What does DevOps mean to you?

The DevOps model is defined as practices and tools that improve the ability of any organization to deliver applications and services at a faster rate than the traditional software development models and management processes. For me, all these DevOps principles and practices are adopted through the evolution of process and tools and culture as an organization matures. The key focus should be on the culture change and the key points of the DevOps culture are effective collaboration, constant learning and experimentation leading to improvements and fast feedback.

What are your main responsibilities as a DevOps Engineer?

The DevOps engineer at Windmill collaborates with multiple stakeholders, including the client, to understand project requirements and KPIs during the end-to-end software development lifecycle. We ensure that security and compliance are not compromised in a bid to release products at an accelerated timeline. After planning the blueprint of the development and delivery process, we implement the infrastructure and the development and automation tools. This is accompanied by defining the right build, test, release, and update cycle for DevOps operations. We ensure that the code and infrastructure is properly verified and validated, and that the proper monitoring is present to help us troubleshoot and fix any bugs.
For me, my most important responsibility is to make sure to identify and deploy cybersecurity measures by continuously performing vulnerability assessments and risk management.

How has your approach to DevOps evolved during your time at Windmill? How has technology changed?

The first thing that comes to mind is tools and technology obviously, but it was also accompanied by the change in mindset and the strengthening DevOps culture.
DevOps was originally a simplistic idea, which revolved around making developers and IT engineers talk more effectively with each other. It was only over time that specific types of tools–like containers and their orchestration–were associated with DevOps. And it took longer for the DevOps concept to be extended to all parts of the organization, rather than just development and IT. Throughout my experience in DevOps, there was initially more focus towards on-premise infrastructures with various vendors offering only certain type of services catering towards specific functionality of DevOps. Then there was a shift towards using mostly cloud-native managed services for all the practices of DevOps. Docker and Kubernetes provided an application deployment format that could be used in both development and production environments seamlessly, which facilitated one of the core goals of DevOps.
Every process associated with DevOps today is always supposed to be “continuous”, referring to the idea that processes should occur at all stages of the pipeline. When I joined Windmill, I learned how to make this focus on “continuous” into “comprehensible” and “predictable”, if not literally continuous, which gives better results. Also, there are so many cloud-agnostic tools now which have helped make DevOps processes much faster with faster feedback.

What are some DevOps best practices that are important to the Windmill team ?

• Infrastructure as Code (IAC): This is where we use scripts to deploy the infra for housing the application. It helps us test the infra in the same way we would source code, and we use virtual machines which behave like production environments early on. This makes it easier to scale and create multiple environments in days rather than months.
• Cloud Infrastructure: We have used cloud infra as a hybrid of on-prem and cloud or within public clouds for all their managed services. But with the recent shift towards serverless architectures on cloud, we have been able to eliminate or minimize the server management operations.
• Micro-services: This is the standard in Windmill, whereby customer apps are built as a set of independently-configured services which communicate with each other. This loose coupling helps in isolating issues, and ensuring failures in one service do not break the functionality in others. So the entire system stays stable while we can fix problems in isolation.
• Containerization and Orchestration: Containers, more lightweight and packaged with all runtime components without the whole OS systems unlike the virtual machines, are used to instantly deploy applications across various environments and this is well combined with the IAC approach. For orchestrating these containers, Kubernetes and other cloud-native Kubernetes tools like AKS and EKS are increasingly advanced.
• Configuration Management: This means to use code to automate servers, host configurations, operations, tasks and more. We focus on this so that changes in configurations are much more standardized, thereby saving the effort of manually configuring applications, servers, OS, software, etc.
• Continuous Integration (CI): Our developers frequently merge their codes into the source code management repository, leading to automated builds and tests.
• Continuous Delivery: This practice extends CI where all the successfully tested builds are later deployed to the testing and/or production environment.
• Continuous Monitoring and Logging: The goal of this practice is to detect the problematic areas and analyzing feedback from the team and users to improve the product’s features and functionality.

What is the career path or paths of a DevOps engineer?

