Unstructured corporate data needs some help to be ready for AI agents and inference. This episode of the Tech Field Day podcast features Aron Brand from CTERA discussing unstructured preparation with Andy Banta, Barton George, and Alastair Cooke. The first challenge is to find data where it resides and understand what you have in your file shares and object stores. Unlike a data lake, CTERAS can your data where it is to inherit permissions and changes as they occur. Tagging remains an important part of identifying data contents. Adding automated text extraction, audio and video transcription, and summarization allow automated tagging while the extracted data is useful for AI too. CTERA believes the original file system is the right place for these reusable pieces of derived data is alongside the original files rather than locked in a proprietary platform.CTERA Representative: Aron Brand, CTO of CTERAPanelists: Andy Banta, Consultant Barton George, Founder of 808 LabsHosts:Tom Hollingsworth, Event Lead for Tech Field DayAlastair Cooke, Event Lead at Tech Field DayStephen Foskett, President and Organizer of Tech Field DayFollow the Tech Field Day Podcast on X/Twitter or on Bluesky and use the Hashtag #TFDPodcast to join the discussion. Listen to more episodes on the podcast page of the website.Follow Tech Field Day for more information on upcoming and current event coverage on X/Twitter, on Bluesky, and on LinkedIn, or visit our website.
Jul 28
27 min
Are multi-terabyte GPUs and massive frontier models really the answer to enterprise AI, or are we hitting a hard wall of soaring memory costs and power constraints? In this episode of the Tech Field Day Podcast, host Alastair Cooke sits down with technical experts Ron Pagani Jr., Andy Banta, and Brian Martin to examine whether brute-force hardware scaling remains sustainable. The panel debates scale-up vs. scale-out architectures, emphasizing how smart software optimizations—such as persistent KV caching (MinIO MemKV, Solidigm) and intelligent data layers (CTERA)—can eliminate redundant GPU computation and lower costs. They also explore agentic microservices, power and cooling bottlenecks, and why right-sizing AI models for production is critical for achieving real-world enterprise ROI.Panelists: Andy Banta, Consultant Brian Martin, AI and Data Center Lead at Signal65Ron Pagani Jr., Founder of Open Technology PartnersHosts:Tom Hollingsworth, Event Lead for Tech Field DayAlastair Cooke, Event Lead at Tech Field DayStephen Foskett, President and Organizer of Tech Field DayFollow the Tech Field Day Podcast on X/Twitter or on Bluesky and use the Hashtag #TFDPodcast to join the discussion. Listen to more episodes on the podcast page of the website.Follow Tech Field Day for more information on upcoming and current event coverage on X/Twitter, on Bluesky, and on LinkedIn, or visit our website.
Jul 21
26 min
As the explosive rise of AI workloads brings massive GPU clusters back to on-premises environments and surging neo-clouds, the race to maximize hardware utilization has made multi-tenancy an absolute necessity.In this episode of the Tech Field Day Spotlight Podcast, host Tom Hollingsworth sits down with networking experts Scott Robohn, Ed Weadon, and Netris CEO and Cofounder Alex Saroyan to dissect the hidden complexities of modern AI infrastructure. Managing thousands of GPUs means navigating dense networking architectures like quad-planes, massive power restrictions, and the intricate blending of Ethernet and InfiniBand environments. Alex reveals how Netris solves these scaling bottlenecks from Day 0 using digital twin simulations and automated network abstraction, allowing operators to dynamically isolate cluster resources for different tenants through simple, unified API calls.Netris Representative: Alex Saroyan, Cofounder and CEO of NetrisScott Robohn, CEO of SolutionalEd Weadon, Network EngineerFollow the Tech Field Day Podcast on X/Twitter or on Bluesky and use the Hashtag #TFDPodcast to join the discussion. Listen to more episodes on the podcast page of the website.Follow Tech Field Day for more information on upcoming and current event coverage on X/Twitter, on Bluesky, and on LinkedIn, or visit our website.
