Packet Pushers

Network Break

Network Break keeps you informed with fast, focused analysis of IT news, products, tech trends, and business outcomes. Blending sharp commentary with a touch of humor, hosts Greg Ferro and Drew Conry-Murray sift through the weekly landslide of press announcements, product launches, financial reports, and marketing decks to find the stories worth talking about. You come away with the information and context to make smart decisions in your organization and career … all in the span of a (longish) coffee break.

Author

Packet Pushers

Category

Technology

Podcast website

packetpushers.net

Latest episode

Jun 29, 2026

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Episodes

Network Break 432: DriveNets Aims To Make Ethernet AI-Friendly; China Goes Eye-For-An-Eye With US Over Tech Bans 30.05.2023

This week we discuss a new offering from DriveNets that aims to make Ethernet more suitable as a network fabric for AI workloads, why the EU slapped Meta with a $1.3 billion fine, and a new offering from Extreme Networks that lets you manage Extreme gear in the cloud or from on-prem, China banning Micron, and more IT news.

Network Break 431: Juniper NAC Emerges From The Mist; New Google TLDs Are A Bad Idea 22.05.2023

This week's Network Break looks at a new Network Access Control (NAC) offering from Juniper, plus a ChatGPT integration with Juniper's Marvis. Google debuts new Top-Level Domains that have security experts worried, Cisco reports a robust Q3, Broadcom tries to assuage EU regulators about its VMware acquisition, and more tech news.

Network Break 430: Cisco Viptela Customers Have A Certifiably Bad Day; IT Crimes And Punishments 15.05.2023

Take a Network Break! This week we cover some follow-up on Lumen. Then we dive into a massive Cisco blunder that let a digital certificate expire on some models of the Viptela SD-WAN appliance, causing device failures. Extreme Networks release a new Wi-Fi 6e AP and core and aggregation switches, a Ubiquiti employee who stole ... Read more »

Network Break 429: Palo Alto Previews Azure Firewall; White House Chases AI Horse After It Escapes Barn 08.05.2023

Take a Network Break! This week we discuss a new Azure-native cloud firewall from Palo Alto Networks, why pharma giant Merck might be owed a big settlement from its cyber-insurers, and why HPE wants to simplify its branding. Lumen offers 400G IP transit ports, the US White House announces actions to promote safe, responsible AI; Versa Networks rolls out zero trust for remote and campus users, and...

Network Break 428: Arista Announces Cloud-Based NAC; Is Google Cloud Finally Making Money? 01.05.2023

Take a Network Break! This week we discuss a new NAC solution from Arista Networks, a new version of Central from HPE Aruba, and the latest version of NetBrain. We also cover a new XDR offering from Cisco, Google Cloud's quarterly financial results, Microsoft entanglements with EU and UK regulators, and more tech news.

Network Break 427: Prosimo Launches Cloud-Native Networking Suite; Broadcom Stitches New Jericho ASIC For AI-Friendly Network Fabrics 24.04.2023

Take a Network Break! This week we cover new cloud networking capabilities from Prosimo, discuss Broadcom's latest version of the Jericho ASIC which is being positioned for network fabrics for AI workloads, and explore the latest version of the open-source Dent network OS. We also cover financial results from F5, Starlink price cuts, and more tech news.

Network Break 426: NetBox Labs Raises $20 Million; Intel Foundry, Arm Team Up To Make SoCs 17.04.2023

This week's Network Break discusses NetBox Labs's $20 million funding round and why it spun itself out of NS1's IBM acquisition, Intel Foundry and Arm teaming up on SoC manufacturing, why Amazon sees headwinds for public cloud spending (and why the opportunity is still huge), how the juice-jacking threat got hyped, and more tech news.

Network Break 425: Microsoft Adds Security Copilot To AI Squadron; Samsung Stung By ChatGPT Leaks 10.04.2023

This week's Network Break examines Security Copilot, the latest AI-infused assistant in Microsoft's growing arsenal; discusses optical advancements from Arelion and Infinera that sent 400Gb wavelengths over 1,800 kilometers; examine a news report that claims Tesla workers shared "highly invasive" images recorded by vehicle cameras; plus even more tech news.

Network Break 424: Amazon Invites Devs To Its Sidewalk Wireless Network; OneWeb Readies Global Satellite Internet Service 03.04.2023

On today's Network Break podcast we cover Amazon opening its Sidewalk low-power IoT wireless network to developers, Cisco putting the expiration date on Prime Infrastructure, HAProxy adding QUIC support in its enterprise load balancer, Huawei touting revenue stability, and more IT news.

Network Break 423: Arista Woos Large Enterprises With New SD-WAN Router; Google Breaks Glass Enterprise 27.03.2023

This week's Network Break covers Arista's new WAN routers that get the company into the SD-WAN market, debates whether Aryaka targeting SMEs is a sign of problems or opportunity, and discusses an update on the size of the SASE market. We also look at an HPE acquisition, the use of exploding USBs to target journalists, space networking, and more.

Network Break 422: Microsoft Tasks Copilot To Do Your Drudge Work; Cisco Debuts A New Learning Platform 20.03.2023

On this week's Network Break podcast we examine Palo Alto Networks adding AI Ops to its SASE offering, and Microsoft Copilot bringing AI into its suite of Office tools. The Ethernet Adapter market grew 22% in 2022, but not because more NICs were sold; we discuss the real reasons and cover more tech news.

