#005: In this episode of DevEx Unpacked, Alan Carson chats with Ciara Carey, Solutions Engineer at Cloudsmith, about her career journey from developer to DevRel to her current customer-facing role.

Ciara shares real-world insights on software supply chain security, how teams are using Enterprise Policy Management (EPM) to control open source risk, and why Cloudsmith’s cloud-native platform is a game changer for DevSecOps workflows.

You’ll also hear stories about support chats, high-stakes demos, speaking gigs, and what makes a successful customer onboarding journey.

A must-listen for engineers, platform teams, and security-conscious startups.

• (00:00) - From DevRel to Solution Engineering: Ciara’s Cloudsmith Journey
• (04:56) - Solving Real Developer Pain: Artefact Management in the Wild
• (09:06) - Guardrails Not Gates: Balancing Speed with Software Security
• (13:12) - Rethinking DevSecOps: Lessons from Real-World Customer Use Cases
• (17:02) - Inside Enterprise Policy Management: What Customers Really Want
• (21:25) - Rego, Auditing & Automation: Making EPM Easy for Teams
• (25:01) - Who Uses EPM, and How It Bridges Developers and Security Teams
• (31:01) - From POC to POV: What Makes a Successful Cloudsmith Onboarding
• (34:28) - Building the Customer Success Engine (and Letting Go)
• (41:48) - Talks, Panels & Product Demos: Behind the Scenes of DevRel Life
• (43:32) - The New Cloudsmith UI: Refresh, Delight, and Real-Time Feedback
• (47:26) - Cloud-Native FTW: Usage Dashboards, Seamless Upgrades & More

#002: In this episode of DevEx Unpacked, Alan Carson sits down with Dan McKinney, one of Cloudsmith’s earliest team members and now Head of Solutions Engineering.

Dan reflects on his unique journey from writing docs and filming DevRel videos to leading high-stakes enterprise sales.

Discover how Cloudsmith scaled from a two-person start-up to a platform trusted by global enterprises, why software supply chain security is more urgent than ever, and what features make developers and security teams lean in.

Bonus: hear the Pac-Man showdown story and why a black "Alan" T-shirt sums up start-up confidence.

00:00:00 Donuts, Documentation & Day One: How Dan Joined Cloudsmith
00:06:00 DevRel Origins and “Hi, Dan from Cloudsmith”
00:09:45 Pac-Man Rivalries & Retro Tech: Culture and Camaraderie
00:11:30 Crawling Through Ceilings: Building Infrastructure from Scratch
00:14:45 Early Belief in a Bold Vision: Betting on Artefact Management
00:18:00 From Customer Support to Solutions Engineering
00:21:00 Why Enterprises Are Rethinking Software Supply Chain Security
00:30:00 From Startups to Fortune 500s: The Enterprise Evolution
00:36:45 Every Toolchain Is Unique: The Complexity Cloudsmith Solves
00:39:55 Lean-In Features: What Customers Love About the Platform
00:46:00 People + Product: What Dan Loves Most About Cloudsmith
00:48:40 The “Alan” T-Shirt and the Power of Staying the Course

#009: In this episode of DevEx Unpacked, Cloudsmith’s Chief Strategy Officer Alan Carson chats with Kerry Boden, HR Manager and the force behind scaling Cloudsmith during its explosive growth.

Kerry shares her journey from linguistics to HR leadership, her experience joining a 35-person startup, and how she helped grow the company to nearly 90 employees across four continents.

Learn how Cloudsmith balances rapid hiring with culture fit, how remote onboarding can actually outperform in-office programs, and the secret sauce behind keeping employees connected, even when they’re thousands of miles apart.

From the magic of offsites and Slack culture to the emotional impact of "Cheers for Peers" and the dangers of remote burnout, Kerry gives an honest, practical look into how to build, and maintain, a thriving culture in a high-growth, remote-first environment.

Whether you're an HR professional, a startup founder, or just someone fascinated by how culture scales, this episode offers valuable insights on setting high hiring standards, prioritising wellbeing, and using tools and rituals to build lasting employee connection in the modern world of work.

• (00:00) - From Language Degrees to HR Leadership: Kerry’s Unlikely Path
• (03:51) - Joining Cloudsmith: Building HR from the Ground Up
• (07:19) - Scaling Fast: From 35 to 88 Employees in 12 Months
• (11:04) - Creating Culture in a Remote-First Company
• (14:22) - The Power of Offsites: Recharging the Collaboration Battery
• (18:09) - Internal Communication That Builds Customer Success
• (20:46) - Building Culture Across Borders and Time Zones
• (22:39) - Weekly Rituals That Keep the Company Connected
• (26:00) - Cheers for Peers: Recognition That Drives Culture
• (28:08) - Scaling HR: Tools, Teamwork, and Hiring at Speed
• (36:10) - Fighting Burnout in a Remote-First Startup
• (41:20) - Hiring High Standards: Why Great People Make a Great Company
• (44:28) - Final Advice for Remote HR Leaders