DevOps Engineer is a very versatile, multi-faceted role as it keeps evolving as increasingly many organizations rely on streamlining operations and the development process, along with constantly evolving the tools used for DevOps, which often means more exciting learning opportunities. DevOps Engineers typically have a background in Software/IT. Most of the times, they landed their role after spending time developing software as well as managing operations, since DevOps bridges the gap between the two. Some important skills of DevOps engineers include:

• demonstrate that you can work as an individual contributor as well as a collaborator
• firm understanding of using technologies for automation tools and procedures, CICD, cloud technology, source code management as well as project management
• ability to close the gap in current technological infrastructure and come up with the right solutions

With that being said, some of the DevOps career roles are: Release Manager, Software Developer, Security Engineer, Operations Engineer, Systems Administrators, highly Technical Support Engineers with L4-L5 Support experience, and more.

What are some key resources you rely on or books from which you have learnt?

I have mostly learned everything from inexpensive Udemy courses offered by certified Cloud Professionals like Stephane Maarek (AWS), Colt Steele (Coding Bootcamps), Zeal Vora (AWS and IAC- Terraform), Mumshad Mannambeth and Edward Viaene (Kubernetes). Apart from this there is always opensource documentation available for all the cloud services. For coding my favorite book series is the Headfirst series for popular languages like Java and Python. Currently I am reading the book ‘The Pragmatic Programmer’ by Andrew Hunt, David Thomas, which offers an insight into the journey of a programmer from increasing specialization to study the core processes of the software lifecycle. It is a great book, covering lots of topics ranging from career development to architecture techniques to managing the flexibility, adaptability, and reusability of software code.

What does it take to put together a world-class design team that can take on any challenge?

Taras Bakusevych has set out to explore that as Principal Designer at Windmill Smart Solutions.

Taras began his professional journey in architecture, studying interior design. He didn’t study product design specifically, but much of his coursework focused on graphic design and digital art, lending perfectly to an eventual career designing digital products.

After spending some time in various startup environments, Taras joined Windmill as a UX/UI Designer. It was a small team back then, so he spent a lot of time working directly with our CEO, Sunny Gambhir. Starting with visual enhancements to some of Sunny’s original designs, Taras eventually moved on to providing structural direction, and today he oversees the design process of every Windmill product.

“From setting the right expectations for clients, to daily operations and project management, there’s a lot going on at any given moment. I’m grateful to have grown to a position where I can help spearhead some of these areas as we work toward the company’s growth” he shares.

Designing the Future

One of the things Taras enjoys most about Windmill is the clients he gets to work with, and the high level of trust placed on his team.

Many of these companies depend on the products we build to propel them into the next phase of their evolution. We’re building the future.

“In order for the company to be successful, we need a dedicated, mature, and diverse design team that works well together,” Taras continues. There’s always a new challenge to tackle, and sometimes it can even feel addictive. Jumping from one task to another keeps Taras engaged in his work, and while he admits that it can become difficult to focus at times, he attributes much of his success to this environment of constant change.

“Sure, you’ll get stuff thrown at you. But if you’re able to take on the challenges presented to you and design creative solutions, there is unmatched reward in the experience. It’s how I learned so much so quickly and continue to learn every day.”

Meaningful Connections and Contributions

It goes much further than designing great products. “It’s like a family here”, shares Taras. “It’s never about the numbers. We don’t grow for the sake of growing. We want to gather a group that genuinely enjoys working together, and we hope that each member of our team always remains connected to the relationships and experiences they build here.”

“You’re very much in control of your path here,” adds Taras. “Our goal is always to align everyone’s individual goals with the overall mission of the company, and we openly encourage freedom of expression. Each person is empowered to share their vision. We want everyone to contribute toward moving the company in the right direction.”

Building a World-Class Team

Windmill is rapidly expanding, with new designers joining the team all over the world. Over the next six months, Taras plans to focus on training his new team members and making sure they gain exposure to varied projects that help develop their skills.

“We have a lot of incoming projects, and we want to make sure our designers are prepared to take them on,” Taras shares.

Looking further toward the future, Taras and the Windmill leadership team are looking to gather the best of the best in design. “We want to build a uniquely talented team, one that has the ability to tackle any design challenge at any scale,” says Taras.

“Design is not just about visuals. It’s deeply embedded in the product development process. It’s a journey we take with our clients. If it’s not enjoyable, what’s the point? We want to take an enjoyable journey altogether, one that benefits the growth and development of all involved” he remarks.

