The Connectivity Podcast

EP64: Trusted advisors, AI infrastructure, and the evolving role of connectivity

Tue, 28 Apr 2026 05:00:00 -0400

Mattias Fridström continues the conversation with Rob Merhej, VP EMEA at AVANT, exploring how advisory‑led partners create long‑term value for customers – and why connectivity remains central to everything from AI to customer experience.

In this episode, they discuss:

How AVANT supports partners beyond the initial deal through ongoing advisory, cross‑sell, and up‑sell engagement
What separates top‑performing trusted advisors – and why selling multiple services per customer matters
How AVANT stays ahead of vendor roadmaps with specialist engineers and tools like Pathfinder and Atlas
Why AI deployments often fail without the right data center, bandwidth, and network design in place
The shift of unified communications into broader CX and contact‑center transformations
Growing awareness of AI security, governance, sustainability, and talent challenges
A look ahead at the next five years – from multi‑gig connectivity to AI as an everyday work companion

A lively conversation on connectivity, AI, and the advisory models powering the next wave of the technology channel. Tune in and get ahead of what’s next.

EP63: Channel transformation, global growth, and advisory‑led partnerships

Wed, 18 Mar 2026 05:00:00 -0400

What’s reshaping the future of the technology channel? Rob Merhej, VP EMEA at AVANT, joins Mattias Fridström to discuss:

How AVANT evolved from a small startup to a global advisory‑led technology services distributor
The shift from traditional reselling to a modern trusted‑advisor model across cloud, connectivity, co‑location, cybersecurity, and AI
Why recurring‑revenue, as‑a‑service solutions are now central to partner go‑to‑market strategies
How AVANT supports partners with engineering expertise and agnostic guidance to navigate complex, multi‑site customer requirements
Key differences between the US and European channel ecosystems – and how European markets are rapidly catching up
The impact of AI deployments, co‑location growth, and increasing connectivity demands on the channel’s momentum

Don’t miss this insightful look into how the partner landscape is evolving – and why the trusted‑advisor model is becoming indispensable in today’s technology world.

EP62: Trends and challenges in optical networking – Part II

Wed, 07 Jan 2026 03:00:00 -0500

What does the future of telecom look like? Kent Lidström, CTO of Smartoptics returns to the podcast for a discussion with Mattias Fridström on:

The increased importance of where components are manufactured
How the convergence of IP and optical layers has impacted suppliers
Hyperscalers building their own gear
Hollow-core fiber
Where quantum networking research stands today
Sustainability challenges in networking
Optical innovations to expect in the coming years

Don’t miss this deep dive into the trends shaping tomorrow’s networks.

EP61: Trends and challenges in optical networking

Mon, 01 Dec 2025 05:00:00 -0500

How has optical networking evolved over the past 25 years – and what’s next? In this episode, Kent Lidström, CTO at Smartoptics, joins Mattias Fridström to explore:

The biggest shifts in optical networking and what still needs to change
Openness and disaggregation in the telecom industry
Shannon’s limit
How mergers and acquisitions are reshaping the industry
Why enterprises are moving toward simpler services like “raw bandwidth”
Encryption-based and physical security
Strategies for managing component shortages through dual sourcing

If you’re curious about the past, present, and future of optical networking, this conversation is packed with insights.

EP60: Connectivity in the gaming industry: DreamHack, local sites, and future of gaming

Mon, 22 Sep 2025 07:00:00 -0400

Markus Viitamäki, Senior Infrastructure Architect at Embark Studios is back on the podcast. In this episode, he and Mattias Fridström discuss Markus’ previous engagement in the world’s largest gaming festival DreamHack, when to establish local gaming sites to meet customer needs (and what the requirements are), DDoS attacks in the gaming industry, and whether gamers really understand how the Internet is working.

EP59: Connectivity in the gaming industry: trends, drivers, latency & bandwidth

Thu, 28 Aug 2025 09:00:00 -0400

In this episode, Markus Viitamäki, Senior Infrastructure Architect at Embark Studios joins the podcast to discuss trends in the gaming industry, main drivers to creating a new game, and how much latency and bandwidth are affecting the gaming experience.

