TestGuild Devops Toolchain Podcast

Dynamic Application Security Testing (DAST) has a reputation problem. It's noisy, slow, and often ignored by developers — especially in fast-moving CI/CD pipelines. In this episode of the TestGuild Podcast, we explore developer-focused DAST and why traditional AppSec tools struggle to gain adoption in modern DevOps teams. You'll learn: Why most DAST tools fail inside real-world CI/CD workflows What "shift-left security" actually means beyond marketing buzzwords How developer-first DAST reduces false positives and improves signal quality Where AI genuinely helps in security testing — and where it's mostly hype Practical steps QA, DevOps, and engineering leaders can take to reduce risk this quarter Our guest, Gadi Bashvitz, CEO at Bright Security, shares lessons from decades in cybersecurity, including building security tools that developers actually use — without slowing delivery. If you're responsible for test automation, DevSecOps, or application security, this episode will help you rethink how DAST should work in 2026 and beyond.

Support the show - try out Insight Hub free for 14 days now: https://testguild.me/insighthub In this episode of the TestGuild DevOps Toolchain Podcast, host Joe Colantonio sits down with Patrick Quilter, CEO of Deploy360, to explore how AI is reshaping DevSecOps and what it means for testers, developers, and security engineers. Patrick shares his unique journey from automation engineer to founder to acquisition, and now leading a company working directly with the Department of Defense on secure, AI-powered development pipelines. You'll learn: Why automation engineers are perfectly positioned to move into security How agentic AI can transform DevOps workflows with specialized security agents Why AI won't replace skilled developers—but can supercharge them The role of local vs. cloud LLMs in security and supply chain protection Where DevSecOps and AI are headed in the next 1–3 years Patrick also reveals how Deploy360 is rolling out its next-gen DevSecOps platform and why small-to-medium businesses may benefit most from early access. Learn more about Patrick and Deploy360: Don't forget to subscribe, share, and leave a review if you find this episode valuable for your testing or DevSecOps journey. Try out SmartBear's Bugsnag for free, today. No credit card required: https://testguild.me/bugsnagfree

In this episode of the TestGuild DevOps Toolchain Podcast, host Joe Colantonio sits down with Jennifer Rahmani, Co-founder and COO of Thoras.ai, a company redefining how infrastructure scales with AI-driven predictive technology. Drawing from her years as a DevOps engineer in the defense tech sector, Jennifer shares how she and her twin sister turned real-world frustrations into a reliability-first platform that eliminates the guesswork from scaling. We discuss how Thoras.ai integrates with Kubernetes to predict workload demand minutes—or even hours—in advance, allowing teams to maintain high availability without overspending. Jennifer explains why they use the right AI for the right use case, how their predictive autoscaling works in multi-cloud and hybrid environments, and how it helps SREs avoid downtime during unpredictable events like Black Friday or major product launches. Whether you're dealing with noisy data, high cloud bills, or sleepless nights worrying about reliability, this episode delivers practical insights for making smarter scaling decisions.

Today, we're diving into a hot topic for many in the software industry: leaping testing to DevOps. Joining us is Maciek Konkolowicz, a senior DevOps manager at an AI-driven test automation platform, who brings more than a decade of experience ensuring software quality and accelerating delivery. Checkout SmartBear InsightHub Now: https://testguild.me/insighthub Maciek shares his journey from functional test automation to DevOps leadership, offering real-world insight into what motivated his career shift, the skills and mindset that helped him thrive, and how the lines between testing and DevOps continue to blur with today's continuous learning culture. Whether you're thinking about making a similar move or looking to support testers within your DevOps team better, this conversation is full of actionable advice and inspiration. Stick around to hear Maciek's tips on upskilling, working at AI-powered companies, and why keeping your "sunglasses" on, rather than blinders, might be the smartest career move you make this year.

