Once again DevOpsDays Austin was a fantastic event. This was the DevOpsDays event that I have been to that had two tracks. One track for what I would call traditional DevOpsDays sessions that focused on culture and organizational change, the other with more practical advice on how to get things done. I took the opportunity to get something off my chest that has been bothering me a bit about DevOpsDays and other DevOps events in general. I presented an ignite session titled “Why DevOpsDays (and other DevOps events) is failing both horses and unicorns”. Essentially I proposed that focusing on Amazon, Etsy, Facebook and Netflix so much wasn’t really helping the horses (aka the enterprise). Essentially there was a proposal and a reminder in the ignite: 1. Let’s stop using the regular DevOps idols as examples and replace them with stories from other companies. If there aren’t any other success stories then are we really making a difference at DevOpsDays events? 2. For the unicorns presenting always think about how what you are presenting applies to people in more traditional companies. Don’t just say “if you can’t do awesome in your current company quit your job and come work with us”. That’s not particularly helpful I didn’t really expect a positive reaction to the session but was pleased that it resonated with people. If the evolution of DevOpsDays Austin over the past few years is anything to go by I’m really looking forward to seeing how other DevOpsDays events will evolve over the source of the year. Next up is DevOpsDays Pittsburgh. CFEngine is sponsoring and I’ll be there to spread the word about CFEngine! Hope to see you in Pittsburgh!
