CloudSkills.fm

In this episode Mike sums up the most common career advice over the past 4 years and explains what's up next for him in his own career journey.You can subscribe to Mike's new YouTube channel here:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuoEOqepPoBrnpL5C3P6Ehg

In this episode Mike catches up with Thomas Stringer to discuss Linux, Kubernetes, and Open Source Development.Thomas is a Principal Software Engineer Lead working on Open Source at Microsoft.Follow Thomas on these channels:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/trstringer/Twitter: https://twitter.com/tr_stringerPersonal Website: https://trstringer.com/GitHub: https://github.com/trstringer 

In this episode Mike chats with the team at Apex Systems about Hiring Top Talent in 2022.Hiring tips for managers (Apex Systems):https://www.apexsystems.com/careers/career-resources?crt=73Erica Woods- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ericawoods- Twitter: https://twitter.com/ericawoodsgoCameron Buck - LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cameronpbuck Marissa Montgomery- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marissamontgomery5- Twitter: https://twitter.com/marissanne2014

In this episode Mike Pfeiffer chats with Richard Hooper about working with Kubernetes, learning Azure, and what customers are dealing with when moving towards cloud native.Richard HooperLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/%E2%98%81-richard-hooper-598a1412/Twitter: https://twitter.com/Pixel_RobotsWebsite: https://pixelrobots.co.ukYouTube (Azure Cloud Native): https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2Pk9GcHhlVV0R9CQIU6gLwMike Pfeifferhttps://linktr.ee/mikepfeiffer

In this episode Mike Pfeiffer chats with Taylor Dolezal about the importance of community in tech.Taylor specializes in Kubernetes, Terraform, cloud, and distributed systems, and currently serves as Head of Ecosystem at the CNCF.In this episode we talk about:Taylor's career origin story as a developer, systems engineer, and technology advocate working at places like Disney and Hashicorp.Taylor's current work at the CNCF focsed on serving the Cloud Native end-user community, giving back through research & assets, and running events like KubeCon + CloudNativeCon.Importance of community in tech, including the challenges of building a community and how to get organizations to recognize the value.Taylor DolezalLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/onlydole/Twitter: https://twitter.com/onlydoleCNCF Bio: https://www.cncf.io/people/staff/?p=taylor-dolezalMike Pfeifferhttps://linktr.ee/mikepfeiffer

In this episode Mike Pfeiffer catches up with Matt Davis about Web3, NFTs, and Startup Culture. Matt is a Developer Advocate for 3Box Labs and previously worked at GitHub.Follow Matt Davis on Twitter:https://twitter.com/mattdavis0351Connect with Matt Davis on LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewdavisit/Check out Ceramic Network:https://ceramic.network/Check out 3Box Labs:https://3boxlabs.com/Follow Mike Pfeiffer on Twitter:https://twitter.com/mike_pfeiffer

In this episode Mike Pfeiffer chats with Andrew Brown recently who's an expert in all things Cloud, DevOps, Data, ML, Security, K8s and Serverless.In this episode, we talk about...How to build the skills you need to survive in a multi-cloud worldWhy hands-on skills are important now more than ever beforeBleeding edge tech including Cloud Native and Web 3.0

In this episode Mike catches up with Kevin Evans, Azure Customer Engineer at Microsoft, about how to build your Azure cloud career.Kevin on Twitter:https://twitter.com/TheKevinEvans  Kevin on LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevinevans01/

In this episode Mike catches up with Kit Merker, Chief Operating Officer at Nobl9, about Site Reliability Engineering and implementing effective Service Level Objectives (SLOs).Kit on LinkedInhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/kitmerkerKit on Twitterhttps://twitter.com/KitMerkerSLOConfhttps://www.sloconf.com

In this episode Mike Pfeiffer chats with Wayne McCulloch, Chief Customer Officer at WalkMe, to discuss reinventing training and education.Connect with Wayne on LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/waynemccullochThe Seven Pillars of Customer Success:https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0921XBHWGWalkMe - Digital Adoption Platform:https://www.walkme.com

In this episode Mike Pfeiffer chats with Andrew Wertkin, Chief Strategy Officer (CSO) at BlueCat, about cloud strategy and tactics, along with leadership and mentoring.Watch on YouTube:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SvE2swZJAesFollow Andrew on Twitter:https://twitter.com/awertkinConnect with Andrew on LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/awertkin/Visit BlueCat:https://bluecatnetworks.com/

