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Enabling developers to push code to production at an ever-increasing velocity has become a competitive advantage. By rapidly deploying applications, companies can easily keep up with changes in the business and surrounding market and thus maintain competitiveness. Automating deployments allow developers to reduce errors, increase productivity, and deploy more frequently.

In the early days,deployments from development environments to production were predominantly a manual process or consisted of utilizing a chain of custom scripts. Both developers and operations teams had to spend a lot of time on laborious manual chores like code testing and release. With the introduction of continuous integrations and deployments capabilities through tooling, this process became more automated. Moreover, pipelines were introduced with the primary purpose of keeping the software development process organized and focused.

Over the years, pipelines became more sophisticated and more critical for companies' IT departments that went through digital transformations. More software became available online as services, APIs, and products requiring a quick update and maintenance cycle. Furthermore, companies embraced the DevOps processes around pipelines and - once applied correctly - gained a competitive advantage, according to the research from the "Accelerate" book by Nicole Forsgren, Jez Humble, and Gene Kim.

In this eMag, you will be introduced to the paths to production and how several global companies supercharge developers and keep their competitiveness by balancing speed and safety. Weve hand-picked three full-length articles to showcase that.

We would love to receive your feedback via editors@infoq.com or on Twitter about this eMag. I hope you have a great time reading it!

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The InfoQ eMag: Paths to Production: Deployment Pipelines as a Competitive Advantage - InfoQ.com

The final month of 2021 has been brutal for growth stocks, with some names down double-digit percentages again. Some companies' shares have struggled all year, suffering from a change in investor sentiment after a booming 2020 for all things digital in the midst of economic lockdowns.

But not all growth stocks are down in the dumps. As of this writing, Nvidia (NASDAQ:NVDA), Fortinet (NASDAQ:FTNT), and Upstart (NASDAQ:UPST) are up a respective 125%, 132%, and 258% year to date, making them by far my best stocks of 2021 and helping prop up my portfolio overall.

As I explained this time last year, over the long term, it pays to keep investing in companies riding strong momentum. Here's why I think Nvidia, Fortinet, and Upstart are still buys to kick off 2022 if you plan to stick with them over the next decade.

Image source: Getty Images.

2021 will go down as the year everyone woke up and realized how powerful a tech platform Nvidia is -- it's not just a top video game chip designer. Through the first nine months of the company's current fiscal year, revenue is up 65% to $19.3 billion, and free cash flow is up 85% to $5.37 billion, helping the stock more than double in year two of the pandemic.

But Nvidia's current financial explosion only tells part of the story. The company's pioneering work in artificial intelligence (AI) -- everything from advanced data center hardware to self-driving car training to healthcare and robotics applications -- could keep Nvidia's growth going strong for many years to come. For years, Nvidia has been talking about this coming wave of innovation, and has been steadily piling billions of dollars into research and development every year (at one of the highest rates among tech giants as a percentage of revenue). With many of these projects just now coming to fruition, everyone is suddenly taking note.

Data by YCharts.

This is likely the reason regulators around the globe are suddenly slamming on the brakes and indicating they may put the kibosh on Nvidia's acquisition of leading chip design licensor ARM Holdings. No worries, though -- Nvidia is itself now a top silicon designer, it's gradually expanding its reach into new areas of the semiconductor world, and it's building an incredible software division atop its best-in-class hardware. It doesn't need ARM to continue its march higher.

Nvidia stock is off 20% from all-time highs, but still trades for 103 times trailing-12-month free cash flow. I don't expect a repeat triple-digit percentage performance from shares next year. On the contrary, be ready for some serious volatility at some point. However, Nvidia is redefining the semiconductor industry, and I believe it will be one of the best stocks to own throughout the 2020s. I'm happy to be along for the ride.

Cybersecurity has had to undergo rapid change in the last two years. Cloud computing is booming, workforces have gone remote, and criminals are getting smarter to take advantage of a world in flux. As a result, young high-flying cloud-native security software firms like CrowdStrike Holdings (NASDAQ:CRWD) and Zscaler (NASDAQ:ZS) have been getting all sorts of attention.

