Screaming in the Cloud
Screaming in the Cloud
Corey Quinn
Screaming in the Cloud with Corey Quinn features conversations with domain experts in the world of Cloud Computing. Topics discussed include AWS, GCP, Azure, Oracle Cloud, and the "why" behind how businesses are coming to think about the Cloud.
The Complexities of Cloud Networking with William Collins
Episode SummaryCorey is joined by William Collins, Alkira's head cloud architect, to discuss the obstacles and possibilities of cloud networking. They discuss the evolution, challenges, and necessity of cloud networking, highlighting why this fundamental part of cloud design often goes unrecognized yet truly deserves attention. From William's early days of cloud skepticism to the incredible influence of services such as AWS Transit Gateway, William shares his experiences and insights into how network planning can make a big difference in cloud installations in this episode of Screaming in the Cloud.Show Notes:About William Collins:William Collins is a principal cloud architect at Alkira, where he plays a pivotal role in evangelizing the company's vision, building customer relationships, and leading thought in the network, security, and automation spaces within the cloud ecosystem. With a rich background in enterprise technology across financial services and healthcare, including a significant tenure as Director of Cloud Architecture at Humana, William has made substantial contributions to cloud adoption and network modernization. Beyond his professional pursuits, William is passionate about content creation, hosting The Cloud Gambit Podcast, and teaching as a LinkedIn Learning Instructor. His expertise spans automation, cloud computing, and network engineering. An advocate for continuous learning and innovation, William's outside interests include woodworking, playing ice hockey, and guitar. While his insights are influential, they reflect his personal views and not those of his employer.Show Highlights: (00:00) Introduction(03:24) William Collins shares his initial skepticism towards cloud computing (07:28) The evolution of cloud networking(13:50) The role of upfront planning in cloud network deployment to avoid scalability and complexity issues.(21:10) The shift from complicated, manual network setups to simple, effective cloud systems .(24:13) William uses Netflix's network design as an example of how cloud networking powers seamless user experiences (27:44) The future of cloud networking and the ongoing need for innovation(30:23)  Closing remarks Links:Alkira's Website: https://www.alkira.com/The Cloud Gambit Podcast: https://www.thecloudgambit.com/William Collins on X (Twitter) https://twitter.com/WCollins502AWS Transit Gateway  https://aws.amazon.com/transit-gateway/William Collins on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/william-collins-
Feb 29
30 min
The Hidden Costs of Cloud Computing with Jack Ellis
On this week’s episode of Screaming in the Cloud, Corey Quinn is joined by Jack Ellis. He is the technical co-founder of Fathom Analytics, a privacy-first alternative to Google Analytics. Corey and Jack talk in-depth about a wide variety of AWS services, which ones have a habit of subtly hiking the monthly bill, and why Jack has moved towards working with consultants instead of hiring a costly DevOps team. This episode is truly a deep dive into everything AWS and billing-related led by one of the best in the industry. Tune in.Show Highlights(00:00) - Introduction and Background(00:31) - The Birth of Fathom Analytics(03:35) - The Surprising Cost Drivers: Lambda and CloudWatch(05:27) - The New Infrastructure Plan: CloudFront and WAF Logs(08:10) - The Unexpected Costs of CloudWatch and NAT Gateways(10:37) - The Importance of Efficient Data Movement(12:54) - The Hidden Costs of S3 Versioning(14:33) - The Benefits of AWS Compute Optimizer(17:38) - The Implications of AWS's New IPv4 Address Charges(18:57) - Considering On-Premise Data Centers(21:05) - The Economics of Cloud vs On-Premise(24:05) - The Role of Consultants in Cloud Management(31:05) - The Future of Cloud Management(33:20) - Closing Thoughts and Contact InformationAbout Jack EllisTechnical co-founder of Fathom Analytics, the simple, privacy-first alternative to Google Analytics.Links:Twitter: @JackEllisWebsite: https://usefathom.com/Blog Post: An alterNAT Future: We Now Have a NAT Gateway ReplacementSponsor: Oso - osohq.com
Feb 27
35 min
How Scaling Turns Rare Occurrences Into Common Ones with Jason Cohen
