This week, I achieved something that had terrified me for years — I gave my very first public presentation at Visug. After volunteering and helping behind the scenes at Visug and Techorama for so long, I had always dreamed of stepping up to speak myself, but the thought of standing in front of a group made me hesitate time and time again. Although I have experience presenting in a virtual setting by creating courses for Pluralsight, the idea of doing it live, in front of a room full of people, was a whole different kind of fear.
However, with the incredible support of Team4Talent and the community, I finally found the courage to take the leap. In this post, I want to share that journey and dive into the key points from my session, which covered Azure App Configuration and Azure Key Vault.
From Fear to First Presentation
For years, I stood in the background, helping out at Visug and Techorama, learning from incredible speakers, and admiring their ability to share knowledge so confidently. Deep down, I wanted to be able to do that too—to give back to the community that had given me so much. But the idea of speaking in front of a live audience? That was terrifying.
While I’ve done presentations for Pluralsight and have experience in recording sessions, standing in front of an actual crowd felt like a bigger challenge. That fear held me back for a long time. The constant encouragement from my colleagues at Team4Talent and the supportive tech community around me made all the difference. I realized I didn’t have to do it alone. The push from those who believed in me, combined with the knowledge that the Visug audience is always welcoming and eager to learn, gave me the final nudge I needed to take on this challenge. And I’m so glad I did!
Why Azure App Configuration and Key Vault?
For my first presentation, I wanted to cover something that I use regularly and believe is essential for cloud developers: Azure App Configuration and Azure Key Vault. Both services are invaluable for managing application settings and secrets securely, especially in the fast-paced world of cloud development.
Azure App Configuration: Simplifying Configuration Management
Azure App Configuration allows developers to centrally manage application settings and feature flags. This decoupling of settings from code is critical for modern applications, particularly when working across multiple environments. In my session, I discussed how App Configuration offers:
- Centralized settings management: Simplifying configuration handling across environments.
- Versioning and rollback: The option to track changes and roll back settings if needed.
- Feature flagging: The ability to manage feature toggles without requiring redeployments, making it easier to test and roll out features.
In my demo, I showed how easy it is to integrate App Configuration with a .NET application, reducing complexity while improving scalability and flexibility.
Azure Key Vault: Keeping Secrets Secure
Azure Key Vault is another crucial tool in cloud development, providing secure storage for sensitive information such as API keys, connection strings, and certificates. In the session, I focused on how Key Vault helps:
- Securely store secrets: Protect sensitive data with role-based access control (RBAC) and Azure Active Directory integration.
- Control access: Using RBAC, you can control who has access to secrets, adding an extra layer of security to your application.
I walked the audience through integrating Key Vault into an application, demonstrating how you can safely retrieve secrets during runtime in combination with Azure App Configuration, ensuring security without sacrificing agility.
Overcoming the Challenge: What I Learned
This first presentation was a huge personal achievement for me. Looking back, I learned some valuable lessons, not just about the topic I presented, but about myself:
- Support is everything: Without the backing of Team4Talent and the encouragement from the community, I’m not sure I would have taken this step. It’s a reminder that having the right people around you makes all the difference.
- Rehearsing builds comfort: I didn’t have a lot of time to prepare this session, but rehearsing it a couple of times made me feel more comfortable. A big thank you to my husband for listening to me practice during a few evenings — his support really helped calm my nerves before the big day.
- Facing fears is rewarding: Even though I was terrified at first, once I started speaking and engaging with the audience, the fear gradually faded, and I actually began to enjoy it.
Resources: Slides and Sample Code
If you’re interested in exploring the session further, you can find my slides and sample code from the presentation on my GitHub . I hope they help anyone looking to get started with Azure App Configuration and Azure Key Vault!
Looking Ahead
Now that I’ve broken through the fear of presenting, I’m excited to continue sharing my knowledge with the community. Speaking publicly has always been one of my goals, and this first experience has only made me more determined to keep growing as a speaker.
If you haven’t yet explored Azure App Configuration and Azure Key Vault, I highly recommend trying them out. They are fantastic tools that can simplify your application management and enhance security.
Finally, I want to extend a heartfelt thank you to everyone who attended and supported me through this experience. You made this first presentation a positive and memorable milestone in my journey.
Until next time,
Lindsey
