D2DO316: Local AI Foundations

Kyler and Ned are joined by Mo Moustafa, creator of Ollybot, to explore the complexities of running open-source models through OpenRouter. Together they delve into model tuning, experiments with model providers, the roiling chaos that is the current state of inference as a service, and more. Packet Pushers by Meter Episode Links: Watch this episode... Read more »

In this sponsored episode, Michael Levan and Nathan Pearce of Solo.io join Kyler and Ned to explore how to run AI agents securely at enterprise scale. Together they break down key architectural challenges such as maintaining state, implementing secure sandboxes, and optimizing resources with open-source tools like Agent Substrate. Episode Links: Watch this episode on... Read more »

Ned Bellavance gets to be the guest on today’s show to discuss foundational AI knowledge, inference training, and running local models with Kyler Middleton. Together, they break down practical approaches to local model execution, comparing performance trade-offs and how engineers can safely leverage open-weight models. They also explore the difference between training and inference, optimization... Read more »

Ned and Kyler explore the challenges and best practices of running AI agents securely at scale with guest Michael Levan. Together they discuss operational realities of agentic workloads such as specialized AI gateways, semantic routing, sandboxing, and the importance of robust observability practices. AdSpot Sponsor: Gartner The Gartner IT Infrastructure Operations and Cloud Strategies Conference,... Read more »

Ned and Kyler talk with Jim Jones about data protection, backups, and security in the age of hybrid cloud and AI. They explore the operational challenges of integrating automated AI agents into enterprise workflows, the need for proper permission scoping, immutable backups, and data security posture management (DSPM). AdSpot Sponsor: Gartner The Gartner IT Infrastructure... Read more »

In this sponsored episode, Paul Delory of Gartner joins Kyler and Ned to discuss the reconciler pattern for operations and the shift toward continuous operations. Together they discuss how immutable infrastructure, policy as code, and platform engineering help bridge the gap between traditional IT and modern automation. They also highlight Gartner’s upcoming Infrastructure, Operations &... Read more »

How can network architects successfully manage 95,000 hosts while navigating the complexities of large-scale cloud migrations? Devender Singh, a Principal Cloud Architect, joins Ned and Kyler to discuss the practical realities of managing network chaos, the migration from Transit Gateways to AWS Cloud WAN, and strategies for addressing the technical debt often encountered during enterprise... Read more »

Traditional peer review processes are breaking down in the new AI era. Dylan Ratcliffe, founder and CEO of Overmind Technology, joins Ned and Kyler to discuss the importance of treating AI as a machine to be audited rather than a peer. Together they share practical advice on how to adapt peer review processes and culture... Read more »

Tyler Lynch, Outbound CTO at IBM, joins the show to discuss shifting from “tokenmaxxing” to “valuemaxxing” by optimizing AI agent workflows for efficiency. They explore using Obsidian for persistent agent memory to combat context bloat, the critical importance of secure sandboxing practices, and the strategic use of parallel verification to ensure your agents are performing... Read more »

Today, several members of our Packet Pushers podcast team assemble to discuss whether the grass is greener on the NetOps or DevOps side of the telemetry fence. William of The Cloud Gambit, Scott of Total Network Operations, and Ned and Kyler of Day Two DevOps discuss the difficulties and differences of getting telemetry and state... Read more »