DevOps.com

Devops

The old constraint when it came to technology was hardware -- how many CPUs can I get my hands on. Today, spinning up compute can be done from any smartphone with an AWS account or something similar. The current constraint is software. And since software is written and operated by people, tackling that constraint comes down to making people as informed, enabled, and efficient as possible.

Three CEOs and co-founders of three companies that serve software developers -- Chris Wanstrath from GitHub, Jeff Lawson from Twilio, and Ben Uretsky of Digital Ocean -- take part in a conversation with a16z’s Peter Levine about the needs of software developers. What are the emerging platforms, ecosystems, and tools that help developers succeed at what is increasingly the most important job in any company – writing and running software.

---

The views expressed here are those of the individual AH Capital Management, L.L.C. (“a16z”) personnel quoted and are not the views of a16z or its affiliates. Certain information contained in here has been obtained from third-party sources, including from portfolio companies of funds managed by a16z. While taken from sources believed to be reliable, a16z has not independently verified such information and makes no representations about the enduring accuracy of the information or its appropriateness for a given situation.
 
This content is provided for informational purposes only, and should not be relied upon as legal, business, investment, or tax advice. You should consult your own advisers as to those matters. References to any securities or digital assets are for illustrative purposes only, and do not constitute an investment recommendation or offer to provide investment advisory services. Furthermore, this content is not directed at nor intended for use by any investors or prospective investors, and may not under any circumstances be relied upon when making a decision to invest in any fund managed by a16z. (An offering to invest in an a16z fund will be made only by the private placement memorandum, subscription agreement, and other relevant documentation of any such fund and should be read in their entirety.) Any investments or portfolio companies mentioned, referred to, or described are not representative of all investments in vehicles managed by a16z, and there can be no assurance that the investments will be profitable or that other investments made in the future will have similar characteristics or results. A list of investments made by funds managed by Andreessen Horowitz (excluding investments and certain publicly traded cryptocurrencies/ digital assets for which the issuer has not provided permission for a16z to disclose publicly) is available at https://a16z.com/investments/.

Charts and graphs provided within are for informational purposes solely and should not be relied upon when making any investment decision. Past performance is not indicative of future results. The content speaks only as of the date indicated. Any projections, estimates, forecasts, targets, prospects, and/or opinions expressed in these materials are subject to change without notice and may differ or be contrary to opinions expressed by others. Please see https://a16z.com/disclosures for additional important information.

a16z Podcast: What Software Developers (and Therefore Every Company) Need

Deployment frequency, development lead time, MTTR, MTBF, code coverage, cycle time -- these metrics, like all metrics, can be absolutely key or utterly meaningless. Don't just ask which metrics to use. Ask how to use these metrics to deliver better software, faster.

CodeTalk Ep. 5: DevOps Metrics That Actually Mean Something (Anders Wallgren, CTO of Electric Cloud)

Agile, DevOps, multiple cloud providers, serverless, contemporary cloud native apps, shadow IT using a credit card…it can be daunting for any IT organization to be responsive to the internal customer needs. It’s even tougher to be proactive and get ahead of the curve. Enter Cloud Management Platforms (CMP).

On this episode of DevOps Chat, we talk with Bernard Sanders (no, not the presidential candidate), CTO of CloudBolt. Our conversation explores how IT can use a CMP to provide the IT and self-service capabilities so DevOps and Agile teams won’t feel the pain and slowdown of IT past. Learn more about CloudBolt’s products at www.cloudbolt.io.

Hybrid and Multi-Cloud Management For DevOps, CloudBolt

Michael Coates is on a mission, a journey, an unassailable quest. 

You don't come away from senior security leadership roles at Twitter and Mozilla without some real-world lessons of how to improve cybersecurity. Those lessons inspired our guest Michael Coates, former Twitter CISO, to co-found his new startup Altitude Networks. 

While we don't yet know all the details about Altitude Networks, we know Michael is addressing the protection of data when using cloud collaboration software like Google Drive, Box, Dropbox, Office 365 and other online collaboration services. 

Michael shares with us the lessons he learned from security roles at Twitter and Mozilla is applying at Altitude Networks. Security products need to be designed to solve problems and alleviate work, not make work. And security needs to enable end-users to get their work done and not interrupt them with confusing popups, options, and decisions most end users won't understand. 

Join us on this episode of DevOps Chat to get the latest on Michael Coates and his new company Altitude Networks. You can sign up for Michael's new newsletter at https://hubs.ly/H0jvMBN0 .