Jul 14
35 min
Imagine walking into the office, grabbing your morning coffee, and realizing your network dashboard is perfectly green because an AI agent silently resolved every issue while you slept. In this episode of the Tech Field Day Podcast, Imagine walking into the office, grabbing your morning coffee, and realizing your network dashboard is perfectly green because an AI agent silently resolved every issue while you slept. In this Spotlight episode of the Tech Field Day Podcast presented by HPE Networking, host Tom Hollingsworth sits down with network practitioners Keith Parsons and Mark Houtz, alongside Hewlett Packard Enterprise’s Sunalini Sankhavaram, to explore the paradigm shift from reactive, AI-driven troubleshooting to proactive, self-driving networks. They discuss the critical issue of trust in automation, detailing how HPE's Marvis progresses from "driver-assist" recommendations to fully autonomous remediation. From preventing broadcast storms in hospitals to lightening the load for budget-constrained IT teams, discover how agentic AI and digital twins are reshaping the future of enterprise operations without taking away the essential human in the loop.This and more on the Tech Field Day Podcast Spotlight presented by HPE Networking. Try Mist AI: https://www.hpe.com/us/en/mist-ai.htmlHPE Networking: http://hpe.com/networkingHPE Representative: Sunalini Sankhavaram, VP of Product Management at HPEKeith Parsons, Network EngineerMark Houtz, Network EngineerFollow the Tech Field Day Podcast on X/Twitter or on Bluesky and use the Hashtag #TFDPodcast to join the discussion. Listen to more episodes on the podcast page of the website.Follow Tech Field Day for more information on upcoming and current event coverage on X/Twitter, on Bluesky, and on LinkedIn, or visit our website.
Jul 7
33 min
Enterprises are increasingly turning to open networking and they need guidance to ensure the right choices are being made. A great partner can ease the transition. In this episode of the Tech Field Day podcast, brought to you by Cisco, Tom Hollingsworth is joined by Scott Robon, Ryan Booth, and Cisco’s Surbhi Paul explore how AI infrastructure demands are pushing organizations to rethink their network architectures. The consensus is that while SONiC was once primarily a hyperscaler and experimental technology, it has matured significantly and is now appearing in real enterprise and U.S. government deployments. Cisco’s position is to meet customers where they are, supporting both their established NX-OS/ACI platforms and Sonic on Nexus 9K hardware, giving organizations the flexibility to shift software strategies without replacing physical infrastructure.Open networking isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution. It requires honest assessment of a team’s internal skill set and operational maturity. Cisco frames its SONiC offering around three pillars: the Cisco 8000 series for hyperscale and web-scale use cases, the Nexus 9K for enterprise AI fabrics, and Nexus Hyperfabric for organizations that want the benefits of SONiC without the complexity of managing it themselves. Cisco differentiates itself by backing Sonic deployments with 24/7 TAC support and lifecycle management tools, bridging the gap between open-source flexibility and the reliability enterprises depend on.Panelists:Cisco Representative: Surbhi Paul, Product Leader at CiscoScott Robohn, CEO of SolutionalRyan Booth, AI Consultant and ArchitectFollow the Tech Field Day Podcast on X/Twitter or on Bluesky and use the Hashtag #TFDPodcast to join the discussion. Listen to more episodes on the podcast page of the website.Follow Tech Field Day for more information on upcoming and current event coverage on X/Twitter, on Bluesky, and on LinkedIn, or visit our website.
Jun 30
35 min
Learn more about AI Infrastructure Field Day 5 here. Think you can just buy more GPUs to solve your AI infrastructure problems? Think again. In this episode of the Tech Field Day Podcast, recorded live on-site at AI Infrastructure Field Day 5, host Alastair Cooke sits down with industry experts Ray Lucchesi, Frederic Van Haren, and Brandon Whichard to discuss why the endless race for new hardware is hitting a wall. With supply chain shortages and massive power demands making upgrades difficult, companies must shift their focus toward optimizing the technology they already own. The panel explores how clever software tools, smaller foundation models, and efficient token management can squeeze maximum performance out of existing data centers. The panel explores the real secret to scaling AI lies in smart software practices rather than just buying more chips.
Jun 23
24 min
Learn more about AI Field Day here.The massive promises surrounding artificial intelligence are just history repeating itself. In this episode of the Tech Field Day Podcast recorded on-site at AI Field Day 8, host Stephen Foskett is joined by Jim Czuprynski, Kate Scarcella, and Jeff Ello to debate the explosive world of AI hype. They compare the current generative AI boom to past tech cycles like the dot-com era and early cloud computing. Together, they break down the brutal financial realities of a trillion-dollar AI infrastructure investment, dropping software precision, and the truth behind Large Language Models versus traditional machine learning. Panelists: Jim Czuprynski, Chief Storyteller at Zero Defect ComputingJeff Ello, Head of AI at Purdue UniversityKate Scarcella, Chair of CD FoundationHosts:Tom Hollingsworth, Event Lead for Tech Field DayAlastair Cooke, Event Lead at Tech Field DayStephen Foskett, President and Organizer of Tech Field DayFollow the Tech Field Day Podcast on X/Twitter or on Bluesky and use the Hashtag #TFDPodcast to join the discussion. Listen to more episodes on the podcast page of the website.Follow Tech Field Day for more information on upcoming and current event coverage on X/Twitter, on Bluesky, and on LinkedIn, or visit our website.
