Nerding Out with Viktor

About

Join Viktor, a proud nerd and seasoned entrepreneur, whose academic journey at Santa Clara University in Silicon Valley sparked a career marked by innovation and foresight. From his college days, Viktor embarked on an entrepreneurial path, beginning with YippieMove, a groundbreaking email migration service, and continuing with a series of bootstrapped ventures.

Viktor’s journey is characterized by his ability to identify and capitalize on uncharted opportunities. He co-created Blotter, a highly successful productivity app for macOS, and has been skillfully managing remote teams for over a decade, demonstrating visionary leadership well ahead of global trends.

Leading his current venture, Screenly, which he also bootstrapped, Viktor has been dedicated to transforming the digital signage industry. Screenly, the company’s flagship product, stands as the world’s first developer-friendly digital signage solution, currently powering over 10,000 screens worldwide. Alongside this, the company developed Anthias, a top-ranked open-source digital signage solution, further cementing Viktor’s reputation as an innovative force in the industry.

“Nerding Out with Viktor” captures this rich entrepreneurial spirit in a podcast format. The show features in-depth discussions with leading tech experts across diverse fields, from AI and software development to cybersecurity and hardware innovations. Viktor, drawing on his Silicon Valley education and his experiences in bootstrapping all his ventures, breaks down complex tech concepts into engaging and understandable dialogues.

Whether you’re a fellow tech nerd, an aspiring entrepreneur, or simply fascinated by the rapidly evolving tech landscape, “Nerding Out with Viktor” is your go-to podcast for stimulating, insightful conversations. Join Viktor as he delves into the minds of those shaping our technological future.

Subscribe to “Nerding Out with Viktor” now and become part of a community where being a proud nerd and entrepreneurial innovation come together in captivating discussions.

Episodes

S01E01: Nerding out about security with Andrew Martin from ControlPlane

In the inaugural episode of “Nerding Out With Viktor,” we delve into the intricate world of Cloud Native security with guest Andy Martin from ControlPlane. As a seasoned security engineer, Andy brings a wealth of experience in servicing regulated industries such as finance and government, providing unique insights into the field.

This episode covers a variety of engaging topics. We start with an introduction to Andy Martin and ControlPlane, where Andy discusses his journey in security engineering and the evolution of ControlPlane. The conversation then shifts to a review of the “Internet of Shit” conference talk, a memorable presentation given by Viktor and Andy, highlighting key insights and takeaways.

Penetration Testing is another critical topic we explore, understanding its concept and the role it plays in assessing both digital and physical security systems. The episode also navigates through the intricacies of Social Engineering Attacks, discussing various forms including phishing and more sophisticated strategies.

We delve into the ethics of hacking, examining the differences between Black Hat, White Hat, and Grey Hat hackers and their impact on cybersecurity. The debate of On-Prem vs. Cloud Security is also addressed, providing a critical analysis of the security aspects of both on-premise and cloud-based solutions.

Further, we examine the relevance and limitations of Compliance and Certifications in Cybersecurity, specifically focusing on certifications like SOC 2 and ISO 27001. The episode also introduces the Zero Trust Security Model, offering insights into its importance and implementation in modern cybersecurity practices.

A highlight of the episode is Andy conducting a practical Threat Modeling Exercise, showcasing real-time risk assessment strategies. Finally, we discuss Supply Chain Security and Software Bills of Materials (SBOMs), diving into the challenges and importance in software development.

This episode is a treasure trove of information for cybersecurity professionals, IT enthusiasts, and anyone interested in the latest trends and practices in digital security. Don’t forget to subscribe, like, and share for more insightful discussions on “Nerding Out With Viktor.”

S01E02: Nerding out about Prometheus and observability with Julius Volz, PromLabs/Prometheus

This episode of Nerding Out With Viktor features an in-depth interview with Julius Volz, the co-founder of Prometheus and founder of PromLab. The discussion delves into the origins and development of Prometheus, an open-source monitoring system that has become the standard for metrics-based systems monitoring. Julius recounts his journey, starting from his days at Google, where he worked with Borgmon, to co-creating Prometheus to address the shortcomings in existing open-source monitoring systems.

Julius explains the technical aspects of Prometheus, including its dimensional data model, query language (PromQL), and how it handles time series data. Julius also addresses common mistakes new users make, particularly around metric design and the issue of “cardinality bombs”. The conversation shifts to best practices in server monitoring, the role of Prometheus’ alert manager, and the challenges of long-term data storage, highlighting solutions like Cortex and Thanos.

Further, the interview covers the simplicity and flexibility of writing Prometheus exporters, even with minimal coding knowledge. Julius shares unique use cases of Prometheus, from monitoring wind power parks to shipping vessels and German train systems. He gives a live demonstration of PromQL, explaining functions like ‘rate’, ‘irate’, and ‘increase’, and their applications in real-world scenarios.

The discussion then turns to future trends in observability, touching upon the role of eBPF in Prometheus, the integration with OpenTelemetry, and the evolution of the OpenMetrics project. Julius also talks about his current focus on providing Prometheus training through PromLabs, offering both live and self-paced courses.

The episode is packed with technical insights, practical advice, and a comprehensive overview of Prometheus’s role in the evolving landscape of systems monitoring and observability.