DevOps ReduxTomer Gabel, Wix

Reversim Summit 2014

Full disclosure• These are my

personal observations• They do not represent

my past or current employers’

• And they may be entirely wrong– I welcome debate! – Catch me after the talk

ANECDOTES AND OBSERVATIONS

What shall we talk about?

STORY OF MY LIFEAnecdote #1

… in the beginning• I’ve been programming since forever

• … but also interested in hardware, IT…

• … and esoterica

Enter: Delver• Where I was

happily banging at code

Enter: Delver• Where I was

happily banging at code– and at production

systems at 3AM

Enter: Delver• Where I was

happily banging at code– and at production

systems at 3AM– every single day

Enter: Delver• Where I was

happily banging at code– and at production

systems at 3AM– every single day

• Net result:– Complete burnout

Dramatic Pause• Next thing you

know…

The Reveal• Next thing you

know…• This happens

• Product pivots ensue…

• Product pivots ensue some more…

Until finally…• I couldn’t face another product pivot

• I was left with two options:– Leave the company– Do something radically different

An experiment

• So it turns out I actually did a lot of…– Production

debugging– IT infrastructure– Software

infrastructure– Automation

An experiment

• So it turns out I actually did a lot of…– Production debugging– IT infrastructure– Software infrastructure– Automation

… and liked it!

An experiment

• This was early 2009– DevOps wasn’t a

“thing” yet• I had free rein to

define my own job– And buy-in from our

terrific VPs R&D, Ops

– Thanks, guys!

An experiment• What I ended up

doing:– Specifications for

monitoring, logging– Deployment

automation– Production support

• Sharing more responsibility with R&D

ENGINEERING IS ENGINEERING IS ENGINEERING

Observation #1

DevOps is at its best• … when

software engineers develop an operational bent • … when system

administrators dig code

QUESTIONS SO FAR?

Anecdote #2• A recruiter once asked me,

– “How should I hire DevOps people?”• To which I replied…

Anecdote #2• A recruiter once asked me,

– “How should I hire DevOps people?”• To which I replied…

– “Just stick DevOps in the title. They will come.”

Something wondrous happens• DevOps becomes a

thing!• Easier to explain

– Others have already done it better

• Easier to hire– You’re early out the

gate

But then…

Remember back, oh, five years?• QA was considered R&D’s idiot kid brother

– I don’t think that’s the case– But it was, and to a degree still is, the

conception– At least in Israel

• It became hard to hire for QA– The candidate pool was saturated– … and ill-chosen

It’s kinda the same• Everyone needs “DevOps” these days• But as it gains mainstream

acceptance…– Viable candidates are long gone– Recruiting can no longer meet demand– HR agencies are left with one option:

artificially increase the pool

Recap• The best DevOps engineers are already

taken.

• But you need them anyway. How to get them?

• A more compelling question is:– “How should I hire DevOps people who

don’t know what DevOps is?”

Recruiting 101• Should we aim

for…

Recruiting 101• Should we aim

for…sysadmins?

Recruiting 101• Should we aim for…

sysadmins?• Probably not

– Too focused on infrastructure, IT

– Software eng. and architecture skills needed

Recruiting 101• Should we aim for…

Recruiting 101• Should we aim for…

software engineers?

Recruiting 101• Probably not.

– Technology requirements too specific– Solely focused on software

development

Recruiting 101• Maybe we should throw in the towel?

Recruiting 101• Maybe we should throw in the towel?

– and aim for DevOps

Recruiting 101• Maybe we should throw in the towel?

– and aim for DevOps• Won’t work.

– Only applies toseniors

– Who are alreadytaken

YOU CAN’T HIRE FOR DEVOPS BECAUSE

DEVOPS IS NOT A ROLE

Observation #2

Explain yourself, sir!

• Conway’s law, my interpretation:“Software architecture inevitably reflects the structure and process of the organization that spawned it.”

Kicking the hornet’s nest

• Likewise,“System infrastructure inevitably reflects the structure and process of the R&D organization it supports.”

Getting to the point• Architecture and DevOps aren’t roles• But rather, different views of the

organization• Both try to model your organization

as it applies to their respective domains

• In other words, they’re aspects

ANY OF THESE FAMILIAR?Let’s play a game

Any of these familiar?• This is Shirley.• She’s on the QA

team.• She’s got a real

knack for spotting blockers

• Especially just before, during or after a deployment

Any of these familiar?• This is Ruth.• She leads the back-

end team.• She knows her Unix

and can handle the production servers better than anyone.

Any of these familiar?• This is John.• He’s the badass team

lead across the hall.• When shit hits the fan,

he’s always on-board• And is single-mindedly

determined to get back up and running

What’s in common?• Every organization has such people• They perform one or more DevOps

functions• In other words, you already have

DevOps in your organization• Does it merit a specialized position?

Observation #2, epilogue• Don’t hire DevOps. Train them.• You’re looking for smart juniors

– You already know how to spot them– Challenge them with real responsibility

and watch them grow– Water frequently– Profit

Takeaways• Engineering is engineering is

engineering– Same skills, different perspectives

• DevOps is not a role– It’s incredibly hard to hire DevOps…– Because we’re doing it wrong– Focus on the operational challenge, not the

title

QUESTIONS?

Thank you for your time!• I love me some

feedback!– Lively debate always

welcome– Hate mail is cool too

• Get in touch:– @tomerg– tomer@tomergabel.co

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