EP58: Cloud connectivity, public internet, security standards, and enterprise networking trends

Tue, 10 Jun 2025 03:00:00 -0400

Misha Kuperman, Chief Reliability Officer at Zscaler is back on the podcast. In this episode he and Mattias Fridström discuss if the recent trade tariffs will impact services from Zscaler, whether people in general understand cloud connectivity, if security in the cloud is just a waste of bandwidth resources, what customers know about the public internet, if security standards in telecoms are important, and what security trends we will see in enterprise networking in five years’ time.

EP57: Enterprise networking, geopolitical impact, and zero trust

Mon, 12 May 2025 08:00:00 -0400

In this episode, Misha Kuperman, Chief Reliability Officer at Zscaler joins the podcast to discuss the past and recent developments in enterprise networking, whether the current geopolitical situation has had any impact on the way enterprises think about security, what’s behind the ‘zero trust’ concept and how this works in real life.

EP56: Data center security, heat recovery, understanding network architecture

Mon, 20 Jan 2025 04:00:00 -0500

Eric Löwgren, Head of Network at data center provider GleSYS, is back on the podcast. This time, he and Mattias Fridström discuss physical and cyber security in data centers, optimizing sustainability through measures such as heat recovery (and getting customers to pay a premium for sustainability), increasing the understanding of network architecture among customers, and what the future data center will look like.

EP55: Choosing location for data centers, moving out of the cloud, AI affecting connectivity demands

Wed, 11 Dec 2024 03:00:00 -0500

Eric Löwgren, Head of Network at data center provider GleSYS, joins the podcast for a discussion on what impacts the selection of where to put a data center, the trend of moving things out of the cloud, AI driving power density and connectivity demands, and attracting ‘lead guitar’ talent to the data center industry.

EPEP54: Quantum physics in optical networks, hollow-core fiber, and optimizing power consumption

Tue, 19 Nov 2024 02:00:00 -0500

Robert Maher, CTO of Infinera, is back on the podcast. This time, he and Mattias Fridström discuss quantum physics in optical networks, the development of hollow-core fiber, optimizing power consumption in the AI data center era, and more.

EP53: Optical networking, impact of AI, and hyperscalers building their own gear

Tue, 22 Oct 2024 03:00:00 -0400

Robert Maher, CTO of Infinera, joins the podcast to talk about how the optical business has developed during the last 20 years, the strive for constant innovation, openness and disaggregation in the telecoms space, the impact of AI in areas such as self-provisioning, and hyperscalers building their own gear.

EP52: AI in mobile networks, road to 6G & 7G, and security

Mon, 16 Sep 2024 06:00:00 -0400

Anders Vestergren, Vice President, Head of Solution Area Network Management at Ericsson is back on the podcast. In this episode, the discussion centers around differentiation of mobile networks, component shortages, development and use cases of AI in mobile networks, finding and training talent with the right skill set, the road to 6G and 7G, the future for quantum computing in mobile services, and telecoms’ massive investments in security.

EP51: Global 5G roll-out, edge computing, and network softwareization

Tue, 13 Aug 2024 03:00:00 -0400

Anders Vestergren, Vice President, Head of Solution Area Network Management at Ericsson joins the podcast to talk about where we are with the global roll-out of 5G, fixed wireless vs mobile access, edge computing, and the softwareization of mobile networks. A great discussion with high-end use cases from the PGA Tour and Taylor Swift concerts.

EP50: Quantum connectivity: attracting people and funds, sustainability trends, and the holy grail of quantum communications

Tue, 02 Jul 2024 03:00:00 -0400

Ryan Lafler, CTO of Quantum Corridor is back on the podcast to discuss the gender split in the quantum industry, funding of quantum development, sustainability trends, and why quantum entanglement – which Ryan believes is 3-5 years out – is the holy grail of quantum communications.

