Adam Azzam, a principal product manager at Prefect, and Michael Greenwich, CEO of WorkOS, dive into the complexities of workflow orchestration in AI applications. They discuss how Prefect’s open-source library tackles the pains of managing workflows and introduces tools like Marvin for real-time support. The conversation highlights the importance of error management, visibility in pipelines, and the seamless integration of enterprise features for faster product development, showcasing innovative solutions for modern engineers.
Workflow orchestration remains a significant challenge for data scientists, particularly with the complexities introduced by large language models and agentic workflows.
WorkOS provides scalable enterprise solutions that cater to businesses at various growth stages, facilitating a smooth transition from startups to larger organizations.
Prefect's open-source Python library enhances workflow reliability through improved observability and features for handling failures, minimizing development complexity.
Deep dives
Understanding Enterprise Readiness
Determining when a business is ready for enterprise features, such as single sign-on (SSO) solutions, is not restricted to a specific moment but is an ongoing process. For many startups, the need for enterprise features may arise sooner than anticipated, especially when engaging with tech-forward small to mid-size businesses that prioritize security. WorkOS aims to bridge this gap by providing robust solutions that can cater to companies at various stages of their lifecycle. By offering free tools like AuthKit for up to one million users, they empower developers to build and scale applications without immediate financial burdens.
The Workflow Spectrum
WorkOS caters to a diverse range of customers, from brand new startups to established enterprises, all the while utilizing the same technology platform. This inclusivity provides users a seamless transition through their different growth phases, such as those who start from side projects or hackathons and eventually scale into larger companies. The service accommodates both smaller developers launching their initial apps and massive organizations needing sophisticated solutions to replace outdated systems. Insights reveal that businesses often face challenges with previous setups, leading them to seek efficient solutions that WorkOS provides.
Workflow Orchestration Challenges
The discussion around workflow orchestration reveals significant challenges developers face when scaling workflows, particularly in managing failures and ensuring resilience. Features such as handling cascading failures, retry policies, and the necessity for graceful error recovery are critical for maintaining robust systems. These issues become even more pronounced when integrating large language models (LLMs) into workflows, which can introduce complexities due to their unpredictable outputs. The approach of utilizing orchestration tools showcases the balance between simplicity in development and complexity in operational management.
Innovations in Workflow Technology
Prefect, an open-source Python library for workflow orchestration, aims to streamline the implementation of robust workflows by minimizing development complexity. Its newest iteration includes features for adding retries, caching, and transactional logic, making it easier for developers to handle failures efficiently. The focus on observability allows users to pinpoint failures and take corrective actions swiftly, which enhances the overall reliability of deployed workflows. By simplifying the process of deploying workflows to remote infrastructure, Prefect empowers developers to create scalable solutions without extensive DevOps expertise.
The Future of Automated Workflows
As LLMs and agentic workflows become commonplace in businesses, the need for seamless management of these systems will grow. Future innovations will likely focus on enhancing the resilience of LLM workflows, especially regarding error handling and orchestration logic delegation. Additionally, improved governance mechanisms will be essential to manage increasing API calls intelligently, preventing system overloads due to simultaneous requests. The continued evolution of these technologies will emphasize user-friendliness and automation, enabling less technically proficient individuals to handle complex orchestration tasks effectively.
Workflow orchestration has always been a pain for data scientists, but this is exacerbated in these AI hype days by agentic workflows executing arbitrary (not pre-defined) workflows with a variety of failure modes. Adam from Prefect joins us to talk through their open source Python library for orchestration and visibility into python-based pipelines. Along the way, he introduces us to things like Marvin, their AI engineering framework, and ControlFlow, their agent workflow system.
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WorkOS – A platform that gives developers a set of building blocks for quickly adding enterprise-ready features to their application. Add Single Sign-On (Okta, Azure, Google, Microsoft OAuth), sync users from any SCIM directory, HRIS integration, audit trails (SIEM), free magic link sign-in. WorkOS is designed for developers and offers a single, elegant interface that abstracts dozens of enterprise integrations. Learn more and get started at WorkOS.com
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