nCast

Today, Josh Cypher, DevOps leader at Sonos, joins us to talk about some unexpected byproducts of adopting Karpenter at Sonos. Josh dives into his favorite features and efficiency gains, from node consolidation to better disruption controls.

Dr. Haoran Qiu, a fresh PhD from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, joins our host James Wilson, VP of Engineering at nOps. They’re diving into multidimensional autoscaling, an area in which Haoran’s pioneering research is making waves in the Kubernetes community.

Some workloads work better with Horizontal Pod Autoscaler (HPA), others with Vertical Pod Autoscaler (VPA). Running them together can create conflicts, but using only one limits efficiency gains. A Multidimensional Pod Autoscaler solves this dilemma by combining the benefits of both VPA and HPA to dynamically adjust both the number and size of pods.
But is MPA poised to redefine resource optimization? What problems does it solve, and what fresh complexities are involved in its implementation?
Haoran and James dig into these questions while debating traditional heuristic versus Machine Learning approaches, industry versus academia, and other hot topics on the leading edge of cloud optimization.

Listen now to discover if MPA is the holy grail Kubernetes has been waiting for as we discuss the evolution of autoscaling technologies and their impact on cost, sustainability, and developer experience.

Tech thought leader and host of the Kubernetes Unpacked podcast Kristina Devochko joins nCast today to talk all things cloud cost optimization, Kubernetes and green tech.

We start by talking about the fact that many companies aren’t even using HALF of their compute resources. But does slashing your AWS bill always mean that you’re saving the plant? We delve into cost optimization and how it aligns (or not) with sustainability.

Kristina shares her insights on measuring your cloud carbon footprint and the tools you need (KEDA, Karpenter, Kepler) to increase cloud sustainability. We discuss key practical ways to get started cutting unnecessary cloud waste, from eliminating orphaned resources to scheduling during off hours.

Plus, we’re revealing how nOps has managed to run our production on Spot instances — talk about recycling!

Today we’re joined by Wade Piehl, Senior FinOps Success Manager on the Optics Team at AWS, to discuss all things On Demand, Reserved, and Spot.

Good purchasing decisions have an enormous impact on your bottom line — but how do you know what and how much to buy? We walk through the step-by-step decision-making process and the most common pitfalls that can cost you.

Wade shares all the practical advice you need to decide between Reserved Instances vs. Savings Plans. Find out how the equation changes from compute spend to database, storage and networking. We’ll also dig into strategies like layering purchase plans, leveraging Spot, and other methods of maximizing your savings.

Today we’re joined by Savanna Jensen, Senior FinOps Success Manager on the Optics Team at AWS, to discuss the latest in Cloud FinOps automation. The less amount of “people time” you can dedicate to cloud management and the more automation you can bake into the system, the easier it will be — but what are the right tools to use?

We start out by tapping Savanna’s insider knowledge on the latest and greatest AWS Cost Management tools. Get the latest on the shiny new updates to Cost Explorer that just launched. Plus, pro tips on the best filters and features to use for various use cases when it comes to the Cost and Usage Report (CUR), Cost Explorer, and QuickSight.

We dive into Engineering vs. FinOps perspectives and frustrations. How can you orchestrate a culture where cost optimization feels motivating rather than punitive to Engineers (recognition, career rewards, gamification…)? How do you troubleshoot if you’re a FinOps leader seeing zero traction on your initiatives?

Hear real-world battle stories about organizations struggling with cost management — and the takeaways for achieving true visibility and control over cloud costs.

In Episode 9, we’re joined by AI expert Marcos Heidemann to pull the curtain back on GenAI and whether the hype means we’re at the cusp of a massive transformation. Will it automate away our jobs in a dystopian future, or is it just glorified autocomplete?

In this episode of nCast, we’re joined by AWS Partner Solutions Architects Andrew Park and Mike McDonald to discuss the complexities and cost of running today’s ML and GenAI workloads on the cloud.

In Episode 7 of nCast , we’re joined by Marit Hughes from Deloitte, diving into “Safety Nets” in the cloud and the feedback challenges faced by engineers.

Ready to gain a fresh perspective on multi-cloud cost management? Click play and immerse yourself in episode 6 of nCast!

Join us in this episode as we dive deep into the multifaceted challenges of multicloud cost management: from purchasing decisions to chargebacks and unused resources. Our guests, Sanjna Srivatsa and James Wilson, share their expertise and insights into the intricacies of multi-cloud cost management. From the build-or-buy dilemma to the challenges of multicloud costs, get ready for an insightful discussion. Tune in now!

Welcome to Episode 5 of nCast! Join Arnold de Leon and James Wilson as they uncover the secrets of solving the cost puzzle through showbacks in cloud economics.  Discover the importance of embracing elasticity, resource efficiency, and being metrics-driven.  Explore the future of cloud technologies and the challenges of database management.  Don’t miss this engaging episode on enhanced visibility and resource allocation strategies. Tune in now to unlock the power of showbacks in cloud economics.  #nCastPodcast #CloudEconomics #Showbacks #ResourceAllocation #CloudOptimization

Join James Wilson and Tim Cassell for episode 4 where we delve into the world of #FinOps and explore the major challenges faced by teams on their FinOps journey.  Don’t miss this fun conversation! Tune in now to join the discussion on challenges facing modern engineering teams, the future of commitments and the Spot market, the influence of AI/ML on cost allocation and forecasting, automation, and operations. Plus, explore trends that will help teams operationalize cloud optimization and contemplate your own moonshot for the future of FinOps.  Subscribe to our podcast and keep up-to-date with the conversation!

Welcome to episode 3 of our podcast! In this episode, we dive deep into the world of Karpenter with our expert panel, Young Seok Jeong and Andrew Park, both Partner Solution Architects from the Container Services team.

Welcome to Episode 2 of our podcast series! In this episode, we tackle the complexities of AWS savings tools and explore the reasons behind why engineers struggle with making commitments.

Welcome to episode 1 of nCast, where we explore the fascinating world of container orchestration and optimization. In this episode, our hosts Andrew and James will take us on a journey through the history of container orchestration, highlighting various optimization strategies along the way.