Network Automation Nerds
Episodes
NAN120: How Network Engineers Can Thrive in an AI-Driven World
22 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Eric Chou is joined by Ashwin Joshi, a Senior Solutions Engineer at Keysight Technologies, to discuss the rapidly increasing demands that AI places on...
NAN119: Adapting Core Automation Practices to Challenging Environments with Matt Campbell
08 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Eric Chou is joined by Matt Campbell, a seasoned network engineer whose career has taken him into some of the most demanding and high-stakes environme...
NAN118: The Importance of the Data Behind AI in Networks (Sponsored)
01 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
When applying AI to network operations and automation, a strong data foundation is essential. In this sponsored episode, Eric Chou and Scott Robohn ar...
NAN117: What You May Have Missed from AutoCon 4
25 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Eric Chou is joined by returning guest, Danny Wade a.k.a. Devnet Dan, to unpack everything you missed from AutoCon 4. AutoCon 4 had a heavy focus on A...
NAN116: From NSoT to Operational Automation: Fast Time-to-Value with Nautobot Cloud (Sponsored)
18 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Building a Network Source of Truth (NSoT) is only step one in an automation effort — turning it into operational automation is where outcomes happen...
NAN115: Simplifying Network Automation with Wingpy
11 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Wingpy is an open-source tool that aims to make it easier to automate network tasks that use Cisco APIs. Today Eric is joined by returning guest Andre...
NAN114: Demystifying Automation Tools, Processes, and Culture Gates
25 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Eric sits down with David Henderson, Principal Architect for NetDevOps at Presidio, to discuss the practical journey for network engineers transitioni...
NAN113: What Works, and What Doesn’t, in Network Automation Projects
11 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Today we are joined by Matt Remke, who has spent years in the trenches of network automation projects as a consultant. Matt offers a unique, non-engin...
NAN112: Inside the CU Boulder Network Engineering Master’s Program
28 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Eric sits down with two graduates from the CU Boulder Networking Engineering Master’s Program to discuss what they learned during their time in the ...
NAN111: Automation, AI, and the Future of Branch Networking: Inside Cisco Unified Branch (Sponsored)
21 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
In this sponsored episode, Eric sits down with Lee Peterson, VP of Product Management for Secure WAN, at Cisco. Together they discuss how Cisco Unifie...
NAN110: Bridging Industry, Academia, and the Future of Network Automation with Dr. Levi Perigo
14 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Eric Chou is joined by Dr. Levi Perigo, Scholar in Residence and Professor of Network Engineering at the University of Colorado, Boulder. They discuss...
NAN109: Simplify Your Network Operations with Extreme (Sponsored)
17 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Today Eric Chou dives deep into network automation and operational simplicity with guest Hardik Ajmera, VP of Product Management at Extreme Networks. ...
NAN108: Perspectives, Hopes, and Challenges of Young Network Engineers
10 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Let’s hear from the next generation of network engineers. Eric Chou sits down with Sem Eyob and Damon Hoody, two early-career network engineers,...
NAN107: How AI is Changing the Networking Landscape
26 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The world of networking is changing at lightning speed thanks to AI. Today Eric sits down with Chris Kane to explore this new reality for network engi...
NAN106: Unimus: Network Automation By and For Network Engineers (Sponsored)
12 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Tomas Kirnak, CEO of Unimus, joins Eric Chou in this sponsored episode to introduce Unimus, an on-premise network configuration management system buil...
NAN105: Campus Network Automation, Powered by Cisco Agentic Workflows (Sponsored)
05 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Cisco Workflows is a new platform that makes network automation easier, smarter, and safer. On today’s episode, sponsored by Cisco, we get intro...
NAN104: The Art and Science of Writing a Network Automation Book
29 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Host Eric Chou talks with Jeff Kala, co-author of the newly released “Network Automation Cookbook 2nd Edition,” to discuss his book and th...
NAN103: The Evolution of Multi-Cloud Networking
15 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
We’re thrilled to welcome Tim McConnaughy back to the podcast. Tim is a hybrid cloud network architect, author, and co-host of the Cables to Clo...
NAN102: Practical Applications for AI in Network Automation
01 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
As AI becomes more integrated into the IT landscape, developers, engineers, and operators are looking for practical ways to use these new tools. Joini...
NAN101: Scaling Intel’s Data Centers with Network Automation (Sponsored)
24 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Transforming over 5,000 network devices across 56 data centers is no small feat. Doing that with a very small team is even more impressive. On today&#...
NAN100: A Retrospective On 100 Episodes of Network Automation Nerds
17 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Network Automation Nerds has reached a special milestone: episode 100! Eric Chou looks back on 5 years of conversations with network automation pionee...
