Networks
AI-nxiety
So far I’ve written about my love and hatred of what AI can do for me (or cost me) as a network owner. This post is going to cover why I’m afraid to let a machine take the wheel and use all that artificial …
Category: Networks
Networks
If I Was a Grownup, This is the Essay I’d Write
Recently, my friend Phoummala Schmitt, aka “ExchangeGoddess” and Microsoft Cloud Operations Advocate, wrote about her struggles with imposter syndrome. It’s a good read that I highly recommend. But one element of it stuck with me, like an itch I couldn’t quite reach. I knew this itch wasn’t …
Networks
Templates vs. Policies
Are configuration templates still needed with an automation framework? Or does the automation policy make them a relic of the past? Traditional Configuration Management: Templates We’ve all been there. We always keep a backup copy of a device’s configuration, not just for recovery, but …
Networks Systems
Application Performance Monitoring: Benefits and Examples
This is part three in this series. In part one and part two, we covered some of the basics. But in this post, we will dig into the benefits of application performance monitoring (APM), look at a few examples, and begin looking at what …
Networks Systems
Automation Paralysis: Why We Get Stuck Automating The Small Stuff
Despite all the talk of all our jobs being replaced by automation, my experience is that the majority of enterprises are still very much employing engineers to design, build, and operate the infrastructure. Why, then, are most of us stuck in a position where …
Networks
My Animosity Toward Artificial Intelligence
In my previous posts, I talked about the basics of AI in relation to network and systems management as well as why I love it. This post isn’t going to be as optimistic about the current state of affairs when it comes to AI. …
Networks
Directions
My wife called me for the third time, and I could hear that she was working hard to remain calm but was undeniably at the end of her rope. She had missed the freeway exit. For the third time. And was going to be …
Networks
Where Is Your Configuration Source of Truth?
Ask a good server engineer where their server configuration is defined and the answer will likely be something similar to In my Puppet manifests. Ask a network administrator the same thing about the network devices and they’ll probably look at you in confusion. Likely responses may …
Networks
My Affection for AI
In my last post, I mentioned one of the basic use cases for Artificial Intelligence (AI) in a modern network. AI can be utilized to not only bridge the informational gaps between functional teams, but can crunch that data down and provide predictions of …
Networks
Am I Automating Myself Out of a Job?
Is our contribution measured by what we’re doing or how we’re doing it? Are we providing value or are we just getting caught up in what’s exciting? How do we ensure that we’re seen as contributing despite appearing to be less busy? Do our …