We can’t wait to see what’s ahead for Taras and his team. Follow us on LinkedIn to stay tuned into the latest from our designers and others.

Interested in learning about open roles at Windmill Smart Solutions? Check out our careers page.

Recently, I had a conversation with one of our principals, Miles Hobart, where we discussed the importance of understanding the reasons behind our daily actions. As a company, our purpose and passion will largely influence our direction and accomplishments. In this post, we will explore some of the fundamental principles that guide us at Windmill and enable us to achieve our objectives.

Joy at the Core

At the heart of everything we do, I believe that joy should be the driving force. We aim to establish a work environment where our team can be themselves, enjoy what they do in their roles, and contribute their expertise to enable growth. Our teammates are our partners on this journey, and our objective is to make the journey pleasant for everyone.

Embracing Abundance and Gratitude

Another key principle for me is abundance. By embracing abundance and gratitude, we can approach each challenge with a clear mind and bring our best selves to the table. We are grateful for everything we have, from the designs we create to the people we work with, and we are inspired by the possibilities we have as a company to make a difference.

Fostering Creativity and Craftsmanship

Creativity is another vital concept that I strive to embody. I believe that creativity is not limited to our design teams; it can be expressed in every role, from development to talent acquisition. Creativity is a simple and innate trait among humans, and we can all be craftsmen if we approach anything we do with reverence. By fostering a culture of creativity, we can continuously innovate and find new solutions to complex problems.

Continuous Challenge for Growth and Development

Lastly, I believe in creating a company where everyone is continuously challenged for their growth and development. We understand that our greatest hurdles in life serve to foster the most personal growth. As we work together to achieve our goals, our aim is to create an environment where everyone is motivated to do their part. Growth is about people, and the more we can establish a secure environment where our employees can expand their minds and experiences, the more we can do as a company to enhance the development of our interconnected world.

In conclusion, my purpose and passion are guided by these core principles: joy, abundance, creativity, and growth. We believe that by embodying these principles, we can achieve our goals and make a meaningful impact in the world.

In March, Windmill held its first roundtable in support of International Women’s Day (IWD).  We facilitated conversations with women in tech, design, human resources, and management and found a unified voice that honored the day and the careers development of Women at Windmill. 

With offices in the US, Portugal, the United Kingdom, Ukraine, Switzerland, and India, Windmill’s diversity is one of our key strengths. And as a company with large tech and IT teams, it is Windmill’s responsibility to make sure those career pathways are as open to women as possible.

What does IWD mean to you?

International Women’s Day is a day like any other but also one for remembering that, for the most part, the world is inching closer to gender equality. As a company whose workforce is so internationally diverse, the question of the personal significance of IWD produced a broad range of perspectives. 

Every day is women’s day according to Susana in Portugal, and similarly in Ukraine, where IWD is a National Holiday, Khrystyna feels that a kind of restrictiveness around March 8th, of that being the one day to platform women’s views, has been shrugged off, women’s voices are heard every day.

In contrast, for Luidmyla, IWD is a day to celebrate women in a literal sense – to be waited on and to receive flowers and presents, not even leaving bed to make coffee! A “Queen day” as she calls it! Additionally, Sarika based in India spoke of an office culture at a previous workplace where the men brought in gifts for the women. 

It is great to see the different way IWD is appreciated and regarded around the world, and specifically within Windmill.

Challenging oneself

The theme of this year’s IWD is #ChoosetoChallenge, and challenging oneself was a common theme during the discussion. A point of unity was the importance of determination and belief in yourself in handling difficult situations at work in the face of doubts and fears. Susana was not afraid to share her strategy of having a “little cry” in the restroom to gather herself; while when faced with a difficult task, such as submitting an important application, Khrystyna reminds herself of a Scarlet O’Hara quote, but inverses it: Instead of “thinking about it tomorrow” she acts now and deals later with any negative feelings that arise.

For Christina, visualisation is a powerful tool that should be used from early in one’s career. “If you want something, believe it first then be it, she said. One of the biggest obstacles we face is that we don’t do ourselves justice in imagining success — we do it for others but not ourselves. Moenika, based in London, echoed those thoughts, saying that sometimes the best opportunities are scary and that we are more capable than we know — facing down self-doubt and untrue opinions of yourself is crucial to self-development.

