Matt "Kelly" Williams
Founder of Making Software Greener, Mentor, Public Speaker, and Renaissance Person in Training
Loveland, Colorado, United States
Matt "Kelly" Williams is the founder of Making Software Greener, the creator of the Sustainable IT Manifesto, member of the advisory board for the Green Computing Foundation, and a speaker and mentor on IT practices including DevOps, Cloud Computing, and mental health advocacy. He has always wanted to be a Renaissance person; perhaps one day he will be. In the meantime, he explores IT Sustainability, is learning photography, designs tabletop games, reads, weaves, cooks, hacks, and explores the mountains near Loveland, Colorado.
Area of Expertise
Topics
The Cynic's Guide to Sustainable IT
Do you think sustainability in IT is just for show?
Does the buzz around sustainability in IT seem more like a marketing gimmick to you? You're not alone. There's a common belief that sustainability efforts are more about looking good than doing good. Yet, what if the move towards greener IT practices wasn't just for the planet's sake but also for your bottom line?
"The Cynic's Guide to Sustainable IT" looks at how skepticism and sustainability can work together in the tech business. This talk cuts through the hype to show the real, long-term benefits of using sustainable methods. We're talking about real benefits, like lowering costs, making things run more smoothly, and beating rules before they become problems.
This talk is for people who don't like the way things are and want to know if there's real value behind the green facade of corporate tech projects. Find out strong reasons why even the most stubborn cynics are getting on board with the green train. Come with us for a new perspective that questions common beliefs and encourages a critical yet hopeful look at how sustainability in IT can help the environment and the economy.
Curious how cynicism and sustainability can coexist in the corporate world? Explore 'The Cynic’s Guide to Sustainable IT' and uncover the strategic benefits behind sustainable practices—beyond just the environmental good. From slashing costs to staying ahead of regulations, find out why even the skeptics are embracing the green train.
Going green could actually save you green.
It is< strike >n't< /strike > Easy to be Green
Moving toward sustainability is becoming more than just a choice in the changing landscape of information technology. "It is< strike >n't< /strike > Easy to be Green" helps to simplify the complex world of sustainable IT by showing how individuals, making informed decisions and better choices, have a significant and beneficial impact on the environment. This session explores the path towards sustainable IT using the fundamental pillars of awareness, consciousness, enablement, and empowerment.
The first part of the talk focuses on raising awareness by examining the situation of IT today and its impact on the environment. We discuss the significance of understanding the ecological effects of our digital age, laying the stage for a more in-depth investigation of consciousness. Here, we examine the mindset needed in order to shift from passive recognition to active participation, emphasizing the role that IT professionals play in encouraging a sustainable culture.
As the discussion shifts to enablement, it provides practices, methodologies, and technology that individuals and organizations may use to reduce their carbon impact. In this session, attendees will learn practical approaches to greener IT operations, ranging from eco-friendly coding methods to energy-efficient data centers.
Ultimately, empowerment takes center stage as we discuss ways to encourage and inspire the larger IT community to take action within their organizations and across society. This section focuses on developing leadership abilities and encouraging teamwork that results in significant cost savings and sustainable IT.
Come along on this fascinating trip with us and help shape the future of Sustainable IT. Let's show that being green is easy!
Language Choice Matters: Balancing Development, Resources, Sustainability & Maintenance
This talk explores how programming languages impact software projects from their inception until their decommisioning. We investigate the relationship between language choice and deadlines, team productivity, and coding complexity. The influence of languages on system resources—such as CPU, memory, and disk space—as well as application scalability and performance are also covered.
We address the "invisible" topic of ongoing maintenance, explaining how language selection can help or impede future changes.
Additionally, we demonstrate how language efficiency affects the carbon footprint and the role IT plays in sustainability through their language decisions.
After attending, participants will know how to strike a balance between environmental stewardship, easy maintenance, strong performance, and efficient development. This talk equips listeners to choose languages wisely and sustainably, enabling more efficient software development using empirical facts and real-world examples.
No, ChatGPT isn't going to take your job, but it might just help you get things done.
As artificial intelligence continues to advance at a rapid pace, many people are worried about the impact it will have on the job market. However, in the case of ChatGPT, those fears are largely unfounded. While it's true that ChatGPT is capable of performing many tasks that were once the exclusive domain of humans, it's important to remember that ChatGPT is a tool, not a replacement for human workers. In fact, ChatGPT has the potential to help people get more done than ever before.
In this talk, we'll explore the capabilities of ChatGPT and discuss how it can be used to streamline workflows, improve productivity, and make our lives easier. We'll look at real-world examples of how ChatGPT is being used today, from automating customer service to generating creative content. We'll also discuss the ethical considerations of using AI in the workplace and explore how we can ensure that we're using these tools responsibly.
Ultimately, the goal of this talk is to dispel the fear and uncertainty that surrounds AI and to show how ChatGPT can be a powerful ally in the workplace. Whether you're a business owner looking to improve efficiency or an employee looking to streamline your workload, ChatGPT has the potential to help you get things done like never before. So join us as we explore the exciting world of AI and discover how ChatGPT can help you achieve your goals.
Agile and Sustainable: A Pragmatic Approach to Sustainable Tech
In this talk, we're going to explore why sustainability matters to IT, and why you should care about it too.
We'll dive into what sustainability is and how it impacts the world of IT. We'll also take a look at the proposed SEC regulations that could change the way companies view sustainability in the form of ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) categories.
Whether you're a developer, a manager, a DevOps guru, an analyst, or any other IT professional, you have a role to play in making IT practices more sustainable. And don't worry - we'll give you practical tips and examples of how to do just that.
By taking a pragmatic approach to IT practices, you can help reduce operating costs, avoid regulatory headaches, and make a positive impact on the environment.
