Screaming in the Cloud

Airbnb Staff Software Engineer Melanie Cebula and Corey discuss optimizing cloud spend, the role of engineers in cost-cutting, the dangers of inexperience in cost-saving, complexities of AWS billing, misperceptions about Kubernetes, and the growing pains of data infrastructure.

If you need a point of contact for all things networking, then look no further than Ivan Pepelnjak. Ivan is the webinar author at ipSpace.net where he is working on making networking an approachable subject for everyone. From teaching to writing books, Ivan has been at it for a long and storied career, and as a de facto go-to for networking knowledge, you can’t beat him. In this Summer Replay of Screaming in the Cloud, Ivan and Corey discuss Ivan’s status as a CCIE Emeritus and the old days of Cisco. Ivan also levels his network engineering expertise and helps Corey answer some questions about BGP and its implementation. Ivan aptly narrows it down into “layers” that he kindly runs us through. So tune in for a Dante-esque descent into BGP, DNS and Facebook, seeing out the graybeards of tech, and more!Show Highlights: (0:00) Intro to episode(1:23) Panoptica sponsor read(2:04) The world of VaxVMS(2:39) The significance of being a CCIE emeritus(5:02) The value of certification in the modern tech world(7:37) BGP and networking(12:41) Internal vs. external BGPs(15:23) “Unfair criticisms” of BGP(17:35) Differences between BGP and DNS(23:19) Cloud growth vs. loss of networking engineers(24:57) Panoptica sponsor read(25:20) Outsourcing admin work(27:45) Breaking down the Facebook DNS outage(31:37) Disconnect at the data center(37:06) Where you can find IvanAbout Guest:Ivan Pepelnjak, CCIE#1354 Emeritus, is an independent network architect, blogger, and webinar author at ipSpace.net. He's been designing and implementing large-scale service provider and enterprise networks as well as teaching and writing books about advanced internetworking technologies since 1990.Links Referenced:ipSpace.net: https://ipspace.netOriginal Episode: https://www.lastweekinaws.com/podcast/screaming-in-the-cloud/ironing-out-the-bgp-ruffles-with-ivan-pepelnjak/SponsorPanoptica: https://www.panoptica.app/

Relishing in your company’s current successes is important, but planning for the future of your business (and the wider industry) is equally vital. In this Summer Replay of Screaming in the Cloud, we’re taking you back to the post-pandemic climate of tech with the Global Vice President of the AWS Professional Services and GenAI Innovation Center Francessca Vasquez. With 20+ years of experience under her belt and thousands of customers, she knows a thing or two about thriving in the cloud. You’ll get Francessca’s insights into why companies struggle to maintain a cutting-edge work environment, the rapid pivot to the cloud amid a global pandemic, the importance of courting different backgrounds in your organization, and why the next generation of tech workers could spur unprecedented innovation. Even though COVID is seemingly in our rearview mirror, this discussion still holds weight in today.Show Highlights: (0:00) Intro to episode(0:49) Panoptica sponsor read(1:30) Francessca’s role as AWS Vice President of Technology(2:56) Challenges of shifting company culture(5:38) Customer service and cloud adoption(9:46) The importance of legacy companies as clients(11:55) The pandemic’s role in cloud migration(14:39) Finding “untapped talent” during the pandemic(16:45) Courting people breaking into the industry(20:19) Panoptica sponsor read(20:42) Toxic gatekeeping in tech(24:29) The “real world” versus the realities of tech(26:43) Excitement for the next generation in tech(29:15) Diversity, equity, and excellence(32:20) How to communicate with your customers(40:00) Where you can find FrancesscaAbout Guest:Francessca is the leader of the AWS Technology Worldwide Commercial Operations organization. She is recognized as a thought leader of business technology cloud transformations and digital innovation, advising thousands of startups, small-midsize businesses, and enterprises. She is also the co-founder of AWS workforce transformation initiatives that inspire inclusion, diversity, and equity to foster more careers in science and technology.Links Referenced:Twitter: https://twitter.com/Francessca_V LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/francesscavasquez/Original Episode: https://www.lastweekinaws.com/podcast/screaming-in-the-cloud/building-and-maintaining-cultures-of-innovation-with-francessca-vasquez/SponsorPanoptica: https://www.panoptica.app/

Levi McCormick, cloud expert at Jamf, discusses the connection between software development and personal ownership. Topics include gamified learning for engineers, economic barriers in the cloud field, AWS product rollout improvements, and the Cloud Resume Challenge. Levi's insights as Jamf's Director of Engineering offer valuable takeaways!

Matt Coulter, a DevTools and serverless technology enthusiast, talks about the Cloud Development Kit (CDK), CDK Community Day, and CDK Patterns. He discusses his journey into community work, the challenges of virtual events, Teach Me AWS venture, and the importance of empowering users in technology. Matt highlights the opportunities for Teach Me AWS in day two experiences, and the significance of peer review, collaboration, and human connection in software development.

