Devops World 2022 Remix

From being an expert speaker to sponsoring the event – read the benefits in engaging as an expert in the devops community.

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Make Your Mark at DevOps World

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Read the latest blogs from the DevOps World team and our community. Topics include networking, thought leadership, and advancing your career.

DevOps World Blog

The DevOps World Tour of 2023 came to its last stop fittingly in one of the global financial hubs. 

The conversations at the London event added a necessary spotlight to the ever-growing responsibility of developers to make security and governance a reality in code. The circular chase of companies to stay in code with ever-changing regulations while making it seamless in a developer’s workflow. 

In case you missed this event, here are a few thought provokers from the multi-angular discussions spanning the entire day from kickoff to the happy hour. 

## DevSecOps stops you from treating governance as an anti-pattern.

Companies stagnate in their DevOps maturity partly because of how they tackle (or don’t tackle) security and governance. Similar to testing, shifting left in governance doesn’t have to be a big lift. You can factor in your regulator’s requirements early in the software development process. Consider applying ‘infrastructure as code’ principles to ‘policy as code’ to make this possible. 

## Your developers and platform teams can now stick to regular working hours. 

Jenkins is massive and here to stay! Most software you’ve experienced had to touch a Jenkins pipeline at some point. This level of popularity makes scale and resilience crucial. 
![London Blog: Sacha's pic](//images.ctfassets.net/24szd46xzdvo/1dNrU5iP1UbUQWcEsrxD7U/f6c473ab1122f46211e1481f6e695713/20231205-SA900207-Enhanced-NR.jpg)
Several new releases from CloudBees address this need by resolving the bane of the developer’s existence - ‘time waiting for things to finish.’ Troubleshoot faster from the ground up using [Pipeline Explorer](https://www.cloudbees.com/capabilities/continuous-integration/pipeline-explorer). Save a significant portion of build time across multiple developers via [Workspace Caching](https://www.cloudbees.com/capabilities/continuous-integration/workspace-caching). And say goodbye to monolithic controllers with [HA/HS](https://www.cloudbees.com/capabilities/continuous-integration/high-availability-horizontal-scalability). 

## We deserve a new cloud native DevSecOps platform right now.

IDC forecasts that 750 million cloud native applications will be created globally by 2025. Couple this fact with the shortage of professional developers and the explosion of low-code apps, and you swiftly end up with a living nightmare for security and governance folks. On the flip side, this can be a market opportunity in disguise. 

The CloudBees launch of a [cloud native DevSecOps platform](https://www.cloudbees.com/products/saas-platform) on Nov 1st chooses to focus on the latter. In the words of [Eric Billingsley](https://www.linkedin.com/in/ericbillingsley/) (General Manager SaaS at CloudBees), the platform lets “engineers have freedom and DevOps teams have the right amount of control.” Open and extensible for developers, along with built-in security and compliance, offering flexibility for organizations to mirror how their globally distributed dev teams work with each other.  

## Developers need to look more like their customers.

We need diverse teams to design and build well-thought-out products. To look more like the customers they serve through their products. To tackle unconscious bias in coding and emerging areas like GenAI. If there’s still any hesitancy, look at the overwhelming results from multiple studies showing how diverse organizations are way more profitable than average. 

## You can’t escape vulnerabilities, but you can better manage the risks. 

Shift left in phases unless you want to make it overwhelming for your developers. The reality, despite that, is companies can’t escape vulnerabilities completely. It’s up to Application Owners to be familiar with the risks and accept the ones they can be comfortable with. 

What can we do to control the risks from legacy applications? The first step involves education. Be well versed on the risks. Entertain more automation at a regular frequency to discover vulnerabilities. Finally, don’t leave your judgment at the door on what the right level of security needs to be. 

## Platform teams are indirect revenue generators. 

Approach your internal developer platform as a product. This mindset shift can transform the platform as an enabler of innovation and creativity by improving interoperability among developers. Make the platform fit your organization’s business context. Don’t forget about the different stakeholders in the process - everyone from internal developers to product owners to users of your applications. 

Remember - A platform team’s work is never complete without a healthy dose of ongoing feedback. Collect pipeline metrics, send developer surveys, run internal platform improvement sessions, to name a few. 

## You can’t build two separate products - one with AI and one without AI. 

An organization-wide AI strategy is an absolute must to avoid complete chaos. AI is not a detachable feature, so stop treating it as one. 

Consider second-order implications as the impact of AI grows within your product portfolio. Two example scenarios to get you thinking of the implications - (i) How will AI affect your pricing strategy? AI functionality relies on some version of metering. Does this completely change your current subscription pricing? (ii) What about your AI engineers? You need to make them part of your platform team!

## Hey Devs, We can’t wait to see what you build next!

[Anuj Kapur](https://www.linkedin.com/in/a2kapur/) (CEO of [CloudBees](https://www.cloudbees.com/)) kicked off the London event, sharing stats on why the software transformation is still in its infancy. Despite Marc Andreessen’s seminal piece on why software is eating the world coming out almost a tech lifetime ago in 2011, seeing current software spending as a fraction of global GDP convinces you of the room to grow.
![london blog post:  Anuj's pic Image 3](//images.ctfassets.net/24szd46xzdvo/3j0zSvMS76u1986iONbOfD/9a469b532914890c6d64f207081de7db/20231205-SA900049-Enhanced-NR.jpg)
Still not convinced? Let’s throw in one of many bold predictions from [Vinod Khosla](https://www.linkedin.com/in/vinod-khosla-5a7aa330/) - venture capitalist plus early investor in OpenAI - to get you dreaming of the possibilities. 

*“The thing nobody talks about is that in 10 years we’ll have a million bipedal robots and in 25 years we’ll have a billion. You’ll buy yours for $10K and it will be as important to your life as your smartphone is now.”*

As we're about to enter 2024, consider this prescient line from the end of Anuj's speech - *"(It's a) great time to be a software developer. We can't wait to see what you build next."*

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DevOps World London 2023: A way out of lingering software delivery anti-patterns

DevOps World Silicon Valley was a fascinating event. DevOps has existed, as a concept, for almost 15 years, so DevOps conferences these days tend to have an angle and theme beyond simply “DevOps.”  To my delight, the overarching theme of this particular event was developer experience.  

Developer experience is, according to Microsoft, “how easy or difficult it is for a developer to perform essential tasks needed to implement a change.”  Cloudbees CEO Anuj Kapur kicked off the event by pointing out that developers in the enterprise only spend about 30% of their time actually building software and then issued a call to action to the industry that we must improve that figure dramatically.

The rest of the event’s talks focused on various contributing factors to that inefficiency: resource bottlenecking, onerous manual compliance schemes, “shifting” too many processes to “the left,” and, naturally, the relationship between application development and security.  Security and compliance are two tasks that have definitely shifted left over the past several years. The result? Anyone in the application security or application development space will tell you that this shift has generated much friction on both sides.

It was thus refreshing to hear several talks about how these two critical domains could work together in harmony.  After all, everyone wants the same thing: secure, high-quality, feature-rich software shipped quickly.  Many of the day's speakers offered insightful, actionable tips for making that happen.
![DW-Blog-Sonatype-2](//images.ctfassets.net/24szd46xzdvo/5yfEXzh5dLm8xJHdMQUkTi/b2816e9b476643b30ae8102b2613897f/DW-Blog-Sonatype-2.png)
But the theme of developer experience and the need for secure software actually extended beyond the day’s sessions.  During breaks, I wandered around, listening to conversations and checking out the exhibitor booths in the expo hall. As a long-time technologist who doesn’t get a chance to do much hands-on work these days, I was interested in keeping up with current trends.

It was in this frame of mind that I found myself chatting with the folks at Sonatype, including Ken Youn.  I was broadly curious about the subject of software engineers and their take on application security and specifically curious as to what Sonatype’s message was for them.

From back in the days when I was actually involved in application development, I had a sense of Nexus Repository as an expedient way to obtain libraries in the software I was writing.  Forget the bad old days of painfully integrating components to your application – use the repository manager, and you’re just a single command away from using a logging library or other component.  

Pulling components into your app has security implications, but I wasn’t aware of that at the time or particularly concerned about it.  Fast forward to today, and I see how intertwined software development and security have become.
![DW-Blog-Sonatype-3.](//images.ctfassets.net/24szd46xzdvo/4PW0RJSoK9Yj9phpgZb9kG/8b68d5165d9d3910828692eb566fec27/DW-Blog-Sonatype-3.png)
I learned that Forrester recently named Sonatype, a leader in software composition analysis (SCA). And that instantly made sense to me. If you’re a security-minded organization and you’re storing software components, managing their relationships, and assessing their dependencies, Sonatype’s SCA puts you in the perfect position to do all of this while also giving you the best data quality when it comes to potential threats in the software supply chain.

