Together with my colleagues from our Austrian professional services department, we attended this year's KCD Austria that took place at the Cineplexx Wienerberg in Vienna. I was already attending last year’s KCD and for me it was a must that we as Nordcloud should be part of this fantastic event and community as silver sponsor this year.

A couple of years back, in April 2021, I had the opportunity to attend the KCD Africa virtually as a speaker, which was really awesome, and so was this year’s event in Austria. Being part of the community was and is something that is really important for me! The exchange about technical details with colleagues, customers, students and all the other kinds of people that were coming by at our booth is always fascinating!

Personally, I love it to explain to the people floating around, that we are not only a consultancy company, we are also very strong engineers who understand the challenges and did a lot in Kubernetes in the past. Like myself, I was deep in CoreDNS back then and therefore also my code is running in nearly each Kubernetes cluster today. 

This brings me to some point to reflect a bit about the sessions that we attend during the KCD. Many sessions were talking about the journey from traditional monitoring to answering complex questions with observability. Many Ops-Teams are suffering to generate meaningful insights from vast amounts of monitoring data and tend to “dashboard-everything” which usually ends up in a mess. Observability means to answer questions which are more relevant from a business perspective instead of focusing on technical details only.

KCD was one of the coolest events this year and I think we will be there again next year and maybe we can share some insights about what we are doing with Kubernetes by holding a session then! In my heart and from my history, I’m still an engineer and therefore I love and enjoy attending such conferences! Last but not least, have a look at some impressions that we took during the event from our booth. “Scientists investigate that which already is; engineers create that which has never been.” [Albert Einstein]

A Deep Dive into Kubernetes Community Days Austria: Highlights, Insights, and Reflections

People are Key to Success

Together with my colleagues from the Austrian professional services team, we attended this year's Kubernetes Community Days (KCD) Austria at Cineplexx Wienerberg in Vienna. I had the privilege of attending last year's KCD, and I knew it was essential for Nordcloud to participate this year as a silver sponsor. It’s a fantastic event and community that embodies the spirit of collaboration and innovation in Kubernetes.

Building Connections and Sharing Knowledge

Community Connections

In April 2021, I spoke virtually at KCD Africa, and it was an incredible experience. This year’s event in Austria was just as exciting! Being part of the community remains vital for me. The rich discussions with colleagues, customers, students, and other attendees are invaluable. Over two days, we explored various topics at our booth, including:

• Networking: Sharing what we've done in Kubernetes networking over the years. We were even neighbours with our friends from Calico!

• Cloud Foundation: Reinforcing the need for a robust cloud foundation. Without it, companies risk unmanaged cloud resources piling up.

• Automation: A major theme! Automation is still a fundamental reason for using managed Kubernetes services from public cloud hyperscalers.

• Hybrid Cloud: Although we’re cloud-native, we recognise that many organisations are integrating Kubernetes in both on-premises and public cloud environments.

Showing Expertise Beyond Consultancy

One of my favourite moments was engaging with attendees, showcasing that we’re not just a consultancy—we’re engineers who understand the challenges of Kubernetes deeply. I’ve been involved in CoreDNS, and it’s thrilling to know that my code runs in nearly every Kubernetes cluster today!

Reflections on the Sessions

During KCD, several sessions discussed the shift from traditional monitoring to achieving business-driven insights with observability. Many operations teams grapple with managing vast amounts of monitoring data, often resorting to complex dashboards that ultimately overwhelm rather than clarify. Observability offers a solution, focusing on answering business-relevant questions instead of just technical details.

Looking Ahead

This was undoubtedly one of the highlights of the year, and we’re already planning to return next year! Perhaps we’ll even hold a session of our own, sharing the insights we’ve gathered on Kubernetes and other projects. My heart remains in engineering, and these conferences rekindle that passion.

Final Impressions

As Albert Einstein famously said, “Scientists investigate that which already is; engineers create that which has never been.” This resonates deeply as we continue to create and innovate within the Kubernetes ecosystem.

Kubernetes Community Days Austria reminded us of the importance of community, learning, and innovation. Attending such events brings value not only to our organisation but also to the entire Kubernetes ecosystem. If you’re passionate about Kubernetes or considering attending an industry event, make it a priority. Let’s build the future together—one Kubernetes cluster at a time!

Curious about our work in Kubernetes or want to explore how Nordcloud can support your cloud journey? Reach out to us today for a conversation with our experienced team.