DevOps

DevOps is not a role. It is not a title. Fundamentally DevOps is an idea and a way of behaving. It is the belief that development and operations are not domains that have a wall between them, but that development and operations work best when both sides share ideas and understand the concerns and patterns of the other. In practice this can take many forms. Just as everyone interprets and implements agile practices differently, it is the same with DevOps. There is no right or wrong way, because the only way is continually striving to get better.

Triangle DevOps

Sometimes an opportunity comes along and you don’t think much about it. You jump in and start working before you’ve realized what you’ve done.

That’s the situation I find myself in now that I’ve taken over as organizer of the Triangle DevOps meetup. Without much thought I agreed to take over the group. Now I have an obligation to do my best to make the group succeed, because the Triangle has a wealth of DevOps talent and it needs a place to showcase it.

I will do my best to make the group a fun and inclusive place for the exchange of ideas and the development of talks. The group is going to meet on the third Wednesday of the month at 7pm and is going to rotate between three hosting sites: Bronto in Durham, Teradata/Aprimo in Cary, and WebAssign in Raleigh.

DevOps has two parts: Development and Operations. Each part should be interpreted as broadly as possible. I welcome talks on anything that can even be tangentially related to DevOps. The main criteria for a talk is simple: does it contain an idea that will help to make us better? It is only through exposure to new ideas and new ways of thinking that we grow. I can’t know which idea will help someone grow, so the best strategy is to present as many as possible.

It is also a truth that anyone can have an idea. While it’s great to listen to polished speakers present ideas and we should all listen to them, it isn’t true that they are the only ones with good ideas. Any one will be welcome to present at Triangle DevOps, even if they’ve never given a talk before. Only by giving that first talk can someone start on the road to becoming a polished speaker themselves.

Most of all Triangle DevOps is about always getting better. Better talks, better ideas, better community. Talks and ideas follow from community. Without community there is no Triangle DevOps. I invite you to come out and participate. Share your ideas. You might learn that small trick that makes your life easier. And that would be great. That would make the group a smashing success.