The Tao of Cloudsmith
If it can be automated, it should be automated.
We believe in automating as many manual, repetitive and/or non-atomic tasks as possible. Our ideal of automated tasks are ones that are written once and versioned (codification), succeed or fail as a single unit (atomic) and can be run reliably time and time again to achieve the same results (repeatable). Automation lets us scale productivity and our service beyond Human capacity, reduce errors, move faster and teleport.
Be elastic; leverage the capability of the cloud.
We believe that the elasticity, flexibility and scalability of the Cloud allows us to support an infrastructure and service beyond the capability of traditionally provided services. Designing our services for the Cloud from conception through to implementation has allowed us to tightly integrate and exploit its advantages and also provides us with an in-depth understanding of how to leverage it for our customers.
Everything is permitted, nothing is exclusive.
We believe in sharing responsibility and ownership of our service equally amongst all members of the Cloudsmith team - there shall be no concept of sole ownership of anything. Any member may change any part of the product for the greater good of the company and our customers. Peer review, continuous integration, high test coverage and continual customer feedback all ensure that changes meet this goal
Give customers a voice and make sure we listen.
We believe in involving our customers as soon and as often as possible in order to determine if the software we are building is the right software to build. By giving our customers an active voice to help influence the direction of the product development, we can minimise requirements and scope creep, and we can ensure that any features that get deployed “do what they say on the tin”, and more than that, they do it well.
Hide nothing, then there is nothing to hide.
We believe that transparency, openness and honesty of the business and the way that we work is paramount in establishing trust and rapport with our customers, and internally within the Cloudsmith team. We want to avoid that itchy feeling of “lies, damned lies, and statistics” when publishing information about what’s going on in Cloudsmith, and we’ll always do our best to keep people as informed as possible.
Better trained, better equipped, better … just better!
Originating as a quote from Red Dwarf, a sci-fi comedy that we’re rather fond of, the “Just Better” principle is one born of aspiration and not arrogance. We believe that everything can and should be improved upon, that good enough is not simply “good enough”, that there is no best, just … better. Being better is adapting for our customers, changing what needs changed and always striving to improve, innovate, and refactor.
Perfection is the enemy of good; practicality first, perfection later.
We believe in embracing pragmatism, of approaching every problem with a practical mindset. We value our craftsmanship and deeply care about it, as everything we do is a labour of love. We are always learning and adapting new techniques, tools and processes; and value is placed in admitting when we are wrong and how move forward. To say that our customers being upset keeps us up at night is an understatement.
A sustainable pace establishes a sustainable service.
We believe in maximising the productivity of the entire team at Cloudsmith. Sustainability relates to the creativity of individuals, who work at their best and most creative when fully rested. The “evil necessity” of overtime culture is minimised through better planning, better practices and better testing. Our aim is to not require anyone to work more than is required, and to not treat our people like disposable resources.
