Disaster recovery isn’t one-size-fits-all—different organizations require different levels of readiness. In this episode, we examine recovery site types, including cold sites (minimal setup), warm sites (pre-staged but inactive), hot sites (fully replicated and ready to go), and cloud-based recovery models. We compare the costs, benefits, and response times associated with each to help you understand how to align DR strategy with business risk tolerance.

We also cover active-active vs. active-passive architectures, where multiple live environments support redundancy and geographic load balancing. Whether it’s a natural disaster or hardware failure, these strategies ensure continuity and reduce downtime. By the end of the episode, you’ll know how to evaluate your recovery time objective (RTO) and recovery point objective (RPO) and build a DR plan that actually works when it matters most.

Hardware failures are inevitable—but outages are not, if redundancy is properly built into your network. In this episode, we focus on how to create fault-tolerant infrastructure through redundant routers, switches, and physical links. We explore concepts like dual-homing, redundant power supplies, cooling backups, and battery-based UPS systems. You’ll also learn how to assess single points of failure and plan for seamless failover during maintenance or emergencies.

Beyond networking gear, we examine facility-level concerns such as redundant HVAC, generators, and structured cabling. These physical layers of resilience are often overlooked until disaster strikes. Whether you’re supporting a branch office or a full data center, this episode teaches you to think like a systems engineer—prioritizing uptime through proactive design.

High-availability and performance optimization often rely on distributing traffic across multiple paths or interfaces. This episode breaks down three related technologies: load balancing, multipathing, and NIC teaming. You’ll learn how load balancers distribute client traffic across servers, how multipathing ensures resilient access to storage, and how NIC teaming aggregates bandwidth or provides failover for network interfaces. Each of these technologies contributes to redundancy, uptime, and throughput improvements.

We explain different configurations—such as active-active vs. active-passive setups—and what role software, operating systems, and networking hardware play in each method. Whether you're building a fault-tolerant storage solution or ensuring a critical application stays responsive, this episode gives you the technical detail needed to choose the right strategy. You'll walk away with a firm understanding of how to scale and harden services using layered network interfaces.

Networks don’t operate in a vacuum—they’re governed by agreements that define responsibilities, expectations, and legal protections. In this episode, we cover the three most common types of business agreements you'll encounter: Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDAs), Service Level Agreements (SLAs), and Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs). You’ll learn what each one is for, who signs them, and how they shape the delivery and support of IT services. These agreements form the foundation of trust and accountability between vendors, clients, and internal teams.

We also explore how these documents are referenced during audits, disputes, or project transitions, and why knowing their terms can protect both business and technical stakeholders. Understanding service uptime expectations, confidentiality rules, and operational boundaries can help you better manage expectations and ensure smoother partnerships. This episode gives you the professional vocabulary and context to participate in business-level discussions about network responsibilities.

A well-documented network is easier to maintain, troubleshoot, and scale. In this episode, we explore the different types of network documentation, including physical topology diagrams, logical flowcharts, and wiring schematics. You’ll learn how to map out port-to-device connections, track equipment inventories, and document cabling infrastructure.

We also explain how to generate and maintain audit reports that detail configuration changes, firmware versions, and incident response actions. Good documentation isn’t just for reference—it’s also a requirement for compliance, onboarding, and disaster recovery. This episode equips you with the skills and templates needed to bring structure to your network records.

Security begins with hardening the network against misuse and unauthorized access. In this episode, we review core hardening policies that every network should implement, starting with password standards, login lockouts, and multi-factor authentication. You’ll learn how to manage device access, enforce idle timeouts, and limit who can access what through role-based permissions.

We also cover data loss prevention (DLP) strategies, including USB restrictions, email filtering, and file encryption. These controls work together to reduce both accidental and malicious data leaks. By the end of this episode, you’ll know how to design and enforce a strong security posture using built-in network device features and enterprise policy.

Standard Operating Procedures are the rulebooks of a stable network environment. In this episode, we explain why SOPs matter, how they are developed, and what elements make them effective. You’ll learn how clear, concise procedures reduce human error, speed up onboarding, and improve incident response. We also examine how SOPs are different from policies and runbooks.

From equipment installation to password resets, SOPs document the “how” of daily operations. We include best practices for formatting, version control, and maintaining SOPs in dynamic environments. This episode is essential for anyone responsible for repeatable, auditable, and secure network processes.

When the worst happens, a well-prepared team can make all the difference. In this episode, we examine the roles of incident response, disaster recovery, and business continuity planning. You’ll learn how to define incidents, contain them quickly, and document findings for later analysis. We walk through the phases of incident response and how they relate to ITIL and NIST frameworks.

We also explore how to create disaster recovery plans that account for data loss, hardware failure, and physical site unavailability. Finally, we differentiate between recovery and continuity: disaster recovery gets you back online, while business continuity keeps operations running in the meantime. This episode prepares you to think about resilience, not just redundancy.

Change is inevitable—but unplanned change can break your network. This episode walks you through the change management process, including how to propose, review, approve, and document network changes. You'll learn about maintenance windows, rollback procedures, and the importance of peer review before making even minor modifications to a live environment.

We also discuss the broader system life cycle, from planning and deployment to maintenance and decommissioning. You’ll see how proper lifecycle management ensures not just technical success, but also alignment with budget, compliance, and business goals. Change doesn’t have to mean chaos—this episode shows how structure turns risk into reliability.

A baseline is a snapshot of normal network behavior, and it’s one of the most powerful tools for detecting anomalies. This episode explores how to create, maintain, and use network baselines effectively. You’ll learn how to define what “normal” looks like in terms of bandwidth, latency, and traffic patterns, and how to detect deviations that indicate issues or intrusions.

We also introduce NetFlow, a protocol developed by Cisco that collects metadata about traffic flows. We explain how to interpret flow data to understand who is talking to whom, over what protocol, and for how long. Used together, baselines and flow analytics help network teams spot bandwidth hogs, rogue devices, or developing threats before they escalate.