Speaker

Carike Blignaut-Staden

Carike Blignaut-Staden

Using technology to "work smarter, not harder"

Randburg, South Africa

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Carike Blignaut-Staden has a passion for using technology to help others. She is a DevOps engineer at OUTsurance and co-organiser of the JHBMSDUG developer community. Continuously improving and broadening her skillset, she holds multiple certifications from various disciplines such as AI, Cloud technologies, Cybersecurity, DevOps, IoT, and Site Reliability Engineering.

Away from the keyboard she loves playing sports, fishing and just being in nature. She is a former provincial hockey player and national karateka.

Dedicated to helping others upskill and sharing her knowledge. Connect with her on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/carike) or X (@CarikeBStaden)

Area of Expertise

  • Information & Communications Technology

Topics

  • DevOps
  • Azure DevOps
  • Azure
  • Site Reliability Engineering
  • DevOps Transformation

In Case of Emergency - Managing an Outage

Do you know how to resuscitate your cloud infrastructure or use the jaws of life to reroute your network after an underwater cable break?

When things are going well, no one takes notice, but when things go pear shape people need to take immediate action and prevent a reoccurrence. I'll share my experiences and what is helping me to prepare for the next incident.

Dusting off your CV for 2025

With everyone thinking about new years resolutions, take the opportunity to invest in yourself and update your CV by updating the existing content, enrolling for some courses and completing certifications.

Introduction to JHBMSDUG

Introduction during the year end function about the Johannesburg Microsoft Developer User Group.

Use AI for Everyday Tasks

Fun and interactive adapted from the Microsoft Learn module Use AI for everyday tasks, equips business professionals and leaders with core AI skills to simplify tasks, reduce errors, and enhance their workflows.

You will be doing the exercises and have the opportunity to claim a GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS title AI Skills Fest badge!

Observability as a team sport - Designing dashboards for humans, not just metrics

In a world overflowing with dashboards, why do so many go unused?

This talk explores how observability is not just a DevOps concern but a collaborative effort across teams. We'll dive into the principles of designing dashboards that are not only functional but also accessible, inclusive, and actionable.

Learn how to build visualizations that serve real user needs, foster shared ownership, and drive better decision-making across your organization.

Talks was presented at DataConf 2025

Up your C# & .NET game by getting that badge

Whether you’re just starting out or looking to level up your C# and .NET skills, the path to mastery is clearer—and more rewarding—than ever. In this fast-paced session, we’ll explore how earning certifications and badges can supercharge your developer journey. From the Microsoft & FreeCodeCamp C# certification to Applied Skills modules and Unity’s Essentials and Junior Programmer pathways, you’ll discover hands-on learning options that build real-world expertise.

We’ll also dive into the power of Visual Studio—more than just an IDE, it’s your launchpad for professional growth. Learn how Dev Essentials and Professional subscriptions unlock premium access to Pluralsight, DataCamp, Cloud Academy, and LinkedIn Learning. Whether you’re into IoT, game development, or data science, these resources are packed with value and ready to accelerate your progress.

By the end of this talk, you’ll have a roadmap to sharpen your skills, earn credentials that matter, and tap into the full ecosystem of learning benefits that come with Visual Studio. Let’s get you that badge—and the skills to back it up.

Target audience would be new developers or people who would like to proof their knowledge with accreditations.

.NET Conf 2025 Community Edition South Africa Sessionize Event

November 2025

Data and AI Community Day October 2025 Sessionize Event

October 2025 Johannesburg, South Africa

DataConf 2025

DataConf is a community driven data and AI conference.

Carike's topic for the event was:

Observability as a team sport : Designing for humans, not just metrics
In a world overflowing with dashboards, why do so many go unused? This talk explores how observability is not just a DevOps concern but a collaborative effort across teams. We'll dive into the principles of designing dashboards that are not only functional but also accessible, inclusive, and actionable.

Learn how to build visualizations that serve real user needs, foster shared ownership, and drive better decision-making across your organization.

September 2025 Cape Town, South Africa

GitHub Copilot Global Bootcamp - Johannesburg

Carike presented a talk on "Measuring GitHub Copilot ROI" for attendees to establish how GitHub Copilot is used in their companies and the impact that it has.

June 2025 Johannesburg, South Africa

GitHub Labs at Belgium Campus

Co-present the keynote for Belgium Campus.

June 2025 Pretoria, South Africa

DevConf 2025 Sessionize Event

May 2025

JHBMSDUG User group Sessionize Event

February 2025 Johannesburg, South Africa

GitHub Constellation - Johannesburg 2024

Constellation 2024 is GitHub's in-person developer conference celebrating the best of the South African developer community. This is the first GitHub event hosted in Africa.

Carike Blignaut-Staden introduced the 5 new certifications available from GitHub and her journey to obtaining four of these certifications on a South African budget.

November 2024 Johannesburg, South Africa

Carike Blignaut-Staden

Using technology to "work smarter, not harder"

Randburg, South Africa

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