17. Network Engineering is a Dying Career Field

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

AI Field Day 5 Event Page: ⁠https://techfieldday.com/event/aifd5/⁠ The current hype about building massive generative AI models with massive hardware investment is just one aspect of AI. This episode of the Tech Field Day podcast features Frederic Van Haren, Karen Lopez, Marian Newsome, and host Stephen Foskett taking a different perspective on the larger world of AI. Our last episode suggested that AI as it is currently being hyped is a fad, but the bigger world of AI is absolutely real. Large language models are maturing rapidly and even generative AI is getting better by the month, but we are rapidly seeing the reality of the use cases for this technology. All neural networks use patterns in historical data to infer results, so any AI engine could hallucinate. But traditional AI is much less susceptible to errors than the much-hyped generative AI models that are capturing the headlines today. AI is a tool that augments our knowledge and decision making, but it doesn't replace human intelligence. There is a whole world of AI applications that are productive, responsible, and practical, and these are most certainly not a fad. Host: Stephen Foskett: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/sfoskett/⁠ Panelists: Frederic Van Haren: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/fredericvharen/⁠ Karen Lopez: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/karenlopez/⁠ Marian Newsome: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/mariannewsome/⁠ 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

AI Field Day 5: https://techfieldday.com/event/aifd5/ Although AI is certain to transform society, not to mention computing, what we know if it is unlikely to last much longer. This episode of the Tech Field Day podcast brings together Glenn Dekhayser, Alastair Cooke, Allyson Klein, and Stephen Foskett to discuss the real and changing world of AI. Looking at AI infrastructure today, we see massive clusters of GPUs being deployed in the cloud and on-premises to train ever-larger language models, but how much business value do these clusters have long-term? It seems that the true transformation promised by LLM and GenAI will be realized once models are applied across industries with RAG or tuning rather than developing new models. Ultimately AI is a feature of a larger business process or application rather than being a product in itself. We can certainly see that AI-based applications will be transformative, but the vast investment required to build out AI infrastructure to date might never be recouped. Ultimately there is a future for AI, but not the way we have been doing it to date. Host: Stephen Foskett: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sfoskett/ Panelists: Alastair Cooke: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alastaircooke/ Allyson Klein: https://www.linkedin.com/in/allysonklein/ Glenn Dekhayser: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gdekhayser/ 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, #AI, #GenAI,

Generative AI tools and features are becoming an indispensable part of the way operations teams do their jobs. Tom Hollingsworth is joined by Keith Parsons, Kerry Kulp, and Ron Westfall for this episode discussing the rise of AI tools and how they are implemented. The guests talk about how AI tools should be used by teams to increase their capabilities. They also discuss where AI still has a lot of room to grow and how to avoid traps that could cause issues for stakeholders and champions. Host: Tom Hollingsworth: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/networkingnerd/ Panelists: Kerry Kulp: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kerrykulp/ Keith Parsons: https://www.linkedin.com/in/keithrparsons/ Ron Westfall, Research Director, The Futurum Group: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ron-westfall-b7679a/ 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, #Mobility, #AI, @NetworkingNerd, @TechFieldDayPod, @TechFieldDay, @RonWestfallDX, @TheFuturumGroup, @KeithRParsons, @KeKulp, @GestaltIT,

Event Page: https://techfieldday.com/event/nfd35/ Network-as-a-Service (NaaS) is a very popular topic in the modern enterprise. It promises a way to consume networking technologies in the same way that one would purchase cloud computing by only charging users for what they need. In this episode of the Tech Field Day podcast, Jordan Martin, Micheline Murphy, and Robb Boyd join Tom Hollingsworth as they discuss the various ways that Network-as-a-Service can be expressed in an organization. They debate the merits of the operational model versus the financial aspects and how NaaS blends into the wider industry trends. Host: Tom Hollingsworth: https://www.linkedin.com/in/networkingnerd/ Panelists: Jordan Martin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jordankmartin Micheline Murphy: https://www.linkedin.com/in/micheline-murphy-ba165b53/ Robb Boyd: http://www.linkedin.com/in/robbboyd 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, #NFD35, #Networking, @NetworkingNerd, @TechFieldDay, @TheFuturumGroup, @RobbBoyd, @MichyfishMurphy, @BCJordo,

