Why we launched Let’s Solve IT! Podcast

Over the years, as we’ve shared NetApp IT stories with customers and partners, one question kept coming up: “Can you walk us through how you actually solve these problems?” Not the product overview. Not the architecture diagram. The decisions. The tradeoffs. The moments when there was no perfect answer, just the best one available. 

That question led to the launch of the Let’s Solve IT! podcast, debuting on March 25.

This podcast is an extension of NetApp on NetApp, where we pull back the curtain on how modern IT really operates under pressure, with constraints, and with accountability to real business outcomes. The goal isn’t to talk about features and functions. It’s about exploring how technology decisions translate into business results.

The conversations on Let’s Solve IT! are grounded in lived experience.

NetApp IT supports a global enterprise, operates in a hybrid, multi-cloud environment, and delivers services that underpin everything from core business operations to advanced AI initiatives. Over time, we’ve learned that technology is rarely the hardest part. The real challenge is aligning people, processes, and priorities, especially as the pace of change accelerates. 

That perspective shapes every episode. Guests aren’t speaking in hypotheticals. They’re sharing what they’ve done, what they’ve learned, and what they’d rethink if given the chance.

Each episode focuses on a real problem NetApp IT has faced and on how we approached its solution. Early episodes include:

When conversations become regulated data

Gavin Gutterson, Vice President and Chief Information Security Officer at NetApp, shares insights on how, as organizations convert more verbal communication into stored transcripts, those records must be governed, classified, and secured with the same rigor as any other sensitive enterprise data. 

Designing data centers for what’s next

In a conversation with Ralph Renne, we explore what it takes to make data centers future-ready,  from power density and cooling constraints to resiliency planning for AI-scale workloads.

Building AI governance before the chaos begins

Paul Carau joins the podcast to discuss how NetApp IT is approaching AI governance, with a focus on security and data protection, and on ensuring AI investments deliver measurable business value rather than merely serving as an experiment.

These aren’t theoretical conversations. They’re firsthand accounts from leaders dealing with the same constraints and questions most enterprises face today.

IT organizations are being asked to do more than ever: support AI initiatives, modernize infrastructure, improve resiliency, reduce risk, and clearly demonstrate business value.

At the same time, budgets are flat, talent is scarce, and complexity continues to grow.

We don’t claim to have all the answers. But we believe there’s real value in sharing how we think through these challenges, not just the outcomes we’re proud of. Often, the most useful lessons live in the middle, where tradeoffs are debated, and decisions aren’t obvious. 

Let’s Solve IT! exists to capture those conversations.

If you’re responsible for running IT, this podcast is for you. It’s for CIOs, IT leaders, architects, and practitioners who want to hear how peers approach real-world problems with honesty and pragmatism.

Let’s Solve IT! launches March 25. We hope you’ll join the conversation, challenge our thinking, and take a few ideas back to your own organization. 

Because solving IT is rarely about having the perfect answer, it’s about learning faster — together.