Alan Shimel

Alan Shimel

About the Author:

Alan Shimel is founder, CEO and editor-in-chief of Techstrong Group, a Futurum company, and a member of Futurum's executive leadership team. A technology entrepreneur, media executive and industry commentator, Shimel has spent more than three decades building businesses, communities and media platforms serving enterprise technology professionals, including co-founding StillSecure, a network security company, and the DevOps Institute, a DevOps certification and training body. At Techstrong, he leads a portfolio of media brands including DevOps.com, Security Boulevard, Cloud Native Now, Techstrong AI, Techstrong IT, Digital CxO, Platform Engineering, Techstrong Semi and Techstrong TV, along with a growing portfolio of events, educational programs and digital communities. With more than 25 years of experience in cybersecurity, Shimel is a familiar voice in the space and was an early advocate of the DevOps movement, helping bring DevOps practices into mainstream enterprise technology. His work today spans cybersecurity, DevOps, cloud-native technologies, artificial intelligence, semiconductors and digital transformation, and he hosts popular programs including Techstrong Gang, Shimmy Says and Still Cyber, After All These Years. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Government and Politics from St. John's University and a Juris Doctor from New York Law School.

Articles by Alan Shimel

AI as Therapist: Balancing Promise with Peril

September 8, 2025

AI chatbots are reshaping mental health care, but Sophie’s tragic story reveals the risks of replacing human support. Alan and Bill Brenner explore the promise, perils and path forward for AI therapy.

iPhone 17: I Asked AI What’s In It

September 4, 2025

As Apple prepares to unveil the iPhone 17, expectations center on AI-powered features like smarter Siri, on-device generative tools, and personalization. We asked leading AI models — ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Grok, and Llama — to predict Apple’s next move.

MCP, AI agents

Shadow AI: Resistance is Futile

August 29, 2025

Shadow AI — unsanctioned, grassroots use of generative AI tools — is thriving inside enterprises, often outperforming official initiatives. Drawing parallels to Shadow IT, cloud, and open source adoption, this article explores why Shadow AI works, its risks, and how IT leaders can harness its innovations instead of resisting them

Have We Reached Peak AI?

August 18, 2025

From ChatGPT’s wow factor to agentic AI’s reality check, AI’s explosive growth may be leveling off. Here’s what’s next — and why businesses should focus on today’s tools.

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