Solo IT – Table for one, please…

I’ve been in IT for a while at this point (20+ years) and have worked with loads of businesses. Something that seems to be constant is that most never seem to take full advantage of the functionality they’ve already bought. Between virtualization and Cloud technologies, there are capabilities baked-in that would not only save time and improve quality of life, but save money. It’s like buying an expensive car and never using the air conditioner, or the Eco function of a lot of newer cars. If you’re moving to the Cloud, and you’re doing everything exactly as you were in your physical data center, you’re 100% guaranteed to increase your costs.

But how can we take the opposite, extreme approach? How could we use the capabilities Cloud enables to manage the infrastructure of a business most efficiently using self-service and automation, while also prioritizing security and resilience? Once we start making progress on this, efficiency and cost reduction don’t just apply to the technology, but to the people as well.

Managing IT is complex and time-consuming. Even with the necessary skills, oftentimes you simply don’t have enough time in the day to properly manage everything. Humans can’t scale quite like the infrastructure. So, taking advantage of what Cloud offers would free people up to spend more time on the “fun” stuff like projects and upskilling. Seriously, nothing hastens burnout more than toil and boredom.

So….where to start?

Let’s look at this from the perspective of being the sole IT operator for a small to medium-sized business with an environment that is either moderately sized or moderately complex. All decisions should prioritize cost and efficiency. This is the beginning of a series that I hope will ultimately provide a playbook that will go from hitting the ground on Day 0 leading to Day X and ongoing operations. The path I aim to follow will be:

  1. Gain Access and Perform Discovery – Gaining and securing initial access to the environment and figuring out what we have to work with.
  2. Establish Foundational Management and Security – Hardening network and security along with implementing disaster recovery
  3. Implement Automation and Optimization

I aim to provide:

  • Recommended tooling
  • Discussion (hit me up on LinkedIn, tell me where I’ve gone wrong. 🙂 )
  • Reference architectures
  • Code examples

With that being said, “The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry.” Plus, I have ADHD and kids with ADHD, so…I’ll do my best. 🙂

Belated Update (One Pass, One Fail)

So I’ve been really slow to post an update, but I took and passed the KCNA (Kubernetes and Cloud Native Associate) back in April. Definitely an easier test than the previous ones, as expected. If you’ve already done the CKA or CKAD, this will be a walk in the park.

Next, I took and absolutely BOMBED the CKS. That was completely avoidable and my own fault as I didn’t give it nearly enough study time.

I’m going to regroup and possibly make an attempt for the KCSA before attempting the CKS test again. Updates coming soon(ish). 🙂

CKAD Complete, KCNA up next!

What’s up?!

Good morning/afternoon/evening, all! So, I took the CKAD test a couple of weeks ago and managed to pass! That’s two down, three to go. 🙂

Overall, this one was more challenging than the CKA, but I enjoyed it more. This one focuses more on the usage than the administration of Kubernetes, which yes, I realize is a very obvious statement. This will have you building and troubleshooting the actual constructs within, like services, deployments, etc.. You will need every minute of the allowed time and you will certainly need to have a good understanding of how to use the docs site.

As far as resources used for this one, I once again used a UDemy course created by Mumshad Mannambeth and KodeKloud. Check out the Kubernetes Certified Application Developer (CKAD) over there if interested and keep an eye out for promos and discount codes.

What’s next?!

I’ll be working on the Kubernetes and Cloud Native Associate (KCNA) next. This one focuses on Kubernetes in the broader context of Cloud Native. From what I understand reading reviews and the exam content (here!), this looks to be more of an introductory certification that covers Kubernetes at a high level with the addition of a lot of public Cloud concepts and terminology. So, I’m hoping that I’ll have a bit of a head start, given my previous experience with AWS and Cloud in general. I’ve tentatively scheduled this one for a few weeks out (April 7th).

Wish me luck!

First up – CKAD!

First up, I’m going to shoot for the Kubernetes Application Developer (CKAD), given that I just finished the CKA. I figured the training would overlap enough to give me enough familiarity to get up some momentum with the new one.

I completed the CKA (Certified Kubernetes Administrator) certification back in December. If you’re looking for a great resource, I highly recommend the CKA course developed by Mumshad Mannambeth with KodeKloud Training. I got this through Udemy (Link here).

For the CKAD, I’ll be following the next course in their series, Kubernetes Certified Application Developer (CKAD) with Tests. As always, I recommend scheduling the exam either before or soon after you start preparing. This gives you two extremely important things: a deadline and a sense of urgency.

“work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion”

PARKINSON’S LAW

I’ve scheduled the exam for Friday, February, 14th. So, assuming all goes well, a nice Valentine’s Day gift to my future self. So, I’m off to studying. I’ll try and keep progress updated and post along the way.

Happy Tuesday!

Re-Launch 2025

Well, I’ve brought this site up several times through various incarnations. In setting my goals for the upcoming year, I thought it was time to give it another go.

Given all that 2024 has brought, the challenges I’ve faced and those I foresee, I wanted to take a more active role in determining the direction of my career and life rather than to see where the wind takes me. That being said, in addition to restarting this and being more active with it, I’ve set a bunch of personal and professional goals that I hope will help me get to a better place, so to speak.

The personal goals I’ll keep vague as they focus primarily on fitness and finances. Suffice it to say, If you see me looking fit or offering to cover lunch, I’m making progress. 🙂

Professionally, I’ve set my sights on several certifications that I believe would benefit me in the present and in the future. I started really focusing on Kubernetes a bit toward the middle of last year and ended up getting one of the initial certs, the CKA, or Certified Kubernetes Administrator.

Additionally, due to some work within generative AI, I worked on the AWS Certified AI Practitioner certification.

So, building on those two, I’ve decided pursue four additional Kubernetes-focused certifications and a couple of new AWS certifications.

Assuming I can complete all of the Kubernetes goals, I could get the Kubestronaut title. Plus a jacket. Not much I won’t do for free swag.

Anyway, I’m going to hit the books now…or, the virtual books…or something. Either way, I know I’m two weeks into 2025, but…Happy New Year! I hope it’s a good one for everybody.

© 2025 CloudHarbinger

Theme by Anders NorenUp ↑