In this episode Mike Pfeiffer chats with Kevin Hoffman, author of Programming Web Assembly with Rust and CTO of Cosmonic.Follow Kevin on twitter:https://twitter.com/KevinHoffmanCheck out Kevin's book:https://amzn.to/3faH92mCheck out wasmCloud:https://wasmcloud.com/https://www.youtube.com/c/wasmCloud/Check out Cosmonic:https://cosmonic.com/

In this episode Mike Pfeiffer catches up with Rishab Kumar about his journey into the cloud and how he has climbed his way up from Help Desk to DevOps engineer.Rishab's website:https://rishabkumar.com/Rishab on Twitter:https://twitter.com/rishabk7Rishab on GitHub:https://github.com/rishabkumar7learntocloud - 6 month guide to the fundamentals of Cloud Computing:https://learntocloud.guide/

In this episode Mike chats with Roger Wahman, CTO at Apex Consulting, and Darin Stevenson, Director of Strategic Solutions and Technical Recruiting at Apex Systems.Learn about the trends Roger and Darin are seeing across their client base and learn about the in-demand skills that cloud professionals should be picking up in 2022.Learn more about Apex:https://www.apexsystems.com/Connect with Roger on LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/rogerwahman/Connect with Darin on LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/darin-stevenson-4617594/

In this episode Mike catches up with Robert Hodges, CEO of Altinity, to discuss data warehouses such as ClickHouse, Big Data, and Kubernetes.Follow Robert on LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/berkeleybob2105/OSA CON 2021https://altinity.com/osa-con-2021/Fully Managed ClickHouse in the Public Cloudhttps://altinity.com/

In this episode Mike chats with Chris Hughes, CISO and Co-Founder of Aquia, to discuss cloud security lessons and pitfalls.Follow Chris on LinkedInhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-h-97680442/Check out the Resilient Cyber Podcasthttps://www.linkedin.com/company/resilient-cyber-podcast/

In this episode Mike chats with John Grange, CTO and Founder of OpsCompass. John shares his journey and how he keeps his skills currently while running a startup. Follow John on Twitter:https://twitter.com/jmgrange Follow John on LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-grange-190ba652/   OpsCompass: Visibility, multi-cloud security, cost management, and compliance from a single dashboard.https://opscompass.com/

In this episode I catch up with John Lunn (aka jonnychipz) about building up your cloud skills and how to start mapping out your career strategy.Subscribe to John's Channelhttps://www.youtube.com/cloudtalkwithjonnychipzFollow John on Twitterhttps://twitter.com/jonnychipzFollow John on LinkedInhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/japlunn/

In this episode Gwyneth Peña-Siguenza is back on the show to talk about her journey into cloud advocacy and joining Microsoft. She also shares a ton of tips for anyone getting into the game of producing content.Follow Gwyn on Twitterhttps://twitter.com/madebygpsCheck out Gwyn's GitHub for resources mentioned on the show:https://github.com/madebygps

The past couple years have been tough on all of us. Here are 3 things you can lean on when you're not feeling it.Watch this episode on YouTube:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gSapGWLGGdQ

In this episode Mike chats with Derek Smith about Cloud Evangelism, Getting started on Social Media & Managing the Chaos.Follow Derek on Social Mediahttps://linktr.ee/considercloudds  

In this episode Mike Pfeiffer catches up with Tim Davis to discuss DevOps Advocacy and how to build your personal brand while you study.Follow Tim on Twitter:https://twitter.com/vtimdCheck out Env0:https://www.youtube.com/c/envZer https://www.env0.com/Watch this episode on YouTube:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=izChYG4AQTM 

How do you invent or reinvent your career in a way that helps you succeed on the most progressive teams in the world? In this episode Mike Pfeiffer shares tips on how to think about your cloud career for the long term, even if you haven't started yet. Watch this episode on YouTube:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KpI8JTuF98w 

Should you hang on to your technical skills or consider going into management as you move through your career in the cloud? I'm sharing my thoughts on this episode along with 3 tips you should consider to help make the decision.

