8. Techstrong Editorial Platform Engineering Is the Revenge of IT Operations

Event Page: https://techfieldday.com/event/cfd20/ Software developers used to use the term cloud native to describe applications  that are designed for the cloud, but today it seems to be more of a term for containerized applications. This episode of the Tech Field Day podcast, recorded ahead of Cloud Field Day 20, includes Guy Currier, Jack Poller, Ziv Levy, and Stephen Foskett discussing the true meaning of cloud native today. Merely running a monolithic application in containers doesn’t make it cloud native, though it certainly can be beneficial. To be truly cloud native, an application has to be microservices based and scalable, and built to take advantage of modern application platforms and resources. There is some question whether a cloud native application needs to have API access, telemetry and observability, service management, network and storage integration, and security. But ultimately the words used to describe an application are less important than the value and benefits of it. Although it is disappointing that the definition of cloud native has been watered down, the core concepts still have value. Host: Stephen Foskett, Organizer of the Tech Field Day Event Series: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sfoskett/ Panel: Ziv Levy: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zivlevy/ Jack Poller: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jackpoller/ Guy Currier: https://www.linkedin.com/in/guycurrier/ Tech Field Day: Website: https://www.techfieldday.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/tech-field-day X/Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/techfieldday Podcast: Website: https://www.techfieldday.com/podcast X/Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/techfielddaypod

AI is at the top of the hype cycle and it feels unstoppable. Once upon a time blockchain was in the same place. In this episode, Tom Hollingsworth is joined by Evan Mintzer and Jody Lemoine. They tackle the surge behind AI development as well as the way the technology is portrayed in the industry. They compare how blockchain and AI are both solutions in search of a problem and how AI might better avoid the fate of DeFi. Also discussed is the potential way for AI-related companies to avoid issues with the AI bubble popping. Host: Tom Hollingsworth, Practice Lead and Tech Field Day Event Lead: https://www.linkedin.com/in/networkingnerd/ Delegates: Evan Mintzer: https://www.linkedin.com/in/evanmintzer/ Jody Lemoine: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jodyl/ Tech Field Day: Website: https://www.techfieldday.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/tech-field-day X/Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/techfieldday Podcast: Website: https://www.techfieldday.com/podcast X/Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/techfielddaypod Tags: #TFDPodcast, #TFDx, #CiscoLive24, @TechFieldDay, @TechFieldDayPod, @Cisco,

As application development and modernization moves forward, security has never been more important. This episode of the Tech Field Day podcast introduces AppDev Field Day with a discussion of the importance of DevSecOps featuring Paul Nashawaty, Mitch Ashley, Michael Levan, and Stephen Foskett. Application security isn't just about the vulnerabilities in the application itself; the entire software stack must be secure. There are many approaches, from vulnerability scanning to minimization of the attack surface, but the most important thing is to build security into software from the start. There are many parallels between physical infrastructure and software applications, with many of the same security considerations. Various components make up a software bill of materials (SBOM) and any of these can expose a vulnerability or be attacked. Platform engineering is an important connector between infrastructure and developers, and plays a major role in reducing the attack surface. It's all about bringing expertise to the table to build supportable and secure platforms for modern applications. Host: Stephen Foskett: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sfoskett/ Panel: Micheal Levan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaellevan/ Mitch Ashley, Principal Analyst and CTO, Techstrong Group: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mitchellashley/ Paul Nashawaty, Practice Lead, Application Development Modernization at The Futurum Group: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulnashawaty/ Tech Field Day: Website: https://www.techfieldday.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/tech-field-day X/Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/techfieldday Podcast: Website: https://www.techfieldday.com/podcast X/Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/techfielddaypod Tags: #TFDPodcast, #ADFD1, #AppDev, @TechFieldDay, @TechFieldDayPod, @GestaltIT, @TechstrongTV, @TheFuturumGroup,

