Aviatrix Blog 
The rise of AI is poised to revolutionize how enterprises approach hybrid cloud and network infrastructure, bringing more automation, intelligence, and integration between networking and security operations. In a recent episode of the Altitude podcast, host Bryan “Woody” Woodworth is joined by Nick Lippis, networking veteran and co-founder of the Open Networking User Group (ONUG), to discuss the convergence of AI, networking, and security, offering valuable insights into how networks must evolve to support advancements in AI.
The Shift Towards Hybrid and Multicloud Infrastructure
Enterprises are increasingly adopting hybrid and multicloud infrastructure, driven by the need for more options and flexibility. While convenience and agility are appealing, enterprises still need control over critical applications and data.
“You can’t have a tradeoff of convenience and control,” says Lippis. “You can’t give up control just to have things that are a little bit more convenient to develop. And large enterprises aren’t ever going to give up control because it’s their brand. It’s their business. It’s their reputation.”
AI’s Role in Transforming Network Infrastructure
In addition to the shift toward hybrid and multicloud, advancements in AI can transform network infrastructure from the data center to the edge. Lippis predicts, “In the next 24 months, we are going to see a barrage, an amazing amount of new infrastructure products come into the marketplace, like AI routers and AI switches.”
These AI-driven networking devices can make infrastructure smarter, reduce operational costs, and remove manual processes. Lippis describes how AI can eliminate complex firewall rule management and allow for a transition from hop-by-hop to end-to-end routing optimized for latency, security, and cost.
Despite the opportunities AI brings, building trust with AI in critical infrastructure will take time. “It’s one thing if you hallucinate a webpage. It’s another thing if you hallucinate a route,” says Woodworth. To build trust, enterprises can start small and prompt AI to recommend changes that enterprises can then review and approve. Once enterprises see that AI can provide good recommendations reliably over time, trust can develop incrementally. But the long-term trajectory is clear – AI capabilities will advance exponentially and transform network infrastructure.
The Convergence of Networking and Security
The convergence of networking and security will be highly beneficial for leveraging AI capabilities across both domains. Integrating the NOC (network operations center) and SOC (security operations center) using AI is likely to be one of the first major use cases. This unified NOC/SOC environment can ingest both network and security data to identify risks in real-time, and AI can then take automated actions to mitigate threats across the infrastructure. This integration will likely become a necessity, rather than just a benefit, for maintaining resilient operations.
This episode provides a compelling look at how cloud, networking, security, and AI are intersecting to shape enterprise infrastructure. While integrating these technologies poses challenges, the benefits will be immense in enabling more agile, automated, and resilient business operations.
If this conversation piqued your interest, listen to the full episode of Altitude on Spotify or Apple Podcasts. We look forward to sharing more stories from cloud industry leaders that take your cloud expertise to new heights!
If you’re interested in mastering cloud networking control with a unified view of your entire multicloud network, read this solution brief here.