My guest this week is fellow MVP Tim Warner, and we'll be talking about the new AZ-700 exam and how you can become an Azure Certified Network Engineer.Check out our AZ-700 course:https://cloudskills.io/courses/az-700 

In this live stream we're catching up with Tim Warner, Microsoft MVP, Microsoft MCT Regional Lead, Pluralsight staff author, and legendary Azure solution architect about keeping up with all things Azure.Follow Tim on Twitter:https://twitter.com/TechTrainerTim

In this episode Mike Pfeiffer catches up with Tristan Morel L'Horset, Senior Managing Director at Accenture.Tristan is the Growth lead of Accenture's North America Cloud First business and he has a passion for the intersection of Cloud, Technology and Business.Here's what we cover in this episode:Overcoming barriers to cloud adoptionTechnical and non-technical skills organizations are buildingThe importance of building skills for Cloud SustainabilityFollow Tristan on Social Media:https://twitter.com/tlhorsethttps://www.linkedin.com/in/tlhorset/Start your cloud career at Accenture:https://www.accenture.com/cloudcareersCheck out the Green Software Foundationhttps://greensoftware.foundation/

In this episode we catch up with Jack Naglieri, Founder & CEO at Panther Labs, and we're chatting about detecting and responding to security breaches in the cloud.Check out Panther Labshttps://runpanther.io/Follow Jack on Twitterhttps://twitter.com/jack_naglieri

In this episode we're catching up with Don Jones, Head of Software Developer Skills at Pluralsight, about building your cloud career.Don's new book:https://www.manning.com/books/own-your-tech-careerDon's new club:https://ampere.club

In this live recording of the CloudSkills FM podcast we're catching up with Thomas Maurer from Microsoft about all things Azure Arc and Cloud Governance.Check out Thomas' blog:https://www.thomasmaurer.ch

In this live recording of the CloudSkills.fm podcast Michael Levan chats with Luke Orellana about testing with Terraform 0.15.In this episode we talk about:Infrastructure-as-Code securitySecuring Terraform codeTerraform security for the enterpriseInfrastructure-as-Code security concernsWatch this episode on YouTube:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i3pVYFECVgs

Have you ever wanted to give a talk or a presentation but weren't sure where to start?In this episode Mike Pfeiffer shares his best tips for public speaking, teaching online, and recording podcasts and online courses...Plus, Mike Pfeiffer and Michael Levan share their entire gear list, which is one of the most common questions they've gotten over the past couple years.In this episode, we talk about...Why You Should TeachHow Teaching Impacted My CareerSpeaking FrameworksEffective Speaking TipsGear Recommendations and My Office SetupYou can grab the entire gear list here:https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1gLVlyjigd08kBUFZ10Ug20MwfvlxiNFZIiubIsum4_Y/

In this live recording of the CloudSkills.fm podcast we're talking all things Cloud Adoption & Strategy with Chris Nicholas, Managing Director of Cloud Solutions at Trace3.Microsoft Cloud Adoption Framework:https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cloud-adoption-framework/Chris Nicholas, Managing Director, Cloud Solutions Group at Trace3https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-nicholas-01420a90/

In this episode Mike catches up with HashiCorp Ambassadors Ned Bellavance, Michael Levan, and Luke Orellana to discuss all things Infrastructure as Code. Which tools and services are people using, what are the pitfalls, and how do you get started? We answer these questions, plus more from a live audience.

Michael is chatting today with Eamonn O’Neill, the founder and EVP at Lemongrass Consulting. This company focuses on helping customers get their SAP on AWS, which makes for a really interesting conversation topic.In this episode, we talk about…Eamonn’s career journey and how he has moved from a more technical role to a more business-minded role.How Eamonn was at the forefront of SAP adoption back in the 90s and has stuck with that technology over the decades.How SAP is a German-based software company that has made its name based around the ERP concept and which has recently broadened into SaaS operating.The importance of automation services and how Lemongrass focuses on both efficiency and quality for their customers.The role that Azure plays in the world.How and why Eamonn got into tech and why he believes it’s important to know the technical side of what you’re doing, even if you’re a project manager or entrepreneur in the field.How to proceed and what to look for if you’re interested in getting into SAP. However, the market is pretty saturated unless you’re also a programmer and/or infrastructure aware.New use cases for SaaS.Links to resources:Eamonn O’Neill: Twitter |LinkedInLemongrass ConsultingMichael Levan: TwitterJoin the Cloudskills CommunityMake sure to subscribe to our mailing list at cloudskills.io/subscribe for weekly updates, exclusive training, and advice on how to amplify your career.

