I was just reading over StackOverflow’s 2017 Developer survey. As it turns out there were some surprising findings. One that stood out was databases. In the media, one hears more and more about NoSQL databases like Cassandra, Dynamo & Firebase. Despite all that MySQL seems to remain the most popular database by a large margin. Legacy indeed!…
As DevOps adoption picks up pace, the signs are everywhere. Infrastructure as code once a backwater concept, and a hoped-for ideal, has become an essential to many startups. Why Might That Be? My theory is that devops enables the business in a lot of profound ways. Sure it means one sysadmin can do much more,…
You want to make your wordpress site bulletproof? No server outage worries? Want to make it faster & more reliable. And also host on cheaper components? I was after all these gains & also wanted to kick the tires on some of Amazon’s latest devops offerings. So, I plotted a way forward to completely automate…
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….
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. How Should You Treat…
First things first. This is not meant to be a beef against developers. But let’s not ignore the elephant in the living room which is the divide between brilliant code writers and the risk-averse operations team. Let’s learn how you can hire a developer that won’t suck below in this article. By the way, we…
Sometimes, you have to be the bad guy. Be resistant to change. Here’s a story about how stubbornness pays off. As we’ve written about before A 4 letter word divides Dev & Ops. A True Story of Resistance I had one experience working as the primary MySQL DBA for an internet startup. Turns out they had…
It seems like all I hear these days is Redshift, Redshift, Redshift! I met up with a recruiter today. We talked about this & that. The usual. Then when he came to the topic of technology he said, “Yeah, it seems as though suddenly everybody is looking for Redshift & Snowflake” As I blogged about…
Larry Summers, Director of the White House’s National Economic Council coined the phrase “preserving optionality” back when he was deputy secretary of the treasury under Robert Rubin in the Clinton administration. It was meant to describe a strategy of keeping options open and fluid, fighting the urge to make choices too soon, before all of…
In the dynamic realm of software development and operations, where collaboration and alignment are paramount, there exists a four-letter word that has the potential to evoke both trepidation and tension. Risk, often viewed as a double-edged sword, is a fundamental concept that drives decision-making, shapes strategies, and delineates the boundaries between development (Dev) and operations…