On this episode host Joe Colantonio sits down with Jacek Marmuszewski of Let's Go DevOps, an expert with more than a decade of experience building and managing mission-critical cloud infrastructure for companies like Sabre and Oracle, as well as for numerous startups. Try out Insight Hub free for 14 days now: https://testguild.me/insighthub Jacek shares his journey from a Java and C programmer to a cloud-native advocate and DevOps platform engineer, offering invaluable insights into what it truly takes to create scalable, secure, and cost-effective cloud environments. Together, they dig into the most common misconceptions about cloud scalability, why high performance and seamless user experience are critical for DevOps success, and how early architectural decisions can make or break your ability to scale. Jacek explains how his company, Let's Go DevOps, helps organizations—especially startups—design cloud infrastructures with future growth, security, and compliance in mind. The conversation covers everything from balancing feature delivery and security in fast-paced environments to optimizing cloud costs, preparing for outages, and tackling the complexities of multi-cloud strategies. If you're looking for actionable advice on cloud transformation, designing for scale, ensuring performance, and securing your applications, as well as a few best practices around AI and digital privacy-- Listen up!

In this episode of the DevOps Toolchain podcast, host Joe Colantonio sits down with Thomas Hurley, Product Lead at SmartBear for ReadyAPI and SoapUI, to unpack everything you need to know about modern API testing in secure, regulated, and high-stakes environments. Check out SmartBear's ReadyAPI Now: https://testguild.me/readyapi We explore why some organizations still choose on-prem API testing despite the cloud boom, and the critical role of data security, compliance, and control. Thomas delves into how teams can utilize service virtualization to overcome dependencies, accelerate shift-left testing, and simulate complex microservices architectures — without compromising security or quality. You'll also learn how to turn functional tests into performance and security tests effortlessly, integrate API tests into your CI/CD pipelines, and even handle synthetic data generation to stay compliant. Additionally, we explore the often-overlooked cultural shift required to integrate quality thinking into the early stages of the software development lifecycle. Whether you're battling regulatory hurdles, trying to improve test coverage, or looking to scale your automation securely, this episode offers practical advice you can apply right away. Key topics covered: On-prem vs cloud API testing: security, control, and compliance considerations Using service virtualization to reduce bottlenecks and enable shift-left testing Creating realistic testing environments without exposing sensitive data Integrating functional, performance, and security testing into CI/CD pipelines Handling synthetic data and database integrations for better test reliability The role of AI and machine learning in modern API testing Breaking down silos: fostering a culture of quality across teams

In today's episode, we discuss cybersecurity with Grant McCracken, a seasoned expert with over 13 years of experience in ethical hacking and executive-level cybersecurity roles. As the founder of Dark Horse Security, Grant shares his journey into the field, practical advice for aspiring ethical hackers, and actionable tips for organizations navigating the challenges of security in the AI era. From hands-on learning resources like Hack the Box and bug bounty programs to the real risks and rewards of using AI-generated code, Grant demystifies the realities of modern security threats. He also offers a peek into the social engineering tactics at events like DEFCON, explains why having a vulnerability disclosure program is crucial, and reveals how even small companies can build stronger defenses. Whether you're just dipping your toes into cybersecurity, managing DevOps security at your company, or curious about how AI is reshaping the security landscape, this episode is packed with insights you won't want to miss. Tune in to hear why effective communication may be the most powerful security skill of all—and get tips you can put to work right away in your DevOps journey. Try out Insight Hub free for 14 days now: https://testguild.me/insighthub. No credit card required.

Today, we're talking all about mobile testing in DevOps with special guest Todd McNeal, co-founder of Reflect—a cutting-edge AI-powered test automation tool now part of the SmartBear family. Todd breaks down the dynamic shifts happening in mobile testing, from the challenges of manual processes to the game-changing adoption of low-code, no-code, and pure AI-driven automation. We explore how Reflect's AI approach is making mobile app testing more resilient, maintainable, and accessible across both iOS and Android, even for highly visual and complex interfaces, such as Flutter apps. Additionally, the conversation explores the integration of performance, UX, and exploratory testing into your pipeline, as well as what the future may hold for AI and automation in mobile DevOps. If you're looking for practical insights to supercharge your DevOps mobile test automation strategy—and maybe a sneak peek at what's on the horizon—this episode is packed with expert advice and firsthand experiences. Tune in and discover new ways to bring more speed, reliability, and efficiency to your mobile DevOps toolchain! Try it out at https://testguild.me/mobiledevops