Mike is chatting today with David Cobb, an Azure and AWS Trainer! They’re catching up on all the awesome things David has been up to the last few years both in the Cloudskills Community and in the industry. You won’t want to miss all the insight he has, especially around life-long learning and teaching.In this episode, we talk about…David’s background and career journey, from IT Help Desk work to web applications work to his current work on the cloud and teaching students.How teaching opened up a lot of additional career opportunities for David. And why teaching actually helps you learn things better, because it forces you to know subjects inside and out, well enough to explain them to other people.Different ways to teach and add value, such as public speaking, blogging, other content creation, and new social media apps like Clubhouse.Why it’s important for everyone, no matter what level, to admit that they are still learning and figuring things out.The pros and cons of learning new skills by studying as an individual versus joining a community. And why social learning is a true game-changer for anyone trying to learn cloud skills.The benefits of multi-cloud competition and why it’s important to keep an open mind and speak all of the languages.The best career advice David’s ever gotten, which involves learning and growing from our own mistakes. And how this can only happen if you’re first willing to try new things and fail.Links to resources:David Cobb: Cloudskills Page | GithubDavid’s hour-long AWS Command Line training video on YoutubeMike Pfeiffer: TwitterFor a safe space to learn and grow, join the Cloudskills Community.Microsoft TEALS: Computer Science Volunteer Programhttps://www.microsoft.com/en-us/teals/volunteersMake sure to subscribe to our mailing list at cloudskills.io/subscribe for weekly updates, exclusive training, and advice on how to amplify your career.

Today’s subject is very important but often overlooked - polishing your soft skills. It can be so easy to focus on technical skills and forget about things like leadership, communication, and listening. But we absolutely need these skills for a strong career, too. Mike has Jason Alba on the podcast to discuss why you need these skills and how to build them. Jason has been in IT a long time and is also an expert on soft skills. He blogs, writes books, and authors courses on Pluralsight about professional development.In this episode, we talk about…Why soft skills are so important.Jason’s courses on subjects like leadership, listening, emotional intelligence, and more.How more intentional communication and better empathy can help you build relationships and advance your career.How these skills will benefit you even if you have no interest in moving into management or if you fall into the stereotypical category of the tech person who doesn’t like talking to other people.Tips to help you get started improving these soft skills right now.Jason’s career journey and how he got started with Pluralsight.The importance of long-term thinking in your career - we can’t have things right away.Links to resources:Jason Alba: Twitter | LinkedInJason’s Courses on PluralsightJason’s job search CRM, JibberJobber.comMike Pfeiffer: TwitterJoin the Cloudskills CommunityMake sure to subscribe to our mailing list at cloudskills.io/subscribe for weekly updates, exclusive training, and advice on how to amplify your career.

Mike is talking with cloud expert Corey Knapp today. Corey has 20 years of cloud experience, specializing in Azure, dev ops, and more. He is also a great mentor who enjoys teaching others and he has a lot of wisdom to share with you on the podcast.In this episode, we talk about…What Corey has been up to lately, his career background, and how he got started in this industry.The importance of landing zones, so that you have a proper foundation to expand from, and how to deploy them successfully.Why you need to lose your ego to thrive in this business and be willing to surround yourself with people you can learn from.Why everyone in the industry needs to share their knowledge, rather than trying to keep it to themselves. IT is a team sport!Tips for folks looking for a team to work with in tandem, like posting blogs, social media, and being open to constructive criticism. How starting a blog or putting your code out on the internet can serve as a portfolio and help you prove your experience in interview situations.Why if you want to learn Azure, the best thing to do is make up some small projects for yourself and just start doing and practicing.How the Cloud is here to stay, so now is the time to learn all the skills you need.The best career advice Corey has gotten - which is all about not being afraid to ask for help and to reach out to mentors.Links to resources:If you want Corey’s help with learning these skills, feel free to reach out to him! Corey Knapp: Twitter | LinkedInMike Pfeiffer: TwitterJoin the Cloudskills CommunityMake sure to subscribe to our mailing list at cloudskills.io/subscribe for weekly updates, exclusive training, and advice on how to amplify your career.

