The more advanced a technology becomes, the more complex it appears. Is that always the case? Or is the complexity in networking coming from something besides the technology itself? Are there reasons why networking gets more and more complex as the years go by? Are we just doing this to ourselves? Is Networking Too Complex? On-Premises for Today’s Roundtable: Panelists Jordan Villarreal Jason Gintert Martin Duggan Moderator Tom Hollingsworth Twitter @SystemMTUOne @BitsInFlight @MartinCcie7942 Tw...
Jun 24, 2022•24 min
Pretty much every application today has an API and scales out using modern infrastructure approaches, but is it a cloud? That’s the question we put to the panel of podcast guests today, as we look forward to Cloud Field Day 14 in June 2022. Certainly APIs are important to cloud applications, but it takes more than an API to be a cloud. The cloud operating model, and as-a-service financial models, are just as important, as are automated provisioning and scaling and hands-off management. All of th...
Jun 21, 2022•32 min
You may have engineering talent on staff but how full are they? Because you must have a full stack engineer, or you’ll never get anything accomplished. What is a full stack engineer? Why are they so in-demand? And why are there no full stack lawyers? Or full stack doctors? In this episode, we discuss whether or not Full Stack Engineering is a Joke. On-Premises for Today’s Roundtable: Panelists Keith Townsend Dan Kelcher Bruno Wollmann Moderator Tom Hollingsworth Twitter @CTOAdvisor @IPSwitch @Wo...
Jun 17, 2022•29 min
Enterprise IT has endured a significant number of changes in the past few years. The rise of the cloud coupled with a global pandemic forcing users to work remotely has made stakeholders ask about the need to replace hardware for a location that doesn’t see much traffic. Coupled with the desire of hardware vendors to move to a subscription model, it’s time to ask Does Enterprise IT Matter Anymore? On-Premises for Today’s Roundtable: Panelists Drew Conry-Murray Troy Martin Remington Loose Jody Le...
Jun 14, 2022•30 min
The line between storage and memory is blurring thanks to Intel Optane technology, and systems equipped with this might not need storage at all. Join Dr. Jawad Khan of Intel as he discusses a real-world system that was able to outperform a high-end solution at a tenth the cost thanks to Intel Optane technology. Justin Warren and Frederic Van Haren join Stephen Foskett to discuss the implications of a system that can keep an entire big data graph in persistent memory and thus does not need as muc...
Jun 07, 2022•33 min
Companies are reinventing things all the time in IT. In their own fields, when venturing out to new ones, it seems that every company is trying to do things their own unique way, albeit trying to bring something new and incredible to the market, but there is a fallacy to this approach that’s foiling their good intentions. Enterprise IT companies don’t seem to communicate much amongst themselves and that is causing them to repeat each other’s mistakes, develop partial solutions to full size probl...
May 31, 2022•35 min
Most people assume that storage systems are secure, but security is not necessarily part of the design for most storage systems. In this episode, sponsored by RackTop Systems , Marc Staimer and Arjan Timmerman are joined by Eric Bednash and David Hughes of RackTop to discuss the real state of storage security. Although cybersecurity professionals have processes and directives in place in many spots within modern IT infrastructure, most do not have robust security practices within the domain of s...
May 24, 2022•38 min
Given the announcements of just about every company in the industry, it appears that AI requires specialized storage to function. In this special episode, recorded prior to AI Field Day, Andy Banta and Karen Lopez join Stephen Foskett to discuss the relationship between storage, data, and AI. We’ve seen lots of companies, including AI Field Day presenters DDN, NetApp, and WEKA, selling their high-performance distributed storage solutions for AI workloads. But is this just the nature of modern st...
May 17, 2022•27 min
The technology behind VPNs is venerable. Heavy clients that create client networking issues coupled with key exchanges makes users want to throw their hands up in dismay. Applications have integrated security features and moved to the cloud to provide centralized access. Are VPNs even worth it any more? In this episode, brought you by Keeper Security, we debate the premise that VPNs Aren’t Required Anymore. On-Premises for Today’s Roundtable: Panelists Girard Kavelines Evan Mintzer Twitter @GKav...
May 10, 2022•26 min
Many companies are trying to leverage DevOps to sell products through developer advocacy, but does it actually work? Just having open source or sharing code on GitHub doesn’t guarantee that a company will get quality engagement, let alone testing or adoption. In fact, a developer focus can be counter-productive if a company wants to become a strategic partner to other companies. Open source works great to spread and develop software, but self-centered developer-focused marketing isn’t the same t...