EP49: Quantum connectivity: successful transmissions, impact of AI, and real use cases

Mon, 03 Jun 2024 07:00:00 -0400

In this episode, Ryan Lafler, CTO of Quantum Corridor joins the podcast to talk about quantum network transmissions, the impact of AI on quantum computing, and real use cases like generative AI, graphics applications, climate modelling, and vaccine development.

EP48: Preventing fiber cuts, transparency of network routes, multi-network resiliency

Wed, 24 Apr 2024 03:00:00 -0400

David Tomalin, Group CTO at CityFibre is back on the podcast to talk about preventing accidental fiber cuts, transparency vs. openness when it comes to network routes, the trend towards multi-network resiliency, sustainability in the networking industry, and more.

EP47: Building an intelligent fiber network

Tue, 26 Mar 2024 05:00:00 -0400

In this episode, David Tomalin, Group CTO at CityFibre joins the podcast to discuss what sorts of fiber are used for broadband services, how to choose the best locations and routes when expanding a network, and the need for more intelligent data in the business.

EP46: The next big thing in quantum computing

Tue, 20 Feb 2024 04:00:00 -0500

Javad Shabani is Assistant Professor of Physics and Director of the Center of Quantum Information Physics at New York University. He joins the podcast to share his expertise on the quantum development:

The next big thing in quantum computing
Breakthroughs in quantum communication
Sustainability aspects
Funding quantum research
Quantum computing in mobile networks

EP45: Quantum computing breakthroughs – in the lab and in real-life

Fri, 26 Jan 2024 04:00:00 -0500

How close are we to some really cool stuff in this area – in the lab and in the real world?
Quantum computing use cases
Infrastructure limitations
Quantum Key Distribution
Competing for skills with big tech companies

EP44: Sustainable data center architecture – part II

Mon, 11 Dec 2023 07:00:00 -0500

Marina Otero Verzier is an architect and researcher who in 2022 received Harvard’s Wheelwright Prize for a project on the future of data storage. She aims to publish the first open-source manual for global data center architecture design, featuring examples of ecological, sustainable, and egalitarian data storage models used in data centers across the world. Marina Otero Verzier’s work is especially urgent at a time when digital-data production is outpacing the scalability of today’s storage solutions, and AI usage is on the rise.

In this episode, Marina Otero Verzier and Mattias Fridström discuss:

Government involvement in the data center industry
New frontiers for data center design, like data centers in space
Physical security of data centers
Measuring data center sustainability
Quantum computing’s impact on data center design
The rise of decentralized networks of data centers, using a variety of architectures, complementing the traditional facilities

EP43: Sustainable data center architecture – part I

Thu, 16 Nov 2023 03:00:00 -0500

In this episode, Marina Otero Verzier and Mattias Fridström discuss:

Trends driving the need for more sustainable data centers
Her awarded project on the future of data storage, Future Storage: Architectures to Host the Metaverse
The benefits of bringing architectural skills to the colocations industry
Insights from the data centers that Marina has visited across the world
Factors besides connectivity that matter when choosing a data center location, such as energy consumption, tax benefits, climate, access to water and land
Data center locations that Marina plans to visit next for her research

EP42: Global digital adoption, exponential technology’s impact on policymaking

Tue, 24 Oct 2023 04:00:00 -0400

Michael Potter is an entrepreneur, documentary filmmaker, author, and social enterprise investor. In this episode, he and Mattias Fridström discuss:

Obstacles to overcome in developing countries and how Geeks without Frontiers, an NGO co-founded by Michael, can support this work.
His involvement in Intel’s N50 initiative, striving for digital adoption for the next 50% of the planet.
Michael's work as a documentary film producer for titles including Do You Dream in Color?, Orphans of Apollo, The University, and Immortality or Bust.
The power of exponential technology like AI and the challenges it brings for policymakers.
How the decentralization movement can empower individuals and small businesses to do good things.

