DevOps
Career Inflection Points: 10M Hall of Fame
October 10, 2023
Career Inflection Points: 10M Hall of Fame
In this blog post, Annie gives a shout-out to some amazing colleagues who went the extra mile to help her navigate the challenges of entering the tech world. This post underscores the value of believing in newcomers and investing in their growth.
Career Inflection Points: Chicago and Learning
October 8, 2023
Career Inflection Points: Chicago and Learning
When I tell the story of how I got my first job in tech, it’s always a fun celebratory vibe, but in reality I was so scared and overwhelmed. I had to make new learning goals over and over again. Such is the life of a technologist.
Career Inflection Points: Networking
October 5, 2023
Career Inflection Points: Networking
From a fateful dinner decision to networking at conferences, with mentors and passion leading the way. It's a testament to the power of community and mentorship in the tech world.
Career Inflection Points: A Big Dinner
September 15, 2023
Career Inflection Points: A Big Dinner
Explore the pivotal moment in my career journey that occurred over a dinner conversation. Learn how a shift in perspective led to a new career path and the importance of empathy in the technology.
Azure’s Managed Identity in Test Kitchen
April 12, 2019
Azure’s Managed Identity in Test Kitchen
Explore how Azure’s Managed Identity enhances security in Test Kitchen by replacing client secrets with identities to your kitchen nodes for easier testing.
InSpec Basics: Day 11 - Validating Azure Resources with InSpec Azure
January 2, 2019
InSpec Basics: Day 11 - Validating Azure Resources with InSpec Azure
Discover how to use InSpec to scan and validate your Azure resources. A step-by-step guide on how to use the InSpec Azure resource pack to ensure compliance.
Packer and Azure Managed Images
September 23, 2018
Packer and Azure Managed Images
Explore the process of creating managed images in Azure using Packer and Chef. Learn how to use these images across multiple subscriptions and regions.
What My Bike Accident Taught Me About DevOps
July 18, 2018
What My Bike Accident Taught Me About DevOps
Discover how a bike accident taught me valuable lessons about DevOps: the importance of safety, practice, vulnerability, and teamwork in IT.
2017 Year in Review
January 17, 2018
2017 Year in Review
The highlights and achievements of 2017 from career advancements to personal growth, leading to an exciting future in Boulder, Colorado.
Your First DevOps Project to Automate Infrastructure
December 21, 2017
Your First DevOps Project to Automate Infrastructure
Start your journey into DevOps with this comprehensive guide. Learn to automate infrastructure by doing with this simple project.
Chef Artifacts with Artifactory
May 19, 2017
Chef Artifacts with Artifactory
Explore how Artifactory is an excellent tool for managing Chef artifacts for deployments. Learn how to install, upload, control access and integrate with Chef. Discover the benefits of Artifactory over other alternatives.
Policyfile Pipeline with Jenkinsfile
May 15, 2017
Policyfile Pipeline with Jenkinsfile
Discover how to manage Chef changes in all environments using policyfiles. Learn how to create a Jenkins pipeline for your policyfiles, ensuring secure and efficient deployment.
DevOps Leadership Summit in Dallas
May 9, 2017
DevOps Leadership Summit in Dallas
Join us at the DevOps Leadership Summit in Dallas on August 28, 2017. Network with industry leaders and learn how to facilitate a DevOps transformation in your company.
Which Line?
April 5, 2017
Which Line?
Explore the impact of software development on a company’s bottom line versus top line. How I navigated from a cost-saving role to a revenue-generating position.
Why Habitat?
March 27, 2017
Why Habitat?
Explore the journey of a software engineer discovering the benefits of Habitat for application deployment. Learn about the pros and cons of various application automation approaches, and why Habitat stands out as a game-changer in the field.
A Chef Custom Resource
February 10, 2017
A Chef Custom Resource
Explore the process of creating a Chef custom resource for your certification exam preparation. This blog post provides a detailed walkthrough of the process, helping you understand and implement custom resources effectively.
Our Superbowl
February 2, 2017
Our Superbowl
Discover how NCR revolutionized their delivery process with Chef, enabling customers to grow their businesses beyond traditional boundaries. This is our Superbowl story.
How I’m Learning Docker
January 12, 2017
How I’m Learning Docker
Explore my journey of learning Docker as a part of my DevOps training. I share my experiences with inverted and relative learning styles, and how they helped me understand complex concepts like virtualization and isolation.
Jenkinsfile
January 5, 2017
Jenkinsfile
The basics of configuring a Jenkinsfile to creating a CI/CD Pipeline in Jenkins. Includes version control, parallel commands, and an audit trail. Discover how to build, test, and publish.
My Devops Training Plan
January 1, 2017
My Devops Training Plan
Discover my comprehensive DevOps training plan for the new year. Learn about my projects, tools, and technologies I’ll be using and comparing. Follow my journey on the blog!
