Best Sysadmin Podcasts (2025)

1
TNO026: Gain Confidence in AI for NetOps with Juniper Networks (Sponsored) 53:58

24h ago53:58

53:58

Confidence in a new technology is one of the greatest barriers to adoption of that technology. If you don’t believe it will improve your NetOps, why would you adopt it? This is especially true of AI products. On today’s show, we’re joined by Bob Friday, Chief AI Officer of Mist/Juniper to make the case for... Read more »…

1
HN778: Understanding Model Context Protocol (MCP) with Selector (Sponsored) 50:47

1d ago50:47

50:47

Model Context Protocol (MCP) is a very new protocol that provides a standard way to link AI models to a variety of data sources and tools. As the industry heads toward agentic AI–in which an AI agent interacts with disparate applications, data sources, and other agents to achieve a task–MCP provides the protocol glue. On... Read more »…

1
HN778: Understanding Model Context Protocol (MCP) with Selector (Sponsored) 50:47

1d ago50:47

50:47

Model Context Protocol (MCP) is a very new protocol that provides a standard way to link AI models to a variety of data sources and tools. As the industry heads toward agentic AI–in which an AI agent interacts with disparate applications, data sources, and other agents to achieve a task–MCP provides the protocol glue. On... Read more »…

1
HN778: Understanding Model Context Protocol (MCP) with Selector (Sponsored) 50:47

1d ago50:47

50:47

Model Context Protocol (MCP) is a very new protocol that provides a standard way to link AI models to a variety of data sources and tools. As the industry heads toward agentic AI–in which an AI agent interacts with disparate applications, data sources, and other agents to achieve a task–MCP provides the protocol glue. On... Read more »…

1
2.5 Admins 244: Branded and Splintered 31:07

2d ago31:07

31:07

Some Synology NAS products will require drives they sold you, doubt is cast on the CVE program, why some FreeBSD packages didn’t appear when they should have, and backing up the keys for encrypted backups. Plugs Support us on patreon and get an ad-free RSS feed with early episodes sometimes Robust & Reliable Backup Solutions with OpenZFS News Synol…

1
TL012: Weighing the Cost of Team Interventions 39:31

2d ago39:31

39:31

On this episode of Technically Leadership, Chris Leonard joins to talk about the costs of intervention in a team discussion, whether that’s to bring a team back to a topic or to make a decision that needs to be made. We discuss hero culture (both in the team and as the leader), imposter syndrome, and... Read more »…

1
N4N023: DNS – Turning Names Into Numbers 48:01

2d ago48:01

48:01

The Domain Name System (DNS) keeps the Internet running. On today’s N Is For Networking podcast, we talk about how DNS transforms human-readable host names into IP addresses so that Internet traffic can be sent to the right place. We talk about root name servers, Top Level Domains (TLDs), and other elements of the DNS... Read more »…

1
NAN090: Examining Network Automation’s Present and Future With Chris Grundemann 45:16

3d ago45:16

45:16

Today we explore the current state of network automation with Chris Grundemann, a co-founder of Network Automation Forum. Chris gives the history of the Network Automation Forum and AutoCon conference, which aims to blend technology and community. He shares ideas for advancing network automation, and invites other network engineers to participate i…

1
D2DO270: Spacelift Is Your Infrastructure Glue (Sponsored) 39:51

4d ago39:51

39:51

Working with multiple Infrastructure as Code (IAC) tools can be painful. Spacelift provides a platform that operates on top of disparate IaC tools, including Ansible, Kubernetes, Pulumi, Terraform, and OpenTofu. Spacelift helps build the automation with and between these tools, creating graphs of graphs that make your dependencies just work. On tod…

1
PP059: News Roundup – Oracle Plays Breach Word Games, Fast Flux Worries CISA, AI Package Hallucinations, and More 34:09

4d ago34:09

34:09

Once a month, the Packet Protector podcast likes to see what’s going on out there via our news roundup. There’s a lot happening! Today we discuss Fortinet warning that a threat actor has found a way to maintain read-only access on Fortinet devices even if you’ve applied the patch for the original threat. Avanti VPNs... Read more »…

