Let's call platforms what they really are, ways to provide something-as-a-Service

Platforms and Platform Engineering are the new buzzword du jour. But just like agile, DevOps and Observability, there are some really key concepts that deserve to be explored and applied. Together we will look beyond the definition of platform engineering to interrogate the outcomes promised by platforms and what that means in practice. In particular, there will be a deep dive into the “as-a-Service” pattern and how delivering internal services forms the cornerstone of Platform as a Product.

Transcript

1. Let's call platforms what they really are, ways to provide something-as-a-Service Abby Bangser (She/her) @a_bangser @abangser.bsky.social hachyderm.io/@abangser abby@syntasso.io
2. What do platforms have to do with DevOps?
3. Getting past the buzzwords DevOps in theory vs in practice at scale Aspiration of Platform Engineering enabling DevOps at scale The challenges around providing services (especially internal ones!) Patterns to improve success with platforms
4. Agile brought people together. DevOps wanted to extend this. Operations Development
5. Operations Finance Silos are everywhere Operations Development Testing Security
7. @a_bangser DevOps reduces friction between silos through automation, collaboration, fast feedback, and iterative improvement
8. One way to remove friction is to remove the silos Development Operations Operations Development
9. Introduction of full stack increased collaboration, fast feedback and iterative improvement.
10. But that isn't the full story. Maybe this story will capture some feelings.
11. Imagine we wanted to cook something new and it meant we needed a few new things.
12. For example, maybe a new ingredient. Put in a request and wait.
13. Or a new pan … … ask and wait.
14. We can request anything … … But no promises.
15. ? ! ? !
16. Don't worry!
17. DevOps is here to help! No more asking!
18. Whew 😅
19. But, nothing comes for free 😬
20. We don't need to ask for anything, but we're on our own
21. That ingredient we need? I better get planting 🌱
22. A new knife? Fire up your forge 🔪
23. 󰷹 Well that's stupid
24. Every team doesn't have the skills or interest to deliver every capability. Even if they do, is this secure and cost effective for the company?
25. Complete autonomy leads to debilitating responsibility. Especially at scale.
26. Complete autonomy leads to debilitating responsibility. Especially at scale. That doesn't discount DevOps as both effective and enjoyable!
27. Platform engineering enables DevOps principles at scale
28. "Application teams build, deploy, monitor, and are on call for the application components [...]. Platform teams build, deploy, monitor, and are on call for the platform components"
29. @a_bangser DevOps reduces friction between silos through automation, collaboration, fast feedback, and iterative improvement
30. Collaboration is one of three interaction modes
31. Collaboration: Optimised for empathy and exploration.
32. X-as-a-Service: Optimised for scale and autonomy
33. Interaction models are not permanent, they evolve and benefit from intentional transitions
34. Platform engineering enables DevOps principles at scale by transitioning understood offerings from collaboration mode to services.
35. Platform engineering enables DevOps principles at scale by transitioning understood offerings from collaboration mode to services. Platforms are Something-as-a-Service.
36. Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF) platform definition A platform [...] is an integrated collection of capabilities defined and presented according to the needs of the platform’s users. It is a cross-cutting layer that ensures a consistent experience for acquiring and integrating typical capabilities and services for a broad set of applications and use cases.
37. But Abby. Isn't this optimising Internal Tech or Ops services within an organisation.
39. https://unsplash.com/photos/W4mxkUzIs3w Apparent rebranded can be confusing. Let's dig into the details that define platform engineering today.
40. X-as-a-Service: Optimised for scale and autonomy
41. Service expectations are growing
42. Application developers have the same service expectations at work.
43. Discoverable On demand Self service Managed Customers and businesses today expect:
44. In other words, internal platforms are products that provide services
45. Let's focus on how
46. X-as-a-Service has proven its value Hardware-as-a-Service Infrastructure-as-a-Service Platform-as-a-Service Software-as-a-Service
47. Platform-as-a-Service Solves a customer's problem Easy to use Reduces maintenance risk Provides flexibility 1st generation of platforms was PaaS
48. When investing think, how do I want to pay for this? Build vs Buy
49. When investing think, how do I want to pay for this? Build vs Buy Everything non-differentiating
50. PaaS provides a lot of features ➔ Test Environments ➔ Observability ➔ Support ➔ Reliability ➔ Built in security ➔ And more 😉
53. In the 1st generation we learned an important lesson: If you can use another company's processes, do it. But not everyone can.
54. 1st generation PaaS is X-as-a-Service without Collaboration first.
55. Everything non-differentiating Your processes, Your experience, Your business, Your value. When investing think, how do I want to pay for this? Build vs Buy
56. When you're not willing to outsource your DevEx & processes, you need to build your platform, your way.
57. Platform-as-a-Service Solves a customer's problem Easy to use Reduces maintenance risk Provides flexibility 2nd generation platforms are products that orchestrate the as-a-Service pattern
58. While still providing a user-friendly and unified experience. 2nd generation platforms are products that orchestrate the as-a-Service pattern
59. And unfortunately we know, poor DevEx leads to poor UX This requires platform building, but the DevEx is not great
60. Frameworks improve platform building DevEx Backstage for UIs Cobra for CLIs Kratix for platform APIs Crossplane for Infrastructure as Code
61. As a wrap up… Focus on DevOps for reducing friction, not necessarily silos. When software is required, it is best built with DevOps principles to enable maintainability and extensibility. Successful products differentiate only where valuable and leverage on frameworks and dependencies where possible. Platform Engineering is an implementation that focuses on building products to enable DevOps scale.
62. Thank you! Abby Bangser (She/her) @a_bangser @abangser.bsky.social hachyderm.io/@abangser abby@syntasso.io
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