About the DevSecOps Expert
I've been fortunate to spend over 20 years in the technology industry, exploring various roles and sectors within ICT. Looking back, it's been quite the adventure with plenty of learning curves along the way.
My journey began in 2000 as a Web Developer during what I now fondly remember as the Notepad and Macromedia Dreamweaver era. Those were the days of crafting websites primarily in PHP, HTML, and CSS, building everything on LAMP stacks (Linux, Apache, MySQL, and PHP). The web felt like a different place back then – simpler in some ways, yet challenging in others.
After gaining solid experience in web development, I decided to take what might seem like an unexpected turn into Network Engineering. I spent seven years at a Japanese MSP/ISP, where I experienced the full spectrum of what this industry offers – remarkable successes, humbling failures, and most importantly, lifelong friendships forged in server rooms and data centres. Eventually, I felt ready to move beyond the world of L1-L3 networking infrastructure.
In 2014, my passion for software engineering was rekindled, coinciding with the emergence of this intriguing new concept called DevOps. I transitioned into a development analysis role at a creative agency, where I discovered Amazon Web Services and the broader ecosystem of cloud provider technologies. This role opened my eyes to automation, CI/CD pipelines, operations, and observability – skills that would prove invaluable throughout my career.
Two years later, in 2016, I joined a payments gateway company where I developed a deep appreciation for cybersecurity. Working alongside their exceptional security team taught me lessons that extended far beyond technical implementation – it was here that I truly understood the critical importance of security-first thinking.
As the industry evolved, so did the terminology and approaches. Platform Engineering emerged as the next significant trend, and I found myself genuinely drawn to the "platform as a product" philosophy. I became an advocate for DevSecOps practices within high-performing engineering teams, believing strongly in the power of secure, efficient development workflows.
After several years in management and senior/staff engineering positions, I realised I had accumulated a wealth of experiences worth sharing. That realisation led me to start this Substack, where I hope to offer insights from my journey through the ever-changing landscape of technology.
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