#102 - Platform Engineering feat. Boyan Dimitrov // CTO @ SIXT

alphalist.CTO Podcast - For CTOs and Technical Leaders

Platform Engineering: Modularised, Standardised and Automated.

Discover how to leverage platform engineering 🏗️ for convenience, standardization, automation, and reduced cloud costs in this CTO podcast featuring Boyan Dimitrov (CTO @ SIXT). SIXT is a leading global mobility provider serving customers in over 100 countries worldwide. With 800 tech employees globally, they have spent the past eight years standardizing and modularizing their tech stack to achieve unparalleled scalability. Listen to find out:

• How to apply the 80:20 rule to Platform ⚖️
• How to automate 🔄infrastructure without tickets 🎟️
• How to reduce cloud costs ☁️with Platform Engineering
• How to evaluate ⚖️ an IDP
• Why they standardize hosting (cloud and database) 🗄️
• Open Souce vs. Proprietary - Build vs. Buy

Listen here

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Timestamps:

(1:16) Intro (1:21) Introduction to the Alphalist Podcast (1:39) Meet Boyan Dimitrov: CTO of SIXT (2:32) Boyan’s Nerd Journey Journey in Tech (8:42) SIXT’s Tech Stack: From Legacy to Modern (12:21) Microservice vs. Monolith vs. Midsized System (15:30) Platform Engineering (17:41) Platform Mindset (18:18) Modularisation, 80:20 rule and bets on tech trends (19:53) Example: DevOps (23:43) Automations that set up projects (26:40) Size of Platform Team (28:46) Open Source Build or buy (30:28) How to Manage Cloud Costs (31:19) Cost Savings of Cloud Native (31:59) Link Cost To Execution (32:36) Using Platform to abstract tech and allow engineers to focus on customers (36:12) Automating infrastructure - without tickets (38:26) Using Crossplane (39:56) Standardising Cloud Services (40:15) Standardising Database (42:25) Evaluating Proprietary Platforms for IDP (44:25) Optimizing Cloud Costs and Performance (45:20) Constantly improving IDP with inspiration (46:48) Leveraging AI for Development - in a standardised way (47:48) Fast Set Up for Internal Customers (49:41) Internal Application -Supporting the Back Office with AI and Low-Code (52:16) What is next for their IDP and Platform Engineering (52:59) Cool things Sixt is working on (56:33) Tooling for Company Communications (59:06) "Guilds": Creating Communities to Prevent Silos (1:02:28) Balancing Business and Technology (1:04:11) Focus Time (1:06:39) Time Machine: Message to Younger Self

About Boyan

Boyan Dimitrov is Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of SIXT, responsible for the company’s tech vision and strategy. He oversees the SIXT Engineering Hubs in Munich, Bangalore, Kiev, and Lisbon.Prior to joining SIXT in 2015, Boyan had a long career in the startup ecosystems in the UK and Bulgaria. In his last position, he led the platform teams at Hailo in London, where he worked on a global microservices platform in the mobility space. With over 15 years of experience in cloud and distributed systems, Boyan is a frequent speaker at tech conferences around the world. He holds a bachelor’s degree in network technologies and an MSc degree in IT project management from Aston University in Birmingham.

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