Explore every episode of the podcast What It Means: A Forrester Podcast

If there’s one constant in business today, it’s change. New partnerships, new strategies, and new risks are popping up in all areas. In this episode, we look at three major changes taking place in the B2C, B2B, and enterprise application spaces and tap our analysts for their guidance on how to manage these changes.

In this episode, we look at how to avoid the risks of AI-enabled tools in three common business use cases: coding, marketing, and product design. The key takeaway from all three areas: There’s still a strong need to have a human in the loop to review your AI outputs.

In this episode, we look at how one online retailer is working to minimize the impact of tariffs on its business, provide a review of a major cybersecurity conference, and highlight a new trend in software-as-a-service (SaaS) pricing.

In this episode, we look at a major legal ruling that could shake up the adtech market, some new capabilities to make AI agents even smarter, and a tech industry deal that could breathe new life into a struggling giant.

In this episode, we look at the ongoing fallout from two healthcare data breaches involving Oracle servers and what the on-again, off-again tariffs could mean for CIOs. Then we discuss the rising prominence of social media influencers in the B2B space — and why tapping your own employees could be a smart move.

There are some exciting changes coming to Forrester’s What It Means podcast. Get a sneak preview this week and tune in next week to hear a full episode.

What does it take to make the most of AI in the enterprise? Hint: It’s not the tools. VP and Principal Analyst J. P. Gownder shares insights on the value of putting humans at the center of your AI strategy.

The big challenge with AI for business is risk. How can an organization minimize the risk while maximizing the benefit of AI? In this episode, Vice President and Principal Analyst Brandon Purcell proposes a solution to this challenge — AI alignment — and outlines how an “align by design” approach can help.

For more than a decade, risk managers have been trying to use the three lines of defense (3LOD) framework for enterprise risk management. But it was never meant for that. In this episode, Senior Analysts Alla Valente and Cody Scott walk through the new Forrester Continuous Risk Management Model, a more holistic and business-centric risk management approach.

Changing buying dynamics and generative AI are bringing already strained B2B buying processes to a breaking point. This week on What It Means, VP and Research Director Steven Casey and VP and Principal Analyst Barry Vasudevan discuss these forces and introduce the concept of buying networks as they preview new research debuting at Forrester’s B2B Summit North America.

As generative AI changes how buyers search for information, what should marketers do to adapt their content strategies? This week on What It Means, Principal Analyst Lisa Gately shares her advice and previews her session on the topic at Forrester’s B2B Summit North America.

What are the latest trends in the semiconductor industry, and what does it mean for your technology plans? Senior Analyst Alvin Nguyen discusses the latest semiconductor advancements and market dynamics in this episode of What It Means.

What’s the difference between AI agents and agentic AI? In this episode VP and Principal Analyst Craig Le Clair and Senior Analyst Christina McAllister discuss the nuances of the two and use cases for both.

What distinguishes a manager from a coach-like leader? This week, Principal Analyst Betsy Summers and VP and Principal Analyst Peter Ostrow explore the evolving role of managers and how adopting coaching behaviors can empower teams for long-term success. They also preview their session on the topic at Forrester’s upcoming B2B Summit North America.

How important are your tech infrastructure decisions in the age of AI? Principal Analysts Michele Pelino and Naveen Chhabra review some of the latest tech infrastructure trends and predictions tech leaders should know as they build out their AI strategies.

Procurement is taking a more strategic role in two key areas. On this episode, Principal Analyst Gina Bhawalkar and Senior Analyst Jeffrey Rajamani discuss the opportunities for enterprises to align their procurement strategies with ESG and accessibility compliance goals.

Cryptocurrency is in the spotlight as a crypto-friendly US administration takes office. What might the coming months bring in terms of regulation? And how might uses of cryptoassets evolve? This week on What It Means, Vice President and Principal Analyst Martha Bennett and Principal Analyst Peter Wannemacher discuss the different types of cryptoassets, the state of regulation, and potential applications and risks.

What does an award-winning technology strategy look like? Find out as we highlight two of the most recent winners of Forrester’s Technology Strategy Impact Award, Best Buy and First Student.

Business and tech leaders expect (slightly) bigger budgets this year. How should they use them? On this episode of What It Means, VPs and Group Research Directors Stephanie Balaouras, Keith Johnston, and Srividya Sridharan dive into Forrester’s Budget Planning Guides’ recommendations for tech, marketing and sales, and customer experience (CX) leaders.

Despite Google’s recent reversal on third-party cookies, marketers need to prepare for data deprecation. Yet many aren’t. This week on What It Means, Senior Analyst Stephanie Liu and Principal Analyst Brett Kahnke discuss how B2C and B2B marketers can adapt their data strategies to maintain consumer trust and compliance.

Is creativity the hidden spark behind innovation? VP and Research Director Pascal Matzke and Principal Analyst Bernhard Schaffrik unpack why creativity is often undervalued and share strategies for leaders to foster it within their organizations.

Is alignment between B2B marketing and sales teams overrated? The concept may be in need of a rethink, say Principal Analysts John Arnold and Rick Bradberry. This week on What It Means, they describe what more productive marketing-sales relationships might look like.

Just as B2B companies are adopting generative AI (genAI) to gain efficiencies, so are their buyers. This week on What It Means, Principal Analyst John Buten looks at how buyers are using genAI in the purchasing process and what marketers and sellers should do in response.

The big challenge with AI for business is risk. How can an organization minimize the risk while maximizing the benefit of AI? In this episode, Vice President and Principal Analyst Brandon Purcell proposes a solution to this challenge — AI alignment — and outlines how an “align by design” approach can help.

With so much investment and attention, there’s growing impatience around AI. In this episode, VP of Emerging Technology and Principal Analyst Brian Hopkins and VP and Principal Analyst Ted Schadler take a longer view and discuss how AI will change the world in the next 20 years.

