EP 557 | JANUARY 12, 2026

Meta Goes Nuclear; Arista Taps EVPN VXLAN for Massive Mobility Domains

From Meta buying into nuclear power to new Wi-Fi 8 chipsets from Broadcom to Arista running wild with Wi-Fi mobility domains to CrowdStrike dropping almost three quarters of a billion dollars on an identity management startup, the Network Break virtual donut factory re-opens from its holiday hiatus to bring to fresh news analysis and commentary. | LISTEN NOW

EP 122 | JANUARY 13, 2026

Insider Threats in the Age of AI

Leaders may shy away from thinking about insider threats because it means assuming the worst about colleagues and friends. But technology executives do need to confront this problem because insider attacks are prevalent---a recent study claims that in 2024, 83% of organizations experienced at least one---and on the rise. Moreover, AI and deepfakes vastly enhance the ability of insiders, or potential insiders, to cause harm. In this episode, John and Johna examine how insider threats are evolving, and discuss ways IT professionals can address them. | LISTEN NOW

EP 092| JANUARY 13, 2026

News Roundup--Old Gear Faces New Attacks, Cyber Trust Mark's Trust Issues, Alarms Howl for Kimwolf Botnet

New year, new vulnerabilities. Our News Roundup covers everything from end-of-life D-Link routers facing active exploits to a five-year-old patched Fortinet vulnerability being freshly targeted. We’ve also got hotel operators being the target of multi-stage attacks and creeps using Grok to spew nonconsensual sexualized images. As an added bonus, our speed round gives a quick insight into a mischievous intrusion into the Rainbow Six Siege video game and more. | LISTEN NOW

EP 066 | JANUARY 14, 2026

How Infrastructure Teams Can Scale Reasoning Without Losing Control with Chris Wade

Today we dive into what AI agents mean for infrastructure with our guest, Chris Wade, Co-Founder and CTO of Itential. We explore the reality of incorporating AI into brownfield environments and the potential for vendor-specific LLMs trained on proprietary knowledge. Chris also offers advice for engineers (current and upcoming) on the role of AI and automation in your career. Whether you're still removing static routes or already prototyping MCP, this episode frames how agentic AI fits into the infrastructure journey we've all been on for the past 20 years. | LISTEN NOW

EP 110 | JANUARY 14, 2026

Bridging Industry, Academia, and the Future of Network Automation with Dr. Levi Perigo

On this episode, Eric Chou is joined by Dr. Levi Perigo, Scholar in Residence and Professor of Network Engineering at the University of Colorado Boulder. They discuss Levi’s non-traditional career path from being in the network automation industry for 20 years to shifting to academia and co-founding QuivAR. Levi also dives into the success of the CU Boulder Master’s in Engineering program, which boasts a nearly 100% graduate placement program! | LISTEN NOW

EP 006 | JANUARY 15, 2026

Stay Technical While Expanding Your Influence

Is it possible for IT professionals to remain technical when moving into roles that expand influence, scale, and reach? Matt Starling, Senior Director of Product Marketing at Ekahau and co-founder of the WiFi Ninjas podcast, joins Alexis and Kevin to share how your career can evolve beyond on-call operations without losing the technical core. His path shows that you don’t have to abandon your engineer identity to succeed in product marketing, education, or evangelism. | LISTEN NOW

EP 053 | JANUARY 16, 2026

Ethernet Is Everywhere

From Mars landers to data centers: Ethernet expert Doug Boom reveals the history, evolution, and surprising ubiquity of Ethernet. Doug shares fascinating design wins and anecdotes, including his work on the Space Shuttle safety video capture program, ultrasound machines, and the infamous "packet of death". | LISTEN NOW

EP 810 | JANUARY 16, 2026

AI in Network Operations: Pragmatism Over Hype (Sponsored)

Are you an AI skeptic or an enthusiast? Equinix's Igor Tarasenko discusses the pragmatic shift to AI in network operations, arguing that APIs are the new CLI and explaining how observability and Model Context Protocol (MCP) enable AI agents to take action on the Equinix Fabric. This is a sponsored episode.| LISTEN NOW