One of the best IT events to attend is the ones by Tech Field Day. I’m happy to announce I’ve been selected as a delegate for Networking Field Day 22 (NFD22). In the past, I’ve participated in Mobility Field Day events because these days I’ve been focusing my efforts on Wi-Fi.
But it’s great to be part of Networking Field Day because the path I took to Wi-Fi was through network engineering. And currently, I still am a network engineer working in higher education.
NFD22 will be February 12 – 14, 2020.
Why Networking Field Day
This is where you’re going to get your networking fix for a few days. We’ll hear from various presenting sponsors on their latest technologies. As a delegate, I have the opportunity to ask questions directly to the presenter.
At this event, the presentation topic will be technical and will provide a discussion around the technology surrounding issues we face in IT today.
And as a delegate, you have the ability to send me your questions so I can relay it for you. The presentations will be streamed live. I’ll be sharing my thoughts on Twitter where you can interact with me.
There will be a recording of the presentation in case you aren’t able to watch it live.
Of course, there will be other delegates as well at this event. You can forward your questions to them as well.
One of the best parts of a Tech Field Day event is being able to network with others in the industry. There are some whom I’ve met before but haven’t connected in a while, which makes this a good time to catch up. Then there are other delegates who I will meet for the first time. We share stories and learn more about each other.
The same happens with the companies presenting. We get to meet key people inside these companies. Get to know them a little more personally and get a good feel for the company.
Disclaimer
I am attending by invitation from GestaltIT as a delegate. My expenses are covered by GestaltIT and I am by no means paid to say only the best things about the vendors presenting. Whatever I have to say about these vendors, on this blog and on Twitter, are my own opinions.
Presenting Sponsors
Who’s presenting at Networking Field Day 22?
Arista
A returning presenter. The last time I was a delegate, at MFD3, I sat in the same room with them where they discussed their network operating system and integration of their acquisition of Mojo Networks, at the time it was very recent.
I expect to hear about CloudEOS, NetDevOps and hopefully an update on Cognitive Wi-Fi.
Broadcom
I’m not sure what to expect from Broadcom but we may hear about their latest products of chips. They recently made an announcement of 6 GHz chips so that may be talked about as well.
CloudGenix
This is the first time I’ve heard of CloudGenix but what I’d expect to hear from them is their SD-WAN solution for branch offices, simplified policy creation, and API integration with other vendors. It’s all about the cloud these days, right?
DriveNets
Another new company, to me. But it appears they may be new to the industry as well. Their goal is to create disruption in networking. And because of the cloud, they have a Network Cloud.
This is supposed to be a new way of building networks for service providers. It’s all software based so my assumption is there will be white boxes talked about.
But we’ve heard about companies wanting to disrupt the industry. We’ve heard it before. Let’s see if this is different.
Kentik
The name Kentik is familiar to me. They provide a platform to have increased visibility on the network across the whole stack. They’re platform uses all the latest technologies such as AI, ML, and network automation.
I’m open to hearing how their solution creates actual value for an organization.
Riverbed
Riverbed has been around for a while. I actually pass by their office every day on my commute to work.
What I’d expect to hear from Riverbed is how they increase application performance in a cloud-driven world. Maybe SD-WAN at the branch level is a big play for them and we’ll hear about how they are different from others in this space.
I’d also expect to hear any updates on their existing product line.
Gluware
Network automation is big these days. Gluware aims to automate your brownfield network. Most networks are brownfield anyways so this sounds like a typical objection for people.
Their difference comes from providing “a balanced approach to automating the enterprise networks..”
I’d like to hear what that actually means. One challenge I see is dealing with legacy network equipment where automation isn’t as easy as placing a pre-built platform inline.
But I digress, I’m not a network automation expert but I am open to hearing these discussions.
Stay Tuned
We’ll see if my expectations align with reality come February 12th, 2020. Network engineering sure is beginning to change. Sometimes I think these solutions are best implemented in large enterprises with mature engineers.
Will we hear about solutions for the small and midsize companies? And are those solutions affordable and useable for smaller, less experienced IT teams?