Outcome-Based Engagements
Traditional Time & Material (T&M) contracts often lead to unpredictable costs and a focus on hours worked rather than results achieved. Idea Harbor champions outcome-based contracts, where payment is tied to actual business value, aligning interests and fostering true partnerships. This model eliminates budget surprises and emphasizes accountability and transparency, ensuring both parties are invested in achieving specific goals. By prioritizing business value over billable hours, Idea Harbor is paving the way for a future in consulting that emphasizes value and shared success.
A Coalition of the Motivated
Communities of Collaboration are an effective way to solve problems that impact business value without adding unnecessary complexity and stagnation gates to your business processes.
Developer Experience and Developer Platforms - part 2
Exploring the evolution of Developer Experience and Platform Engineering, this post emphasizes the significance of treating Developer Platforms as products to enhance DevEx. It advocates for a product-centric approach to Developer Platforms and introduces Platform Engineering as a strategic discipline for creating self-service platforms to meet diverse user needs efficiently, ultimately accelerating business value realization.
Developer Experience and Developer Platforms - Part 1
Exploring Developer Experience (DevEx) and its impact on Business Value, this post highlights how enhancing DevEx through reducing toil and improving tooling leads to faster software delivery, better quality, and ultimately, heightened business value.
7 Reasons Why Multi-Cloud is a BAD IDEA
Deploying across multiple cloud platforms increases cost and complexity at the risk of security for little to no gain.
The Death of Digital Transformation
Digital Transformation is dead! All hail continuous adaptation and learning
Guided By Business Value
In the fast-paced business environment, Information Technology (IT) wants to be seen as a crucial driver of organizational success, yet it often remains perceived as a cost center focused on technology implementation and operation. The fall 2023 issue of the DevOps Enterprise Journal illustrates that IT programs are frequently measured using non-business value metrics. While we at Idea Harbor advocate for DORA-style metrics, business value is the key driver for our engagements.
FinOps vs. Security
In the dynamic landscape of information technology, organizations are increasingly adopting cloud computing for its transformative impact. As sensitive data migrates to the cloud, robust policies, accountability, and security measures are crucial. Comprehensive policies covering data handling, access management, and encryption, along with employee training, are vital for effective cloud governance and defense against security threats.
FinOps
The persistent concern about managing cloud spend has led to the emergence of FinOps, a discipline that combines Finance and DevOps principles. You can begin your journey using a gradual process of Inform (understanding actual costs through tagging and policies), Optimize (collaboration and calculating ROI), and Operate (utilizing tagging and policies for various advantages, including added security)
Securing Your Software Supply Chain
In the 3rd installment of our SSSC blog series, we continue to explore key tactics for securing software supply chains. We dive deeper into how to protect yourself and your customers from 3rd party software risks. We examine consuming and creating Software Bills of Material and the topic of provenance.
Secure Software Supply Chains - Regulations, Frameworks, and Standards
In the wake of the SolarWinds incident, US government regulations have led to the creation of a variety of new regulations, standards, and frameworks. This post provides an overview of those regulations and standards and their impact on software delivery.
Passion is essential; Dogma need not apply
At Idea Harbor, we are passionate about our craft, but not dogmatic about its applications. We have opinions about tools and processes, but we have the experience to help you make whatever tools you have already selected work and accelerate their value. While we believe in agile (notice the lack of capital letters) ways of working, we can help you make your version work for you and not you for it.
Navigating Secure Software Supply Chains
Ransomware attacks have become a frequent concern, impacting workplaces and software systems, exposing organizations to heightened risks. Secure Software Supply Chain (SSSC) practices endorsed by organizations such as the CISA and the CNCF help your organization mitigate those risks. Idea Harbor offers tailored SSSC implementation guidance, accommodating diverse technical processes to enhance organizational security.
The Importance of Metrics in Delivery
In the fast-paced world of IT, the need to measure delivery has always been a challenge. Without a straightforward way to gauge performance, organizations resort to ineffective metrics, leading to skewed results and misinformed decisions. At Idea Harbor, we are committed to providing valuable insights and tangible evidence to support your progress.