Next month, KubeCon + CloudNativeCon Paris 2024 will serve as a focal point for Cloud Native professionals, enthusiasts, and pioneers from all over Europe. We are excited to be a part of this great event, and we’re poised to make a significant impact through a series of engaging contributions.

The Cloud Native Dance: MLOps on Kubernetes

At the heart of VSHN’s participation is a presentation by our CMO, Annie Talvasto, titled „KubeDDR! A Dance of Predictive Scoring with MLOps, Step by Step“. Scheduled for Friday at 14:00, and presented together with Leigh Capili from Broadcom, this talk will mark the point where dance floors meet cutting-edge technology. Attendees will learn how AI-driven image recognition works, how to forecast dance scores, and how Kubernetes seamlessly orchestrates ML model deployments. Annie will offer invaluable perspectives for anyone vested in the future of MLOps and cloud infrastructure.

K8up: Our Kubernetes-Native Backup Solution

Our KubeCon adventure continues at our kiosk, where we will showcase K8up, our pioneering backup solution for Kubernetes, now part of the larger CNCF technology landscape. As an official CNCF project, K8up addresses the critical need for reliable, scalable backup solutions in a Kubernetes environment. This is a must-visit for attendees seeking to enhance their infrastructure’s resilience and efficiency.

The KubeTrain Journey: An Unforgettable Experience

Adding a unique twist to their journey, VSHNeers will be traveling to the conference aboard the KubeTrain, departing on the 18th of March from Zürich Hauptbahnhof at 13:34, calling at Basel, Mulhouse, and Dijon, finally arriving to Paris Gare de Lyon at 17:38.

That same evening, starting at 19:00, we will be sponsoring the exclusive KubeTrain Party at the Fitzroy Restaurant. This event promises to be another highlight of the conference! You’ll have unique networking opportunities, following our commitment to fostering community engagement. To join the festivities, the community is invited to use the voucher code INVITEDBYVSHN, securing a chance to network, learn, and celebrate with fellow DevOps enthusiasts.

Sponsoring Collaboration and Innovation

Our dedication to the DevOps community extends further through their participation to key networking events at KubeCon. We will attend the Isovalent Hive Mind Mingle on Tuesday 19th, and the following day we’ll be sponsoring the Swiss Apéro. Join us at those events to foster collaboration, share insights, and celebrate the vibrant Swiss community surrounding Kubernetes and Cloud Native technologies.

Join Us in Shaping the Future

KubeCon Paris is more than just a conference; it’s a meeting of ideas, innovation, and community. VSHNeers invite you to join them in this exciting journey. Whether you’re drawn by the insights of Annie, intrigued by the capabilities of K8up, or looking to engage with the community aboard the KubeTrain or through the sponsored events, there’s something for everyone.

Don’t miss this opportunity to connect with us VSHNeers! Visit the K8up booth, discover how we can support your Kubernetes and DevOps business, and engage with a team that’s at the forefront of shaping the future of cloud computing. Together, let’s explore the endless possibilities that Kubernetes and Cloud Native technologies have to offer.

See you in Paris!

In a rapidly evolving tech landscape, staying ahead of the curve is crucial. Join us for an event that will equip you with the knowledge and tools needed to navigate container operations effectively while keeping costs in check.

In this session, we’ll explore best practices, industry insights, and practical tips to ensure your containerized applications run smoothly without breaking the bank.

We will cover:

• Current Trends: Discover the latest trends shaping container operations in 2024.
• Operational Stability: Learn strategies to keep your containerized applications running seamlessly.
• Cost-Effective Practices: Explore tips to optimize costs without compromising performance.
• Industry Insights: Gain valuable insights from real-world experiences and success stories.

The event will also include a beer tasting, and an apéro. So don’t miss out on this opportunity to set a solid foundation for your containerized applications in 2024. Get your spot today!

Date: January 31st, 2024
Time: Talks 17:30-18:30 CET / Apéro 18:30-20:00 CET
Location: VSHN Tower, Neugasse 6, 8005 Zürich
Registration: click here to register!

KubeCon + CloudNativeCon Europe 2023 is next week! And no less than 8 VSHNeers (around 15% of our company!) are going to attend the event in Amsterdam this year.

The complete list of VSHNeers attending KubeCon includes: Annie Talvasto, Elia Ponzio, Erik Harder, Liene Luksika, Robin Scherrer, Sebastian Widmer, Stephan Feurer, and myself, Tobias Brunner.

