I have been so busy in 2024 that I didnt have a chance to post about my 24th and 25th Pluralsight courses. So I am a little late posting this but I am excited that my 24th course “JavaScript Performance Playbook” and my 25th course “Create Google Cloud Deployment Manager Templates Using Generative AI” have both published on the Pluralsight platform!
You can find both courses here:
JavaScript Performance Playbook
This course will teach you how to optimize your JavaScript app, or API overall, so that they will be lightning-fast and perform well.
Create Google Cloud Deployment Manager Templates Using Generative AI
This course will teach you how artificial intelligence (AI) can help you administer and deploy cloud resources faster and more accurately than ever before.
I’m thrilled to be returning to Experts Live Europe this year! 🎉 In September 2024, I’ll be back presenting once again—this time with even more to share around Azure and AKS. I’ll be co-leading one of the pre-conference sessions with Jonah Andersson, and I’m also excited to deliver a session during the main conference schedule. 🌍🎤”
I will be presenting a pre-con session on building a SaaS solution on Azure 🚀 and a session on how to use Chaos Studio with AKS to boost the resiliency of your AKS clusters 🔧. I hope you can make it to the conference 🙌! Here is more info about my sessions:
Join Steve and Jonah for this pre-conference session where they unravel the mysteries of building a SaaS on Azure. They will start with the basics of running a SaaS in the cloud through the foundations of SaaS, then dive deep into the nitty-gritty of tech side of SaaS on Azure through tech foundations of SaaS. In this session we will take a journey together exploring best practices, patterns, and anti-patterns, along with strategies for managing multi-tenancy, tenant isolation, data isolation, identity in multi-tenancy, and more. Plus, we’ll show you how to turbocharge your SaaS architecture and build with the Azure SaaS Development Kit. Don’t miss out!
Join us at the Speakers Booth in the Expo Hall to find your favorite speakers hanging out here during conference breaks and ask your questions. Take this opportunity to get the answers you are looking for!
Dive into the world of Azure Kubernetes Resiliency in this comprehensive session that delves into crucial aspects of safeguarding your deployments. From robust backup strategies to effective disaster recovery plans and the strategic chaos engineering approach, this session has it all. Join us for a deep exploration of the tools and techniques that ensure your Kubernetes environment remains resilient in the face of challenges. Walk away empowered with the knowledge to fortify your applications and infrastructure against unforeseen circumstances.
I’m thrilled to announce that I’ll be delivering my inaugural keynote at Minnebar 18, an annual technology conference hosted in Minneapolis by the well known tech organization, Minnestar. My talk will explore the power of investment in shaping our collective future.
As an (un)conference, Minnebar provides a dynamic platform for tech enthusiasts to converge and share insights. Visit the site for full information on Minnebar 18: https://minnestar.org/ultimate-guide-to-minnebar18
Taking place on April 20, 2024, at Best Buy’s Corporate Campus, this Minnebar event will be an event to remember. I’m particularly honored to lead Session 0, also known as the keynote, marking not only my debut at Minnebar but also my first time engaging this vibrant community in the first session of the day.
My talk is titled “Let’s Invest: Building Strong Community and Empowering Our Future” here is the description of my talk: “
Explore the power of investment in shaping our collective future in this keynote talk. Hear about the speakers’ journey and the investments others made contributing to his success. Dive into the Minnesota computer science plan and its role in fostering youth talent, alongside the broader theme of community investment. Discover how organizations in the Twin Cities’ tech space are actively supporting individuals at all levels, from youth initiatives to professional development programs, and more.
Join us to uncover actionable strategies for investing in your own success and the success of others, strengthening our community fabric. Together, let’s ignite a collective commitment to investing in each other and our communities, forging a path for strong communities and empowered future for all.”
Here is sampling of some of the sessions you will see at Minnebar:
Mark your calendars for April 20, 2024, and join us at Minnebar 18—it’s free and open to all who share an interest. I look forward to connecting. See you there! Register here:
📢 Six months ago, a coalition of esteemed technologists and educators united to establish the Minnesota’s Computer Science (CS) Working Group, embarking on a journey to develop a comprehensive Computer Science Education Strategic Plan for all public K-12 and charter schools across the state. 💻 Throughout this six-month journey, we convened for five full-day meetings and workshops, undertaking two rounds of meticulous writing to synthesize our collective insights into the plan. The journey in posts:
📝 “Minnesota’s Computer Science (CS) Working Group developed a state strategic plan for computer science, finalized in March, 2024, which describes ten recommendations for long-term and sustained growth of computer science education across all public K-12 and charter schools in Minnesota, as outlined in the Computer Science Education Advancement Act Minn.Stat. 120B.241 [2023]. The recommendations are aligned to the requirements outlined in the legislation, such as licensure, high-quality professional development, continuous improvement, and standards, among others.”
