Predicting the Problem: IT as Prevention
“The show opens at 9 a.m. Whether or not you’re ready. There’s no pushing it to Monday.”
In speaking with Glenn, it’s clear he didn’t plan to become a global expert in event networking. What began with curiosity about Novell systems in the 1990s transformed into a three-decade career in an industry that, when done right, becomes invisible.
“It’s funny,” Glenn says, “when we do our job well, no one knows we exist.” He’s spent nearly 30 years engineering networks for massive live events, convention centers, and product launches under pressure that most IT teams never encounter. In one case, Glenn and his crew had just 16 hours to build out a full network in a 100-story New York skyscraper for a major mobile phone launch. “Three minutes just to get an elevator up,” he recalls. “You’re sharing the lift with scenic, audio, staging, everyone.”
What makes Glenn’s story exceptional isn’t just the grit required; it’s the adaptive mindset. Unlike corporate environments where delays can be absorbed, his world doesn’t permit failure. “The show opens at 9 a.m. Whether or not you’re ready. There’s no pushing it to Monday.”
That reality shaped how Glenn builds and thinks about networks. The core principle? “We follow the KISS principle, ‘keep it simple, stupid,’ not because we’re doing basic work, but because if something breaks, you have very little time to fix it.”
The fundamentals haven’t changed all that much in Glenn’s eyes. “You’ve still got to put a cable somewhere. That hasn’t changed. But the speed, scale, and expectations sure have.” From CAT5 to CAT6A, from 10 Mbps to 100 Gbps, and from local to international events, his work scaled alongside the industry. He now consults independently while managing networks for a major San Francisco venue. His company, Acrux Consulting, was born from necessity and reputation—most of his clients come through word of mouth, not advertising.
Yet the most impressive part may be how his team operates. “It’s all muscle memory now,” Glenn says. “We can not see each other for six months, walk onto a site, and fall right into our roles. No one has to ask.”
The team-centric and hands-on nature of his work stands in contrast to the automation trends sweeping enterprise IT. Still, Glenn isn’t resistant to change; he just knows where it works. “We’re starting to see AI and machine learning make an impact. But in event networking, if I’m learning something is broken from a user, I’ve already failed.”
Network monitoring tools like Path Solutions’ TotalView help predict problems and maintain control over your network. “TotalView gives us real-time insights into underperforming ports and unexpected device speeds,” he says. “If a port drops to 100 Mbps, we know something’s off—maybe a bad cable or an old printer dongle.”
But Glenn doesn’t blindly endorse any tool. He’s wary of complexity for complexity’s sake. “Some platforms, like SolarWinds, got too bloated. I’m a network guy—I don’t need to know what a Windows server is doing. I need to know what my switch is doing, right now.”
Glenn has used a mix of tools over the years, from open-source monitoring systems to rugged routers from Latvia’s MikroTik and lifetime-guaranteed HP Aruba switches. He values reliability over branding. “We still use old Cisco switches. They just work. That’s all we need.”
His comparison of networks to road systems is apt: “We’ve gone from a one-lane country road to a six-lane interstate. But you still need to know where to lay the asphalt.”
In reflecting on his career, Glenn says the industry is entering a fascinating transition. “The young engineers coming in now are wicked smart and technically brilliant. But they haven’t yet learned how to see the whole picture.” He’s not worried, though. The future may be automated, but there will always be a need for that common-sense experience: knowing when to simplify, how to adapt, and how to build under pressure.
And in the meantime, Glenn’s story—told quietly through backstage builds and sleepless nights—is a reminder of what it takes to make the internet feel like magic.