1
NB523: CVE’s Reprieve, Google WAN For Sale, NVIDIA Pledges More US-Made Chips 49:46

5d ago49:46

49:46

Take a Network Break! We start with a red alert for the CVE program, which nearly lost government funding before CISA stepped in, and then raise an alert for a Dpanel vulnerability. Google makes its Cloud WAN available to enterprises and governments that want connectivity options, a US District Court rules Google’s ad business a... Read more »…

1
TNO025: Know the Packet Flow 42:57

8d ago42:57

42:57

Knowing the flow of how a packet gets from one end to the other is one of the most important pieces of advice given by today’s guest, Mark Prosser. He shares his journey in the IT industry, his thoughts on Ops vs. design, and the differences between working in a telco NOC and the enterprise... Read more »…

1
IPB173: The IPv6 Test Pod Project 32:30

8d ago32:30

32:30

What if there was an simple way to test software and services to see if they work in a variety of IPv6 environments, including v6-only, dual-stack, and others? That’s the goal of the IPv6 Test Pod Project. This project provides a device, at no cost to the applicant, that comes with a variety of v6... Read more »…

1
HN777: Overlay All the Things? 52:01

8d ago52:01

52:01

Today’s Heavy Networking is all about overlay technologies, their history, development, and current state, both from engineer and vendor perspectives. We discuss why the industry turns to overlays to solve problems, and look at overlay and segmentation approaches including VXLAN, SRv6, and EVPN. We also drill into the idea that EVPN could become th…

1
HN777: Overlay All the Things? 52:01

8d ago52:01

52:01

Today’s Heavy Networking is all about overlay technologies, their history, development, and current state, both from engineer and vendor perspectives. We discuss why the industry turns to overlays to solve problems, and look at overlay and segmentation approaches including VXLAN, SRv6, and EVPN. We also drill into the idea that EVPN could become th…

1
HN777: Overlay All the Things? 52:01

8d ago52:01

52:01

Today’s Heavy Networking is all about overlay technologies, their history, development, and current state, both from engineer and vendor perspectives. We discuss why the industry turns to overlays to solve problems, and look at overlay and segmentation approaches including VXLAN, SRv6, and EVPN. We also drill into the idea that EVPN could become th…

1
2.5 Admins 243: 0.5 Centuries 32:59

9d ago32:59

32:59

IPv4 addresses are worth an awful lot of money, the serious dangers of a seemingly sensible deepfake law, Microsoft is 50 years old, and our thoughts on antivirus on Linux and Windows. Plugs Support us on patreon and get an ad-free RSS feed with early episodes sometimes Accurate and Effective Storage Benchmarking News Your IPv4 stash can now be col…

1
N4N022: SNMP Fundamentals 57:40

9d ago57:40

57:40

Following last week’s introduction to network monitoring, we discuss the Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP), one of the most implemented types of network monitoring. We discuss how it is organized, operations that SNMP can perform, and versions of SNMP. This week’s bonus conversation is a discussion on the future for SNMP. Episode Links: MIB…

1
D2DO269: Intergalactic Dataspeak and Making Data Actionable 39:39

10d ago39:39

39:39

Data and what you do with it is the topic of today’s show with guest Dominic Chapman, the Head of Product at Axiom. Dominic’s career focus is on data, how to store and how to operationalize all the data that different technology stacks create. We talk with Dominic about how the data does not lie,... Read more »…

1
PP058: Network Discovery with NMAP: You’ve Got Swaptions 45:09

11d ago45:09

45:09

We’re diving into NMAP on today’s show with guest Chris Greer. Chris, an expert in network analysis and forensics, explains what NMAP is, the difference types of scans, how device fingerprinting works, and more. We also coin the term “swaptions” as we have some fun with NMAP terminology. He also gives details on how to... Read more »…

