The hard skills? with Diana Montalion
Guest: Diana Montalion
16 years ago, my teammates and I built software for big internet properties. Now, we build information systems - data platforms, decoupled frontends, event streams, lots of interdependent software and services with many types of consumers. In the world of “digital transformation”, software is becoming systems. Unfortunately, we don’t think in systems. Systems are nonlinear. They reorganize our mental models and communication structures. Yes, we need skills in cloud-native architectures, Kafka, Kubernetes, GoLang, Terraforming, etc. But those are not the key to our success. We also need to transform how we think together. Otherwise, we will build the same old things with fancy new tools.
Let’s explore essential nonlinear skills and practices for IT professionals, skills we might not think of as “IT”. What are the practices that help us navigate from software to systems?
Guest
I work at the intersection of information systems architecture, engineering leadership, and sociotechnical transformation.
For 20+ years, I’ve architected large-scale platform modernizations, greenfield systems, and business-critical features for organizations including The Economist, Wikimedia Foundation, Stanford, The Gates Foundation, Teach For All, Global Strategy Group, World Monuments Fund, and Memorial Sloan Kettering. My expertise spans multi-platform modernization, React frontend frameworks, GraphQL and API design, cloud-native services, event-driven architecture, NoSQL data modeling, and enterprise CMS (Drupal, WordPress).
I lead client engagements from vision to production-ready solutions, build cross-functional teams that are a joy to work on, and design systems that unlock emergent potential. I also write, speak, and teach widely — from keynotes to hands-on workshops — encouraging architecture practices that help individuals and organizations navigate complexity with clarity and adaptability.
About the host
With Krisztina Hirth