What's in Your Docker? Open Source Security Vulnerabilities in Containers
So you stay on top of operating system vulnerabilities and patch
regularly, but did you ever consider that there may be vulnerabilities in your containers? In March of 2015, a report that over 30% of the "official" images in the Docker Hub contained high priority security vulnerabilities was issued by Banyan, an IT operations company.
However, not all vulnerabilities are created equal - this talk
investigates methods of detecting and mitigating vulnerabilities in containers.
Sabotage Productivity the CIA Way
In 1944, the Office of Strategic Services (OSS), predecessor of the CIA, published the Simple Sabotage Field Manual -- a guide for resistance forces to characterize simple sabotage, outline its possible effects, and to present suggestions for inciting and executing it.
Ironically, many of the organizational and business suggestions are considered good, if not best, business practices. By following these few simple tips, you, too, can sabotage productivity the CIA way.
Putting the FUN back in Fundamentals: Data Structures, Algorithms, and More!
In this session, we will bring FUN back to Fundamentals as we:
* Look at favorite data structures and algorithms from the 70s, 80s, and 90s: where are they today? You won't believe #7!
* Discover why hashes aren't just for breakfast.
* Discover the Lolrus' favorite data structure (hint: it's got a bukkit).
* Discover why some searches gallop and others proceed at a snail's pace.
* Face hard truths: sometimes brute force is the best method.
* Face harder truths: someone has to maintain the code you write today... and they know where you live.
* Face the hardest truth: CPU, Memory, Storage, and I/O are not infinite.
And... most importantly... discover the BEST algorithm and the BEST data structure.
ITIL in an Agile World
> OH, East is East, and West is West, and never the twain shall meet,
> Till Earth and Sky stand presently at God’s great Judgment Seat;
> But there is neither East nor West, Border, nor Breed, nor Birth,
> When two strong men stand face to face, tho’ they come from the ends
> of the earth! -- Kipling
ITIL (EYE-TILL) has a bad name among Agile and DevOps practitioners. But once you strip away the ceremony and the high priced consultants, ITIL outlines a series of best practices for IT Service Management (ITSM), such as change management, configuration management, problem management, and process improvement. While most would agree that these are good ideas, conflict arises in the implementation and the terminology used -- consultants charge by the syllable. Maybe it's all the "managers", each with their own silo and layers of complexity.
Despite much FUD and mis-communication, the two camps share similar goals and do not have to be antagonistic.
This talk describes a common ground where Agile and ITIL can meet and work together as brothers in arms.
End the Stigma: Become a Mental Health Ally
It is estimated that in the US, approximately one in five will
experience mental illness each year.
The incidence among IT professionals is likely higher -- a Japanese study of Software Engineers found that 32% of the participants suffered from depression or other mental illness.
And yet... Talking about mental illness is Taboo. It just isn't
"proper", you know.
The social stigma of mental illness is real. It's illegal to discriminate against it, but it still happens.
There's a real fear that others will find out. That friends, family,
and coworkers will judge those who experience mental illness.
This talk boldly goes where few others have gone before... talking openly about mental illness, exposing some of the myths, and how to be an ally of those who experience it.
10 THINGS DEVOPS IS; 10 THINGS DEVOPS ISN’T
DevOps has grown in visibility and popularity over the past decade. It comes in many flavors – DevOps, SRE, DevSecOps, DevKitchenSinkOps, and more! While DevOps is many things, there are also many things which it is not. This talk introduces DevOps, what it is, and, perhaps more importantly, what it isn’t.
Four Pillars of Sustainable IT
In the fast-paced world of digital technology, it's crucial to adopt sustainable IT practices. This talk, "Four Pillars of Sustainable IT," offers a clear and focused look at key strategies for building a sustainable IT environment. We introduce four essential pillars - Awareness, Consciousness, Enablement, and Empowerment - each representing a crucial stage and fundamental aspect of sustainable IT.
Throughout the talk, we explore how IT professionals, regardless of their role in the software delivery process, can contribute to and champion sustainable IT practices. This presentation aims to provide actionable insights and inspire IT professionals to embrace and advocate for sustainability in their daily work.
How Big is your Foot(print)?
There is an environmental cost associated with our digital activities that has a real impact. The concept of a "carbon footprint" is not limited to the real world; it also spans the realm of cloud computing and the internet. "How Big Is Your Foot(print)?" introduces attendees to three tools for monitoring and managing the digital carbon footprint while underlining the important role that IT plays in environmental sustainability.
We will start with the Green Software Foundation's Impact Framework.. This tool, which is notable for its thorough methodology, offers a structured framework for assessing and improving the sustainability of software products. We'll talk about the way it works and how it enables the inclusion of greener practices into software design.
Next, we focus on the Cloud Carbon Footprint tool, which was designed for cloud-based services. This application is excellent in tracking and reporting cloud infrastructure's carbon emissions, providing IT professionals and businesses the details they need to maximize the use of cloud resources.
Finally, we examine the Website Carbon Calculator, a simple tool for calculating a website's carbon impact. We'll talk about how user-friendly it is and how it works to raise awareness of the impact of web services on the environment and encourages environmentally friendly web development.
We will contrast and compare these tools, paying particular attention to their advantages and disadvantages. We'll also address the difficulties in precisely calculating digital carbon emissions and the importance of ongoing innovation in this area.
Come learn about the complicated nature of digital carbon footprints and leave with the skills and information necessary to effect positive change in the environment. Recognizing the scope of your IT footprint is an important starting point toward a more sustainable future.
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Matt "Kelly" Williams
Founder of Making Software Greener, Mentor, Public Speaker, and Renaissance Person in Training
Loveland, Colorado, United States
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