Read the original article at The four-letter-word dividing Dev and Ops

What’s that word?  RISK Operations teams are tasked with stability and uptime. That means working against change, limiting or slowing it down where possible. Developers are tasked with features and delivering business solutions. For that an ORM layer seems appealing for example. It speeds up & simplifies coding. At the same time it eliminates database drudgery. For [...]

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1. Scalability Rules for managers and startups
2. Object Relational Mapper – What is it and why is it important?
3. Devops – What is it and why is it important?
4. How to hire a developer that doesn’t suck
5. Road War Story – Hacking Inflight Solutions

Read the original article at Ask Me Questions – Scalability, Performance, Cloud Computing

    I blog a lot about various topics near and dear to me.  So I thought I’d turn the tables a bit, and offer the microphone up to readers.  Do you have questions on any of these topics?  Feel free to drop a note in the comments.   Business & Consulting Are you a [...]

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1. The New Commodity Hardware Craze aka Cloud Computing
2. 3 Ways to Boost Cloud Scalability
3. Cloud Computing – What is it and why is it important?
4. The market for Cloud Computing
5. Cloud Computing – Disciplined Deployments

Read the original article at Business lessons from brokering a half million dollar deal

I’ve had my Manhattan loft in the market for some six months now. After dropping the asking price a couple of times, buyers are finally circling, and I’m close to finalizing a deal.  In that time however, I’ve learned some big lessons.  Real Estate, is the epitome of cutthroat capitalism and as such has some very [...]

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1. Business plans are bunk
2. iHeavy Insights 67 – Golden Rule In Business
3. Metrics Bridge Gap Between IT & Business Units
4. Open Insights 51 – Stretch Your Database Dollar
5. Consulting essentials: Getting the business

Read the original article at Business plans are bunk

I meet a lot of people in NYC. Friends, colleagues, small business owners, people with a great idea, artists, musicians, people with a dream, people who hear the startup story, namely the Google, Zynga, Apple, Facebook, or Amazon story. Sometimes I’ll hear: “I’m working on a business plan.” “Why?” I ask. “I want to make [...]

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1. “My startup is too cool for your business school”
2. Consulting essentials: Getting the business

Read the original article at Best of Guide – Highlights of Our Popular Content

We cherry pick the top 5 most popular posts of various topics we’ve covered in recent months. 5 Things Toxic to Scalability We use a broad brush to highlight the biggest no-nos in web application scalability. 5 Ways to Boost Scalability for MySQL We dig into scalability, steering to the richest areas to focus on. [...]

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1. A handy guide for PHP and MongoDB Web Development
2. Migrating MySQL to Oracle Guide
3. MySQL Cluster In The Cloud – Managers Guide
4. Oracle DBA Interview Questions

Read the original article at Beware the client

Recently I was searching Google for “startup consultant” to see what I might find. I came across this article by John Greathouse titled Beware the Consultant. No self-respecting, hard-working consultant would sit back and take hits without defense, so in true poetry slam style I thought I’d write a quick retort. Beware the Client… The [...]

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1. Open Insights 22 – Beware of Software Fashion
2. Open Insights 02 – Consulting Apples and Oranges

Read the original article at Consulting essentials: Building your business

In the last two posts on how to build a successful consulting business I shared advice and tips on closing deals and managing and completing your engagements. This post will look at where to focus your efforts in order to sustain your consulting business, and build skills. Focus on your subject matter expertise Being a [...]

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1. Consulting essentials: Getting the business
2. Consulting essentials: Managing & Completing Engagements
3. Open Insights 05 – Building on Success
4. MySQL Consulting in New York
5. Open Insights 02 – Consulting Apples and Oranges

Read the original article at Consulting essentials: Managing & Completing Engagements

This is the second in a series of three articles on Consulting Essentials. Read the previous post, Consulting essentials: Getting the business Communicating well and knowing when to step in or stand back is the linchpin of successful consulting. Some people have natural charm. If you’re one of these people you’ll find consulting is definitely [...]

