Cables2Clouds

• Tech Evangelism and Making Networking Cool Again with Alexis Bertholf

  Send us a textIf the network is the backbone of modern tech, why did it fade into the background while cloud, AI, and security stole the spotlight? We sit down with technical evangelist Alexis Berthoff to pull the curtain back on the real work of making complex systems understandable, usable, and resilient. Alexis shares how she acts as a translator between product, marketing, sales, and the community, turning feedback into better features, clearer messaging, and practical guidance that actually helps customers.We explore why networking lost its “cool” factor as connectivity became assumed and invisible, and what that means for a generation choosing careers based on social feeds and salary lists. From AI’s hunger for predictable latency and bandwidth to the messy reality of connecting data centers, cloud interconnects, and VPCs, the design surface has never been more demanding. We dig into the skills gap, the disappearing bottom rungs of ops, and why foundational troubleshooting still beats blind tool worship. Along the way, we touch on the looming shift to post‑quantum cryptography and what it could mean for VPNs, certificates, and long‑term data privacy.Alexis also introduces Megaport Connect, a one‑day, pre‑recorded cloud networking summit with three tracks: fundamentals, advanced technical, and executive. Think concrete patterns for cloud connectivity, middle mile choices, transit gateways and cloud WAN, plus a new community built for ongoing Q&A and peer support. If you’ve ever wondered how to keep networks simple without sacrificing resilience, when automation delivers ROI, or how to grow a career that starts in networking and branches to cloud or security, this conversation brings clarity without the buzzword fog.Enjoy the episode? Subscribe, share it with a colleague who needs a fresh view on networking, and leave a quick review to help others find the show. Your feedback shapes future topics and guests.Connect with Our Guest:https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexisbertholf/https://www.instagram.com/digital.byte_https://www.tiktok.com/@digital.byteMegaport Connect Registration: https://event.megaport.com/Megaport-Connect/Purchase Chris and Tim's new book on AWS Cloud Networking: https://www.amazon.com/Certified-Advanced-Networking-Certification-certification/dp/1835080839/ Check out the Monthly Cloud Networking Newshttps://docs.google.com/document/d/1fkBWCGwXDUX9OfZ9_MvSVup8tJJzJeqrauaE6VPT2b0/Visit our website and subscribe: https://www.cables2clouds.com/Follow us on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/cables2clouds.comFollow us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@cables2clouds/Follow us on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@cables2cloudsMerch Store: https://store.cables2clouds.com/Join the Discord Study group: https://artofneteng.com/iaatj

  --------  

  34:56

  --------

  34:56
• Monthly News Update: $1 Trillion Later, Can It Run Doom?

  Send us a textWe weigh efficiency against hype as Huawei’s open-source quantization aims to shrink LLM costs while AI spending sprints toward $1.5T. From Oracle’s blue-sky risk to Cisco’s SNMP flaws, Equinix and Alkira’s AI networking moves, and a leap into quantum networking, we look for what’s real and what’s next.• Huawei’s SINQ quantization for smaller, cheaper LLM deployments• AI spend approaching $1.5T amid capacity and power constraints• Oracle downside risk and the velocity of money in AI deals• Cisco IOS XE SNMP vulnerabilities and urgent patching guidance• Equinix Fabric Intelligence and AI Solutions Lab for AI interconnects• Alkira MCP and NIA for AI-driven multi-cloud network operations• Cisco’s quantum networking prototypes and entanglement chip• Quantum error correction, room‑temperature operation, and security signalsPurchase Chris and Tim's new book on AWS Cloud Networking: https://www.amazon.com/Certified-Advanced-Networking-Certification-certification/dp/1835080839/ Check out the Monthly Cloud Networking Newshttps://docs.google.com/document/d/1fkBWCGwXDUX9OfZ9_MvSVup8tJJzJeqrauaE6VPT2b0/Visit our website and subscribe: https://www.cables2clouds.com/Follow us on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/cables2clouds.comFollow us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@cables2clouds/Follow us on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@cables2cloudsMerch Store: https://store.cables2clouds.com/Join the Discord Study group: https://artofneteng.com/iaatj

  --------  

  29:04

  --------

  29:04
• Automating Cloud Native vs. On-Prem Networks with Eric Chou

  Send us a textThe gap between cloud-native and traditional networking has never been more evident. As organizations struggle with hybrid environments, finding a unified management strategy feels like searching for the mythical "one ring to rule them all."In this thought-provoking episode, we welcome Eric Chou, author, instructor, and podcast host with over a decade of experience at AWS and Azure. Eric brings a rare insider perspective on how hyperscalers approach networking fundamentally differently than traditional vendors.We explore why cloud providers built their infrastructure API-first from day one, while traditional networking vendors had to retrofit APIs onto existing hardware. This architectural distinction creates significant challenges when trying to manage both environments cohesively. Eric explains why cloud tools excel at declarative configurations while traditional networking tools often take a more procedural approach, and when each might be appropriate for your organization.The conversation takes a fascinating turn when we discuss how AI is reshaping network engineering. Are we headed toward a dangerous knowledge gap as junior engineers rely on AI without developing foundational skills? Eric advocates for an "enhance, not replace" philosophy that values human expertise while leveraging AI as a productivity multiplier. We debate whether simulation can ever truly replace the hard-earned lessons of 3 AM network outages.Whether you're managing a hybrid network environment or wondering how to prepare for an AI-driven future, this episode offers practical insights and a surprisingly optimistic outlook on the future of networking. Listen now to understand how bridging the gap between cloud and on-premises networking might be less about finding a universal tool and more about developing the right mindset and approach.Connect with Eric:Network Automation Nerds Podcast: https://packetpushers.net/podcast/network-automation-nerds/ Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/author/ericchouLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/choueric/ Network Automation Nerds Website: https://networkautomationnerds.com/ Purchase Chris and Tim's new book on AWS Cloud Networking: https://www.amazon.com/Certified-Advanced-Networking-Certification-certification/dp/1835080839/ Check out the Monthly Cloud Networking Newshttps://docs.google.com/document/d/1fkBWCGwXDUX9OfZ9_MvSVup8tJJzJeqrauaE6VPT2b0/Visit our website and subscribe: https://www.cables2clouds.com/Follow us on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/cables2clouds.comFollow us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@cables2clouds/Follow us on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@cables2cloudsMerch Store: https://store.cables2clouds.com/Join the Discord Study group: https://artofneteng.com/iaatj

