July 2018 Summaries

PagerDuty has announced a partnership with JIG-SAW, a prominent technology services provider in Japan, as part of its international expansion. This collaboration aims to assist Japanese businesses in enhancing their digital operations management, which includes managing mission-critical assets like e-commerce sites and IoT devices, by leveraging PagerDuty’s real-time, intelligent workflow solutions. Since its founding in 2009, PagerDuty has been relied upon by over 10,000 global companies, including Japanese firms such as Gree and Panasonic, for preventing incidents and optimizing operational responses. The partnership will enable PagerDuty’s platform to integrate with JIG-SAW's automatic operation system, thus expanding operational management capabilities and supporting revenue growth, cost reduction, and improved service levels for thousands of Japanese customers. Recognized globally as a leader in digital operations management, PagerDuty continues to demonstrate its commitment to the Asia-Pacific and Japan region by delivering advanced cloud services in one of the largest and fastest-growing IT markets.

PagerDuty emphasizes its commitment to inclusivity by incorporating a diverse range of participants in its upcoming PagerDuty Summit 2018, reflecting the company's core values and belief in innovation through diversity. The summit offers opportunities for learning best practices, hands-on training, and insights from industry leaders in DevOps. In a bid to enhance inclusivity, PagerDuty has allocated 100 free two-day conference passes for under-represented groups in technology, including women, people of color, individuals with differing abilities, LGBTQ+ members, and veterans, among others. Applicants must meet certain criteria, such as being able to cover their own travel expenses and adhering to the Code of Conduct, with selection based on eligibility and a first-come, first-served basis. The event will be held at the Westin St. Francis in San Francisco on September 11-12, 2018, and successful applicants will be notified within eight business days of their submission.

Mark Smith, a Senior Front-End Developer at PagerDuty, exemplifies the value of growth through his diverse background and continuous learning journey. Originally from Saskatchewan, Canada, Mark grew up playing hockey, which honed his grit and determination, traits that later influenced his self-directed path into web development. After a successful hockey career, including seven seasons with the San Jose Sharks, Mark turned to technology, teaching himself coding and web development using resources like Adobe Dreamweaver's manual. His transition into tech was marked by building e-commerce sites and eventually joining PagerDuty to contribute to significant projects like website rebuilds. Mark likens his work environment to a sports team, appreciating the collaborative nature and the opportunity to learn new technologies, which aligns with his belief in lifelong learning. His story reflects a blend of athletic discipline and technical curiosity, driving both personal and professional growth.

Sysadmin Day is celebrated on July 27, and PagerDuty is marking the occasion by offering a 30% discount on their PagerDuty University courses until July 30. The post reflects on the challenges and rewards of working behind the scenes in tech roles such as Systems Administrator and Database Administrator, where individuals often go unnoticed unless issues arise. Despite the lack of glamour, there is a deep satisfaction in ensuring technology runs smoothly and efficiently, which is crucial as modern expectations demand 24/7 functionality. Incidents are seen as opportunities for improvement, and the dedication of these professionals significantly impacts business metrics like reduced churn and increased development velocity. This appreciation underscores the importance of those who enable seamless technology use, underscoring the value of ongoing training and development provided by initiatives such as PagerDuty University.

The PagerDuty Summit 2018 features a diverse range of sessions showcasing how various companies utilize PagerDuty to enhance operations and customer experiences. Highlights include American Eagle Outfitters discussing incident response during peak seasons, FanDuel's strategies for handling technical issues across time zones, and Fitch Group's DevSecOps journey balancing innovation and security. Funding Circle will demonstrate leveraging PagerDuty for software quality and performance, while GE Digital will explore its role in the Industrial Internet transformation. Good Eggs will share how they ensure grocery delivery freshness using PagerDuty for monitoring refrigeration. With over 20 sessions across three tracks and numerous keynote speakers, the event promises valuable insights and best practices for attendees from startups to large enterprises across different industries.

