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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

How effective are AI tools–even agentic AI tools placed into a system–at building and testing software? Derick Winkworth and Donald Sharp Join Russ to discuss various projects they’ve worked on using AI tools, lessons they’ve learned, and how develop... more

Deploying AI for AI Ops, or even just for general use in your network, is very simple–but we often forget that these kinds of new technologies need to be governed. From privacy through cost, operators need to decide how to govern their AI deployment... more

Strong opinions loosely held? This is probably not as good of an idea as it seems. Instead of producing confidence, it might produce overconfidence. Michael Natkin joins Tom and Russ to discuss the problems with this mantra.

media.blubrry.co... more

We often talk about ā€œhuman infrastructureā€ in network engineering–but what does this mean, and how do we help engineers ā€œproduceā€ while helping them to flourish as individuals? Catherine Hicks joins Tom and Russ to discuss the psychology of software ... more

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Recent Guests

Cat Hicks
Psychologist
Episode: Hedge 315: Engineering Psychology
Michael McCollum
Network engineer in a healthcare environment overseeing wireless, wired, NAC, and other network responsibilities
Health care networking environment
Episode: Hedge 314: Questions from a New Engineer
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
Henry Birge-Lee
CEO of a cybersecurity startup, former Princeton researcher
CEO, cybersecurity startup
Episode: Hedge 309: DNS Persist
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

Hosts

Russ White
Host with deep concentration in networking and theory, frequently leading discussions on DNS, routing, and incident analysis.
Tom Swyche
Co-hosts and frequent contributor, often guiding practical workflows and meeting etiquette in engineering discussions.

Reviews

4.8 out of 5 stars from 47 ratings
  • So helpful!

    I learn so much with each episode. Thank you for all that you share with us!

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    dug-i-am
    United States2 months ago
  • 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 value for networking topics and incident mindset.
Engaging long-form conversations that reward careful listening.
Clear, practical engineering insights with guest perspectives.

Chart Rankings

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

Apple Podcasts
#248
United Kingdom/Technology
Apple Podcasts
#123
Poland/Technology
Apple Podcasts
#134
India/Technology
Apple Podcasts
#143
Hong Kong/Technology
Apple Podcasts
#193
Switzerland/Technology

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

Hedge 314: Questions from a New Engineer
Q: What should a new engineer do to understand what is expected from them by management?
Start by understanding the business problem the team is trying to solve, do some research, talk to colleagues to learn how the team operates, and then ask what the manager expects from you, tailoring your contributions to those goals.
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.

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?

A deep-dive tech show focused on networking, security, and infrastructure, featuring practitioners and researchers who share practical insights, design philosophies, and real-world workflows. Episodes repeatedly explore topics like BGP, DNS, certificate management, AI in operations, and education in network engineering, often weaving in hands-on experiences, career advice, and opinions on how emerging technologies reshape engineering work. A standout pattern is the blend of rigorous technical discussion with practical guidance for navigating incidents, improving team culture, and staying current in a fast-moving field. The format tends to attract listeners who value concrete, experience-based perspectives and long-form analysis over quick t... more

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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. Network Break

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. Cat Hicks
2. Michael McCollum
3. Doug Smith
4. Henry Birge-Lee
5. Shiloh Heurich
6. Michael Slaughter
7. Justin Wilson
8. Thomas Alfroy

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