Tech Takes - the infrastructure podcast for education

Join the Jisc cyber threat intelligence team as they explore North Korean APT43's attacks on UK research institutions.
North Korean APT43, also known as Kimsuky, is actively targeting UK education and research institutions, focusing on academics working on geopolitics, nuclear policy, and North Korean affairs. In this Tech Takes: Quick Takes episode, Jisc's cyber threat intelligence team explains the group's motivations and how they use tactics like spear phishing and adversary-in-the-middle attacks to compromise accounts and steal sensitive data.
The team shares real-world incidents and outlines practical defences, including stronger email security, DMARC policies, MFA, EDR tools, and user awareness training. With APT43's campaigns posing risks to research integrity and national security, this episode highlights why a layered defence strategy is essential for UK institutions.
Show notes
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Episode guest
Clive Bream – Cyber threat intelligence analyst
James Ellor – Cyber threat intelligence analyst
 
Episode Host
George Bloor – Senior cyber threat intelligence analyst

Discover key learnings and observations on working with passive cooled DC and why heat recovery is a clear solution for your next data centre.
Join Daniel Traynor, Queen Mary University of London, and Simon Atack, University of Birmingham, for a two-part episode of Tech Takes, recorded live at Networkshop 2025.
First, explore a successful data centre refurbishment project. Queen Mary University of London (QMUL) has recently finished refurbishing one of its data centres, using heat recovery into a district heating system. After 20 years of operation, the original data centre was in need of significant refurbishment with a growing awareness of climate change and need to increase the capacity to support big science in our case the ATLAS experiment at the LHC collider in CERN.
In our second half of the episode, we explore the insights and observations around direct liquid cooling systems. Discover some of the key reasons why you should think about direct liquid cooling systems as the future for your data centre. Consider consequences that rarely get thought about/missed that could become very important for the future of internet of things. Explore the consequences of bad planning/maintenance.
Show notes
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Episode guest
Daniel Traynor, senior grid cluster manager, Queen Mary University of London
Simon Atack, principal research infrastructure engineer, University of Birmingham

Explore how Jisc's upcoming cloud assist service is being designed to help your organisation simplify Microsoft tenancy management.  
Recorded at Networkshop 2025, this episode features Nick Brown, senior cloud solutions architect - M365 and Alice Yang, cloud software developer, as they discuss the evolution of cloud assist and share our vision for its future.
From automating Intune policy deployment to improving compliance and reporting, cloud assist is designed to support IT teams across the sector. 
Show notes 
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Join the Jisc cyber threat intelligence team as they unpack the rise of ClickFix and its new variant, FileFix.
Quick Takes is our new short-form Tech Takes series, created to provide you with critical threat intelligence in minutes. In this first episode, we explore ClickFix, a deceptive social engineering technique that tricks users into clicking on malicious links or downloading harmful files.
ClickFix has rapidly become one of the major cyber threats facing organisations worldwide and a new variant, FileFix, is gaining momentum. In this episode of Quick Takes, George Bloor from Jisc's cyber threat intelligence team is joined by colleagues Clive Bream and James Ellor to unpack how these techniques work, why they're effective, and what organisations can do to defend themselves.
Show notes
Get the latest threat intelligence and connect with peers in our cyber security community group.
Explore our cyber security products and services
Subscribe to Headlines - our newsletter which has all the latest edtech news, guidance and events tailored to you.
 
Episode guest
 Clive Bream – Cyber threat intelligence analyst
 James Ellor – Cyber threat intelligence analyst
 
Episode Host
 George Bloor – Senior cyber threat intelligence analyst

Join Jorgen Qvist, chief operating officer at NORDUnet, to explore Polar Connect, the visionary initiative led by NORDUnet and Nordic NRENs to establish a resilient, trans-Arctic submarine cable linking Europe and Asia by 2030.
In this podcast recorded live at Networkshop 2025, learn more about how this route, traversing the High Arctic, complements the Far North Fibre system and offers a sovereign, secure alternative to traditional, congested paths through the Suez Canal, Russia, or North America. In addition to digital connectivity, explore how Polar Connect integrates advanced sensing technologies (eg DAS and SMART sensors), enabling real-time data collection for Arctic climate research, marine biology, and seismology.
The initiative promises substantial societal benefits - enhancing digital sovereignty, resilience, and scientific discovery - while supporting sustainable infrastructure powered by Nordic green energy. Discover how the harsh Arctic environment presents logistical and technical challenges, requiring ice-class vessels, phased implementation, and public-private investment models. Polar Connect is supported under the EU's CEF Digital programme and aligns with broader strategies for European digital autonomy and global data infrastructure resilience.
Show notes
Learn more about Polar Conect
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