Gilles Crofils

Gilles Crofils

Hands-On Chief Technology Officer

Based in Western Europe, I'm a tech enthusiast with a track record of successfully leading digital projects for both local and global companies.1974 Birth.
1984 Delved into coding.
1999 Failed my First Startup in Science Popularization.
2010 Co-founded an IT Services Company in Paris/Beijing.
2017 Led a Transformation Plan for SwitchUp in Berlin.
May 2025 Eager to Build the Next Milestone Together with You.

Cloud-Native Computing Revolution

Abstract:

Cloud-native computing has revolutionized technology infrastructure, enabling the development and deployment of scalable applications with agility, resilience, and portability. Kubernetes orchestration and containerization technologies like Docker are pivotal in this shift, empowering businesses to streamline development and deployment across various environments. The evolution of cloud-native infrastructure has given rise to GitOps, a paradigm shift in managing infrastructure through Git repositories and CI/CD pipelines. Furthermore, the roles of Directors of Technology and Engineering have transformed in the cloud-native era, requiring them to bridge the gap between business strategy and technology and lead teams in adopting cloud-native principles. Embracing these trends and fostering a culture of collaboration and innovation is crucial for success in the cloud-native era.

Visualize a futuristic, abstract cityscape filled with different shades of blue, presenting a transformational world of cloud-based computing. At the forefront, picture complex, linked networks of floating containers and spheres, symbolizing various components of Kubernetes orchestration and Docker containerization. Silver threads gracefully spread above this framework, demonstrating the seamless connections between the technologies and subtly metaphorizing the GitOps management model with repositories and CI/CD pipelines subtly fused into the scene. Around this cityscape, ethereal figures, personifying the positions of Technology and Engineering heads, create connections between towering structures symbolizing business strategy and technological innovation. Different genders and descents such as African, Caucasian, and Asian are seen representing these figures. They lead teams across the bridges, nurturing a culture of teamwork depicted as radiant, linked lights and spearheading the shift towards embracing cloud principles. The entire setting is soaked in a calm, yet vibrant ambiance, highlighting the agility, resilience, and portability that cloud computing brings, under a sky glistening with digital constellations that represent the future of scalable application development.
Cloud-Native Computing and Microservices Architecture: A CTO's Perspective on Modern Technology Infrastructure

Cloud-Native Computing: Embracing the Future of Technology Infrastructure

As a Chief Technology Officer, I've witnessed a seismic shift in technology infrastructure, with the emergence of cloud-native computing. Unlike traditional monolithic architectures, cloud-native computing enables organizations to build and deploy scalable applications with agility, resilience, and portability. By decomposing monoliths into microservices and deploying them in containers, businesses can achieve greater efficiency and flexibility, accelerating the development and release of software.

The Power of Kubernetes Orchestration

Kubernetes has emerged as the de facto standard for container orchestration, allowing businesses to automate the deployment, scaling, and management of containerized applications. By abstracting away the underlying infrastructure, Kubernetes provides a unified system for managing microservices, regardless of where they are deployed. This level of abstraction and automation empowers developers to focus on building features and solving business problems, while operations teams can ensure reliability and performance at scale.

Containerization Technologies: The Foundation of Cloud-Native Infrastructure

Containerization technologies, such as Docker, have played a pivotal role in the rise of cloud-native computing. By encapsulating applications and their dependencies into lightweight, portable containers, organizations can streamline the development and deployment of software across various environments. Containerization simplifies the management of microservices, enabling teams to deploy, scale, and update applications with minimal overhead, thereby improving resource utilization, accelerating time-to-market, and reducing costs.

The Evolution of Cloud-Native Infrastructure: From DevOps to GitOps

The evolution of cloud-native infrastructure has given rise to GitOps, a paradigm shift in managing infrastructure through Git repositories and continuous integration and continuous delivery (CI/CD) pipelines. GitOps empowers developers and operations teams to manage infrastructure and applications using the same tools and workflows, ensuring version control, auditability, and collaboration. By automating the deployment and management of infrastructure and applications through Git repositories, organizations can achieve greater agility, resilience, and security, ultimately accelerating innovation and driving business value.