1
NB522: Git Turns 20, An iPhone Airlift, Cybersec Silence Speaks Volumes 53:43

12d ago53:43

53:43

Take a Network Break! Guest co-host Ned Bellavance steps in for Johna this week. We start with a Fortinet vulnerability, and then opine on a memo from Shopify’s CEO on the company requiring and measuring AI use by employees. Git celebrates 20 years, DARPA names 15 companies to participate in a Quantum Benchmarking Initiative to... Read more »…

1
HN776: Security Platforms: Balancing Efficacy, Ops, and Emerging Threats (Sponsored) 49:33

15d ago49:33

49:33

Network security has evolved from stateful perimeter firewalls with maybe some IDS/IPS to a complex stack delivered as numerous unique tools, which often don’t talk to one another and may need to be operated by specialists. In this environment it’s hard to unify a security policy, troubleshoot problems, manage and operate tools, and respond effecti…

1
HN776: Security Platforms: Balancing Efficacy, Ops, and Emerging Threats (Sponsored) 49:33

15d ago49:33

49:33

Network security has evolved from stateful perimeter firewalls with maybe some IDS/IPS to a complex stack delivered as numerous unique tools, which often don’t talk to one another and may need to be operated by specialists. In this environment it’s hard to unify a security policy, troubleshoot problems, manage and operate tools, and respond effecti…

1
HN776: Security Platforms: Balancing Efficacy, Ops, and Emerging Threats (Sponsored) 49:33

15d ago49:33

49:33

Network security has evolved from stateful perimeter firewalls with maybe some IDS/IPS to a complex stack delivered as numerous unique tools, which often don’t talk to one another and may need to be operated by specialists. In this environment it’s hard to unify a security policy, troubleshoot problems, manage and operate tools, and respond effecti…

1
TNO024: Networks for AI and AI for Networks — A Dual Perspective with Aviz Networks (Sponsored) 42:11

15d ago42:11

42:11

On today’s show, we introduce Aviz Networks with Vishal Shukla, Co-Founder & CEO. Vishal and Aviz are making Networks for AI, and AI for Networks. Vishal explains how Aviz does this by offering AI Networking Unpacked. Designed for open-source and vendor-agnostic networking, AI Networking Unpacked works with existing network infrastructures. It also…

1
2.5 Admins 242: Malscraping 33:41

16d ago33:41

33:41

Jim’s server is getting hammered by AI scrapers and he’s big mad about it, why RCS doesn’t work on Android without Google apps, a complex Google account issue, and how Jim and Allan handle their WireGuard configs. Plugs Support us on patreon and get an ad-free RSS feed with early episodes sometimes Network Offload and Socket Splicing (SO_SPLICE) in…

1
TL011: Getting the Entire Team to Speak 41:55

16d ago41:55

41:55

On today’s episode we’re joined by Daniel Ward to get a sneak preview of his talk on Getting the Entire Team to Speak, which he’ll give at DevOpsDay Austin. His addresses the challenges of getting people to speak up. Why is this needed? Getting input from everyone on a team lets people raise issues and... Read more »…

1
N4N021: Is It the Network? Network Monitoring Basics 56:03

16d ago56:03

56:03

How do you know what is happening within your network, especially when something isn’t working? Network monitoring is the answer. On today’s show, we’ll start with the basics of network monitoring. We’ll cover what it is, how it’s used, and suggest some paid and open source network monitoring tools. This week’s bonus material is a... Read more »…

1
NAN089: A Career Journey of Exponential Learning 59:00

17d ago59:00

59:00

“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 own approach to career growth. Christian chats with us first about how he got started in IT, his various experiences in both networking and DevOps and then network automation. He leads a... Read more »…

1
Ask The Hosts – Episode 23 20:06

17d ago20:06

20:06

Our weirdest collections, food we’ve eaten as a dare, and the nicest thing someone has done for us. With Félim from Late Night Linux, Gary from Linux After Dark, Andy from Linux Dev Time, and popey from Linux Matters. Patrons got this this in their feed two weeks ago.By The Late Night Linux Family

