A platform should be treated like any other software product, and the users/consumers of the platform should be treated as the platform team’s customers. The user experience of the platform should always be considered and prioritized, and a major part of that user experience is the ability to self-serve. A platform should be composable (being capable of being combined or assembled from separate, smaller parts), and should allow users the option to use only a subset of components. No vendor lock and no walled gardens. All components of a platform should be swappable, replaceable, and loosely coupled. We do not believe in "one platform to rule them all". The effectiveness of a platform should not be measured by replacing other platforms, it should be measured by facilitating and elevating the customers of the platform. Providing the consumers of your platform with a great user experience leads to both improved satisfaction and increased productivity. Enabling self-service and reducing manual steps and human intervention increases efficiency across your entire organization. Accelerating the delivery of products and features helps to maximize business value for all stakeholders. Know that you need a Platform, but want help with the design and implementation? We're here to guide you and work side by side from Day 0 of your platform journey. Already have a platform and looking to improve it or increase adoption? After helping dozens of companies over the last 10 years, we can show you exactly what works and what doesn't. Our Founder and CEO Colin Griffin serves as a Co-Organizer of the CNCF Platform Engineering Technical Community Group and contributed to the development of the CNCF's Platforms Whitepaper and Platform Engineering Maturity Model. ## What is Platform Engineering? Ask 10 engineers this question and you’ll get 10 different answers. You might hear something like "creating and maintaining tool chains and workflows that empower software teams." Or you might hear "The design, construction, and operation of a platform." Wait, platform? What’s a platform? Deep breath for this one… "A collection of capabilities, documentation, and tools to support developing, deploying, operating, and/or managing the delivery of products and services." With all of this word salad, it’s easy to understand why platform engineering is still an enigma to many people. So what does platform engineering mean to Krumware? These are the principles that guide our practice: ## Platform Engineering Benefits - **Increased Productivity** - **Organizational Efficiency** - **Business Value** ## How We Help We get in the trenches with you to provide hands-on implementation, skills enablement, and strategy. Krumware implements standardized solution stacks and develops new technologies to give your teams the tools they need to sustain innovation and efficiency. ### Build a New Platform ### Optimize an Existing Platform ### Contributing to Open Source and Industry Standards ## CNCF Platform Engineering Maturity Model ### Provisional ### Operational ### Scalable ### Optimizing ### Investment How are staff and funds allocated to platform capabilities? - Voluntary or Temporary *Provisional* - Dedicated Team *Operational* - As Product *Scalable* - Enabled Ecosystem *Optimizing* ### Adoption Why and how do users discover and use platform capabilities? - Erratic *Provisional* - Extrinsic Push *Operational* - Intrinsic Pull *Scalable* - Participatory *Optimizing* ### Interfaces How do users interact with and use platform capabilities? - Custom Processes *Provisional* - Standard Tooling *Operational* - Self-Service Solutions *Scalable* - Integrated Services *Optimizing* ### Operations How are platforms planned, prioritized, developed, and maintained? - By Request *Provisional* - Centrally Tracked *Operational* - Centrally Enabled *Scalable* - Managed Services *Optimizing* ### Measurement What is the process for gathering and incorporating feedback and learning? - Ad Hoc *Provisional* - Consistent Collection *Operational* - Insights *Scalable* - Quantitative & Qualitative *Optimizing* Source: [CNCF Platform Engineering Maturity Model](https://cloudnativeplatforms.com/whitepapers/platform-eng-maturity-model/) Let’s Discuss Platform Engineering! Reach out to us to discuss your organizational goals and learn more about implementing platform engineering for your team.