Podcasts

Networking With Ehsan – Podcasts

29Jul

DDos Attacks

In this episode of Ehsan’s Tech Lounge, we discuss modern DDoS attacks.
Your home modem may be online right now and, without your knowledge, could already be part of a massive cyber army.
The new generation of DDoS attacks no longer targets only a single server or a specific IP address. In Carpet Bombing attacks, malicious traffic is distributed across hundreds of IP addresses within the same prefix. This allows the attack to remain below the detection thresholds of traditional defense systems while ultimately overwhelming the router and all the services behind it.
On the other hand, Flash Attacks, also known as Pulse Attacks, are launched in extremely fast and short bursts. In some cases, the attack may already be over before traditional DDoS protection systems can detect it and respond.
In this video, we explore:
- How does Carpet Bombing work?
- Why are short and sudden attacks so difficult to detect?
- How do infected home modems become part of a botnet?
- How can outbound DDoS attacks cripple an ISP from inside its own network?
- Why are traditional defenses and volume-based thresholds no longer sufficient?
- What roles do FlowSpec and RTBH play in mitigating these attacks?
- How has artificial intelligence made cyberattacks faster and more intelligent?
When we talk about attacks reaching 14 or 31 terabits per second, the issue is no longer limited to a single website becoming unavailable. Traffic at this scale can affect routers, network links, and a significant portion of an Internet service provider’s infrastructure.
What do you think ISPs should do to identify infected modems and stop DDoS attacks as close to the source as possible?

DDos Attacks
13Jul

Agentic AI Fundamental

Artificial intelligence is no longer limited to answering our questions. The new generation of AI can plan, use different tools, make decisions, and take action on our behalf.
In Episode 19 of the TechLounge podcast, we are joined by Dr. Alireza Yamghani, an expert in artificial intelligence, software, and automation with more than 30 years of academic and practical experience in Iran and Canada.
In this conversation, we explore Agentic AI from the ground up and examine how AI has evolved from Ask to Act—moving beyond simply asking questions and receiving answers to planning and completing tasks.
In this episode, you will learn about:
• The differences between chatbots, LLMs, and Agentic AI
• The evolution of AI from Ask to Act
• Why Agentic AI has become one of the most important technology trends in recent years
• The Goal, Plan, Act, Observe, and Evaluate cycle
• The core components of an AI agent, including the LLM, tools, memory, planner, and executor
• What a skill is and how it is used in AI agents
• What MCP is and why it is often compared to the USB port of the AI world • Different types of AI agents, from task agents to coding and planning agents
• Applications of Agentic AI in programming, debugging, log analysis, and ticket management
• The risks of hallucination, prompt injection, and excessive access privileges
• The importance of guardrails, sandbox environments, and human oversight
• Whether AI will replace engineers and programmers
• The skills we need to learn for the future of artificial intelligence
This episode serves as an introduction to a series of hands-on Agentic AI workshops in which we will build skills, set up an MCP server, and implement practical AI agents.
If you are interested in artificial intelligence, programming, networking, automation, and the future of technology, subscribe to the TechLounge channel and turn on notifications so you do not miss the upcoming episodes in this series.
What do you think?
Will Agentic AI eliminate jobs, or will it replace people who do not use AI?

Agentic AI Fundamental
07Jul

Extended Detection and Response - XDR

In this episode, we talk about XDR: what XDR actually is, why it was created, and what problems it solves for security teams.
We will also explore the XDR architecture, how it works, and some of the leading vendors in this area.
If you have never worked with XDR before, or if you want to learn this technology from scratch, this video is for you.

XDR
30Jun

SASE Explained: Secure Access for the Cloud Era

In this episode we talk about SASE — Secure Access Service Edge — an architecture that plays an important role in the future of network security, remote user access, SaaS, Cloud, and Zero Trust.
As the IT world changes, users no longer connect to applications only from inside the company, and applications are no longer hosted only inside the data center. Today, users access services such as Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, Salesforce, Public Cloud, and internal business applications from home, branch offices, coffee shops, or anywhere else. This shift has made traditional models, such as VPN and backhauling all traffic to the data center, not always the best option.
In this video, we explain SASE in simple language and review how this architecture, by combining cloud-based security, Zero Trust, Secure Internet Access, Secure SaaS Access, and Secure Private Access, can make user access from anywhere more secure, smarter, and easier to control.
We also talk about concepts such as SWG, CASB, FWaaS, ZTNA, DLP, and Shadow IT, and explain the role each one plays in the SASE architecture.
If you work in Network, Cybersecurity, Cloud Security, or Infrastructure, this episode can give you a clear understanding of the SASE architecture and why it matters in modern security.