Today Corey Quinn is joined by Founder and Chief Innovation Officer at WP Engine, Jason Cohen. Jason breaks down the biggest issues he has seen throughout his career hosting millions of websites including why seemingly rare problems should be expected at scale, how moving on after attaining a “good enough” metric can save time and money, and what it means to be proud of your work in the world of cybersecurity. Check it out!Show Highlights(00:00) - WordPress popularity and outsourcing engineering tasks(07:28) - Web hosting and scalability(11:01) - Server reliability and quality control(14:18) - Scaling infrastructure and prioritizing customer value(26:20) - Website speed and optimization(28:17) - WordPress scalability and deployment in a cloud environment(36:14) - Customer profitability and service limitations(38:54) - Security measures for ethical decision-making(47:19) - Balancing free speech and decision-making in online content moderationAbout JasonFounder of unicorn WP Engine (200,000 customers, 1,200 employees). Previously founder of bootstrapped Smart Bear (sold 2008; re-sold in 2021 at ~$2B) and ITWatchDogs (sold 2004). Original mentor and angel investor with Austin-based Capital Factory since 2009.Written about startups for seventeen years, most recently at https://longform.asmartbear.com; Twitter: @asmartbear.Links Referenced:Personal Website: https://longform.asmartbear.com/WP Engine: https://wpengine.com/Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncohen/
Feb 22
52 min
Overcoming Cloud Development Obstacles with Elad Ben-Israel
Corey Quinn talks with Elad Ben-Israel, CEO and Co-founder of Wing Cloud, about the creation of Wing, a revolutionary programming language designed to simplify cloud application development. Elad shares his experiences at AWS and the journey to developing Wing Cloud, highlighting the challenges developers face with existing cloud paradigms and how Wing aims to seamlessly integrate infrastructure and application code. The conversation goes further into Wing's open-source nature, its design philosophy focused on making cloud development more accessible, and the delicate balance between commercial interests and open-source contributions.Show highlights: (00:17) - Corey Quinn introduces Elad Ben-Israel(02:27) - Elad Ben-Israel discusses the motivation behind creating Wing,(06:28) - Elad presents Wing as a programming language designed to add an architectural dimension to cloud programming(09:45) - The demarcation between application and platform is explored(13:27) - Introduction of the "platform provider" within Wing(22:18) - The Importance of Choice in Cloud Development(31:22) - Getting started on Wing (33:14) - Closing remarks About Elad Ben-Israel: Elad has been coding since he remembers himself, which is quite a long time ago, and always had an unexplained attraction to developer tools. He created the AWS CDK when working at AWS and is now the co-founder and CEO of Wing Cloud, which is building Winglang, a programming language for the cloud.Links Referenced:Winglang.ioWinglang on GitHub - https://github.com/winglang/wingWinglang Slack Community - https://winglang.slack.com/join/shared_invite/zt-23emj8uue-ZF4ijRNtdDOLO5F7iIz~NA#/shared-invite/emailElad Ben-Israel on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hackingonstuff/
Feb 20
34 min
A Conversation on Cloud WAN with Kris Gillespie
Kris Gillespie, lead platform engineer for Silverflow, joins Corey Quinn on "Screaming in the Cloud" to talk about Cloud WAN's exciting new role in cloud networking. Kris explains Silverflow's journey, from the original problems with network scalability and the resolution of IP conflicts, to fully utilizing Cloud WAN for global connectivity and easier network management. Kris, who enjoys simplifying complex network architectures, discusses how Cloud WAN has enabled Silverflow to seamlessly integrate between regions and cloud providers, meeting their mission-critical needs for low latency and reliable transaction processing. Listen in to see how Cloud WAN has transformed the approach to solving fundamental network problems, demonstrating the importance for companies and engineers of knowing how to navigate the constantly evolving cloud landscape. Show Highlights: (00:00) Introduction to the show(01:57) Kris recounts the initial challenges Silverflowy and the discovery of Cloud WAN(04:15) The advantages of Cloud WAN over traditional transit gateways(08:35) Infrastructure management with OrgFormation (12:15) Insights into the use of historical and current networking technologies (21:13) challenges and implications of transitioning to IPv6(33:10) Kris highlights the real need for Cloud WAN(37:50) Closing remarksAbout KrisKris is a 28-year industry veteran. He started in '95 back in Australia on the help desk for the first ISP in the country. Since then has moved to the Netherlands, switching roles between network, systems and storage engineering. During this time has been involved in developing certifications for both IBM and (the now defunct) EMC, among others. Worked heavily in the finance/banking sector. The last 10 years has been keenly focused on the cloud space and as is the term these days, combined these skills into what's popularly coined, a "Platform Engineer"Currently works for a payments processing startup, Silverflow, as their Principal Platform Engineer, leading their Platform team and ensuring the platform can scale globally.Links Referenced:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/krisgillespie/blog: https://blog.viking-ops.io/
