Jason's Industry Insights

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Most companies think they've got security covered. They've bought the tools, checked some boxes, maybe even signed up for cyber insurance. Daniel Zborovski, a fractional CISO with 25 years in the trenches, would politely disagree.

In this episode, we get into what security actually looks like when you pull back the curtain. Not the product stack. The governance, the risk, the stuff that keeps a real CISO up at night.

We talk third-party breaches — which are, quietly, the biggest threat most organizations aren't prepared for. If your vendor gets hit and they're holding your data, that's still your problem. Legally, financially, reputationally. All yours.

We dig into SOC 2, why more companies are being forced into it whether they want to be or not, and what it actually takes to get there (spoiler: it's more than a checklist). We also get into cyber insurance - specifically, the reality that having a policy doesn't mean your claim gets paid.

Then there's AI. Daniel's been rewriting AI governance policies for clients for the past couple of years, and the pace of change is, let's say, brisk. From locking down which platforms employees can use, to the surprisingly thorny question of who controls the data when an AI note-taker shows up to your board meeting uninvited.

Good conversation with someone who's seen a lot of breaches and has the scar tissue to prove it.

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You can reach Daniel at [email protected] or on LinkedIn

Check out our The Jason's Industry Insight newsletter at https://jasonsindustryinsights.com/

What happens when a veteran network architect can't get his own Wi-Fi working before a podcast? Exactly the kind of conversation you can't plan for.

Victor Kuarsingh and I have known each other for nearly 20 years, going back to when Jason was at Juniper and Victor was designing IP architecture at Rogers. Victor is now the Managing Vice President of Connectivity at Capital One, and Jason has a little podcast.

In this episode, we pick up where that era left off and look squarely at where things are actually heading.

The conversation moves fast: from managed Wi-Fi and proactive network maintenance, to AI agents running live infrastructure without human approval, to the deeply uncomfortable question of whether anyone is building these systems with a real off switch.

No pitches. No prepared talking points. Two people who have spent decades inside the infrastructure everyone else takes for granted, being candid about what is exciting, what is broken, and what keeps us up at night.

We discuss

Home networking reliability — the irony of a network guy struggling with his own Wi-Fi setup, and the broader point that reliability has become more important than raw speed

AI for network observability — using AI to monitor, diagnose, and self-heal network issues, and how much autonomy you give it before humans need to stay in the loop

AI guardrails and the "how much rope" problem — where autonomous AI decision-making is genuinely better than humans, and where judgment calls still require a person

Personal AI use and critical thinking — how you're both using LLMs day-to-day, the risk of people outsourcing thinking entirely, and why cross-referencing outputs matters

Financial services as the next big disruption — Victor's view that fintech/payments is where telecom was 20 years ago, ripe for the same kind of transformation

Digital identity and voice authentication — deepfakes, voice cloning, and whether we'll ever have a reliable way to confirm who we're actually talking to

The "just because you can, doesn't mean you should" question — AI existential risk framed through sci-fi (WarGames, Battlestar Galactica, Demon Seed), wrapping up with humanity's tendency to build first and ask questions later

Enjoy!

You can find Victor on LinkedIn

Make sure to check out the Jason's Industry Insight Newsletter

In this episode, I reconnect with Amedeo Bernardi, founder of the Canadian Rural and Remote Broadband Community Conference and Expo (CRRBC), to preview the 2026 conference season and explore this year's theme: "the infinite build."

Born from a coffee conversation in 2019, CRRBC has evolved from a regional North Bay gathering into Canada's premier platform for addressing digital equity in rural, remote, and Indigenous communities, attracting over 400 conference attendees in 2025.

Amedeo traces the conference's journey through pandemic-era supply chain challenges, the critical focus on Indigenous reconciliation in 2023, and last year's exploration of what comes after initial connectivity.

The 2026 theme, "the infinite build," addresses a crucial reality: building and maintaining rural infrastructure isn't a one-and-done project—it's an ongoing commitment that requires sustainable business models, continuous investment, and evolving technology solutions.

Amedeo shares exciting updates, including enhanced sponsorship packages with dedicated meeting spaces, new breakout session opportunities for vendors, expanded year-round webinar series opportunities, and the return of the third annual golf tournament at Hawk Ridge.