In comparison, Fortinet goes mostly ignored, and that's a real shame. This year's blockbuster returns merely compound what has been an incredible run in the cybersecurity industry. The stock is up more than 4,000% since its IPO in late 2009. And while Fortinet has chosen to slowly expand its cloud-based offerings via mostly organic development, it is the leader in providing security hardware for data centers -- the very computing units that make the cloud possible in the first place.

Through the first nine months of 2021, revenue has climbed 29% higher to $2.38 billion, and free cash is up 43% to $988 million. That makes for an incredible free cash flow profit margin of nearly 42%. Given Fortinet's well-entrenched position in the fabric of the global security ecosystem and ample cash to continue developing new capabilities, I believe the company will enjoy double-digit percentage growth for a long time to come.

Fortinet isn't the fastest-growing cybersecurity stock around, but that's OK. If slow-and-steady wins the race, fast-and-steady can certainly help you reach your financial goals. And at 46 times trailing-12-month free cash flow, shares are a bargain compared to many of the company's youngest cloud security peers. Fortinet still looks like a fantastic buy for investors in it for the long haul.

Financial technology has been a hot investment theme the last two years. As younger generations born and raised in front of screens start to mature, digital payments and banking services are becoming the norm. A slew of fresh IPOs have hit the market, all looking to capitalize on this consumer banking sea change.

One of them is Upstart, which made its public debut at the tail end of 2020. It has been an absolute rodeo for this stock thus far. After multiple swings up and down, culminating in a near-70% decline from all-time highs the last few months, Upstart stock is up a whopping 258% with just a week and a half to go until 2022.

Will Upstart quickly recover its peak valuation in the new year? Perhaps, but I'm not holding my breath. Instead, I'm doing what I have been doing all year and focusing on the great work the company is doing. Its AI-powered software is being used by a fast-expanding list of banks and lenders to assess consumer creditworthiness for personal and auto loans. It's still early in the game, but early indications show Upstart's expanded use of data points not captured by traditional credit scores is helping more households get access to loans, while helping lenders get more efficient.

The result has been quarter after quarter of big financial guidance upgrades. Specifically, revenue is up 270% to $544 million, and free cash flow swung into positive territory to $170 million through the first nine months of 2021. I don't think the company's massive outperformance of expectations will continue at the same magnitude in 2022, but it's certainly on pace to extend its expansion in the multi-trillion-dollar-per-year lending industry. At 54 times trailing-12-month free cash flow, this is no value stock -- but it's not an unreasonable price tag if you think this company will remain in growth mode for at least a few years. I'm still a buyer headed into the new year.

This article represents the opinion of the writer, who may disagree with the official recommendation position of a Motley Fool premium advisory service. Were motley! Questioning an investing thesis -- even one of our own -- helps us all think critically about investing and make decisions that help us become smarter, happier, and richer.

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My 3 Top-Performing Stocks of 2021, and Why I'm Still Buying for 2022 - The Motley Fool

We have developed a thirst for uncovering whos behind the brand, who are they associated with, and what they stand for. Companies realise also that they need to celebrate the faces behind their brands if they are to stand any chance of gaining traction on social media.

Well, put it this way, if you are marketing yourself as being a credible and accomplished professional or bankable talent worth investing in, but internet searches on you throw up very little, then its not a good look and it undermines your claims.

If you dont control your narrative and give people enough to feed on, then someone else will draw their own conclusions, which may not be a fair reflection of who you are, what youve achieved, and what youre about.

Plus, whether its of our choosing or not, no job is for life: we are being plunged into the job market with far more frequency and having to consider career changes more so than ever.

Brands are a great way to consolidate all your facets into an identifiable, recognisable and memorable format. When I say brand, were not just talking about a logo and a slogan. In fact, for professionals, that may even mean no logo and no slogan. Building a brand is about creating something that generates economic benefit, allows you to charge a premium, boosts your presence, and brings social uplift within your network. In the eyes of your audience and peers, it means going to market with a value proposition, a promise, and a commitment towards making good on those claims.

Now that Ive made these points, ask yourself this: why would you spend your time building someone elses brand and not dedicate any time on building your own personal brand? Think of it as being your name, your uniqueness, your excellence, your story, your reasons for why that you can take with you throughout your career, wherever you work.