7 Options for Implementing Policyfile Attributes in Any Environment
November 14, 2016
7 Options for Implementing Policyfile Attributes in Any Environment
Seven ways to move away from Chef node, environment, or role attributes to Chef policyfile attributes. This can be the hardest part of migrating to Policyfiles.
InSpec Basics: Day 10 - Attributes with Environment Variables
November 8, 2016
InSpec Basics: Day 10 - Attributes with Environment Variables
Explore the final part of our InSpec Basics series, where we delve into using attributes with environment variables for testing different environments in TeamCity. Learn how to create and configure MySQL passwords using these attributes.
Migrating from Chef Analytics to Chef Visibility
October 16, 2016
Migrating from Chef Analytics to Chef Visibility
Discover how to smoothly transition from Chef Analytics to Chef Visibility. Migrate your existing Chef Analytics Server to a Chef Visibility Server and to ensure a successful transition.
Margin for Leadership
October 7, 2016
Margin for Leadership
Explore the importance of creating margin in your day for leadership and mentoring. Learn from past mistakes and discover how to effectively manage your time for the benefit of your team.
InSpec Basics: Day 9 - Attributes
October 5, 2016
InSpec Basics: Day 9 - Attributes
Discover the basics of InSpec Attributes in this Day 9 tutorial. Learn how to create an InSpec profile, declare attributes, use them in if statements, and run different tests. Ideal for database and webserver roles.
My Chef Workflow
August 16, 2016
My Chef Workflow
Discover how to streamline your Chef workflow in this comprehensive guide. Learn how to set up a connection, bootstrap nodes, install policies, and more. Perfect for beginners and experienced users alike.
InSpec Basics: Day 8 - Regular Expressions
August 1, 2016
InSpec Basics: Day 8 - Regular Expressions
Dive into the basics of InSpec and learn how to write a test to search for regular expressions in this Learning InSpec blog series.
ChefConf 2016: Lessons Learned
July 15, 2016
ChefConf 2016: Lessons Learned
Explore key takeaways from ChefConf 2016, including the role of security in DevOps, the future of the industry, and personal insights on career development in tech.
InSpec and Me
July 2, 2016
InSpec and Me
Explore my journey learning Ruby and experimenting with InSpec and Chef. Discover how InSpec bridges the gap between Security and DevOps, and how I aim to fill a new role in this space.
Finding Alignment
June 24, 2016
Finding Alignment
Explore the keys to finding alignment in business initiatives. Learn how respect and empathy can help bridge gaps and foster collaboration. Discover how different teams align with DevOps.
Disruption is Uncomfortable
June 10, 2016
Disruption is Uncomfortable
Explore how disruption can lead to discomfort in a DevOps environment, and learn how to navigate change effectively. Discover the importance of empathy and communication in managing disruptive changes.
The Technical Asshole Curse
March 18, 2016
The Technical Asshole Curse
Explore the ‘Technical Asshole Curse’ in the tech industry, where hard skills overshadow soft skills, leading to a toxic work environment. Learn how to avoid this trap and foster a healthier workspace.
The Power of Culture in Cross-Discipline Change Initiatives
February 12, 2016
The Power of Culture in Cross-Discipline Change Initiatives
Explore the power of culture in driving cross-discipline change initiatives. Understand the roles of developers, SecOps, and Operations in a business and how to foster cooperation.
Building Alliances
January 27, 2016
Building Alliances
Discover the importance of building alliances to effectively persuade people, especially in challenging situations. Learn from real-life experiences and expert advice on fostering a supportive team.
Why Before What
January 20, 2016
Why Before What
Explore the importance of establishing a shared vision before implementing change in an agile transformation. Learn why understanding the ‘why’ is crucial before jumping to the ‘what’.
Putting Developers On Call
January 13, 2016
Putting Developers On Call
Explore the benefits and challenges of putting developers on call in a DevOps culture. Discover how this approach can foster responsibility, improve product design, and enhance collaboration between teams.
Three Essential Components to Compliance at Velocity in the Enterprise
November 6, 2015
Three Essential Components to Compliance at Velocity in the Enterprise
Discover the three essential components to achieving compliance at velocity in the enterprise: focusing on the workflow, making it real, and empowering security. Learn from a Chef initiative.
My Advice For Chef in Large Corporations
September 23, 2015
My Advice For Chef in Large Corporations
Explore practical advice for people in large corporations on how to effectively use configuration management. Learn from real-life examples and implement simple strategies to transform your organization’s ability to react to change.
The Phoenix Project Book Review
February 2, 2015
The Phoenix Project Book Review
Explore my insights on the transformative power of ‘The Phoenix Project’ in my latest book review. Discover how this book can change your perspective on devops and your career.
Learning Chef Book Review
January 9, 2015
Learning Chef Book Review
Discover the world of Chef with the Learning Chef book. Understand and use Chef, including testing techniques and Windows-friendly commands.