And the industry recognizes this positioning. Apparently, 70% of Fortune 100 organizations use Sonatype’s solutions, particularly those most concerned about risk avoidance and/or in heavily regulated industries.  Any organization managing risk and using open source at this kind of scale would absolutely need rock-solid software composition analysis.

But perhaps the most interesting thing to come out of our conversation for me was the tie-in to the theme of developer experience. Ken explained to me, “the real meat of our value proposition is the partnership between security and development.” This struck me as incredibly resonant with the talks happening on stage. The key to developer experience improvements, vis a vis security, is tooling that makes software more secure while making software engineers’ lives easier.

For any engineers that came by and spoke with Sonatype, Ken’s hope was that they would return to their companies, describe Sonatype’s capabilities to the security folks, and be greeted with an enthusiastic response. Sonatype’s tooling is the key to moving away from the frictional relationship between development and security. You know that it’s happening when both parties get excited about their shared tools.

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Sonatype What’s Required to Make DevSecOps Really Work

Sonatype: What’s Required to Make DevSecOps Really Work?

I’ve had a long and winding career, the granular details of which I will not bore you with.  Suffice it to say that I programmed, or else managed programmers until the mid 2010s, after which I drifted into other career pursuits.

I spent a good portion of those years working on the JVM, which meant I was intimately familiar with XML and with Maven, as a build tool.  But toward the end of those years, I remember a new kid on the block – an upstart, if you will: [Gradle](https://gradle.org/ "Gradle")
![DW-Blog-Gradle-2.png](//images.ctfassets.net/24szd46xzdvo/yB4PUnLdK0GrGdRQmLHF7/4fa5ea5ec43e1b2f6c30994ede5a4e39/DW-Blog-Gradle-2.png)

Never a fan of verbose configuration formats, I found Gradle to be quite compelling in comparison to Maven, with its heavy XML configuration.  Gradle was simple, elegant, and fast.  And then I drifted away from programming and promptly forgot all about the problem of configuring builds for Java codebases.

Years later, I found myself at DevOps World 2023, in Silicon Valley.  I was there, of course, to listen to the talks and learn about how companies are handling security and compliance concerns, while also empowering developers and helping them do things faster.  Between the talks, however, I found myself wandering around, curious as to what was happening with attendees and sponsors.

Seeing a booth for Gradle piqued my interest.  “Really?  The open source build tool?”  So I wandered over to chat and learn more.  
![DW-Blog-Gradle-1.png](//images.ctfassets.net/24szd46xzdvo/7Gvu87xbMX2kHVOba1qhTp/b8ad3fd5f8faa965161984d16ce255fa/DW-Blog-Gradle-1.png)

It turns out that there is Gradle, the open source tool, and then there is Gradle [Inc](https://gradle.com/), which makes a tool that was, until recently, called Gradle Enterprise, and is [now called Develocity](https://gradle.com/press-media/gradle-enterprise-is-now-develocity/).  Gradle Inc., like many influential developer tools organizations, has built a commercial product to enhance the value of an already valuable open-source tool.

I inquired about what they were demonstrating and what they’d like for attendees to take away when they stopped by the booth.  The answer was both simple and immediate: “speeding up builds and tests and making troubleshooting easier.” 

Anyone building on the JVM (and [some other languages now, besides](https://docs.gradle.org/current/userguide/userguide.html)) surely knows about Gradle Build Tool, the open-source tool build automation tool.  But they might not be aware that they have options beyond that.  They also offer a free service for individual developers called a Build Scan®, which essentially is an x-ray of any Gradle, Maven, or Bazel build. 

Develocity is not a commercial version of the open-source tool.  Rather, it’s a build-tool-agnostic, open platform that offers build and test acceleration technologies, improves failure troubleshooting, and deep analytics on every Gradle, Maven, and Bazel local and CI build. Also, crucially, it layers in privacy and compliance features to enable a more secure and auditable software supply chain, which are table stakes for folks working across any industry, like many of the conference attendees.

So the mission there was relatively straightforward: make enterprise developers and engineering leaders aware of how they can give their teams back time to deliver more software faster..  Or, put another way, letting people know that they could easily have faster and safer builds and tests.

I couldn’t help but feel good about this development that happened during my years away from shipping software.  It’s nice to see open-source tools that you like succeed wildly and deliver so much value that an entire tooling ecosystem develops around them.

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Gradle: CI Quality of Service at Scale with CI Observability

DevOps has become mainstream in modern software delivery, and the NYC Area DevOps World event provided an ideal platform for thought leaders, practitioners, and contributors to share their experiences, challenges, and solutions. The event aimed to explore the evolving DevOps landscape and provide insights on how organizations can navigate digital transformation to achieve better outcomes. The sessions featured a diverse range of topics, including DevSecOps, Open Source, Digital Twins, and more. We’ll be covering the insights and learnings of this event, showcasing the value it had for developers, DevOps engineers, and technical people alike.

Modern Software delivery was a central theme at the event, with speakers discussing the need to adopt agile methodologies, automation, and continuous delivery to accelerate software delivery. The focus was on reducing time to market, enhancing customer experiences, and achieving better business outcomes. Attendees learned about the importance of creating a culture of experimentation, feedback, and continuous improvement to stay competitive in today's fast-paced digital economy. Speakers highlighted the challenges in implementing DevSecOps in legacy systems, emphasizing the need for collaboration between developers, security professionals and other stakeholders to ensure security-first mindset. Attendees learned about vulnerability prioritization and the use of software bill of materials (S-bom) for compliance and risk management.
## Keynote: Unveiling the Future of Software
[Anuj Kapur](https://www.linkedin.com/in/a2kapur/), the CEO of [CloudBees](https://www.cloudbees.com/), opened the event with an insightful discussion on the current state and future of the software industry. He emphasized the vast potential of AI and highlighted the significance of software in conjunction with hardware. Kapur acknowledged the challenges within the DevOps industry and presented a compelling argument for prioritizing the enhancement of developer productivity. Furthermore, he shed light on the advancements in aviation and underscored the profound impact of emerging technologies such as GenAI. Watch the keynote now!

## Go Big, Say Yes! Ready to Fight: Jenkins Reborn. 

People have relied on [Jenkins®](https://www.jenkins.io/) for years. It's been the open-source go-to tool for continuous integration and delivery for years. In this session, you’ll learn more about the [biggest performance and scalability update for Jenkins in a decade](https://www.cloudbees.com/blog/biggest-update-for-jenkins-in-over-a-decade-with-cloudbees-ci). Jenkins has been working out. It’s ready to move fast and go big. Jenkins is a new kind of hero for a new age. It’s trained, conditioned, and ready to take on this new era of challenges without losing the Jenkins functionality you know and love. Jenkins is ready to rumble. 

In this discussion, it centered around recent advancements in Jenkins, the widespread tool used for managing software releases. [Shawn Ahmed](https://www.linkedin.com/in/shawnahmed/) and [Runxia Ye](https://www.linkedin.com/in/runxia-ye-797b57/) announced the introduction of active-active[ high availability for Jenkins controllers, workspace caching and a new feature called Pipeline Explorer](https://www.cloudbees.com/capabilities/continuous-integration/pipeline-explorer). These innovations aim to streamline software development operations, improve system resilience, enhance developer experience, and boost overall productivity. [Watch the replay here](https://compose.contentful.com/spaces/24szd46xzdvo/page/6ASHdXEKHGfbHoF2bkRKDK)!

