How do you create a private Dev/Test cloud to standardize processes, tooling and environments across teams? Recently, I participated in an online panel on the subject of, “Creating an Internal Dev/Test Cloud,” as part of Continuous Discussions (#c9d9), a series of community panels about agile, continuous delivery and DevOps. Continuous Discussions is a community initiative […]
5 Development Trends Reshaping Testing
There’s no shortage of new development trends, but virtual reality, containers, big data, hyperconnected apps and IoT are affecting testing the most today. If you like change and challenge, it’s a fun time to work in software. Some technology developments, such as cloud computing, have been gaining speed slowly over many years. That steady progression […]
Data Protection for Operational Reporting Platforms
Making real-time business decisions based on data from social, mobile and cloud platforms is a requirement in today’s world. That’s why an ecosystem of next-generation operational reporting platforms such as Spark, Apache Cassandra, Kafka, Docker, Mesos, Marathon and more have come to life. Enterprises are using these technologies to re-architect their data storage and processing […]
‘DevOps is a Lifestyle, Not a Title’
“DevOps is a lifestyle, not a title.” This is a quote from Ron Melanson, of Amazon, and I hope he won’t mind me sharing it here. It struck a chord with me, and this blog explains why. I have spoken about DevOps on a few occasions. Some audiences are not from a development background, so […]
Balance: The Key to Successful DevOps
In the realm of IT buzzwords, DevOps is in a league of its own. The pervasiveness of the word is matched only by the variety of its definitions. Over time, much like the parable of The Blind Men and the Elephant, it has slowly taken shape out of the void, albeit in a backwards fashion. […]
Why Your SaaS Ecosystem Isn’t Delivering
Cloud computing and -as-a-service deliverables such as SaaS have the potential to be transformational, but their value depends on whether you see them as tactical, single-purpose tools or as part of a larger and more strategically integrated ecosystem. The cloud today is embraced almost universally at some level and seen as an essential component of […]
DevOps: Metrics Do Matter
One of my favorite quotes about metrics or KPIs is from Jim Fowler, CIO of GE Capital: “Don’t measure me on cost or traditional IT metrics, but on the metrics of the business.” It’s a perfect tee-up for me to talk about metrics in the context of DevOps. DevOps is the movement of enabling a […]
DevOps Days London: The Human Factor
Day 2 of DevOpsDays London 2016 kicked off with a presentation from the legendary Gene Kim. The theme that dominated today’s proceedings was the “human factor,” (fitting, as we finished Day 1 with #humanops) nicely started by Gene’s quote from Nathan Shimek: “We need DevOps to make our work humane.” The second day delved beyond […]
Does the Future of DevOps Lie in NoOps?
Why DevOps is more a bi-directional rather than a simple top-down approach DevOps is one of those buzzwords that nearly everyone wants to discuss these days. However, it often is interpreted as an extension of Development’s influence to the detriment of Operations teams. So much has changed in the past few years that it is […]
State of DevOps Survey – The Ultimate Feedback Loop
If there’s any consistent criticism of the larger DevOps movement, it’s that the talking heads and industry gadflies are driving the conversation, not the people in the trenches. All the thought leadership panels and “how-to” content (including the written and AV materials on this very site) make for great watercooler discussion, but lack the input […]










