Category Archives: Automation

Everything As Code !

What makes Everything as Code and Infrastructure as Code interesting? In today’s episode, we discuss what makes something code-like and the idea of Everything as Code, based on Patrick Dubois’ article “In depth research and trends analyzed from 50+ different concepts as code.”

Reference: www.jedi.be/blog/2022/02/23/tre…0-as-code-concepts/

Some of our conclusions were practical, like if a concept is a process that is reproducible and auditable, that’s what makes it code-like. And some other possible conclusions were that it’s just marketing because it makes everything programmable. The reality is somewhere in the middle.

Transcript: otter.ai/u/E1TezO2XutwJyS-vCNetslwWO4A
Image: www.pexels.com/photo/man-in-grey…icky-note-879109/

Rob’s Hot Take:

In the Cloud 2030 Podcast episode on March 29th, Rob Hirschfeld provides insights on the “everything as code” discussion. While acknowledging the term’s playful exaggeration, Hirschfeld emphasizes the underlying desire for reproducibility, auditability, and code-like experiences in various aspects of operational and infrastructure activities. Despite the term’s potential for marketing hype, the aspiration to apply code principles to different facets of infrastructure management remains significant, influencing how we build and manage systems. To delve into this engaging discussion, check out the full episode on March 29th, available on the2030.cloud.

How Lock in Creates Risk

Organizations take a risk when they get locked into a vendor. In today’s episode, we talk a lot about the risks of lock in, both in general and in the context of Oracle.

That discussion takes us into a question of insurance, and if insurance policies could ultimately drive people to reduce lock in exposure. This was a fascinating discussion, not only about lock in but about what would drive organizations to fix their lock in problems.

Transcript: otter.ai/u/zJf0WMUwJgamk7IpscHCsL2vsV4
Image: www.pexels.com/photo/closed-white-door-3119977/

Rob’s Hot Take:

In the Cloud 2030 Podcast episode on March 31st, Rob Hirschfeld discusses the intricate aspects of vendor lock-in, focusing on the risks associated with relying on a single provider, such as an authentication service like Okta. The conversation delves into the challenges of migrating away from tightly integrated platforms and emphasizes the importance of assessing and mitigating lock-in risks. The broader theme within Cloud 2030 discussions seems to revolve around identifying and understanding various risk factors in building complex infrastructures, aiming to drive market dynamics by addressing and managing these risks. To explore this insightful discussion further, check out the full episode on March 31st at the2030.cloud and become part of these engaging conversations.

Goldilocks Platforms [w James Urquhart]

A Goldilocks’ balance challenges us to trade off prescriptive and flexible platforms. James Urquhart shares his experiences with Cloud Foundry, VMware, and Amazon about trying to find the right balance between building it yourself versus a prescriptive service approach.

We’ve decided that there needs to be a middle zone with enough opportunity for customization, as well as enough pre-set, prescriptive methods to create sustainability.

In this episode, we talk about that balance and how different processes have done it in industry.

Transcript: otter.ai/u/OQBfCHldtYjUpqjKdkN3KjzLiR0
Image: www.pexels.com/photo/brown-teddy…h-outside-207891/

Rob’s Hot Take:

In the Cloud 2030 Podcast Lunch and Learn on March 22nd, Rob Hirschfeld explores the Goldilocks problem, focusing on the challenge of striking the right balance between prescriptive platforms and open toolboxes. He emphasizes the difficulty of handling the diverse and heterogeneous nature of various systems while aiming for reuse, reduction of toil, and collaboration. Hirschfeld points out the nuanced nature of variations within the 80-20 rule, stressing the importance of considering how toolboxy or prescriptive a platform should be based on individual needs. To delve deeper into this thought-provoking discussion with insights from James Urquhart, check out the full episode on March 22nd at the2030.cloud and become part of these engaging conversations.

Complexity vs Value [& Okta hack]

The Okta hack highlights the value versus complexity trade off. In today’s episode, we ask if the complexity of using single sign on is the right move in this context. We also think about how to deal with these interconnected systems that have high degrees of complexity.

We also discussed API design, and whether or not we should have more rigid or flexible APIs. You can’t remove complexity from the system, but you can hide it. The structure of APIs will push complexity into either the users’ realm or the operators’ realm.

Transcript: otter.ai/u/cftY6wlMTzAceT2EiHF4u4u0dpE
Image: www.pexels.com/photo/photo-of-an…ng-money-7884134/

Rob’s Hot Take:

In the Cloud 2030 Podcast on March 24th, Rob Hirschfeld delves into the complex relationship between complexity, value, and immutability in system design, particularly focusing on API interfaces. He emphasizes the trade-offs involved in exposing options to users, providing flexibility but potentially increasing complexity. The discussion highlights the practicality of using immutability and templates to control API complexity, acknowledging the challenges of finding the right balance and the importance of transparency in decision-making. To explore these insights further, listen to the full episode on March 24th at the2030.cloud and participate in these open conversations.

Improving Automation Safety

Making automation safe is essential to making it usable at scale. How do we make automation safe? We found a lot of great insights drawing from space craft design, aircraft, aircraft design and other systems where safety is super important.

Automation is a force multiplier. If we don’t factor in safety when we build it,then we could create a lot of harm in systems from wasteful spending to actual injury. These designs have very real implications.

