In this series, we’ll put the spotlight on Devoteam G Cloud’s experts who are always at the forefront of driving progress in the exciting and rapidly-evolving Google Cloud world. In this article, you’ll get to know Fran Blanco, Principal Architect & Tech Lead at Devoteam G Cloud Spain. He’ll share his story, his daily routine, challenges, and tips for thriving in this technological world.
Could you introduce yourself briefly and describe your role as a Principal Architect & Tech Lead at Devoteam G Cloud?
I’m Fran Blanco, a Madrilenian with over 15 years of experience in the IT field, and in the last 6 years, I’ve focused on Google Cloud technologies. As the Principal Architect & Tech Lead at Devoteam G Cloud, my mission is to maximize the potential of Google Cloud solutions for our clients and to lead the technical and methodological proposal in infrastructure projects in Spain.
What’s a typical day like for a Tech Lead at Devoteam G Cloud?
I start my day with a good breakfast while reviewing the day’s agenda. Normally, I have meetings with clients and internal sessions with the teams to monitor the progress of the projects. The rest of the time I spend preparing trainings, client presentations and solving any technical questions from the team.
Could you share examples of real projects you’ve worked on as a Principal Architect & Tech Lead?
For Seedtag, we are the partner of reference for the evolution of its use cases with Google Cloud technologies, and I am the Principal Architect of the account. I collaborate with Seedtag’s engineering team in the adoption and improvement of architectures using Google Cloud solutions. Another example is Konecta & Comdata, where I lead the Cloud Foundations project and the Cloud governance model for the integration of both organizations in GCP.
How do you collaborate with other teams at Devoteam G Cloud?
We collaborate at a country level with the Data and Workspace teams when a project requires it. I also work with the change management team to define the catalog and official training packages. In Marketing, I collaborate on both internal and client campaigns. At the Pillar level, we work with the Infra tribe countries to standardize methodologies and drive accelerators.
What’s your advice for aspiring Tech Leads at Devoteam G Cloud or in general?
“Working as a team is the key advice. Finding the right technical solution to a customer’s need may be easy. However, managing the team to achieve it is another matter, and does not depend only on years of experience. Knowing how to listen, enhancing team skills, achieving cohesion and communicating clearly.”
What’s the best part of your job?
Interacting with clients and helping them turn their business needs into technological solutions, and teamwork. To me, the most important thing is nurturing relationships with people.
What are the most challenging aspects of your role and how do you overcome them?
Keeping up with the pace of technology can only be achieved with dedication and daily effort. Luckily, I can apply all the knowledge I acquire in my day-to-day work with clients.
Could you describe a recent project you worked on and the steps you took?
Standardizing a consistent working methodology in infrastructure projects in G Cloud Spain. We developed organized documentation with clear objectives, automated processes, and industrialized a catalog of solutions available for the team to implement for clients.
What makes this role a challenge/what challenges do you face?
Every customer at Devoteam G Cloud presents a different challenge, and you need to be prepared to meet any technological challenge. Every concern or problem within the team is a daily challenge.
Your work in 1 sentence?
“Win Win as a winning strategy.”
I explain: applied to teamwork, it simply means that all the people involved in a project are aware that they must collaborate in order to solve the problems that have arisen or that may arise in order to achieve the objective.
What’s your proudest moment as a G Clouder?
Representing the Devoteam G Cloud team as a speaker at the Google Summit event in Madrid.
How would you describe your team Tribe? How do you move forward together?
A young team eager to learn, with an outstanding ability to work together. We move forward together with a common goal: to boost and streamline the business processes of our customers with Google Cloud technology.
What are the daily responsibilities of a Tech Lead?
- Team management
- Standardizing, automating, and industrializing processes and methodologies
- Sharing and documenting knowledge
- Mentoring and technologically empowering the team.
- Leading the technical relationship with clients.
What recent challenges have you overcome in a project?
At bnext, we needed to implement a Cloud Foundation methodology, with a centralized and standardized governance model following best practices for a scalable and secure environment. All external communications with suppliers needed to be centralized. From the infra team, we industrialized a reference architecture based on the five pillars of the Google Cloud Architecture Framework, with a zero trust approach by design and perimeter security at the application level. Now, all external traffic with suppliers is routed through a centralized transit zone and analyzed and inspected using advanced security mechanisms.
How do you set the pace in your work?
Clients and project priorities set the pace. Personally, there are times of the day when I feel more active and focused, allowing me to accelerate the pace.
How did you reach this position?
I’ve always been connected to infrastructure. From traditional environments to the era of virtualization and the natural evolution, it led to cloud technologies. With over 15 years of teamwork, I’ve gained the ability to lead people and maximize team performance.
How would you describe the G Cloud team?
A super team of curious and innovative minds who welcomed and supported me from day one with a close approach. After eight months, I’m proud to be part of the Key People team at G Cloud Spain.
Going big (GO BIG): What does it mean to you?
Thinking big is motivating yourself to tackle more complex challenges and face demanding projects, stepping out of your comfort zone.
Could you give an example of a time you went big?
Participating as a speaker at the Google Cloud Summit in Spain.
Your work in 1 word is … ?
I’m sorry, I need 2. Rock & Roll ?
Like a great Rock tune that gets you dancing, my role makes me feel active, leading projects, and solving challenges like a rock star.
In the dynamic world of technology and cloud, Fran Blanco stands out as an outstanding leader at Devoteam G Cloud Spain. His 15+ years of experience in IT, his passion for Google Cloud and his focus on teamwork make him a leader in the industry. As he continues to drive innovative projects and collaborate with multidisciplinary teams, Fran inspires others to embrace change, adopt creative solutions and face challenges with determination. His story is a living testament to the power of leadership and the importance of collaboration in the age of technology.
Are you ready for the challenge? At Devoteam G Cloud there are infinite possibilities to move as a team and improve as an individual. Join our team and discover how you can become part of a group passionate about technology and committed to driving innovative solutions in the world of Google Cloud.
Ready to take the next step in your career? Explore our open positions and embark on your next challenge with us!