Not only are we impatient to learn about the latest Cloud Native technologies, we’re thrilled to be a part of the Project Pavilion where we’ll be talking about K8up, our beloved Kubernetes and OpenShift backup operator. Come join us at kiosk number K25 to learn how to use K8up to preserve your data in a convenient and secure way.

We can’t wait to attend KubeCon + CloudNativeCon next week and please, if you see the VSHN logo on our t-shirts, don’t hesitate to come and say hi! We’d love to meet you.

Join us at the Isovalent office for in-person talks and watching the eBPF Summit livestream!

eBPF is one of the most talked about technologies in our industry – enabling a new generation of networking, observability and security tools. eBPF Summit is for users and potential users of this groundbreaking technology, who want a better understanding of what it is, how it works, and the real world problems it solves.

We will kick off the event with in person talks from Liz Rice. Following that, we will have beer and pizza for networking while we tune into eBPF Summit Day 1. Join us for networking and learning about end users putting eBPF into production and cutting edge new projects.

16:00 – Doors Open
16.30 – Tobias Brunner (VSHN) – Cilium on APPUiO Cloud – a Multi-Tenant OpenShift Cluster
16.50 – Liz Rice (Isovalent) – TBD
17:30 – Start of eBPF Summit Watch Party (come and go as you please)
17.30 – Open end – networking, beer & pizza (outside on the terrace and inside in our living room)

When?

Wednesday, Sep 28, from 4:00 PM to 10:00 PM (CEST)

Where?

Isovalent & Puzzle ITC
Hönggerstrasse 65
8037 Zurich

The Swiss Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired (SBV), in collaboration with Red Hat, VSHN, and Tech Data, launched a hackathon for blind, visually impaired, and sighted people. Over 30 programmers and IT professionals met for two days in June 2022 at the Sheraton Hotel in Zurich. They worked on valuable solutions to supporting blind and visually impaired people’s everyday lives.

Luciano Butera, Head of the Technology and Innovation Department at SBV, and Dominik Wotruba, Head of TechSales Switzerland at Red Hat, welcomed the over 30 blind, visually impaired, and sighted technology professionals. Together, they developed new solutions that make everyday life easier for blind and visually impaired people. Five project ideas submitted in advance made it into the final selection: applications for recognizing the expiration date on food, obstacles on the street, arranging tandems for activities, reading out menus in restaurants, and querying the status of elevators and escalators in the train station, including indoor routing.

The participants from Red Hat, SBV, customers, and partners split into five projects. „Small communities developed around the ideas–quite similar to open source projects,“ Dominik Wotruba notes. And he adds: „Everyone was able to contribute their skills and thus contribute to the projects‘ success.“

The teams got a functional prototype up and running in only two days. On the technical side, VSHN provided each group with DevOps support and an APPUiO Cloud hosting platform based on Red Hat OpenShift. At the same time, Tech Data offered its AI solution Tech Lab. Red Hat programmers also prepared programming skeletons: basic framework templates for developing the solutions to make it easier for the participants to start the projects, followed by busy brainstorming and coding. „The work was completely focused–and practically non-stop. You could tell: people had a mission,“ says Luciano Butera.

At the end of the hackathon, the teams had to present their solution to the jury of four: in addition to Luciano Butera and Dominik Wotruba, Jonas Janz, solution architect at Red Hat, and René Jaun, editor at the publishing house Netzmedien, were responsible for assessing the projects.

The jury was particularly enthusiastic about and awarded the winning „MENUista“ project by Selamet Aydogdu, Dominique Hofstetter, Lars Jenzer, Alexey Loubyansky, and Erik Jan de Wit. They developed a smartphone app that displays and reads aloud the menu of nearby restaurants, making it easier for blind and visually impaired people to find a suitable restaurant nearby and be less dependent on sighted companions.

Luciano Butera and the jury praised the solution’s benefits, the project’s progress, and the presentation. „The app is easy to use and does what it is supposed to. As far as the team was able to develop the solution at the hackathon, it brings the users the greatest benefit on balance,“ says the co-initiator of the hackathon. He agreed that automatically collating menu cards from nearby restaurants is helpful. „The winning project is an excellent demonstration that software for blind and visually impaired people can also be practical for sighted people,“ comments Luciano Butera.

