your business
• Iterative pilots outperform large-scale AI projects
• Culture and internal champions are critical
• AI can dramatically accelerate productivity and employee satisfaction

Jeff reflects on the early challenges of the IT industry, where technical expertise often lacked business understanding and customer empathy. Together, they discuss how iuvo was intentionally built to bridge that gap through a people-first culture rooted in trust, accountability, and growth.

This conversation dives into leadership lessons learned over nearly two decades, including:

• Why cultural alignment outweighs technical skill
• How core values must be lived—not just written down
• The role of psychological safety in innovation and performance
• Empowering leadership at every level
• Navigating failure, growth, and change with purpose

Whether you’re leading a company, managing a team, or growing in your own career, this episode offers practical insight into building organizations where people and businesses thrive.

Key Takeaways

• The IT industry has long struggled to connect technical expertise with business outcomes
• A people-first culture drives stronger teams and better customer experiences
• Hiring for cultural fit creates long-term success
• Core values should reflect reality, not aspiration
• Empowered employees deliver better results
• Leadership is about support, trust, and growth
• Psychological safety encourages innovation
• Growth is a continuous journey built on learning and adaptation

 🌐 Learn more about iuvo: https://www.iuvotech.com

In this episode of Edge of Excellence, hosts Jess DeForge and Bryon Beilman sit down with expert Russell Poovey to explore the often-overlooked human side of security. From phishing attacks and insider threats to leadership accountability and employee training, this conversation highlights why culture and behavior are just as critical as technology.

Russell shares real-world stories from the field, explains how modern phishing attacks work, and offers practical, actionable steps leaders can take to strengthen their organization’s security posture. The key takeaway? Cybersecurity is a company-wide responsibility, and building a strong security culture can prevent costly mistakes before they happen 

Key Takeaways

• Cybersecurity starts with people, not just tools or systems
• Human behavior is often the biggest security risk and the biggest opportunity
• Leadership must model good security habits for teams to follow
• Phishing attacks are more sophisticated (and convincing) than ever
• Creating a “report first, no shame” culture is essential
• Regular training and phishing simulations empower employees
• Incentives can positively reinforce strong security behaviors
• Proper offboarding and account management reduce insider threats
• Remote work introduces new security risks that must be addressed
• A strong security culture can prevent downtime, financial loss, and reputational damage

Learn More

Want help building a security-first culture at your organization?
Visit iuvotech.com to learn how iuvo helps businesses strengthen cybersecurity through people, process, and technology.

In this episode of Edge of Excellence, hosts Jess DeForge and Bryon Beilman sit down with Matt Freake, Vice President of Client Services at iuvo, to unpack what great culture looks like in remote environments and how leaders can foster collaboration, communication, and genuine human connection no matter where their teams are logging in from.
 

This conversation explores:

• Why culture shouldn’t shift just because the workplace does
• The role of trust and transparency in avoiding micromanagement
• How to build psychological safety and open communication
• Best practices for remote collaboration and knowledge sharing
• How onboarding, mentorship, and community rituals accelerate connection
• Why modeling work–life balance matters and how it impacts business outcomes
   

Matt also shares the systems iuvo uses to strengthen distributed teamwork, including Slack, Teams, SharePoint, Viva, structured onboarding, cultural mentors, virtual events, and intentional in-person gatherings.
 

Whether you're a people manager, HR leader, executive, or anyone navigating the future of work, this episode delivers a grounded, human-centered guide to building collaborative, resilient, and connected teams.

🎧 Listen in to learn why strong culture is not only possible in remote teams, it can be a powerful advantage.

Instead of adding to the noise, this conversation cuts straight through the hype. Ed breaks down the biggest misconceptions leaders have about AI, why companies feel so much pressure to “do something” quickly, and how hype from major vendors and industry success stories fuels both overconfidence and fear. He also explains why some organizations are rushing in blindly, while others are pretending AI doesn’t exist, despite the fact that employees are almost certainly using it already.

Drawing from real client experiences and decades of supporting data-intensive industries, Ed offers a clear, practical roadmap for leaders. He covers:

• How to tell the difference between hype and real opportunity
• Why leadership alignment and culture matter more than tools
• The risks of ungoverned AI use, including accidental data exposure, hallucinations, and unexpected access to sensitive information
• Why an AI policy is the essential first step
• How private/self-hosted AI environments (like iuvo Secure AI) protect IP and reduce risk
• What leaders should understand about Copilot, SharePoint permissions, and data governance
• How AI can speed up decision-making and free teams to focus on higher-value work
• How fast AI is evolving, and why strategies must stay flexible

Ed also shares practical advice for leaders who are curious about AI but don’t know where to start.

Whether you're hesitant about AI, excited but overwhelmed, or trying to build a responsible long-term strategy, this episode gives you the grounded, candid clarity you need to move forward with confidence.

• How IT has shifted from back-office function to a business growth engine
• Why leaders must rethink how they evaluate technology investments
• The most important technology trends shaping the next year
• How to separate hype from what actually creates value
• The growing importance of security, governance, and operational visibility
• How to close the gap between leadership vision and IT execution

Key Trends Discussed

- Cloud maturity & optimization
- AI implementation that aligns with strategic goals
- Evolving cybersecurity threats
- Data visibility for smarter decision-making
- Practical Steps for Leaders
- Evaluate your current IT posture
- Strengthen resilience and security culture
- Build foundations before adopting “shiny” new tools
- Partner with experts who help translate strategy to execution

The bottom line:
Technology is no longer optional or operational; it’s the backbone of business growth.

The leaders who understand this shift will be the ones who scale, adapt, and outperform in 2026 and beyond.

🌐 Learn more about how iuvo empowers organizations →  www.iuvotech.com