For any that weren’t fully aware of the insanely critical role that technology plays in every aspect of our lives, the global pandemic was a phenomenal driver of awareness. It’s hard to imagine how dramatically our lives would have been interrupted without the amazing array of technology that is woven throughout our society. Every ounce of that miraculous technology is dependent upon and powered by networking.
Without even thinking about it, most people expect constant high-performance connectivity across the globe that guarantees your wire transfers execute, your mobile orders arrive at your doorstep, your ride hail service responds in milliseconds, all wrapped with robust security that keeps data safe. But keeping a network healthy and secure, especially for an enterprise, is no easy feat. It takes untold hours of planning, strategizing, monitoring, visualizing, tracing, adjusting, and troubleshooting. Your company’s networking and DevOps teams work in the shadows to keep the business operating and communication running smoothly.
As the cloud networking experts, Aviatrix wants to elevate the work of cloud networking heroes who labor to keep networks secure, effective, and performant. We’re proud to highlight people who have taught themselves the necessary skills, designed and managed successful networks, and have expertise to share, including several who joined Aviatrix in New York at the NASDAQ tower.
Our first hero spotlight is on Toby Foss, a Senior Director of Information Security.
Toby’s Journey: Adapting, Learning, and Growing with the Tech
As part of a military family who lived in 14 states and four countries, Toby grew up knowing how to handle change and adapt to new environments. That flexibility has served him well on his networking journey. His first job as a telephone operator in Turkey in the 1980s ended when his role was replaced by automation. He quickly pivoted though, moving on to install new technologies like GPS and Fiber Optics across Europe in the early 1990s. His curiosity and desire to learn never abated as he did stints designing computer chips and installing LAN/WAN networks and firewalls. In 2009, staying on the leading edge, Toby moved into a new tech called cloud computing. He now works for a Fortune 500 company in Information Security. But he continues to adapt and learn in the tech space – he expects to graduate with a Doctorate in Computer Science focusing on cyber security early next year.
Toby’s current job involves driving change and modernization in his company: getting people excited about the positives of each innovation and removing the obstacles. He is proud when he sees the results of his team’s hard work in architecting and managing the system to reduce risk. “Staying out of the news is all I need to feel accomplished,” he said.
Reflecting on the Past
Toby named two significant trends he’s witnessed in the cloud networking industry:
- Change is the norm. Getting stuck using only one technology makes it much more difficult to adapt when the world moves past it. “I once was a Token-Ring and ATM (Asynchronous Transfer Mode) expert; I needed to change to stay relevant,” he said. He advises others to “stay agile and open to change.”
- The technology industry is finicky. MCI, IBM, Gateway computers, Cisco, Facebook, and AT&T all once ruled their space, but they needed to keep up with changing needs. “It’s hard to believe now, but we may see the same with Apple, Google, and Amazon someday,” he said. Taking advantage of technology and industry trends will prepare you for the next technological change. “Stay nimble,” Toby recommends.
The Network is the Cloud: Where the Industry is Now
Toby’s decades of experience give him much-needed perspective in the networking space today. He explains that we are on the cusp of sweeping change in cloud computing. Like the shift in long-distance carrier models in the 90s, cloud computing must migrate to a cloud-agnostic delivery system where customers can instantly run any service from any provider whenever/wherever they need it. Current problems like availability, scalability, and manageability are solved with Kubernetes, AI, and distributed data stores. Toby argues that the industry must solve the security and interoperability challenges to make cloud-agnostic homogenous service delivery a reality.
“I plan to be on the leading edge of this change so I don’t lose my job due to technology again,” he says.
Inspiring and Unplugging
Outside of work, Toby loves teaching technology to the next generation. He works with high schools in the Denver area. These programs let high schoolers gain certifications in A+, Net+, Sec+, CCNA, and AWS/Azure certifications. “It is amazing to watch the speed of adoption by students who are already set up to learn and adopt new technologies,” he said.
Outside of technology, Toby unplugs by going off-grid: camping, hiking, and kayaking with family.
When we asked Toby what he would do if he didn’t work in tech, he named two career paths not taken:
- Space industry. “Nothing is more rewarding than watching a project you worked on for years complete its mission,” he said. “In IT, we forget that ‘the system has been up for months’ is a good job.”
- Energy development. According to Toby, “there is so much room for improvement in our current technologies, from improving solar efficiency to improving fuel cells or, even better, faster, lighter energy storage. It would have been fun to work on something in that field.”
Curious about other cloud networking heroes like Toby?
- We’ll keep highlighting networking professionals on this blog.
- Learn more about the Cloud Networking Heroes program and apply on the The Cloud Network Community.