Technical and Product Insights: Rafael Levi
1. Introduction: Areopagus' Vision for the Digital Future
At Areopagus, we understand that true digital transformation goes beyond the mere adoption of new technologies. It lies in the ability to innovate with performance, optimize costs, and empower teams for a constantly evolving future. Our approach is strategic, personalized, and results-oriented, ensuring that our clients not only adapt but thrive in the digital landscape.
This material was built upon the profound insights and vast expertise of Rafael Levi, our CTO, a central and visionary figure at Areopagus.
2. Who is Rafael Levi? Our CTO and National Technology Authority
Rafael Levi is the technological core of Areopagus and a true authority in technology applied to business. With a career spanning over 15 years of experience and impact in more than 5 countries, he has worked as a consultant and software engineer on over 100 global projects, covering critical areas such as Artificial Intelligence, Internet of Things (IoT), DevOps, Cloud Computing, and Blockchain.
His background as a Master in Computational Modeling is complemented by his strong involvement in the global technology community. Rafael is an organizer of the renowned DevOps Day, a worldwide event that sets trends in development and operations, and is a constant presence at the largest IT events within and outside Brazil.
A highlight of his expertise is his role as an international speaker on Big Data and Business Intelligence. His lectures, such as the one presented at DevOps Day 2024 in Salvador on "DevOps Projects with BI for Performance Analysis and Software Projects," demonstrate not only his deep knowledge but also our ability to integrate different technological fronts to offer complete and strategic solutions.
Rafael's leadership ensures that Areopagus is always at the forefront, applying the best market practices and developing solutions that truly deliver value to our clients.
3. The Core Challenge: The Disconnect Between Need and Solution
Many companies pursue digital transformation driven by fads or a superficial understanding of their problems. It's common for a client to approach us with a ready-made "solution" in mind, for example, "I need to migrate to microservices," without understanding the implications, technical challenges, or whether this is, in fact, the best approach for their reality.
The "Trendy Solution" vs. The Real Need
The technology market is dynamic and volatile. New techniques and tools constantly emerge. However, what is popular is not necessarily the most suitable or cost-effective for every business.
Lack of Technical Clarity
Most clients, although aware of their business pain points, lack technical clarity on the path forward. They may not know what microservices are, what they demand, or how to implement them without causing even greater problems.
4. Our Answer: The Areopagus Solution's Differentiators
Facing these challenges, Areopagus developed a methodological approach and a portfolio of services that ensure a robust and sustainable digital transformation.
Discovery
Agile Methodologies
FinOps
Squad as a Service
AI Revolution
Architecture
4.1. Strategic Differentiator: Discovery as an Intelligent Starting Point
Discovery is our fundamental differentiator. It is the in-depth diagnostic stage that precedes any project, ensuring that the client's investment is correctly directed.
Precise Identification
Our Discovery allows us to identify who the client is and what they truly need, focusing on the root of the problem, and not just on symptoms or preconceived solutions.
Proven Savings
By aligning expectations and directing the project towards the most effective solutions, Discovery often saves the client money in the long run, avoiding misguided or oversized projects.
Alignment with Big Techs
We analyze how Big Techs (FANG - Facebook/Meta, Amazon, Netflix, Google) operate, extracting the best practices from "Silicon Valley," but adapting them to each client's reality and budget. We determine what can be leveraged and what would be an unnecessary cost for their scale.
Key Questions for the Client - Discovery
4.2. Efficiency Differential: Agile Methodologies and DevOps Transformation
Areopagus revolutionizes the way software is produced, abandoning old practices and embracing agility and automation.
Goodbye to the "MS Project" Era
In the past, software development was like civil engineering: long projects (1, 2, 5 years), with little interaction between business and technology teams, and monolithic deliveries at the end. It was like "the dev would throw the code into a folder and only reinstall it on the server years later."
Continuous Agility for a Volatile Market
Today, demands are volatile and technologies change rapidly. Our teams work with agile methodologies (Scrum), performing continuous deliveries (bi-weekly sprints). Tools like Jira (production management) and Slack/Microsoft Teams (communication) ensure flow and collaboration.
DevOps Transformation
DevOps integrates "Development" and "Operations" (infrastructure), overcoming the old "throwing the problem over the fence to the infrastructure team" culture. It's a philosophy that promotes collaboration and shared responsibility.
CI/CD (Continuous Integration/Continuous Delivery)
Allows multiple developers to work simultaneously on the same code (via "branches" and versioning with Git/GitHub/GitLab), integrating and delivering new functionalities quickly and automatically to the server.
Containerization with Docker
Tools like Dockerfile ensure software portability, allowing the application to be deployed in any environment (AWS, GCP, Azure) without relying on artisanal server configurations, which were difficult to replicate and scale.