## Go Big, Say Yes! Chapter 2: YES Is The Answer
What if you could support developer autonomy and choice of tooling without compromising productivity, governance, security, and scalability? What if you had the [DevSecOps platform](https://www.cloudbees.com/products/saas-platform) that let you say YES to all of it? CloudBees is ready to deliver that platform, so you can say YES to going fast while also staying safe. You can say YES to creating your finest code while also keeping teams consistent. You can create the golden paths that set developers free. Say YES to having your cake and eating it too. Say YES. 
![2023 DW NYC blog post body image](//images.ctfassets.net/24szd46xzdvo/3TdIU7z2zJIJhRA5om3CSm/dfd8e21b1f808e49ccb3e29e5d037435/DW-Blog-NYC-2.png)
[Eric Billingsley](https://www.linkedin.com/in/ericbillingsley/) provided a detailed walkthrough of a pre-release product, pointed out its features including a graphical user interface to edit workflows, a system to manage secrets, audit logs of every change in the system, along with integrations and a set of policies. The speaker emphasized the rapid evolution of this product. [Watch the demo here!](https://compose.contentful.com/spaces/24szd46xzdvo/page/6tzeFFU5D9yDuoHgBQo9Ig)

## Security and Risk Management - Security and Compliance in the SDLC
Shift Left was supposed to empower developers and speed delivery. Instead, verifying security and compliance is complex, time-consuming and slows release velocity. Requiring developers to wade through alert storms from more tools isn’t empowering and doesn’t get products to market more quickly. Fortunately, there are better approaches. 

The panel covered the following topics: 
Why “shift security everywhere” maps better to DevOps philosophes 
How to move from checklist to risk-based decisions 
How to effect change that connects security, risk, and operations to value

The panel discussed the challenges of implementing ShiftLeft and DevSecOps in large organizations, their experiences with vulnerability management, compliance and the need for continuous risk monitoring. The potential risks of generative AI in software development were also considered. The discussion emphasized the importance of a security-focused mindset, understanding and managing risks, and the ongoing journey towards having automated compliance. [Watch the pan discussion now!](https://compose.contentful.com/spaces/24szd46xzdvo/page/2jCFrIyV1iiPLZUcrwN8P2)

## Belonging in DevOps: The Importance of Intersectionality	
The event wasn’t just about technology, but also how people that make up organizations, and what value they bring. This discussion was organized by the founders of Women in DevOps and featured a panel discussion on intersectional diversity in the DevOps field. The conversation revolved around issues related to low representation of women in tech, especially in DevOps. 

The panelists, [Ademusoyo](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1nLSostvP-uicAIW9CVA161TU8ktbrFLz/view); [Lesley](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1-hRdqotqxvlE76T00yuteNCkbKHIYKvx/view); [Kristie](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1NWN8eGV9vSPw2S4Su8jDiQWi3SB0agyh/view); [Sabrina](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1v57Yv_f6H9lf8ruZkkxJXKF__N76MSJ6/view), all of whom are leading professionals in this field, emphasized the need for a more inclusive work culture in tech and DevOps, stressing the importance of listening, acknowledging different perspectives, creating safe environments for diverse voices, and retaining diverse talents. They highlighted the role of technology in breaking down barriers and proposed concrete recommendations for organizations to move beyond tokenistic investments in diversity. [Watch this empowering talk here.](https://compose.contentful.com/spaces/24szd46xzdvo/page/1LcHSoru90cJP3pD9kuBxu)
![2023 NYC blog post body image3](//images.ctfassets.net/24szd46xzdvo/6ZdHaBqBsC2O42OJyVS4Ir/d8f3819e883faad0ce46c34e7b64c8da/DW-Blog-NYC-3__1_.png)

## Wrapping up the DevOps World 2023 Event in the NYC Area: Final Thoughts
The DevOps World 2023 NYC Area event provided valuable insights, practical knowledge, and networking opportunities for attendees. The event emphasized the need for a security-first mindset in DevOps, collaboration between team members, automation in compliance and security processes, and the integration of compliance policies into the development pipeline. Attendees learned about implementing DevSecOps in legacy systems, vulnerability prioritization, the use of software bill of materials, digital twins in DevOps, software supply chain management, and much more. The value of secure software development frameworks and upskilling team members were also emphasized. Overall, the event provided a comprehensive overview of the latest trends, technologies, and best practices for modern software delivery and security in DevOps. [Watch the session now!](https://www.devopsworld.com/on-demand?tags=year2023)

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DevOps World 2023 NYC Area Recap A Gathering of Thought

DevOps World 2023 NYC Area Recap: A Gathering of Thought Leaders and Practitioners

As the world becomes more digitally driven and businesses shift their focus to cloud technologies and software-based solutions, DevOps is becoming more critical than ever before. And with this, the demand for conferences, workshops, and events that help DevOps professionals stay up-to-date with the latest trends and technology is increasing. Singapore DevOps World is one such event that promises to be a mecca for developers, DevOps engineers, and technical people and offers an opportunity to learn, network, and share experiences.![2023 Singapore DevOps World body](//images.ctfassets.net/24szd46xzdvo/7oH5Z6xRnoYoYaS8H2NBDl/2bf19bb6c85902c4644b990db8a58ded/20231026_115518.jpg)

In this blog post, we will give you an overview of the Singapore DevOps World event and discuss the value it had for attendees. We will examine some of the sessions, key speakers, and takeaways from the event and how they can help transform the future of DevOps.
## Unlock the Power of Data and Reshape Your Digital Operations with BMK 
At DevOps World 2023, BMK is set to revolutionize the way you handle your data and digital operations. With an innovative platform that enables easy access, analysis, and management of data, BMK empowers you to make informed decisions that drive your business forward. The game-changer? BMK's composable architecture. This unique feature allows for rapid, customized application development and deployment, tailored to meet your specific needs. But it doesn't stop there. BMK's hybrid, elastic and edge infrastructure ensures a secure, reliable platform for your applications, allowing seamless deployment across multiple cloud providers for maximum availability and security. Lastly, get ready to reimagine your digital operations with BMK's comprehensive suite of tools and services for efficient management and optimization. So, are you ready to unlock the power of your data and reshape your digital operations? Join us at DevOps World 2023!
## Revolutionize Your Approach to Governance, Risk, and Compliance with The Minotaur Project
Experience the future of governance, risk, and compliance with The Minotaur Project, a ground-breaking solution engineered to revolutionize your approach to these critical business processes. We're not just talking about automation; we're talking about a comprehensive toolkit designed with precision to streamline your operations while ensuring industry regulations are met seamlessly. Imagine being able to swiftly pinpoint potential risks, devise effective strategies, and take proactive steps to mitigate them. That's what our automated risk management tools offer, along with real-time insights that empower you to make informed decisions. But that's not all. Our platform also provides comprehensive compliance solutions, enabling you to stay ahead of potential compliance issues and address them promptly. With The Minotaur Project, you gain real-time insights into your organization's compliance profile, equipping you to ensure regulatory compliance while taking confident strides towards your business goals. 
## The Power of Open Source: Revolutionize Your Business Journey
In an exciting era where open source is revolutionizing businesses, Olivier Lamy spoke about how to unlock the manifold benefits of open source contribution. Picture this: You're saving time and money, streamlining development costs, and accelerating your processes. With open source, there's no need for distractions—your focus remains on your business core. But it's not just about efficiency; it's about community too. Open source contribution sparks inspiration, rallying a vibrant community of developers around your project, fueling innovation, and engaging users like never before. So, what will it be? Build, buy, extend—the choice is yours! Harness the power of open source and redefine your business journey. 
## Unleashing DevOps: Collaborating for Success and Staying Ahead in the Digital Era
Finally, one of the key takeaways from the Singapore DevOps World event was the emphasis on the need for collaboration and community. Many of the sessions highlighted the importance of working together, breaking down silos, and sharing knowledge and best practices. As the industry continues to evolve, building and maintaining a strong DevOps community will be crucial to success.

The Singapore DevOps World event was a fantastic opportunity for DevOps professionals to learn about the latest trends and technology and network with like-minded people. The sessions were informative, engaging, and provided valuable insights into how DevOps can help organizations modernize their software systems and become more efficient and effective. As the digital landscape continues to change, staying on top of the latest DevOps trends and technologies will be vital for organizations to remain competitive. We look forward to attending the next Singapore DevOps World event and seeing how the industry continues to evolve and transform.

Discover the future of DevOps at Singapore DevOps World. Explore the latest trends and technologies that are reshaping digital transformation. Join us for insightful sessions, networking opportunities, and valuable takeaways. Stay ahead in the digital era with collaboration and community.

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Singapore DevOps World Transforming the Future of DevOps

Unleashing the Power of DevOps: Exploring Singapore DevOps World and the Future of Digital Transformation 

I have a renewed sense of hope for the condition of the enterprise software developer.

For anyone familiar with me or my career, this is quite a statement.  For the rest of you, to whom I’m some internet rando, I won’t bore you with more details about me than are absolutely necessary to understand my take.  Suffice it to say that in 2017, I wrote a book whose central thesis was that software developers should initiate an exodus from the enterprise.