Even better, it could give you the opportunity to shape your professional identity into something that aligns more closely with more of your whole self. Some people call that authenticity, which I take as meaning a chance to be comfortable in yourself and for people to be comfortable around you. That takes time, intentional decisions, experimentation, and finding a way to take others on that journey with you, so that they understand too.

Some of you might argue that the qualifications you have, where you studied, and the places you have worked are enough in terms of signalling your credibility and excellence, but lots of other people have those same things too. Also, one thing that social media is showing us is that people are emotionally driven even when theyre thinking rationally so facts and information alone are not enough. They need to be packaged into a compelling and intriguing story that reinforces who you are, what you do, what you stand for, the direction you are going, why it matters to others, what you can do for them, and how they can work with you.

Its also worth remembering that colleagues will be spending approximately 40 hours a week around you, and thats why communicating your human side as a positive sales point for want of a better term is also important.

Well, you need to get your diary out and set time aside. Think about what you would like to achieve in a year, and then work back and set weekly and monthly targets. For example, if you are going to vlog, are you going to put out one vlog a month? If so, then you could actually film three in one day and then release one each month.

The big mistakes that many people make are thinking too short term, setting targets that they cant maintain, not planning properly, not being honest about what commitments they already have, and spending too much money on software and equipment. If you check my YouTube vlogs then youll find that I filmed them using my iPhone, a small tripod and a plug-in mic, and they were edited using free software.

The two most important things are what you say regularly, and that you commit to producing a body of work. If you think about magazines and musicians, then you judge them on several pieces of work building a personal brand works in exactly the same way.

The following is a list of things that I actually do regularly. From personal experience and talking to other influencers, youll really start to see returns on your investment in three to six years time so be realistic, prepare yourself for the grind, and remind yourself its not how much money you spend, its how much time youre willing to put in.

Also, dont worry too much about numbers of followers and likes quality of engagement is what matters. Your stats will grow with time and your focus should be on building your brand through telling your story and controlling your image. Remind yourself that before you started, you already had a professional profile and anything else that you gain is a bonus. Also, you only need a handful of the right people interested in you, for you to suddenly become in demand and really busy!

Check out Jonathans online course Personal Branding: How to Brand Yourself Professionally, Authentically, and with Passion.

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Why personal branding and reputation management need to be part of your professional toolkit - Maddyness

You can use Microsoft Office apps for free.

It's likely you've needed access to a Microsoft Word document, a PowerPoint presentation or other basic tools from Microsoft 365 at least once -- for either work, school or personal use. Although the software may seem like a necessity, its high price tag makes some people run the other way. If you don't want to spend your money onMicrosoft 365, don't stress. There are a few ways to get the service for free.

Microsoft's suite of productivity software contains Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Microsoft Teams, OneDrive and SharePoint. The collectiontypically costsbetween $70 and $100 every year for subscription access across devices and family members (as Microsoft 365). Microsoft also released a new stand-alone version of Microsoft Office for Windows and Mac, called Office Home and Student 2021 -- for a flat price, no subscription required -- on Oct. 5, the same day Windows 11 began its rollout.

Read more:How to download Windows 11 for free

Here are the versions of Office 365, Microsoft 365 and their apps that you can find online for free right now.

If you're a student, teacher or faculty member with an active school email address, you are likely eligible to get access to Office 365 for free through Microsoft, with Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, Microsoft Teams and additional classroom tools.

All you have to do is enter your school email address on this page on Microsoft's website: Get started with Office 365 for free. In many cases, you'll be instantly granted access thanks to an automated verification process. If you attend an institution that needs to be verified, it might take up to a month to confirm your eligibility.

Recent graduates who want to stick with Office 365 can also get Microsoft 365 Personal for $12 for 12 months, with a valid school email address.

Anyone can get a one-month free trial of Microsoft 365 to try it out. However, it does require you to enter a credit card, and if you don't cancel before the month is up, you'll be charged $100 for a one-year subscription to Microsoft 365 Family (formerly called Office 365 Home).

The good news is if you don't need the full suite of Microsoft 365 tools, you can access a number of its apps online for free -- including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneDrive, Outlook, Calendar and Skype. Here's how to get them:

Use the browser-based version of the Microsoft Word app for free.

