Operating a massively scalable, constantly changing, distributed global service is a daunting task. We innovate at breakneck speed to attract new customers and stay ahead of the competition. Simultaneously improving service quality and enabling rapid, continuous change seems impossible on the surface.

At Netflix, Operations Engineering is a centralized organization whose charter is to accomplish just that by applying high-leverage software engineering practices like continuous delivery. real-time analytics, and automation to solve operational problems. It's well established that many traditional IT Operations teams struggle to bridge the gap with software engineering. Operations Engineering is no exception. And while DevOps as a construct seeks to address this gap, it doesn't go far enough. It does not explain how to bridge the gap or even why it's important to do so.

In this talk we’ll use Netflix Operations Engineering as a case study to address these questions. We'll explore common challenges faced by operational teams and strategies to overcome them.