EP41: Social entrepreneurship in telecoms, challenging the incumbents

Thu, 14 Sep 2023 08:00:00 -0400

Michael Potter is an entrepreneur, documentary filmmaker, author, and social enterprise investor. In this episode, he and Mattias Fridström discuss:

Michael’s professional background in the 80’s, working as a nuclear arms controller, with international telecoms at the United Nations, and joining the very first class of students at the International Space University.
The story of Esprit Telecom, a European telco co-founded by Michael in the 90's, and how the company challenged the telecoms incumbents.
Geeks without Frontiers, an NGO co-founded by Michael promoting technology including broadband connectivity to support health, education, poverty reduction and gender equality in developing countries.

EP40: Edge computing, AI, cloud connectivity

Wed, 16 Aug 2023 06:00:00 -0400

Chris Stott is a renowned space entrepreneur with a passion for the economics and commerce of space. He is the founder and CEO of Lonestar, a company about to send the first in a series of data centers to the moon for disaster recovery and edge processing. In this episode, he and Mattias Fridström discuss:

Edge computing: where is the edge and what developments are happening in this area?
Where is AI heading?
Do people understand connectivity to the cloud?
The future for data storage and cloud

EP39: Data centers on the moon

Wed, 26 Jul 2023 03:00:00 -0400

The concept of moon-based data centers
The documentary film “The University” – featuring Stephen Hawking, Buzz Aldrin, Will.i.Am among others – for which Chris was an Executive Producer
Connecting the unconnected
Space programs that could save the planet
Securing the cloud

EP38: Network science – part II

Thu, 29 Jun 2023 06:00:00 -0400

Albert-László Barabási is a network scientist at Northeastern University, and holds an appointment in the Department of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. Barabási’s research covers all sorts of networks and he is the author of several books. In this episode, he and Mattias Fridström discuss:

The Barabási–Albert model: an algorithm for generating random scale-free networks
What Internet operators can learn from network science
Barabási’s work in network medicine
Using big data and network tools to understand how art and science develop
What areas of Internet networks that will be in focus in five years’ time

EP37: Network science – part I

Thu, 08 Jun 2023 03:00:00 -0400

The similarity between different networks – neurological, social, Internet and more
The robustness of Internet
How Barabási and his research teams are using maps – from brain to Internet maps
The idea of universality in networks dynamics
How Barabási is visualising his research of networks through art
His best-selling book ”Linked” that focuses on the study of networks

EP36: Connectivity in Japan – part II

Wed, 10 May 2023 07:00:00 -0400

Katsuyasu Toyama, COO at JPNAP, the biggest Internet exchange in Japan, is back to talk about the connectivity market in Japan - the world's 3rd largest economy. In this episode, he and Mattias Fridström discuss:

The usage of public and private cloud services in Japan
Getting the younger generation aware and interested in the Internet infrastructure
Whether users understand connectivity or if they take it for granted
The Japanese peering market
Mitigating DDoS attacks
How the telecoms market in Japan will develop over the next five years

EP35: Connectivity in Japan – part I

Mon, 17 Apr 2023 03:00:00 -0400

The number of Internet users in Japan is expected to increase to 116.4 million by 2026. With many of Japan’s businesses at the cutting edge of technology, there is a demand for scalable connectivity to connect local businesses to a global network of customers and partners. How is Japan’s Internet market developing? What are the traffic trends? What role does organizations like JPNAP and APIX play in this region? And what can be done to mitigate connectivity outages following natural disasters like earthquakes?

In this episode, Mattias Fridström is joined by Katsuyasu Toyama, COO at JPNAP, the biggest Internet exchange in Japan.

EP34: Subsea data centers – part II

Wed, 08 Mar 2023 12:00:00 -0500

Maxie Reynolds started her career as an offshore underwater robotics pilot and subsea engineer working in Norway, Venezuela, Australia, Italy, Russia, Nigeria and the US. She then transitioned into cyber security, working in ethical hacking, social engineering and red teaming. She also published a best selling book titled ‘The Art of Attack: Attacker Mindset for Security Professionals.’ In 2021, she moved back to the field of subsea engineering and founded Subsea Cloud – a data center infrastructure company that places data centers underwater.