Jun 16
30 min
Learn more about AI Infrastructure Field Day 5 here. Think your expensive GPUs are the biggest factor in AI performance? Think again. Without a high-performance data storage strategy to keep them supplied with data, your AI infrastructure can become an expensive machine sitting idle. In this episode of the Tech Field Day Podcast, host Alastair Cooke is joined by industry experts Barton George and Ron Pagani Jr. to discuss the industry’s shift from data-intensive AI training to fast, transaction-heavy inference workloads and how data gravity is forcing organizations to rethink where they place data, caches, and compute resources. They also examine rising DRAM and SSD costs, the challenges of deploying Small Language Models (SLMs) at the edge, and the growing need for security and governance as autonomous AI agents become more common in enterprise environments.Panelists: Barton George, Founder of 808 LabsRon Pagani Jr., Founder of Open Technology PartnersHosts:Tom Hollingsworth, Event Lead for Tech Field DayAlastair Cooke, Event Lead at Tech Field DayStephen Foskett, President and Organizer of Tech Field DayFollow the Tech Field Day Podcast on X/Twitter or on Bluesky and use the Hashtag #TFDPodcast to join the discussion. Listen to more episodes on the podcast page of the website.Follow Tech Field Day for more information on upcoming and current event coverage on X/Twitter, on Bluesky, and on LinkedIn, or visit our website.
Jun 9
27 min
Learn more about Tech Field Day at Cisco Live US here. Is the AI tech bubble about to burst just like the dot-com boom did? On this episode of the Tech Field Day Podcast ahead of Cisco Live 2026, host Tom Hollingsworth and experts Sam Clements, Ed Weadon, and Rob Coote look at the real state of enterprise AI. They discuss why tech giants are facing layoffs despite record profits, and whether companies should stick to selling hardware infrastructure instead of forcing useless AI chatbots into everything. The panel compares today's AI hype to past tech trends, looking closely at rising token costs and heavy investor pressure. Watch to find out why betting your entire business strategy on unproven AI features might be a huge mistake for your organization.Panelists: Sam Clements, Technical Solutions ArchitectEd Weadon, Senior Network EngineerRob Coote, Director, Cybersecurity and InfrastructureHosts:Tom Hollingsworth, Event Lead for Tech Field DayAlastair Cooke, Event Lead at Tech Field DayStephen Foskett, President and Organizer of Tech Field DayFollow the Tech Field Day Podcast on X/Twitter or on Bluesky and use the Hashtag #TFDPodcast to join the discussion. Listen to more episodes on the podcast page of the website.Follow Tech Field Day for more information on upcoming and current event coverage on X/Twitter, on Bluesky, and on LinkedIn, or visit our website.
Jun 2
30 min
Learn more about Mobility Field Day here. AI is changing the way we maintain and troubleshoot networks, offering suggested fixes and knowledge about issues. But we aren’t ready to trust it in fully autonomous mode yet.In this episode of the Tech Field Day Podcast, Dan Ryan, Chris Reed, and Alan Wang join Tom Hollingsworth on-site at Mobility Field Day to discuss why fully autonomous networking still feels out of reach despite rapid advances in AI. The group explores the tension between deterministic networking protocols like OSPF and BGP and the non-deterministic nature of LLMs, noting that while AI excels at parsing data and suggesting fixes, it often lacks the business context needed to distinguish real problems from expected anomalies. They also raise concerns about a growing skills gap, arguing that overreliance on AI for Tier 1 and Tier 2 troubleshooting could prevent junior engineers from developing the deep expertise needed to validate AI-generated recommendations. Ultimately, the delegates agree that networking still requires a human-in-the-loop approach, with AI best suited for guided troubleshooting, scripting, and low-risk operational tasks rather than fully autonomous control.Panelists: Chris Reed, Principal ConsultantAlan Wang, Networking AnalystDan Ryan, Principal Solution Architect at ConnectionHosts:Tom Hollingsworth, Event Lead for Tech Field DayAlastair Cooke, Event Lead at Tech Field DayStephen Foskett, President and Organizer of Tech Field DayFollow the Tech Field Day Podcast on X/Twitter or on Bluesky and use the Hashtag #TFDPodcast to join the discussion. Listen to more episodes on the podcast page of the website.Follow Tech Field Day for more information on upcoming and current event coverage on X/Twitter, on Bluesky, and on LinkedIn, or visit our website.
May 26
25 min
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