Networking For Remote Workers

Give me 2 minutes. I’ll give you back the 90 minutes of notes I made on how OAuth 2.0 works. ♦ What is OAuth 2.0? OAuth 2.0 is an open standard for authorization used to provide secure, delegated access to resources without sharing login credentials. It allows third-party applications to request limited access to user accounts without exposing the user's password. OAuth 2.0 is widely adopted by platforms like Google, Facebook, GitHub, and many others to grant third-party apps controlled access to their users' data. ♦ Where is OAuth 2.0 Used? OAuth 2.0 is commonly used in situations like: - Allowing third-party apps to access social media profiles without needing to log in directly. - Enabling integrations between software services, such as allowing an app to post content on your behalf on a social platform. - Granting access to APIs, such as those used by cloud services or financial platforms. ♦ How Does OAuth 2.0 Work? OAuth 2.0 involves interactions between four primary components: the Client, Authorization Server, Resource Server, and the Resource Owner (the user). Here’s a simplified step-by-step of how it works:  1. Authorization Grant Request    - Client (the app) requests permission from the Resource Owner (user) to access protected resources. This can happen when a user tries to log in or link an account.     - The Authorization Server provides an Authorization Grant to the Client (Step A in the diagram).  2. Access Token & Refresh Token    - The Authorization Grant is validated, and the Client receives an Access Token and, sometimes, a Refresh Token (Step B).     - The Access Token is used to access protected resources on behalf of the user, while the Refresh Token can be used to request a new access token when the old one expires.  3. Accessing Resources    - The Client sends the Access Token to the Resource Server to request access to specific resources (Step C).    - The Resource Server verifies the token and, if valid, allows access (Step D).  4. Token Validation    - If the token is invalid or expired, the Resource Server responds with an Invalid Token Error (Step F).    - The client must then either obtain a new token or refresh the existing one.  5. Token Refresh    - If the Access Token expires, the Client can use the Refresh Token to request a new Access Token from the Authorization Server (Step G).    - This process does not require the user to log in again and extends the session.  6. Renewal and Optional Refresh    - After the refresh, a new Access Token (and sometimes a Refresh Token) is provided for further use (Step H). TL;DR: 1. Authorization Grant: Client requests permission from the user. 2. Access Token Issued: Authorization server issues access and refresh tokens. 3. Protected Resources Accessed: Client uses the token to access resources. 4. Token Refresh: Tokens are refreshed automatically when expired.

The latest edition of Supply Chained is now available. One of the recurring themes in Supply Chain 5.0 is that technology should not simply automate work. It should help people work better together. In this week's issue, sponsored by Microsoft, I sit down with Tulsi Keshkamat, Partner Director of Product for Frontline Workers at Microsoft Teams, to explore how communication and collaboration technologies are evolving into a true "system of work" for frontline employees. ▶ The three layers of frontline communication: corporate, local, and operational ▶ Why supply chains need a system of work, not just systems of record ▶ How digital shift management helps "collapse time" across operations ▶ The role of push-to-talk communications in warehouses, manufacturing, and logistics ▶ Reducing cognitive overload through human-centric design and AI ▶ How frontline communication supports efficiency, resilience, sustainability, and human-centricity As organizations continue investing in AI, automation, and advanced analytics, it is worth remembering that most supply chain work is still performed by people. The companies that thrive in the Supply Chain 5.0 era will likely be those that use technology not only to automate decisions, but also to strengthen communication, collaboration, and trust between the people responsible for execution. A special thank you to Microsoft for sponsoring this week's edition and helping support conversations that advance the supply chain profession. #AlwaysBeLearning #SupplyChain #DigitalTransformation #MicrosoftAmabassador #TeamsforFrontline

