Many of us have had network design discussions relating to natural disasters. What if a fire comes through? Or a flood? For most of us, those discussions don’t feel overly worthy of our attention. Yes, we should think about it. Yes, we should plan for it. If we’re really serious, we’ll even dust off the... Read more »

Laura Santa Maria, a Principal Engineer at Red Hat and host of the Technically Leadership podcast, shares her insights on the leap from engineer to manager. She emphasizes the need to understand business dynamics and the emotional challenges of leadership, including the tough decisions around layoffs. Core traits for aspiring leaders like self-awareness and communication are discussed, alongside the concept of 'curated failure' as a learning tool. Finally, Laura highlights the unique advantages network engineers bring to leadership roles and the importance of mentorship in nurturing future leaders.

Chris Greer, a packet analyst at Packet Pioneer, shares his expertise on the nuances of packet analysis, particularly using Wireshark. He emphasizes the enduring value of traditional tools in an era influenced by AI. The conversation highlights complex troubleshooting scenarios, the role of TCP resets, and the challenges of encrypted networks. Greer also offers insights on learning pathways for aspiring engineers and the importance of staying updated with networking technologies. Plus, a sneak peek into Shark Fest 2025 rounds out the discussion!

Network automation can be intimidating, but it opens doors beyond basic scripting. Discover the unique challenges posed by volcanic activity in Iceland and how redundancy measures keep data flowing. Explore the intricate landscape of network tools and the importance of documentation on GitHub. Delve into the clash of open-source versus commercial solutions and the need for reliable data management. Finally, gain insights from Autocon conferences, highlighting networking opportunities and the future of learning in network automation.

Ryan Hamill, a Senior Software Engineer at Zayo Group, and Josh Vandera, Services Director at Network Decode, dive deep into the world of network automation. They discuss the vital role of telemetry in network monitoring and the challenges of managing data effectively. Key topics include the evolution of monitoring tools, the importance of collaboration between networking and security teams, and the significance of input validation in scripting. They also explore automation’s cultural shift and the benefits of utilizing Container Lab for efficient network practices.

Kalyan Sidham, Director of Product Management for IoT and OT Security at Palo Alto Networks, sheds light on the critical challenges of securing IoT and OT devices. He discusses the revolutionary concept of virtual patching, emphasizing its advantages over traditional methods. Kalyan explores how AI and machine learning enhance security operations by identifying zero-day threats and facilitating collaboration between IT and OT teams. He also addresses the importance of compliance and the role of virtual patching in maintaining robust security measures against cyber threats.

The BGP Monitoring Protocol, or BMP, is an IETF standard. With BMP you can send BGP prefixes and updates from a router to a collector before any policy filters are applied. Once collected, you can analyze this routing data without any impact on the router itself. On today’s Heavy Networking, we talk with Bart Dorlandt,... Read more »

John Capobianco, an expert in network automation and AI at Selector.AI, dives into the transformative role of AI in network operations. He discusses the development of bespoke AI models that enhance data analysis and decision-making. The conversation reveals how fine-tuned large language models can revolutionize network management with advanced features like customizable dashboards and autonomous root cause analysis. John also emphasizes the ease of integrating AI solutions for businesses without in-house expertise, making powerful network automation accessible to all.

On today’s episode, we chat with wireless ISP engineer Elijah Zeida. Elijah had an interesting connectivity challenge to solve for a remote mountain town that relies on a wireless connection for Internet access, and not much budget to solve it with. But he got it done by building his own SD-WAN using Mikrotik boxes and... Read more »

Alkira provides a Multi-Cloud Networking Service (MCNS) that lets you connect public cloud and on-prem locations using a cloud-delivered, as-a-service approach. But Alkira offers more than just multi-cloud connectivity. On today’s sponsored episode of Heavy Networking, we dig into Alkira’s full set of offerings, which include networking, visibility, governance, and security controls such as firewalls... Read more »