17. Network Engineering is a Dying Career Field

Event Page: https://techfieldday.com/event/nfd36/ Artificial Intelligence is creating the kind of paradigm shifts not seen since the cloud revolution. Everyone is changing the way their IT infrastructure operates in order to make AI work better. In this episode of the Tech Field Day Podcast, Tom Hollingsworth is joined by John Freeman, Scott Robohn, and Ron Westfall as they discuss how AI is driving innovation in the networking market. They talk about how the toolsets are changing to incorporate AI features as well as how the need to push massive amounts of data into LLMs and generative AI constructs is creating opportunities for companies to show innovation. They also talk about how Ethernet is becoming ascendant in the AI market. Host: Tom Hollingsworth: https://www.linkedin.com/in/networkingnerd/ Panel: Ron Westfall, Research Director, The Futurum Group: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ron-westfall-b7679a/ Scott Robohn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/scottrobohn/ John Freeman: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-freeman-46489a3/ Tech Field Day: Website: https://www.techfieldday.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/tech-field-day X/Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/techfieldday Podcast: Website: https://www.techfieldday.com/podcast X/Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/techfielddaypod #TFDPodcast, #NFD36, #AI, #Networking, #LLMs

Event Page: https://techfieldday.com/event/efd3/ Edge computing is one of the areas where we see startup vendors offering innovative solutions, enabling applications to operate where the business operates rather than where the IT team sit. This episode of the Tech Field Day podcast focuses on the melting pot of edge computing and features Guy Currier, John Osmon, Ivan McPhee, and host Alastair Cooke, all of whom attended Edge Field Day in September. To accommodate the unique nature of the diverse and unusual locations where businesses operate, many different technologies are brought together to form the melting pot of edge computing. Containers and AI applications are coming from the massive public cloud data centres to a range of embedded computers on factory floors, industrial sites, and farm equipment. ARM CPUs, sensors, and low-power hardware accelerators are coming from mobile phones to power applications in new locations. Enterprise organizations must still control and manage data and applications across these locations and platforms. Security must be built into the edge from the beginning; edge computing often happens in an unsecured location and often with no human oversight. This melting pot of technology and innovation makes edge computing an innovative part of IT. Host: Alastair Cooke: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alastaircooke/ Panelists: Guy Currier: https://www.linkedin.com/in/guycurrier/ John Osmon: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-osmon-2a5a421/ Ivan McPhee: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ivanmcphee/ Tech Field Day: Website: https://www.techfieldday.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/tech-field-day X/Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/techfieldday Podcast: Website: https://www.techfieldday.com/podcast X/Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/techfielddaypod #TFDPodcast, #EFD3, #EdgeComputing, @GuyCurriersFeed, @JohnOsmon, @IvanMcPhee, @DemitasseNZ, @TechFieldDayPod, @TechFieldDay, @TheFuturumGroup,

Event Page: https://techfieldday.com/event/cfd21/ Public Cloud computing is a large part of enterprise IT alongside on-premises computing. Many organizations that had a cloud-first approach and are now gaining value from on-premises private clouds and seeing their changing business needs leading to changing cloud use. This episode of the Tech Field Day podcast delves into the complexity of multiple cloud providers and features Maciej Lelusz, Jack Poller, Justin Warren, and host Alastair Cooke, all attendees at Cloud Field Day. The awareness of changing business needs is causing some re-thinking of how businesses use cloud platforms, possibly moving away from using cloud vendor specific services to bare VMs. VMs are far simpler to move from one cloud to another, or between public cloud and private cloud platforms. Over time, the market will speak and if there are too many cloud providers, we will see mergers, acquisitions or failures of smaller specialized cloud providers. In the meantime, choosing where to put which application for the best outcome can be a challenge for businesses. Host: Alastair Cooke: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alastaircooke/ Panelists: Justin Warren: https://www.linkedin.com/in/justinwarren/ Jack Poller: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jackpoller/ Maciej Lelusz: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maciejlelusz/ Tech Field Day: Website: https://www.techfieldday.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/tech-field-day X/Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/techfieldday Podcast: Website: https://www.techfieldday.com/podcast X/Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/techfielddaypod Tags: #TFDPodcast, #CFD21, #HybridCloud, #MultiCloud, @TechFieldDayPod, @TheFuturumGroup, @GestaltIT, @TechFieldDay, @DemitasseNZ, @JPWarren, @Poller, @@MaciejLelusz,