1
PP057: Behind the Scenes At Cisco: PSIRT, AI, CVEs, and VEX 54:13

18d ago54:13

54:13

Cisco Systems has a sprawling portfolio of home-grown and acquired products. What’s it like trying to find and address bugs and vulnerabilities across this portfolio? Omar Santos, a Distinguished Engineer at Cisco, gives us an inside look. We dig into how Cisco identifies security bugs using internal and external sources, the growing role of AI... …

1
NB521: Optics Advances in the Data Center; Google Extends Gmail’s End-to-End Encryption 42:55

19d ago42:55

42:55

Take a Network Break! We check in on a serious Firefox vulnerability, explore NIST’s latest post-quantum encryption algorithm, and discuss a broken auto-update functionality in VMware Workstation. NetBox adds config drift detection to its network automation software, the startup Lightmatter tackles co-packaged optics, and Corning launches Glasswork…

1
HN775: How To Train Your Very Own AI-Enabled Slackbot 1:03:59

22d ago1:03:59

1:03:59

On today’s Heavy Networking, we’ll discuss building a Slackbot wired to an AI and trained on your own organization’s knowledge. The potential use cases for network operations are fascinating, and today’s guest, Kyler Middleton is here to explain the finer details on how to do it and point us to free resources created so that... Read more »…

1
HN775: How To Train Your Very Own AI-Enabled Slackbot 1:03:59

22d ago1:03:59

1:03:59

On today’s Heavy Networking, we’ll discuss building a Slackbot wired to an AI and trained on your own organization’s knowledge. The potential use cases for network operations are fascinating, and today’s guest, Kyler Middleton is here to explain the finer details on how to do it and point us to free resources created so that... Read more »…

1
HN775: How To Train Your Very Own AI-Enabled Slackbot 1:03:59

22d ago1:03:59

1:03:59

On today’s Heavy Networking, we’ll discuss building a Slackbot wired to an AI and trained on your own organization’s knowledge. The potential use cases for network operations are fascinating, and today’s guest, Kyler Middleton is here to explain the finer details on how to do it and point us to free resources created so that... Read more »…

1
TNO023: Networking’s Third Phase – The Network Operator Experience 57:30

22d ago57:30

57:30

Guest Chris Grundemann believes that NetOps is in the third phase of networking–improving the network operator experience. Not just making the network functional or improving end user experience. In this episode, Chris tells his origin story at a wireless service provider and growth into a founder of multiple companies. He also shares his community…

1
IPB172: IPv6 SMB – Does it Work? Plus Other Listener Questions! 30:18

23d ago30:18

30:18

On today’s episode we’re doing some follow up on listener comments and questions that have come in via the Follow Up on packetpushers.net. We cover questions regarding IPv6 for small businesses, then go even smaller and answer a question about IPv6 for home networks. Lastly, we have a quick discussion about Path MTU discovery with... Read more »…

1
2.5 Admins 241: Anecdatum 30:30

23d ago30:30

30:30

Whether tech debt is inevitable and where the blame lies, how to properly organise ZFS datasets, and selectively managing updates. Plugs Support us on patreon and get an ad-free RSS feed with early episodes sometimes ZFS Orchestration Tools – Part 2: Replication SysCloud Over 2,000 IT admins already trust SysCloud to protect their SaaS data. Head t…

1
N4N020: To Cert Or Not To Cert? 57:48

23d ago57:48

57:48

To cert or not to cert? That is the question Holly & Ethan discuss on today’s episode. Will a certification really land you a networking job? Are certs the guaranteed path to tech career success? We consider this, talking through the benefits, challenges and even risks of networking industry certification. And there’s some bonus material,... Read m…

1
D2DO268: Solving Big Problems By Solving Small Problems 40:07

24d ago40:07

40:07

“You build a shop that solves big problems by solving small problems” is advice given by today’s guest, Merritt Baer. Merritt is currently a CISO at Reco, and has deep security experience in both government and private sectors. She chats with Day Two DevOps podcast hosts Ned Bellavance and Kyler Middleton to discuss the current... Read more »…

