As digital transformation accelerates and hybrid environments scale, enterprise networks face unprecedented demand. In this episode, Andrew Wertkin, Chief Strategy Officer at BlueCat, joins Amanda Razani to break down how network architectures must evolve to support rapid change, rising data volumes, and increasing cybersecurity threats. He explains why observability is now foundational, how SD-WAN and edge computing are shifting performance expectations, and why automation and self-healing networks will define the next era of operations. Listeners will gain insights into modernizing infrastructure, strengthening security, and preparing for AI-driven demands.

Summary

Andrew Wertkin, Chief Strategy Officer at BlueCat, discusses how enterprise networks are being reshaped by cloud adoption, digital transformation, and rapid innovation. He explains the shift from slow, planned change windows to continuous, DevOps-style network updates that require flexibility, delegated control, and strong guardrails. Wertkin emphasizes the importance of observability for understanding the impact of frequent changes and preventing outages. He highlights challenges created by siloed tools, rising data demands, AI-driven threats, and the need for updated quality-of-service strategies. Looking ahead, he predicts a move toward automated, self-healing networks that can scale, remediate issues, and adapt automatically to business needs.

Key Quotes:

• “Rapid innovation breaks what normal looked like.”
• “If you can’t understand the impact of change, you’re going to create an outage.”
• “The pipes are being filled up—bandwidth can’t be taken for granted anymore.”
• “Networks will become self healing and able to scale without human intervention.”
• “Don’t change something if you can’t see it.”

Takeaways

• Enterprise networks must evolve to support continuous, rapid change.
• Observability is essential for managing risk, performance, and the impact of modifications.
• AI introduces both new threats and new tools for defense.
• SD-WAN and edge computing improve availability but create new bandwidth and QoS challenges.
• The future points to automated, self-healing networks with less manual intervention.
• Security and networking teams must shift from blockers to business enablers.

Timestamps

• 00:02 – Introduction & Guest Bio
• 01:03 – Evolution of Network Architecture
• 04:18 – Observability & Network Management
• 07:47 – Network Security & AI
• 11:53 – SD-WAN, Edge Computing & Performance
• 15:01 – The Future of Network Operations
• 17:06 – Key Takeaway & Closing

Links/Resource

Website: BlueCat - https://securiti.ai/author/cassandra-maldini/ 

LinkedIn:  Andrew Wertkin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/awertkin/ 

Podcast: Full Tech Ahead — Hosted by Amanda Razani

Find Amanda Razani on LinkedIn. https://www.linkedin.com/in/amanda-razani-990a7233/