The feedback after the hackathon was overwhelmingly positive. Aarno Aukia, Co-Founder of the sponsor VSHN, was on hand to advise the teams at the hackathon. He praised the successful integration of all participants: „When finding their way around the event location, the blind and visually impaired participants were happy to receive support. But as soon as everyone sat down at the laptop and started working, there was no difference.“

Christopher Schmidt from Red Hat partner InnoQ and a participant at the event particularly praised the „open, friendly atmosphere“ on site. „Also, the opportunity to hear directly from the people concerned about their daily challenges and to work out solutions was one of the highlights of the two days,“ is his summary. Dominik Wotruba has a similar view: „For the teams, the task was to develop solutions tailored to the users‘ needs. Therefore, responding to the input of the blind and visually impaired participants was central. From that point of view, the hackathon was a prime example of customer-centric work.“ 

Im vergangenen August sprach Patrick Mathers, Gründer und Verwaltungsrat der VSHN AG, an der IT-Beschaffungskonferenz 2021 in Bern über das Thema DevOps und unsere Mitarbeit im Projekt LINDAS, der Linked Data Plattform des Schweizerischen Bundesarchivs.

LINDAS ist die Linked Data Platform des Schweizerischen Bundesarchivs, welche zur Veröffentlichung von Open Data verwendet wird. Linked Data ist eine Technologie, mit deren Hilfe Daten leicht miteinander in Beziehung gebracht werden können. Hierfür werden hunderte Millionen von Datensätze aus unterschiedlichsten Themenbereichen und Quellen verwendet, aktuell z.B. vom Bund, SBB, Kantonen und Gemeinden. Die innovative Triplestore-Datenbank wird mittels Open Source Software verwaltet und betrieben. Dabei werden die neuesten Cloud-Technologien wie Docker, Kubernetes, Operatoren, Prometheus, etc. verwendet. Der verwendete Technologie-Stack wie auch die LINDAS Plattform wird vorgestellt. In der Präsentation wird auf die Herausforderungen beim Verschmelzen der Kultur von DevOps mit den Stärken des HERMES Frameworks eingegangen. Diese Erfahrungen verdeutlichen wie andere Regierungsstellen unter Zuhilfenahme von HERMES und dessen Stärken wie Plan- und Steuerbarkeit von Software-Betriebsmodellen wie DevOps profitieren können. Des Weiteren werden die getätigten Schritte von der Beschaffung über die Arbeiten am Projekt bis hin zum Betrieb aufgezeigt.

Wir freuen uns sehr, dass Tobias Brunner, Gründer und Co-CEO von VSHN, auf dem Crossplane Community Day Europe am 4. Mai 2021 einen Lightning Talk mit dem Titel „Self-Service Provisioning with the Crossplane Service Broker“ halten wird.

Crossplane ist ein CNCF-Projekt, das die Kubernetes-API erweitert, um Infrastruktur von verschiedenen Cloud-Anbietern und Infrastruktur-Providern zu verwalten und zusammenzustellen.

Dies ist die Zusammenfassung des Lightning Talks:

The Crossplane Service Broker exposes Crossplane primitives via the Open Service Broker API. Tobias will introduce the concepts behind the Crossplane Service Broker and demonstrate to the audience how it all works together. By leveraging the Open Service Broker API while coupling it with the powerful concept of Crossplane Compositions it’s very easy to enable users of a platform which exposes Open Service Broker API integration (like Kubernetes Service Catalog or Cloudfoundry) to provision services fully automated. In a demonstration a real use case will be shown how a MariaDB Galera service can be provisioned using the Open Service Broker API, leveraging the Crossplane Compositions, the Helm provider and the SQL provider.

The August 2020 edition of the Cloud Native Computing Meetup took place on August 27th. It was the first time that the event took place online, and we thank all our attendees and speakers for a successful edition!
You can watch the full video here or you can subscribe to our YouTube channel.

Many thanks to the speakers for the interesting talks! Please download all the presentation slides (in PDF format) right here:

• Adrian Kosmaczewski, VSHN, „Quick recap on KubeCon 2020 and update on Project Syn“
• Simon Krenger, Red Hat, „Operators and Operator Framework“
• Jürgen Etzlstorfer, Dynatrace, „Overcoming scalability issues in your Prometheus ecosystem“
• Roman Bachmann, Swisscom, „Cloud Native Buildpacks to unite PaaS and CaaS“

We hope you enjoyed it as much as we did and we will be very happy to see many of you again at one of our next events. Subscribe to the Cloud Native Computing Meetup group to stay updated, and see you soon!

Am Mi. 29.01.2020 hat das Red Hat Forum Austria 2020 in Wien im Messe Wien Congress Center stattgefunden. Partner, Endkunden und Technik-Interessierte trafen sich, um über die Zukunftsthemen der IT-Branche zu philosophieren: Container, Hybrid- und Multi-Cloud-Strategien, Interoperabilität, Flexibilität, Agilität und Sicherheit.