Akshata sees speaking your mind as key to inner peace. For her, it’s important to put your point across even if you think it’s “crappy” as it will put your mind at peace and you won’t be regretful for not having said anything at night. There’s not much to lose, so don’t be afraid to fail.

Challenging externally

The IWD roundtable turned from challenges of the self to to ways women had challenged their external environments. Representation of women in senior and managerial positions was commonly identified as being important to see as well as to become oneself. Sarika was encouraged to become the first woman from her group to leave India for Europe, while Moenika was successful in becoming the president of her university’s computer science club to show that women belong in such professions — in many ways embodying Christina’s mantra of believe it then be it.

Windmill is committed to supporting women in all roles and believes that with this stance, more people will be inspired to excel in their careers without gender stereotypes.

View Windmill’s current vacancies, including design, developer, and engineer roles, on Windmill’s careers page.

Throughout my years working in HR, I’ve had many interesting conversations about the need for continuous learning — keeping our skills sharp, learning new ones, and always staying ahead of curve, no matter our industry our job role.

Most people agree on the importance of continuous learning, but when faced with the realities of our daily and weekly routines, sometimes it feels impossible to step back from the churn and focus on our own development.

Here are some tips to help you prioritize and get in the right attitude to promote learning and growth.

1. Connect the dots to find meaning.

How many times have we gone through the motions of learning something simply because we were forced to, such as in school? How much did we retain from those scenarios? Probably not much, because we were unable to transfer the information from our short-term memory to our long-term memory.

In order to avoid this common pitfall in our careers, it’s important to consistently check in with ourselves to make sure we’re headed in the right direction. Some questions to ask include “why am I learning these new skills?”, “what direction will these skills enable me to take?”, and “how will this be useful to me?”

Connect the dots between your purpose, your vision, and your daily impact and you’ll start to find more ways continuous learning can help you be even more effective, in every aspect of life. Finding these real life connections to our work and understanding how it all fits into the larger picture of our personal and organizational growth is key to successfully learning and retaining knowledge in the long-term.

2. Stop believing in the talent myth.

For decades, I made the mistake of believing that talent is innate — that you either have it or you don’t. Struggling to figure out my own talents, I spent a lot of time asking myself the wrong questions.

I now know that talent is determined less by our genes and far more by our actions. In the science-fiction movie Gattaca, the main character (Vincent Freeman) brilliantly depicts the reality of the situation: despite all that is dealt to him at birth, he proves that through determination and smart choices, we each have the power to realize our dreams just as he does.

While there is always room for improvement, continuous learning starts with the acceptance that you don’t never have to have everything figured out. As long as you’re striving to become better every day, dedication and persistence will always prevail, leading you to success.

3. Learn to learn!

Skip the Laptop:
While an incredibly useful tool, reading from a computer or typing isn’t the best way to learn. Taking notes the old-fashioned way on paper is proven to be a much better way to retain information. Instead of transcribing everything you hear, try to reframe the information in your own words and draw your own connections for better results.

Get Moving:
Physical exercise can help clear your head, putting you in a better mental and physical state to retain information and successfully learn. Rather than wasting your time cramming your mind with more information, take a break for some light physical exercise before getting back to work.

Sound it Out:
It’s scientifically proven that reading something out loud helps with remembering it later on.

Find What Works:
Learning is a journey and not a destination. It’s never too late to identify your own learning style and figure out what works best for you. In order to expand our knowledge, we must first recall how to learn.

4. Learn by Doing.

It’s natural to do some research and brush up on theory before we try to put our knowledge into practice, but at some point, we must get out there and put it into practice. Whether it’s a language, cooking, playing a sport, or setting up a business, the only way to learn is to actually experience it, refine our approach, and continuously improve.

5. Allow yourself to fail.

No one likes to fail, but our risk of mistakes naturally increases as soon as we step out of our comfort zones. Try not to be so hard on yourself as you try new things. Remember that failure is not a negative experience, but rather an integral part of the learning process. It’s from our mistakes that we can learn the most, examine what didn’t work, and try again for better results next time. Flip the narrative in your own head to embrace failure and encourage perseverance.

6. Seek honest feedback. 

Honest, high-quality feedback is a valuable gift for better self awareness and gaining new perspective. Respectful disagreement and opinions that challenge our own perceptions have the power to stimulate intellectual thought and lead both sides toward greater excellence. Reach out to some trustworthy colleagues to see if they have any advice on how you could improve, and incorporate that feedback as you continue to learn more.

