Dan Q.

Happy first birthday to watsonx Code Assistant for Z! Amazing work done over the last 12 months by the entire team. Read the post below for some of the highlights. To learn the basics of the product and receive an IBM issued credly badge, you can take this free course at https://lnkd.in/gEnY8yeb

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The BCS, led by my former mentor Rashik Parmar, just released a heartfelt letter thanking all SysAdmins and SREs for their tireless efforts in mitigating the recent IT outage. I wanted to take a moment to echo this gratitude and share my thoughts on the importance of modern operations practices in our work. In light of the recent events, it is clear that the role of SysAdmins and SREs is more critical than ever. The challenges we face in today’s IT landscape are complex and multifaceted, requiring not only technical expertise but also a commitment to continuous improvement and innovation. Modern Operations practices are no longer just reacting to incidents, they take a much more active role across the entire SDLC: Architecting for Resiliency, conscientious Implementation for failure and observability, thorough Testing (including Chaos Engineering), and graceful introduction of new functionality (such as Canaries), reducing the blast radius. Last but not least, Automation is the cornerstone of modern operations. As we reflect on the recent outage, let’s reaffirm our commitment to these modern practices. They are not just best practices but essential components of a resilient and robust IT infrastructure. #HugOps #SRE

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What I have learned so far this week from posting a job advert for an additional team member! 1. 95% of the applicants struggle to understand the concept of "Please note that we will only consider applicants located within a 35 mile radius of TD7 5EB" as shown in the job description. Bangalore is not just outside Hawick! 2. If we have asked you to complete the 2 short online skills assessments, we really mean you to complete the 2 short online skills assessments. If it is "beneath you" or "too teedious"(sic) then you are not for us! 3. Why would you send us an accommodation request for an online skills assessment? 4. If you have sent us a question, whilst I appreciate your are keen, don't badger us for a response after 5 minutes of sending the question🙄 #RMS #EPoS #ItCouldBeYou https://lnkd.in/ge8D_Uye

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CrowdStrike could not have chosen a better name for their product considering the current situation. Did anyone have plans for the weekend? https://lnkd.in/ekjPCmHu If any other companies with internal IT team or other IT Support companies are struggling with this, we at Asygma can help. We are working at scale to help people that use CrowdStrike. Not bashing them or anything, but we use Microsoft native security tools, so we are not affected. #crowdstrike #BSOD #bluescreen

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#hugops to those in my network having to deal with the fallout from the MSFT/Windows/Crowdstrike mess this morning. Really important lessons to be learned when the wash-up from this happens. I've got years of experience in managing these risks, and they can be mitigated. Points of Failure in a system need to be properly understood and carefully managed.

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COMPUTER WEEKLY: Outside IR35: What the Autumn Budget’s Employers’ NI changes mean for IT contractors Great piece by Caroline Donnelly on the impact of NICs changes on the contractors. There are many pressures on firms that lead to restructuring their resources, of which tax is only one. In my view, the Employment Rights Bill is likely to have a larger effect than NICs changes, bolstering increased moves by firms to hire off-payroll rather than hire employees. The market for employees is shrinking for many reasons - one massive one being AI. Firms who aren't using AI as digitial assistants are less productive than ones who are. The productivity gains are huge, enabling firms to either expand without hiring more workers, or shrink headcounts whilst satisfying workload. Labours intent with the ERB is admirable, but IMHO, all it will lead to is more automation, job losses, and less hiring, as firms move to alternative models of working. And, where humans are needed, packaging up work as deliverables and outsourcing to contractors is attractive. The case law on tax status is settled (PGMOL - Sep 2024 - Supreme Court). Firms can engage off-payroll now, but they need to adapt to models that minimise the risk of interference from HMRC. #ir35 #budget2024 #offpayroll #employerNICs.

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