What It Means: A Forrester podcast

Each week, the What It Means podcast invites Forrester analysts to discuss the latest trends and challenges to help business and technology leaders make bold decisions and become truly customer-obsessed. Topics range from tech-driven innovation and CX design to B2B buying trends and marketing planning. Listen now and subscribe to get a new episode each week. Got a comment or question? Email our team at podcast@forrester.com.

Latest Episodes

Podcast

Are You Ready For BYOAI?

What It Means October 26, 2023
Is the push to encourage AI across the enterprise introducing more risk? Principal Analyst Andrew Hewitt discusses the pros and cons of bring-your-own-AI (BYOAI) in this episode.
Podcast

The Rise Of Revenue Operations

What It Means October 19, 2023
Despite economic pressure, B2B sales and marketing leaders are prioritizing investment in revenue operations. In this episode, Vice President and Principal Analyst Laura Cross and Principal Analyst Anthony McPartlin discuss what’s behind the rise of revenue operations in B2B organizations.
Podcast

Zero Trust Past, Present, And Future

What It Means October 12, 2023
Zero Trust has evolved since its earliest iterations, but it’s never been more vital than it is today. In this episode, Principal Analyst David Holmes discusses the origins of Zero Trust and its future impact on driving business value.
Podcast

The Future Of Cloud

What It Means October 5, 2023
Recent, major shifts in the cloud space are prompting some technology leaders to review their cloud strategies. In this episode, Principal Analyst Lee Sustar provides his perspective on the future of cloud and how it may impact your technology roadmap.
Podcast

Managing The Privacy Risks Of Generative AI

What It Means September 28, 2023
Nervous about the privacy implications of your latest generative AI pilots? In this episode, Principal Analyst Enza Iannopollo shares some insights and mistakes to avoid.
Podcast

How Will Generative AI Change B2B Marketing?

What It Means September 21, 2023
For all the FOMO that generative AI has inspired among B2B marketers, many aren’t sure where to start with it. Principal Analyst Lisa Gately shares her insights this week on What It Means.
Podcast

Responsible Design

What It Means September 14, 2023
Delighted customers or PR nightmare? The difference can boil down to responsible design. Before your company ends up in an IRL episode of “Black Mirror,” listen to this podcast about responsible design featuring Principal Analyst Gina Bhawalkar.
Podcast

Healing The Breach Between Tech And Security Leaders

What It Means September 7, 2023
The long-standing divide between tech executives and security leaders has widened of late, says VP and Principal Analyst Jinan Budge. What’s behind the tension, and what can be done to fix it? Budge shares insights from her latest research this week on What It Means.
Podcast

The Generative AI Inflection Point

What It Means August 31, 2023
Generative AI (genAI) has driven a lot of change in a short period. Senior Analyst Rowan Curran and Vice President and Principal Analyst J. P. Gownder discuss the genAI inflection point and its impact on the future of work.
Podcast

How Tech Leaders Can Become Innovation Orchestrators

What It Means August 24, 2023
The key to successful innovation is making it widespread, not siloed. But whose job is that? In this episode, VP and Research Director Pascal Matzke and Principal Analyst Bernhard Schaffrik discuss the technology executive’s role in driving innovation.
Podcast

AI And The Tech Talent Crisis — It’s Complicated

What It Means August 17, 2023
The AI explosion is having a complex impact on the tech workforce. In this episode, we’ll look at how AI has added to — and may alleviate — tech talent challenges.
Podcast

Unique Solutions To Reduce Technical Debt

What It Means August 10, 2023
In this preview of the upcoming Technology & Innovation North America event, five analysts provide their perspectives on how to reduce or avoid technical debt.
Podcast

Defining AI’s Role In Decision-Making

What It Means August 3, 2023
Will AI replace humans in making business decisions? Not so fast, says VP and Principal Analyst Brandon Purcell. In this episode, he reviews a new decision-making framework that defines how tech can help guide — but not make — our most critical decisions.
Podcast

Top 10 Emerging Technologies In 2023

What It Means July 27, 2023
Struggling to figure out which emerging techs to focus on in the year ahead? In this episode, VP of Emerging Tech Portfolio Brian Hopkins and VP and Principal Analyst Michele Goetz discuss the top 10 emerging technologies list for 2023.
Podcast

IoT Benefits And Risks

What It Means July 20, 2023
The internet of things (IoT) brings a lot of potential — and a lot of risk. In this episode, Principal Analyst Michele Pelino reviews the latest IoT use cases and Senior Analyst Paddy Harrington highlights some of the security risks involved.
Podcast

Generative AI Steals The Spotlight At Cannes Lions

What It Means July 13, 2023
Excitement around generative AI was palpable at last month’s Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. VP and Principal Analyst Jay Pattisall discusses this and other festival highlights on this week’s episode of What It Means.
Podcast

Unlocking The Value Of Conversational Intelligence

What It Means June 29, 2023
In this session from last year’s Data Strategy & Insights Forum, Principal Analyst Max Ball discusses the latest trends in conversational intelligence with Senior Analyst Christina McAllister and Principal Analyst Seth Marrs.
Podcast

How “Tucked” CMOs Can Take Charge

What It Means June 22, 2023
Nearly half of B2C chief marketing officers don’t report to the CEO but instead, a different C-suite role. What’s behind the trend, and what should these “tucked” CMOs (and, really, all CMOs) do to succeed? VP and Research Director Mike Proulx explains on this week’s episode of What It Means.
Podcast

Applying 2022’s Security Lessons To 2023 Threats

What It Means June 15, 2023
The best way to predict the future is to understand the past. In this episode, Principal Analysts Sandy Carielli and Brian Wrozek share the security lessons learned in 2022 and how they apply to 2023’s biggest threats.
Podcast

The CIO’s Role In The Growth Agenda

What It Means June 8, 2023
As business becomes more technology-driven, the role of technology leaders is changing, as well. In this episode, VP, Senior Research Director Fred Giron and VP, Principal Analyst Ted Schadler discuss new research defining the CIO’s role in powering growth.