Speaker Interview: Clint Byrum

Clint Byrum comes to SCALE 12X to give a presentation on “OpenStack, Deploy Thyself.” The SCALE Team caught up with Clint to ask him about the talk.

Q: Could you please introduce yourself and tell us a little about your background?

A: Hi! I'm Clint Byrum, and I'm an open source hacker (in the "having fun with technology sense, not the shady-eastern-european-steals-credit-cards sense).

I have been working in IT and software since I quit my job at Carl's Jr. when I was 18, and I've never even once been tempted back by the siren call of 50 percent off onion rings.

I work for HP Cloud making OpenStack deployment work better currently. I am also an Ubuntu and Debian developer, focusing a lot on server technologies like databases and support systems.

I live in Encino with my lovely wife and 3 sons, 10, 4, and nearly 2.

Q: You're giving a talk on "OpenStack, Deploy Thyself." Without tipping your hand on the actual talk, can you give us an idea of what we might expect?

A: You may want to wear a raincoat, because you might get wet!

In all seriousness, OpenStack is a system for fully automated self-service IT. Deploying it at any kind of scale is complicated. We are seeking to un-complicate it as much as possible, and one way to do that is to deploy it with a self-service fully-automated IT solution. We chose "OpenStack" for that. You may want to un-cross your eyes before operating heavy machinery.

Q: Is this your first visit to SCALE? If so, what are your expectations? If not, can you give us your impressions of the event?

A: This will be my third year in a row going to SCALE. I have spoken each time and I really love the atmosphere. It is one of my favorite tech conferences, and definitely the best SoCal tech conference!

Q: How is it that you're always able to impress everyone with every talk you give on technology while still remaining humble?

A: I steal all my slides from Jorge Castro.

Q: Is there anything else you'd like to add?

A: I just want to thank the organizers and sponsers for the opportunity to talk about my project and to mingle with other like-minded people here in my home town of Los Angeles!

I also really appreciate the ongoing effort behing SCALE:TNG. If you have kids, I think it is inspiring to see the talks for and by kids.

[SCALE Team interview by Larry Cafiero]