The Art of Network Engineering
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, we explore the people, tools, and trends shaping the future of networking, while keeping it authentic, practical, and human. We tell the human stories behind network engineering so every engineer feels seen, supported, and inspired to grow in a rapidly changing industry. For more information, check out https://linktr.ee/artofneteng
Episodes
We've all worked on those technical projects that felt doomed from the start.
In this episode, we're joined by Eyvonne Sharp and Mike Bushong to dig into what actually derails technical projects, and why the root cause is usually people, not packets.
We unpack:
- Why 80–90% of project failures aren’t technical
- What “executive sponsorship” is supposed to mean (and why most teams n...
Recorded on-site in Austin, Texas, at AutoCon 4 (Network Automation Forum), Andy sits down with Colin Doyle to talk about the human side of technical communication and why it matters more than ever in technical careers.
They dig into practical speaking advice for engineers: how to slow down without losing authority, why “dead air” feels scarier than it is, how to stop relying on scripts, and how to structure a talk so ...
Most network engineers know BGP, OSPF, and maybe EIGRP, but far fewer have hands-on experience with ISIS. In this episode of The Art of Network Engineering, Andy Lapteff sits down with Russ White and Mike Bushong for a deep, opinionated, and refreshingly honest discussion about routing protocol design in modern data centers.
We explore why BGP has become the default hammer for every networking nail, what we l...
In this special on-location episode of The Art of Network Engineering, Andy Lapteff sits down in person with Kevin Myers for a conversation that pulls no punches.
Kevin brings decades of service provider and whitebox experience to the table as the two dive deep into one of networking’s most complex decisions: how to choose the right vendor to build your network.
From Cisco to whitebox, from enterpris...
Andy sits down with longtime friend William Collins to unpack three big themes shaping modern NetOps.
First: the AWS US-East-1 outage and the myth that “cloud = resiliency by default.” They explore blast radius, hidden regional dependencies, cost trade-offs (active/active vs. DR), and why resiliency is engineered, not purchased.
Next: how public speaking accelerates a technical career (without live-demo heartbreak). W...
Network engineers don’t tune into corporate all-hands because they’re “lazy,” they tune out because the message often isn’t for them. In this episode of The Art of Network Engineering, Andy Lapteff sits down with longtime industry leaders Scott Robohn and Mike Bushong to unpack the disconnect between engineering teams and executive communications, and how to fix it.
They talk about:
- Why engineers roll their eyes at ...
Blue Origin’s Lexie Cooper is back! We riff on New Glenn’s first launch and what “vehicle #2” means for launch cadence, where to watch from Florida without getting arrested, and why streaming your learning, even when it’s awkward, is a cheat code for growth.
Andy shares his live Python study saga (and a friendly dust-up with Jeff about “just code it”), while Lexie takes us down to Layer 1: PHYs, link pulses,...
Learning Python as a network engineer can feel confusing, frustrating, and let’s be honest, pretty dry at times. But Andy and Jeff are diving in together to make it real, relatable, and (hopefully) a little more fun.
In this episode, they pick up where the last Python Party left off: exploring variables, strings, methods like .title() and .strip(), and why whitespace can break your scripts. Along the way, the...
We’re kicking off a brand-new “Python Study Sessions” series—learn right alongside host Andy Lapteff as he starts from absolute basics and builds momentum one concept at a time. In this first session, Andy walks through the installation of Python, setting up VS Code, running “Hello, world,” and getting comfortable with the Python REPL. Then we dive into fundamentals you’ll use everywhere: variables, print(), syntax hi...
BGP isn’t just “the internet’s protocol”—it’s the most flexible policy engine in networking. In this episode of The Art of Network Engineering, Andy Lapteff and Jeff Clark sit down with Kevin Myers (aka StubArea51) to unpack Border Gateway Protocol from the ground up: why BGP replaced EGP, how policy differs from IGP topology, and where iBGP shines inside modern enterprises.
You’ll hear practical patterns for BGP commu...
What happens when a farm kid with a knack for taking things apart discovers computers? Meet Tom Lawrence, the tech polymath behind Lawrence Systems and a YouTube channel with over 375,000 subscribers. In this engaging conversation, Tom reveals how his curiosity-driven journey from 1990s Linux enthusiast to MSP owner and content creator was fueled by a simple philosophy: lead with value.
Tom's approach st...
From refinancing a car to attend Novell School to founding one of networking's most influential podcasts, Ethan Banks shares his remarkable journey through the evolution of network engineering with raw honesty and deep insight.
In this captivating conversation, Ethan takes us back to the mid-90s when networks ran on a patchwork of protocols like IPX, DeckNet, and AppleTalk, before the industry consolidat...
Ever wondered what really happens behind the scenes of a tech podcast? From planning to publishing, this episode lifts the veil on the entire content creation process that powers The Art of Network Engineering.
The journey begins with planning—far from simply hitting record and talking, successful episodes require thoughtful topic selection, guest coordination, and scheduling. We reveal how project management...
Have you ever wondered what happens when the networks we build leave Earth's atmosphere? In this mind-expanding conversation with Lexi Cooper, Network Integration Engineer at Blue Origin, we explore the extraordinary world of rocket networking and witness firsthand the emotional impact of watching your work launch into orbit.
Lexi's journey defies conventional career paths—from hating her previous j...
Drowning in digital clutter? You're not alone. In this practical deep-dive, Andy and Jeff share the productivity systems that have transformed their professional lives as network engineers.
We explore how Asana's Kanban-style boards create visual workflow management that prevents important tasks from falling through the cracks. Whether you're managing podcast production or complex network proje...
Beyond the sundecks and buffet lines lies a technological marvel most cruise passengers never consider - the complex network infrastructure keeping these floating cities connected and operational. In this fascinating conversation with Will Robbins, we dive deep into the unique challenges and solutions of maritime networking that blend hospitality technology with critical operational systems.
Have you ever won...
Artificial intelligence isn't just a buzzword anymore. It's fundamentally changing how we approach networking and IT infrastructure. In the inaugural "Whitreboard Wednesday episode, Jeff Clark joins Andy to demonstrate practical AI applications that are transforming everyday tasks for network engineers.
Jeff walks through powerful tools like Google's Notebook LM, which creates comprehensiv...
The networking industry stands at a crossroads where traditional command-line mastery meets modern automation requirements. Few professionals embody this intersection better than Muna Chimso, a Network Automation Engineer at Google who joins us to share his remarkable journey and insights.
Muna's story begins in Nigeria, where fixing his mother's phone sparked an early interest in technology. After ...
Consulting Engineers (CEs) at networking vendors blend deep technical expertise with customer-facing skills to bridge the gap between account managers and specialized solution design. They operate as specialists who support Sales Engineers when customer requirements demand deeper technical knowledge.
• CEs often join from traditional network engineering backgrounds or increasingly through vendor graduate prog...
The divide between network engineers and developers has long been a source of frustration, misunderstanding, and blame in the tech world. When applications fail, the classic refrain "it's the network" often echoes through organizations, leaving network engineers scrambling to prove their innocence while developers remain convinced of their code's perfection.
In this enlightening conversati...
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