IT Insights by Julian Rouse

In the dynamic world of IT, restructuring a team is often necessary to align with evolving business goals, new technologies, or shifting project demands. I recently read an insightful article on InformationWeek titled  “How to Know When It’s Time to Restructure Your IT Team” , which delves into the signs that indicate a need for restructuring and how to navigate the transition. Based on this article, I want to share two perspectives on the topic: one from my experience joining a restructured DevOps team in the past and another from a more recent experience as a manager who facilitated a successful team member transition. Joining a Recently Restructured DevOps Team Several years ago, I joined a DevOps team that had undergone significant restructuring. My role at the time involved replacing a colleague who was well-versed in network administration and database management. My background in system administration, Infrastructure as Code (IaC), and security aligned better with the new di...

As a cloud engineer consultant managing 3-8 projects per year outside my full-time role, I’ve seen the cloud landscape evolve significantly over the years. Looking back at the period from 2012 to 2019, many companies hesitated to adopt cloud technologies due to several factors: Legacy Systems and Investment Cycles : Established businesses had substantial investments in physical data centers. The transition to the cloud required reevaluating these investments and often waiting for the end of their 3-5 year investment cycles, which impeded swift adoption. Perceived Risks and Security Concerns : Early cloud adoption was met with skepticism about data security and compliance. Many companies worried about the risks associated with outsourcing critical infrastructure to third-party providers. Lack of Expertise : Cloud technology was rapidly evolving, and many IT professionals had not yet gained expertise in this area. Consequently, there was a significant knowledge gap, and training resource...