May 03, 2022•29 min
Wireless is the new normal for endpoint connectivity. But does it solve all the problems we have with connecting lots of devices over a wide area? Are there places where Wi-Fi doesn’t work as well as other technologies? With the rise of private cellular deployment options IT departments are asking whether or not they should be considering alternatives to traditional Wi-Fi. In this episode, a panel of experts answers the question Do Enterprises Need Private Cellular? On-Premises for Today’s Round...
Apr 19, 2022•38 min
We all know how dangerous it is to have no security around your important IT assets. We need to keep the users safe and the infrastructure secure. What happens when we go overboard and implement too many polices and tools to protect things? Are we really helping the situation? Or are we just making it worse for everyone, including the people that rely on us to get their work done? In this episode, our panel of security experts discuss whether or not Too Much Security is Just as Bad as No Securit...
Apr 05, 2022•22 min
Storage is not secure, period. Storage has security weaknesses that can open doors to attackers to easily hack into sensitive data stores, and this is not news. Security vulnerabilities in storage have existed for years, but not much has been done about it. Today, on the face of rising ransomware attacks, when data security is supremely important, storage is still the weakest link in security. In this On-Premise IT Roundtable Podcast, Stephen Foskett and his guests discuss this situation to find...
Mar 15, 2022•34 min
The typical approach to security is to just put some firewalls in place and create a perimeter, right? While that might work well in very specific enterprise settings reality is more nuanced, especially in a service provider. In this episode we discuss why Firewalls Don’t Seem to Belong Everywhere. On-Premises for Today’s Roundtable: Panelists Nick Buraglio Chris Cummings Vince Schuele Moderator Tom Hollingsworth Twitter @ForwardingPlane @CrankyNetMan @Schuele22 Twitter @NetworkingNerd Follow us...
Mar 15, 2022•29 min
Looking at the new companies in enterprise storage, it’s obvious that storage just isn’t storage anymore. Even more traditional storage vendors are adding software as a service and data services, and these are major selling points rather than the ability to store data. At Storage Field Day in March 2022, none of the companies is presenting block and file storage, SAN or NAS, or any of the other traditional storage technologies. Is the storage array “a solved problem” or are we just looking at th...
Mar 08, 2022•29 min
The modern world of security is transforming quickly. Attackers are leveraging new tools and new ways to invade systems and capture data or demand ransoms. The traditional method of securing your enterprise isn’t enough any more. If you’re thinking in a reactive way you’re falling behind and may never catch up. In this episode we discuss all the ways that Reactive Security Controls are Not Enough. On-Premises for Today’s Roundtable: Panelists Justin Warren Scott Driver Twitter @JPWarren @VTsnowb...
Mar 01, 2022•31 min
You’ve probably heard of Web3 but how do we actually define it? We know that it has something to do with connecting the web to a blockchain but the true definition of Web3 is unclear. We can all agree that there are exciting aspects of Web3 but why are we doing this? We can already do a lot of things without Web3, from online banking to distributed applications. Do we really need a blockchain? Is being used for what it was intended for? In this episode we take on the premise that Web3 is bunk. O...
Feb 24, 2022•31 min
As public cloud becomes more popular and competitive, developers are adopting cross-cloud platforms that can be thought of as a hypercloud. One driver for this is high availability, but many platform decisions are driven by a desire for more advanced features. Still, we must be aware of data gravity and the complexity involved with these platforms. Kubernetes is the ultimate example of a hypercloud platform, but many vendors are producing compelling tools that sit above the cloud and replace the...
Feb 15, 2022•33 min
How many times have we heard of an exciting new advance in enterprise IT that is poised to revolutionize the way we do things only to see it fizzle out? Perhaps it’s bad business practice but what about those that were acquired by bigger companies and disappear? Is it a bit of bad luck? Or is it something more sinister? In this episode we explore the idea that Disruptive Technologies Get Buried. On-Premises for Today’s Roundtable: Panelists Carl Fugate Ed Weadon Kerstin Mende-Stief Moderator Tom...
Feb 08, 2022•24 min
Have you ever watched a movie sequel that felt just like the previous one but with slightly newer references? That’s how 2021 felt compared to 2020. In 2022, will we see the technology landscape shift dramatically? Or will it feel like the past twelve months but with faster speeds and lower costs? Join a group of forward-looking thinkers on this episode as we decide whether or not 2022 will be the same year for technology as 2021 or not. On-Premises for Today’s Roundtable: Panelists Stephen Fosk...
