<![CDATA[How To Handshake: The OT Networking Series]]>How to Handshake is a new series from Optigo Networks that goes beyond the manual. Hosted by Optigo Networks’ Ping Yao and Ryan LaFlamme, we’re bringing together the brightest minds in OT from around the globe to talk shop, swap stories, and solve the industry's biggest connectivity headaches.

Whether we’re deep-diving into a complex BACnet Q&A or hosting a panel on the future of building automation, we focus on the connection—between devices, between protocols, and between the people who build them.


]]>https://www.optigo.netRiverside.fm (https://riverside.com)Fri, 10 Jul 2026 09:19:16 GMTWed, 18 Mar 2026 18:24:12 GMT60Optigo Networks<p><i>How to Handshake</i> is a new series from<a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.optigo.net" target="_blank"> Optigo Networks</a> that goes beyond the manual. Hosted by Optigo Networks’ Ping Yao and Ryan LaFlamme, we’re bringing together the brightest minds in OT from around the globe to talk shop, swap stories, and solve the industry's biggest connectivity headaches.</p><p></p><p>Whether we’re deep-diving into a complex BACnet Q&amp;A or hosting a panel on the future of building automation, we focus on the connection—between devices, between protocols, and between the people who build them.</p><p><br /></p>episodicOptigo Networksmarketing@optigo.netno<![CDATA[Secure, Not Obscure, OT Networks.]]>Ping and Ryan are joined this week by Fred Gordy from KMC Controls, and James Roberts of Kelso Building Service to talk real cybersecurity for OT networks. We're looking at the differences between IT and OT security priorities, exploring how remote access and cloud-based frontends have shifted the security landscape, and pulling in real-world incident examples.

]]>82711218-3016-4119-8cd2-47a602bd25c9Wed, 08 Jul 2026 01:00:00 GMT<p>Ping and Ryan are joined this week by Fred Gordy from KMC Controls, and James Roberts of Kelso Building Service to talk real cybersecurity for OT networks. We're looking at the differences between IT and OT security priorities, exploring how remote access and cloud-based frontends have shifted the security landscape, and pulling in real-world incident examples.</p>no00:43:3417Secure, Not Obscure, OT Networks.full<![CDATA["Advanced" Analytics and "Predictive" Maintenance ]]>How to Handshake Ep. 6 — Advanced analytics and predictive maintenance for building automation systems. With Justin Carter and Rudy Bohince.

This one's on what "advanced analytics" and "predictive maintenance" actually mean in a real building — the dirty data problem, where these tools genuinely earn their keep, and why none of it works if your network isn't in shape first.

Our guests are Justin Carter, Controls Technologist at ENFRA, and Rudy Bohince, who leads the managed services and intelligent building services center at Alberio Energy. Between them, they cover both the SI side and the analytics platform side of this problem — which means you get the honest version of where this market is and where it's still catching up.

]]>44218a00-0b28-4e07-a2d3-f2e92b59971eTue, 16 Jun 2026 12:00:00 GMT<p><b>How to Handshake Ep. 6 — Advanced analytics and predictive maintenance for building automation systems. With Justin Carter and Rudy Bohince.</b><br /></p><p>This one's on what "advanced analytics" and "predictive maintenance" actually mean in a real building — the dirty data problem, where these tools genuinely earn their keep, and why none of it works if your network isn't in shape first.</p><p>Our guests are Justin Carter, Controls Technologist at ENFRA, and Rudy Bohince, who leads the managed services and intelligent building services center at Alberio Energy. Between them, they cover both the SI side and the analytics platform side of this problem — which means you get the honest version of where this market is and where it's still catching up.<br /><br /></p>no00:51:1816"Advanced" Analytics and "Predictive" Maintenance full<![CDATA[EP. 5 - Skills to Pay the Bills]]>Is a career in OT still worth it? Which certifications are actually worth chasing, and which ones are mostly marketing? What's the real story behind the skilled labor shortage? And with all the AI noise out there, will these jobs even be here in five years?

In Episode 5 of How to Handshake, Ryan LaFlamme and Ping Yao are joined by Jon Spooner and Mike Conway, co-founders of Stacks and Joules — the NYC-based nonprofit running a 14-week BAS field-technician bootcamp with a 92% post-graduation placement rate.