Fast forward 6 years to now, when I just spent the day as “press” at DevOps World, listening to a series of talks and interacting with participants and sponsors.  Based on what I’ve seen here, my outlook for the future of enterprise developers is far less bleak than it was back then.

I’ll dive into the specifics of why, but the overarching theme is that it seems organizational change in the enterprise has evolved from a long history of something being done to software developers into something being done for them.  

At this conference, I heard and saw a lot of innovation aimed at earning developer buy-in, relieving their toil, and sending them back to their various enterprises with pragmatic, actionable ways to improve their situations.

## Where It Started: The Endless Agile Transformation
One more biographical detail, and then I’m done.  I promise.

In the mid-aughts, starting about 10 years ago and running up until I wrote my book, I earned my living as a management consultant in software, almost exclusively in the enterprise.  I specialized in static code analysis for strategic decisions, but often found myself in enterprises, helping them answer the basic question, “why is our agile transformation not working?”

Back then, DevOps was scarcely on the radar for enterprises.  Instead, everyone was doing a so-called “agile transformation,” which generally meant having a different, Scrum-flavored series of meetings and changing very little else.  These firms were usually in year 6 of a 2 year transformation, and were still working on the “define what agile means” OKR.
The Bad Old Days of Shifting Burdens to the Left

If that sounds cynical, fair enough.  But ask anyone in those orgs at the time, and they’ll almost certainly laugh ruefully and call it accurate.  

One of the day’s speakers, Thomas Haver, referred to these sorts of institutions as “technology museums,” and I can’t think of a better turn of phrase.  When you’re gluing Perl scripts to mainframes as part of some internal line of business initiative, you’re not using the latest and greatest, and you’re probably not knocking out that agile transformation any time soon.

But I think the central problem that engineering groups in these organizations encountered back then was neither the comically old technology nor the glacial pace of organizational change, per se.  Rather, developers found themselves buried under the crushing weight of endless todo lists, as their employers heaped an ever-growing mountain of burdens on them.

## Organizational Change Done To Developers
I can remember some interesting characters that I met during my consulting travels:

The “schema specialist,” who did nothing but review developer-proposed changes to any database, anywhere, and give them notes on what to do instead.

The “environment administrator,” who did nothing but review (and usually reject) requests to move JARs from one non-prod environment to another, and make sure the proper digital paperwork had been submitted.

The “integration architect,” whose contributions I never managed to figure out, but could reject seemingly anything that created an interface between two dev teams.

The “demo guy,” who engineers would have to work with to create power points for their sprint demos (instead of the customary “working software”).

I could go on, but I’m trying to make a point, not supply fodder for xkcd.  And my point is that everything these organizations did heaped work on the engineers, including the creation of roles that seem like they should theoretically specialize work away from those same engineers.

To earn a living as an enterprise developer in the age of the agile transformation was to be an endless collector of bureaucratic toil.  Write your software, submit compliant schema requests, fill out the JAR movement form in triplicate, please the integration architect, and make sure the power point guy knows that you’ve been delivering enough story points.

By the end of my consulting years, I hit peak cynicism.  I thought developers should leave and not tolerate this situation, and I thought enterprises should give up on creating software and delegate that activity to vendors and future acquisition targets.

I’m pleased to see that things look different than when I left consulting 6 years ago.

## Moving to Organizational Change For Developers
DevOps World had a common, refreshing theme.  Tracy Bannon captured it well during a discussion panel: “The idea of shift left is not ‘dump it on the development team’.”
![2023 DW Chicago blog post body image1](//images.ctfassets.net/24szd46xzdvo/4UUZRDuXtRtMKsjqkL7jqr/d227ac549c201aa08ec6c5d30f529cc3/DW-Blog-Chicago-1.png)

In opening remarks for the event, Cloudbees CEO Anuj Kapur pointed out that a poll of CloudBees customers found that developers only spend 30% of their time, well, developing.  The rest is lost in some flavor of dark work or another.  

Everyone at the event seemed to agree that this is a wholly unacceptable state of affairs, and that the path forward is one that involves a rethinking of what is asked of developers and what is done for them.

## Removal of Toil
The first main event theme that I observed centered around eliminating toil.  Rather than schema and integration specialists forcing checklists on the developers, conference participants explored the use of tooling and organizational tactics to eliminate as much toil as possible from the world of enterprise engineers.

In the conference keynote, “Go Big, Say Yes,” CloudBees announced product changes with a direct impact.  They made [CloudBeesCI highly available and highly scalable](https://www.cloudbees.com/blog/revolutionize-your-jenkins-environment-with-ha-hs), meaning that organizations have immediate relief from problems such as bottlenecked jobs, needless time waiting for workspace downloads, and infrastructure-related build failures.  All of this rolls up to a very simple value proposition: developers using their time instead of killing it, waiting for infrastructure.

When the engineers present saw the new [Pipeline Explorer](https://www.cloudbees.com/blog/optimizing-pipeline-troubleshooting-with-cloudbees-pipeline-explorer) feature demonstrated, they burst into spontaneous applause, even though there was no break in the presentation.  And the reason is obvious: they could see an end to loading some gigantic text file into an IDE so that they could search awkwardly for the reason a build bombed out.  Pipeline Explorer lets them get there immediately, without the pain.

This idea wasn’t limited, either, to product announcements or even the talks.  I watched the folks at Gradle, one of the sponsors, demonstrate a way to identify and troubleshoot flaky unit tests and the ability to use machine learning to prioritize executed tests based on changes to the codebase.

And Redgate did a demo of an offering that allowed source controlling database schema changes and keeping them consistent, in sync, and drift-free across environments.  And all of this without a “schema specialist” in sight to scold them – just engineers safely changing the schema as needed.

## Developer Buy-In
The engineer enablement theme wasn’t limited to tooling, either.  One of the main takeaways that a recovering management consultant like myself couldn’t help but notice was the theme of getting buy-in to broader goals from the folks tasked with delivering them.

For instance, [Katie Norton](https://www.idc.com/getdoc.jsp?containerId=PRF005561), a Senior Research Analyst at IDC, explained the concept of a software bill of materials (SBOM) and the broader concept of a software supply chain.  Rather than a checklist of context-free “best practices,” this talk, aimed at an engineering audience, used practical analogies and diagrams to illustrate the challenges around and the gravity of managing the risk presented by using open source components.  

This seems a lot better to me than how this risk was typically managed 10 years ago in enterprises: “don’t use open source.”

There was a talk that explained the idea of attestation and why it matters, encouraging teams to move compliance from a rote series of tasks to an objective, auditable and, most importantly, automated set of data.  The mission was to avoid what presenter John Willis referred to as “governance theater,” wherein engineers would rename incidents to “cases” because of the reduced scrutiny that invited, or simply upload the same screenshot of a test run for 2 years to demonstrate that they had achieved code coverage.

Instead of tsk-tsking, this deceit was recounted with understanding.  Of course teams did this when they were trying to ship features on time – it was the only way to get their work done.  The developers here don’t need to change; the organization does.

## Practical, Actionable Advice
Perhaps the most powerful motif of the event was that it distilled advanced practices and industry insights into easily actionable takeaways for participants.  

For instance, speaker Julia Furst talked about the impact of generative AI on DevOps practices and suggested a series of tools that attendees could go and investigate.  Ali Ravji and Mihir Vora from Capital One distilled hard-won experience building scalable CI/CD pipelines into concrete suggestions: focus on reusability, parallelization, and failure planning.  

And, how’s this for practical and actionable? “Contribute to open source and [adopt a plugin](https://www.jenkins.io/doc/developer/plugin-governance/adopt-a-plugin/).”

Mark Waite, Senior Engineering Manager at CloudBees gave a really cool talk about how contributing to open source goes well beyond putting collateral good into the world and is actually good business.  He relayed his experience building a CI solution for his XP team back in 2003, before Jenkins existed, and how that required a dedicated team member to maintain.

A much better solution, had it existed, would have been to contribute to Jenkins and use it.  So he encouraged attendees to go contribute to open source to improve it, fix defects, and patch vulnerabilities that can help their organizations upstream, before things become expensive.