Integrated Security
The adoption of Git/GitHub and CI/CD practices not only speeds things up but also brings auditability to code changes, increasing security. In addition, with every new change, security tools can automatically analyze the code for vulnerabilities, warning about outdated libraries or loopholes that hackers could exploit.
Key Questions for the Client - Agile Methodologies and DevOps
4.3. Optimization Differentiator: FinOps and Cloud Intelligence
Optimizing infrastructure costs and ensuring cloud efficiency is a strategic differentiator for any company.
FinOps: Financial Operations Optimization
The largest cost for a technology company is not developers, but infrastructure. FinOps is the area that integrates finance with operations, ensuring that cloud spending is efficient.
Avoiding the "Absurd Cost" of the Cloud
Rafael Levi warned: "misuse of the cloud can generate absurd costs," to the point where companies go bankrupt because of it. A simple cloud configuration can generate substantial savings.
Cloud Transition and Improvement
We offer Cloud Migration for systems still on local infrastructure (physical servers in rooms with availability, accessibility, and high maintenance cost issues), ensuring high availability and resilience with technologies like Disaster Recovery in different global data centers. We also optimize the use of existing clouds, even without changing providers.
Observability for Prevention
Tools like Grafana, Prometheus, and AWS CloudWatch provide complete observability, allowing us to identify bottlenecks and software problems before they impact the customer. Knowing where the problems are is the first step to solving them efficiently.
Key Questions for the Client - FinOps and Cloud
1
Do you know exactly how much you spend on cloud this month compared to last month?
To induce the perception of a lack of financial control over the cloud.
2
What is the real cost of an inadequate configuration of your cloud infrastructure?
To show the potential for savings and optimization.
3
If you use on-premise infrastructure: How often do you replace the UPS battery in your datacenter?
To highlight the risks and maintenance costs of physical infrastructure.
4
Do you have complete observability of your infrastructure? Can you identify bottlenecks and problems quickly?
To point out the need for proactive monitoring to avoid surprises.
4.4. Talent Differential: Squad Team as a Service
Solving the challenge of acquiring, managing, and retaining technology talent is crucial.
The Turnover Challenge
"How many developers do you lay off per year? Hire 10 and lay off 10?" High turnover is a financial and operational drain for many companies, which spend rivers of money on selection processes and training, without keeping the team productive in the long term.
Our Agile Squads Model
Unlike generic "outsourcing" that merely allocates professionals without added value, Areopagus offers Squad Team as a Service. Our squads are complete, multidisciplinary teams (Product Owner, Scrum Master, UX/UI, Front-end and Back-end Developers, QA, DevOps) under our technical and cultural management.
We Assume the Turnover
If a developer from our squad leaves, we assume the turnover and replacement, ensuring project continuity without impact or additional cost to the client.
Transparency and Productivity with DevPerformance
Lack of Metrics in the Market: No company (except Big Techs and Areopagus) has clear metrics on software production. Clients don't know "how many lines of code their developer writes per day" or if they "don't make any commits per day."
Our Unique Differential: Areopagus uses DevPerformance, a tool that allows us to know exactly what each developer produces daily. We can tell the client: "I'll tell you how many lines of code our team is producing for you per day. The day one of our developers doesn't produce a line of code, we'll pay you back!"
Combating Inefficiency: This level of control combats the "developer who procrastinates" or "does nothing for a month," optimizing the client's investment.
Key Questions for the Client - Squad as a Service and DevPerformance
4.5. Innovation Differentiator: AI Revolution (Strategic Artificial Intelligence)
Artificial intelligence is no longer an option, but a necessity. Our expertise ensures an implementation that generates real value, not loss.
Mastering AI Tools for Development
It's not just about using ChatGPT, but about mastering specific AI tools for software development, such as Devin AI, Anthropic, OpenAI Codex, Manus AI, Meta, Loveable, Firebase Workspace, and Google Gemini – tools that only technical area specialists use.
The Hidden Cost of AI
Many companies have no idea "how much money they will spend on AI tokens" or "how much a small question to ChatGPT costs." A poorly configured AI can lead to significant losses.
Our Optimization Expertise
"No one in the market knows how to configure AI well to truly produce code" like Areopagus. Our differentiator is knowing "how to use AI at an ultra-efficient level," with configurations that avoid excessive costs and maximize productivity.
Nubank Success Case
We can showcase the Nubank case, which uses Devin AI with impressive results: 8 to 12 times more efficiency in data migration, 16 times faster project acceleration, and 8 times more gain in engineering hours. We know how to do what Nubank does, and we also offer cheaper and more customized alternatives, without tying the client to a single technology.
Key Questions for the Client - AI Revolution
1
Do you know how much money you will spend on AI tokens in your projects?
To raise awareness about the hidden costs of AI.
2
Can you measure the cost of a single "question" you type into a generative AI?
To induce reflection on the consumption of AI resources.