PagerDuty emphasizes a metrics-driven approach to employee onboarding to ensure effective integration and performance. The company tracks several key metrics for new hires, such as the time to first referral, first all-hands presentation, and time to first on-call shift, alongside employee Net Promoter Scores and diversity metrics. By monitoring these areas, PagerDuty aims to foster a supportive environment where new employees feel comfortable and valued, and where their contributions are quickly realized. The onboarding process is structured with mentorship programs and well-documented schedules to facilitate seamless integration. For engineers, specific metrics like time to first deploy and on-call pain are monitored to ensure efficient contribution to the company's objectives. This focus on measurement not only enhances the onboarding experience but also reflects PagerDuty's commitment to creating a productive, inclusive, and responsive workplace culture.

PagerDuty Summit 2018 promises an impressive lineup of keynote speakers, each an expert and innovator in their respective fields, set to inspire attendees with their insights. The event will feature Rathi Murthy, CTO of Gap, Inc., known for her leadership in technology and advocacy for female relationships; Aaron Levie, CEO of Box, recognized for his entrepreneurial acumen; and Ray Kurzweil, a renowned futurist and inventor celebrated for his groundbreaking technological contributions. Other notable speakers include John Allspaw, a pioneer in DevOps and resilience engineering; Patrick Lencioni, a best-selling author on team performance and leadership; and Jennifer Tejada, CEO of PagerDuty, known for her leadership in enterprise software growth. These thought leaders will provide valuable perspectives on a range of topics from technology trends to team productivity, offering participants a unique opportunity for direct engagement and learning.

PagerDuty has enhanced its collaboration with AWS by offering subscriptions through the AWS Marketplace and AWS Enterprise Contracts, allowing over 2,600 customers, including major brands like Spotify and Xero, to leverage its capabilities in real-time operations management. As cloud infrastructure is inherently dynamic, it presents challenges for ITOps and DevOps teams in maintaining operational continuity and responding to incidents, especially during migrations. PagerDuty addresses these challenges by integrating with AWS CloudWatch and other tools to provide intelligent insights, enabling quick and efficient incident resolution. This integration helps enterprises optimize their AWS infrastructure, ensuring minimal disruptions while taking advantage of AWS's scalability and flexibility. By using machine learning and human response behavior data, PagerDuty's platform cuts through operational noise, facilitating seamless digital operations and continuous improvement even as companies adopt new technologies and scale their services.

Once every four years, the World Cup captivates a global audience, showcasing the importance of team health and communication, not only in football but also in professional settings like ITOps and DevOps. The enduring stamina and rapid response of players on the field parallels the need for IT teams to effectively manage workloads and prevent burnout, as highlighted by a PagerDuty study emphasizing the unsustainability of constant on-call demands. Just as in football, where coaches must adapt strategies in real-time, IT teams require agile response plans when unexpected issues arise, guided by Incident Commanders who, like team managers, make decisions based on real-time data. Furthermore, the experience of dealing with operational noise, akin to the vuvuzela din at the 2010 World Cup, underscores the necessity for IT teams to filter irrelevant alerts to focus on critical problems, ensuring smooth operations and effective communication, much like players coordinating on a noisy pitch.

Shopping for jeans online often involves considering fit, style, and practicality, but rarely do consumers think about the intricate digital transformation that supports such seamless transactions. American Eagle Outfitters (AEO), a prominent retail brand, has significantly enhanced its digital operations under the leadership of Matt Kundrat, Senior Manager of Production Support, who joined the company in 2012. Faced with challenges like inefficient alert systems and segmented communication, AEO embraced PagerDuty to centralize and streamline incident management, ensuring that the right personnel are informed and issues are resolved swiftly. This shift improved work-life balance for the team, reduced alert fatigue, and enhanced communication across the organization. The implementation of PagerDuty has allowed AEO to maintain its strong online presence and continue its growth by efficiently managing customer-impacting issues and optimizing digital operations.

PagerDuty will participate in the upcoming AWS Summits in New York on July 17 and in Chicago on August 1, where they will showcase how their platform integrates with technologies such as AWS CloudWatch, AppDynamics, and Datadog to enhance developer productivity, network security, and application performance. Visitors can learn about PagerDuty's new product, Event Intelligence, which helps resolve issues faster by reducing operational noise. The company emphasizes the importance of adopting a DevOps culture to efficiently migrate mission-critical applications to the cloud while ensuring service health. Attendees can also receive exclusive PagerDuty T-shirts and enter a raffle for a surprise prize while engaging with the team to discuss digital operations management and cloud migration strategies.