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1. Consulting essentials: Getting the business
2. Open Insights 02 – Consulting Apples and Oranges
3. iHeavy Insights 77 – What Consultants Do
4. Open Insights 24: Consulting Conflicts of Interest
5. Managing Security in Amazon Web Services

Read the original article at Consulting essentials: Getting the business

Over the years, a lot of people have approached me asking how to become a tech consultant. What do I need to do to get started? How can I take my first step? I also hear from managers and CEOs that have asked how I got my start, and how I keep the business running. [...]

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1. Open Insights 02 – Consulting Apples and Oranges
2. Database Heavy Lifting – Consulting and Professional Services
3. iHeavy Insights 67 – Golden Rule In Business
4. Open Insights 18 – The Cost of Consulting
5. MySQL Consulting in New York

Read the original article at Tyranny of a Google vote

For the past year I’ve been seeing headline blogs analyzing the effect of Google’s last algorithm update, dubbed the Panda. There was much talk of unfair relegation from the first page of Google search results, and general indignance by the SEO community. As with any subject in which I only have cursory knowledge I didn’t [...]

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1. Top Five Easy Ways to Search Engine Optimization
2. What Wouldn’t Google Do?
3. Open Insights 11 – Google Wave or Tsunami

Read the original article at Don’t be that guy–Social tips for geeks

As a tech consultant one of the most interesting parts of the job is being able to observe human relations at work. I’ve learned through the years that because tech people and non-tech people speak different ‘languages’, bridging the communication gap is a critical part of my role as a consultant. Sometimes the relationship between [...]

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1. iHeavy Insights 82 – Better Practices
2. Open Insights 12 – What the Geeks Mean

Read the original article at “My startup is too cool for your business school”

An article I read on Tech Crunch recently got me thinking about startup culture. In Are You Building A Company, Or Just Your Credentials Geoff Lewis, expressed his distaste for a friend’s plan to get on Y Combinator’s ‘no idea’ startup incubation program. In this experimental approach, groups or individuals with a desire to be part [...]

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1. The Problem with Startup Bootcamps
2. Book Review – The Lean Startup by Eric Ries
3. iHeavy Insights 67 – Golden Rule In Business

Read the original article at The Age of the Platform by Phil Simon

I picked up Phil Simon’s The Age of the Platform after running into his blog, and some of his writing online. Simon is an interesting guy with an obvious strong technical background. He’s also an accomplished speaker and you can find several videos of his speaking online. The first thing that struck me about this book [...]

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1. Part 2: RAC/Linux/Firewire – Basic Costs + Hardware Platform Outline

Read the original article at What Wouldn’t Google Do?

In his latest book, What Would Google Do? Jeff Jarvis seems to have authored a gushing tribute to the search giant that has pledged to do no evil. He paints a very optimistic picture, and shows us over and over how Google has opened up industries, and how that same openness helps consumers like you [...]

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1. Open Insights 11 – Google Wave or Tsunami
2. iHeavy Insights 62 – Context

Read the original article at The Problem with Startup Bootcamps

Scanning Crains NY Business recently, I saw an article on ‘starting up’ in 54 hours.  It’s the brainchild of Marc Nager, Clint Nelsen and Franck Nouyrigat called Startup Weekend. Startup bootcamps seem to be the current extra-curricular activity of choice these days. Wharton is also getting in on it with their Innovation Tournament. Then there is the [...]

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1. Book Review – The Lean Startup by Eric Ries
2. Scale Quickly Like Birchbox – Startup Scalability 101

Read the original article at Scalability Rules for managers and startups

Abbott and Fisher’s previous book, The Art of Scalability received good reviews for shifting the way we think about scalability from merely splitting databases and adding servers, to include the human factors that weigh heavily on its success. Together with the authors’ distinguished pedigree (PayPal, Amazon, and eBay between them), I picked up a copy [...]

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1. Scalability – What is it and why is it important?
2. MySQL Cluster In The Cloud – Managers Guide
3. 5 things toxic to scalability
4. Open Insights 04 – Managers: Databases 101
5. 5 Tips for Scalability

Read the original article at How about an easier tip jar?

Walking around New York you find yourself stopping at plenty of different places to grab some takeout for lunch. There are Vietnamese sandwich places, pizza shops, noodle bars, taco stands, juice bars and of course your daily coffee shop. You’ll find an endless variety. As is customary in New York, even for takeout there is [...]