On the podcast today, Michael Levan is hosting and chatting with guest Niall Dalton, who came from a systems engineering background and now has his own company. He’s the co-founder of Seaplane, a serverless company that’s working to help people not have to spend all their time managing infrastructure.Niall’s career background and how he came to co-found a company.How going serverless lets people concentrate on shipping their app rather than the nuts-and-bolts side of things.Why it’s important to go global with your app right from the beginning.How Seaplane works and how it isn’t trying to replace the cloud, but rather, it’s providing a better and more efficient way to consume it.The importance of recognizing the granularity your project needs and how to match your service to that need.How serverless features are still super new, but already are proving to be letting the cloud fulfill the function we all wanted it to.Examples of programs and web applications that have revolutionized industries (like Excel for finance or e-commerce platforms for small businesses) and how serverless technology is also changing the game.Niall’s opinion of what advances in serverless will do to the environment of current system admin and dev ops jobs.Resources from this episode:Niall Dalton on LinkedInCheck out seaplane.io

Mike is joined by special guest Luke Orellana, an SRE at Microsoft. Luke has a ton of great experience to share and has been up to a lot of fun things, like infrastructure development and terraform, that you’ll enjoy hearing all about.In this episode, we talk about…Luke’s background and how he ended up working for Microsoft.The basics of terraform and an in-depth dive into how Luke manages the cloud infrastructure with terraform.The most common question that Luke hears about terraform.The different versions of terraform available, their pricing, and their advantages.How you can go about getting started in terraform (it’s fairly easy to get started, and then build on your skills later so that you can take on more complex projects).What it’s like working at a giant software company like Microsoft and how Luke prepared for the grueling interview process.The best career advice Luke has ever gotten -which is to learn whatever skills you’re interested in, whether you’re using them for your company right now or not.How if you want to get into producing content like a blog, you need to start doing it and you will get better as you go.How content creation can get you noticed and level up your career.What an SRE (site reliability engineering) does and how it’s becoming a sought-after skill set for many companies.Resources from this episode:Follow Luke on TwitterCheck out Luke's Terraform course

Mike is joined by Brianna McCullough who has had a very interesting career journey in the tech industry and who currently works for Google. You’ll want to listen to this one, especially for insights about how to up your networking game.In this episode, we talk about…Brianna’s background, how she got into the tech industry, and why Minnesota is surprisingly a great place to launch a career.The importance of community and networking throughout your career, but especially when starting out.How Brianna was able to learn loads of skills on the job, which is a good lesson for folks who want to change career paths but don’t yet have the background they need.How Brianna got into public speaking and how it has furthered her career.Why going to conferences is so valuable in terms of keeping your communication skills sharp, refining your elevator pitch, meeting mentors, developing interview skills, and more.Work-life balance while working at Google, how the 20% time policy works, and the culture of Google’s workplace (which is very autonomous and encourages everyone to be a leader).The importance of getting really good at something before trying to move on to something else. Don’t look for shortcuts.The best career advice Brianna has ever gotten, which is that feelings are not facts and that everyone’s race is their own to run.Resources from this episode:Follow Brianna on TwitterCheck out Brianna's Blog

Today Michael is chatting with two guests at once! He’s got Chris Ray, a Chief Information Security Officer, and Jake Rajnovich, Director of Product Development at Syntervision. They’ve been building an exciting new cybersecurity product called Oasis, and they have lots of interesting things to share about it.In this episode, we talk about…XDR Platforms and why they’re worth investing your time.The fundamentals of security hygiene.How Oasis works and how to interact with it.How Oasis has grown with the needs of their customers over the years as the guys learned more and implemented changes.How everything within Oasis is custom-built, and therefore very tightly integrated.How Chris got to where he is within cyber security and his advice for those who want to get there.The value of being willing to say yes to new opportunities -even if it’s a skill you don’t yet have. You can put in the time to learn it and make yourself indispensable.Why you should follow what interests you -the field is so broad that there is a niche for you out there.How Jake got to where he is within platform integration and his best piece of career advice.