This new paper on Multi-agent systems (MAS) security is useful. The footnote is the real story. University of Alabama researchers published AgenticCyOps last week, a security framework for multi-agent systems in enterprise cyber operations. It's a systematic architectural analysis, and it does something the practitioner community hadn't done formally: it maps every documented MAS attack vector across three abstraction layers and shows they all converge on two integration surfaces. Tool orchestration. Memory management. We've had this gut feeling in the practitioner community for a while. OWASP GenAI Security Project's work on agentic AI, the excessive-agency risk category, and the least-agency framing... all of it pointed here. Working group drafts and peer-reviewed structural proofs with boundary enumeration tables are different things, though. Now there's something citable. The framework derives five defensive principles from those two surfaces: 1. authorized interfaces 2. capability scoping 3. verified execution 4. memory integrity and synchronization  5. access-controlled data isolation Applied to a SOAR architecture on top of MCP, coverage and trust boundary analysis shows a 72% reduction in exploitable boundaries, from 200 down to 56. 3 of the 4 attack chains get intercepted in the first two steps. Now for the part that the paper acknowledges and then skips right over. Section 5, buried in limitations: OAuth 2.1 wasn't designed for autonomous, long-running agent sessions. The authors say it. They list it as an open challenge. Then they keep going. The only problem is that's the foundation their framework is sitting on. Every defensive principle in AgenticCyOps assumes you can authenticate and authorize the agent in the first place. Authorized interfaces assume a verified identity on both ends. Capability scoping assumes you know who you're scoping for. Verified execution assumes that the entity requesting execution is who it claims to be. OAuth 2.1 handles delegated authorization for human-initiated sessions. A human logs in, grants access, and bounds the session. An autonomous agent that runs for hours, manages its own credential lifecycle, and makes high-stakes decisions across multiple systems is not what OAuth was built for. The 72% boundary reduction is real within the architecture. The architecture is sitting on an identity layer that does not exist yet for autonomous agents. Your framework simply enforces access controls on an unverified entity when your identity layer can't handle a long-running agent session. Let me know how that works out for you. So... which gets solved first? The NHI credential lifecycle for autonomous agents, or the first major breach that traces back to an agent session no one could audit? 👉 Paper is attached to this post 👉 Follow and connect for more AI and cybersecurity insights with the occasional rant #AgenticAI #CyberSecurity #MCP

Want a remote job in 2025? You’ll need more than just a resume and luck. Remote roles still exist (I hire for them at Mixmax, too!) - but the competition is fierce. So if you’re serious about working from anywhere, here’s how to stack the odds in your favour: ✅ 1. Focus on remote-first companies These companies build for remote - it’s in their DNA. Less chance of surprise “return to office” changes. Tip: Engage with their content, learn their product, and reach out to current employees before applying. ✅ 2. Use verified remote job boards Try: Remotive, Remote Source, FlexJobs, We Work Remotely, We Are Distributed. Pro tip: Set alerts so you can be an early applicant. ✅ 3. Go beyond job boards Search for phrases like “async” or “distributed team” Look at customers of tools like Deel or Remote - these are companies built for global, remote teams (we use Deel). Watch for remote-friendly orgs like nonprofits or bootstrapped startups that don’t advertise heavily. 🎯 How to stand out in the process: 📌 Be highly qualified -These roles attract hundreds of applicants. If you’re not hitting 90%+ of the requirements, it may not be the right target. 📌 Differentiate through small actions - Send that intro email - Submit the optional cover letter - Reply and schedule interviews quickly - Send thank-you notes (very few do this - and it is noticed) 📌 Show your remote readiness - Mention remote experience on your resume. - Highlight tools you’ve used: Notion, Asana, Trello, ClickUp, Slack, etc. - Demonstrate skills like self-direction, problem-solving, written communication. 💡 Even how you schedule and follow up says a lot about your fit for remote work. 👉 Remote jobs aren’t impossible - they just require more intention. And sometimes, a mostly-remote or hybrid setup can meet 90% of your goals. Be open. Be strategic. And play the long game.

My team at Automattic takes pride in our unique hiring process, reflecting our open and #inclusive company #culture. One key aspect that sets us apart in our working style is an emphasis on written communication. Evaluating this throughout the hiring process is vital for a few reasons: 🧑💻 Asynchronous Work: We're a globally distributed company (aka fully remote! here's a sneak peek of one of my working setups) that spans 92 countries. This includes nearly endless time zones, so we have to rely heavily on asynchronous #communication. We know this is a unique way of working, so evaluating a candidate's written skills helps us gauge how well they'll thrive here. 📝 Clarity and Precision: Written #communication is the lifeblood of Automattic. We do it every day, whether on Slack, our internal comms tool P2, or classic email. We need team members who can express ideas clearly and concisely in writing. 💡 Cultural Fit: An essential part of the #hiring process is that both sides get as many opportunities as possible to gauge a potential fit. Written communication allows candidates to experience our communication style firsthand and vice versa. Your next question is probably something like: How do we assess these writing skills? Depending on the role, we use Slack interviews between candidates and their teams. We also typically use a trial project, which normally involves a heavy portion of writing, to see how a candidate can effectively communicate async. Have you gone through a hiring process that heavily emphasizes written comms like ours? What were your favorite parts or pain points? Please let me know in the comments, and check back next month, if you don't mind me telling you more about those trial projects! 📚✍️🎒

