In this episode, host Rick Byrne sits down with Ray Umerley of Coveware by Veeam, a two-time ransomware survivor who now works roughly 50 cases a month. Together they walk through what the 3:30 a.m. phone call really looks like, why the first thing that fails is usually the team and not the system, and why resilience has more in common with managing a forest than buying a bigger hose.

In this episode:

• Why “do we have backups?” is the wrong question, and what proven recoverability means instead
• Inside the 3:30 a.m. call: what actually happens in the first 48 hours of a ransomware event
• Why incident response, backup and continuity teams meeting for the first time mid-attack is the norm, not the exception
• The forest-fire frame for resilience, and the one question to ask your team this week

Featuring Ray Umerley, Field CISO at Coveware by Veeam. Hosted by Rick Byrne, Director of Systems Engineering, Veeam Canada.

Coveware, now part of Veeam, publishes a free quarterly report on what they’re seeing across hundreds of real ransomware cases.
Read the latest at coveware.com/blog.

#Ransomware  #CyberResilience  #DataProtection  #CanadianBusiness  #Cybersecurity  #BackupAndRecovery  #Veeam

Show Notes & Resources

• Coveware by Veeam — quarterly ransomware reports: https://www.coveware.com/blog
• Bill C-8, An Act respecting cyber security (Critical Cyber Systems Protection Act): https://www.parl.ca/legisinfo/en/bill/45-1/c-8
• Veeam: https://www.veeam.com
• Concepts referenced: proven recoverability vs. assumed recoverability; DFIR (digital forensics and incident response); full timed restore testing vs. tabletop exercises
• Guest: Ray Umerley, Field CISO, Coveware by Veeam
• Host: Rick Byrne, Director of Systems Engineering, Veeam Canada

In this episode of AI, Unpacked, host Rick Byrne (Director of Systems Engineering, Veeam Canada) sits down with Ben Hui, Global SME for Data and AI at Veeam, to unpack why “is the AI safe?” is the wrong question — and why the real question is whether your data is safe to feed to AI.

In this episode:

• The governance gap: 72% of Canadian organizations call responsible AI a top priority — 36% have no governance function to manage it (PwC Canada)
• “Data rot”: the forgotten folders, unaudited permissions, and expired records that turn toxic the moment AI reads everything
• The insurance company whose HR chatbot exposed compensation and disciplinary records to executives — on day one
• Two Monday-morning questions every leader should ask before scaling AI

Guest: Ben Hui, Global SME for Data and AI at Veeam — inside Canadian organizations working on exactly this problem every day.

AI, Unpacked delivers clear answers on AI for Canada’s business leaders. New episodes every couple of weeks. Follow on Spotify and YouTube — search AI, Unpacked.

#AIUnpacked #AIGovernance #DataSecurity #CanadianBusiness #ResponsibleAI #Veeam

Show Notes & Resources

• PwC Canada, Trust in AI report (February 2026) — survey of 220 senior decision makers at Canadian organizations

• Securiti, now part of Veeam — securing your data so your AI can be trusted: securiti.ai

• Veeam — the Data and AI Trust Company: veeam.com

• Connect: Rick Byrne and Ben Hui on LinkedIn

In the premiere episode of AI, Unpacked, host Rick Byrne (Director of Systems Engineering, Veeam Canada) sits down with Derran Guinan, Veeam’s Field CTO for the Americas, to unpack why nobody actually knows where their data lives, why “it’s in Canada” might not mean what you think, and the one thing about data residency almost no one gets right.

In this episode:

• Why breach victims sometimes aren’t notified for two to three years — and what that reveals about most organizations
• The “easement” hiding in your data estate: data residency vs. data sovereignty, and the US CLOUD Act
• Canada’s new rules — Bill C-8 and the proposed PIPEDA replacement — and the question both start with
• A free, this-week action: three vendors, one afternoon with your legal team

Guest: Derran Guinan, Veeam’s Field CTO for the Americas

AI, Unpacked delivers clear answers on AI for Canada’s business leaders. Follow on Spotify and YouTube — search AI, Unpacked.

Show Notes & Resources

• PIPEDA — Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (Canada, 2000)
• Bill C-8 — An Act respecting cyber security, enacting the Critical Cyber Systems Protection Act (Royal Assent June 2026)
• Bill C-36 — the Protecting Privacy and Consumer Data Act, the proposed replacement for PIPEDA (tabled June 2026)
• US CLOUD Act — Clarifying Lawful Overseas Use of Data Act
• Veeam — the Data and AI Trust Company: veeam.com

AI, Unpacked is a new podcast from Veeam Software Canada, hosted by Rick Byrne, Director of Systems Engineering. 

Every episode takes one overwhelming thing about data and AI and makes it make sense. No jargon, no sales pitches, just honest stories, simple analogies, and the perspective of someone who's been in the room with hundreds of Canadian organizations figuring this out.

This season we will: 

• Cut through the noise of hype, shifting regulations, and weekly headlines
• Give Canadian business leaders honest, practical answers built for the Canadian reality
• Help you leave each episode less behind, more clear, and ready to make a better call

Follow AI, Unpacked wherever you get your podcasts and on YouTube. 

Let's make sense of it together.