Tech Evangelism and Making Networking Cool Again with Alexis Bertholf

If the network is the backbone of modern tech, why did it fade into the background while cloud, AI, and security stole the spotlight? We sit down with technical evangelist Alexis Berthoff to pull the curtain back on the real work of making complex systems understandable, usable, and resilient. Alexis shares how she acts as a translator between product, marketing, sales, and the community, turning feedback into better features, clearer messaging, and practical guidance that actually helps customers. We explore why networking lost its “cool” factor as connectivity became assumed and invisible, and what that means for a generation choosing careers based on social feeds and salary lists. From AI’s hunger for predictable latency and bandwidth to the messy reality of connecting data centers, cloud interconnects, and VPCs, the design surface has never been more demanding. We dig into the skills gap, the disappearing bottom rungs of ops, and why foundational troubleshooting still beats blind tool worship. Along the way, we touch on the looming shift to post‑quantum cryptography and what it could mean for VPNs, certificates, and long‑term data privacy. Alexis also introduces Megaport Connect, a one‑day, pre‑recorded cloud networking summit with three tracks: fundamentals, advanced technical, and executive. Think concrete patterns for cloud connectivity, middle mile choices, transit gateways and cloud WAN, plus a new community built for ongoing Q&A and peer support. If you’ve ever wondered how to keep networks simple without sacrificing resilience, when automation delivers ROI, or how to grow a career that starts in networking and branches to cloud or security, this conversation brings clarity without the buzzword fog. Enjoy the episode? Subscribe, share it with a colleague who needs a fresh view on networking, and leave a quick review to help others find the show. Your feedback shapes future topics and guests. Connect with Our Guest:   / alexisbertholf     / digital.byte_     / digital.byte   Megaport Connect Registration: https://event.megaport.com/Megaport-C... Purchase Chris and Tim's new book on AWS Cloud Networking: https://www.amazon.com/Certified-Adva... Check out the Monthly Cloud Networking News https://docs.google.com/document/d/1f... Visit our website and subscribe: https://www.cables2clouds.com/ Follow us on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/cables2cloud... Follow us on YouTube:    / @cables2clouds   Follow us on TikTok:   / cables2clouds   Merch Store: https://store.cables2clouds.com/ Join the Discord Study group: https://artofneteng.com/iaatj