A CISO's Quest For Better Security, Michael Coates, Altitude Networks

The software development tool needs of a 2-3 person team can be much different than those of a large enterprise. CI/CD is a common approach nearly all software teams establish. But what needs of a larger software organization to you adopt early on and which simply adds more complexity than benefit?

Rob Zuber, CTO of CircleCI, began tackling this problem in the mobile space and then moved to CircleCI to help create what is now a well established SaaS-based CI/CD offering to software teams of all sizes. Join us on this episode of DevOps Chat and take away some valuable CI/CD lessons for your organization.

CI/CD Scalability Lessons - Startup to Enterprise, CircleCI

Network technology has undergone its own transformation in parallel with cloud infrastructure, how we create software, and the adoption of DevOps. SDN, NFV, virtual network appliances, and an ever-expanding suite of APIs making network and security technologies much more accessible to developers.

Network engineers' worlds are rapidly changing too. From highly skilled to associate-level, all network engineers are faced with building up a new and necessary skill: software development. Learning software dev can be a daunting, even intimidating proposition even for someone already skilled in the network engineer domain. 

So, how do we lift up the community of network engineers and help them build their development chops? How can software and DevOps engineers easily get access to all the programmatic interfaces that configure, manage and control the network? 

These questions and more we explore with Susie Wee, Founder, Senior Vice President, and CTO of Cisco DevNet. DevNet is an online resource full of information for app developers, infrastructure developers, and network and DevOps engineers. On DevNet you'll find training (Python, API, and more), sandboxes for experimentation, code exchanges (including GitHub), CI/CD, and new Cisco certifications for software. Check out DevNet at https://developer.cisco.com.

Cisco DevNet - DevOps and the Programmable Network, Susie Wee

Red Hat Linux is a staple of most enterprise IT organization's software diets. Developers and IT leaders all over the world took notice when IBM acquired Red Hat. Will IBM Red Hat change? Will Red Hat continue to operate as it does today or will it be subsumed and disappear into some IBM business unit? Will IBM Red Hat still contribute to projects and tools like Kubernetes, JBoss, Fuse, OpenJDK, Eclipse IDE, and many others (https://redhatofficial.github.io/#!/main)? All are important questions.

Brad Micklea, Lead of the Developer Program and Tools at IBM, joins DevOps Chat to talk about the future of Red Hat as part of IBM. Brad sends a strong message that Red Hat will remain focused on the developer community and tools for Linux, Kubernetes, Java, DevOps, and others. 

Join us as we talk with Brad about the future of Red Hat, DevOps, and open source developer tools.

Red Hat Developer Experience in the IBM Era, Brad Micklea

Value Stream Management (VSM) is a term we hear with higher frequency. DevOps, Agile, Lean, and contemporary application development are very dynamic. These rapid, dynamic approaches can make the software development process opaque to the broader organization. It’s early in this part of the market, but it’s born out the need for quantifying the business value coming from our investments in software development.

Steve Boone, Head of Product Management at HCL UrbanCode, joins us on this episode of DevOps Chat to talk about the state of this emerging market. Steve shares valuable insights about how organizations are working together, where DevOps and Agile are making a measurable difference, and what management can do to provide teams with tools to manage their VSM.

Extracting Value Stream Management From DevOps, UrbanCode

"DevOps Chats" by Techstrong Group, the force behind industry-leading platforms like DevOps.com, Cloud Native Now, Security Boulevard, Techstrong.ai, DigitalCxO, and Techstrong.TV, is your premier destination for all things DevOps. Hosted by industry veterans Alan Shimel and Mitchell Ashley, this podcast series delves deep into the world of DevOps, bringing you the latest trends, innovative strategies, and insightful discussions that matter.

Each episode of "DevOps Chat" is a journey through the evolving landscape of DevOps, featuring interviews with thought leaders, practitioners, and change-makers who are shaping the future of technology. Whether you're a developer, operations professional, IT leader, or tech enthusiast, Alan and Mitchell ensure you stay informed, engaged, and ahead of the curve.

From continuous integration and delivery to cloud-native development and cybersecurity, "DevOps Chat" covers the spectrum, offering valuable lessons, expert advice, and engaging stories. Tune in to explore how DevOps principles and practices are transforming the tech industry, driving efficiency, enhancing security, and fostering innovation.

Join us at "DevOps Chat" for your regular dose of DevOps insights, inspiration, and community. It's not just a podcast; it's your gateway to the forefront of the DevOps movement. Subscribe now and be part of the conversation that's setting the pace for the future of technology.