Description

Most enterprise networks weren’t designed for what they’re carrying today. The problem isn’t traffic—it’s the decisions underneath it.

Those decisions weren’t made for today’s reality. They were made years ago—then inherited, layered on, and never fully revisited. Over time, that turns into performance issues, rising costs, and risk that only shows up when something breaks.

In this episode of Signed, Max Clark sits down with Scott Nicols (Chief Commercial Officer at Aurelion) to break down how those decisions actually get made and where they go wrong. They unpack why SD-WAN often masks deeper architectural problems, how cloud and AI are exposing weak infrastructure choices, and why delivery and support—not price—ultimately determine whether a decision succeeds or fails.

If you’ve inherited your network or you’re about to make a major infrastructure decision—this is the conversation to hear before you sign.

WHAT WE GET INTO

• (00:00) - Intro
• (00:28) - Why Most Tech Decisions Go Unquestioned
• (02:00) - You’re Buying Tech Without Fully Understanding It
• (04:53) - The Old Decisions Still Driving Your Network
• (07:10) - Why Enterprises Stay Stuck (Even When It’s Wrong)
• (08:55) - SD-WAN Isn’t the Fix — It’s the Warning Sign
• (15:00) - Where Network Problems Actually Start
• (17:40) - AI Isn’t Strategy — It Just Increases Demand
• (20:00) - The Talent Gap Behind Bad Decisions
• (24:30) - Why Network Planning Breaks at Scale
• (28:00) - You Never Catch Up on Capacity
• (31:00) - Why Infrastructure Is Moving Away from Major Markets
• (36:30) - Cloud Isn’t Cheaper — So Why Are You Paying More?
• (39:30) - The 300x Cost Problem Most Teams Miss
• (42:00) - Network as a Service: Helpful or Just Repackaged?
• (46:30) - Why Providers Lose Focus (And You Pay for It)
• (50:00) - Security Isn’t Optional Anymore (DDoS Reality)
• (01:14:30) - What Actually Differentiates a Network Provider
• (01:25:00) - Self-Service Sounds Good… Until It Breaks
• (01:33:00) - What Actually Matters When You’re Buying Network

WHAT WE MENTIONED

• Aurelion (global IP transit and backbone provider)
• SD-WAN architecture and deployment models
• Cloud egress cost structures
• AI-driven network traffic growth

ABOUT SCOTT NICHOLS
Scott Nichols is the Chief Commercial Officer at Arelion, one of the world’s largest global IP transit and backbone providers. He works directly with enterprise customers on network strategy, performance, and large-scale infrastructure decisions.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/scott-nichols-53b14440
Company: https://se.linkedin.com/company/arelion

ABOUT THE SHOW
Signed is the podcast for buyers in a market built for sellers.
Host Max Clark, CEO of ITBroker.com, sits down with CIOs, CFOs, operators, and founders who’ve lived inside real enterprise tech deals.

New episodes weekly at itbroker.com/podcast.

If you’re in the middle of a real tech decision and want someone in your corner, book an intro call at itbroker.com.
Buy tech without regret.
Follow: @itbrokerdotcom

Full Transcript
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