Mike is sitting down to chat today with vExpert and Cisco Champion Michael Cade, a senior global technologist over at Veeam. Michael has spent the last 18 months or so diving deep into the Cloud, and he’s a great resource for folks looking to expand that skill set.In this episode, we talk about…Michael’s experience with Azure versus AWS.What Michael has been working on at Veeam -which has been seeing a huge shift of many more people moving over into the public cloud.Several interesting use cases for data migration projects Michael has worked on, and what he learned from them.How Veeam works efficiently to back up data for its customers.Why Michael has been geeking out over educating families who aren’t able to afford computers to learn about technology like raspberry pi that helps folks who need to get online for virtual work or remote learning.The best career advice Michael has ever gotten -which is that the feeling of imposter syndrome isn’t always a bad thing.Resources from this episode:Follow Michael on TwitterCheck out Michael's BlogCheck out Veam

Previous guest Steve Buchanan is back to chat with Mike about a whole host of skills you can add to your toolbox to level up your career. Steve is a Director for Avanade, a large consulting organization, who works in cloud transformation. Since his last appearance on the podcast, he’s been staying busy with DevOps, Kubernetes, and Azure, so he has lots of great insights to share.In this episode, we talk about…Steve’s thoughts on how skills in GitOps and Kubernetes are critical to technologists in today’s world. Large companies are using them or planning to implement them soon.How Dice.com has named these skills as the most important tech skills, so you should start learning them if you haven’t yet.The difference between Git and GitOps and what it means for you as someone who needs to learn the skills.Where to go if you want to get started learning GitOps.The importance of diversity and inclusion in the tech industry.How there are many opportunities for a great career within SAP, which is becoming easier to break into than it was previously if you also have cloud skills to bring to the table.The best career advice Steve has ever gotten, which is centered around the importance of networking.Resources from this episode:Follow Steve on TwitterGitOps the Big PictureThe GitOps Working GroupSAP on Azure

For many, the industry is seeming a lot more complex these days, and a lot of folks are feeling pressured to have to learn everything. In fact, you could say that generalization is the new specialization! On today’s podcast, Michael is sitting down with Tom Granot, a Developer Advocate at Lightrun, to discuss what to do about this new trend.In this episode, we talk about…Tom’s journey to the tech world, after his very diverse background of different careers, and how he ultimately ended up in advocacy. Why Microsoft Excel is still considered King in much of the finance world, but how Tom felt he could build better software, and it drove him into software development.Why advocacy is a fantastic career direction for folks who love talking to people and the social side of working in software.How Lightrun works to mitigate the gap between software devs and ops.Tom’s opinion on generalization vs specialization in the tech field, and how to decide what’s best for you.Tips and strategy if you’re looking to specialize in something but don’t know where to begin or feel overwhelmed.Resources from this episode:Follow Tom on TwitterThe Hacker’s Diet by John Walker

Today, Mike is sitting down with John Lunn, aka Johnny Chipz! John has been working with Microsoft technology for about 15 years as an IT pro, and now is big into the Azure live-streaming world. He’s got all sorts of great takes on the current state of the industry and how everyone can best focus their attentions to gain new skills they’ll need in the coming years.In this episode, we talk about…John’s background and journey into the live-streaming world and how he has been growing his channel (and home office setup!) over the last few months.How John has been encouraging other folks to get involved with streaming, too.The #100DaysofCloud Challenge, which is a commitment to learning something new for one hundred days.John’s take on the transition to GitOps and the learning a lot of folks are having to do now to keep up as the industry evolves.Different specific things John has been studying and learning to prepare for the new direction the industry has been taking.How John joined a user group in Wales with like-minded people that focuses on Azure.Resources from this episode:Follow John on TwitterJohn on YouTube#100DaysofCloud ChallengeJoin the Welsh Azure User Group

Artificial Intelligence is becoming more and more important to the world we live in. Mike’s guest today is Simon Crosby, the CTO at Swim.ai. Swim builds digital twins that are always learning because if you rely on an approach where you store data first and then analyze it later, you’re always behind. Swim is revolutionizing the AI landscape by analyzing the data and making predictions before the data gets stored.In this episode, we talk about…Various reasons why analyzing data on the fly in today’s world is so necessary (ie traffic patterns in a city being sent to a company like Uber needs to be done in real-time, not later)How the big question in the AI Ops world is about how to build a model, train it, and deploy it.How Swim works to build a model as the data comes in, analyze it, and then stream those predictions to their customers.The refresh rate on these Swim web agents that are continuously learning. Other models might respond to a user query, but this one is constantly working, so it just sees the data.How Simon got into AI, and the best direction for someone to move if they want to get into AI today.Resources from this episode:Follow Simon on TwitterCheck out Swim.ai