## The Joy of Being Less Cynical
While I certainly enjoy a good, cathartic rant from time to time, it’s not exactly fun being cynical.  Usually, it’s a sign that you need to take a vacation or start a different job.
![2023 DW Chicago blog post body image2 ](//images.ctfassets.net/24szd46xzdvo/1EIVDAupj9vMzBlvkAfwSq/8946cbbdc485e83303f20529a6f91938/DW-Blog-Chicago-2.png)

So it was nice to circle back to the world of enterprise software development, after years away from it, and find it far more promising than I remember.  It was nice to see an enterprise less focused on crushing engineers under the weight of endless compliance tasks and more focused on helping them ease that burden.

If scheme specialists and build administrators must exist, at least they can do so in supporting roles and with powerful tools, instead of the promise of toil for their colleagues.  DevOps World was a fun event, sure, but it was also a philosophical palette cleanser for me.

The [next stop on the tour](https://www.devopsworld.com/blog/devops-world-silicon-valley-2023-cutting-edge-tech-security-and-developer) was in Silicon Valley October 18th and 19th, check out what happened there!

DW-Blog-Chicago-3 Image

DW-Blog-Chicago-2023

DevOps World Chicago 2023 Empowering Enterprise  Engineers

DevOps World Chicago 2023: Empowering Enterprise Engineers

I left my hotel in San Francisco this morning around sunrise to make my way over to DevOps World, Silicon Valley, taking place at a Hyatt.  It seemed a fitting start to the day to drive past an impressive series of tech logos on the sides of office buildings through Silicon Valley.

I arrived, greeted by an efficient check-in process, a nice breakfast spread, and interesting sponsor booths arrayed around the communal area.  Then, it was downstairs for the first talks.  I wondered what themes I might take away from the day – a day dedicated to ideas for improving the developer experience, right in the heart of tech.

The theme was clear right from the jump.  In his kickoff talk, Cloudbees CEO Anuj Kapur talked about the breathtaking sums of money spent on software development globally, but how software developers only spend about 30% of their time, well, writing software.  And while there may be some complacency or a sense of inevitability about this, especially in the enterprise, he, and the other attendees and speakers think that 30% needs to get a lot closer to 100%.

__Developer experience was the theme of the day.__

To be precise with terminology, Microsoft has [a pretty good, succinct definition for developer experience](https://microsoft.github.io/code-with-engineering-playbook/developer-experience/).

Developer experience refers to how easy or difficult it is for a developer to perform essential tasks needed to implement a change. A positive developer experience would mean these tasks are relatively easy for the team.

So there we were, in the heart of Silicon Valley, having a discussion about how to make life easier and more efficient for software developers.
The Minotaur Project

The very first talk was from Andres Vega, one of the authors of [Investments Unlimited](https://itrevolution.com/product/investments-unlimited/).  He compared the book to the Phoenix Project, a fictionalized account of an IT team implementing DevOps principles.  I’m personally a sucker for business fables, so I’ll have to add it to my list.

In the talk, Andres drew lessons and inspiration from the book, which was a fictionalized account of implementing security and compliance in highly regulated industries.  He talked about regulated organizations being pounded with hundreds of millions of non-compliance fines in recent years, and how the IT organization has done a great job automating everything… except compliance.

But the solution, he argued, lies not in generating toil and checklists for engineers, but rather through automation of taking compliance actions and proving you’ve taken those actions.  Hence the Minotaur metaphor.  It’s not enough to just comply – you need a trail of breadcrumbs to find your way back out of the maze.

The fact that this talk focused on preventing toil for developers, rather than adding to it, was a nod to the developer experience theme.  Even in a talk about compliance, allowing developers to be faster and more efficient featured prominently.

## Go Big, Say Yes
The keynote came next, and featured big product announcements from Cloudbees.  These included high availability and horizontal scaling for Cloudbees CI, workspace caching, and a new pipeline explorer feature.  All three of these team up to have a dramatic effect on the lives of developers using them, dramatically reducing time spent waiting on and troubleshooting builds.

Also coming soon is a new cloud-native DevSecOps platform, designed to be developer-centric, open and extensible, self-service, and with security and compliance built in.  Available starting on November 1st, this will be a boon for developer productivity as well.

These announcements drew more than polite applause.  The engineers in the audience seem genuinely thrilled at the prospect of saved work and downtime.  It probably didn’t hurt that at one point, a man dressed as the Jenkins Butler came up to share some statistics about global Jenkins usage.

## Managing Cloud-Native Applications
That rounded on the first round of sessions, at which point we filed out of the presentation room to have snacks and coffee and check out demo presentations.  Making my way through the crowd, the excitement about the product announcement seems to have generated conversational buzz.

Once we returned to the room, there was a panel discussion about managing cloud-native applications.  This included Mitch Ashley, CTO of Techstrong, Tara Hernandez, VP of Developer Productivity at MongoDB, Aja Hammerly, Sr. Staff Developer Advocate at Google, and Adam Robertson, Head of DevOps at EngageAI.  
![Silicon Valley  - Image 2](//images.ctfassets.net/24szd46xzdvo/2Qmhawop6a5ctuB8XG3PkD/5b136a60275ccc153bc2d051f8d14775/20231019_110747.jpg)

They had a lively discussion on what cloud-native really means, what the attraction is and how to get started and how to make it work.  

## Jenkins at Scale on Kubernetes @ Intuit: Strategies for High Availability and Maintainability
At that point, the track switched from a panel discussion back to a presentation, and Intuit employees Vijay Argawal, Reka Ajanthan, and Mike Nau presented their journey to using Jenkins at scale.  

I found the scope of the software build operations to be staggering.  They have more than six thousand developers and four hundred thousand Jenkins jobs, which results in roughly one hundred thousand builds per day.  
![Silicon Valleym - Image 1](//images.ctfassets.net/24szd46xzdvo/57H52Ccuy0ItOUrP9xdUBO/709382dfc1d683c1db7f62e9d6bc03b7/20231019_094543.jpg)

In this talk, they spoke in detail about improvements to their build operations that dramatically improved KPIs across the organization, which I have to imagine was very well received by the software developers throughout Intuit.  One of the coolest things about this presentation was they did a live demo of killing a couple of nodes and showing how quickly the system recovered.

## Business Benefits of Open Source Contribution
At this point, we broke for lunch, and the excellent food in the networking room did its part to improve the developer experience of those developers present.  When not charging my laptop, I wandered around, making notes, observing the booths, and catching snatches of shop talk from enthusiastic attendees.

The first talk after lunch was from Mark Waite, a manager at Cloudbees, who encouraged us to contribute to, and even adopt, open source projects.  But interestingly, he argued for this from the perspective of business value – if your company is using open source components, it’s simply good business to make sure they’re patched, current, and fit for purpose.

Even in this line of discussion, I thought of the broader theme of developer experience.  Throughout most of my career, the companies I worked for would likely have viewed me contributing to open source projects as a hobby I should undertake on my time, rather than as an important investment, even though I relied upon and needed those tools.

## Scaling Developer Happiness Through Platform Engineering
Speaking of developer experience, Joyce Lin, Senior Director of Developer Relations at Postman, gave a talk that was about scaling developer happiness.  I thought this was a really novel concept and framing.

She spent time walking through surveys of developers and what makes them happy and unhappy.  Some things, like work-life balance, are universal to the human condition, but a lot of other things, she pointed out, are specific to developers and specifically addressable through a platform engineering organization.  

Specifically, concerns like developer productivity, problem solving autonomy, project quality, tool quality, and exposure to cutting edge techs all scored as important concerns for developers.  And a platform engineering organization can help on all fronts.

## Shift-Left - Integrating Security into Today's Modern Software Engineering Mindset
After Jocye’s talk, David Suh, Director of Security Architecture at Sorenson Communications, presented about how to integrate security into software engineering.  And it wasn’t a call to developers to be more diligent about checking compliance boxes.  Instead, he talked about how historically security organizations have failed to support the software engineering function, and how he’s worked with security folks to change that.

I really enjoyed the pragmatic look at what does and doesn’t work.  He talked about why security throwing things over the wall or making proclamations to the dev teams doesn’t work, and how security taking on a more supportive, enabling, and collaborative role is the key to success.
A New Frontier: AI’s Influence on DevOps and the Marketplace
After another networking and snack break (and a few cookies, if I’m being honest), we reconvened for the last series of sessions.  The first was Daniel Ritchie, Founding Member of the Brain Wave Collective, talking about generative AI and its influence on DevOps.

He drew a really interesting parallel between today’s moment and the introduction of the personal computer in 1983, pointing out that a term, “computerphobia,” had actually been part of the popular lexicon at the time.  Then, as now, people had a wide range of reactions to a bleeding-edge new technology, and they ran the gamut from enthusiasm to fear.