NAN099: Bridging the Gap Between Innovative Tech and Everyday Users
03 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
New technologies, tools, and innovations help move IT forward, but it can be hard for users to keep up. Network Automation Nerds welcomes guest Willia...
NAN098: Democratizing the Learning Environment for Network Engineers
20 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Democratizing the learning environment is a passion for Deepak Ahuja. So much so, he founded CloudMyLab, a company that provides hands-on, cloud-bas...
NAN097: Automating Optical Networks
06 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Optical networks are an essential component of networking, but don’t get much attention. Today we shine a spotlight on the intersection of optic...
NAN096: NautobotGPT – An AI Assistant for Network Automation
23 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
NautobotGPT is a new AI assistant for Nautobot that helps engineers with network automation, answers questions, recommends tooling, and delivers worki...
NAN095: Certification Deep Dive – The New Cisco Automation Track
02 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Cisco recently announced a major evolution to its certification roadmap: starting February 2026, the popular DevNet certifications will transition to ...
NAN094: Automate and Iterate With the NetBox Labs Community
18 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On today’s show, we’re joined NetBox Labs co-founders Mark Coleman and Kris Beevers. They recount how they founded NetBox Labs and discuss...
NAN093: Network Automation – There Must Be a Better Way!
04 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
“There must be a better way!” is guest Bart Dorlandt’s motto, which he applies to network automation, among other things. In today&#...
NAN092: From Stealth to Scale – Decoding Network Data Management with Damian Garros
21 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Damien Garros, CEO and co-founder of OpsMill is with us once again for today’s podcast. Since we last spoke with Damien, OpsMill has emerged fro...
NAN091: The Future of Autonomous Networking With Jeff Doyle
07 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Today’s guest is Jeff Doyle, an expert in the networking industry with over 30 years of experience as a consultant, instructor, architect, autho...
NAN090: Examining Network Automation’s Present and Future With Chris Grundemann
23 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Today we explore the current state of network automation with Chris Grundemann, a co-founder of Network Automation Forum. Chris gives the history of t...
NAN089: A Career Journey of Exponential Learning
09 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
“If you don’t feel nervous in front of a challenge, you are not exponentially learning” is how today’s guest Christian Adell describes his...
NAN088: See Something, Improve Something – An Iterative Approach to Automation Success
26 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On today’s Network Automation Nerds, industry veteran Michael Bushong talks about lessons learned from failure. As the network industry grapples...
NAN087: Modular Network Management with Slurp’it and Netpicker
12 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of the Network Automation Nerds podcast, we talk network management with Wim Gerrits and Pieter van Os, co-founders of Slurp’it and ...
NAN086: A Reality Check On AI for Network Operations
26 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On today’s episode, we get a reality check on all the hype surrounding AI with guest Phil Gervasi. Phil provides background on Large Language Models...
NAN085: Embrace Change to Thrive in the Tech Industry
12 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Embracing change is sometimes easier said than done. Today we talk with Monika Machado, who has held significant roles at companies like Microsoft and...
NAN084: From GitNops Zero to Hero
29 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Are you ready to go from zero to hero in GitNops? On today’s podcast, we talk with Tom McGonagle, who shares and explains git, CI/CD and DevOps and ...
NAN083: Cox Gets Network Automation Right, and Proves It at DEF CON (Sponsored)
22 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Today’s Network Automation Nerds episode discusses Cox Communications’ journey to getting network automation right. We also talk about how...
NAN082: Mastering Python One Bite at a Time
15 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
How do you master Python? One bite at a time. On today’s show we talk with Bob Belderbos, co-founder of PyBites, a community and learning platform f...
NAN081: We’re Going To Talk Python To You
19 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
On today’s episode, we’re going to talk Python. Host Eric Chou is joined by Michael Kennedy, the founder of Talk Python Training and host of the...
NAN080: Elevating Your Network Automation Skills and the DevNet Expert Track
04 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Ongoing education and training is a constant in a networking career, especially if you want to advance. And certifications are a common path forward. ...
NAN079: From Network Monitoring to Observability: Make the Leap for Better NetOps
20 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Traditional network monitoring was built around SNMP and logs. And while there’s still a role for these sources, network observability aims to i...
NAN078: The Evolution of Ostinato: From Open Source to a Sustainable Business
06 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Ostinato is a network traffic generator aimed at network engineers who need test traffic, whether in a lab or production, to do things such as test ci...
NAN077: Network Observability: Tools, Automation, and Insights
23 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Network optimization starts with observing, but how are networks observed and what tools are used? Joining the podcast today are the authors behind th...