Jan 11, 2022•30 min
Networking is networking, right? It’s all the same routers and switches that move packets between locations. How different can they really be? Join Tom Hollingsworth as he brings on a panel of service provider networking experts to dissect the differences between the traditional enterprise network and a service provider or transit network. What are the ultimate goals of your infrastructure? And who is the customer? When you finish listening to the episode, will you agree that A Service Provider ...
Dec 07, 2021•33 min
Unstructured data is varied in nature and continues to grow, especially in our new world of telematics, multimedia, and AI. In this sponsored episode, Amy Fowler of Pure Storage joins Gina Rosenthal, Enrico Signoretti, and Stephen Foskett to discuss the challenge of dealing with unstructured data. With IDC estimating that 85% of user data will be unstructured, the challenge isn’t to provide structure but to develop solutions that can handle data as it is. Today’s object storage systems offer ext...
Nov 30, 2021•33 min
When designing Wi-Fi networks, there are a number of buttons that you can push to help make the perfect setup to maximize coverage and throughput. Depending on the application you use to do the work you may find some buttons easier to use than others. However, the most popular value to change seems to be the data rate. Is this a good idea? Or are you just setting yourself up for failure? In this episode, will we find out that Data Rates Don’t Change Cell Size? On-Premises for Today’s Roundtable:...
Nov 23, 2021•30 min
Containers were supposed to be lightweight and stateless, unlike the heavy virtual machines that dominate today’s datacenter. In this first on-premises episode in two years, Stephen Foskett puts the question of heavy containers to Ned Bellavance, Nico Stein, and Nathan Bennett. Containers were intended to abstract system services rather than hardware like virtualization, and this results in their light and stateless nature. But this is a result rather than a necessary quality of containers, and ...
Nov 09, 2021•26 min
The question of cloud readiness has plagued the enterprise for a decade, but we have finally gotten to the point that enterprise IT is coming to the public cloud. Some of the drivers for cloud adoption include the pandemic and work-from-anywhere as well as the current shortage of chips and equipment. But there is a pull for cloud as well, now that applications have evolved to the point that they work better in the cloud enterprises are making the switch. Applications like collaboration and email...
Oct 26, 2021•39 min
The rise of massive ransomware outbreaks has led to a number of strategy changes, including the pivot of disaster recovery and business continuity companies into marketing their solutions as an effective way to stop ransomware. But are these products really going to solve the issue? Or just treat the symptoms of the wider problem? On-Premises for Today’s Roundtable: Panelists Scott Driver Bruno Wollmann Moderator Tom Hollingsworth Twitter @VTsnowboarder42 @WollmannBruno Twitter @NetworkingNerd J...
Oct 12, 2021•28 min
Techies are inherently curious, and magic happens when they step outside their area of expertise and really dig into something new. That’s what we’re talking about this week on the On-Premise IT Roundtable with a set of delegates from Tech Field Day 24. We’re mixing disciplines and breaking down the walls between industry verticals and learning about everything from IoT to storage to container management to smart networking. When we see things we don’t know, we can spot novel approaches and try ...
Sep 28, 2021•33 min
With a hybrid work model now a reality for a growing number of enterprise employees, IT departments are now rethinking the way they deploy their resources. One of the big questions is what happens during the next upgrade cycle. Are IT budgets going to be cut? Do we need full-featured devices in an office no one is going to visit? Should that spending be shifted to the end users or to cloud services? Will working from anywhere be the end of enterprise IT? On-Premises for Today’s Roundtable: Panel...
Sep 14, 2021•25 min
Today, it seems like every cloud vendor is pitching a service mesh, but is this really necessary? In this episode, Calvin Hendryx-Parker, Ned Bellavance, and Jason Benedicic join Stephen Foskett to discuss the value of a service mesh to modern application stacks. In theory, a service mesh facilitates communication between services and microservices in modern applications. It also provides a data and management plane to today’s scalable applications and can improve security and flexibility. But a...
Sep 07, 2021•29 min
The history of information technology is bound up with hype. In this discussion, Tech Field Day 24 delegates Paul Stringfellow, Robert Novak, and Craig Rodgers discuss the endless parade of hype with Stephen Foskett. Whether it’s 5G or edge or disaggregated infrastructure or the cloud, every technology goes through a wave of hype before it becomes reality. How can we tell what a technology will really deliver and what’s just marketing talk? The famous Gartner Hype Cycle is more about marketing t...
Aug 31, 2021•31 min
