Again recapping some of the events and people I spoke to this summer, I wanted to report on a really great person I had the chance to chat with. Susie Wee is the VP & CTO of Networked Experiences at Cisco Systems. Beyond that (as if that wasn’t enough), she also is the founder and lead for Cisco’s developer community, Cisco’s DevNet. It was one of the most delightful and enlightening conversations I had this summer.

Now I know what you are thinking: Shimmy, it’s Cisco. The company is about networking and boxes. Where is the DevOps? Well, you would be surprised. First of all, putting aside the increasing importance of DevOps, Agile and lean in the world of software-defined networking (SDN), Cisco DevNet is so much more than SDN. I don’t want you to even think about SDN for a moment because what Susie has built with DevNet is so much more than even that.

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Which of the following best describes how you currently monitor and manage systems across your hybrid cloud environment?(Required)

Multiple separate tools for different environments

Multiple separate tools for different monitoring and management functions

Single consolidated dashboard

Custom built monitoring and management solution

No full monitoring and management solution

Don’t know

How valuable would it be for your monitoring and management solution to incorporate predictive analytics to help you identify and address system issues that are critical and not waste time or effort working through all the data and “noise” that is not critical?(Required)

Extremely valuable

Moderately valuable

Somewhat valuable

Slightly valuable

Not valuable

How do you most typically address potential system issues BEFORE they impact your operations?(Required)

Automated workflows and playbooks to remediate potential issues as soon as they are detected

An orchestrated response process that leverages automation, AI, and human expertise to rapidly respond to potential issues

Advanced monitoring tools such as predictive analytics and anomaly detection to proactively identify and address potential issues

Respond to issues as they arise, using manual processes and troubleshooting techniques

A combination of automated remediation, orchestrated response, and/or proactive monitoring to address potential system issues

Don’t know

Other

What methods does your organization use to control and monitor cloud/IT spending?(Required)

Centralized procurement processes

Pre-approved budget thresholds

Automated cost monitoring tools

Department-level spending controls

Regular cost audits and reviews

Cloud cost optimization platform

Approval workflows for resource provisioning

Native financial operations tools provided by the cloud provider

No formal controls in place

Don’t know

Other

Please specify:

Which methods do you rely on most to detect security vulnerabilities in your systems?(Required)

Automated scanning tools

Manual assessments

Vendor notifications

Threat modeling (for early detection)

None of these

Don’t know

Other

Please specify:

What are the TWO most common ways you prioritize vulnerabilities to address within your environment?(Required)

Based on potential impact

Based on exploitability

Regulatory compliance requirements

Based on CVSS scores

Risk-based analysis of multiple factors

First-in-first-out approach

No formal prioritization process

Don’t know

How do you typically handle system updates and security patches?(Required)

Automated updates and patches

Manually review and apply updates and patches on a regular schedule

A combination of automation and manual review

Apply updates and patches on an as-needed basis.

Outsourced update and patch management

No defined process

Don’t know

Other

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It’s not easy to go into an organization the size of Cisco and, from scratch, foster a community as enthusiastic and popular as DevNet has become. But the reason I am convinced is Susie herself. Her enthusiasm and passion is contagious. She told me about the first DevNet get together at Moscone Center and how it was overrun with developers. In spite of the crowd, Susie and team made sure everyone was part of the community.

That community has since grown to tens if not hundreds of thousands of developers. Whether you’re working with Cisco APIs or Python or Java script, DevNet has something for you, no matter where in the world you are. The community partners with companies large and small, other communities and groups.

I really had no idea of the scale and scope of this community. After speaking with Susie I realized that the DevOps community needs to be more aware of what is happening at DevNet and we need to bring more DevNet members into the DevOps community proper. My promise to her is that, going forward, we are going to try and facilitate this mingling of the tribes.

The good news is that in her typical fashion Susie was all for this. She has committed to bring DevNet to DevOps. So be on the lookout, as the DevNet community will become regular contributors here at staging-devopsy.kinsta.cloud. We may start a separate neighborhood for their contributions once we build up some library of content.

In the meantime, though, check out some of the cool things DevNet has going on. Chances are there is some sort of event happening near you too. You don’t have to be into Cisco or networking, even. There is something there for everyone.