The Critical Lowdown

AI is driving a massive boom in purpose-built data centers known as "Neoclouds." But as AI infrastructure shifts from massive, centralized training clusters to highly distributed, latency-sensitive inference sites, a new bottleneck is emerging: the network. After all, your AI infrastructure only runs at the speed of its worst connection. In this episode of the Critical Lowdown, Alan Faga...

The AI infrastructure market is projected to hit an astounding $400 billion by 2031, but there’s a hidden problem: legacy network architectures are quietly bottlenecking massive, multi-million-dollar GPU clusters. In this episode of  The Critical Lowdown , host Alan Fagan (VP of Sales, Americas at EPS Global) sits down with enterprise networking veteran Matt Free of Aria Networks. Fresh off a $125...

Learn More: https://www.epsglobal.com/about-eps-global/podcasts/episode-58 Are Co-Packaged Optics (CPO) set to replace the pluggable transceivers we've used for decades? As AI pushes data centers to their limits, this is the billion-dollar question facing the entire networking industry. We went straight to the source for answers, sitting down with Julie Eng, CTO of optical technology giant Coh...

Learn More: www.epsglobal.com/about-eps-global/podcasts/episode-57 What if you could build a high-performance AI network with better performance than proprietary solutions... for half the cost? The secret lies in "networking like a hyperscaler," and it's more accessible than you think. In this insightful conversation, Alan Fagan of EPS Global sits down with Marc Austin, CEO & Co-...

Learn More: www.epsglobal.com/about-eps-global/podcasts/episode-56 The networking industry is undergoing a monumental shift away from traditional, vendor-locked models. At the heart of this revolution is SONiC—Software for Open Networking in the Cloud. Originally developed by Microsoft and now thriving under the Linux Foundation, SONiC is unbundling hardware and software to create a more flexible,...

Learn More: www.epsglobal.com/about-eps-global/podcasts/episode-55 Is your enterprise ready to move beyond traditional,proprietary networking? The same open, disaggregated technologies that power the world's largest hyperscalers are now more accessible than ever, offering unparalleled flexibility, cost savings, and performance. In this in-depth conversation, Alan Fagan of EPS Globalsits down w...

Learn More: www.epsglobal.com/about-eps-global/podcasts/episode-54 In this insightful conversation, Don Evans of Celestica sits down with Alan Fagan to discuss how Celestica is empowering customers with flexible and powerful networking solutions. From robust storage to open-standard switching, learn about their commitment to quality, customer choice, and the importance of integrating hardware and...

Learn More: www.epsglobal.com/about-eps-global/podcasts/episode-53 Dive into the world of optical networking with Ciara McCarthy (CMO, EPS Global), John Lynch (VP of Sales, EMEA, EPS Global), and Kevin Affolter (Product Line Manager, Coherent). In this episode, we explore Coherent's groundbreaking 100G ZR DCO optical transceiver, a product designed to revolutionize IP over DWDM applications. D...

Read More: https://www.epsprogramming.com/podcasts/locking-down-iot-at-source-part-3-how-hsms-and-automation-are-revolutionizing-secure-manufacturing/ In this episode our panel explores secure IoT manufacturing at scale with our experts Malcolm and Shawn Prestridge from IAR. They break down zero-touch provisioning, Hardware Security Modules (HSMs), and why 2025 will force embedded security into ev...

In Part 1 , we dove deep into the escalating threats facing IoT devices – from sophisticated supply chain attacks to the challenges posed by new regulations and AI, highlighting why securing the billions of connected devices is critical. Now, in Part 2, we shift from the 'why' to the 'how.' We reveal the practical steps and powerful tools available to implement robust embedded security right from...

Read More: https://www.epsprogramming.com/podcasts/locking-down-iot-at-the-source-how-vulnerable-is-your-manufacturing-part-1/ In this episode of  The Critical Lowdown , host  Ciara  leads a compelling discussion with cybersecurity experts  Malcolm Kitchen  (Global Security Specialist, EPS Global) and  Shawn Prestridge  (U.S. FAE Team Leader, IAR Systems) on the urgent challenges and solutions in ...

Read More: www.epsglobal.com/about-eps-global/podcasts/episode-49 Last year we welcomed the Open Networking world to ourhometown, Dublin, for the 2024 FYUZ Summit. At FYUZ our Chief Marketing Officer Ciara McCarthy spoke on a panel titled, OpenWiFi State of Business: Deployment Case Studies and Impact. In this panel discussion industry experts from American Bandwidth, Worldvue, AT&T, Nova Labs...

Read More: www.epsglobal.com/about-eps-global/podcasts/episode-48 Last year we welcomed the Open Networking world to our hometown, Dublin, for the 2024 FYUZ Summit. At FYUZ our Vice President of Sales for the Americas, Alan Fagan, spoke on a panel on Operational Challenges in the Procurement Process of Disaggregated Technologies, alongside our partners Edgecore Networks and IP Infusion. Together,...