We cover what an OT job actually looks like on a Monday morning, why Stacks and Joules deliberately won't scale faster, the fastest path into the industry today (IT skills with a dash of mechanical context), where AI is actually chewing up jobs in the built environment, and the one piece of advice everyone considering the jump should hear: learn PoE, watch out for early-career poaching, and don't take this job if you don't like working with people.

Stacks and Joules: https://www.stacksandjoules.org/

Subscribe to the podcast:
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1889945777
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6Jg2yumYXCV2dRl1sIuPHO
Deezer: https://www.deezer.com/us/show/1002831921
Read the full show notes and transcript: https://www.optigo.net/how-to-handshake-ep-5/

How to Handshake is Optigo Networks' podcast series on OT networking, building automation, and the conversations that actually move the industry forward. New episodes every two weeks.

]]>2351b6e1-1d8e-4b44-a48e-761f2e3025dbTue, 02 Jun 2026 12:45:00 GMT<p>Is a career in OT still worth it? Which certifications are actually worth chasing, and which ones are mostly marketing? What's the real story behind the skilled labor shortage? And with all the AI noise out there, will these jobs even be here in five years?<br /><br />In Episode 5 of How to Handshake, Ryan LaFlamme and Ping Yao are joined by Jon Spooner and Mike Conway, co-founders of <a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.stacksandjoules.org" target="_blank">Stacks and Joules</a> — the NYC-based nonprofit running a 14-week BAS field-technician bootcamp with a 92% post-graduation placement rate.<br /><br />We cover what an OT job actually looks like on a Monday morning, why Stacks and Joules deliberately won't scale faster, the fastest path into the industry today (IT skills with a dash of mechanical context), where AI is actually chewing up jobs in the built environment, and the one piece of advice everyone considering the jump should hear: learn PoE, watch out for early-career poaching, and don't take this job if you don't like working with people.<br /><br />Stacks and Joules: <a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.stacksandjoules.org/" target="_blank">https://www.stacksandjoules.org/</a><br /><br />Subscribe to the podcast:<br />Apple Podcasts: <a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1889945777" target="_blank">https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1889945777</a><br />Spotify: <a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://open.spotify.com/show/6Jg2yumYXCV2dRl1sIuPHO" target="_blank">https://open.spotify.com/show/6Jg2yumYXCV2dRl1sIuPHO</a><br />Deezer: <a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.deezer.com/us/show/1002831921" target="_blank">https://www.deezer.com/us/show/1002831921</a><br />Read the full show notes and transcript: <a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.optigo.net/how-to-handshake-ep-5/" target="_blank">https://www.optigo.net/how-to-handshake-ep-5/</a><br /><br />How to Handshake is Optigo Networks' podcast series on OT networking, building automation, and the conversations that actually move the industry forward. New episodes every two weeks.</p>no00:57:02EP. 5 - Skills to Pay the Billsfull<![CDATA[Ep. 4 - Navigating IT/OT Convergence]]>On this week's show, Jim Meacham from Altura Associates and Douglas Plumley from Dartmouth College are here to talk about what actually happens when IT and OT teams are told to work together. Where do they misunderstand each other on day one? Who owns what when a controller drops off the network at 11 p.m. on a Saturday?

And when IT security and OT security want opposite things from the same network, how do you write a policy that both sides can actually live with?

]]>89018aa0-039d-48ab-a78f-76787419a300Tue, 19 May 2026 11:30:00 GMT<p>On this week's show, Jim Meacham from <a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://alturaassociates.com/" target="_blank">Altura Associates</a> and Douglas Plumley from <a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://home.dartmouth.edu/" target="_blank">Dartmouth College</a> are here to talk about what actually happens when IT and OT teams are told to work together. Where do they misunderstand each other on day one? Who owns what when a controller drops off the network at 11 p.m. on a Saturday? <br /><br />And when IT security and OT security want opposite things from the same network, how do you write a policy that both sides can actually live with?</p>no00:52:3514Ep. 4 - Navigating IT/OT Convergencefull<![CDATA[How to Handshake, EP 3: Decrypting BACnet/SC]]>On this week's show…Nate Benes from the University of Nebraska joins Ping and I to break down BACnet/SC — is it really the next step in OT networking, should you be getting ready to migrate, and are your BBMDs headed for the recycle bin?