Das Red Hat Forum ist der ideale Ort, um zu erfahren, wie diesen Herausforderungen erfolgreich begegnet werden kann. Es ist ein Ort zum Lernen, Netzwerken und Erleben von Open Source. Es ist die Verbindung von Inspiration und Handeln, um auf dem Bestehenden aufzubauen und verbindet Business und Technik.

VSHN ist als Red Hat CCSP vor Ort

Als Red Hat Advanced CCSP (Certified Cloud and Service Provider) Business Partner konnte es sich VSHN natürlich nicht entgehen lassen, auch in Wien vor Ort zu sein.

Impressionen vom Red Hat Forum Austria

Wir waren vor Ort, um uns selbst ein Bild zu machen, Bekannte Gesichter zu treffen und neue Kontakte zu knüpfen. Der Rahmen des Forums umfasste spannende Talks, Workshops und Breakout-Sessions.

Horst Thieme Head of Sales Specialists Cloud, Middleware, OpenShift and Storage DACH, Red Hat

Erfolgsfaktoren für High-Availability Setups mit OpenShift 4.x, Guido Greber und Sebastian Eidner von Accenture

Das Team unseres Partners cloudWerkstatt war ebenfalls mit einem Stand vor Ort, vielen Dank nochmals für den leckeren Espresso! 🙂

APPUiO war ebenfalls indirekt vertreten! 🙂

Wrapup durch Udo Urbantschitsch, Managing Director Austria Red Hat.

Fazit vom Red Hat Forum Austria

Das Red Hat Forum ist immer ein toller Ort zum Austausch von Ideen und Erfahrungen und einfach auch um Kontakte zu knüpfen. Die Wien-Edition war da keine Ausnahme.
Wir hatten jedenfalls jede Menge Spass, konnten einiges mitnehmen und freuen uns schon auf das Red Hat Forum Switzerland 2020 in Zürich.
 

Nach dem Gewinn des Digital Economy Awards 2019 wurde VSHN vom swissICT Verband an die ICT-Networkingparty am 23. Januar 2020 im Kursaal Bern eingeladen.
Als neues Mitglied von swissICT durften wir einen sehr gelungenen Abend mit interessanten Gästen und Speakern erleben. Als erster Referent des Abends trat Nationalrat Marcel Dobler, Präsident von ICT-Switzerland auf die Bühne. Insbesondere die elektronische Identität (E-ID) war eines seiner Themen, gefolgt von flexibleren Arbeitsgesetzen. Danach wurde es etwas humoristischer mit dem Kolumnist Rolf Dobelli, Kabarettist Florian Schroeder und der Komikerin Regula Esposito, besser bekannt als Helga Schneider.

Weitere Impressionen in den Medien

https://www.computerworld.ch/business/veranstaltung/kunst-kampf-an-ict-networkingparty-2020-2459452.html

https://www.netzwoche.ch/news/2020-01-24/die-ict-branche-startet-heiter-ins-neue-jahrzehnt

VSHN nimmt Teil an den DACH Red Hat Foren 2020

Um unsere Red Hat Advanced CCSP (Certified Cloud and Service Provider) Business Partnerschaft gebührend zu feiern, nimmt VSHN am Red Hat Forum 2020 in Deutschland und Österreich teil. Triff uns in Darmstadt und Wien!

Red Hat Forum Germany 2020

Red Hat Forum Germany am 14.01.2020 in Darmstadt.

Das Red Hat Forum präsentiert Ihnen die neuesten und besten Open Source-Technologien in den Bereichen Cloud Computing, Plattform, Virtualisierung, Middleware, Storage und Systemmanagement. Besuchen Sie uns in der Digitalstadt Darmstadt und erfahren Sie, wie Open Source Ihr Unternehmen verändern kann.

Red Hat Forum Austria 2020

Red Hat Forum Austria am 29.01.2020 in Wien.

Das Red Hat Forum ist der ideale Ort, um zu erfahren, wie Sie diesen Herausforderungen erfolgreich begegnen können. Es ist ein Ort zum Lernen, Netzwerken und Erleben von Open Source. Es ist die Verbindung von Inspiration und Handeln, um auf dem Bestehenden aufzubauen. Wählen Sie zwischen spannenden Sessions mit Experten von Red Hat sowie mit unseren Technologiepartnern und vielen weiteren Fachleuten, mit denen Sie Ihre Erfahrungen austauschen können. Besuchen Sie das Red Hat Forum in Wien und erfahren Sie, wie Open Source Ihr Unternehmen verändern kann.

Lass uns treffen

Lass uns wissen, falls du auch dort bist dann treffen wir dich gerne auf einen Kaffee. 🙂