Network Nerds Unite: Beers & BGP at (OH)NUG Fall 2024
Who says data networking can't be fun? At the last US Network User Association (OH)NUG meeting at Brew Garden in Strongsville Ohio, the local network engineering crowd proved otherwise, coming together for another fantastic (OH)NUG Cleveland meetup. Between the craft beers, great food, and passionate tech discussions, it was hard to tell if this was a professional event or just a bunch of friends geeking out about networking (spoiler alert: it was both!).
The evening kicked off with members old and new mingling - you know, that window where everyone pretends they're just casually networking while actually eyeing the food spread. Once Rick Nay took the stage for his keynote on "My Automation Journey," even the delicious sliders and meatballs took a backseat to some serious network automation wisdom. Rick shared war stories from the trenches of automation implementation that had everyone nodding in recognition and occasionally wincing in shared pain.
After Rick's presentation (and perhaps beverage a refill or two), we dove into the panel discussion on emerging networking trends and operational challenges. Andrew Virgili, Patrick Gorman, Prateek Duggal, and Tony Lofreso, all moderated by the incomparable and ever-entertaining Mitch Vaughan.
The panel covered everything from new network topics the panelists are excited about, practical applied knowledge and those "learning experiences" like fat fingered configs or unexpected maintenance window results that make for great stories years after the trauma of the event subsides. Between Prateek's insights, Patrick's experiences, and Tony's perspectives, the discussion proved that no matter what industry you're in, we're all fighting the same battles - just with different network devices and corporate bureaucracy.
The evenings content was amazing but let's be honest - some of the best discussions happened during the breaks and the open mingling time. There's something magical about putting a bunch of network nerds in a room with good food and brews. Suddenly, those thorny technical challenges that have been haunting you for months get solved on the back of a napkin by someone who faced the same issue recently.
As the night wrapped up, you could see new connections being made, contact information being exchanged, and the kind of collaborative spirit that makes the Cleveland networking community so special. Sure, we were there to learn about automation and emerging trends, but we ended up reinforcing something we already knew: this community is so much more about the people than it is about the technology.
Whether you were there comparing notes on Python scripts or sharing stories about that one time you accidentally took down a production network (we've all been there), it was another reminder of why these gatherings matter. In a world of remote work and virtual meetings, there's still nothing quite like getting together with fellow network enthusiasts who speak your language - even if that language is crazy acronyms and RFC numbers.
Special thanks to our stellar lineup of speakers and panelists, and to everyone who came out to make this another memorable (OH)NUG Cleveland event. Here's to many more evenings of tech talk, troubleshooting stories, and yes, perhaps a few more of those delicious sliders. Seriously, what was in those things? I think I had like 10, I was stuffed!
Hope to see you at the next one.