We get into the hub-and-spoke model, what zero trust actually looks like when the "user" is a VAV controller, certificates and who should hold the keys, how SC and BACnet/IP coexist, and Nate's honest take on when to migrate (and when to leave a working building alone).

Plus a quick rundown of what's new in OptigoVN — ARCNET support, device aliasing, the Niagara packet capture driver prototype, and the Neeve marketplace integration.

]]>6f2f4380-2f78-4bf8-a3c0-4ba67b854a10Tue, 05 May 2026 11:30:00 GMT<p>On this week's show…Nate Benes from the University of Nebraska joins Ping and I to break down BACnet/SC — is it really the next step in OT networking, should you be getting ready to migrate, and are your BBMDs headed for the recycle bin? <br /><br />We get into the hub-and-spoke model, what zero trust actually looks like when the "user" is a VAV controller, certificates and who should hold the keys, how SC and BACnet/IP coexist, and Nate's honest take on when to migrate (and when to leave a working building alone). <br /><br />Plus a quick rundown of what's new in OptigoVN — ARCNET support, device aliasing, the Niagara packet capture driver prototype, and the Neeve marketplace integration.<br /></p>no00:49:2413How to Handshake, EP 3: Decrypting BACnet/SCfull<![CDATA[How to Handshake, EP 2: Life after commissioning. ]]>It’s Episode 2 of How to Handshake, Optigo Network’s brand new podcast series!

On this week's show… Saheel Chandrani from PingCx and Matt Miller of Fred Williams join Ping and I to dig into what happens after the commissioning team packs up and leaves. For a lot of people in this industry, that's the moment the real work begins—and the moment most buildings start to drift.


We talk early warning signs, documentation gaps, the case for and against predictive maintenance, and what it would take to make network health a standard commissioning deliverable.

]]>cf23dae9-18de-4c73-9e11-761eb12c7756Tue, 21 Apr 2026 12:00:00 GMT<p>It’s Episode 2 of How to Handshake, Optigo Network’s brand new podcast series!<br /><br />On this week's show… Saheel Chandrani from <a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.pingcx.com" target="_blank">PingCx</a> and Matt Miller of <a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.equansmep.com/companies/fred-williams/" target="_blank">Fred Williams</a> join Ping and I to dig into what happens after the commissioning team packs up and leaves. For a lot of people in this industry, that's the moment the real work begins—and the moment most buildings start to drift.</p><p><br />We talk early warning signs, documentation gaps, the case for and against predictive maintenance, and what it would take to make network health a standard commissioning deliverable.</p>no00:54:2412How to Handshake, EP 2: Life after commissioning. full<![CDATA[How To Handshake, EP 1: The drive for energy savings starts with OT networks.]]>It’s Episode 1 of How to Handshake, Optigo Network’s brand new podcast series!

On this week's show… Aaron Hastings from Apex Consulting and Alex Waibel of BuildingLogix join Ping and I to talk about the growing demand for energy efficiency, energy as a service, and how the OT network has become a foundation for energy saving success. 

Want the video? Subscribe to the video podcast anywhere you get your pods, or right here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpDsTJiKoQFRCGx_9hZ-iaA


]]>65c5951f-af02-4530-99c5-f7c88902a119Wed, 01 Apr 2026 18:01:54 GMT<p>It’s Episode 1 of How to Handshake, Optigo Network’s brand new podcast series!<br /><br />On this week's show… Aaron Hastings from <a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://apexconsulting.ca/" target="_blank">Apex Consulting</a> and Alex Waibel of<a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://buildinglogix.net/" target="_blank"> BuildingLogix</a> join Ping and I to talk about the growing demand for energy efficiency, energy as a service, and how the OT network has become a foundation for energy saving success. <br /><br />Want the video? Subscribe to the video podcast anywhere you get your pods, or right here: <a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpDsTJiKoQFRCGx_9hZ-iaA" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpDsTJiKoQFRCGx_9hZ-iaA</a></p><p><br /></p>no00:49:2911How To Handshake, EP 1: The drive for energy savings starts with OT networks.full