Transcript: otter.ai/u/p9w4aKOqm3rpHhbDtRTaLgN3GIA
Image: www.pexels.com/photo/toddler-usi…-on-road-1642055/

Rob’s Hot Take:

In the Cloud 2030 Podcast on March 15th, Rob Hirschfeld underscores the critical importance of automation safety in system design. Emphasizing the need for thorough testing, he discusses how safety, especially in complex systems like airplanes and spacecraft, requires continuous testing and monitoring. The conversation delves into the significance of not just completing tasks but also exercising and testing systems in various scenarios to ensure their safety. To explore these insights further, listen to the full episode on March 15th at the2030.cloud and participate in the ongoing discussions.

Expanding GitOps Beyond K8s

GitOps is a really important way of collaborating and communicating about infrastructure.

But can GitOps escape from Kubernetes? While we did talk about Kubernetes too, we mainly talked about what it takes to implement GitOps outside of Kubernetes. We considered building a GitOps architecture and then having people understand and use it. We also cover the fundamental parts of GitOps like having a reconciler and a bunch of tools that drive clusters.

Transcript: otter.ai/u/oq4D06Sd_rtUvXBVXC0Wx3KA2sQ
Image: www.pexels.com/photo/people-with…popcorns-7234318/

Rob’s Hot Take:

In the March 8th DevOps Lunch and Learn session on GitOps, Rob Hirschfeld emphasizes the crucial role of immutability in operations. The concept of specifying a fixed state, configuration set, or resource transforms how automation, infrastructure building, and system maintenance are approached. The investment in immutable components enhances change resilience, making it easier to adapt and keep up with changes while ensuring stability. Join the ongoing conversations and roundtables at the2030.cloud to contribute to discussions on these transformative concepts.

Is Complexity Real?

Today’s episode is about measuring complexity. Complexity is a topic that we cover a lot. And in this case, we really went past the idea that we could measure complexity, and into looking at the causes and costs of complexity.

We had a remarkable conversation about what it means to say something’s too complex? What are the consequences of complexity? And what should we do about them? Ultimately, it’s about how how we measure the cost or the risk of complexity?

In the end, we are reframing complexity in business terms and human terms. That is the important approach to looking at complexity.

Transcript: otter.ai/u/qOBFHwMfUd0ELCnnD63AXcTLe9I
Photo: www.pexels.com/photo/colorful-th…on-floor-5723513/

Rob’s Hot Take:

In the March 3rd Cloud 2030 Podcast discussion on complexity, Rob Hirschfeld delves into the notion that measuring or fully understanding complexity might be challenging, leading to an exploration of its sources and causes. The conversation shifts towards viewing complexity through the lenses of risk and change management, reframing it as a challenge rather than inherently negative. The nuanced discussion emphasizes the importance of mitigating complexity-related risks for more productive outcomes. To engage in these conversations and enhance your understanding of complexity, visit the2030.cloud.

Scaling Continuous Delivery

We went beyond what the Continuous Delivery Foundation is doing to talk about how to scale Continuous Delivery. Especially around the continuous reconciler pattern.

So what does CD take beyond committing something in git? To make scalable continuous delivery systems and cross team continuous delivery systems means building things beyond GitOps that really scale and work for enterprise teams. The use cases are not just cloud native technologies, but really useful for established enterprise tech too.

Transcript: otter.ai/u/JkTWNWtaaUEOHrd-bdHIP3rsmO8
Photo: www.pexels.com/photo/man-wearing…rmal-bag-4393667/

Migrating Long Term Applications

How should we think about migrating legacy workloads to new infrastructure and modernize them?

The group addresses this question methodically incuding how databases get linked, how they get used, how they get migrated, how important it is to maintain languages and what it would take to migrate in language. In the end, we look back on that conversation apply lessons learned to what we are building today,

This is absolutely essential because new designs will become tomorrow’s legacy! We’ll be struggling to migrate those in 10 or 15 years too. So everything we can learn helps prevent that cycle.

Transcript: otter.ai/u/sHB8507KjZlZPBMToBUCEKjPVQY
Photo: www.pexels.com/photo/man-and-wom…tainside-8968077/

Rob’s Hot Take:

Hello, I’m Rob Hirschfeld, CEO and co-founder of RackN, providing a hot take on the January 25th discussion about migrating legacy applications to the cloud. While the topic may seem limited, the reality is that today’s legacy was once a cutting-edge application, underscoring the importance of designing with future migrations in mind. The key challenges identified in the conversation were complexity and coupling, emphasizing the need for clean, referenceable APIs to facilitate smoother migrations. To delve into these insights further, listen to the full episode on January 25th and join the ongoing discussions at the2030.cloud.

Can We Measure Complexity?

We seem to be very worried about complexity in technology, but how bad is it really? Do we have a way of measuring complexity? Figuring out how to actually quantify it could help eliminate and manage it.

We started by discussing mathematical concepts to capture the systemic nature of complexity. That turns out to be really hard, so we got into some really interesting thoughts about what it takes to manage and understand complexity. Is it even possible to measure complexity? The group is mixed.

Transcript: otter.ai/u/qWkkgyKCXX89jcirBdni9ExkOq8
Photo: www.pexels.com/photo/random-obje…-balance-9304725/