Event Page: https://techfieldday.com/event/xfd12/ With the advent of quantum computers, the likelihood that modern encryption is going to be invalidated is a possibility. New standards from NIST have arrived that have ushered in the post-quantum era. You don’t need to implement them yet but you need to be familiar with them. Tom Hollingsworth is joined by Jennifer Minella, Andrew Conry-Murray, and Alastair Cooke in this episode to discuss why post-quantum algorithms are needed, why you should be readying your enterprise to use them, and how best to plan your implementation strategy. Host: Tom Hollingsworth: https://www.linkedin.com/in/networkingnerd/ Panelists: Alastair Cooke: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alastaircooke/ Jennifer Minella: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenniferminella/ Drew Conry-Murray: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewconrymurray/ Tech Field Day: Website: https://www.techfieldday.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/tech-field-day X/Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/techfieldday Podcast: Website: https://www.techfieldday.com/podcast X/Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/techfielddaypod #TFDPodcast, #XFD12, #Quantum, @NetworkingNerd, @JJX, @DemitasseNZ, @Drew_CM, @GestaltIT, @TechFieldDay, @TechFieldDayPod, @TheFuturumGroup,

Event: https://techfieldday.com/event/nfdxnokia24/ The modern enterprise network automation strategy is failing. This is due in part to a collection of tools masquerading as an automation solution. In this episode, Tom Hollingsworth is joined by Scott Robohn, Bruno Wollmann, and special guest Mike Bushong of Nokia to discuss the current state of automation in the data center. They discuss how tools are often improperly incorporated as well as why organizations shouldn’t rely on just a single person or team to affect change. They also explore ideas around Nokia Event-Driven Automation (EDA), a new operations platform dedicated to solving these issues.

Event Page: https://techfieldday.com/event/aidifd1/ The rise of AI and the importance of data to modern businesses has driven us too recognize that data matters, not storage. This episode of the Tech Field Day podcast focuses on AI data infrastructure and features Camberley Bates, Andy Banta, David Klee, and host Stephen Foskett, all of whom will be attending our AI Data Infrastructure Field Day this week. We've known for decades that storage solutions must provide the right access method for applications, not just performance, capacity, and reliability. Today's enterprise storage solutions have specialized data services and interfaces to enable AI workloads, even as capacity has been driven beyond what we've seen in the past. Power and cooling is another critical element, since AI systems are optimized to make the most of expensive GPUs and accelerators. AI also requires extensive preparation and organization of data as well as traceability and records of metadata for compliance and reproducibility. Another question is interfaces, with modern storage turning to object stores or even vector database interfaces rather than traditional block and file. AI is driving a profound transformation of storage and data. Host: Stephen Foskett: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sfoskett/ Panelists: Camberley Bates, Chief Technology Advisor at The Futurum Group: https://www.linkedin.com/in/camberleybates/ Andy Banta: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andybanta/ David Klee: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidaklee/ Tech Field Day: Website: https://www.techfieldday.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/tech-field-day X/Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/techfieldday Podcast: Website: https://www.techfieldday.com/podcast X/Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/techfielddaypod Tags: #TFDPodcast, #AIDIFD1, #AI, @TechFieldDay, @SFoskett, @AndyBanta, @CamberleyB, @KleeGeek, @TheFuturuemGroup, @TechFieldDay,