Former Director of DevRel and Community at CircleCI, Jeremy Meiss, discusses the evolution of DevRel from conference appearances to strategic alignment with business objectives. They also talk about navigating career complexities, fostering open communication, and the enduring value of personal interactions in professional communities.

Kyler Middleton, a Senior Principal Engineer at Veradigm, discusses tech careers in the age of AI, importance of knowledge sharing, and limitations of AI decision-making. She shares tips for aspiring tech professionals and highlights the impact of AI on tech roles.

Alex King is a key player at the Duckbill Group as our legal counsel, as well as the founder of his own law firm, Archetype Legal. In this episode, Alex shares insights on his role in helping startups and small businesses navigate legal complexities, emphasizing the importance of risk analysis and compliance. He explains that attorneys highlight risks, allowing business leaders to make informed decisions. Alex recounts his experiences guiding clients through various legal challenges, from hiring decisions to office leases. Corey discusses the unique legal scenarios faced by the Duckbill Group and highlights the benefits of Alex's unique approach. Show Highlights: (00:00) Introduction (02:10) What Alex does for the Duckbill Group as legal counsel(02:42) The role of an attorney for startups and established businesses(07:20) Similarities and differences between what the advisers at Duckbill Group do and what Alex does as a lawyer(11:56) Alex’s ability to provide context to legal decisions that would otherwise be missing(22:07) How negotiating hiring contracts can work out if done wisely(25:09) What Alex wishes people knew to make interacting with attorneys easierAbout Alex:Alex King is an attorney and the founder of Archetype Legal PC, a law firm dedicated to helping entrepreneurs, startups, and small businesses take practical legal steps to achieve their business goals. In addition, he is a Business Advisor for Pacific Community Ventures, a nonprofit supporting small business growth and job creation in low-income communities. His experience includes corporate law, business operations, and strategic planning. Links Referenced:Website: https://www.archetypelegal.com/  Email: alex@archetypelegal.comSponsorPanoptica: https://www.panoptica.app/

Corey Quinn and Daniel Grzelak take you on a journey through the wild and wonderful world of Amazon S3 in this episode. They explore the fun quirks and hidden surprises of S3, like the mysterious "Schrodinger's Objects" from incomplete uploads and the head-scratching differences between S3 bucket commands and the S3 API. Daniel and Corey break down common misunderstandings about S3 encryption and IAM policies, sharing stories of misconfigurations and security pitfalls.Show Highlights: (00:00) - Introduction(03:49) - Schrodinger's Objects(05:23) - S3 Permissions and Security(06:44) - Incomplete Multipart Uploads Causing Unexpected Billing Issues(10:28) - Historical Oddities and Unexpected Behaviors of S3(12:00) - Encryption Misconceptions(15:17) - Durability and Reliability of S3(17:49) - AWS Security and Trust(21:01) - Practical Tips for S3 Users(26:10) - Compliance Locks and Data Management(29:13) - Closing ThoughtsAbout Daniel:Daniel Grzelak is a 20-year cybersecurity industry veteran, currently working as Chief Innovation Officer at Plerion. He is no longer the CISO at Linktree nor the Head of Security at Atlassian, but he tries to stay relevant by hacking AWS and Cloud in general.Links Referenced:Personal Website: https://dagrz.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielgrzelak/Things you wish you didn't need to know about S3: https://blog.plerion.com/things-you-wish-you-didnt-need-to-know-about-s3/S3 Bucket Encryption Doesn't Work The Way You Think It Works: https://blog.plerion.com/s3-bucket-encryption-doesnt-work-the-way-you-think-it-works/*SponsorPanoptica: https://www.panoptica.app/

This episode features Madelyn Olson, maintainer for the open-source project Valkey, to discuss the growth and impact of open-source projects in the tech industry. Corey and Madelyn explore the transformations within these projects, particularly the challenges and shifts in governance and licensing practices that affect how companies like AWS contribute to and utilize open-source software. Furthermore, Madelyn shares insights into the motivations behind Valkey, its differentiation from Redis, and the broader implications for open-source sustainability and corporate involvement.Show Highlights: (00:00) Introduction and discussion on AWS's approach to open-source(01:41) Recap of the Redis controversy and licensing changes(02:35) Madelyn's role at AWS and her work on ElastiCache and MemoryDB(04:11) The enduring relevance and importance of open source in solving global technology problems(06:15) The freedoms of open source and the broad implications for software development(08:19) The evolution of governance and project management in the Valkey project(09:53) The full transition of Madelyn's efforts from Redis to Valkey(17:27) Why Valkey was created and its future direction(24:57) The separation of duties between Madelyn's roles at AWS and the Valkey project(32:34) Closing thoughts and where to find more information on ValkeyAbout Madelyn:Madelyn Olson is a co-creator and maintainer of Valkey, a high-performance kev-value data store and Principal Engineer at Amazon Web Services (AWS). She focuses on building secure and highly reliable features, with a passion for working with open-source communities.Links Referenced:Website: https://valkey.io/ Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/madelyn-olson-valkey/GitHub: https://github.com/madolsonTwitter: https://x.com/reconditerose*SponsorPanoptica: https://www.panoptica.app/