95% of the world’s internet traffic moves through subsea cables. Not satellites. Not clouds. Just glass. Laid on ocean floors. Invisible. Critical. Exposed. This year, four major cables in the Red Sea were cut... ...and Asia-Europe lost 25% of bandwidth. And no, it wasn’t an war. Just anchors. Fishing nets. Seabed tectonics. If your DR plan doesn’t include the ocean floor... ...you’re not ready. Here’s how to build real resilience... ...with SubCom as your on-ground truthful partner: ✧ MAP Trace your traffic flows. Which systems carry your core paths? SEA-ME-WE 6? AAE-1? EIG? Tag landing stations, handoffs, terrestrial hops. Now mirror that in your L3 overlays using SubCom’s telemetry. ✧ SPLIT Don’t load balance across two POPs… ...that land on the same cable. Use SubCom’s open cable design to mix routes, geographies, and owners. Redundancy ≠ resilience unless it spans tectonic and political zones. ✧ DESIGN SubCom supports wavelength-level reroute. Define fault domains. Automate handoff to your SD-WAN controller. No more manual ticket escalations at 2 AM. ✧ SIMULATE Run Red Team drills for dual cable cuts. Measure time-to-recovery. Not hope. Coordinate with SubCom’s NOC before the anchor drops. ✧ MONITOR SubCom gives you real-time fault zones, vessel paths, route degradation. Pipe it into your NOC. Pair it with your IXP metrics. Predict the cut before the outage. We stress over power and cooling redundancy in data centers. But one snapped fibre under water can drop an entire region. At 400G, there’s no retry logic. There’s signal. Or outage. Design accordingly. What’s your failover plan if the ocean goes dark? Tag your network team, this is the layer nobody’s watching.

How to find 𝗨𝗦𝗔 & 𝗖𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗱𝗮 𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗲 𝗷𝗼𝗯𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝗟𝗶𝗻𝗸𝗲𝗱𝗜𝗻, even if you live outside those countries. I get this question a lot, so let me simplify it in 7 simple steps: Step 1: Use LinkedIn’s job filters (correctly) Go to the Jobs tab and use these filters: → Location: type “Remote” → Country: select United States and Canada → Job Type: Full-time → Work Type: Remote This ensures you’re only seeing roles that are remote and based in North America. Step 2: Use the right keywords In the search bar, try: → “Remote Data Analyst USA” → “Remote Data Scientist Canada” → “Fully remote data engineer” Mix in keywords like: • “Global team” • “Worldwide” • “Remote-first company”    These companies are more likely to accept international applicants. Step 3: Focus on companies that hire globally Target companies known for hiring remote international talent: → Automattic → GitLab → Toptal → Zapier → Deel → Doist → Oyster → Remote.com Search “[Company Name] careers” and look at their hiring policies.  Step 4: Follow hiring managers & recruiters Find hiring managers and tech recruiters in the US/Canada who’ve posted remote jobs. → Like and comment on their posts → Send a warm DM (not a cold pitch) → Stay on their radar These relationships create long-term opportunities. Step 5: Optimize your LinkedIn profile Make your profile location say: → “Open to Remote Roles in USA & Canada” Recruiters search by location. If your profile says “Kenya” or “India,” they might assume relocation is required unless you clearly state you’re looking for remote roles. Step 6: Highlight your timezone + communication skills Companies care about async work and timezone overlap. Add something like: → “Work comfortably across EST & PST” → “Strong async communicator with 4+ years remote experience” Step 7: Prepare your pitch Once you find a job that fits, don’t just apply. → Engage with the company on LinkedIn → Reach out to an employee or the hiring manager → Show how you solve their problems Outreach > blind applications. Start your search today because roles are going fast. P.S. It’s easier if you already have a valid work visa or permit. If you don’t, focus on global-first companies or consider freelancing until you build leverage. ➕ Follow Jaret André for daily data job search strategies 🔔 Hit the bell to get practical tips that actually land offers