NAN076: Innovating Healthcare IT: Automating NetOps at RUSH University Medical Center (Sponsored)
16 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Uzair Khan from RUSH University Medical Center is today’s guest on the Network Automation Nerds podcast. Uzair discusses the complexities of healthc...
NAN075: Mastering Networking in the Age of AI: Advice for Aspiring Engineers
09 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Ivan Pepelnjak joins host Eric Chou to reflect on his extensive career, his decision to reduce his content creation, and offer advice for young engine...
NAN074: Integrate and Collaborate with Codespaces and Containerlab
25 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
GitHub Codespaces aims to simplify spinning up a developer environment in the cloud. Containerlab, which provides virtual lab environments for network...
NAN073: Some Final Words of Wisdom from Greg Ferro
11 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This episode was recorded with Greg Ferro, co-founder of Packet Pushers, just days before his retirement in July 2024. Greg and Eric reflect on Greg’...
NAN072: Exploring Internet2’s Network Automation for University and Research Networks
28 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
On today’s episode we delve into Internet2’s mission to advance research and education through high-speed connectivity. University and researc...
NAN071: Understanding the Infrastructure Requirements for AI Workloads (Sponsored)
21 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
On today’s Network Automation Nerds, we get into the infrastructure required to support AI workloads. We discuss key considerations including bandwi...
NAN070: FakeNOS – An Open Source NOS for Network Testing
14 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Today we spotlight an open-source project called FakeNOS. Whether you’re a network engineer looking to experiment in a controlled environment, o...
NAN069: Lessons On the Journey From NOC to Aerospace Networking
31 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Today, Lexie Cooper shares her journey from a NOC environment to networking engineering in the aerospace industry. Along the way, the discussion makes...
NAN068: Is Cloud Networking the Future for Network Engineers?
10 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
On today’s episode, host Eric Chou and guest Kyler Middleton discuss the transition from on-prem network engineering to cloud networking; the im...
NAN067: AI and Total Network Operations with Scott Robohn
26 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This is the final episode of a series of interviews with Scott Robohn (for now). We discuss AI in networking operations and how it’s still too early...
NAN066: Operationalize Your Automations With torero (Sponsored)
19 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
When you’re trying to share your cool new network automation with your co-workers, the last thing you want to do is deal with other systems’ diffe...
NAN065: The Excitement and Trepidation of Automation with Scott Robohn
12 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In part two of Scott Robohn’s interview, Scott tells us about his experience starting his own business and co-founding the Network Automation Forum ...
Day Two Cloud Crossover: When the Cloud was Born
05 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to a crossover episode with the Day Two Cloud podcast! Eric Chou was there for the birth of the public cloud. Before DevOps or SREs were a thi...
NAN064: Get to Know NAF Co-Founder: Scott Robohn
30 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Scott Robohn is responsible for so much of the current buzz and awareness of network automation. Today, we sit down with the co-founder of Network Aut...
NAN063: The Team Behind Nautobot (Part 2) – The Benefits of Technical Writing
15 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Curious about what it takes to write a technical book as a network engineer? You’re in luck. The team behind Nautobot is also the team behind the bo...
NAN062: The Team Behind Nautobot (Part 1)
01 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Today we chat with the maintainers of Nautobot, the open source network source of truth and network automation platform. Jason Edelman, Ken Celenza, J...
NAN061: Transforming Network Telemetry Into Operational Insights With Kentik (Sponsored)
24 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The expectations for application delivery are higher than ever before, the networks that support those applications are increasingly distributed, and ...
NAN060: Python for Network Engineering with Kirk Byers (Part 2)
17 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This is Part 2 of Kirk Byers’ interview. We discuss the Git course he’s developing and the need to build bridges between networking and testing so...
NAN059: Python for Network Engineering with Kirk Byers (Part 1)
04 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The intersection of Python and network engineering is Kirk Byers’ sweet spot. Today, the creator of the Netmiko library and core maintainer of NAPAL...
NAN058: The Story of containerlab with Roman Dodin (Part 2)
20 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome back for Part 2 of Eric’s interview with Roman Dodin, co-creator of containerlab. Roman describes containerlab as a “lab as code” tool t...
NAN057: Nile Incorporates Network Automation from the Ground Up (Sponsored)
13 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
What if you could eliminate the burdens of networking without losing your control and visibility of the network? That’s the idea behind Nile. With N...
NAN056: The Story of containerlab with Roman Dodin (Part 1)
06 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Big risk, big reward: That’s the origin story of both containerlab and its maintainer, Roman Dodin. Roman tells Eric the story behind containerlab, ...
Welcome to Network Automation Nerds
14 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Hi, I’m Eric Chou, and welcome to the Network Automation Nerds podcast, the newest addition to the Packet Pushers family. This is your audio des...