Tech Field Day Extra at SHARE Kansas City 2024 Event Page Despite the hype about modern applications, the mainframe remains central to enterprise IT and is rapidly adopting new technologies. This episode of the Tech Field Day podcast features Steven Dickens, Geoffrey Decker, and Jon Hildebrand talking to Stephen Foskett about the modern mainframe prior to the SHARE conference. The modern datacenter is rapidly adopting technologies like containerization, orchestration, and artificial intelligence, and these are coming to the mainframe world as well. And the continued importance of mainframe applications, especially in finance and transportation, makes the mainframe more important than ever. There is a tremendous career opportunity in mainframes as well, with recent grads commanding high salaries and working with exciting modern technologies. Modern mainframes run Linux natively, support OpenShift and containers, and support all of the latest languages and programming models in addition to PL1, Cobol, DB2, and of course zOS. We're looking forward to bringing the latest in the mainframe space from SHARE to our audience. Host: Stephen Foskett: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sfoskett/ Panelists: Steven Dickens, Chief Technology Advisor for The Futurum Group: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevenpdickens/ Geoffrey Decker: https://www.linkedin.com/in/geoffreydecker/ Jon Hildebrand: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonhildebrand 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, #TFDx, #SHAREKC24, @TechFieldDay, @TheFuturumGroup, @SFoskett, @StevenDickens3, @GestaltIT, @TechFieldDayPod, @SnoopJ123, @GeoffreyMusik,

Event Page: https://techfieldday.com/event/nfd35/ Network Engineering isn’t the hottest profession on the block and people have expressed concerns that the profession is going to be subsumed into other disciplines in the near future. In this episode of the Tech Field Day podcast, Tom Hollingsworth joins Andy Lapteff and Remington Loose at the table to discuss the decline in network engineering roles. They also talk about changes in perceptions as well as the industry. They close out by discussing the future outlook for roles involving network engineering. Host: Tom Hollingsworth: https://www.linkedin.com/in/networkingnerd/ Panelists: Remington Loose: https://www.linkedin.com/in/remington/ Andy Lapteff: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andylapteff/ 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, #NFD35, #Networking, @NetworkingNerd, @TechFieldDay, @TheFuturumGroup, @LocalPref_Net, @AndyLapteff,

Event Page: https://techfieldday.com/event/adfd1/ Open-source platforms and managed services are a huge help when it comes to modernizing applications, especially for smaller businesses. This episode of the Tech Field Day podcast, recorded at AppDev Field Day, includes Stephen Foskett and Paul Nashawaty discussing the challenges and solutions for small businesses in modernizing applications. Small businesses often face significant challenges when it comes to modernizing their applications, primarily due to limited resources and the complexity of cutting-edge technologies. While larger enterprises might have the capacity to adopt sophisticated technologies like microservices, AI, and advanced security systems, smaller companies struggle to keep pace. However, the availability of open-source technologies and managed services provides a viable pathway for these businesses to modernize incrementally. By leveraging open-source platforms and engaging with managed services, small businesses can modernize their applications without the need for extensive in-house expertise or substantial upfront investment. This approach allows them to progressively adopt new technologies and improve their competitive position in the market. Host: Stephen Foskett, Organizer of the Tech Field Day Event Series: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sfoskett/ Panel: Paul Nashawaty, Practice Lead, Application Development Modernization at The Futurum Group: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulnashawaty/ Jack Poller: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jackpoller/ 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, #ADFD1, #AppDev, @TechFieldDay, @techFieldDayPod, @TheFuturumGroup, @SFoskett, @Poller, @PNashawaty,