3
Who in your company knows how to configure and optimize AI so that it truly produces code and generates ultra-efficient results?
To expose the gap in specialized knowledge and the risk of loss due to poor configuration.
4.6. Structural Differentiator: Software Architecture and Legacy Modernization
The foundation of a robust system is a well-defined architecture and continuous modernization.
From Monolithic to Modern
We help clients migrate from legacy and complex architectures (such as "monoliths") to modern models like microservices and serverless, ensuring scalability, security, and performance.
The Importance of Planning
Many companies want to change their architecture but lack an "action plan," a "ready-made architecture," or an "architecture migration plan." Without these, "everything will go wrong."
Documentation and Quality
We ask clients: "Do you have architecture documentation?" or "Does your code undergo QA? What percentage of functionalities undergo software quality checks?" The absence or outdated nature of this information is a common bottleneck that our consulting services address.
User Journeys and Testing
"How many user journeys does your application have? Do you have the user journey mapped?" The lack of functionality mapping and test coverage (unit, integration, end-to-end) indicates a significant risk to software stability and evolution.
Key Questions for the Client - Software Architecture and Legacy Modernization
4.7. Visibility Differential: Big Data & Business Intelligence
Transforming data into value is key for strategic decisions.
Data as the Most Valuable Asset
For companies with high access volume (such as fintechs), the most valuable asset is customer usage data ("how users are spending money").
Extracting Value from Data
We build data pipelines, implement Data Lakes, and create intuitive dashboards (Power BI, Looker, Grafana) to generate precise insights and support intelligent decisions, transforming raw data into business intelligence.
Proven Expertise
Our BI expertise is validated by Rafael Levi's role as an international speaker and high-level event organizer, ensuring that our clients receive solutions based on the most advanced market practices.
Key Questions for the Client - Big Data & Business Intelligence
How are you transforming the data you collect today into actionable insights and new revenue streams?
Awakening interest in data monetization and process optimization.
Do you have dashboards and tools that provide a clear view of your business performance in real time?
Highlighting the need for business intelligence for strategic decision-making.
4.8. Automation and Monitoring Differential: RPA and Operational Excellence
Process automation and continuous monitoring ensure operational efficiency and resilience.
RPA (Robotic Process Automation): Eliminate the Repetitive
We eliminate repetitive tasks with intelligent automations that execute processes 24/7 without errors. Our case with AssaAbloy (Papais) is a practical example: we automated the counting of padlocks on a production line using a Raspberry Pi, a low-cost equipment (R$300 vs. millions for an industrial PLC).
This solution is "cheaper and customized" and brings software agility to the industry, providing valuable data (e.g., which line produces more, which time is more efficient) that traditional systems (PLC, TOTVS, SAP) do not deliver.
Monitoring: Health and Prevention
We offer 24-hour monitoring to ensure system health and detect failures before they impact users. With tools like Grafana, Prometheus, and ELK Stack, we ensure complete observability and real-time alerts.
Key Questions for the Client - RPA and Monitoring
1
Which repetitive and manual processes could be automated in your company to optimize time and resources?
Connect with the pain point of operational inefficiency and the opportunity of RPA.
2
Does your current system (such as TOTVS or SAP, for example) fully meet your needs?
Challenge the rigidity of legacy systems and propose more flexible and customized solutions.
3
Do you have 24-hour monitoring of your systems, with real-time alerts about failures or anomalies?
Highlight the absence of proactive vigilance and the risk of interruptions.
4
Do you know how many people are trying to invade your systems daily?
Raise awareness about the need for security and threat observability.
5
If you automate a process, how do you ensure there will be no unexpected breaks or hidden vulnerabilities?
Address the question of automation quality and security.
5. Our Competitive Advantage: The Areopagus Difference
Areopagus doesn't just deliver code; we deliver results and a strategic partnership.
Focus on Results, Not Workforce
Unlike companies that merely allocate developers, we take responsibility for delivery, with internal management and guaranteed productivity.
Proven Expertise
Our professionals, led by Rafael Levi, have years of experience and a track record of more than 50 clients with audited projects, which gives us deep knowledge of every challenge faced.
Total Transparency
The use of tools like DevPerformance allows us to offer a level of transparency and accountability regarding our team's productivity that is unparalleled in the market.
Flexibility and Customization
We are not tied to a single technology or vendor. We master various technologies (AWS, GCP, Azure, several AIs) to meet the specific demands of each client, always seeking the most efficient and cost-effective solution.
Solution for Real Pain Points
Our strategic questions to clients aim to address the "wound" of technology management, proving that we understand their deepest problems and have the solutions to solve them.
6. Glossary: Map of Areopagus Acronyms and Tools
To facilitate understanding of our solution ecosystem and the terminology used, we present a guide to the main acronyms and tools mentioned in our discussions, along with their translations and functions.
Glossary (Continued)
Glossary (Continued)