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Read the original article at Great Interactive Map of NYC Startups

Business Insider posted this spectacular interactive google map of our amazing Startup Ecosystem here in New York City.  Wow! Check out the full list of NYC Startups in the original article. View NYC Startups in a larger map No related posts.

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Read the original article at How to hire a developer that doesn’t suck

First things first. This is not meant to be a beef against developers. But let’s not ignore the elephant in the living room that is the divide between brilliant code writers and the risk averse operations team. By the way we also have a MySQL DBA Interview Questions article which is quite popular. Also take [...]

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1. Devops – What is it and why is it important?
2. Feature Flags – What are they and why are they important?
3. Why generalists are better at scaling the web
4. iHeavy Insights 82 – Better Practices
5. Data Spot Checks – What are they and why are they important?

Read the original article at Why generalists are better at scaling the web

Recently at Surge 2011, the annual  conference on scalability  and performance, Google’s CIO Ben Fried gave an illuminating keynote address. His main insight was that generalists are the people that will lead engineering teams in successfully scaling the web. In a world where the badge of Specialist or Expert is prized, this was refreshing perspective from [...]

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1. Auto-scaling – What is it and why is it important?
2. Infrastructure Provisioning – What is it and why is it important?

Read the original article at iHeavy Newsletter 84 – Restaurant Scalability

Restaurant Scalability Could pro-waitering serve up some lessons on web scalability? Observing peak hour dining at a New York restaurant gave us some insight. I was dining at a restaurant the other day with friends. It was a warm and cozy place, nicely decorated with a long, narrow dining room.  The food was scrumptious, yet we were [...]

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1. Web Cornerstone – iHeavy Insights Newsletter 80
2. iHeavy Insights 75 – Recognizing Quality
3. iHeavy Insights 64 – What You Value
4. iHeavy Insights 78 – Degrade Gracefully
5. 5 Scalability Pitfalls to Avoid

Read the original article at Scale Quickly Like Birchbox – Startup Scalability 101

One of the great things about the Internet is how it has made it easier to put great ideas into practice. Whether the ideas are about improving people’s lives or a new way to sell and old-fashioned product, there’s nothing like a good little startup tale of creative disruption to deliver us from something old [...]

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1. Agile – What is it and why is it important?
2. 5 things toxic to scalability
3. iHeavy Insights 76 – Scale By Design
4. 5 Tips for Scalability
5. 3 Ways to Boost Cloud Scalability

Read the original article at 4 Considerations Migrating to The Cloud

When migrating to the cloud consider security and resource variability, the cultural shift for operations and the new cost model. 1. Costs Move to Operating Expenses When computing resources move from hardware, components and infrastructure that you buy and own, to those you rent by the hour, they also change places on your balance sheet.  [...]

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1. Migrating to the Cloud – Why and why not?
2. The New Commodity Hardware Craze aka Cloud Computing
3. Introduction to EC2 Cloud Deployments
4. Oracle to MySQL Migration Considerations
5. Migrating Business To The Cloud – Advantages and Challenges

Read the original article at Review – Who Moved My Cheese

Spencer Johnson is a great writer.  His business book classic was a real page turner.  He takes a page from the REWORK book and that’s a good thing. Who Moved My Cheese is a story about mice living in a maze happy and content that they have an unlimited supply of cheese.  Then one day [...]

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1. Macrowikinomics book review by Tapscott & Williams
2. Book Review – Rework

Read the original article at iHeavy Insights 83 – Shoe Leather Cost

Shoe leather cost is similar to opportunity cost.  It refers to the cost of counteracting inflation by keeping less of your assets in cash.  Your strategy would require more trips to the bank and more walking, and incur a cost in the wearing out of the leather in your shoes. All joking aside, it’s an [...]

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1. Open Insights 18 – The Cost of Consulting
2. iHeavy Insights 60 – Principal Agent
3. iHeavy Insights 68 – Transparency
4. iHeavy Insights 73 – It’s Easy
5. APress – Cost-Based Oracle by Jonathan Lewis