Rajiv Pant Former CTO, The New York Times at Fastly Altitude 2016 Edge computing is a valuable part of building modern applications in a constantly expanding world. Developing server-side applications that take advantage of massive compute resources is exciting and crucial work. However, this kind of work is often seen as boring backend work by some of our non-technical and business stakeholders in large companies. The development of applications at the edge gets prioritized lower than user-facing projects such as mobile and VR apps and struggles to get the internal funding, resources, and attention it frequently needs. This talk, based on real-life successes (and failures) from the former CTO of the New York Times, explores ideas and experiences of getting edge computing, server-side development, and security the attention it deserves in your organization.

1. THE BUSINESS OF
LIVING ONTHE
EDGE
Rajiv Pant
Managing Partner, Solutions at Scale
Former CTO,The NewYorkTimes
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2. The Problem
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3. Cloud and server-side engineering work
is exciting to us technologists
■ To us, it is intellectually satisfying, complex and challenging work. It is not only critical
to the business, but also enables innovation in product development
■ However, to a lot of business colleagues, it is “back end” work of which the benefits to
the bottom line are unclear
– Often, this work is perceived as competing with resources for “real” consumer facing
product development
– We distrust and fear what we do not understand
■ How do we solve this problem?
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4. Story of the successful implementation of
Continuous Delivery atThe NewYorkTimes
■ We asked the company to allow us put most consumer facing business projects on
pause for 4 months while we implemented and migrated to CD
■ The results after this project was successful exceeded most expectations:
– Dramatic improvements in the number of releases we put into production
– Significantly faster speed of release and delivery.One team reduced its release time from
seven days to 35 minutes
– Higher quality of code in terms of lower errors in production.We cut the number of errors
in production by more than half
■ However, to achieve these results, we had to persuade everyone to agree to slow
down for 4 months. How did we do it?
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5. The Solution
■ To succeed as a CTO or head of engineering, you need to work with the APIs of your
fellow human beings
– Actually, you need to go beyond APIs
■ 5 Lessons I learned as a CTO in major media companies
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6. Instead of trying to be salesperson, be a
friend
■ It is better to win people over, than to sell them your idea
– Don’t push your solution. Draw others to your solution
– Don’t pander either.Win over
■ Don’t make B.S. claims about future benefits of the project. Instead, emphasize the
purpose and passion
■ Don’t try to falsely attach your infrastructure project to a product development the
business has asked for. Present it on its own merit
■ Don’t spend your time as a technologist writing a business justification. Partner with a
finance or business analyst to do that
■ Empathize with your business colleagues and help them empathize with you
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7. Speak to the heart, not just to the brain
■ Go beyond making a rational business case.Generate excitement about the
engineering work
– Getting true buy-in requires evoking emotion and passion
– Identify an external enemy
■ Share your genuine fears about potential losses resulting from getting hacked or
systems crashing.
– We are all averse to losses
■ Make it “our” project instead of “my” project. Request business stakeholders to talk
about the project to their colleagues stakeholders, and bosses. Encourage them to
include it in their presentations.
– By doing this, they make a public commitment to it
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8. Leverage reciprocity
■ Deliver successes to the business to build credibility first
– Before you pitch a major infrastructure project
– As a new employee, don’t use up your honeymoon credits on a project whose benefits to
your stakeholders aren’t as clear
■ When your colleagues ask for something that you don’t value as much, be open
minded to them
– Your colleagues will reciprocate by embracing your ideas if you embrace theirs
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9. Don’t be a “middleman.” Be a connector
■ If you are a CTO or senior manager, it is in your interest that your business colleagues
know, appreciate, and have direct connections with your teammates
– Their expertise supports and complements yours
– They bring additional credibility
– You make a stronger case as a team
■ Invite business colleagues to select gatherings of the product engineering teams
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10. Regularly discuss your projects and their
value with your colleagues
■ Never assume that your business colleagues won’t understand or appreciate technical
stuff. Be a translator
■ A critical part of your job as a technologist is to regularly describe what you do and its
value to your colleagues
■ …and vice versa.Take an interest in what they do
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11. Solution: Summary
1. Instead of trying to be salesperson, be a friend
2. Speak to the heart, not just to the brain
3. Leverage reciprocity
4. Don’t be a “middleman.” Be a connector
5. Regularly discuss your projects and their value with your colleagues
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12. Thank you for listening
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