Platform Engineering is the Revenge of IT OperationsDescription: The rise of platform engineering demonstrates how difficult it has been to balance DevOps between developers and operations. This episode of the Tech Field Day podcast features a discussion of platform engineering with Mitch Ashley and Mike Vizard of Techstrong Group and Stephen Foskett and Tom Hollingsworth of Gestalt IT. We explore the dynamic interplay between DevOps and platform engineering, two methodologies shaping the modern IT landscape. DevOps fosters a culture of collaboration, continuous integration, and rapid software deployment, promoting agility and innovation. However, the challenges of scalability and standardization within DevOps have given rise to platform engineering, which focuses on creating and managing standardized development and operational platforms. This approach aims to enhance DevOps by providing a stable foundation, allowing developers to concentrate on coding and innovation. We delve into how these seemingly divergent approaches are, in fact, complementary, balancing the need for speed and innovation with the demands of security, compliance, and scalability in the ever-evolving IT industry. Host: Tom Hollingsworth, Practice Lead and Tech Field Day Event Lead: https://www.linkedin.com/in/networkingnerd/ Panelists: Stephen Foskett, Organizer of the Tech Field Day Event Series: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sfoskett/ Mitch Ashley, Principal Analyst and CTO, Techstrong Group: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mitchellashley/ Mike Vizard, Chief Content Officer, Techstrong Group: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelvizard/ Tech Field Day: Website: ⁠https://www.techfieldday.com⁠ LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/company/tech-field-day⁠ X/Twitter: ⁠https://www.twitter.com/techfieldday⁠ Podcast: Website: ⁠https://www.techfieldday.com/podcast⁠ X/Twitter: ⁠https://www.twitter.com/techfielddaypod Tags: #TFDPodcast, #PlatformEngineering, #ITOperations, @TechstrongTV, @Techfieldday, @SFoskett, @NetworkingNerd, @GestaltIT, @TheFuturumGroup,

New technology standards can’t anticipate how users will consume content and applications and revisions to the standards will be adopted to meet their needs. In this episode, Tom Hollingsworth is joined by Ron Westfall, Drew Lentz, and Rocky Gregory as they discuss where Wi-Fi 7 falls short. Even though Wi-Fi 7 is a new standard it is still based on older thinking and users have changed the way they consume content and applications. This episode discusses the difference between cloud-hosted applications and local software as well as the drive to increase performance on edge access points to include faster response times to things like AI assistants. Host: Tom Hollingsworth, Practice Lead and Tech Field Day Event Lead: https://www.linkedin.com/in/networkingnerd/ Panelists: Ron Westfall, Practice Lead at The Futurum Group: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ron-westfall-b7679a/ Drew Lentz: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drewlentz/ Rocky Gregory: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rockycwne/ Tech Field Day: Website: https://www.techfieldday.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/tech-field-day X/Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/techfieldday Podcast: Website: https://www.techfieldday.com/podcast X/Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/techfielddaypod Tags: #TFDPodcast, #MFD11, #WiFi7, @TechFieldDay, @TechFieldDayPod, @TheFuturumGroup, @NetworkingNerd, @WirelessNerd, @RonWestfallDX, @BionicRocky,

In our AI-dominated world, data quality is the key to building useful tools. This episode of the Tech Field Day podcast features Drew Clarke from Qlik discussing best practiced for integrating data sources with AI models with Joey D'Antoni, Gina Rosenthal, and Stephen Foskett before Qlik Connect in Orlando. Although there is a lot of hype about AI in industry, companies are realizing the risks of generative AI and large language models as well. Solid data practices in terms of data hygiene, proven data models, business intelligence, and flows can ensure that the output of an AI application is correct. The proliferation of Generative AI is also causing a rapid increase in the cost and environmental impact IT systems and this will impact the success of this technology. Good data practices can help, allowing a lighter and less expensive LLM to produce quality results. The Tech Field Day delegates will learn more about these topics at Qlik Connect in Orlando, and we will be recording and sharing content as well. Host: Stephen Foskett, Organizer of the Tech Field Day Event Series: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sfoskett Qlik Representative: Drew Clarke, General Manager & EVP, Data Business Unit at Qlik: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewdclarke/ Delegates: Gina Rosenthal: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gminks/ Joey D'Antoni: https://www.linkedin.com/in/josephdantoni/ Tech Field Day: Website: https://www.techfieldday.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/tech-field-day X/Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/techfieldday Podcast: Website: https://www.techfieldday.com/podcast X/Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/techfielddaypod Tags: #TFDPodcast, #QlikConnect, #Sponsored, #AI, @Qlik, @TechFieldDay, @TechFieldDayPod, @SFoskett, @GMinks, @GestaltIT, @JDAnton,