1
PP056: Ask A CISO with Joe Evangelisto 38:30

25d ago38:30

38:30

On today’s show, we chat with Joe Evangelisto, CISO at NetSPI. He recounts his journey to becoming a Chief Information Security Officer, one that started as an IT sysadmin, advanced to management, and led him ultimately to the CISO role. Joe talks about building security programs from the ground up and developing both personally and... Read more »…

1
NB520: When Good LLMs Do Bad Things, Dell’s Workforce Downsizes and Quantum Key Distribution From Space 25:24

26d ago25:24

25:24

Grab a virtual doughnut to blaze through this week’s IT news with Johna Johnson and John Burke as Drew Conry-Murray is enjoying his glazed, filled and sprinkled vacation donuts. Today, we’re going to talk about getting good LLMs to do bad things, Dell’s workforce downsizing, Cloudflare’s recent outage, some developments in space networking, and mor…

1
TNO022: Secure Automation at Enterprise Scale for the Public Sector with Red Hat Ansible (Sponsored) 1:08:21

29d ago1:08:21

1:08:21

There are both benefits and challenges when adopting automation in the public sector, but Red Hat Ansible enhances efficiency, security and service delivery. With the right tooling, network operators can integrate automation into existing environments and improve network security. Providing insights into adopting automation in the public sector are…

1
HN774: Who Put These OT Risks In My IT Ops? Fortinet Has Answers (Sponsored) 46:53

29d ago46:53

46:53

IT and infosec professionals are used to operating and protecting mission-critical infrastructure; servers, databases, load balancers, and so on. But what about valves that control the flow of gas or oil in a refinery? Temperature and vibration sensors that monitor industrial manufacturing processes? If you’re thinking “That’s not my problem” think…

1
HN774: Who Put These OT Risks In My IT Ops? Fortinet Has Answers (Sponsored) 46:53

29d ago46:53

46:53

IT and infosec professionals are used to operating and protecting mission-critical infrastructure; servers, databases, load balancers, and so on. But what about valves that control the flow of gas or oil in a refinery? Temperature and vibration sensors that monitor industrial manufacturing processes? If you’re thinking “That’s not my problem” think…

1
HN774: Who Put These OT Risks In My IT Ops? Fortinet Has Answers (Sponsored) 46:53

29d ago46:53

46:53

IT and infosec professionals are used to operating and protecting mission-critical infrastructure; servers, databases, load balancers, and so on. But what about valves that control the flow of gas or oil in a refinery? Temperature and vibration sensors that monitor industrial manufacturing processes? If you’re thinking “That’s not my problem” think…

1
2.5 Admins 240: 30 DVI Cables 29:14

1M ago29:14

29:14

The key differences between throughput and latency – and when they matter, the tech that we’d keep if we stopped working in IT, and avoiding bitrot with rsync backups. Plugs Support us on patreon and get an ad-free RSS feed with early episodes sometimes Core Infrastructure: Why You Need to Control Your NTP Free consulting We were asked about avoidi…

1
TL010: Leading With Influence Rather Than Mandating 48:42

1M ago48:42

48:42

How do you lead with influence rather than mandate? On today’s show, we talk with JJ Asghar from IBM. JJ shares his extensive experience in managing open-source namespaces like GitHub and npm for IBM. He discusses the challenges of influencing decisions without formal authority and tailoring communication styles for different audiences. JJ also adv…

1
N4N019: Howdy, Neighbor! And Other Routing Stuff 42:36

1M ago42:36

42:36

In today’s episode, we continue the discussion about routing and routing protocols by focusing on commonalities rather than differences among protocols such as OSPF, RIP, EIGRP, or BGP. We explain how, in general, routing protocols discover each other, communicate, maintain relationships, and exchange routing information. Next, we explore the topic…

1
NAN088: See Something, Improve Something – An Iterative Approach to Automation Success 47:33

1M ago47:33

47:33

On today’s Network Automation Nerds, industry veteran Michael Bushong talks about lessons learned from failure. As the network industry grapples with automation and network engineers confront yet another cycle of upskilling and grinding out new certs, he warns against executives and practice leads aiming for the biggest, shiniest project. His advic…

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Sysadmin Podcasts

Podcasts Worth a Listen