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Blueprint and Architecture Highlights from PlatformCon 2024

· 7 min read
Victor Ikeme
Platform Engineer | Kubernetes | Cloud-Native Advocate | OSS | Technical Writer

PlatformCon 2024's "Blueprints" track offered a deep dive into the architectural foundations driving modern platform engineering. Experts explored everything from scaling infrastructure and optimizing platform orchestration to unique IDP architectures. This recap highlights the most impactful sessions.

PlatformCon 2024's "Blueprints" track provided invaluable insights into the architectural innovations and platform engineering frameworks driving the industry. These sessions offered actionable strategies and real-world examples for companies at every stage of their platform journey.

PlatformCon 2024 was packed with insightful sessions under the theme of “Blueprints,” where experts provided deep dives into the architectural frameworks shaping modern platform engineering. Talks ranged from scaling infrastructure and optimizing platform orchestration to implementing Internal Developer Platforms (IDPs) with unique architectures. Here’s a breakdown of some standout talks that captured the audience's attention.

Blueprints: In-Depth Talks and Architectures

  1. Platforms = (Architecture + DDD + Automation) x Wholesale

    • Description: Gregor Hohpe, AWS Enterprise Strategist, outlined how mapping architecture domains to cloud automation is the cornerstone of building effective platforms. This talk focused on combining architecture, Domain-Driven Design (DDD), and automation into a scalable platform equation.
  2. A Blueprint for the Next-Gen FinTech Internal Developer Platform

    • Speaker: Igor Kantor, Convera
    • Description: This session presented the transformation of Convera’s legacy framework into a FinTech powerhouse through a new IDP. Kantor detailed how integrated tools and strategic service choices improved efficiency, enabling Convera to modernize its development process.
  3. Platform Orchestrator - The Platform Engineering Game Changer

    • Speaker: Luca Galante, Humanitec
    • Description: Luca Galante revisited Platform Orchestrators, a critical element in enabling secure and scalable IDPs. As platform engineering grows, Orchestrators are becoming essential for maintaining stability in cloud-native environments.
  4. Weaving Intents into Reality: Defining Your Own Intent-Driven Golden Path

    • Speaker: Zibo He, Ant Group
    • Description: He introduced an intent-driven approach to IDP using KusionStack, providing a reference architecture that connects infrastructures, developers, and business needs through defined paths for more organized and efficient platform engineering.
  5. Back to the Future: Scaling Infrastructure in a Modern Cloud World

    • Speaker: Oded Poncz, Dragonfly (Sponsored)
    • Description: Poncz challenged traditional data infrastructure scaling, proposing modern strategies that leverage the latest cloud hardware capabilities to handle increasingly complex data requirements.
  6. Optikon: How We Saved 95% on Logging Costs by Building an Internal Platform

    • Speaker: Rafael Borrego Ropero, Rithum
    • Description: Ropero shared Rithum’s journey in creating a customized logging platform, managing terabytes of data daily while achieving a 95% cost reduction.
  7. Intent Realization in Self-Serve Platforms

    • Speaker: Kishore Banala, Netflix
    • Description: Banala explored the concept of intent realization, which enhanced Netflix’s developer experience by reducing friction in self-service platforms beyond simple documentation and configurations.
  8. One to N in 60 Seconds: A Journey of Scaling an Internal Platform Globally

    • Speaker: Tom Oketch, Thoughtworks
    • Description: This talk outlined the strategies for globally scaling an internal platform, a challenge many companies face after achieving initial platform success.
  9. Platform Engineering in the Age of LLMs

    • Speaker: Chiradeep Vittal, Platform and Product Lead
    • Description: Vittal discussed the impact of large language models (LLMs) on platform teams, highlighting how they might integrate intelligent functionalities without disrupting core platform processes.
  10. Multi-Engine Data Platform Architecture for Data Virtualization

    • Speaker: Anandaganesh Balakrishnan, American Water
    • Description: This presentation delved into the benefits of a multi-engine approach to data virtualization, illustrating how various data platforms can be unified to streamline data access and management.
  11. Runtime vs Infrastructure Coupling, Pick Your Poison

    • Speaker: Arsalan Ellahi, Kiwibank
    • Description: Ellahi examined sociotechnical coupling patterns, exploring how enterprise teams can navigate the trade-offs between runtime and infrastructure coupling for optimized workflows.
  12. Click and Deploy: Accelerating Serverless Service Adoption

