Operations has always been the backbone of IT, but the role has never stood still. My journey started at the service desk, fixing tickets and solving problems one by one. From there I moved into hosting and managing physical data centers, then the solution architect role, and today I’m CTO for Data & AI.

It wasn’t always clear to me that I needed to be an enabler. Early on, I was building and managing servers and systems without fully understanding that they weren’t for me, they were for others to build on and create value. That realization changed everything. When I started to put myself in the shoes of the roles I was enabling, my perspective shifted. That mindset has been key for me no matter the context, whether being part of a DevOps team, building MLOps platforms, or working with cloud environments. Ops has evolved from isolated ticket handling to becoming an integrated part of teams, working side by side with those creating solutions that bring value to the company.

The Ops role has also shifted from managing racks of servers to resilient, automated, and intelligent platforms. It’s no longer just about uptime, it’s about creating environments that accelerate delivery and innovation.

In this session, we’ll look at how the Ops role has transformed over the years, what has stayed the same, and what skills and practices matter today. For those working in Ops, this is about how to become the modern Ops professional and stay relevant in a world of cloud-native architectures, data platforms, containers, serverless computing, and AI solutions. For those Ops is enabling, it’s about understanding what Ops does now and how this role helps you succeed.