Home Podcasts The Art of Network Engineering
The Art of Network Engineering

The Art of Network Engineering

Andy and Friends 203 Episodes Aug 12, 2026

The Art of Network Engineering blends technical insight with real-world stories from engineers, innovators, and IT pros. From data centers on cruise ships to rockets in space, it explores the people, tools, and trends shaping the future of networking. The podcast aims to keep content authentic, practical, and human, telling the human stories behind network engineering so every engineer feels seen, supported, and inspired.

Episodes

500 Hours of Foosball, 20 Hours on Your Career | Mike Bushong on Staying Valuable
500 Hours of Foosball, 20 Hours on Your Career | Mike Bushong on Staying Valuable Aug 12, 2026 2202 How much time did you invest in your career last year?At AutoCon 5 in Munich, Andy sits down with Mike Bushong for a candid conversation about career growth, automation, AI, and staying valuable as network engineering continues to change.Mike pushes back on one of the industry's most common narratives: learn automation and AI or get left behind.Technology is changing, and learning new skills
Cursor for Network Engineers? Meet Transit AI (Sponsored)
Cursor for Network Engineers? Meet Transit AI (Sponsored) Aug 5, 2026 4369 AI is rapidly changing software development, but why are network engineers still hesitant to trust it?In this sponsored episode, Andy welcomes back CBT Nuggets trainer and Data Knox creator Knox Hutchinson to discuss the intersection of AI, networking, and modern operations. Before building Transit AI, Knox spent years as a software developer delivering enterprise applications for financial instit
whoami: Network Engineering's Identity Crisis
whoami: Network Engineering's Identity Crisis Jul 29, 2026 2536 In Linux, the whoami command returns the identity of the current user.But what happens when engineers ask that same question about themselves?Who am I if I am no longer the person who knows every command? Who am I if automation can perform the work I spent years mastering? Who am I if AI can write code I never learned how to write?At AutoCon 5 in Munich, Andy Lapteff sat down with Network Automati
The Biggest Myth About Open Source
The Biggest Myth About Open Source Jul 15, 2026 3596 Does making your code public mean giving away your best ideas?It's a question more developers are asking as AI makes software creation more accessible than ever.After spending decades believing software development wasn't for him, Andy Lapteff has spent the last several months building real applications with AI-assisted coding tools like Claude Code. That journey led to a bigger question
Why Most Network Designs Are Flawed
Why Most Network Designs Are Flawed Jul 1, 2026 2786 Andy Lapteff sits down with network architect James Bensley at AutoCon 5 in Munich to explore the realities of service provider networking, architecture, automation, and standards development. James shares his path from support engineer to architect, explains how network designs evolve, and discusses how architects balance business requirements, operational simplicity, and long-term scalability. T
From Network Engineer to Product Marketing: A Career Path for Communicators
From Network Engineer to Product Marketing: A Career Path for Communicators Jun 17, 2026 2829 What happens when a network engineer realizes their biggest strength isn’t just technology, it’s communication?In this episode of The Art of Network Engineering, Andy Lapteff sits down with Patrick McCabe to discuss the transition from network engineering into product marketing and other vendor-side technical roles.Pat shares stories from:carrier-scale networking,tier 3 operational support,IPTV de
Networking for AI: Why Every Network Engineer Should Pay Attention in 2026
Networking for AI: Why Every Network Engineer Should Pay Attention in 2026 Jun 3, 2026 2730 AI infrastructure is reshaping networking faster than most engineers realize.In this episode, Andy Lapteff sits down with Scott Robohn to discuss why traditional network engineers should start paying attention to AI networking, GPU infrastructure, and the massive changes happening inside modern data centers.They explore:Why AI workloads are changing networking requirementsGPU networking and lossle
Why Most Engineers Struggle to Build Visibility (And How to Change That)
Why Most Engineers Struggle to Build Visibility (And How to Change That) May 20, 2026 3151 Andy Lapteff sits down in person with Tom Hollingsworth ahead of Networking Field Day 40 for a wide-ranging conversation about Tech Field Day, what makes a great delegate, how great technical conversations happen, and why curiosity remains one of the most important traits in networking.Tom shares the “secret sauce” behind Field Day: strong content, the right audience, and logistics that make the e
Tech Careers Are Built on Relationships, Not Resumes
Tech Careers Are Built on Relationships, Not Resumes May 6, 2026 1767 In this episode, we break down why traditional job applications are failing and how networking communities like USNUA are becoming the fastest path to career growth in IT.You’ll learn: Why applying online isn’t working  How real opportunities come from real conversations  Why community matters more than certifications You don’t get hired through applications. You get hired through people.If you wa
You Don’t Need Python Anymore: Hello World For AI
You Don’t Need Python Anymore: Hello World For AI Apr 22, 2026 3210 For years, network engineers were told the same thing:“Learn Python… or fall behind.”But what if that’s no longer true?In this episode, we walk through a real Hello World for AI in networking: connecting an AI agent to NetBox using Model Context Protocol (MCP) and querying network data in natural language.No scripts.No Python expertise.Just results.This is a live, unfiltered build, from cloning a
Grow Your Career in 2026
Grow Your Career in 2026 Apr 8, 2026 4488 What does a network engineer actually make in 2025–2026? How do you ask for a raise without making it weird? And what's the single biggest thing holding your career back? We recorded this one live.This episode comes straight from the US Networking User Association PA Network User Group 2026 Spring Career Day — a standing-room-only event organized by USNUA in the Philadelphia area. Five talks.
Radia Perlman: You’re Solving the Wrong Problem
Radia Perlman: You’re Solving the Wrong Problem Mar 25, 2026 3641 What if the biggest problem in networking is that we’re solving the wrong one?In this episode of The Art of Network Engineering, Andy and Lexie sit down with Radia Perlman, one of the most influential figures in networking history and the inventor of Spanning Tree Protocol.This conversation goes far beyond protocols and configurations. Radia shares how networking evolved, through constraints, trad

Recommended