You may be saying, wait a minute -- if I can get all of those apps for free, why pay for Microsoft 365 in the first place? The reason is that the functionality of these apps is limited: They only run in your web browser, and you can only use them when you're online. They also have fewer features than the full Microsoft 365 versions.

There are still a number of benefits, however, including the ability to share links to your work and collaborate in real time, similar to what G Suite tools allow. If you're looking for basic versions of each of these apps, the free version should work well for you.

For more, check out all of the best new features in Windows 11and what you need to know about upgrading from Windows 10 to Windows 11.

Now playing: Watch this: Windows 11 review: New OS has us asking, update or wait?

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Stay current on the latest Microsoft news, plus reviews and advice on Windows PCs.

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Yes, you can really get Microsoft Office with Word, Excel and PowerPoint for free - CNET

AWS has improved its free tier for data transfer, from 1GB to 100GB per month for transfer to the internet, and from 50GB to 1TB for CloudFront, its content delivery network.

According to AWS chief evangelist Jeff Barr "as a result of this change millions of AWS customers worldwide will no longer see a charge for these two categories of data transfer," which is effective from 1 December.

The free allocation will apply to services such as S3 (Simple Storage Service), web applications on EC2 (Elastic Compute Cloud) VMs and so on. There is an exclusion for the AWS GovCloud and for China regions.

Other details are that the number of free HTTP and HTTPS requests to CloudFront are to be increased from 2 million to 10 million, and the offer of two million free CloudFront function invocations per month is no longer limited to the first year.

While Barr attributes the change to a "tradition of AWS price reductions" many industry watchers link the price reduction to competition from others, including Cloudflare which in September previewed R2 Storage, which implements Amazon's S3 API but without egress fees.

In July, Cloudflare accused AWS of excessive rates for data egress, stating that customers in North America and Europe pay 80 times what the service costs AWS to operate.

Cloudflare CEO Matthew Prince said on Twitter, in response to the AWS news, "Well, that was fast!! I'm doing the dance of joy! Great news for our mutual customers. And the next step toward the inevitable end of cloud egress [fees]."

A customer commented on Hacker News, "I use 500GB1TB per month on Cloudfront, costing about $50100 per month, and I was going to move this over to Cloudflare to take advantage of their savings. However, this AWS change will basically wipe out my entire Cloudfront bill. I should send Cloudflare a Christmas card to say thanks."

It does seem that AWS intends to stop customers bleeding to Cloudflare with this move. There are caveats, though. One is that this is a free tier, so that customers using data transfer beyond these amounts will still pay the high AWS fees. For these users, the free tier becomes a discount. Enterprises for whom content distribution is core to their business will benefit by looking elsewhere. Netflix, for example, built its own CDN connecting to ISPs around the world.

Second, AWS has plenty of other fees to fall back on. S3, for example, charges fees for storage and for API operations such as PUT and GET requests. There are further charges for analytics, Lambda integration, and so on.

Rival storage service Wasabi, which this week announced a new storage region in London, claimed the S3 charges follow a strategy of "make the transaction charges so ridiculously small that customers don't notice, don't care, or can't figure out how to calculate them. Then do this for all of your hundreds of thousands of customers and trillions of objects, and kick back and watch your coffers overflow as time goes by." (Wasabi charges only for storage and claims to be 80 per cent cheaper than S3.)

Cloudflare is not clear on this matter of operation fees, in the context of R2, and said only that "R2 will zero-rate infrequent storage operations under a threshold currently planned to be in the single digit requests per second range. Above this range, R2 will charge significantly less per-operation than the major providers."

Is Prince really celebrating or will Cloudflare worry about R2 losing some of its appeal? Questioned on this matter earlier this month, in an earnings call, Prince said that if AWS were to take egress fees to zero, "it would force us to continue to innovate in that space, just like it would force everyone else to innovate in the space."

Prince also said that interest in R2 was "off the charts". He hopes for Cloudflare to integrate with all the hyperscale public cloud providers and to be "the fabric that connects all of that together."

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AWS chops data transfer fees by massive extension of free tier 2 months after rival previewed R2 Storage - The Register