Daniel’s take was that fear would give way to understanding and an improved developer experience, as generative AI relates to the tech world.  He encouraged the audience to think of artificial intelligence as “augmented intelligence” and to keep in mind that with this technology, “everyone levels up.”  He then cited specific tangible examples, such as the idea of dynamically responsive software agents and automated business rollouts.
Security and Risk Management - Security and Compliance in the SDLC - Panel
Next up was another panel consisting of Gayatri Prakash, VP & General Manager of Compliance at CloudBees, Nicole Rosania, Manager of Platform Engineering at Point32Health, Kristie Baker, SRE Engineering Manager at NetFlix, and Ken Muse, Sr. DevOps Architect at GitHub.  And they talked about the role of security and compliance in the SDLC.

One of my favorite turns of phrase from this session was when Gayatri said, “we need to ‘shift’ security to where it makes the most sense,” which she called “shift smart.”  This seemed to thematically represent the panel discussion, which talked about more practical and more human ways for software engineers and app sec folks to collaborate.

And in line with the day’s broader theme, this resonated in terms of developer experience.  As Nicole said at one point, “it’s all about collaboration,” and that collaboration talked about helping developers achieve application security more easily.

## Enabling Secure, Scalable, Flexible, and Easy-to-Use Continuous Integration Solutions at Salesforce
The last talk of the day featured Andrey Falko, a Software Engineering Architect at Salesforce.  And he talked about the continuous integration journey at Salesforce.

I found this really interesting because Salesforce is an OG web application.  As in, Salesforce was a web application back in 1999, when the idea of a web application was truly in its infancy.  So to hear how a web application and its deployment paradigm evolved over the course of nearly a quarter century was a pretty unique experience.

They survived the ride from monolithic web applications to services, with many acquisitions along the way, by deciding on some core principles.  Specifically, CI systems needed to be self-service, they needed to let engineers bring their own tools, they needed to allow automated patching, and they needed to be fast.

By imposing those creative constraints, they were able to create deployment paradigms that kept up with the incredible scale of Salesforce’s growth, and to do so in a way that preserved the developer experience.

## Optimism for the Future
After that last talk, I made my way upstairs to the happy hour and reflected on what I’d heard a little while I had snacks.  I spent about 15 years of my life in software development, and for most of that, security, compliance, and operations were foisted on us in a fairly ad hoc fashion.  

Nobody was reflecting, as Anuj did, that it seemed fundamentally flawed for software developers to spend less than 30% of their time developing software.  If anything, we were writing too much code, and not filling out enough TPS reports.  So all these years later, as I drove back to my hotel with the sun setting on Silicon Valley, it struck me that we’d come a long way, and the future seemed bright.

SV Hero

DevOps World Silicon Valley 2023 Cutting-Edge Tech Security and Developer Experience

DevOps World Silicon Valley 2023: Cutting-Edge Tech, Security, and Developer Experience

The DevOps World 2022 Keynote established the remix theme with strong presentations about how we need to work together to build DevOps 3.0. CloudBees Senior Director Hope Lynch kicked off the session by explaining where we are and why we need a remix.

## Release IQ Connects Islands of Automation

One of the most exciting announcements at DevOps World was the integration of ReleaseIQ as CloudBees Release Orchestration SaaS by Shawn Ahmed, CPO of CloudBees. A big part of DevOps 3.0 will be better connections between disparate processes and better visibility up and down your tech stacks. CloudBees' acquisition of ReleaseIQ makes that happen.

Shawn introduced Seetharam Param, former ReleaseIQ CEO and current VP at CloudBees, who then showed us a quick preview of the product. Seetharam explained how, with this addition to the CloudBees toolbox, you can stitch together your existing tools and build a cohesive whole from your islands of automation.

For an in-depth look at CloudBees Release Orchestration SaaS, Seetharam takes you through a deep dive in his [CloudBees and ReleaseIQ Deep Dive](https://www.techstrongevents.com/devops-world-2022/v/s-1132282?i=qjnoVgSjm0DSFloePHmHO10bxMFP1igB).

## Shift Left Done Right Now

Shift Left has been with us for a long time, and testing software early so we catch errors sooner is a valid approach to making continuous delivery safer and more robust. In theory, catching errors earlier in the process saves time and money and increases your ability to quickly deliver value to your customers. But is there a buried cost?

CloudBees did a study of C-level executives around the world, looking at how Shift Left has impacted security and compliance. Tim Johnson, a senior product marketing manager at CloudBees, presented those study results during [the keynote](https://www.techstrongevents.com/devops-world-2022/v/s-1130957?i=qjnoVgSjm0DSFloePHmHO10bxMFP1igB) and explained why Shift Left has become a DevOps antipattern.

In [The Compliance Tax and How It Is Slowing Down Innovation](https://www.techstrongevents.com/devops-world-2022/v/s-1132275?i=qjnoVgSjm0DSFloePHmHO10bxMFP1igB), Tim takes a deeper dive into this phenomenon and what we can do to change it.

## Remix Culture

What can a DevOps engineer learn from Shepard Fairey? Do your pipelines need new patterns and brighter colors?

James Governor, co-founder of RedMonk, wrapped up the keynote session with a talk about remix culture. Remixing ideas and content is a common concept in the arts, and he showed you how you can look at it for cues on how to take your DevOps practice to the next level. He explained how DevOps is founded on the very idea of bringing two cultures together, and the notion of remixes should already come naturally to us.

James points the way to Matthew Skelton's presentation, [Business and Technical Agility With Team Topologies](https://www.techstrongevents.com/devops-world-2022/v/s-1130985). Team Topologies show you how to integrate your teams for optimized collaboration and flow, and can serve as a linchpin in your cultural remix. Matthew is a head of consulting at Conflux, on Team Topologies, and co-authored “Team Topologies” with Manuel Pais.

## Remixing DevOps Security

As we remix and improve DevOps, security is one of our most important considerations. We already touched on how Shift Left has compromised our posture. But there's always a bigger picture with security; the threats of supply-chain attacks, breaches, and social engineering are still with us, too.

## Learning From Other Industries

What can we learn from auto manufacturing? What can we learn from looking at bad lettuce, burning airplane batteries, and compromised jar files?

In his talk on the [Open Source Supply Chain Threat Landscape](https://www.techstrongevents.com/devops-world-2022/v/s-1130970?i=qjnoVgSjm0DSFloePHmHO10bxMFP1igB), Brian Fox, co-founder and CTO of Sonatype, explained how we can remix ideas and solutions from the manufacturing and food industries to help protect our supply chains. These industries have similarly large and diverse supply chains, and used techniques like narrowing their suppliers and tracking where items came from to reduce their risk. Brian explained how we can do the same.

## Mixing Stories to Improve Security

You've probably heard of Joseph Campbell's Hero's Journey. Its influenced countless stories, including Star Wars, Harry Potter, The Hunger Games, and the Hobbit. In other words: it's the cornerstone for many popular remixes. Joseph Campbell's framework lays out how a hero is called to adventure, defeats their enemy, and returns home changed.

In [NIST Standards and the DevOps Journey: How to Jump-Start Software Security](https://www.techstrongevents.com/devops-world-2022/v/s-1130984?i=qjnoVgSjm0DSFloePHmHO10bxMFP1igB), Josh Bressers shows you how to apply the Hero's Journey to the latest NIST security guidance and how to use it to help you put together a cross-culture team.

## Applying Remix Culture

In [Tackling Supply Chain Security by Modernizing Jenkins](https://www.techstrongevents.com/devops-world-2022/v/s-1130967?i=qjnoVgSjm0DSFloePHmHO10bxMFP1igB), Minyi Chen, Tom Handy, and Jeff Cobble show us how Fidelity took on supply chain issues in their CI/CD pipelines. A big part of their effort was reaching out to individual development teams, learning their requirements and how they already got things done, and creating standardized tools that kept everyone safe. 

## DevOps and Value Stream Mapping

One of the most important steps DevOps 3.0 needs to make is alignment with value stream mapping (VSM). DevOps delivers software, and that software must be aligned with the business and the value it promises its customers.

In [DevOps & VSM: The Secret of Many Organizations](https://www.techstrongevents.com/devops-world-2022/v/s-1130980?i=qjnoVgSjm0DSFloePHmHO10bxMFP1igB), Julia Hall, principal product manager at Appfire, asserts that companies have no choice but to adopt value stream mapping in their DevOps efforts. Then, she backs her theory up with a history of VSM and a compelling use case. If you have any doubts about how VSM can help you improve your pipelines and customer outcomes, start here.