Plus, lessons learned from 2025: the conference now starts on Tuesday, so Casino Rama's restaurants are actually open on arrival night!

Registration is now open for CRRBC 2026 East (June 9-111, Casino Rama, ON).

Watch for CRRBC West (November 1-3, Saskatoon, SK).

https://crrbc.ca/eastern-canada-2026 for more information

In this episode of Jason’s Industry Insights, I chat with Rouzbeh Yassini-Fard, the man known worldwide as the father of the cable modem, to revisit the origins of the broadband era as documented in his recently released book, "The Accidental Network - How a small company sparked a global broadband transformation."

Rouzbeh recounts how, in 1987, a 20-person team at LANCity built the first high-speed data network over cable, turning an 80-pound, $18,000 prototype into a $299 modem that changed the world. Their work laid the foundation for the DOCSIS standard, powering billions of broadband connections today.

This isn’t a nostalgic trip, it’s a study in innovation under constraint. Rouzbeh explains how a small startup out-engineered industry giants, created early forms of AI-driven diagnostics, and proved that persistence beats scale.

He shares how customer obsession kept the team moving, like discovering that weekend “network outages” were caused by hunters’ CB radios, seeing how telehealth pioneers used their tech to transfer cancer imaging data between hospitals in 1990, and how a school custodian didn't even know what "IoT" was, but needed it.

Rouzbeh reflects on giving away DOCSIS technology royalty-free to speed global adoption, why he predicts its sunset around 2040, and how broadband will become the foundation for AI infrastructure. His message to entrepreneurs is timeless:

• Solve a big problem that matters to people
• Build something that works
• Let the product do the talking

The conversation also offers a human side - sleep deprivation, car crashes, and six pounds of M&Ms a week that kept the engineers (and their kids) motivated.

Some key moments:

1. On Skepticism and Drive: “We were told it was too complex, it would never work. That was the fuel we needed to make it work.”
2. On Early AI: “Today everyone says AI, AI, AI. We built AI into our modems in 1990. They learned from noise and compensated for it.”
3. On Motivation: “Every time an engineer hit a wall, I sent them to the customer. Real users give more energy than any paycheck.”
4. On Giving It Away: “I could have charged royalties for DOCSIS, but that would have slowed broadband for the world. It wasn’t about money.”
5. On Leadership and M&Ms: “Kids came for the candy. Parents came back to work. Six pounds of M&Ms a week kept innovation alive.”

Rouzbeh’s story shows how grit, curiosity, and purpose turned a small Massachusetts startup into the birthplace of the broadband era.

You can find Rouzbeh's book on Amazon. You can find Rouzbeh on LinkedIn.

Rahul Goel, CEO and founder of NordSpace, joins me to discuss how his company is building a fully Canadian space ecosystem — from 3D-printed rocket engines and launch vehicles to satellites, AI-driven payloads, and Canada's first commercial spaceport in Newfoundland. They’re working to reshape and fill gaps in every segment of Canada’s space sector, from investment and infrastructure to technology and policy.

NordSpace is redefining how Canada accesses orbit by developing its own rockets (Tundra and Titan), satellite systems (Terra Nova), and the Atlantic Spaceport Complex to support end-to-end space missions. Rahul explains what it takes to launch from Canadian soil, how his team grew from two engineers in a basement to a 25-person national venture, and why space must be treated as critical infrastructure, not a distant frontier.

The conversation covers Canada’s regulatory hurdles, the company’s lessons from its first launch campaign, the push for technological sovereignty, and the balance between ambition and pragmatism in a country often seen as risk-averse. Rahul also shares his personal journey to leading one of Canada’s most ambitious aerospace ventures — and why he believes the next decade will belong to nations that build, not buy, their access to space.

This is a must-listen for anyone following Canadian aerospace, satellite innovation, or the business of space access.

