On this episode of Densify Talks, we welcome Vladimir Remenar, Director of IT Operations at Raiffeisen Bank in Croatia. Andrew Hillier and Vladimir Remenar dive into container optimization strategies and cloud migration, discussing Raiffeisen’s processes and innovative practices.

Raiffeisen Bank was early in the automation of optimization. Vladimir shares why that was the case and what that meant for Raiffeisen. He also discusses Raiffeisen’s migration to cloud journey and shares challenges, benefits, and lessons learned along the way.

Andrew and Vladimir talk about Openshift license costs and Openshift to EKS. One of Densify’s beliefs is using cloud as intended, using standard and open frameworks, and not locking in.

They move into the topic of FinOps and highlight how Raiffeisen approaches financial operations in their cloud journey, and the importance of continuous optimization for seamless operations.

Andrew and Vladimir also cover additional topics, including Vladimir’s professional journey in the banking industry, his personal passions for fishing and boating, and their perspectives on future trends coming in the industry.

ABOUT OUR GUEST:

Vladimir Remenar

Vladimir Remenar is the Director of IT Operations at Raiffeisen Bank in Croatia. He’s involved in planning, designing, documenting and leading some of the largest IT infrastructure projects. Vladimir is passionate about cyber security, security related research and mobile phone forensics.

Vladimir Remenar on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vremenar

ABOUT DENSIFY TALKS:

Densify Talks is a podcast hosted by Andrew Hillier, Co-Founder and CTO of Densify, a cloud optimization software company. The podcast focuses on interviews with IT and technical leaders and innovators who have experience in delivering cloud and Kubernetes-based infrastructure within large enterprises.

LINKS:

• densify.com
• Vladimir Remenar on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vremenar

Andrew Hillier and Ashley Rodrigue from Intel Corporation have a wealth of fantastic information for you on this episode of Densify Talks! They start off by sharing the benefits of the connection and partnership between Intel and Densify, highlighting how it benefits not only the two companies but also their customers.

Ashley discusses how Intel® Cloud Optimizer is revolutionizing cloud efficiency and tackling container-related inefficiencies. She also provides a closer look at Intel's cutting-edge 5th Gen Intel Xeon Processors and their performance improvements.

Andrew and Ashley talk about the regional availability of products and how Intel Foundry fits into that, reducing “hoarding” issues. Ashley had the privilege of touring one of Intel’s production facilities and shares the impact and benefits of in-house production.

They also discuss Intel and ASML’s partnership in High NA EUV technology, FinOps trends and future directions, and touch on containers and guardrails. However, they’re saving the bulk of that discussion for a future episode.

If you haven’t already, make sure to subscribe to the DENSIFY TALKS podcast ASAP so you don’t miss an episode!

ABOUT OUR GUEST:

Ashley Rodrigue

As an Intel Cloud Partner Manager, Ashley works with industry-leading cloud partners to deliver maximum value to customers who run on Intel in the cloud. Prior to this role, Ashley was an Account Executive at Intel working with large enterprise customers in the NY metro area, helping them run best on Intel from the edge to the cloud. Before joining Intel in 2014, Ashley was an Ambassador at Lenovo where she conducted briefings for the press, customers, and business partners in North America.

Ashley holds an MBA with a concentration in marketing from the University of Maine. As part of Ashley’s graduate assistantship, she worked at the University of Maine’s Technology Business Incubator helping several start-up companies conduct market research, write business plans, and launch their solutions.

ABOUT DENSIFY TALKS:

Densify Talks is a podcast hosted by Andrew Hillier, Co-Founder and CTO of Densify, a cloud optimization software company. The podcast focuses on interviews with IT and technical leaders and innovators who have experience in delivering cloud and Kubernetes-based infrastructure within large enterprises.

On this episode of Densify Talks, we welcome Gokul Naidu, Senior Manager, Cloud Operations for SAP’s SuccessFactors Product Suite.

Andrew and Gokul discuss an array of topics in the episode. The general theme of the discussion focuses on cost management and the importance of being prepared, aware, and executing the right planning in order to avoid sticker shock.

Gokul shares about SAP’s massive cloud transformation and the incredible results from that success. Andrew and Gokul also discuss RI’s, FinOps, optimization thoughts and tips, new apps from SAP and the impact on Architecture decision making, user activity metrics, how SAP is able to involve Engineers to act on changes, thoughts on containers, and Gokul’s predictions on what’s to come.

It’s an incredible discussion, full of great advice, tips, and insights that we hope you will, not only enjoy, but gain some great content to walk away with!

If you haven’t already, make sure to subscribe to the podcast ASAP so you don’t miss an episode!

ABOUT OUR GUEST

Gokul Naidu is a Senior Manager at SAP, for the SuccessFactors product suite — a leading global Human Capital Management solution. He spearheads the cloud optimization initiative, collaborating with teams across product development, engineering, operations, data science, and finance. His leadership has been pivotal in establishing and executing the cloud optimization strategy within SAP SuccessFactors from the inception of their cloud migration journey.

ABOUT DENSIFY TALKS

Densify Talks is a podcast hosted by Andrew Hillier, Co-Founder and CTO of Densify, a cloud optimization software company. The podcast is focused on interviews with IT and technical leaders and innovators who have experience in delivering cloud and Kubernetes-based infrastructure within large enterprises.

LINKS

• densify.com

• https://news.sap.com/2023/02/sap-successfactors-next-generation-cloud-delivery/