In this episode, she and Mattias Fridström talk about deploying subsea data centers pods, using robotics for maintenance, the importance of mindset among new talent, scaling your business, and proving sustainability through transparency.

EP33: Subsea data centers – part I

Wed, 08 Feb 2023 15:00:00 -0500

Maxie Reynolds started her career as an offshore underwater robotics pilot and subsea engineer working in Norway, Venezuela, Australia, Italy, Russia, Nigeria and the US. She then transitioned into cyber security, working in ethical hacking, social engineering and red teaming. She also published a best selling book titled ‘The Art of Attack: Attacker Mindset for Security Professionals.’ In 2021, she moved back to the field of subsea engineering and founded Subsea Cloud – a data center infrastructure company that places data centers underwater. In this episode, she and Mattias Fridström talk about subsea engineering, physically breaking into high security facilities like headquarters and prisons, and the idea of putting data centers underwater (and challenges that come with that).

EP32: Selecting a data center location, colocation security trends, finding skilled people, proving your sustainability, 5-year outlook

Fri, 27 Jan 2023 04:00:00 -0500

Neal Elinski, General Manager of Software Engineering at Cologix is back to share insights on the development and trends in the colocation market. Together with Mattias Fridström, he talks about what factors impact the selection of where to put a data center, physical and data security trends, finding skilled people in competition with for example the hyperscalers, remote working in the wake of the pandemic, how to prove your sustainability and becoming even more sustainable, and how the colocation market will develop in the next couple of years.

Cologix is a leading network-neutral interconnection and hyperscale edge data center company.

EP31: Cloud trends, cross connects, control of data, market consolidation, supply chain challenges

Tue, 10 Jan 2023 10:00:00 -0500

In this episode, our guest is Neal Elinski, General Manager of Software Engineering at Cologix, a leading network-neutral interconnection and hyperscale edge data center company. Mattias Fridström and Neal talk about trends and challenges in the cloud services market, real or virtual cross connects and how much needs to be pre-built to be fast, edge computing and keeping control of your data, consolidation of the data center market, and supply chain issues in the industry.

EP30: Quantum networks - part II: Who is funding the Quantum Internet, security trends, impact on sustainability

Tue, 27 Dec 2022 03:00:00 -0500

Jesse Robbers, Director Industry & Digital Infrastructure at Quantum Delta NL is back to discuss Quantum Networks with Mattias Fridström. Who is supporting and funding the development of Quantum Internet? Has COVID-19 had any impact on this work? How does the industry compete with the hyperscalers and others in finding skilled people? What security trends do we see in Quantum Internet? Will Quantum Internet have an impact on sustainability?

Quantum Delta NL is a joint effort by a team of specialist from quantum research institutes, coordinating bodies, and a range of exciting industrial partnerships and startups.

EP29: Quantum networks: vision, what’s going on in the lab, use cases, Quantum Internet vs Public Internet

Thu, 08 Dec 2022 03:00:00 -0500

This episode features Jesse Robbers, Director Industry & Digital Infrastructure at Quantum Delta NL, a joint effort by a team of specialist from quantum research institutes, coordinating bodies, and a range of exciting industrial partnerships and startups. Mattias Fridström and Jesse Robbers discuss the development in Quantum Internet: How is this work progressing in the lab and in the real world? How close are we to some really cool stuff in this area? What is the Quantum Internet Alliance? Should Quantum Internet be considered in current network plans stretching to 2030?

EP28: Preventing frauds in the telecoms industry – part II

Mon, 24 Oct 2022 04:00:00 -0400

In this episode, Mattias Fridström continues speaking to Katia González, Head of Fraud & Advanced Analytics at BICS, member of GSMA Fraud and Security Group, and Chair of i3 Forum’s Fight Against Fraud workgroup.