Some key points:

• NordSpace is building Canada’s first end-to-end space ecosystem — rockets, engines, satellites, and the Atlantic Spaceport Complex in Newfoundland.
• Space is critical infrastructure, not a frontier. If satellites failed, Canada would lose an estimated $1 billion per day in economic impact.
• Terra Nova, NordSpace’s AI-enabled satellite program, will detect wildfires and security threats in real time, proving that Canadian satellites can deliver on-orbit intelligence.
• Rahul Goel says Canada must move past the Avro Arrow mindset and take real risks again: “We can do hard things here.”
• Rahul’s goal: build the roads to orbit so others can build industries on top of them.
• “When we succeed,” Rahul says, “I want people to say we did it — Canada did it.”

Check out NordSpace at https://www.nordspace.com/

You can find Rahul on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/iorahul/

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Finally, remember to subscribe to Jason's Industry Insights, the Podcast at https://jasonsindustryinsights.com/

Live long and prosper.

In this episode, Karl May, CEO and Founder of Join Digital, breaks down the shift from Network-as-a-Service (NaaS) to Network-as-a-Platform.

We explore how this evolution opens new revenue opportunities for MSPs and ISPs by combining open hardware, software-first networking, and AI-powered operations.

Karl shares how Join’s approach helps providers significantly reduce costs, scale without adding staff, and deliver real enterprise-grade uptime.

Listeners will learn why the platform model matters, how OpenLAN changes the economics of networking, and what managed service providers can do today to capture growth in this new era.

You can find Karl May on LinkedIn and more information about Join Digital at https://joindigital.com/

Subscribe to Jason's Industry Insights newsletter - https://jasonsindustryinsights.com/

Municipalities are taking broadband into their own hands.

In this episode, I chat with Laura Bradley, General Manager of YorkNet, about how York Region is building and managing its own fiber network.

Laura shares how YorkNet went from connecting a few buildings in 2002 to deploying over 1,000 kilometers of fiber today, why open access infrastructure matters, and how strategic planning is shaping the network’s future.

The conversation also touches on unexpected challenges, lessons learned, and why local ownership of digital infrastructure can change the game for residents, businesses, and entire communities.

You can reach Laura on LinkedIn

Subscribe to the Jason's Industry Insights Newsletter

What if you could see through the earth and scan entire cities without lifting a shovel? In this episode, I speak with Denise Squarzolo, Director of Electrical Engineering Services at Planview Utility Services, to reveal the high-tech future of infrastructure planning. From LIDAR scans and AI-assisted pole surveys to digital twins that render the invisible visible, Denise breaks down how vast data sets are captured, synthesized and turned into actionable insights. She explores how data accuracy drives smarter design, how digital twins are redefining utility management and why a data-first mindset is crucial for modern infrastructure. Plus, a look at subsurface utility engineering, Ontario’s aging networks and how Sudbury became the unexpected twin of the moon.

You can find Denise on LinkedIn

Check out Planview's Website

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You can find me on LinkedIn or at https://www.verityaptus.ca/

Finally, please remember to follow, like and share from your podcast player of choice!

Thanks for listening!

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Remember to check out the Jason's Industry Insights Newsletter at https://jasonsindustryinsights.com/

What’s really stopping rural and northern communities from getting connected? In this episode, I speak with Susan Church, Executive Director of Blue Sky Net, for a candid conversation about the stubborn challenges, and creative solutions, shaping broadband in Northern Ontario.

Susan shares stories from her 25-year journey, exposing why national broadband stats are misleading, why “hexagon mapping” leaves whole communities stranded, and what really happens when big telcos hold the keys to critical infrastructure.

We chat about funding failures, data gaps, and the hidden cost of overbuilding. Hear about the innovative local providers, the unfiltered truth behind provincial and federal programs, and the real elephants in the room.

If you want the inside story on Canada’s digital divide, listen in as we pull no punches and ask the questions few others will.

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You can contact Susan Church on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/susan-church-7987a826/

Check out Blue Sky Net and all their resources at https://blueskynet.ca/

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For more information about the Canadian Rural and Remote Broadband Community Conference, please see https://crrbc.ca/eastern-canada-2025

You can find me on LinkedIn or at https://www.verityaptus.ca/

Finally, please remember to follow, like and share from your podcast player of choice!

Thanks for listening!

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Remember to check out the Jason's Industry Insights Newsletter at https://jasonsindustryinsights.com/