Tanya Janca, who was on the podcast last year, is back! Since the last time we talked, she’s been very busy founding her own company, We Hack Purple. Tanya’s an expert on App Security, and through her company, she’s sharing those skills with online on-demand courses.In this episode, we talk about…Tanya’s new community centered around her online academy, which has been a positive and kind space for discussing related topics.Why, if you’re a software developer, you should learn about app security and have a strategy to talk to management to get what you want and legitimize your job.Tanya’s book and how she teaches each lesson within it several different ways to make it accessible for various learning styles.Tanya’s current free mini-course offering about scaling your security program and security team.The best career advice Tanya has ever gotten.The importance of mentors in everyone’s careers and why it’s very important to build a community.Resources from this episode:Follow Tanya on TwitterCheck out the We Hack Purple AcademyRead Tanya's new book: Alice and Bob Learn Application SecurityJoin the We Hack Purple Newsletter

In this episode we're catching up with Travis Roberts to chat about all things Windows Virtual Desktop, Azure, and a lot more.In part due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, 2020 saw the use of Windows Virtual Desktop soar. Many companies are in the process of switching their networks over to the Cloud. Mike’s guest today is Travis Roberts, the Senior Networking Systems Administrator at RBA Consulting. Travis has a background of working in corporate IT for over 20 years, but he made a switch when he realized he wanted to focus less on management and more on consulting. He has lots of experience with Windows Virtual Desktop (and more) and creates content online to help others learn how to better utilize this technology.In this episode, we talk about…Travis’s background, how he got into consulting, and what the transition was like coming to that from corporate jobs.How Azure has been ramping up and is currently neck and neck with AWS.Why, at this point, most Systems Administrators are essentially Cloud Developers, as well.How you have to think a bit differently when using ARM templates and PowerShell.Why moving to the Cloud can save a business a lot of overhead expenses.The mindset shift involved in maintaining a server rack with manual switches and buttons, versus working within Azure.Why setting up a virtual network within Windows Virtual Desktop is so much faster than the traditional means.Why you need to continuously learn given the way technology is shifting now -and how if you learn it sooner, you can help others as they shift to the Cloud during the next decade.How building a brand can help you, and if you’re interested, you should start writing a blog or making Youtube videos.The importance of Source Control and how Travis has been using Github.The switch from using JSON to using HCL.How Travis has been seeing that he’s been needing to learn more about Continuous Integration.Resources from this episode:Travis on TwitterTravis onYouTubeTravis on LinkedInUdemy Course Discount: Zero to Hero with Windows Virtual Desktop

In this episode I’m sharing by best career tips & strategy for 2021. What should you focus on? What do you need to think about to start building a successful career in the cloud? Those are some of the questions we answer in this episode, along with Q&A with a live audience.In this episode, we talk about…2021 industry predictions from Forester & GartnerHow to become multi-dimensional as an engineerSoft skills you need to be building, in addition to hard skillsHow to run experiments to gather dataHow to get more hands-on experienceQ&A with a live audience

Though there are many challenges when training across cloud platforms, there are many similarities that make the process easier. Mike’s guest today is Elkhan Yusubov, a principal cloud architect, an Azure subject-matter expert, and an Azure Technical Trainer. He’s here to talk about cross-training on Google Cloud Platform (GCP) for Azure pros. Elkhan’s goal is to help other people as cross-platform expertise can only benefit everyone!In this episode, we talk about…Elkhan’s hot take on what he has seen at GCPGetting multiple teams to work together within multi-cloud environmentsMain challenges with learning GCP for those experienced in AzureThe Associate Cloud Engineer Certification for GCPThings that have happened in Elkhan’s career since he started sharing his journeySkills that can be transferred from one cloud platform to anotherArchitective framework that covers the low-hanging fruitFocus on delivering value to clients rather than personal interestsDevelopments since COVID changed the worldBiggest motivations for Elkhan during his cloud journeyWhy failure is vital to success in your cloud journeyResources from this episode:Elkhan on LinkedInGCP Certification: Associate Cloud EngineerAzure for GCP ProfessionalsGoogle Cloud for Azure professionals