<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss version="2.0"><channel><title>Vadim Polyakov — Insights</title><description>Essays on enterprise architecture, technology leadership and AI.</description><link>https://www.vadimpolyakov.com/</link><item><title>When does a company actually need a fractional CTO?</title><link>https://www.vadimpolyakov.com/insights/when-you-need-a-fractional-cto/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.vadimpolyakov.com/insights/when-you-need-a-fractional-cto/</guid><description>Five signals that you have outgrown ad-hoc technical leadership, and three that you haven&apos;t yet.</description><pubDate>Wed, 14 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Capability maps: the one architecture artifact executives read</title><link>https://www.vadimpolyakov.com/insights/capability-maps-for-executives/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.vadimpolyakov.com/insights/capability-maps-for-executives/</guid><description>How a single page can align a leadership team on where to invest, consolidate and retire.</description><pubDate>Tue, 22 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Twelve red flags in technology due diligence</title><link>https://www.vadimpolyakov.com/insights/tech-due-diligence-red-flags/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.vadimpolyakov.com/insights/tech-due-diligence-red-flags/</guid><description>What investors miss when they read the architecture slide instead of the commit history.</description><pubDate>Sun, 30 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Why AI pilots stall, and how to get one into production</title><link>https://www.vadimpolyakov.com/insights/ai-pilots-to-production/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.vadimpolyakov.com/insights/ai-pilots-to-production/</guid><description>A field guide to the data, platform and governance gaps that keep AI stuck in the lab.</description><pubDate>Wed, 05 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Cloud cost is an architecture problem</title><link>https://www.vadimpolyakov.com/insights/cloud-cost-is-an-architecture-problem/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.vadimpolyakov.com/insights/cloud-cost-is-an-architecture-problem/</guid><description>FinOps dashboards tell you what you spent. Architecture decides what you will spend.</description><pubDate>Sat, 11 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Presenting technology strategy to a board</title><link>https://www.vadimpolyakov.com/insights/board-ready-technology-strategy/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.vadimpolyakov.com/insights/board-ready-technology-strategy/</guid><description>Notes from a talk on translating architecture into the language of risk, return and time.</description><pubDate>Thu, 18 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item></channel></rss>