Kudos to all of the amazing indivuduals in the working group:
Andrea Wilson Vazquez, Minnesota Department of Education
Wendy Robinson, Office of Higher Education
Katherine Anthony-Wigle, Professional Educator Licensing and Standards Board (PELSB)
Alexandra Holter, Computer Science Teachers Association – MN Chapter
Steve Buchanan Microsoft, representative from the business community employing computer scientists or technologists
Greg Larson, Minnesota Technology Association (MnTech)
Mahmoud Aliamer, Science Museum of Minnesota, representative from a nonprofit organization working with students and teachers in computer science
Anthony Padrnos, Minnesota Association of School Administrators (MASA)
Tabitha Senty, Education Minnesota
Cassie Scharber, Minnesota Association of Colleges of Teacher Education (MACTE)
Jennifer Rosato, CSforAll MN
• Sheri Levasseur, Pequot Lakes Public Schools, licensed library media specialist
• Erica Allenburg, Minnesota School Boards Association (MSBA)
• Andy Olson, Hermantown Community Schools, K–5 teacher
• Kirsten Tetzlaff, Minnetonka Public School District, 6–8 teacher
• Indrayani LeMaire, Hmong College Prep Academy, 9–12 teacher
• Tika Kude, Wayzata Public School District, 9–12 CTE teacher
🙌🏼 It was an honor to contribute to this effort, one that will profoundly impact the youth of Minnesota for years to come. 🎉🎉 Yesterday, we partnered with the Minnesota Tech Association and the Raspberry Pi Foundation to commemorate the successful completion of this plan. Hosted at REM5 Labs in St. Louis Park, the event had great support, with a notable turnout of engaged individuals. Even had the chance to speak on a panel with Philip Colligan the CEO of the Raspberry Pi Foundation! 🌟
🏛️This achievement marks just the beginning of the journey. Sustained dedication and the involvement of more volunteers will be essential to realizing the goals outlined in this plan. 💻
Stay tuned for further updates on the progression of our efforts. There’s much more to come around this initiative.
I was recently a guest on the RunAsRadio podcast. This was the second time being on the show. The last time was 4 years ago. You can catch the old episode here: Terraform vs Bicep/ARM with Steve Buchanan.
This new episode is #924 and is titled: “From SysAdmin to Platform Engineer with Steve Buchanan“. On this new episode we talked about Platform Engineering and a bunch of other stuff.
Here is the description from the episode:
“Aren’t we all platform engineers? Steve Buchanan says yes!
But there’s more to it. Steve talks about the mindset of looking beyond individual products that we might have skills with and owning the entire problem of providing platforms for your organization to get work done.
The conversation dives into the many products that can help our applications function better and the challenge of making them secure and fast. Are containers the solution? Possibly!
It’s your platform; focus on the fundamentals and go further!“
I had a great time chatting with Richard and we didn’t even mention AI until 40 minutes in. haha
Exciting announcement for the new year. My 23rd course with Pluralsight has published! This one is a Generative AI related course. It is titled “GitHub Copilot for IT Pros“. This is my first course in 2024.
Github Copilot is not just for Developers, its also for IT pros. In today’s world, AI is ubiquitous, enhancing efficiency and acting as a valuable assistant. GitHub Copilot, an AI-powered para-programmer, accelerates coding for developers, making the process faster and more efficient. IT professionals can also leverage Copilot to enhance their efficiency across various domains, including automation and Infrastructure as Code (IaC).
This course is for folks in roles such as Platform Engineers, DevOps Engineers, Systems Engineers, Cloud Engineers, and more. It will help you learn how GitHub Copilot can be leveraged as coding sidekick, speeding up IaC and automation script development.
This course shows you how to use GitHub Copilot, the AI-powered peer developer integrated into Visual Studio Code. First, you’ll explore GitHub Copilot and its features. Next, you’ll discover GitHub Copilot IDE integrations. Finally, you’ll learn how to use GitHub Copilot’s various features. When you’re finished with this course, you’ll have the skills and knowledge of GitHub Copilot needed to utilize GitHub Copilot as an IT pro.
Some of the major topics covered include:
What AI & Common AI Terminology is?
Understanding GitHub Copilot and its Features.
How to setup GitHub Copilot with VS Code?
How to use GitHub Copilot features like: suggestions, autofill, code testing, Copilot chat & more.
When you’re finished with this course, you’ll have a better understanding of GitHub Copilot all up and how it can be a critical tool for IT pros.
Check out the “GitHub Copilot for IT Pros“ course here:
In the Microsoft Copilot Product Journey path you will also find courses on the following (NOTE: many of the courses are still being developed):
Introduction to Microsoft Copilot Copilot for Microsoft 365 Apps (Microsoft Office) Copilot for Microsoft Teams Copilot for Web Copilot for Microsoft Windows Copilot for Microsoft SharePoint and OneDrive Copilot for Power Platform: The Big Picture
I hope you find value in this new GitHub Copilot for IT Pros course. Be sure to follow my profile on Pluralsight so you will be notified as I release new courses!
