Blog

Today, we’re diving into the world of DevOps with two industry veterans, Daniel Rankov and Ilyan Vutov.  

Daniel is currently the CEO at Several Clouds leading the company to become a premier Cloud and DevOps consulting company.  He previously led the Cloud Center of Excellence (CCOE) team and guided the overall Cloud and DevOps strategy at MentorMate. 

Ilyan is currently leading a team at Dext infrastructure department and has been working on developing and implementing DevOps practices for the past 9-10 years. 

They join forces as the two lead trainers in Telerik Academy’s immersive 3-month Upskill DevOps program. The most in-depth DevOps training available in Bulgaria will help you gain the skills necessary to take the next step in your career. 

Ilyan, can you tell us more about what DevOps means to you and its significance in the industry? 

Ilyan: DevOps, for me, bridges the gap between developers and system administrators. It’s about collaboration, communication, and using modern technologies to optimize and automate processes. We all want fast progress, enablement, and rapid delivery of new features. DevOps allows us to achieve that by breaking down silos and fostering a collaborative environment. 

Daniel, could you share your career journey and how it led you to your current role? 

Daniel: Sure. I lead a consulting company in quality DevOps and have been hands-on with various aspects of IT for years. My background spans operations, product companies, and service companies. This diverse experience has given me a broad perspective on DevOps and its application in different environments. 

Ilyan, what qualities do you look for in a DevOps engineer? 

Ilyan: The key quality is a problem-solving mindset. If someone can tackle issues on a whiteboard and identify optimization opportunities, they can learn the necessary technical skills. DevOps is about effectiveness—how can we automate and streamline our work to deliver better products and services efficiently? 

Daniel, how easy is it for professionals from other IT fields, like QA or development, to transition into DevOps? 

Daniel: It’s quite feasible, especially for those with a background in QA or development. They already possess some of the knowledge needed. The transition involves adopting the DevOps mindset and practices to improve efficiency and collaboration. Our course is designed to guide them through this process. 

You’re both leading lecturers in the Upskill DevOps program – why did you decide to lead it?

Ilyan: After gaining over 20 years of experience, I felt it was time to give back and share what I’ve learned. Helping others advance their careers and professional development is my main motivation. 

Daniel: I’ve been leading this training for four years, continually improving it. Being involved in the community and organizing events like AWS Community Day in Bulgaria motivates me to help others and strengthen our collective knowledge. 

Dani, how has the program evolved since its inception? 

Daniel Rankov: We’ve made it much more hands-on. The program is very interactive now, ensuring participants can apply what they’ve learned immediately. Ilyan and I both agree that practical application is key to retaining new theories.

_______________________________________________________________________

If you're ready to upgrade your career with sought-after new skills, apply for Upskill DevOps!