  --------  

  50:42

  --------

  50:42
• Monthly News Update: The "S" in MCP Stands for Security

  Send us a textTim and Chris dive into the month's most significant tech developments, exploring antitrust rulings, emerging AI security threats, and the financial sustainability of the AI industry.• Google avoids having to sell Chrome in federal antitrust ruling but is barred from exclusive distribution contracts• Cybercriminals deploy "S1ngularity Attack" using LLM prompts to steal credentials from 2,100 GitHub accounts• Cisco reintroduces dedicated wireless certification track with focus on Wi-Fi 6/7 and Meraki technologies• Google Cloud introduces "agentic IAM" services to manage AI agent identities and improve MCP security• Zscaler CEO creates controversy by suggesting customer logs are used for AI training before company clarification• Avaya offers voluntary exit packages to all employees, suggesting potential acquisition or restructuring• OpenAI increases projected spending through 2029 by $80 billion to $115 billion totalShare this episode on social media and tell a friend about the podcast if you enjoyed it. You can find us on all platforms @Cables2Clouds.Purchase Chris and Tim's new book on AWS Cloud Networking: https://www.amazon.com/Certified-Advanced-Networking-Certification-certification/dp/1835080839/ Check out the Monthly Cloud Networking Newshttps://docs.google.com/document/d/1fkBWCGwXDUX9OfZ9_MvSVup8tJJzJeqrauaE6VPT2b0/Visit our website and subscribe: https://www.cables2clouds.com/Follow us on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/cables2clouds.comFollow us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@cables2clouds/Follow us on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@cables2cloudsMerch Store: https://store.cables2clouds.com/Join the Discord Study group: https://artofneteng.com/iaatj

  --------  

  38:38

  --------

  38:38
• Cloud Networking Basics: VPC - AWS vs Azure vs Google Cloud

  Send us a textWhat happens when three major cloud providers each reimagine network design from scratch? You get three completely different approaches to solving the same fundamental problem.The foundation of cloud networking begins with the virtual containers that hold your resources: AWS's Virtual Private Clouds (VPCs), Azure's Virtual Networks (VNets), and Google Cloud's VPCs (yes, the same name, very different implementation). While they all serve the same basic purpose—providing logical isolation for your workloads—their design philosophies reveal profound differences in how each provider expects you to architect your solutions.AWS took the explicit control approach. When you create subnets within an AWS VPC, you must assign each to a specific Availability Zone. This creates a vertical architecture pattern where you're deliberately placing resources in specific physical locations and designing resilience across those boundaries. Network engineers often find this intuitive because it matches traditional fault domain thinking. However, this design means you must account for cross-AZ data transfer costs and explicit resiliency patterns.Azure flipped the script with their horizontal approach. By default, subnets span across all AZs in a region, with Microsoft's automation handling the resilience for you. This "let us handle the complexity" philosophy makes initial deployment simpler but provides less granular control. Meanwhile, Google Cloud went global, allowing a single VPC to span regions worldwide—an approach that simplifies global connectivity but introduces new challenges for security segmentation.These architectural differences aren't merely academic—they fundamentally change how you design for resilience, manage costs, and implement security. The cloud introduced "toll booth" pricing for data movement, where crossing availability zones or regions incurs charges that didn't exist in traditional data centers. Understanding these nuances is crucial whether you're migrating existing networks or designing new ones.Want to dive deeper into cloud networking concepts? Let us know what topics you'd like us to cover next as we explore how traditional networking skills translate to the cloud world.Purchase Chris and Tim's new book on AWS Cloud Networking: https://www.amazon.com/Certified-Advanced-Networking-Certification-certification/dp/1835080839/ Check out the Monthly Cloud Networking Newshttps://docs.google.com/document/d/1fkBWCGwXDUX9OfZ9_MvSVup8tJJzJeqrauaE6VPT2b0/Visit our website and subscribe: https://www.cables2clouds.com/Follow us on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/cables2clouds.comFollow us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@cables2clouds/Follow us on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@cables2cloudsMerch Store: https://store.cables2clouds.com/Join the Discord Study group: https://artofneteng.com/iaatj

  --------  

  40:54

  --------

  40:54

Más podcasts de Economía y empresa

Podcasts a la moda de Economía y empresa

Acerca de Cables2Clouds