Panel: Platform Engineering: Unveiling the Next Evolution in DevOps

Speakers:

In our this exciting panel on Platform Engineering, we explored the evolution of DevOps and the recent surge in interest surrounding platform engineering. Despite DevOps advocating for treating platforms as products and emphasizing principles like ‘Infrastructure as Code,’ platform engineering has emerged as a booming topic in 2024. We questioned whether this represents the culmination of DevOps principles or a new paradigm altogether.

Panelists identified key platform engineering concepts and principles crucial for organizational success. These include robust infrastructure automation, scalable architecture design, and fostering a culture of collaboration and innovation.

While many enterprises have invested in IT platforms, few have established enterprise-wide platform engineering capabilities. Our discussion highlighted the challenges organizations face in adopting a platform engineering mindset on a wide scale, including cultural resistance, lack of clear strategy, and inadequate talent development.

A critical insight emerged regarding the adoption of platforms by DevOps and product teams. Despite technical soundness, platforms often falter due to a lack of adoption from internal customers. Panelists cited reasons such as poor communication, mismatched expectations, and insufficient training.

The role of senior leadership emerged as pivotal in successfully building platform engineering capabilities. Leadership’s support and vision are essential for driving cultural change, aligning business goals with technical initiatives, and fostering collaboration across teams.

Looking ahead, the panel offered valuable insights into the core themes and topics DASA should prioritize in their upcoming talent and guidance products on Platform Engineering. These include comprehensive training on platform fundamentals, best practices for platform adoption, and strategies for fostering a platform-first culture within organizations.