Learn about:

The estimated loss to fraud of 28 billion € / year
Who is losing this money?
Using crowd sourcing in fraud prevention
Pandemic’s impact on frauds
Trends in the overall voice business
What is GSMA doing in the fraud prevention space?
The future fraud market and telecoms development

EP27: Preventing frauds in the telecoms industry

Mon, 26 Sep 2022 03:00:00 -0400

EP27: Preventing frauds in the telecoms industry

In this episode, Mattias Fridström meets with Katia González, Head of Fraud & Advanced Analytics at BICS, member of GSMA Fraud and Security Group, and Chair of i3 Forum’s Fight Fraud Workstream.

Learn about:

What types of fraud are common in the telecoms industry?
What solutions could help?
Who are behind these frauds – private actors, organizations or even countries?
Trends among attackers in terms of technology and targets

EP26: Pandemic’s impact on cloud, datacenter sustainability, what’s next in cloud

Fri, 02 Sep 2022 03:00:00 -0400

In this episode, Mattias Fridström is meeting with Mike Kavis, Chief Cloud Architect at Deloitte Consulting, author of Accelerating Cloud Adoption & Architecting the Cloud, and host of The On Cloud podcast.

Learn about:

The impact of COVID-19 in the cloud space
Sustainability in the datacenter market
If there’s a need for more clouds
Cloud at the edge
Mike’s authorship
The development of the cloud market and telecoms in general over the next years

EP25: Pioneering the cloud, best advice & major mistakes, understanding connectivity

Mon, 15 Aug 2022 08:00:00 -0400

Learn about:

How Mike became one of the pioneers in the cloud industry
Whether cloud has become a mainstream solution
Best advice to someone that wants to start using the cloud
Major mistakes companies do when moving to the cloud
If people really understand connectivity to the cloud (and do they need to?)
The trend towards major cloud providers touching the connectivity space

EP24: Connectivity in Africa: the entrance of hyperscalers, sustainability, telecom development

Tue, 21 Jun 2022 12:00:00 -0400

In this episode, Mattias Fridström is meeting with Funke Opeke, founder and CEO of MainOne, the leading provider of telecom services and network solutions for businesses in West Africa. With its 7,000km subsea cable system, including landing stations in Nigeria, Ghana and Portugal, and its growing metropolitan infrastructure and data center ecosystem, MainOne is uniquely positioned to accelerate the development of digital infrastructure in the region. In April 2022, Equinix announced that it’s entering Africa by closing the acquisition of MainOne.

Learn about:

The recent entrance of hyperscalers to Africa
Sustainability within the data center market in Africa
The regional impact of COVID-19 in the industry
If people really realize how important connectivity is
The future of the data center market and telecom development in Africa

EP23: Connectivity in Africa: data centers, networks, subsea cables

Tue, 21 Jun 2022 12:00:00 -0400

Learn about:

The story of MainOne
Challenges of running a data center and a network in Africa
The building on MainOne’s subsea cable to Europe some 15 years ago
Status of the African market: data centers, connectivity on land, international sea cables

EP22: Openness and disaggregation, IPoDWDM, DIY hyperscalers, sustainability

Fri, 20 May 2022 10:00:00 -0400

In this episode, Stephen Alexander, CTO at Ciena and Mattias Fridström discuss the industry trend towards open and disaggregated networks, the latest developments in IPoDWDM, hyperscalers building their own gear, sustainability in networking, and the future of the optical development.

EP21: Optical networking, raw bandwidth, component shortages, network design post-pandemic

Mon, 02 May 2022 04:00:00 -0400

In this episode, Stephen Alexander, CTO at Ciena and Mattias Fridström discuss how the optical networking industry has developed over the last decades, trends in enterprise networking such as the increased demand for raw bandwidth, the global component shortages, and the pandemic’s impact on network design.

EP20: Disaggregation, IPoDWDM, sustainability in networking

Tue, 15 Mar 2022 05:00:00 -0400

In this episode, Johan Gustawsson, Senior Director MIG Routing at Cisco and Mattias Fridström discuss what the disaggregation in the industry is all about, the role that IPoDWDM plays in this development, and how this can change the world for operators. They also speak about sustainability in the networking industry and how this can be improved.