Empowering Directors of Technology and Engineering in the Cloud-Native Era

As CTO, I've observed the transformative impact of cloud-native computing on the roles of Directors of Technology and Engineering. In this new paradigm, Directors of Technology are responsible for bridging the gap between business strategy and technology, ensuring that cloud-native initiatives align with organizational objectives. Meanwhile, Directors of Engineering must lead teams in adopting cloud-native principles, tools, and best practices to optimize software development, deployment, and management.

Fostering a Culture of Collaboration and Innovation

Empowering Directors of Technology and Engineering in the cloud-native era requires fostering a culture of collaboration and innovation. This culture should encourage knowledge sharing, experimentation, and continuous learning, promoting the adoption of new tools, methodologies, and best practices. By investing in the professional development of Directors of Technology and Engineering, organizations can ensure that they are well-equipped to lead cloud-native initiatives, drive business value, and maintain a competitive edge in the rapidly evolving technology landscape.

In conclusion, cloud-native computing, microservices architecture, Kubernetes orchestration, and containerization technologies have revolutionized technology infrastructure, providing unprecedented agility, resilience, and efficiency. As CTO, embracing these trends and fostering a culture of collaboration and innovation is crucial for success in the cloud-native era. By empowering Directors of Technology and Engineering to lead cloud-native initiatives, organizations can unlock the full potential of these groundbreaking technologies, driving business value and maintaining a competitive edge in the ever-evolving technology landscape.

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25 Years in IT: A Journey of Expertise

2024-

My Own Adventures
(Lisbon/Remote)

AI Enthusiast & Explorer
As Head of My Own Adventures, I’ve delved into AI, not just as a hobby but as a full-blown quest. I’ve led ambitious personal projects, challenged the frontiers of my own curiosity, and explored the vast realms of machine learning. No deadlines or stress—just the occasional existential crisis about AI taking over the world.

2017 - 2023

SwitchUp
(Berlin/Remote)

Hands-On Chief Technology Officer
For this rapidly growing startup, established in 2014 and focused on developing a smart assistant for managing energy subscription plans, I led a transformative initiative to shift from a monolithic Rails application to a scalable, high-load architecture based on microservices.
More...

2010 - 2017

Second Bureau
(Beijing/Paris)

CTO / Managing Director Asia
I played a pivotal role as a CTO and Managing director of this IT Services company, where we specialized in assisting local, state-owned, and international companies in crafting and implementing their digital marketing strategies. I hired and managed a team of 17 engineers.
More...

SwitchUp Logo

SwitchUp
SwitchUp is dedicated to creating a smart assistant designed to oversee customer energy contracts, consistently searching the market for better offers.

In 2017, I joined the company to lead a transformation plan towards a scalable solution. Since then, the company has grown to manage 200,000 regular customers, with the capacity to optimize up to 30,000 plans each month.Role:
In my role as Hands-On CTO, I:
- Architected a future-proof microservices-based solution.
- Developed and championed a multi-year roadmap for tech development.
- Built and managed a high-performing engineering team.
- Contributed directly to maintaining and evolving the legacy system for optimal performance.
Challenges:
Balancing short-term needs with long-term vision was crucial for this rapidly scaling business. Resource constraints demanded strategic prioritization. Addressing urgent requirements like launching new collaborations quickly could compromise long-term architectural stability and scalability, potentially hindering future integration and codebase sustainability.
Technologies:
Proficient in Ruby (versions 2 and 3), Ruby on Rails (versions 4 to 7), AWS, Heroku, Redis, Tailwind CSS, JWT, and implementing microservices architectures.

Arik Meyer's Endorsement of Gilles Crofils
Second Bureau Logo

Second Bureau
Second Bureau was a French company that I founded with a partner experienced in the e-retail.
Rooted in agile methods, we assisted our clients in making or optimizing their internet presence - e-commerce, m-commerce and social marketing. Our multicultural teams located in Beijing and Paris supported French companies in their ventures into the Chinese market

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Please be aware that the articles published on this blog are created using artificial intelligence technologies, specifically OpenAI, Gemini and MistralAI, and are meant purely for experimental purposes.These articles do not represent my personal opinions, beliefs, or viewpoints, nor do they reflect the perspectives of any individuals involved in the creation or management of this blog.

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