DevOps Agile Skills Association (DASA) Continues Explosive, Worldwide Growth
DASA certified experts in 48 countries in 2020 and is working with thousands of enterprises on training, certification and knowledge sharing.
Formed in 2016, the DevOps Agile Skills Association (DASA), an open, global community for DevOps and Agile skills development, recently added new, enthusiastic DevOps professionals to two of its flagship programs.
As it continues its explosive worldwide growth, the DASA Ambassador program welcomed six DevOps thought leaders and practitioners from six different countries.
They are: Gonzalo Pardo, a Kyndryl consultant from Mexico; Luca Ingianni, a DevOps consultant, trainer and coach who is also the co-author of DASA DevOps Professional – Specify and Verify certification, from Germany; Luis Gómez, head of DevOps, Kairós Digital Solutions, from Spain; Nurhizam Safie, a professor, DevOps coach and principal consultant for the National University of Malaysia; Ricardo Masabel, a senior cloud and DevOps architect, enterprise agility consultant and IT trainer, from Peru; and Nevine Iskandar, co-founder, managing director and principal consultant for E2E ITSM, from Australia.
In addition, three new DevOps enthusiasts have joined the DASA Influencer program. They include Berk Dülger, head of DevOps service for Continium, in Turkey; Fernando Pereiro, head of cloud & DevOps for UST España, in Spain; and Srinivasan Nambi, digital technology director for Hallmark Cards, in the United States.
“We feel truly honored to get an increasing number of DevOps professionals who want to share their enthusiasm, knowledge and expertise within the different programs that we provide for our community,” said Bruno Weitz, DASA’s Community Engagement Manager. “Our DASA Ambassadors and DASA Influencers are key for raising awareness of the importance of DevOps practices to develop high-performing teams. They get involved and collaborate with other industry professionals in different activities within our ecosystem.”
Ingianni, who recently joined the DASA Ambassador program, said, “I started my professional career as a software tester. I believe the tester’s focus on outcomes and customer satisfaction is what led me to DevOps practices years before I was aware of the term DevOps. As a trained mechanical engineer, I’m also aware of the traditions of engineering risk management and project management and their connections to what the IT world now calls DevOps. As such, this is my motivation to become more active within DASA, to help organizations as they embark on their DevOps journey, because my experience has shown that, just like each ship needs a pilot to reach the harbor safely, each organization needs guidance to reach its goals. I just love to watch people grow, and there’s lots of opportunity for growth to be had.”
Pardo, the new Ambassador from Mexico, said, “Driven by DASA’s vision, I aspire to deepen knowledge and experience to gain wisdom as I engage with colleagues and the community and broaden my point of view and perspectives to develop the thought leadership expected as part of the DASA community.”
Nambi added, “I am a great fan of consumer-centric software development and enabling the agile teams with more autonomy to be able to assume end-to-end ownership for the software they build. I’m so glad that I found DASA, which evangelizes this model. DASA has a well laid-out structure and competency framework for enabling teams to learn these concepts faster and work more effectively. I’m privileged to be a DASA Influencer, which helps me to build on the strengths of their foundation to promote a DevOps cultural mindset within and outside my network.”
“Behind all the automation and all the DevOps tools there is a simpler and deeper goal that impacts the quality of work and even people’s lives: ‘Make everything easier,’” said Pereiro. “Thanks to the DASA Influencer program, we can transmit this vision actively and globally, creating an impact throughout the community and transmitting the vision and values that all DASA members share.”
“Both our DASA Ambassador and Influencer programs go from strength to strength as we tap into the rich pool of DevOps thought leaders, consultants, practitioners and subject matter experts who are passionate and committed participants of DASA’s growing community,” Weitz said.
“We are really excited about what is happening with the DASA Ambassador program. There is a nice mix of professionals who, on one side, were already part of our community, but wanted to get more involved in it, while on the other side, new DevOps consultants and practitioners who wanted to be part of this very international cohort were included to our family,” Weitz explained. “The first is the case of Luca, Luis and Ricardo. Luca, for instance, is one of the co-authors of our DASA DevOps Professional – Specify and Verify certification, and both Luis and Ricardo were part of our DASA Influencer program. After chatting with them about their motivations and expectations, they wanted to spend some more time with us and made the decision to migrate to the DASA Ambassador program. On the other hand, Nurhizam, Gonzalo and, most recently, Nevine had an increased interest in DASA and wanted to proudly represent the organization in their regions: Malaysia, Mexico and Australia, respectively. With these incorporations, our global footprint keeps growing!”
Weitz also reflected on the new additions to the DASA Influencer program, “I’m happy to see how DevOps professionals at different stages of their career connect with DASA’s philosophy and want to spread the word. That is how I recently got in contact with Berk, who was already part of one of our Accredited Training Partners in Turkey, but also with Fernando and Srini, who immediately wanted to act upon our joint view of DevOps. All of our DASA Influencers support our vision via unique, smart and thought-provoking content, pushing boundaries. These volunteers play a key role in addressing and reflecting on DASA’s body of knowledge and the DevOps certifications that have accelerated talent, journeys and careers worldwide.”
For information about the DASA Ambassador Program, visit devopsagileskills.org/community/ambassadors. To learn more about the DASA Influencer Program, visit devopsagileskills.org/community/influencers.