Life at cloudtamer.io: Asfa

Last updated on February 1st, 2023 at 2:39pm

Meet Asfa, a member of our QA team, who shares a bit about happy paths, cloudtamer.io culture, and acrylic pouring and says "LFC YNWA!"

1. Tell us a bit about your role at cloudtamer.io.

The QA team is responsible for both automated and manual testing of the application. We work closely with the dev team on testing features, bug fixes, and ensuring stability of our releases. Manual testing means actually going into the application as a user would and testing the feature and confirming it functions as the requirements indicate. This is what we call the "happy path" or what we think users are supposed to do when using the feature. The fun part is testing the "unhappy paths" - the actions users could take that may break the feature or the application. We want to make sure we account for all scenarios and that our application knows how to deal with each one. Automated testing, which is what I enjoy most, is when you use a testing tool to execute test scripts. Once you create a test script the tool can execute it for you and let you know pretty quickly if there are any failures or bugs within the application. We currently use an open source tool called Cypress which we are really happy with and run tests in our CI/CD pipeline as well as on a daily schedule for our end-to-end tests. We are always looking to increase our test coverage so we can validate our application as quickly and effectively as possible.

2. What sets your role at cloudtamer.io apart from previous positions?

Hands down, being surrounded by incredibly bright, passionate, and talented people who really care about creating the best product and experience for our customers. Working with folks who are always innovating by looking for new ways to create value in our product and looking to make things better and more efficient really forces you to perform at a high level and motivates you to be the best at what you do.

3. What has been your biggest success on the team?

I would say that I am really happy with the breadth and depth of coverage of our end-to-end tests which we put a lot of work into in order to account for every scenario and possibility - especially when it comes to cloud rules, cloud access roles, and inheritance, a key focus area when I joined cloudtamer.io. The tests are able to catch these issues and now that we have a baseline to compare to, we always know what the correct behavior should be.

4. How about the biggest challenge you've overcome?

Coming into this role I had never worked in cloud governance or with cloud providers and cloud infrastructure. Pretty much everything was new to me. There was a lot of learning that had to happen, and it can be a bit overwhelming at first. However, a year into this role, and largely due to outstanding coworkers and some self-directed learning, I have not only learned a ton but am more confident in my ability to test how our software integrates with both AWS and Azure. And while I still have a lot to learn, I am a lot more comfortable with terminology and processes now than I was when I started.

5. It sounds like you truly value your team. How would you describe our company culture?

The company culture here is just really wonderful and employee-centric. As an employee, no matter what your level, you are really made to feel like your opinion counts and can bring any suggestions you have to leadership. The company is always looking for ways to keep morale high - whether it’s through paid lunches, or free swag, or unlimited snacks. While most of us continue working from home during this pandemic the company continuously looks for ways to keep us all engaged and recently had a virtual cooking class led by a chef! Did I mention that, for cloudtamer.io's second anniversary, every employee received a 10-layer chocolate cake?!?! The company also really values your personal and professional growth and incentivizes pursuing professional certifications.

6. What has been your favorite engagement event/activity at cloudtamer.io?

I really enjoyed the Patapsco State Park Cleanup that we participated in last year. It's amazing to see what an impact we can have collectively in helping to preserve and protect the natural resources of our state parks. We were able to remove 785 pounds of trash in just a few hours - what a great accomplishment! Not to mention being able to break up the week by getting out of the office and enjoying some beautiful fall weather.

7. Enough about work: what keeps you busy outside of work hours?

Mostly my family - I have nine-year-old twin girls. Our weekends are usually busy with soccer games, spending time outdoors, hitting all the farm fall festivals in the area, and attempting new arts and crafts projects. If you haven't tried acrylic pouring, give it a shot, it's super fun and easy!

8. It sounds like you’re definitely keeping busy! Have you picked up any new hobbies during quarantine?

Not really, although I have been walking more and recently bought an electric bike so I can ride along with my husband and kids and explore some of the trails and parks near where we live.

9. What TV/podcast are you hooked on currently?

Well, I recently finished the new series Away on Netflix which I enjoyed and am eagerly awaiting the new season of The Crown. As far as podcasts I really enjoyed all three seasons of Serial, and I am currently listening to their newest podcast, Nice White Parents. I also occasionally listen to the NPR podcast How I Built This with Guy Raz.

10. Give us a random fact about yourself.

I lived in Glasgow, Scotland for five years and largely due to my husband, know way more than I ever thought I would about European Football (soccer). LFC YNWA!