Here is the link to my Pluralsight profile to follow me:
💡 Starting the new year with another event! We kicked things off with a “Career in Cloud Panel” hosted by the Azure Community Enthusiasts (ACE) user group. Based in the UK, ACE brings together passionate individuals diving into the world of Azure.
This user group aims to create a community of enthusiasts and professionals passionate about learning Microsoft Azure. Their meetups are both online AND in-person (London or Birmingham). ACE can be found on Twitter here:
I had a blast being part of this Career in Cloud Panel with fellow panelist and long time friend Sam Ernskine (@samerskine) from the UK! Big shoutout to the hosts, friend and Microsoft MVP Kevin Greene (@kgreeneit) from Ireland, and the up and coming Nicholas Chang(@nick_cloudops), also an MVP from the UK. 👩💻👩🏿💻 It felt like a tech reunion! 🎉
We dove into some cool topics such as: what got us hooked on tech, the building blocks of tech skills throughout our careers, staying flexible by not tying the knot with one technology, whether cloud certifications are the golden ticket to landing a job, and more. Being on this panel was a total blast – a mix of fun and insightful vibes! 🌐
For those who missed it, you can catch the recording here:
This week I will be co-hosting another Microsoft Learn Live session. This one is “Learn Live: Building Resilient Intelligent Apps On AKS” in the Intelligent apps series. It is going to be action-packed full of several Microsoft technologies, AI, and AKS.
It is a part of Microsoft Reactor.
Microsoft Reactor provides events, training, and community resources to help startups, entrepreneurs, and developers. More on Reactor here: https://developer.microsoft.com/en-us/reactor.
In this Learn Live, I will be co-hosting as Cloud Native Developer Advocate Paul Yu will be leading us through a workshop.
Under the Computer Science Education Advancement Act (HF 759 and SF 757) (https://csforallmn.org/cs-ed-bill-2023/), the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) has been charged to form a working group that will develop a strategic plan to improve Computer Science for k-12 education in the state of Minnesota. 🎓
🔄 There is an urgent need to elevate Minnesota’s computer science k-12 education position. Minnesota is currently last in the United States when it comes to computer science.
🔄I am thrilled to share that, among 80 applicants, I have been chosen as a member of this new “Minnesota Computer Science Education Working Group” by MDE! 🌟 It’s an honor to stand alongside esteemed technologists and educators from our state. Together, we are committed to crafting a comprehensive statewide computer science education program.
Our mission is clear: bridge the tech education gap in Minnesota’s schools through a plan for long-term and sustained growth of computer science education in all k-12 school districts and charter schools. The working group will develop a robust plan, slated to be presented to legislative committees overseeing education in the state. Upon approval, this plan will be set to improve computer science education statewide.
I am thankful to work at an organization such as Microsoft that supports employees to engage in initiatives such as this. This is a testament to Microsoft’s mission to “empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more”.
I’m very excited to announce something that has been in the works for a little while now. I was fortunate to interview the legendary Andrew Shafer (@littleidea). We had a discussion about Platform Engineering. If you don’t know Andrew here is his BIO:
“Andrew Clay Shafer helped create the tools and practices that made DevOps a word. He is fascinated with the dynamics of high-performing individuals and organizations and has a reputation for improving outcomes at the intersection of Open Source, Cloud Computing and Software Delivery working on Puppet, OpenStack, Cloud Foundry and Kubernetes before founding Ergonautic to focus on improving the way people work.“
Basically, he started this whole DevOps thing, was key in the DevOps Days events, has founded some high-profile companies, and more. He is the perfect person to chat with about Platform Engineering because if anyone knows it he does!
I chatted with Andrew in an episode of Pluralsight’s Expert Access. Expert Access is a YouTube series where we (Pluralsight authors) bring in some of the best minds in tech to hear how tech leaders are solving business challenges and their takes on what’s next.
The title of the episode is: “Pluralsight Expert Access: Andrew Shafer on platform engineering as an evolution, not a replacement“. In this episode, I interview Andrew, as he gives his take on what Platform Engineering is, what organizations are chasing to enable developers, and what’s keeping organizations from long-term success when it comes to their DevOps practices. In the discussion we tackle these questions and more:
Is Platform Engineering a result of failed DevOps efforts in organizations? Is it just a Service Catalog with the twist of it being geared towards devs?
Platforms are not a new concept in the software world. In one of your tweets, there is an interesting line “Continuous Delivery without a platform is malpractice.“ Is this highlighting that organizations have been doing DevOps without platforms? Can you break down this line for us? It seems like there may be a story behind this?
Some people may equate Platform Engineering to having an Internal Developer Platform, is this the core of PE or are there other technologies that are also core to it?
Watch the episode for more insights on the importance of changing practices–not just words–for achieving sustainable progress and seeing Platform Engineering as a holistic approach to DevOps and delivery.
