Think AI Podcast — Episode: Data Before AI (April 14, 2026)

Host: Dave Goyal
Guest: Alex RS, Chief Information Security Officer & SVP at MicroEdge

Overview

This episode dives into the critical relationship between data management and successful AI adoption, especially within organizations steeped in cybersecurity. Host Dave Goyal explores the journey of Alex RS, a veteran of the tech industry who has traversed the realms of customer, reseller, distributor, and vendor. Together, they discuss why "getting your data right" is a prerequisite for leveraging AI—and how governance, reinvention, and hands-on technological curiosity have shaped both MicroEdge’s 50-year legacy and Alex's approach to AI in business.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Alex's Unique Tech Journey & Its Impact

• Career Path: Alex worked on the customer, reseller, distributor, and vendor sides of the tech industry, ultimately returning to the reseller role at MicroEdge.
• Perspective: His broad experience grants him a 360° understanding of the technology channel—vital for designing, implementing, and securing technology solutions.
  • "I thrive better when I get to play with all the toys in the toy box." (A, 02:49)

[02:05]

• Order Matters: Starting as a customer gave Alex empathy for end-users, which now informs his strategic choices as a reseller and solution architect.

2. Choosing Nimbleness Over Scale

[04:59]

• Alex favors smaller, diversified roles that allow closer engagement with customer problems over larger, more specialized positions.
• Impact vs. Scale: At large distributors like TD Synx, Alex impacted many partners indirectly; at MicroAge, he influences outcomes more directly for clients.
  • "To me, solving the business problem for the client is the most fun part." (A, 03:44)

[08:24]

• Wearing Many Hats: Being a technologist, Alex enjoys the agility and variety a smaller environment offers—where he can apply the latest tech (including AI) to practical problems.

3. AI in Security—Balancing Speed and Safety

[10:55]

• AI Adoption Dilemma: Security teams often "pump the brakes" on adopting AI. As CISO, Alex shares how MicroEdge’s private equity ownership allows for nimble, yet secure, AI experimentation.
  • "I'm maniacal about our security. Internally, we are SOC 2 compliant... a lot of policy, I have a lot of governance, I have a lot of tooling." (A, 11:25)
• Data Hygiene First: Implementing AI successfully means first getting data classified, labeled, and permissions set—using tools like Purview and Orescape to monitor, classify, and restrict LLM access.
  • "You get your data under control before you start playing too much with AI internally." (A, 12:33)

4. AI Governance—Accelerator, Not Blocker

[14:02] & [16:25]

• Shadow AI Risk: Employees often experiment with public LLMs ("shadow AI"), risking sensitive data exposure.
  • "Every customer I have right now has employees using AI. We call it shadow AI. It's happening all the time..." (A, 14:44)
• Effective Guardrails: Governance is positioned as an enabler rather than a restriction—it empowers faster, safer experimentation.
  • "Governance is an accelerator because otherwise... you don't have a mechanism to tell people how they should and shouldn't behave." (A, 16:25)
  • "If you don't have governance in place... they'll do things in secret. ...With guardrails, they don't have to do things in secret anymore." (A, 17:51)

5. AI in Practice—From YouTube Avatars to Data Intelligence

[18:43] & [19:17]

• Tech Curiosity: Alex isn’t just a security leader—he builds sales agent bots, uses AI avatars on YouTube, and experiments with open-source models on Raspberry Pi hardware.
  • "I just love tech. And so AI is the newest tech. So I want to know all about it." (A, 19:19)
  • On attackers using AI: "Hackers are already using AI to great effect against us—faster and more effectively." (A, 19:34)

[22:30]

• Future of Robotics: Envisions upcoming marketplaces for “robot skills,” maintenance networks, and service opportunities driven by AI-enabled robots.

6. Reinvention as Survival: MicroEdge’s 50-Year Legacy

[25:43]

• Evolution Over Time: MicroEdge went from global distributor (retail stores, early Apple deals) to reseller, lived through bankruptcy, and emerged as a modern service provider with cloud, AI, and cybersecurity at its core.
  • "If you don't reinvent on a regular basis, then you will become irrelevant..." (A, 25:46)

[29:43]

• Octum AI Launch: MicroEdge launched a comprehensive AI/data intelligence practice, rooted in helping clients untangle, clean, and govern their data as a foundation for AI usage.
  • "AI is going to be as effective for you as the data you feed it." (A, 30:10)
  • "We were having daily conversations with clients who were nervous about investing in AI because they were unsure of their data hygiene." (A, 30:27)

7. First Steps for Leaders Starting with AI

[33:19]

• Advice for Leaders:
  • Start by watching YouTube videos to learn the language, models, and tools of AI.
  • Focus on data discovery, classification, labeling, and permissions before deploying AI—especially Copilot or Gemini.
  • If using AI code tools, ensure human review and adopt emerging AI security tooling (e.g., AI red-team bots).
  • "The first move is pull out YouTube and you need to be watching YouTube videos every night, learning about it. Everything I know about AI pretty much came from YouTube." (A, 33:21)

Memorable Quotes & Moments

• On Channel Experience:

  • "I'm glad I did customer first because it gave me a real appreciation for their needs, which I think served me well as a reseller and a vendor." — Alex (02:25)

• On Governance:

  • "Governance isn't a blocker, it's an accelerator. When you have the right guardrails... people actually move faster because they are not afraid." — Dave quoting a recent guest (16:57)

• On MicroEdge’s Legacy:

  • "Steve Jobs came and negotiated a deal with us back when he was just starting Apple. And we sold the first few Apple computers out of our retail stores." — Alex (27:03)

• On Data Before AI:

  • "AI is going to be as effective for you as the data you feed it." — Alex (30:10)

• On AI Security:

  • "I spend a lot of time learning about all aspects of IT prompt engineering... if the hackers are going to use AI against us, we have to know and understand AI to use it in a defensive posture." — Alex (20:01)

• On Advice for AI Beginners:

  • "You need to speak the language is the very first step. And so YouTube is free. Like, just go, go learn." — Alex (33:29)

Notable Segments & Timestamps

• Alex's Unique Channel Journey – [02:05-03:55]
• Choosing Impact Over Scale – [04:59-05:59]
• Role of Governance in AI Adoption – [14:02-18:43]
• MicroEdge Reinvention & Survival – [25:43-29:43]
• Launching AI/Data Practices (Octum) – [29:43-32:20]
• AI Leadership Advice – [33:19-35:25]

Channels & Resources

• MicroAge’s YouTube Channel: Search “MicroAge” on YouTube
• Cybersecurity Deciphered: Alex’s personal channel (search “Cybersecurity Deciphered”)

Final Thoughts

This episode makes the case: data is the bedrock of trustworthy, valuable, and secure AI. Organizations eager to adopt AI should first focus on data quality, clear governance, and a healthy spirit of tech curiosity. Reinvention isn’t just a survival tactic—it’s a winning strategy for playing the long game in technology.