SASE
01Jan

From Mainframe to Edge | Exploring Cisco Unified Edge Architecture and the Future of Intelligent Networks

In Episode 16 of the Tech Lounge podcast, we begin an architectural and historical journey together.
We start from the era of mainframes, move through cloud and fog computing, and then enter the world of edge computing—where processing, security, and decision-making are pushed to the edge of the network.
In this episode, we take an in-depth look at the Cisco Unified Edge architecture; a concept Cisco introduced this year as a unified vision for the edge. Its goal is to simplify, integrate, and intelligently orchestrate the network from the data center to the branch and the edge.
In this episode, you will learn:
- Why traditional architectures no longer meet today’s requirements
- What problem edge computing actually solves
- The real-world differences between cloud, fog, and edge
- How Cisco Unified Edge integrates networking, security, and compute at the edge
- How this architecture will impact the future of enterprise and industrial networks

From Mainframe to Edge
21Dec

What Is an Isolated Recovery Environment (IRE)? Secure Recovery After Ransomware

In Episode 15 of Ehsan’s Tech Lounge, we address one of today’s most critical cybersecurity scenarios: After a ransomware attack, how can recovery be performed securely?
Having backups alone is not sufficient. Recovering directly into a production environment—or into an environment that was previously compromised—can lead to re-infection and a repeat of the attack. This is where the concept of an Isolated Recovery Environment (IRE) becomes essential.
In this episode, we examine:
Why traditional Backup and Disaster Recovery approaches fail after a ransomware attack
What an Isolated Recovery Environment (IRE) is, and how it differs from Incident Response and Disaster Recovery
Why isolation is the core pillar of cyber recovery after ransomware
How the VMware IRE approach helps address these challenges
This episode is intended for:
Security Engineers and SOC teams
Infrastructure and Virtualization Engineers

What Is an Isolated Recovery Environment (IRE)? Secure Recovery After Ransomware
15Dec

When Backup Fails: Understanding Cyber Resilience and Cyber Vaults

In this episode of Ehsan’s Tech Lounge, we take a step-by-step look at why, in today’s world, Backup alone is no longer sufficient to withstand modern cyberattacks and ransomware.
This episode is structured around four main sections:
1️⃣ What Is Cyber Resilience and Why It Matters We define Cyber Resilience, explain how it differs from Backup and Disaster Recovery, and discuss the importance of designing systems with an Assume Breach mindset.
2️⃣ Why Backup Alone Fails Against Ransomware An examination of the detection gap, the limitations of traditional backup and vault solutions, and the real-world challenges of RPO and RTO during cyberattacks.
3️⃣ From Backup to Cyber Vault: The Need for Cyber Resilience Why the Cyber Vault has emerged as the last line of defense, and how it fits into a broader Cyber Resilience strategy.
4️⃣ HPE Cyber Resilience Vault Architecture and Business Impact An architectural view of the HPE Cyber Resilience Vault, the role of rapid recovery, and its impact on reducing risk, downtime, and business losses.
At the end of this episode, we review a practical and powerful solution as a real-world example, demonstrating how Cyber Resilience can be implemented in an effective and operational manner.

Understanding Cyber Resilience and Cyber Vaults
08Dec

Cisco ACI: Why is it still the backbone of Private Cloud?

9 key topics covered in this episode:
🔹 Single Point of Management — Centralized control for hundreds of switches
🔹 Out-of-the-Box Automation — Built-in automation from onboarding to underlay
🔹 Virtual Machine Manager Integration — Integration with VMware, Nutanix, etc.
🔹 True Multi-Tenancy — Full tenant isolation with true RBAC
🔹 Multi-AZ / Remote Leaf / Multi-Site — Scalable datacenter deployment scenarios
🔹 Powerful REST API — Fully API-first architecture
🔹 Automation Stack — Ansible / Terraform / Nexus as Code
🔹 Pervasive Zero-Trust Security — ESG/EPG with modern security enforcement
🔹 L4-L7 Service Chaining with PBR — Steering traffic through FW/LB without network complexity

Cisco ACI
30Nov

Cisco Nexus One

In this episode, we dive into one of Cisco’s newest and most important announcements in the world of data centers: Cisco Nexus One — the next-generation switching platform designed to make the integration between ACI, EVPN, and VXLAN simpler, more flexible, and more intelligent.
In this video, we explore five key topics:
🔹 1. A look at the evolution of SDN in Cisco data centers How did we move from traditional architectures to ACI, and now to Nexus One?
🔹 2. Introducing a new role in ACI: the ACI Border Gateway What does this new component do, and which challenges does it solve?
🔹 3. Deep dive into the architecture of Cisco Nexus One A breakdown of the ASIC, fabric, pipeline, and Nexus One’s position in future data center networks.
🔹 4. Understanding VXLAN connectivity between EVPN and ACI How do these two technologies interact and integrate?
🔹 5. Examining Policy models between ACI and EVPN What’s the difference between Policy-Unaware and Policy-Aware, and when is each used?
If you work with Cisco ACI, EVPN, VXLAN, or data center design, this episode is for you.

