Principal Platform Engineer @ Alaska Airlines
Building developer platforms that scale. Kubernetes architect, eBPF enthusiast, and infrastructure automation specialist with 15+ years transforming how teams ship software.
Download ResumeI'm a platform engineer who believes developers are our customers. The best infrastructure is invisible—it just works. Every platform decision should be made with empathy for the engineers who will use it daily.
Currently leading platform engineering at Alaska Airlines, where I architect multi-cloud Kubernetes infrastructure spanning Azure, GCP, and on-premises data centers. I build Internal Developer Platforms using Backstage, implement GitOps workflows with ArgoCD, and develop custom Kubernetes operators in Go.
I also run Nerds Run LLC, a technology consulting firm specializing in platform engineering, DevOps, Kubernetes, and eBPF expertise based in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin.
My journey started in HVAC (yes, really), which gave me a unique perspective on building systems that need to be reliable, efficient, and maintainable. U.S. Army veteran.
Leading the Internal Developer Platform initiative using Backstage with custom GoLang backend services. Architecting multi-cloud Kubernetes infrastructure across Azure, GCP, and on-premises data centers.
Led infrastructure initiatives for the talent acquisition platform. Managed Kubernetes clusters and implemented CI/CD pipelines for rapid deployment cycles.
Built and led the DevOps organization. Established cloud infrastructure standards, implemented GitOps practices, and drove platform modernization initiatives.
Architected cloud solutions for enterprise financial services. Focused on security, compliance, and scalability in regulated environments.
Scaled infrastructure for the world's most popular game development platform. Handled massive traffic spikes and global distribution challenges.
Progressive roles from Software Engineer to DevOps Lead. Built cloud deployment platforms, containerization workflows, and partner integration systems.
Comprehensive developer portal using Backstage with custom GoLang microservices. Centralized onboarding, K8s deployments, service inventory, and SDLC across the organization.
Developed microservice operator and dynamic OIDC operator for automated Azure AD integration and workload identity management across multi-cloud infrastructure.
Led enterprise-wide migration from Istio service mesh to Cilium CNI. Developed automated tooling for zero-downtime cluster migrations.
Technology consulting firm specializing in platform engineering, DevOps, Kubernetes, and eBPF expertise. Based in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin.
My mission is to build reliable and easy-to-use platforms driven by the requirements of the business and the development organization.
Freedom to innovate, freedom from impediments, and freedom to ship with confidence. The best infrastructure empowers developers to focus on what matters—building great products.
Interested in platform engineering, Kubernetes architecture, or consulting engagements?
abanna@nerds.run