EP 519 | MARCH 24, 2025

Google Bids $32 Billion for Cloud Security Startup; NVIDIA Makes Nice With Quantum Computing

This week we cover Google's $32 billion acquisition of CNAPP provider Wiz, Cloudflare offerings for AI security and support for post-quantum encryption, and NVIDIA's pledge to open a quantum research center in Boston. NVIDIA has also announced new switch platforms with co-packaged optics for greater efficiency, Cisco shares details on its AI Factory deployment options, data center captial spending exploded in 2024, and AT&T successfully demonstrates 1.6 terabit-per-second data signal over a single carrier wavelength on existing fiber. | LISTEN NOW

SPONSORED | MARCH 24, 2025

Tech Bytes: How Fortinet Unified SASE Secures Hybrid Workers for Customer Liquid Networx

Today on the Tech Bytes podcast, sponsored by Fortinet, we get a customer view of Fortinet’s SASE offering from Liquid Networx. Liquid Networx isn’t just a Fortinet customer; it also provides professional services for other customers of FortiSASE. We’ll talk about why Liquid Networx decided to adopt SASE, its evolution from on-prem to cloud-based security, critical features including SOC-as-a-Service, and adoption lessons Liquid Networx has learned both first-hand and from the customers it supports.  | LISTEN NOW

EP 098 | MARCH 25, 2025

Just Following Orders?

What do you do when your colleagues or senior leaders ask you to do something illegal? It's hardly hypothetical; recent years have seen high-profile firings and convictions of CIOs and CISOs who've been ordered to break the law. John and Johna discuss steps that tech leaders can take if they're put on the spot. | LISTEN NOW

EP 055 | MARCH 25, 2025

News Roundup - BotNet Targets TP-Link, Threat Hunting In the Electric Grid, Apple Vs. UK Snoops, and More

This week we dive into security news including a botnet targeting TP-Link routers, Chinese attackers targeting Juniper and Fortinet, a case study of Volt Typhoon dwelling in an electric utility operator, the disturbing saga of call center scammers in southeast Asia, Apple fighting the good fight against backdoors, and more infosec news. | LISTEN NOW

EP 088 | MARCH 26, 2025

See Something, Improve Something - An Iterative Approach to Automation Success

On today's Network Automation Nerds, industry veteran Michael Bushong talks about lessons learned from failure. As the network industry grapples with automation and network engineers confront yet another cycle of upskilling and grinding out new certs, he warns against executives and practice leads aiming for the biggest, shiniest project. His advice? Find something that matters to somebody, make that thing a little better, and build from there. By starting small and iterating, engineers can develop the confidence to learn more and get more ambitious. He also shares his perspective on how leaders can support and enable automation success. | LISTEN NOW

EP 019 | MARCH 27, 2025

Howdy, Neighbor! And Other Routing Stuff

In today’s episode, we continue the discussion about routing and routing protocols by focusing on commonalities rather than differences among  protocols such as OSPF, RIP, EIGRP, or BGP. We explain how, in general, routing protocols discover each other, communicate, maintain relationships, and exchange routing information. Next, we explore the topics of selecting best paths in the network and scalability of routing protocols. Then, a bit of bonus material near the end--a few examples of the routing protocols you'll typically see implemented in networks, and why they are selected.. | LISTEN NOW

EP 010 | MARCH 27, 2025

Leading With Influence Rather Than Mandating

How do you lead with influence rather than mandate? On today’s show, we talk with JJ Asghar from IBM. JJ shares his extensive experience in managing open-source namespaces like GitHub and npm for IBM. He discusses the challenges of influencing decisions without formal authority and tailoring communication styles for different audiences. JJ also advocates for documentation, self-service resources, mentorship and the value of building relationships and fostering a supportive environment to drive positive change within organizations. | LISTEN NOW

EP 022 | MARCH 28, 2025

Secure Automation at Enterprise Scale for the Public Sector with Red Hat Ansible (Sponsored)

There are both benefits and challenges when adopting automation in the public sector, but Red Hat Ansible enhances efficiency, security and service delivery. With the right tooling, network operators can integrate automation into existing environments and improve network security.  Providing insights into adopting automation in the public sector are Tony Dubiel, Principal Specialist Solution Architect and Ajay Chenampara, National Leader for Public Sector Automation Strategy from Red Hat. | LISTEN NOW

EP 774 | MARCH 28, 2025

Who Put These OT Risks In My IT Ops? Fortinet Has Answers (Sponsored)

On today’s Heavy Networking, sponsored by Fortinet, we look at how OT is crossing over into IT, and why that means new risks, and new responsibilities, that IT needs to understand and manage. We’ll talk with Fortinet about how OT differs from IT, the risks OT networks and devices face, Fortinet products designed for OT environments, and the operational impacts for IT and security professionals.| LISTEN NOW