Meet Ramal - Our DevOps Superstar

With his journey rooted in IT Service Delivery and Systems Administration, Ramal has built strong expertise in automation, cloud management, and infrastructure optimisation. DevOps, a pivotal practice in modern software development, bridges the gap between development and operations teams to deliver software faster, more efficiently, and with higher reliability. Ramal's role exemplifies the essence of DevOps: blending technical proficiency with innovative solutions to streamline processes, enhance collaboration, and ensure the seamless delivery of software services.

How did you first get into DevOps, and what attracted you to this field?  

I began my IT career as a Systems Administrator, initially focusing on IT Service Delivery (ITSD), where I honed skills in incident management, system support, and business continuity. My curiosity soon led me to explore cloud environments, transitioning into roles where I managed and resolved complex issues across providers like AWS and Azure. This experience introduced me to the intricacies of provisioning, optimising, and securing cloud resources.

Over time, I noticed repetitive tasks and became deeply fascinated with automation. The ability to streamline operations, manage infrastructure as code, and deploy systems that practically ran themselves was exhilarating. DevOps became the ideal way to channel my passion for efficiency while solving intricate challenges.

Can you describe a typical day in your role as a DevOps Engineer?  

I usually kick off my day by checking emails and reviewing tickets in the DevOps queue—nothing says “good morning” like a fresh set of issues to address! If there are no urgent firefighting tasks, I dive into infrastructure optimisation, fine-tuning Kubernetes clusters, enhancing pipelines for smoother deployments, or tracking down resource inefficiencies that drive up cloud costs.

My day also includes meetings to discuss ongoing issues, updates on current projects, or brainstorming for new ones. On good days, I get to focus on automation, cost-saving measures, or creating intuitive dashboards, as well as experimenting with new tools to improve efficiency. By the end of the day, I’ve either resolved five problems or inadvertently set up five more for "Future Ramal" to tackle!

What are the most challenging aspects of your job, and how do you manage them?  

One of the biggest challenges is handling high-priority, critical issues—nothing wakes you up faster than a system outage and a barrage of alerts. It requires quick thinking, effective coordination with teams, and maintaining a cool head under pressure to restore services promptly.

Security is another major consideration. Whether automating processes, implementing features, or scaling infrastructure, security must be a constant focus. Staying ahead of potential threats means continuously updating practices, integrating advanced security tools, and ensuring all automations are watertight.

What tools or technologies are essential to your workflow, and why?  

My workflow relies on a versatile toolkit to ensure efficiency and reliability:

• Kubernetes on EKS: It’s central to managing containerised workloads at scale.
• ArgoCD: Provides robust GitOps and deployment automation, making continuous delivery seamless.
• AWS CodeCommit and CodeBuild: A powerful duo for CI pipelines, enabling smooth integration, building, and testing across multiple environments.
• Monitoring and Observability Tools: Grafana, New Relic, Prometheus, and Loki help provide a comprehensive view of system health, performance, and logs.
• Terraform: My go-to tool for Infrastructure as Code, ensuring consistent and repeatable deployments.

These tools streamline operations, offer adaptability for ever-evolving DevOps demands, and, most importantly, are enjoyable to work with—when they behave!

Are there any recent trends in DevOps that excite you or that you’re particularly interested in? 

Absolutely! DevOps is evolving rapidly, and the latest trends are incredibly exciting. AI and machine learning are transforming the field by automating everything from testing to predicting potential issues—like having a crystal ball for your infrastructure.

Another standout trend is GitOps, which elevates Git repositories to central control hubs for deployments and changes. It’s version control on steroids and a game-changer for operational efficiency. With these advancements, it feels like DevOps is levelling up every day!