For a view from the other side of the VSM equation, Matthew Skelton returns with [5 Reasons  Why CI/CD Is Vital to Your Organization’s Value Stream](https://www.techstrongevents.com/devops-world-2022/v/s-1130975?i=qjnoVgSjm0DSFloePHmHO10bxMFP1igB) and explains how CI/CD is a core organizational capability that is critical to delivering value to your customers.

## Come See Where DevOps 3.0 Will Take Us

This is only a brief look into what DevOps World 2022 has to offer. Even though we had to pivot from an in-person event to a virtual one, we were able to assemble great speakers and cover a lot of ground. It would have been wonderful to meet in person, but we adapted. We remixed.

DevOps encompasses a variety of people and practices, and so does this year's conference. In addition to the talks we discussed above, you can find sessions covering how [CloudBees has automated their software release process](https://www.techstrongevents.com/devops-world-2022/v/s-1132276?i=qjnoVgSjm0DSFloePHmHO10bxMFP1igB), [how to use Dagger to keep your CI local](https://www.techstrongevents.com/devops-world-2022/v/s-1132280?i=qjnoVgSjm0DSFloePHmHO10bxMFP1igB), [how Broadcom lowered their rate of Jenkins failures](https://www.techstrongevents.com/devops-world-2022/v/s-1132283?i=qjnoVgSjm0DSFloePHmHO10bxMFP1igB), the [CloudBees Innovation Awards](https://www.techstrongevents.com/devops-world-2022/v/s-1130974?i=qjnoVgSjm0DSFloePHmHO10bxMFP1igB), and much more.

[Sign up to view the DevOps World sessions](https://www.devopsworld.com/) today, and start your own DevOps remix!


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Blog Hero: DevOps World 2022 Remix

DevOps World 2022 Remix

DevOps World 2022 is coming soon on September 27-29. And although it's true this is the best of the best when it comes to your yearly conference options, the growing impact of DevOps, DevSecOps, AIOps, and XOps on enterprise operations means there's now a calendar filled with great event options.

The challenge? Convincing your boss that it's a good idea for you to attend—and on the company dime. Not sure how to convince your boss to attend a conference? You're covered with this step-by-step guide.

## How to convince your boss to attend a conference in 5 steps

It's not that bosses don't see the value in conferences; it's that without a solid case for attendance, it's hard for them to justify the expense, both to their bosses and to finance departments. In other words, if you're working for a good company that respects your expertise and recognizes the value of your role, your boss is looking for reasons to say yes—you just need to provide them.

So, what does this look like in practice? Although your mileage will vary based on your company's current business needs, five common steps can increase your chances of getting a "yes" the first time out.

### Step 1: Do your research

First up? Make sure you're prepared before talking to your boss. This means doing your research on where the conference is being held, when it takes place, and how much time you'll need off.

It's also a good idea to research hotels in the area or check with the conference-recommended hotel for availability and do a quick estimate of costs, including the cost of the conference itself, transportation, lodging, and any additional costs.

This not only saves time up front when you sit down with your boss, but it also shows you've taken the time to explore your options.

### Step 2: Create a plan

Next, create a plan that includes some of the key sessions or events you want to attend. You don't need to create a minute-by-minute schedule of what you'll do and who you'll see at the conference, but it's worth having a general plan in place to help your boss understand why you want to go and what you're hoping to learn.

Set the stage by taking a look at the available conference options and determining which tracks and sessions make the most sense given your present role, current company needs, and future plans for DevOps within your organization.

### Step 3: Get specific

Get specific about why you want to attend. What makes this conference worth spending money on?

Here, you can talk about how what you'll learn can help address existing business issues or how sessions will prepare you to take on new challenges at work. For example, if your company is struggling with secure progressive delivery, you could attend sessions offering tools or techniques that could remediate this issue at scale.

### Step 4: Send a formal letter to your boss

Some companies require staff to send a formal request letter to their supervisor; others are not so strict.

Even if you don't needto send a letter, it's good practice and good etiquette to provide a written summary of what you're asking for, why, and how it will benefit the company. Not only does this make it easier for finance to approve your request, but it helps ensure continuity along the approval process.

Need a little help getting started? [Click here](https://reg.devopsworld.com/flow/cloudbees/devopsworld22/Landing/page/convince-your-boss) for a sample letter you can use to build out your DevOps World 2022 request.

### Step 5: Know your audience

And lastly, know your audience. Every boss is different: Some want to know all the nitty-gritty details of your request both for their own records and for budgeting purposes, whereas others prefer staff to keep letters and meetings brief. Still others simply take note of what interests their employees and want to learn more.

By understanding your supervisor's communication style and preferences, approval for DevOps World 2022 can take less time and effort.

The conference is ready when you are. Once you've got that approval in hand, [register for DevOps World 2022](https://reg.devopsworld.com/flow/cloudbees/devopsworld22/Landing/page/welcome).


An employee and their boss sit at a table looking at a laptop and discuss attending a DevOps conference.

An employee and their boss sit at a table looking at a laptop

Blog Hero: How to convince your boss to let you attend DevOps World 2022

How to convince your boss to let you attend DevOps World 2022

From September 27-29 at the Orlando World Center Mariott in Orlando, Fla., the world's biggest DevOps and Jenkins conference—aptly named DevOps World 2022—kicks off with two days of expert sessions, networking, and exhibits.

Not surprisingly, the conference is a hot ticket for DevOps teams, but for executives approving requests and allocating budgets for conferences, it can often be a harder sell. From teams taking time away from work to the uncertainty around specific conference benefits, C-suite members often hesitate to green-light attendance.

This article breaks down five reasons it's worth the time and money for managers to send their teams to DevOps World 2022.

## Making the case: 5 reasons to attend DevOps World 2022

### 1. Practical knowledge

The first reason—and benefit—is the practical knowledge staff can gain by attending DevOps World 2022.

This year's event features more than 100 breakout sessions with speakers from 18 countries. Session topics include everything from deep dives into supply chain vulnerabilities and agile cyber security to feature flag management and in-depth Jenkins Q&A. In other words, if it's about DevOps, it's being discussed at the event.

This not only gives employees a host of options to choose from when they're selecting sessions, but it also lets executives select specific topics that would best benefit business operations. Consider an organization looking to improve value stream management (VSM) and delivery. On September 29 at 11:45 a.m., there's a session titled "Effectively Using DORA and SPACE Frameworks to Improve Value Stream Management and Delivery," making it an ideal fit for teams taking on this challenge.

### 2. In-person connections

Attending DevOps World 2022 also comes with the benefit of in-person connections. This is especially critical after the past two years have kept professionals physically distanced. Although video conferencing offers value in communicating new ideas and imparting new knowledge, participants miss the give-and-take that comes with in-person interaction.

This is especially true for post-session brainstorming and discussion that sees DevOps pros leveraging what they've just learned to explore new topics and create new approaches. If managers want their teams to get the most from DevOps conferences, attending in-person is key.

### 3. New perspectives

DevOps is changing. From progressive software delivery to VSM, AIOPs and XOps, DevOps is undergoing a "remix." New paths and new beats are combining to create faster code releases that are critical to drive business value and provide exceptional customer experiences.

DevOps conferences make it possible for teams to explore these new perspectives in a collaborative and collegial setting, enabling them to directly engage with experts in their fields and discover what practical tips and technologies they can take back to improve business operations.

### 4. Technology certifications

Staff also have the opportunity to complete training for certifications during many conferences. For example, at DevOps World 2022, training and certification for CloudBees CD/RO, CI, and Feature Management are available as two-part courses on September 26 and 27. This gives DevOps professionals not only the chance to expand their knowledge but also gain critical skills that both boost business value and prepare teams for more in-depth DevOps initiatives.

### 5. Social networking

Last, but certainly not least, conferences make it possible for staff to experience social networking—and have some fun. At DevOps World 2022, attendees will get to rock out with DJ Button Masher; play giant Jenga, Puttskee, and 10-player foosball; and take part in fitness sessions on the morning of September 29. Add in the closing party and awards celebration and it's easy to see how the event is a great way for your team to blow off some steam, boost morale, and get to know other experts in the industry.

For employees, attending events such as DevOps World 2022 lets them connect with other experts both professionally and socially to help build long-lasting and reciprocal work relationships. For executives, conferences offer the opportunity for staff to earn new certifications and gain new knowledge that directly benefits business operations.

