Introduction
Welcome to movetoaws.io – where technology meets practical wisdom. As the author of this site, let me first offer you a glimpse into my professional journey, which will undoubtedly shed light on the insights you'll find here as you continue.
Point of View of the Author
Before delving into the content itself, knowing a bit about my background might be helpful. Understanding my career path will provide a clearer perspective on the provided content.
For the first twelve years of my career, my primary focus was on software development, mainly writing Java code and SQL statements. In 2013, I joined a startup, and my focus shifted towards AWS, Cloud, and Cloud-Native Development. After three years and multiple pivots, the startup story stopped, and I decided to try out applying the startup mindset and agile methodologies within larger corporations. A journey that is still going on till today.
In terms of culture, I strongly advocate for DevOps principles. I’m liberal towards technical choices, to the point where I’m often fine with any choice as long as there’s a good reason for picking a certain technology for a certain problem. I have a blameless mindset, and I evangelize Infrastructure as Code, GitOps, Immutable Infrastructure, and chaos engineering whenever possible.
In my current role as a SecDevOps enterprise lead, I focus on safeguarding and guiding the non-functional requirements of software (aka Quality attributes), with a primary emphasis on security, resilience, and cost-efficiency. Besides, I strive to find the best balance between alignment and autonomy, and on top, I verify IT strategy with reality.
It’s worth noticing that I’ve been recognized as an AWS DevTools Hero since 2021.
Influences
Every piece of knowledge originates from somewhere. When it comes to cloud computing and overall strategy, I must say that my perspectives are heavily influenced by companies like Spotify, AWS, Google, and Netflix. Additionally, individuals such as Robert Martin, Martin Fowler, Gregory Hope, Werner Vogels, and quite a few others have significantly shaped my understanding. Whenever applicable, I will refer to articles, people, or companies when they are relevant to the context. When making such referrals, I will always try to rehash the content as little as possible. Instead, I aim to explain what appeals to me about the content and why. If possible, I will also do my best to translate theory into practice.
DevOps Culture
Like many concepts, DevOps is a flexible term. I guess it's a term we all define a little differently. Because I find all those different definitions intriguing, whenever I have a job overview, one of my standard inquiries is to ask to define DevOps. I'm always curious to hear how people conceptualize it, but I realize there's no universal “right” or “wrong” answer.
The descriptions of DevOps I find particularly resonant comes from Google's: “If you think of DevOps as a philosophy and an approach to working, you can argue that SRE implements some of the philosophy that DevOps describes and is somewhat closer to a concrete definition of a job or role than, say, 'DevOps engineer.' So, in a way, class SRE implements interface DevOps.”
The current trend has shifted DevOps towards terms like DevSecOps or SecDevOps. Each of these variations emphasizes different aspects, with SecDevOps prioritizing security and DevSecOps placing greater emphasis on development. I admit that I place less importance on specific wording and definitions and more on the underlying mindset and skillset. What matters most to me is a shared understanding and alignment in approach. I may not be overly strict about terminology, but I advise focusing on the content, mindset, and train of thought when engaging with the material on this site.
Disclaimer
All content presented on this site reflects solely my personal viewpoints and perspectives. It is important to note that these opinions are entirely independent and do not represent the views, opinions, or endorsements of AWS, any of my current or former employers, or any clients I may have worked with. Any resemblance to the policies, strategies, or ideologies of these entities is purely coincidental. Readers are encouraged to interpret the content with this understanding in mind, recognizing that the material shared here is crafted from my own experiences and insights.
Wording, Style, and Text
In addition to the fact that this site solely reflects my personal viewpoints and perspectives, it's important to note that English is not my mother tongue. I post-process my raw text using different tools to ensure readability and minimize textual errors. However, I strive to limit manipulations to a minimum, focusing on using these tools only to enhance style, grammar, and vocabulary slightly.
After processing and before publishing, I carefully re-edit the result to ensure it remains natural, smooth, and that the content stays on track.