Exploring Anti-Fragility in the Cloud | Altitude Ep. 17

In this episode of Altitude, Woody welcomes special guest Nick Davitashvili, Senior Cloud Network Architect at Aviatrix. Nick is an accomplished architect and keynote speaker with a strong background in networking, cloud, and cybersecurity architecture. He brings a unique and profound perspective to his role; having lived in various parts of the world, he's cultivated a multi-faceted approach to his work as a cloud network architect. The two dive into the fascinating realms of anti-fragility and cloud network architecture, offering listeners valuable insights into these complex subjects. Nick explains the concept of anti-fragility – a system's ability to thrive and improve from volatility, unlike traditional fragile systems. The discussion extends to how cloud network architectures can benefit from anti-fragile principles, adapting and growing stronger in the face of disruptions. About Altitude and Host Woody: https://aviatrix.com/altitude/ About Nick’s personal story of multi talents, unorthodox mindset, and inspiring career journey https://aviatrix.com/careers/employee-spotlight/employee-spotlight-nick-davitashvili/ Timestamped Overview: [00:00:50] Cloud architect enjoys solving connectivity challenges at Aviatrix. [00:03:41] Music school in Georgia (not the U.S. state), Indian classical music. [00:08:25] Cloud projects often require improvisation and adaptation. Improvising is a skill that requires being in the moment and making judgment calls. It stimulates different neural connections and can boost performance. [00:10:23] Music and coding are similar creative processes. Context is important when analyzing data. Challenging thought processes lead to learning and growth. Reflection is crucial for understanding cloud architecture. [00:13:44] Architects must embrace mistakes, question standards, improvise, and take risks. Critical thinking and problem-solving skills matter more than academic credentials. [00:18:19] Anti-fragility in systems: embracing errors, gaining strength. [00:23:10] DevOps embraces anti-fragility, including chaos engineering and security. [00:26:33] Decentralization, distributed cloud, security controls, and redundancy. [00:27:47] Closing thoughts.