In this episode of the DevOps Toolchain podcast, Joe Colantonio sits down with Jacob Leverich, cofounder and Chief Product Officer at Observe, to explore how AI and cutting-edge data strategies are transforming the world of observability. With a career spanning heavyweight roles from Splunk to Google and Kuro Labs, Jacob shares his journey from banging out Perl scripts as a Linux sysadmin to building scalable, data-driven solutions that address the complex realities of today's digital infrastructure. Tune in as Joe and Jacob explore why traditional monitoring approaches are struggling with massive data volumes, how knowledge graphs and data lakes are breaking down tool silos, and what engineering leaders often get wrong when scaling visibility across teams. Whether you're a tester, developer, SRE, or team lead, get ready to discover actionable insights on maximizing the value of your data, the true role of AI in troubleshooting, and practical tips for leading your organization into the future of DevOps observability. Don't miss it! Try out Insight Hub free for 14 days now: https://testguild.me/insighthub. No credit card required.

Today, special guest Fitz Nowlan, VP of AI and Architecture at SmartBear, dives deep into the ever-evolving world of AI in software testing. Get resource: What is OpenTelemetry Guide: https://testguild.me/TelemetryGuide This episode is packed with insights from Fitz, who shares his front-row perspective on what's genuinely innovative versus what's just hype in today's AI-powered DevOps landscape. Fitz also tackles hot topics like MCP servers, agentic AI, and the game-changing impact of AI-driven self-healing in test automation. He explores how leading tools like Playwright and Selenium integrate MCP servers, discusses the challenge of identifying meaningful AI features, and highlights practical strategies for evaluating new tech without getting lost in industry buzzwords. Fitz also offers a behind-the-scenes look at SmartBear's approach to customer-driven innovation, the evolution of visual and intent-based testing, and how agentic AI might soon revolutionize the role of QA teams. Whether you're curious about the pitfalls of flaky tests, the future of test data generation, or simply how to keep up with today's breakneck pace of change, this episode promises actionable insights you won't want to miss.

In this episode, we delve into scalable machine-learning infrastructure with our special guest, Elliott Clark. Elliott is a seasoned DevOps expert and the founder of Batteries Included. Having played a pivotal role in building one of the largest online transaction processing systems and leading the ad infrastructure team at Meta, Elliott is perfectly poised to share his immense knowledge on scaling infrastructure and the intricacies of machine learning systems. Join us as we discuss the critical aspects of performance testing, leveraging production traffic for testing environments, and the cultural elements pivotal to scaling teams efficiently. We'll also explore how Elliott's company, Batteries Included, strives to bring enterprise-level infrastructure to mid and small-sized companies by automating the essential yet often mundane DevOps tasks. Whether you're in the early stages of building infrastructure or looking to enhance your machine learning systems, this episode offers actionable insights and future-forward thinking to help your efforts become more successful. Try out Insight Hub free for 14 days now: https://testguild.me/insighthub. No credit card required.

In this episode of the DevOps Toolchain podcast, host Joe Colantonio chats with Derek Ferguson, the Chief Software Officer at Fitch, about the dynamic world of DevOps transformation. They explore the intersection of technology and strategy, emphasizing how to navigate regulatory landscapes while fostering innovation. Derek shares insights from his diverse career, from his early days in the tech industry to leading the creation of the ESG-focused Sustainable Fitch platform. Tune in to discover Derek's perspective on marrying traditional financial metrics with environmental data, the evolving role of AI in development and production, and adopting new tools like Terraform to create seamless DevOps pipelines. Try out Insight Hub free for 14 days now: https://testguild.me/insighthub. No credit card required.

Today, listen in and discover how Google transformed its developer experience to deliver features at lightning speed. Hugo Santos, the founder and CEO of Namespace Labs, previously helped build Google's microservices platform that powers essential tools like search, photos, and Google Assistant. He shares insights from his extensive experience at Google, offering a glimpse into innovative strategies and technologies that continue to shape developer workflows. From discussing the intricacies of Google's internal platforms to his new venture at Namespace Labs, this episode promises a deep dive into improving developer efficiency and collaboration. Tune in to discover how these advancements may influence your own DevOps practices! Try out Insight Hub free for 14 days now: https://testguild.me/insighthub. No credit card required.