7. Keep track of your learning and reward yourself. 

Life itself is a journey, whether we are conscious about it or not. It’s important to take a break and pause for a moment sometimes, and reflect on what you’ve recently learned. How is it impacting your work? How are you implementing this new knowledge and what are your next steps? Regularly checking in with yourself and being proud of the progress you make day by day, or week by week, is key to remaining curious and ready to move toward each new learning experience.

With these tactics in mind, you can get yourself in the right mindset to learn more each and every day. It’s all about the choices we make and the attitude with which we approach each new experience. It’s up to you – what will you choose to learn today?

The capacity to learn is a gift; the ability to learn is a skill; the willingness to learn is a choice. -Brian Herbert

Having spent his entire career in product, including related stints in strategy, partnerships and business development, Miles Hobart — UK Principal here at Windmill Smart Solutions — knows a thing or two about what it takes to deliver digital innovation. For Miles, it’s about the freedom to do it our own way.

Miles spent a lot of time at much larger organizations where the real decision-making is more of a top-down, lengthy process, so he welcomes the shift to something new. “At Windmill, I get a chance to truly sink or swim with my colleagues based on the decisions we make” says Miles.

This kind of symbiotic relationship with his work gives Miles a chance to truly connect with customers and figure out how to best serve their needs – something that’s not always easy to find.

Being part of a large firm feels a bit like being in a cocoon. There is often little direct involvement in strategy or decision-making, and indeed, customers, making it difficult to feel a personal connection to one’s work

That’s not the case at Windmill. 

“Joining Windmill has given me the opportunity to make things a lot more real. I’m able to help make more of an immediate impact on our customers’ success” he says. “I can also see the concrete impact of decisions made across the whole company, the interdependencies between the different functions, and ultimately the business impact on customers and on the satisfaction of our own teams.”

From overseeing the company’s growth in the UK, to helping scale the organization globally and spearheading new business opportunities abroad, Miles is involved in a number of strategic initiatives that are set to determine Windmill’s trajectory over the next few years. 

He is particularly excited by the projects he is leading in 2020 for the Ventures arm of the business in the areas of enterprise collaboration and private banking. 

Miles is currently driving recruitment for several key teams as Windmill continues to bloom year after year.  “A company is only as good as its people, and we’ve got great people” he continues. “We’ve got a lot of creative thinkers and the right mix of talent. We have what it takes to be successful, and we need to continuously build on that with the right people. It is time-consuming but necessary to ensure we get it right.”

This is a fast-paced, dynamic environment. Things are always changing, and there are always new opportunities for anyone who wants to seize them; proactive individuals will thrive.

For Miles, Windmill offers a rewarding mix of product design and delivery, making it possible to see projects through end-to-end. “It’s a much more fulfilling experience for people who have a passion for product,” says Miles. “Ultimately, it’s about building products on our own terms, using our skills to build the best possible products, and taking some risks to see what can succeed in the market. It’s about opportunity and freedom.”

“That said, from a leadership perspective, we have to be continually alert to the danger of taking on too much and spreading ourselves too thin” he cautions. “There is a lot of opportunity out there! We are conscious of this and rigorously prioritize our activities, and challenge each other on this, so we are always adding the most value.”

Windmill presents fantastic opportunities for Miles to personally learn and grow and also to nurture others. He especially enjoys mentoring younger team members, helping to steer them ahead and offering advice on how to evolve throughout their careers. So far, working with such a motivated and inspired team and coaching them toward their own success is one of the best parts of the journey. 

Outside of growing Windmill’s products and services, Miles loves to stay active and spend time in nature. When he’s not working, he’s hiking in the mountains during summer or skiing in the winter as much as possible. Keeping fit and hanging out with family and friends and dog are what help Miles stay grounded and focused. 

As we dive into 2020, Miles is looking forward to ensuring successful delivery on all client engagements and helping propel Windmill’s growth across the board. The new decade is ripe with opportunity for impactful teamwork, personal development, and even greater innovation. If this sounds like something you’d like to be part of, be sure to check out our open roles on our Careers page.

