Network Break 331: Proofpoint Goes Private In $12 Billion Deal; Defense Dept. Unveils IPv4 Address Cache

Take a Network Break! This week we welcome guest analyst Johna Till Johnson, CEO and Founder of Nemertes Research. Greg and Johna discuss a few follow-ups from last week, and then dive into topics including the rising price of copper, Proofpoint going private in a $12.3 billion deal with Thoma Bravo, and why the US Defense Department suddenly began advertising a huge block of IPv4 address space. They also discuss Dish using an OpenRAN 5G service, a new zero-trust product from AppGate, and financial results from SolarWinds. Last but not least, Greg and Johna opine on Linx and the role of IXPs, and react to the news that SpaceX now has FCC permission to bring its Starlink satellites into a lower orbit. Sponsor: CablesAndKits CablesAndKits are Experts in Awesome. We’re an award-winning IT equipment dealer with a focus on networking products from SFP Modules and Servers to Fiber and Rack hardware. Get your IT needs and Cisco related products at CablesAndKits.com. Mention PacketPushers for a free Cat8 cable and some free loot! Tech Bytes: VMware vRealize Network Insight Stay tuned after the news for a sponsored Tech Bytes conversation with VMware. We’ll talk about new network modeling features in VMware’s vRealize Network Insight product. These features use formal verification to create a real-time network model, based on network state, to allow engineers to test changes before they’re made, and ensure that changes meet their intent. Show Links: Johna Till Johnson on LinkedIn METALS-Copper eyes $10,000/T level as U.S. dollar softens – Reuters Copper hits 10-year high above $10,000 a tonne – Financial Times Proofpoint Enters Definitive Agreement to be Acquired by Thoma Bravo in $12.3 Billion Transaction –  Proofpoint US Network security company Proofpoint goes private in $12.3B deal – VentureBeat Minutes before Trump left office, millions of the Pentagon’s dormant IP addresses sprang to life – MSN via The Washington Post Pentagon explains odd transfer of 175 million IP addresses to obscure company – Ars Technica The big Pentagon internet mystery now partially solved – AP