Title

AWS re:Invent 2022 – How to empower software engineers to act & improve cloud efficiency (PRT077)

Summary

John Thompson, CTO of Virtuisan, and Enrique Rodriguez, a platform engineering manager at Ninja Holdings, discuss strategies to empower software engineers to improve cloud efficiency.
The talk focuses on the challenges of getting engineers to take action on cloud optimization opportunities, with a particular emphasis on the concept of FinOps, which combines finance and DevOps to manage cloud spend.
They highlight the importance of separating signal from noise by providing engineers with clear, actionable insights rather than overwhelming them with data.
Making it easy for engineers to take action is crucial, which involves understanding their workflow, the changes needed, and the potential risks involved.
Feedback loops are essential for successful collaboration and continuous improvement. Enrique shares his experience with migrating applications to Kubernetes and how involving engineers early and establishing a feedback process led to reduced cloud spend, improved deployment speeds, and fewer outages.
The overarching theme is to approach cloud optimization as a partnership, doing homework, showing empathy, and establishing a collaborative environment.

A significant portion of cloud spend is potentially wasteful, and there is a substantial opportunity for cost savings if engineers are effectively engaged in optimization efforts.
The FinOps Foundation is a key resource for those managing cloud spend, indicating the growing importance of financial operations in cloud management.
The talk emphasizes the need for context and understanding from a developer's perspective to ensure that recommendations for cloud optimization are practical and actionable.
Automation and infrastructure as code are mentioned as potential solutions to streamline the optimization process, suggesting that these are important areas for investment and skill development.
The success of cloud optimization initiatives is closely tied to the culture of collaboration and continuous feedback within engineering teams, highlighting the importance of soft skills and process management in technical roles.
The analogy with recruitment consultants underscores the value of quality over quantity in providing recommendations, which can be applied to various aspects of business and technology.
The session's focus on empathy and partnership suggests a shift in how technical teams are managed, moving away from top-down directives to a more collaborative and inclusive approach.