The holiday season is here. How do consumers feel about spending? This week on What It Means, VP and Principal Analyst Sucharita Kodali and VP and Research Director Emily Collins dive into Forrester’s latest research on holiday spending trends and share advice for retailers.

Two major antitrust lawsuits could loosen Google’s grip on online search and advertising. What are the potential implications, and how should brands and advertisers prepare? Senior Analysts Nikhil Lai and Mo Allibhai discuss the cases and the broader shifts ahead for search marketing and advertising on this week’s What It Means episode.

The role of the chief information security officer (CISO) is more vital than ever. But how are CISOs holding up under the spotlight, and how is the role changing? VP and Principal Analyst Jeff Pollard and Principal Analyst Jess Burn share some new research on the future of the CISO.

On July 19, an update from security software vendor CrowdStrike took down 8.5 million Windows endpoints and caused widespread chaos. In this episode, VP and Research Director Amy DeMartine and Principal Analyst Allie Mellen discuss the lessons learned from the outage and what steps security and business leaders should take as a result.

The rapid growth of AI will have both positive and negative impacts on the environment. In this episode, Vice President and Principal Analyst Thomas Husson delves into both AI’s environmental downsides and its potential to help solve the climate crisis.

AI has the potential to make the work of human resources more streamlined — and more complicated. How is that possible? Find out as Principal Analyst Betsy Summers explains the AI-HR paradox and sheds some light on the benefits and risks that AI poses to the HR function.

Reports of the demise of the CMO role have been greatly exaggerated, say VP and Principal Analyst Ian Bruce and VP and Research Director Mike Proulx. On this week’s What It Means episode, they dive into new research that paints a highly nuanced picture of the prevalence and tenure of CMOs.

What are the most compelling AI use cases in the public sector, and what are some of the challenges? Find out as Principal Analyst Sam Higgins shares insights on the current state and future outlook for AI in the public sector globally.

Are passwords obsolete or still a necessary evil? In this episode, Vice President and Principal Analyst Andras Cser and Principal Analyst Geoff Cairns describe where we are on the path to passwordless authentication for both enterprise and consumer users.

There are digital doubles and digital twins. How can you tell the two apart? And more importantly, are either (or both) right for your organization? Vice President and Principal Analyst Paul Miller and Senior Analyst Stephanie Liu provide clarity in this episode.

Generative AI (genAI) holds tantalizing potential for contact centers, but turning that potential into reality will require overcoming some hurdles. How should contact center leaders get started? Senior Analyst Christina McAllister provides insight on What It Means.

Medical deserts — geographic areas that lack essential healthcare services — encompass over 80% of counties in the US. How did we get here, and what will it take to reverse the trend? Principal Analysts Arielle Trzcinski and Judy Weader discuss on What It Means.

Business and tech leaders expect (slightly) bigger budgets next year. How should they use them? On this episode of What It Means, VPs and Group Research Directors Stephanie Balaouras, Keith Johnston, and Srividya Sridharan dive into Forrester’s Budget Planning Guides’ recommendations for tech, marketing and sales, and customer experience (CX) leaders.

Customer experience (CX) quality in the US has dropped for three consecutive years and sits at an all-time low. What’s behind the decline, and how can brands turn things around? VP and Principal Analyst David Truog and Principal Analyst Pete Jacques weigh in on this week’s What It Means.

AI has been portrayed as both the solution to and the cause of employee burnout. Which is it? In this episode, VP and Principal Analyst J. P. Gownder and Senior Analyst Jonathan Roberts describe the impact of AI on employee burnout.

What are industry clouds? What are their use cases, benefits, and drawbacks? Find out as VP and Principal Analyst Kate Leggett provides a detailed look at the latest trends in industry clouds.

Generative AI is breathing new life into traditional technology, and enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems are no exception. In this episode, Vice President and Principal Analyst Liz Herbert discusses the opportunities, use cases, and challenges of genAI in ERP.

The pace of technology innovation can make it hard to keep an eye on the tech horizon. In this episode, Vice President of Emerging Tech Portfolio Brian Hopkins walks through this year’s list of the top 10 emerging technologies, describing when each technology will bring value to users.

The broad changes Broadcom made in the wake of the deal have technology executives reviewing their technology roadmaps closely. In this episode Principal Analyst Naveen Chhabra walks through the changes and discusses the choices available to VMWare customers.

As payment options have proliferated, they’ve become more than just a way to make a purchase. What should brands consider as they develop or add payment options to appeal to buyers? This week on What It Means, Principal Analyst Lily Varón shares insights and explains what’s ahead for digital payments.

With AI PCs finding their way into the consumer market this year, the big question is: When will they hit the enterprise market? In this episode, Principal Analyst Andrew Hewitt discusses the current state and future potential of AI PCs.

There are a lot of reasons why cloud cost management is a thorn in the CIO’s side. In this episode, Principal Analyst Tracy Woo describes how FinOps, the FOCUS standard, and other new initiatives can help reduce cloud costs.

Journey centricity can help companies boost their revenue, reduce costs, and build better experiences for customers and employees. What defines a journey-centric company, and what does it take to become one? Vice President and Principal Analyst Joana de Quintanilha explains on this week’s episode of What It Means.

As generative AI becomes more pervasive in products and ads, consumers are questioning what they see and, by extension, whether they should trust the brands using it. How should brands navigate these perils? Principal Analyst Audrey Chee-Read shares insights and advice on What It Means.

The world’s first binding legislation on AI has arrived, and its impact will extend far beyond Europe’s borders. This week on What It Means, Principal Analyst Enza Iannopollo explains the EU AI Act’s timeline, enforcement, and potential impact on innovation.