Learn More: www.epsglobal.com/about-eps-global/podcasts/episode-47 In this episode of the Critical Lowdown, we dive into the world of open Wi-Fi with Corey Douglas, CEO of Pavlov Media, a trailblazer in the connectivity space. Discover how Pavlov Media is transforming the internet landscape by leveraging OpenWiFi to deliver innovative, affordable, and scalable solutions that are changing the way p...

Learn More: www.epsprogramming.com/podcasts/optimizing-production-lines-offline-programming-vs-in-circuit-testing/ In this episode of  The Critical Lowdown , host Ciara sits down with Colin Lynch, CEO of EPS Global, to explore the critical role of chip programming in modern electronics manufacturing. As production lines face increasing pressure to optimize throughput and reduce costs, the choice b...

Learn More: www.epsglobal.com/about-eps-global/podcasts/episode-45 thyssenkrupp Materials, a global leader in materials trading and distribution, relies on stable and efficient network connectivity across its numerous sites worldwide. Facing the challenges of managing a diverse infrastructure and seeking a more cost-effective solution, they embarked on a journey to standardize their network. In th...

Learn More: www.epsprogramming.com/podcasts/streamlining-production-the-case-for-outsourcing-component-programming/ In this episode of The Critical Lowdown, Ciara McCarthy sits down with Mick McCarthy, Chief Operations Officer at EPS Global, to discuss a critical decision for manufacturers: Should you handle component programming in-house at ICT (in-circuit test), or should you outsource it? Mick...

Learn More ▷ https://www.epsglobal.com/about-eps-global/podcasts/episode-43 In this episode, Ciara sits down with Andy Howard, Sales Director at Smartoptics, to explore the world of open optical networking and the innovative solutions driving the industry forward. Andy shares the fascinating journey of Smartoptics, from its beginnings in 2006 as a transceiver company to becoming a leader in open o...

Learn More ▷ www.epsprogramming.com/blog/high-speed-manufacturing-component-packaging In this episode, Ciara sits down with Colin Lynch, CEO of EPS Global, to explore the world of component packaging and its critical role in high-speed manufacturing. Colin explains the benefits of tape-and-reel packaging, including faster setup times, increased efficiency, and cost savings for manufacturers. He di...

Learn More: www.epsglobal.com/about-eps-global/podcasts/episode-41 Join us at Wispapalooza in Las Vegas as we chat with Jack Raynor, Senior Technology Consultant at Meta and Chair of OpenLAN and OpenWi-Fi. Jack discusses achieving a major milestone of 100,000 deployed devices in the OpenLAN ecosystem, with plans to reach 150,000 by year-end. He highlights how the community-driven model fosters inn...

Learn More: https://www.epsprogramming.com/blog/the-evolution-of-tape-and-reel Manufacturing efficiency in today's competitive landscape demands innovative approaches to component handling and assembly automation. The evolution of tape and reel packaging technology has expanded beyond its traditional electronic component roots, offering sophisticated solutions for a wide range of industrial ap...

Learn More ▷ https://www.epsglobal.com/about-eps-global/podcasts/episode-39 Join us from the floor of #wispapalooza2024 in Las Vegas as we chat with Huw Rees, VP of Business Development at ⁠ NetExperience, about their groundbreaking cloud platform. Discover how NetExperience's software redefines the open Wi-Fi ecosystem, enables cost-effective MSP solutions, and ensures seamless scalability an...

Learn More ▷ https://www.epsglobal.com/about-eps-global/podcasts/episode-38 At WISPAPALOOZA 2024 in Las Vegas, EPS Global’s Alan Fagan sat down with Chris Johnson, Senior Director of Sales at Coherent to discuss their optical transport solutions. They explored advancements in 100G, 400G, and the future of 800G for ISP and wireless backhaul applications. Learn how Coherent’s Open ZR technology is t...

Learn more: https://www.epsglobal.com/about-eps-global/podcasts/episode-37 In the next episode of our series of conversations with the key players in the Open Networking World - our CMO Ciara McCarthy sits down with Tom Daly, CEO of BigNetworks. Big Network is a software company focused on tier 2 and tier 3 ISPs to help deliver resilient Internet access to their business class customers. Here we r...

Learn More: ⁠ https://www.epsglobal.com/about-eps-global/podcasts/episode-36⁠ Watch Part 1: ⁠ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FCb2FLL0ds4⁠ Open networking is gaining traction in data centers, offering alternatives to traditional, vendor-locked systems. It promises greater flexibility, simplified operations, and potential cost savings. But what does it mean for your data center in practice? In Part...