Data Before AI | Ep. 5 with Alex Ryals (MicroAge)

Data Before AI | Ep. 5 with Alex Ryals (MicroAge)

From Think AI Podcast by Dave Goyal

April 14, 2026 · 38 min

About this episode

Alex Ryals discusses the importance of data hygiene before investing in AI tools and shares insights from his extensive career in cybersecurity.

What happens when a cybersecurity leader who has sat on every side of the tech table — customer, reseller, distributor, and vendor — decides the future belongs to AI? Alex Ryals, CISO and SVP at MicroAge (celebrating 50 years!), breaks down why most companies are getting AI security dangerously wrong, and what to do before you flip the switch on Copilot or any AI tool. In this episode: 00:05 — Intro: Alex's rare career journey across all four sides of the tech channel 03:47 — Why Alex traded global scale at TD SYNNEX for a smaller, more impactful role 10:53 — As a CISO, how do you balance "move fast" with "stay safe"? 14:02 — Shadow AI: the silent risk happening in your company right now 18:46 — Building a Copilot sales assistant and using AI avatars on YouTube 22:34 — Humanoid robotics, skills marketplaces, and where IT partners fit in 25:51 — MicroAge at 50: bankruptcy, reinvention, and lessons for every tech company 29:53 — Octum.ai : why data hygiene comes before any AI investment 33:30 — First move for leaders who don't know where to start with AI If you're a business leader sitting on the fence about AI, this episode will either push you off or hand you a map. Like…

People in this episode

Host: Dave Goyal

Guest: Alex Ryals

Topics covered

  • AI security
  • cybersecurity
  • data hygiene
  • technology leadership
  • business strategy

Keywords

  • AI
  • cybersecurity
  • data hygiene
  • MicroAge
  • technology
  • CISO
  • business leadership

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: MicroAge, TD SYNNEX, Octum.ai

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