Modern applications are widely deployed in the cloud, but they're coming at the edge as well. This episode of the Tech Field Day podcast features Alastair Cooke and Paul Nashawaty from The Futurum Group, Erik Nordmark from ZEDEDA, and host Stephen Foskett discussing the intersection of application modernization and edge computing. As enterprises look to deploy more applications at the edge they are leveraging technologies like Kubernetes and containers to enable portability, scalability, resilience, and high availability. In many cases customers are moving existing web applications to the edge to improve performance and security, but not all webscale technologies are appropriate on the limited hardware, environmentals, and connectivity found at the edge. The question is whether to improve the edge compute platform or build resiliency into the application itself. But there are limits to this approach, since edge locations don't have the elasticity of the cloud and many of the features of Kubernetes were not designed for limited resources. It comes down to developer expectations, since they are now accustomed to the experience of modern webscale platforms and expect this environment everywhere. In the future, we expect WASM, LLMs, and more to be used regardless of location. Host: Stephen Foskett: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sfoskett/ Panalists: Alastair Cooke, CTO Advisor at The Futurum Group: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alastaircooke/ Paul Nashawaty, Practice Lead, Application Development Modernization at The Futurum Group: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulnashawaty/ Erik Nordmark, CTO and Co-founder, ZEDEDA: https://www.linkedin.com/in/erik-nordmark-77124310/ Tech Field Day: Website: https://www.techfieldday.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/tech-field-day X/Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/techfieldday Podcast: Website: https://www.techfieldday.com/podcast X/Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/techfielddaypod Tags: #TFDPodcast, #EdgeComputing, #Kubernetes, @ZEDEDAEdge, @TechFieldDay, @TechFieldDayPodcast, @TheFuturumGroup, @DemitasseNZ, @SFoskett, @PNashawaty,

Security audits are painful and often required for compliance but they aren’t adversarial unless you have a bad auditor or bad policy compliance. In this episode, Tom Hollingsworth sits down with Teren Bryson, Skye Fugate, and Ben Story to discuss the nuances of audits. The panel discusses the discovery of technical debt, external versus internal auditing, the need for flexibility in procedures. and how good auditors can make for a more positive outcomes. Host: Tom Hollingsworth, Event Lead for Tech Field Day: https://www.linkedin.com/in/networkingnerd/ Panel: Ben Story: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benstory/ Skye Fugate: https://www.linkedin.com/in/skye-f/ Teren Bryson: https://www.linkedin.com/in/teren/ Tech Field Day: Website: https://www.techfieldday.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/tech-field-day X/Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/techfieldday Podcast: Website: https://www.techfieldday.com/podcast X/Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/techfielddaypod

Recent advances in AI for IT have shown the huge potential for changing the way that we do work. However, AI can’t replace everyone in the workforce. In this episode, Tom Hollingsworth is joined by Rita Younger, Josh Warcop, and Rob Coote as they look at how the hype surrounding AI must inevitably be reconciled with the reality of real people doing work. They discuss the way that AI is judged for its mistakes versus a human as well as how marketing is pushing software as the solution to all our staffing ills. Host: Tom Hollingsworth, Event Lead for Tech Field Day: https://www.linkedin.com/in/networkingnerd/ Panelists: Josh Warcop: https://www.linkedin.com/in/warcop/ Rita Younger: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ritayounger/ Rob Coote: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robcoote/ Tech Field Day: Website: https://www.techfieldday.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/tech-field-day X/Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/techfieldday Podcast: Website: https://www.techfieldday.com/podcast X/Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/techfielddaypod Tags: #NFD34 #Networking #TFDPodcast @TechFieldDay @TechFieldDayPod

Cyber Resiliency is a term that encompasses much more than simply protecting data. This episode features Tom Hollingsworth joined by Krista Macomber and Max Mortillaro discussing the additional features in a cyber resiliency solution and the need to understand how data needs to be safeguarded from destruction or exploitation. The episode highlights the shift from reactive to proactive measures as well as the additional integrations that are needed between development, deployment, and operations teams to ensure success. Host: Tom Hollingsworth, Event Lead for Tech Field Day: https://www.linkedin.com/in/networkingnerd/ Panelists: Krista Macomber, Research Director, The Futurum Group: https://www.linkedin.com/in/krista-macomber/ Max Mortillaro, Consultant and Co-Owner of TECHUnplugged: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maxmortillaro/ Tech Field Day: Website: https://www.techfieldday.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/tech-field-day X/Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/techfieldday Podcast: Website: https://www.techfieldday.com/podcast X/Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/techfielddaypod Tags: #TFDPodcast, #XFD11, #CyberResiliency, @TechFieldDay, @TechFieldDayPod, @NetworkingNerd, @MaxMortillaro, @KLMacomber, @TheFuturumGroup,