Application Modernization: A Podcast for High-Growth Software Companies

What's your biggest and hairiest technology challenge?

Listen to this Fireside Chat, where Nick Marcarelli and Ross Beard discuss some of the top challenges faced by enterprise organizations.

Learn how Shadow-Soft solves these challenges for customers, including specific examples and key insights. Discover more about what Shadow-Soft invests in to support its customers on their Kubernetes Maturity Journey.

Learn more about Shadow-Soft and download the free framework at shadow-soft.com

Attracting Kubernetes talent is hard but not impossible. In this episode, Ross Beard returns to the podcast to turn the tables on host Nick Marcarelli. We discuss ideas on why there’s a Kubernetes skills shortage and learn about some creative things that companies are doing to solve this problem.

Nick shares insights on what Shadow-Soft is doing to attract and retain top talent, and we dig into a recent prediction from Linkedin’s COO, Daniel Shapero, who thinks now is the time for non-tech companies to compete for technical talent they previously struggled to attract.

Learn more about Shadow-Soft’s Kubernetes Academy: https://academy.shadow-soft.com/

A lifelong developer that discovers the power of Kubernetes, that’s how Robert Kozak, DevOps Architect at Emburse, story begins. Today, Robert is the Kubernetes expert at Emburse, an expense and invoice management SaaS company.

What happens when a career developer discovers the power of Kubernetes? Robert Kozak, a DevOps Architect for Emburse, has been living that story for the last 3 years. This journey, which is an overwhelming success, has significant forks in the road and requires significant time and care. The transformation at Emburse is highlighted by training investments, road map decisions, and the curiosity to make Kubernetes a part of the solution.

Join us as we discuss:
-What it was like for Robert to wrangle in Kubernetes at Emburse
-Which steps to take for a Kubernetes transition
-Applying software development frameworks like 12factor.net
-Being intentional about exploring the bleeding edge Kubernetes ecosystem

Code changes are inevitable, but what if deployments could be performed without significant stress to the development team? Feature flags and toggle management make this dream a reality. 

In this episode, we speak to Sara Mazer, the Federal CTO of LaunchDarkly. LaunchDarkly is the leader in feature flag and toggle management helping federal government customers make changes to code deployments as dictated by public services.

Join us as we discuss:
Feature flag and toggle management benefits
The impact on the developer experience
How feature flag and toggle management have impacted federal agencies’ ability to provide citizen services

Technology modernization requires patience and time. Without appropriate planning, thoughtful deployments, and a measured approach, customer experience can suffer when the inevitable occurs. The goal is to avoid that experience altogether.
Peter Mourfield, Chief Technology Officer at TaxSlayer, LLC, has the answer. Peter’s team has worked to create a system for testing to consistently ensure their applications are seamless both at a security level and a functional level. Because it has to - even when there are millions of users accessing it.
Join us as we discuss:
How to be disciplined in the tech hype cycle 
Leveraging modern approaches at the right speed
Testing practices for the enterprise

You’ve done the hard work, analyzed the statistics, garnered the support necessary to implement a big vision, and then… 
“I really appreciate you pushing the envelope, but… do we even know that this is a problem?” 
No worries! You’re prepared, because you have implemented a viable strategy that incorporates a tried and true approach to company wide buy-in.
Kurt Baumberger, EVP, Strategy & Innovation at Shadow-Soft, and Nick chat about bringing that good idea to fruition and out the door in the last part of this special 3-parter. 
Join us as we discuss:
Handling resistance in the organization 
The importance of company adoption
Utilizing power users - collaborators ready to implement on day 1
Figuring out what is desirable, what’s feasible, and making that idea viable.  


For more of Kurt Baumberger, check out his book Innovation Navigation: How To Get From Idea To Reality In 90 Days.

In order to determine feasibility you need to have the right people at the table. In this episode we discuss selecting the right people for your innovation session and potential pitfalls to avoid.

Most importantly, what should you do about the hippo in the room? Kurt Baumberger, EVP, Strategy & Innovation at Shadow-Soft, is back with the answers in part 2 of this 3-part series in Innovation. 

Join us as we discuss:
How to get hundreds of ideas at your next brainstorming session
Consistently generating holistic solutions
Tackling your product backlog the right way
Improving company buy-in!

The most accurate way to find what you want is to define what you don’t want.

The first step of driving innovation is desirability, according to Kurt Baumberger, EVP, Strategy & Innovation at Shadow Soft. The blueprint to innovation can be achieved leveraging a logical framework for moving fast and delivering a minimum viable product to test in the market.

This is Part 1 of 3 with Kurt discussing how innovation can be developed in your company strategy.

Join us as we discuss:
Using an ethnography to identify pain points
Steal like an artist
Selecting a group of innovators



Reference material: Innovation Navigation: How To Get From Idea To Reality In 90 Days

Do you remember when George Jetson pushed a button and a salad came out of a box? Believe it or not, that future might be closer than you think. 

Born out of demand during the COVID pandemic to automate and digitize food supply, this manufacturing company has created an automated food delivery system that sounds like it belongs in a science fiction film. But it’s not just that it’s as fast as you think it is. Abram Simon, VP of Software Engineering at Hyphen, shares not only how close this technology is to becoming a staple of commercial kitchens, but also what it will do for order accuracy, labor flexibility, and what comes next.

Join us as we discuss:
Plate appeal - by a robot?
Automation and labor flexibility
IOT solutions for lowering the entry barrier

The emergence of digital spaces augmenting social interactions is taking over the planet. Avatars represent the true identity of the most important contributor to the internet. What happened to learning about the actual human being behind the keyboard or smartphone?
But what if we could make the internet more human? What if it felt like stepping into someone’s front door? Where you see their pictures, their books, their records, and get a good feel for who they are as a HUMAN, not an avatar.
Matt Shackleford is doing just that. Matt is a co-founder at Abode, and was a guest on the latest episode of Application Modernization. He talked to us all about:
The startup he’s launching aimed at bridging the gap between Web 2 and Web 3
Why he’s aiming to make the internet more human
How we can break free from being “content curators” and be “humans” online again


Want to hear more stories from high growth software companies? Subscribe to Application Modernization on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or check out our website. 
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