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Artwork for The Hedge

The Hedge

Russ White
Networking
Network Engineering
Cloud Computing
Automation
Network Automation
Data Centers
BGP
Computer Networking
Artificial Intelligence
Cybersecurity
Ipv6
Sonic
QUIC
Productivity
Energy Efficiency
RPKI
Self-Publishing
Blockchain
Telecommunications
Open Source Software

culture eats technology for breakfast

PublishesWeeklyEpisodes64Founded7 years ago
Number of ListenersCategory
Technology

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Artwork for The Hedge

Latest Episodes

We are often told that if engineers who don’t go “all in” on AI will be left behind. While there are a few voices who argue that AI can be a dangerous tool, impacting not only the quality of our work, but the very quality of our thinking skills. Doug... more

What is AI Ops, and how can it be useful for your network? Akshay Balaganur and Sushanth Mascaren join Tom and Russ to discuss various aspects of AI Ops.

media.blubrry.com/hedge/content.blubrry.com/hedge/hedge-310.mp3

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As DNS is more widely used to distribute certificate information, proving ownership of a resource becomes more critical. The constant challenges required to prove resource ownership, however, increase delay in connecting or using a resource. DNS pers... more

We all talk about how engineers deal with imposter syndrome–but we don’t often talk about the experience of making things work “in the background.” What is competence, and what do we do when competence isn’t recognized? Justin Wilson (j2sw) joins Rus... more

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Recent Guests

Doug Smith
Software engineer with focus on networking, frontend Android development, and author of Mind Matters piece on AI development
Episode: Hedge 311: The Dangers of AI
Shiloh Heurich
Representative from Fastly
Fastly
Episode: Hedge 309: DNS Persist
Michael Slaughter
Representative from Amazon Trust Services
Amazon Trust Services
Episode: Hedge 309: DNS Persist
Justin Wilson
Writer on J2SW, network engineering expert
J2SW
Episode: Hedge 308: Hidden Competence
Thomas Alfroy
Postdoc at University of Strasbourg working on bgp routing data collection
University of Strasbourg
Episode: Hedge 307: bgproutes.io
Job Snijders
RPKI/ routing security expert
Episode: Hedge 306: RPKI Transport
Ayush Talas
Masters student in network engineering
University of Colorado Boulder
Episode: Hedge 305: From Security to Networking
Levi Perigo
Professor and program director, Masters in Network Engineering at University of Colorado Boulder
University of Colorado Boulder
Episode: Hedge 304: Deep Dive into a Network Master’s Program
Emily Brown Reeves
Biologist and co-presenter
Episode: Hedge 302: Communications in Biological Systems

Hosts

Russ White
Host and frequent voice on networking theory, practice, and industry trends.
Eyvonne Sharp
Co-host; focuses on technology culture, engineering, and industry insights.
Tom Swyche
Co-host/Guest Host known for engineering-focused discussions.

Reviews

4.8 out of 5 stars from 45 ratings
  • Great podcast, thank you!

    Great information and interviews!!

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    linux 66
    United States4 years ago
  • most informative podcast for neteng

    Hosted by Russ white! what more could you ask for 😊

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    mskhan7
    Singapore6 years ago

Listeners Say

Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.

High technical depth may be dense for newcomers, but valuable for practitioners.
Short, sharp dives into network tech with practical insight.
Guest variety helps connect academia and industry.

Chart Rankings

How this podcast ranks in the Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube charts.

Apple Podcasts
#250
Sweden/Technology

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

Hedge 310: AI Ops
Q: What is the practical cost of implementing AI agents in a large enterprise network, and how is ROI addressed?
The initial investment to build a system where agents can operate is a concern, but early use cases show significant speedups in security compliance audits and operational tasks. The ROI depends on TCO and how quickly automation and reduced manual effort scale, with ongoing evaluation of unit economics as the technology matures.
Hedge 310: AI Ops
Q: What about data quality and preventing AI from hallucinating when controlling network devices?
Hallucinations are mitigated through context engineering and a traversable knowledge graph that combines intent, live state, and operational history. By constraining the AI's view to a well-defined context and providing explicit change-management and device-level constraints, the agent can make safer, more accurate inferences and actions.
Hedge 310: AI Ops
Q: How does AgentOps sit on top of existing tooling, and what role does the abstraction layer play?
AgentOps sits atop the current instrumentation and monitoring tools, using a universal abstraction layer to convert heterogeneous data into a context suitable for AI agents. This layer enables agents to communicate with tools via MCP or similar interfaces, turning human-oriented tooling into machine-readable interactions for proactive and automated operations.
Hedge 310: AI Ops
Q: Explain to me what AIOps is and how it differs from traditional IT operations.
AIOps is defined as applying AI to IT operations, serving as a broad umbrella under which specific approaches like AgentOps can be built; the emphasis is on augmenting day-two network operations with AI-driven analysis, troubleshooting, and automation rather than only pre-built rules, and on integrating AI agents with existing instrumentation.
Hedge 308: Hidden Competence
Q: How can engineers show their competence to non-technical stakeholders?
By engaging with other teams, solving their pain points, giving short, regular updates (like lunch-and-learns), and presenting postmortems in accessible language, you demonstrate usable expertise beyond the engineering domain.

Audience Metrics

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Frequently Asked Questions About The Hedge

What is The Hedge about and what kind of topics does it cover?

This show concentrates on networking, security, and infrastructure through rigorous, technically-mocused conversations. Episodes frequently explore routing protocols (BGP, OSPF, MPLS), data-center design, network operating systems, and the evolving relationship between academia and industry. A notable thread is how education, hands-on labs, and real-world deployments shape careers—from university programs and capstone projects to hyperscale and enterprise deployments—often paired with pragmatic takes on hype versus reality in telecom and wireless.

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Which podcasts are similar to The Hedge?

These podcasts share a similar audience with The Hedge:

1. Heavy Networking
2. Total Network Operations
3. Network Automation Nerds
4. The Art of Network Engineering
5. Heavy Strategy

How many episodes of The Hedge are there?

The Hedge launched 7 years ago and published 64 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

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What guests have appeared on The Hedge?

Recent guests on The Hedge include:

1. Doug Smith
2. Shiloh Heurich
3. Michael Slaughter
4. Justin Wilson
5. Thomas Alfroy
6. Job Snijders
7. Ayush Talas
8. Levi Perigo

To view more recent guests and their details, simply upgrade your Rephonic account. You'll also get access to a typical guest profile to help you decide if the show is worth pitching.

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