As we head into Thanksgiving and the start of holiday season here in the U.S., I wanted to reach out to readers, visitors and friends around the world with a message: In spite of things that make us all sad, there is much to be thankful for this year.

Hopefully, you are not living in an active war zone. Living in peace is something we used to take for granted. It is hard to concentrate on developing code and things like CI/CD, observability and vulnerabilities when you are worried about bombs, drones and gunshots around you. I never used to feel grateful for living a life that allowed me to focus on my work, building a better company and doing more business. But I realize this year how thankful I am to be able to pursue my livelihood in peace. While news of war, death and destruction is never far from our ears, it seems, for most of us, our ears and eyes are as close as it gets. For this, let us be thankful.

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Which of the following best describes how you currently monitor and manage systems across your hybrid cloud environment?(Required)

Multiple separate tools for different environments

Multiple separate tools for different monitoring and management functions

Single consolidated dashboard

Custom built monitoring and management solution

No full monitoring and management solution

Don’t know

How valuable would it be for your monitoring and management solution to incorporate predictive analytics to help you identify and address system issues that are critical and not waste time or effort working through all the data and “noise” that is not critical?(Required)

Extremely valuable

Moderately valuable

Somewhat valuable

Slightly valuable

Not valuable

How do you most typically address potential system issues BEFORE they impact your operations?(Required)

Automated workflows and playbooks to remediate potential issues as soon as they are detected

An orchestrated response process that leverages automation, AI, and human expertise to rapidly respond to potential issues

Advanced monitoring tools such as predictive analytics and anomaly detection to proactively identify and address potential issues

Respond to issues as they arise, using manual processes and troubleshooting techniques

A combination of automated remediation, orchestrated response, and/or proactive monitoring to address potential system issues

Don’t know

Other

What methods does your organization use to control and monitor cloud/IT spending?(Required)

Centralized procurement processes

Pre-approved budget thresholds

Automated cost monitoring tools

Department-level spending controls

Regular cost audits and reviews

Cloud cost optimization platform

Approval workflows for resource provisioning

Native financial operations tools provided by the cloud provider

No formal controls in place

Don’t know

Other

Please specify:

Which methods do you rely on most to detect security vulnerabilities in your systems?(Required)

Automated scanning tools

Manual assessments

Vendor notifications

Threat modeling (for early detection)

None of these

Don’t know

Other

Please specify:

What are the TWO most common ways you prioritize vulnerabilities to address within your environment?(Required)

Based on potential impact

Based on exploitability

Regulatory compliance requirements

Based on CVSS scores

Risk-based analysis of multiple factors

First-in-first-out approach

No formal prioritization process

Don’t know

How do you typically handle system updates and security patches?(Required)

Automated updates and patches

Manually review and apply updates and patches on a regular schedule

A combination of automation and manual review

Apply updates and patches on an as-needed basis.

Outsourced update and patch management

No defined process

Don’t know

Other

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While this past year has seen so many layoffs and cutbacks, especially in the tech industry, we should be thankful for earning our livelihoods in an industry that is still so dynamic. We work in an industry that continues to lead the world with bold new innovations and cutting-edge technologies. Even for our friends who were impacted by the cutbacks and layoffs, most have found new jobs and greater opportunities to explore and grow. The past few years have seen such huge growth that some contraction, I guess, is to be expected. But overall, the tech industry is still chugging along. For this, let us be thankful.

What about DevOps, you ask? Well, let us be thankful for DevOps, which continues to evolve and adapt to the opportunities in the market. With innovations in platform engineering, cloud-native technology, GitOps and more, DevOps has proven resilient and adaptable in absorbing these innovations to continue allowing us to develop faster, better, higher-quality code. I am excited about some of the AI-powered innovations that seem on the cusp of once again accelerating our development and deployment choices. This coming year, I believe DevOps will continue to be a major force in IT departments. For this, let us be thankful.

Another trend I have watched develop this year is a return to a semblance of normalcy. We emerged from the pandemic and are returning to offices (well, some of us, anyway). We are going to in-person events and even dusting off our business wear. I think some of the traditional IT frameworks, like ITSM, project management, etc., will freshen up as they combine with new trends like generative AI, DevOps and more. This should bring a new spark to some of the more mature areas of IT and will revitalize IT across the board. For this, let us be thankful.

Finally, let us be thankful that you are reading this in good health. There are many biotech breakthroughs on the horizon that can make our lives so much better. This past year, I have personally undergone my own technology-powered transformation and am healthier and fitter than I have been in a long time.  I hope you take time this holiday season to concentrate on your own personal wellness and physical condition. A life well lived requires you to live well.  There are so many options available to help you. For this, let us be thankful.

From all of us here at Techstrong Group to all of our friends around the world, happy Thanksgiving and best wishes for this holiday season.