Cisco Nexus One
23Nov

Microsegmentation with GPO

In this episode, we dive into one of the most important innovations shaping modern data center architectures: Micro-Segmentation using GPO (Group Policy Option) in VXLAN-EVPN and NX-OS environments.
In this episode, we explain:
- The role of Group Policy Option (GPO) in enabling true micro-segmentation
- ESG, SGACL, and how policies are carried along with the traffic
- GPO architecture on NX-OS and the difference between Ingress vs. Egress enforcement
- Service Chaining, traffic redirection, and distributed security at the Leaf
- Capabilities, limitations, and the technical improvements in recent NX-OS releases
- The future of GPO and why it is becoming one of the key pillars of security in modern fabrics

Microsegmentation with GPO
16Nov

What is ZTNA? (Agentless)

In this episode, we dive into one of the most important concepts in the world of network security:
ZTNA – Zero Trust Network Access
1️⃣ Introduction to ZTNA
Why “no one is trusted by default”
The role of identity and device posture in modern security
2️⃣ Comparing ZTNA with VPN
Why VPN is no longer enough
Application-based security vs. full network access
Advantages, weaknesses, and real-world scenarios
3️⃣ Agentless ZTNA Architecture
Secure access without installing software on the user device

What is ZTNA? (Agentless)
9Nov

Network That Never Sleeps - OOB

In this episode of Ehsan’s Tech Lounge, titled “Network That Never Sleeps,” we explored one of the most critical components of network infrastructure: Out-of-Band Management (OOB).

In this discussion, we explained what OOB is, why it plays a key role in network security and resilience, and how, during a crisis, it often becomes the only active path to regain control of the network.

We then took a brief look at ZTNA – Zero Trust Network Access, and finally analyzed Meta’s data center–scale OOB solution — an architecture based on Passive Optical Network (PON) technology that redefines resilience in the modern data center world.

Network That Never Sleeps - OOB
2Nov

Business Logic Attacks

In this episode of Ehsan’s Tech Lounge, we dive into a silent but very serious threat: Business Logic Attacks — attacks that do not rely on code injection, but instead exploit the order of requests (user journey) and the logic of the application. These attacks often stay invisible to traditional firewalls and security tools.

What you’ll learn in this video:
• The difference between a traditional WAF and the need for modern API Security solutions
• Three real, relatable scenarios: coupon abuse, ATO (Account Takeover), and race conditions in fintech
• How API inventory, distributed tracing, and behavior baselining help uncover logic-based attacks
• A practical playbook for detection, rapid response, and remediation — actionable steps that DevOps and SecOps teams should start implementing today

If you found this video useful, hit the Like button and share it with your technical friends — especially DevOps teams, SecOps teams, and system architects.

Business Logic Attacks
26Oct

Cisco Secure Analytics (Stealthwatch) Explained: NDR for Modern Enterprise Networks

In this episode of the Tech Lounge series, we explored one of the most important network security solutions: NDR – Network Detection & Response.
We reviewed the architecture of Cisco Secure Analytics (SNA) — formerly known as Stealthwatch — analyzed common customer challenges, and explained how network traffic analytics can detect malicious behavior even without signatures.

🔍 Topics we covered:
• What is NDR and why is it critical today?
• SNA architecture and components (Flow Collector, Flow Sensor, UDP Director, etc.)
• The role of telemetry and NetFlow in security visibility
• A brief demo of the SNA environment

Cisco Secure Analytics (Stealthwatch)
19Oct

Inside Cisco SD-WAN: How Modern WAN Automation Works

In this episode, we explore Cisco SD-WAN — one of the most modern and widely used enterprise networking solutions in the world.
We’ll explain how SD-WAN separates the control and data planes, how it simplifies and secures connectivity between branch locations, and how, using vManage, vBond, and vSmart, it automates policy and routing management.
If you’re looking for a real understanding of an automated, policy-driven, and secure WAN, this episode is for you!

Inside Cisco SD-WAN
05Oct

QUIC: Performance Revolution or Security Blind Spot?

In the fourth episode of Ehsan’s Tech Lounge Podcast, we explore how HTTP/3 powered by QUIC promises blazing-fast connections and a better user experience — but also introduces new visibility and inspection challenges for security vendors. We trace the evolution of HTTP protocols, unpack the architectural benefits of QUIC, and ask the critical question: Can our firewalls keep up? Join us as we analyze how vendors are tackling decryption, telemetry, and detection inside encrypted QUIC traffic.

QUIC: Performance Revolution or Security Blind Spot?
15Sep

Cisco HyperFabric AI

We introduce Cisco HyperFabric AI—covering architecture, benefits, and learning paths for engineers entering AI infrastructure.

Cisco HyperFabric AI