Brian Benz

Published: 2017-09-29 13:09:45

Written by Alexandra Moxin

Brian Benz is based in Las Vegas, NV and works as a Senior Developer Advocate for Microsoft. The mission of his Cloud Developer Advocacy team is to win the hearts and minds of customers by creating a healthy developer ecosystem. He’s focused on showing the Java community how to get the best value out of the cloud with Microsoft Azure.

A prolific speaker and community builder, Brian has given talks at several conferences including Devoxx, Jenkins World, JavaOne, SpringOne, MongoDB Conferences, ChefConf, EclipseCon, Lucene / Solr Revolution, ApacheCon, Build, DevIntersection / Anglebrackets, LinuxFest Northwest, TechEd, OSCON, and numerous technology Meetups. Brian holds multiple certifications.

You can find Brian on twitter @bbenz or @AzureAdvocates, by email bbenz@microsoft.com, java@microsoft.com or on Linkedin

Brian’s team is hiring! If you’re a well known Java expert looking for new opportunities who’s also passionate for contributing to and advancing the platform, reach out at MS Dev Advocate Jobs!

We cover a lot in this episode, so get comfortable and hope you enjoy listening to this episode as much as we enjoyed making it!

Things we cover in this episode

Brian’s background and what he’s currently working on

Working with Microsoft, open source, Java and Azure initiatives

Microsoft’s contribution to GitHub and CLI

Microsoft docs and SDKs

The early days of Java

What drives Brian to get out of bed in the morning

Working with the cloud

How Microsoft gives back to their employees and the developer community in substantial ways

Linux VMs

Some of the projects, speaking engagements and conferences Brian is working on including Azul Systems, Hazelcast, Java One, EclipseCon EU, J-Fall, Devoxx in Belgium and Morocco and Spring One

A sneak peak into the daily life of a Java/JVM developer

What’s new in Java

What motivated Brian to join Microsoft, MS Open Tech and the Developer Advocates Team

Scott Guthrie’s 5 City Tour (Oct 16th - 20th)

What advice Brian would give his 25 year old self and to developers just starting out

Where to start learning about the Cloud and Java

The importance of inquisitiveness and certifications

What are some of the things coming into Java natively which are advancing the language

In Brian’s opinion, some of the companies who have a good understanding and implementation of Azure and who are doing it well

Common pitfalls people encounter when working with Azure and the cloud

Emerging trends in Azure and the cloud and what will be important to learn and to consider in the next few years

Cloud CLIs, Cloud tools and services, IoT

Microsoft’s pivot to embracing open source and being a good OS citizen

Brian would like to know what you’re doing with Azure and the cloud, and how could it be improved. Reach out to him on any of the social channels listed in his bio above!