## Take your DevOps team to the next level with DevOps World 2022

Need another reason to send your team to the event? Group discounts are now available: buy two or more passes for just $1,000 each! [Register today](https://reg.devopsworld.com/flow/cloudbees/devopsworld22/Landing/page/welcome).


Blurry image of a conference speaker running a panel discussion on stage.

Blurry image of a conference speaker running a panel discussion

Blog Hero: DevOps World 2022: 5 reasons managers should send their teams

DevOps World 2022: 5 reasons managers should send their teams

It's that time of year again—on November 9, [DevOps World 2022](https://reg.devopsworld.com/flow/cloudbees/devopsworld22/Landing/page/welcome) kicks off in Orlando, Fla.

Given that it's one of the best DevOps conferences worldwide, this probably doesn't come as a surprise, but you might still be wondering: Is it worth attending? What will I learn? Can both employees and executives benefit?

The answer to all three questions is a resounding yes. Here's why.

## Benefit 1: Networking events

Networking is all about sharing best practices. It's what makes the best DevOps conferences stand out from the rest, and it's what helps drive the future of DevOps insight.

At DevOps World 2022, this starts with compelling keynote speakers and multiple session tracks—practitioner, leadership, community, finance, and public sector—and it continues with the chance to participate in spontaneous "hallway sessions" with presenters or dig deeper into a compelling topic with your peers. Dedicated alcove spaces in front of the main ballrooms offer the perfect place to explore session insights, play video games with other attendees, or simply take a quiet minute to gather your thoughts before you jump back into the action.

By prioritizing interaction over simple information delivery, attendees get the best of both worlds: The chance to gain insights from top industry speakers and explore these insights in detail.

## Benefit 2: Opportunities to connect

DevOps is a contact sport. By building connections with other practitioners, team leaders, and executives, DevOps experts can gain new perspectives that help them build out new and more effective operations.

DevOps World 2022 facilitates this connective framework by offering various opportunities to have fun and engage. From the kickoff party with DJ Button Masher to giant Jenga, oversized foosball, and fitness sessions to the closing party and awards ceremony, attendees can choose the type of activity that works best for them. The result is conference connections that share technical insights and business benefits long after the conference is over.
Put simply? It's all about reintroducing attendees to the DevOps community. After two years of postponed conferences and virtual meetings, it's time to come back in person, get to know other experts, and explore what's new in development, operations, security, AIOps, and XOps.

## Benefit 3: Career advancements

DevOps is undergoing significant change right now. It makes sense: As a framework that focuses on continuous development and integration, DevOps is constantly evolving. The last two years, meanwhile, have supercharged the need for agile, on-demand software delivery environments capable of withstanding changes as they occur.

DevOps World 2022 offers practitioners and executives alike the chance to better understand DevOps advancements and implement policies and processes capable of capitalizing on changing market conditions.

For example, practitioners can benefit from sessions such as "Speeding up Jenkins, Maven, and Gradle With Build Cache" from Field CTO and Chief Evangelist Justin Reock of Gradlie, Inc., while executives can gain an edge with sessions such as "The Compliance Tax and How It Is Slowing Innovation" from Tim Johnson, CloudBees Director of Product Marketing. There's also the opportunity for expert training in CloudBees CD/RO, CloudBees CI, CloudBees Feature Management, and the CloudBees platform.

The result is a better understanding of both where DevOps is at present and where it's going. Equipped with actionable knowledge, practitioners and executives can return home with insight and innovative approaches that don't just reinvent the wheel but offer a better way to roll.

## Answering the conference call

It's time to get back to connection, back to networking, and back to working together to drive DevOps advancement. In other words, it's just about time for DevOps World 2022. If you're looking for a way to recharge, jumpstart new connections, and see what's new in DevOps, there's no better place to start.

The time is almost here: See you at DevOps World 2022! [Register today](https://reg.devopsworld.com/flow/cloudbees/devopsworld22/Landing/page/welcome).


Social Image - How DevOps World 22 Can Help You Network

SEO Media - How DevOps World 22 Can Help You Network

Blog Hero Image - How DevOps World 2022 can help you network, connect, and advance your career 

How DevOps World 2022 can help you network, connect, and advance your career

DevOps World 2022 is just around the corner. On November 9, the DevOps community will gather virtually for a curated collection of innovative and informative talks from technology peers and solution architects alike. 

This year's theme is the DevOps Remix. DevOps World 2022 is leaning into the faster tempo and rapid changes that come with modern DevOps deployments to provide a more nimble, energized, and harmonious environment.

That's the TL;DR version. Curious about what else you'll learn at this year's DevOps World? Let's dive in.

## Time for the remix

The DevOps Remix has arrived. Everything about work has changed, and it's time for a new version of a great song.

With a focus on new perspectives, inspirational keynotes, and peer learnings, DevOps World 2022 won't just be a great time; it also has the potential to help companies better understand problematic paradigms and embrace the need for continual evolution. From [progressive software delivery](https://www.cloudbees.com/blog/progressive-delivery-a-detailed-overview) to value stream management (VSM), AIOps and XOps, everything is part of the mix when it comes to making DevOps better by creating new paths and enabling faster code releases.

It's time for a new beat and a new chorus. It's time for DevOps to take center stage as the new way forward and the new sound on the block. Let's see what's in store.

## The practitioner perspective

DevOps World 2022 is chock-full of great speakers and sessions that offer actionable insights for practitioners. Some of the highlights include the following:

__"How did we reduce 35% of Jenkins failures at Broadcom" — Peter Liu, Software Development Manager at Broadcom__

Learn how Broadcom used a data-led approach to accelerate CI/CD efforts for over 600 engineers; Peter will dive into his five-steep process in this 15-minute lightning talk.

Practitioners can bring back actionable advice that both lets them create a better developer pipeline and provides the foundation for further development.

__"Automating our Software Release Process Internally at CloudBees" — Drew Piland, Sr Product Marketing Manager, Logan Donley, Technical Evangelist and Urvashi Singh, Lead Architect at CloudBees__ 

Will your current solution provide the flexibility required to continuously scale across a constantly growing set of platforms? How quickly are you able to complete the necessary tests?

Learn first-hand how CloudBees uses thier CD/RO solution internally to automate the release process, and how they expedite product improvement for their customers.

__"Creating Scalable DevOps Practices" — Ken Muse, Senior DevOps Architect at GitHub__

Teams grow, and products change — but what about the DevOps practices supporting them? Explore with Ken key techniques that practitioners can use to ensure their practices will mature with their teams.

__"Developer Productivity Engineering – The Next Big Thing in Software Development" — Justin Reock, Field CTO and Chief Evangelist at Gradle, Inc.__

Jenkins, Maven, and Gradle offer a host of functionality, but this doesn't mean they're perfect. Justin Reock explores the concept and impact of developer productivity engineering (DPE) and how it can help practitioners and team leaders better meet both software and business goals by integrating a build cache into these tools. 

## The executive experience

DevOps World 2022 also offers a host of sessions and connections for executives looking for that next edge on the competition.

__"ADSOME MAGIC to Efficiently Create the Enterprise Digital Transformation Roadmap" — Mark Sternberger, President at MarkITS__

Struggling with your digital transformation roadmap? ADSOME magic. Mark Sternberger offers an overview of the Agile-DevSecOps Maturity Enablement (ADSOME) framework and how it can help companies create effective roadmaps to achieve compounding productivity gains.

Every executive likes to hear about productivity gains, especially year over year. Sternberger's session provides the ADSOME overview C-suite members need to take this approach back to the office and make it a part of everyday DevOps culture.

__"The Compliance Tax and How It Is Slowing Innovation" — Tim Johnson, Director of Product Marketing at CloudBees__

Compliance is creating a barrier to innovation. Tim Johnson offers a model for calculating the total cost of your security and compliance burden and digs into the role of automation in creating continuous compliance that makes room for innovation. He also explores the impact of "shift-left" as a DevOps anti-pattern and what executives can do to empower teams without ending up on the wrong side of compliance.

Put simply? Compliance concerns are inevitable and ongoing. By understanding what it costs your organization, you can start taking steps to pay less tax without putting regulatory rigor at risk.

Ready to see (and hear) what else the DevOps Remix has to offer? [Come explore DevOps World 2022](https://reg.devopsworld.com/flow/cloudbees/devopsworld22/Landing/page/welcome).