Commvault Shift: https://www.commvault.com/shift As companies are exposed to more and more attackers, they're realizing that cyber resilience is increasingly important. On this episode of the Tech Field Day Podcast, presented by Commvault, Senior Director of Product and Ecosystem Strategy Michael Stempf joins Justin Warren, Karen Lopez, and Stephen Foskett to discuss the growing challenges companies face in today's cybersecurity landscape. As more organizations transition to a cloud-first operation, they’re recognizing the heightened exposure of their data protection strategies to global compliance mandates like DORA and SCI. Adding to this complexity is the emerging threat of AI, raising important questions about how businesses can adapt and maintain resilience in the face of these evolving risks. Host: Stephen Foskett: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sfoskett/ Commvault Guest: Michael Stempf, Senior Director, Product and Ecosystem Strategy: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-stempf-119bb512/ Panelist: Justin Warren: https://www.linkedin.com/in/justinwarren/ Karen Lopez: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karenlopez/ Tech Field Day: Website: https://www.techfieldday.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/tech-field-day X/Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/techfieldday Podcast: Website: https://www.techfieldday.com/podcast X/Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/techfielddaypod #TFDPodcast, #CommvaultShift, #TFDPSpotlight, @Commvault, @TechFieldDay, @TheFutururmGroup, @TechFieldDayPod, @SFoskett, @JPWarren, @DataChic, @GestaltIT,

Event Page: https://techfieldday.com/event/efd3/ Hardware innovation at the edge is driven by diverse and challenging environments found outside traditional data centers. This episode of the Tech Field Day podcast features Jack Poller, Stephen Foskett, and Alastair Cooke considering the special requirements of hardware in edge computing prior to Edge Field Day this week. Edge locations, including energy, military, retail, and more, demand robust, tamper-resistant hardware that can endure harsh conditions like extreme temperatures and vibrations. This shift is fostering new hardware designs, drawing inspiration from industries like mobile technology, to support real-time data processing and AI applications. As edge computing grows, the interplay between durable hardware and adaptive software, including containerized platforms, will be crucial for maximizing efficiency and unlocking new capabilities in these dynamic environments. Host: Alastair Cooke: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alastaircooke/ Panelists: Jack Poller: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jackpoller/ Stephen Foskett: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sfoskett/ Tech Field Day: Website: https://www.techfieldday.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/tech-field-day X/Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/techfieldday Podcast: Website: https://www.techfieldday.com/podcast X/Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/techfielddaypod #TFDPodcast #EFD3 #EdgeComputing

Event Page: https://techfieldday.com/event/aifd5/ Although AI can be quite useful, it seems that the promise of generative AI has lead to irrational exuberance on the topic. This episode of the Tech Field Day podcast, recorded ahead of AI Field Day, features Justin Warren, Alastair Cooke, Frederic van Haren, and Stephen Foskett considering the promises made about AI. Generative AI was so impressive that it escaped from the lab, being pushed into production before it was ready for use. We are still living with the repercussions of this decision on a daily basis, with AI assistants appearing everywhere. Many customers are already frustrated by these systems, leading to a rapid push-back against the universal use of LLM chatbots. One problem the widespread mis-use of AI has solved already is the search for a driver of computer hardware and software sales, though this already seems to be wearing off. But once we take stock of the huge variety of tools being created, it is likely that we will have many useful new technologies to apply. Host: Stephen Foskett: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sfoskett/ Panelists: Frederic Van Haren: https://www.linkedin.com/in/fredericvharen/ Alastair Cooke: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alastaircooke/ Justin Warren: https://www.linkedin.com/in/justinwarren/ Tech Field Day: Website: https://www.techfieldday.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/tech-field-day X/Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/techfieldday Podcast: Website: https://www.techfieldday.com/podcast X/Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/techfielddaypod #AIFD5 #TFDPodcast #AI

AI networking is making huge strides toward standardization but Ethernet isn’t ready to displace the leading incumbent InfiniBand yet. In this episode of the Tech Field Day Podcast, Tom Hollingsworth is joined by Scott Robohn and Ray Lucchesi to discuss the state of Ethernet today and how it is continuing to improve. The guests discuss topics such as the dominance of InfiniBand, why basic Ethernet isn’t suited to latency-sensitive workloads, and how the future will improve the technology. Host: Tom Hollingsworth: https://www.linkedin.com/in/networkingnerd/ Panel: Ray Lucchesi: https://www.linkedin.com/in/raylucchesi/ Scott Robohn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/scottrobohn/ Tech Field Day: Website: https://www.techfieldday.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/tech-field-day X/Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/techfieldday Podcast: Website: https://www.techfieldday.com/podcast X/Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/techfielddaypod #TFDPodcast, #Ethernet, #InfiniBand