Your distributed teams need connection; Zillow built the blueprint for making it happen at scale. Steve Bennett and team at Zillow run 200+ intentional gatherings annually for 7,000 remote employees. The payoff? All-time high engagement scores, major efficiencies that save tens of millions, and 93% of attendees saying retreats improve how they work together afterward. Most companies treat team gatherings like afterthoughts—logistics scrambles that leave everyone exhausted—if they haven't gutted them altogether. Zillow built an operating system instead. 🎯 Purpose over productivity. "We gather for connection, not to get work done—we can do that remotely." When teams know they're there to connect, everything changes. 📅 Plan annually. Calendar published in October for the following year. Budget set per person. Space packages by group size. 🏢 Redesign spaces. They converted 75% of office space to gathering areas. Optimize real estate for when people do come together, and coordinate trips to overlap groups who wouldn't ever meet even in an office! Intentional design can make distributed teams more connected than office-based are. 👉 Want to know what they've built, how and why? Read on: https://lnkd.in/gX4bYJ_4 How are you building connections for your distributed organization? #connection #workplace #engagement

Remote job postings receive 2.5x more applications than on-site roles. And you're competing with every single one of them. If you've been applying for global remote roles and hearing nothing back, this is for you. Here's what most people assume global employers want: ✖️ Someone who "communicates well" ✖️ Someone available across time zones ✖️ Someone with a good internet connection Here's what they're actually evaluating: ✔️ Asynchronous communication quality: Can you write a message so clear that no follow-up is needed? Global teams run on written updates, not real-time calls. If your emails or messages leave people confused, you're a liability regardless of your skills. ✔️ Documentation discipline: The #1 hidden filter in remote hiring. Employers quietly test whether you document your thinking and progress without being asked. Teams across time zones can't afford people who keep everything in their heads. ✔️ Proof of outcomes, not effort: Remote employers don't care how many hours you worked. They care what you delivered. ✔️ Your digital presence is your reference check: Before the first call, they've already looked you up. Your LinkedIn, your posts, your comments that's how a remote employer decides if they can trust you without ever meeting you. A dormant profile quietly disqualifies you. ✔️ Reliability over reachability: They're not looking for someone available 24/7. They're looking for someone who delivers during overlap hours consistently, without chasing. The candidates landing these roles aren't always the most qualified. They're the ones who've learned to communicate, document, and deliver in a way that builds trust without being in the same room. That's the bar. Are you preparing for remote interviews & what difficulties are you facing? Drop a comment — happy to help. 👇 #remotework #jobsearch #careergrowth #dreamjob #interviewtips

The 'Out of Sight, Out of Mind' Trap: How to Conquer the Distance Google is a global company with offices all over the world, and while this diversity is a strength, it also presents unique challenges for communication and collaboration. Especially when your key stakeholders and decision-makers are continents away! Those hallway conversations, spontaneous coffee chats, and quick desk drop-bys that teams at HQ take for granted? Yeah, those aren't happening when you're separated by oceans and time zones. And that can lead to a disconnect. Your team's amazing work might get overlooked, your challenges might go unnoticed, and your stakeholders might feel out of the loop. But fear not, fellow remote leads! Here are a few strategies I've learned along the way: ‣ Tailor your communication approach: Every leader has their preferred communication style. Some love detailed reports, others prefer concise bullet points, and some just want the TL;DR. It's your job to adapt and deliver information in the way they'll best receive it. ‣ Embrace Radical Transparency: The worst thing that can happen is your leadership feeling blindsided by a problem or a missed deadline. Over-communicate! Share updates regularly, highlight both wins and challenges, and don't be afraid to ask for help when needed. ‣ Educate Your Leads: Help them understand the unique challenges of leading a remote team in a different location. Explain why you might need more proactive communication or different approaches to stay connected and aligned. ‣ Build Relationships Beyond Email: Travel when possible. Occasional visits to the main office can be invaluable for building relationships and understanding the nuances of the company culture. ‣ Celebrate Wins: Make sure your stakeholders are aware of your team's accomplishments, both big and small. This reinforces the value of your team and keeps them top-of-mind. ‣ Iterate and Improve: What works for one lead might not work for another. Experiment with different communication styles, ask for feedback, and continuously refine your approach. Leading a local team in a remote site requires extra effort and intention. By mastering the art of communication and building strong relationships with your stakeholders, you can ensure your team's success, no matter where you are in the world! What are your favorite tips for leading remote teams across continents? Share your insights in the comments! 👇 #RemoteLeadership #Communication #TechLeadership #lifeAtGoogle