Feb 15
38 min
Understanding the Future of Cloud Technology with Anthony Esper
From a systems admin to a cloud computing pioneer, Anthony Esper illustrates the dynamic landscape of cloud technology and its impact on businesses in this episode of Screaming in the Cloud. Using his vast experience and extensive expertise, Anthony shares his insights on developing the Golden VPC module, the intricacies of cloud consulting across various industries, and the pivotal role of strategic planning in cloud adoption. Tune in for practical advice and expert insights!About AnthonyAnthony Esper is a seasoned Chief Technology Officer with over two decades in technology consulting. His pioneering work includes developing self-showing real estate technology with Occupi Inc and leading over 20 AWS projects across major US corporations. Esper's expertise spans cloud computing, security, and big data, contributing to his reputation as a tech industry influencer.Show highlights: (00:00) - Introduction(01:07) - Backstory of the Golden VPC Module Creation(05:13) - The Realities of Cloud Consulting(09:52) - AWS Operational Challenges and Solutions(19:30) - Significance of Strategic Cloud Adoption(28:42) - Closing RemarksLinks Referenced:Golden VPC Module video: https://youtu.be/fHGO03piySM?si=2NAFRPCBN-VwJPCPLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anthony-esper-9182441
Feb 13
30 min
SmugMug's Cloud Adventure with Andrew Shieh
Andrew Shieh shares the thrilling story of SmugMug’s bold leap into AWS’s cloud technology, marking it as one of the pioneering companies to harness the cloud for digital photography storage. This episode offers a unique perspective into the type of strategy and groundbreaking tech advancements that catapulted SmugMug’s success. Listen to the full episode for a masterclass in innovation and adaptation!Show highlights: (00:00) Corey introduces the show & Guest Andrew Shieh(00:54)Andrew shares the story of how SmugMug became AWS's first enterprise customer. (02:17) Discussion on the evolution of AWS's customer service(04:31) Reflections on the expansion of AWS services. (06:08) The critical role of Amazon S3 in SmugMug's operations(12:24) AWS's interest in unique customer stories and feedback (09:32) SmugMug's cloud strategy and optimization(13:50) Andrew discusses challenges and solutions in cloud adoption(17:38) Andrew shares his experiences at AWS re:Invent, offering thoughts on the conference's evolution(21:09) A look into AWS's pricing formulas and business insights (31:55) Closing thoughtsAbout AndrewAndrew "shandrew" Shieh is a multidisciplinary engineer, focused today on making the AWS cloud do what it promises to. Andrew started as an environmental engineer, focused on energy efficiency and air pollution modeling, but quickly got dragged into tech after spending most of college at the help desk of the Unix computer cluster.Andrew's current interests include sustainability, cost efficiency, and economics. Most AWS service teams are his friends and he enjoys (a bit too much) talking to his SmugMug and Flickr coworkers about AWS. He recently spoke at AWS re:Invent about how his children (9 and 11) helped to teach him the value of trivia as a means of learning backwards. He also wrote a keynote for re:Invent's pandemic year, and has rescued billions of precious photos from extinction.Links Referenced:SmugMug: https://www.smugmug.com/S3 Intelligent Tiering blog post on Duckbill Group: https://www.duckbillgroup.com/blog/s3-intelligent-tiering-what-it-takes-to-actually-break-even/Mastodon: https://hachyderm.io/@shandrewLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shandrew/Flickr: https://flickr.com/photos/shandrewAndrew's talk on "Learning Backwards" at re:Invent 2023: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=od09dD7mc6k 
Feb 8
32 min
Exploring Advanced Cybersecurity with Michael Isbitski
