DevNet Create Conference Connects with Application Developers

Wow. Where to begin? The DevNet Create Conference (second annual) took place April 10-11, and there was so much for attendees to do, learn, and experience. If you read my blog from last month, you know that DevNet Create is a two day conference focused on topics and technologies of interest to application developers, cloud developers, and IT (DevOps) professionals. I talked about all the amazing workshops and sessions that were coming. Now I get to report to you how the conference exceeded expectations, and let you know that session presentations and recordings are available for download.

The evening campfire at DevNet Create gave participants time to connect, share stories, and roast some fine s’mores.

The Computer History Museum in Mountain View, California housed the conference perfectly. Plenty of space for the 8, simultaneously running workshops without having to strain to hear your presenter over neighboring sessions; a private space for Camp Create attendees to focus on working with their teams and expert guides; specialty food trucks bringing lunch to the outdoor patio; Tuesday night campfire to cook s’mores with other developers and … well, just have a whole lot of fun!

The scope of topics, APIs, and technologies presented was truly amazing. Many attendees told me there were more sessions and workshops they wanted to attend than they could fit into their schedule. We hear you! And we’ve got you covered! All the speaker presentation and session recording are now available.

Quotes From Attendees Tell the Story Best:

“DevNet Create is much more open for looking at a variety of technologies and how they can fit together.”

“It was easy to learn. Workshop leaders took you through the steps.”

“I didn’t have a lot of coding skills, and it was great to work with more experienced coders and learn from them.”

“I learned many useful techniques for working with APIs.”

“Not only learning technology, but also learning how to innovate, how to work with a team, how to approach problems/solution, how to go back to my company and transform it.”

“It doesn’t matter who you work for…with DevNet you’re part of a community that helps you be successful.”

Will Townsend, a Moor Insights & Strategy senior analyst, wrote in Forbes, “DevNet’s mission is to enable an ecosystem of developers to write applications and develop integrations with Cisco products, platforms, and APIs (application program interfaces) that result in high customer value.

“After spending two days [at DevNet Create] with impassioned team members and developers, it was abundantly clear to me that…Cisco is embracing its integration within multi-vendor environments.”

Zeus Kerravala, founder and principal analyst with ZK Research, reporting in Network World said, “[DevNet Create] is one of the most un-Cisco-like Cisco events that the company holds. Instead of hearing about the latest updates to Catalyst, ISR and UCS, attendees heard about what code is now in GitHub, changes to APIs, and how to work with node.js.

“The Create audience was an interesting mix of application developers who knew little about the network but wanted to learn how to build advanced apps using network information and network engineers who were looking to learn software skills.”

“I found Create to be a well-structured event that has something for people with all levels of software fluency.”

Very Special Guest Joined our Keynotes

Two special guests joined me on stage for my day 1 keynote. Allan Naim, Product Manager for the Google Kubernetes Engine, talked about exploring the world of containers and cloud development, and how Hybrid Cloud development is promising, but very hard. Allan talked about Istio, an open source project at Google working to help developers not always have to write new code, but leverage the APIs for many functions.

Allan Naim – Product Manager, Google Kubernetes Engine – talks with “The Cube” at DevNet Create 2018

Raj Krishna, VP of Product Management at Cisco Meraki, joined me to talk about building privacy centric application; building applications that are only possible by leveraging the network; and how these applications are generating billions of dollars of business value.

Day 2 keynote was given by the one and only Guy Kawasaki. With an engaging mix of humor and insight, Guy gave the developers advice like, “don’t worry…be crappy,” “polarize people,” “ignore naysayers,” and “change your mind.”

Guy Kawasaki delivers a keynote at DevNet Create 2018, encouraging developers to “jump to the next curve.”

Connect to Create New Opportunities for Application Developers

The theme for this year’s DevNet Create conference was “Connect to Create.” And I couldn’t be more thrilled with who all the attendees turned that theme into a reality. Whether it was connecting with other developers tackling similar problems, or connecting with an API, “Connect to Create” gives you permission to innovate. Connect to create something that’s unique and valuable. Connect to combine technologies from the ecosystem to create innovative applications, help your apps perform better, be more secure, and create awesome user experiences.

Digitization of the infrastructure is creating new opportunities for application developers, cloud developers, and IT professionals to leverage network infrastructure like never before. Because the infrastructure is now programmable, it’s ready to be a platform for application developers to build all kinds of applications – from IoT to smart buildings, smart cities, and more.

A digitized infrastructure, together with a rich portfolio of APIs are giving developers the tools to create entirely new experiences, new business models, and change people’s lives.
My favorite advice from Guy Kawasaki was, “get to the next curve.” Meaning it’s not about what you’re currently doing, but about what you’re customer’s love, and making the world a better place.

If you missed a session, or want to review one you attended, the DevNet Create 2018 presentations and recordings are available.

Thanks to everyone for making our DevNet Create a great place for developers to learn, code, inspire, and connect. If you have any suggestions for changes in the conference, or topics you’d like us to cover, please drop me a comment.

Thanks from the DevNet team to all who helped make DevNet Create 2018 amazing!