Jim Schild, founder and head of community at the North American DevOps Group (NADOG), discusses the journey of building a DevOps community from the ground up. Originally an English literature major with aspirations of teaching, Jim found himself in the tech industry, eventually immersing himself in the DevOps space. In 2015, he launched NADOG as a grassroots initiative to foster real connections within the DevOps community. The group has since grown into a key player in North America, emphasizing peer-led knowledge sharing and local networking over traditional marketing-driven events. Jim shares how the community adapted through the pandemic, transitioned back to in-person events, and continues expanding across major cities.
Jim also touches on the evolving definition of DevOps, the rise of platform engineering, and how marketing hype has shaped industry perceptions. Jim reflects on the challenges of maintaining a thriving community, the importance of authenticity in engagement, and his commitment to keeping NADOG a space for real practitioners. Looking ahead, he highlights upcoming events and potential expansion into South Florida, inviting IT leaders and practitioners to get involved.
Alan Shimel is founder, CEO and editor-in-chief of Techstrong Group, a Futurum company, and a member of Futurum's executive leadership team. A technology entrepreneur, media executive and industry commentator, Shimel has spent more than three decades building businesses, communities and media platforms serving enterprise technology professionals, including co-founding StillSecure, a network security company, and the DevOps Institute, a DevOps certification and training body. At Techstrong, he leads a portfolio of media brands including devopsy.kinsta.cloud, Security Boulevard, Cloud Native Now, Techstrong AI, Techstrong IT, Digital CxO, Platform Engineering, Techstrong Semi and Techstrong TV, along with a growing portfolio of events, educational programs and digital communities. With more than 25 years of experience in cybersecurity, Shimel is a familiar voice in the space and was an early advocate of the DevOps movement, helping bring DevOps practices into mainstream enterprise technology. His work today spans cybersecurity, DevOps, cloud-native technologies, artificial intelligence, semiconductors and digital transformation, and he hosts popular programs including Techstrong Gang, Shimmy Says and Still Cyber, After All These Years. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Government and Politics from St. John's University and a Juris Doctor from New York Law School.