    • Speaker: Ran Isenberg, CyberArk
    • Description: Isenberg discussed self-service templates for serverless CI/CD adoption, covering best practices for configuration, observability, and ensuring seamless integration.
  13. Next-Generation Infrastructure as Code

    • Speaker: Kief Morris, ThoughtWorks
    • Description: Morris explored the maturity of Infrastructure as Code (IaC) solutions and the next steps for tool vendors to support complex infrastructure at scale.
  14. Extending the Internal Developer Platform Reference Architecture

    • Speaker: Max Körbächer, Liquid Reply
    • Description: Körbächer examined limitations in existing IDP reference architectures, advocating for a more flexible, less Kubernetes-dependent model to accommodate diverse enterprise needs.
  15. Evading the Exorbitant Expenses of Endpoints

    • Speaker: Atif Siddiqui, Silicon Valley Bank
    • Description: Siddiqui tackled the rising costs of Virtual Private Cloud (VPC) endpoints and proposed cost-efficient architectural choices for endpoint deployment in cloud platforms.
  16. One Platform to Rule Them All

    • Speakers: Caio Medeiros, Citi & David Espinosa, Red Hat Chile
    • Description: This talk showcased a unifying architecture for Kubernetes management that simplifies platform oversight, allowing product teams to focus on development.
  17. Unlocking Platform Engineer Efficiency: Automation Strategies with Backstage

    • Speakers: Zahi Ben Shabat & Jim McVea, AWS
    • Description: This session highlighted Backstage as a key tool for automation within IDPs, showing its flexibility for cloud orchestration and pipeline efficiency.
  18. Platform Architecture: Navigating the Process

    • Speaker: Omer Kahani, Snyk
    • Description: Kahani’s talk walked through Snyk’s Kubernetes-based platform architecture, sharing insights on platform requirements and scalability across multiple accounts.
  19. Harmony in Engineering Platforms: A Decision Tree Symphony for Orchestrator Selection

    • Speaker: Ajay Chankramath, Thoughtworks North America
    • Description: Chankramath presented a decision tree model for selecting platform orchestrators, emphasizing the need to balance cognitive load and functionality.
  20. Engineering Cloud-Native AI Platform

    • Speaker: Yuan Tang, Red Hat
    • Description: Tang shared best practices for developing AI and ML platforms on cloud-native infrastructure, highlighting scalability and resource management.
  21. Minimum Viable Platform (MVP): A Proven Success Framework

    • Speaker: Mallory Haigh, Humanitec
    • Description: Haigh shared how the MVP framework aligns with platform engineering principles, focusing on rapid, strategic implementation for new platforms.
  22. A Guide for Building Secure IDPs in Regulated Environments

    • Speaker: André Alfter, Bechtle
    • Description: Alfter’s talk provided a framework for building compliant IDPs in high-security sectors, emphasizing the importance of a Minimal Viable Platform approach.
  23. Platform Engineering in Action with Google Cloud and Humanitec

    • Speaker: Paul Revello, Google Cloud
    • Description: This session showcased a Google Cloud and Humanitec integration, emphasizing core platform engineering concepts for various user personas.
  24. The Future of Platform Engineering is Application-Centric

    • Speakers: Sahil Nanda & Srinivas Krishnan, Google Cloud
    • Description: Nanda and Krishnan argued for an application-centric approach, reducing cloud complexity to focus on app-driven goals.
  25. GitLab and Humanitec Platform Orchestrator: IDP Foundations

    • Speaker: Marc Schnitzius, Codecentric
    • Description: This talk discussed how GitLab and Humanitec’s Orchestrator can create a robust foundation for effective IDP implementations.
  26. Optimizing Canary Deployments for User-Centric Success

    • Speaker: Bob Walker, Field CTO (Sponsored)
    • Description: Walker explored best practices for user-focused canary deployments, including risk management and post-deployment troubleshooting.
  27. Internal Developer Platform Reference Architecture for Red Hat OpenShift

    • Speaker: Raffaele Spazzoli, Red Hat
    • Description: Spazzoli shared an architecture guide for building an IDP on Red Hat OpenShift, incorporating GitHub Actions and Humanitec Orchestrator for smooth platform operations.

PlatformCon 2024’s Blueprint track provided an invaluable overview of the architecture innovations and platform engineering frameworks shaping the industry today. Each session offered actionable strategies, showcasing real-world applications for companies at every stage of their platform journey.