EP19: Routing silicon, Moore’s law, Life Cycle Management

Wed, 09 Feb 2022 04:00:00 -0500

In this episode, Johan Gustawsson, Senior Director MIG Routing at Cisco and Mattias Fridström discuss the usage and development of routing silicon, and why this is important to operators. They also speak about Moore’s law and what this means for Life Cycle Management in the networking space.

EP18: Enabling connectivity after Beirut port and Moria refugee camp disasters, securing funding and partners

Mon, 08 Nov 2021 11:00:00 -0500

Mattias Fridström and Rudolf Gordon-Seymour, Head of International Funding at Télécoms Sans Frontières discuss the NGO’s responses to the 2020 Beirut port explosion and the 2020 Moria refugee camp fire, attracting talent and funding as well as getting hold of new technology as a non-profit organization, and the impact of COVID-19 on the organization’s work.

EP17: Connectivity in disaster areas, custom-engineered communications kit, satellite broadband

Tue, 05 Oct 2021 08:00:00 -0400

Mattias Fridström and Rudolf Gordon-Seymour, Head of International Funding at Télécoms Sans Frontières discuss challenges of enabling communications in disaster areas, the NGO’s educational programs to increase digital skills in these areas, preventing bandwidth heavy applications and data by using custom-engineered communications kit, and the possibilities of satellite broadband.

EP16: Hyperscalers, Shannon limit, fiber development, predicting earthquakes

Wed, 25 Aug 2021 07:00:00 -0400

In this episode, Mattias Fridström and Phartiban Kandappan, CTO at Infinera discuss the strategy of hyperscalers building their own gear, dealing with the Shannon limit, if the development of fiber is important to optical suppliers, and how telecom cables are used to predict earthquakes.

More information:
The Connectivity Podcast webpage
The Connectivity Podcast on Twitter

EP15: Optical networking, openness and disaggregation, IPoDWDM

Tue, 13 Jul 2021 04:00:00 -0400

In this episode, Mattias Fridström and Parthiban Kandappan, CTO at Infinera discuss the recent years’ significant changes in optical networking, the impact of Covid-19 on network design, openness and disaggregation in the telecom industry, and IPoDWDM.

EP14: 5G, cloud connectivity, security standards

Mon, 14 Jun 2021 09:00:00 -0400

In this episode, Mattias Fridström and Lisa Lorenzin, Senior Director of Transformation Strategy at Zscaler discuss if 5G will change the security design again, whether companies really care how they connect to the cloud, how much companies know about the public Internet, if security standards are important, and why DevSecOps will shape the implementation of security within the new few years.

EP13: Enterprise networking, SASE, zero trust

Fri, 21 May 2021 04:00:00 -0400

In this episode, Mattias Fridström and Lisa Lorenzin, Director of Transformation Strategy at Zscaler discuss challenges in enterprise networking, how the Covid-19 pandemic gave organizations an opportunity to consider alternative security models in terms of for example cloud security, automation and VPN connections, the potential of SASE, and what zero trust is all about.

EP12: 5G and enterprise networks, cloud connectivity, sustainability

Mon, 26 Apr 2021 16:00:00 -0400

In this episode, Mattias Fridström and Tom ‘The Networking Nerd’ Hollingsworth discuss if 5G will change the enterprise networks, weather enterprises understand how the cloud is connected, using the public Internet, DDoS and RPKI, and sustainability in networking.

EP11: Network design, automation, enterprise security

Thu, 15 Apr 2021 04:00:00 -0400

In this episode, Mattias Fridström and Tom ‘The Networking Nerd’ Hollingsworth discuss network design, automation, working from home, firewalls, using public Wi-Fi, and much more.