What does it take to build something truly remarkable? That’s a question we ask ourselves every day at Windmill Smart Solutions.

As a company that designs and develops next-generation digital products, we each have a lot of individual experience in building remarkable digital experiences; but collectively, we are more than a group of developers, design thinkers, and agile practitioners – we are a team on a mission to enrich our human experience as well, while making an impact through our work.

Acting with Passion

At the core of passion is love, and here at Windmill, we truly love what we do. We make a great team because we each have an individual personal connection to our work, and collectively, we believe in the power of making a positive impact through design. We have a passion for helping each other, helping our community, and helping make life a little bit easier for our clients and their customers through the innovative digital products we create.

Taking Ownership

There’s a lot of room for confusion out there, so we always take due diligence to be crystal clear on each of our responsibilities. By knowing what is expected of each of us, we’re able to work faster and more effectively toward our goals. Taking ownership helps us minimize inefficiency while maximizing productivity. Ultimately, it makes our team stronger and enables us to provide exceptional client service.

Honesty and Transparency

Open communication and a strong sense of trust enable us to build a sustainable and successful company together. That’s why here at Windmill, we’re always honest about our abilities and intentions, as well as our mistakes. We remain upfront about our emotions and concerns, and we never judge or censure anyone for sharing how they feel.

Mutual Trust and Respect

We are all partners in this journey we call life, and as such we always see each other as fellow human beings first. This small act of compassion makes a big difference in how we relate to each other; ultimately it makes us better designers, innovators, and critical thinkers, and more well-rounded as a whole. We strive to maintain mutual trust and respect so we can all enjoy positive interactions, valuable connections, and a healthy work environment.

Open Mindedness

We live in an age of boundless potential. Keeping up requires agility, and agility begins in the mind. We’re continuously testing our assumptions and sharpening our knowledge – it’s how we stay prepared to face every new challenge. With each iteration comes a chance to improve our ideas, foster greater innovation, and propel ourselves forward toward greater success.

Interested in Joining Our Team? 

Opportunities for innovation in this fantastic digital world of ours are abundant. We’re thankful for a team that makes the journey of discovering them so worthwhile. We’re always looking for like-minded professionals whose values align with our own. If this sounds like something you’d like to be a part of, check out our Careers page to learn about open roles.

Windmill was started with a single goal in mind – designing and delivering impactful experiences. As we are expanding, we are gathering the best talent and a passionate team with great leaders to come and be part of our journey.

We are building a fun team, from design to development to growth and products, I enjoy working with the team and sharing our understanding and experiences as we learn and grow together.

says Sunny.

In his own life, Sunny has experienced all styles of management and it reflects in how he manages as well. He’s grown into his role slowly by looking around and seeing what works in which situation. At Windmill, leadership is a joint effort and the company takes a lean and agile approach to it, appointing a handful of executives to the leadership team and rotating the title of CEO.

We very much believe that there should be no single point of control or failure. I’ve taken the title of CEO because someone has to have it, but it doesn’t mean anyone else in the core leadership team won’t have that title in the future. We share a vision but there is no single right way or person”, Sunny notes. “Having all these different people working together and understanding the vision without ego is how we approach leadership.

Design Thinking + Lean is at the core of Windmill Smart Solutions, and it’s prevalent in every part of the company.

We internally run design thinking workshops to enable better understanding and definition of needs and gaps. We try things, we see what works, we discard what doesn’t work, and we continuously improve what does work.

says Sunny.

The next two years will be crucial to Windmill Smart Solutions as the company looks to launch a wide range of products and projects and grow our teams in various locations. A key to our success is maintaining our continuous focus on quality and happiness at work.

In our leadership meetings, we asked ourselves what we really want to do – what is our focus? Is it revenue, growth, or quality of work? And what we all said is that we want to be selective and maintain the focus on greatness and quality in whatever we do.

The company always aims to work on a manageable number of projects, enabling us to focus and deliver truly great solutions. This allows for a team where each person is a valuable contributor toward success. 

“We’ve been growing, but there’s nothing more we want to do other than build great products, Windmill exists to create great experiences. That’s more than enough”.

says Sunny.

Sunny is proud of this atypical approach. “Everything in my life has been unique and full of great surprises.” he says. “This is reflected in the spirit of Windmill – everything we do is out of the box, we’re never in the box.”