Network Break 421: Huawei Is Both In And Out Of German Networks; Hot-Desking Rubs Hybrid Workers Wrong 13.03.2023

Take a Network Break! On today's episode we discuss a record quarter for switch sales, examine Germany's mixed signals about allowing Huawei gear in its networks, and debate whether employees' frustration over Google's desk-sharing plan is just entitled whining or a legitimate complaint. Plus more IT news.

Network Break 420: Cisco, HPE Buy Security Startups; Can We Finally Hold Vendors Responsible For Software Defects? 06.03.2023

Take a Network Break! We begin with some FU on what constitutes on-prem and off-prem, and then dive into news. Cisco and T-Mobile are partnering on 5G gateways, Cisco Webex is getting installed as a feature(?) in Mercedes E-Class cars, and Cisco is buying multi-cloud security startup Valtix. Valtix offers firewalling, IPS, a cloud Web ... Read more »

Network Break 419: HPE Buys Athonet For Private 5G; Exit Public Cloud, Save Millions? 27.02.2023

Is the private 5G market big enough to justify HPE's acquisition of Athonet? Is saving money worth retreating from public cloud? Why are organizations still getting bit by basic cloud misconfigurations? Will an appetite for AI deliver results for Nvidia? We explore these and other questions in the latest Network Break podcast.

Network Break 418: Avaya Goes Chapter 11 Again; Cisco, Arista See Revenues Rise 21.02.2023

This week's Network Break looks at who takes a haircut in Avaya's Chapter 11 restructuring, GoDaddy's ongoing security issues, new photonics from Nokia, a huge quarter for Arista and more tech news.

Network Break 417: Zoom Chief Raises Bar For CEO Pay Cuts; Fortinet Rolls Out New Firewall Chips 13.02.2023

Take a Network Break! On this week's episode we discuss new chip hardware from Fortinet, Extreme integrating its SD-WAN into its network fabric, the US and UK governments sanctioning members of the Trickbot malware gang, more tech layoffs, why tech CEOs should feel more financial pain, and more.

Network Break 416: Ericsson Flogs 5G Network Slicing For Laptops; Microsoft Loads Work Drudgery Onto ChatGPT 06.02.2023

On this week's Network Break we examine Ericsson's push for 5G network slicing on laptops, Microsoft injecting ChatGPT into Teams to do the grunt work, financial results from Juniper and Amazon, and more tech news.

Network Break 415: WAN Update Severs Microsoft Cloud Services; Intel To Wind Down Network ASIC Biz 30.01.2023

Take a Network Break! This week we discuss new capabilities in Juniper's Astra data center automation software; a major Microsoft outage that affected Outlook, Teams, and more; reports that Intel will discontinue selling the Tofino programmable ASIC; a heap of financial results; and more.

Network Break 414: 230 Juniper Vulnerabilities, Should Cisco Patch An EOL Router, T-Mobile Takes Weeks To Spot Breach 23.01.2023

On today's Network Break podcast we cover a raft of Juniper vulnerabilities, whether Cisco should patch serious vulnerabilities in end-of-life products, a big T-Mobile breach, Avaya dealing with significant debt, sweeping rounds of layoffs, and more IT news.

Network Break 413: 800G Switches, Intel’s Big Hopes For 4th-Gen CPUs, And Reading Cyber Insurance Fine Print 16.01.2023

Take a Network Break! This week's episode covers a bunch of tech news including Arista rolling out a heap of new switches, Intel pinning its comeback hopes on newly released Xeon CPUs, a serious exploit of a Fortinet SSL VPN vulnerability, Dell pulling away from China-made chips, and more.

Network Break 412: IT Spending, ChatGPT, Cloud Repatriation And Other 2023 IT Speculations 09.01.2023

Take a Network Break! For our first show of 2023 we skip the news to spend some time speculating on technologies and trends that may influence IT and networking in the coming year, including the influence of AI, machine learning, and ChatGPT in tech; data center network automation; cloud repatriation; and more.

Network Break 411: Cisco Revamps Certification Schedules; FTC Says Game Over For Microsoft’s Activision Bid 12.12.2022

Take a Network Break! On today's episode we cover a new certification roadmap from Cisco, speculate on the future of corporate office space, and delve into an FTC lawsuit that aims to stop Microsoft's $69 billion purchase of game developer Activision. We also cover Broadcom financial results and space networking stories from Apple and SpaceX.

Network Break 410: AWS Previews Secure Remote Access; Broadcom Promises Not To Raise VMware Prices 05.12.2022

On today's Network Break we discuss new AWS previews for secure remote access and for connecting applications and services across VPCs. We also discuss a serious outage at Hive Social, Open RAN 5G coming to fighter jets, a promise from Broadcom not to raise prices if the VMware acquisition goes through, and more IT news.

Network Break 409: Regulators Tap Brakes On Broadcom, VMware; Google Settles Location Tracking Charges For $392M 28.11.2022

This week's Network Break podcast discusses UK and EU regulators wanting a closer look at Broadcom's VMware acquisition, Google settling with 40 US states over location tracking charges, and the FCC publishing responses from the 15 biggest US mobile providers regarding customer geolocation data tracking, plus even more IT news.

Network Break 408: Arista Launches Network Automation Pipeline; Palo Alto Targets Software Supply Chain Security 21.11.2022

Take a Network Break! This week we cover a new continuous integration pipeline from Arista Networks to support network automation, Cisco's intention to open a new silicon design center in Spain, and Apple spending $450 million to support emergency text messaging using satellites. We also discuss Palo Alto Networks spending $195 million for Cider Security, financial results, and more.

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