EP10: Cyber security, supply chain attacks, raising digital natives

Mon, 22 Mar 2021 12:00:00 -0400

In this episode, Mattias Fridström and David Jacoby, Senior Security Researcher at Kaspersky Lab discuss trending cyber threats, why the re-use of passwords is a bad idea, the fragility of the connected society, and raising your children in a digital world.

EP09: Cyber security, connectivity concerns, pandemic’s impact on security

Mon, 08 Mar 2021 12:00:00 -0500

In this episode, Mattias Fridström and David Jacoby, Senior Security Researcher at Kaspersky Lab discuss how the threat landscape has evolved over the last two decades, the biggest concerns as everything gets connected, and how COVID-19 has affected cyber security.

EP08: IPv4 vs IPv6, 5G and Edge, and building a better Internet

Mon, 15 Feb 2021 03:00:00 -0500

In this episode, Mattias Fridström and Christian Koch, Director Product Management at Digital Realty and co-founder of NYNOG discuss what is needed for full IPv6 adoption, how 5G is affecting the Edge and where this will ultimately be, and how to build a better Internet.

EP07: State of Internet, connectivity as a commodity, and networking sustainability

Mon, 25 Jan 2021 04:00:00 -0500

In this episode, Mattias Fridström and Christian Koch, Director Product Management at Digital Realty and co-founder of NYNOG discuss the state of Internet, the trust-based Internet model, the role of IX points, if Internet connectivity is a commodity, and sustainability in the networking industry.

EP06: Planning for traffic peaks, the Internet ecosystem, and sustainability

Wed, 16 Dec 2020 10:00:00 -0500

In this episode, Mattias Fridström and Sabine Sitterli, VP Network Infrastructure at Akamai discuss how to prepare for traffic peaks next year in conjunction to events like the Olympics, the importance of an Internet ecosystem, achieving a better Internet experience, and sustainability in networking.

EP05: Diversity in tech industry, WFH, and coping with the traffic surge

Mon, 07 Dec 2020 06:00:00 -0500

In this episode, Mattias Fridström and Sabine Sitterli, VP Network Infrastructure at Akamai discuss how to increase diversity in the tech industry, challenges of working from home, and coping with the traffic surge due to covid-19.

EP04: 400G, IPv6, Covid-19, and building a better Internet

Mon, 26 Oct 2020 05:00:00 -0400

In this episode, Mattias Fridström and Jérôme Fleury, Director of Network Engineering at Cloudflare discuss when the transition to 400G ports will really happen, if we’ll ever see a slowdown of Internet traffic growth, what needs to happen for full IPv6 adoption, how the Internet coped with the traffic surge following the Covid-19 pandemic, and how to build a better Internet.

EP03: Route hijacking, trust-based Internet, and future of IX’s

Mon, 26 Oct 2020 05:00:00 -0400

In this episode, Mattias Fridström and Jérôme Fleury, Director of Network Engineering at Cloudflare discuss how to prevent route hijacking, if the Internet’s trust-based model has a future, whether companies should use the public Internet for connectivity, if the Internet is really the same everywhere, and the future of IX’s.

EP02: Data center sustainability, cloud domination, automation and WFA

Fri, 17 Jul 2020 08:00:00 -0400

In this episode, Mattias Fridström and Mark Thiele, CEO of Edgevana talk about data center sustainability, if there’s a need for more fiber, whether some cloud providers have become too dominant, the need for automation in the wake of COVID-19, and why we should be talking more about WFA instead of WFH.

EP01: Cloud adoption, on-ramps, security and data center locations

Mon, 29 Jun 2020 02:00:00 -0400

In this episode, Mattias Fridström and Mark Thiele, CEO of Edgevana discuss the adoption rate of cloud, different ways to connect to the cloud, whether security in the cloud is a good idea, and if the data center location really matters.

The Connectivity Podcast - Trailer

Fri, 26 Jun 2020 10:00:00 -0400

In The Connectivity Podcast, networking guru Mattias Fridström, Chief Evangelist at Telia Carrier, and industry experts discuss all things Internet, networks, cloud and connectivity. Stay tuned for the first episode launching soon!