Cybersecurity leader Mike Isbitski explores the intricacies of cloud-native security and vulnerability management in today's technological landscape. With over 25 years of experience, he provides valuable insights into the challenges and complexities organizations face in securing ephemeral infrastructure and machine identities in the cloud. This episode also explores the cautious adoption of AI in cybersecurity, emphasizing the need for a balanced approach that maintains operational functionality while addressing evolving security concerns.Key Points with TimestampSecurity through Obscurity (00:00:00) - Mike discusses common security practices.Cloud-Native Technology Explained (00:01:30) - Unpacking the meaning of cloud-native tech.Evolving Vulnerability Management (00:03:38) - Insights on how vulnerability management has improved.AI in Cybersecurity (00:21:20) - Discussion on the slow but growing adoption of AI in cybersecurity.Challenges of Permissions and Identity (00:29:29) - The complexities of permissions in the cloud environment.Future Trends in Cybersecurity (00:34:11) - Predictions for changes and advancements in the cybersecurity landscape.About MichaelMichael Isbitski is a former Gartner analyst, cybersecurity leader, and practitioner with more than 25 years of experience, specializing in application, cloud, and container security. Michael learned many hard lessons on the front lines of IT working on application security, vulnerability management, enterprise architecture, and systems engineering. He's guided countless organizations globally in their security initiatives as they support their businesses.Links Referenced:Sysdig: https://sysdig.com/Sysdig 2024 Cloud-Native Security and Usage Report: www.sysdig.com/SITC
Feb 6
35 min
Empowering Economic Growth Through Tech Innovations with Angie Jones
Technology meets economic empowerment in this episode featuring Angie Jones, Global Vice President of Developer Relations at TBD, a Block division. Angie sheds light on the role of decentralized technologies in shaping the future of digital identity and cross-border payments. Her journey from software engineering to a leadership role in tech innovation illustrates her profound impact on the industry. This episode offers valuable insights into how technological advancements are driving economic growth and changing the financial landscape. Angie's expertise and unique perspective make this a must-listen for anyone interested in the cutting-edge intersection of technology, finance, and innovation.About AngieAngie Jones is the Global Vice President of Developer Relations for TBD, Block’s new business unit focused on decentralized technologies. She is an award-winning teacher and international keynote speaker who shares her wealth of knowledge at software companies and conferences all over the world.As a Master Inventor, Angie is known for her innovative and out-of-the-box thinking style which has resulted in 27 patented inventions in the areas of metaverses, collaboration software, social networking, smarter planet, and software development processes.Show notes:(00:25) Introduction to Angie Jones and Her Role at TBD(01:25) Angie’s Recognition in a USA Today Crossword(02:50) Career Journey and Transition into Developer Relations(06:04) Block’s Mission and Services in Economic Empowerment(10:09) Convenience vs. Decentralization in Technology(16:49) Innovations in Cross-Border Payments(25:01) Decentralized Tech Stories and Reflections on Tech Innovation(30:22) Challenging Tech Industry Norms and Global PerspectivesLinks Referenced:TBD: https://www.tbd.website/Twitter: https://twitter.com/techgirl1908LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/angiejones/
Feb 1
37 min
Mastering Tech Transitions with Ceora Ford
Join us for a fascinating talk with Ceora Ford, a Developer Advocate at Okta, as she explores the changing world of tech. Ceora shares her unique journey through different tech roles and talks about the importance of keeping technical skills sharp, even when focusing on advocacy. She also gives us a sneak peek into the exciting AI developments happening at Okta. Tune in to this episode to get a better understanding of the fast-paced tech industry and what's coming next.About CeoraCeora Ford is a Developer Advocate from Philadelphia, renowned for her expertise in making complex computer science concepts accessible to a broad audience. With a rich history of creating educational content, she has significantly contributed to the tech community, working with leading companies like CodeSandbox, DigitalOcean, egghead.io, and Apollo GraphQL. Ceora's career is marked by her unique ability to simplify technical topics, making them understandable for everyone, from students to professionals in tech-adjacent roles. Her non-traditional path into tech and her current role at Okta showcase her commitment to making the tech industry more inclusive and approachable for all. Links Referenced:Okta: https://www.okta.com/Twitter: https://twitter.com/ceeoreo_Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ceeoreo/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@ceeoreoThreads: https://www.threads.net/@ceeoreoLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ceora-ford/Personal website: https://ceora.dev
Jan 30
32 min
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