About Me
About Me#
Hi, I’m Carike Blignaut-Staden — a DevOps engineer, cloud enthusiast, community builder, and lifelong learner based in South Africa. 🇿🇦
My Background#
I work as a software engineer with a strong focus on Microsoft Azure, .NET, and DevOps practices. Over the years I’ve worked across a range of industries, building solutions that help teams deliver better software faster. I have a deep appreciation for clean code, automation, and making complex things accessible.
My interest in technology spans the full software delivery lifecycle — from architecture and development to deployment pipelines, infrastructure as code, and cloud-native design patterns.
What I’m Passionate About#
- ☁️ Cloud Computing — Especially Microsoft Azure and cloud-native architectures
- 🔄 DevOps & Platform Engineering — CI/CD, automation, reliability
- 🤖 IoT & Emerging Technologies — Exploring the edges of what’s possible
- 🎤 Public Speaking — Sharing knowledge at conferences and meetups
- 🤝 Community — Building inclusive, welcoming spaces in tech
- 📚 Continuous Learning — Always working towards the next certification or skill
Experience & Expertise#
Key Technologies:
- Microsoft Azure (certified across multiple domains)
- .NET / C#
- DevOps tooling (Azure DevOps, GitHub Actions)
- IoT & connected devices
- Power Platform & Microsoft 365
Certifications: I hold numerous industry certifications including AWS, Microsoft Azure (multiple levels), DevOps Institute, and IBM. See my full list on the Certifications page.
Community Involvement#
I’m passionate about giving back to the tech community. I’m an active organiser and participant in several user groups and networks, including JHBMSDUG (Johannesburg Microsoft Developer User Group) and The WIT Network South Africa. Learn more on my Community page.