Tech radar: Keep an eye on the technology landscape
Tags: methodology, cloud, learning, community
Published: 2024-06-17 14:00:00

If you've been working in technology for a while, you've probably noticed that there are so many technologies out there and things are constantly evolving.

My goal here is to give you some keys to not miss essential information and find your way in the technological jungle, while having the ability to completely disconnect once your working time is over.

# Shared tech radars

Some companies share the tech radar they created, you can consult them whenever you want :

- [ThoughtWorks](https://www.thoughtworks.com/radar) - A global technology company
- [Zalando Engineering](https://opensource.zalando.com/tech-radar/) - Company specializing in the sale of shoes and clothing
- [Padok](https://www.padok.fr/en/tech-radar) - DevSecOps Experts
- [Devoteam](https://techradar.devoteam.com/) - Technology consulting Agency
- [Ippon](https://blog.ippon.fr/tech-radar/) - Another Technology consulting Agency

![Tech Radar](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/kuu6aaxjekm06ytp2ilt.png)

The main categories for a Tech radar are : 

- **Adopt** : Approaches in which we have great confidence
- **Trial** : Approaches we've seen work successfully
- **Assess** : Approaches that are promising and have clear potential added value
- **Hold** : Approaches that are not recommended for use on new projects

We can also mention Digital.ai which maintains a [Periodic table of DevSecOps tools](https://digital.ai/learn/devsecops-periodic-table/) allowing you to explore technologies around devops in an original and practical way.

![Periodic Table](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/fkn8dy731tyy4535yhz9.png)

# Build your own tech radar

For targeted and punctual needs for you or your company, you can create an Excel sheet to help you make choices, or adopt the Tech Radar approach. Some companies share their method and tools for building your own Tech Radar, like [ThoughtWorks](https://www.thoughtworks.com/radar/byor) and [Zalando](https://github.com/zalando/tech-radar).

Be careful though, if you build your own knowledge base, it will be a real effort to update it, given the speed at which technologies evolve today.

# Software dictionaries and comparators

The common use case is that you hear about a new technology, and very quickly need to understand what it does, what are the alternatives and where it fits into the big picture.

Luckily, there are community platforms which reference software and allow you to find your way around, here is a selection :

- [Alternativeto](https://alternativeto.net/) - References all types of software on all OS : Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, etc.
- [Stackshare](https://stackshare.io/) - Aimed for companies building their technical stack
- [Trust Radius](https://www.trustradius.com/) - Software database with comparisons and reviews
- [Product Hunt](https://www.producthunt.com/) - To discover and share new tech products
- [Cloud Native Landscape](https://landscape.cncf.io/) - Tools referenced by the CNCF, concerning Kubernetes and containers
- [Future Tools](https://www.futuretools.io/) - A curated list of new AI tools

Obviously your favorite search engine or AI assistant are also tools of choice for finding information on technologies you want to discover. One tip to find alternatives for a product is to type on Google : `<product> vs ` and the autocomplete feature will help you diligently.

# Trends

To help you to make decisions, [Google Trends](https://trends.google.com) shows you tendencies about the products, compared to others. It is very useful to have it in your toolbox.

![Google Trends](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/dl0okojmx6kcnx4usb8j.png)

We can also cite [Gartner](https://www.gartner.com), a business decision support organization, which publishes studies on the most recent hypes, they provide a part for free.

# Obsolescence management

Once you have adopted the tools in your stack, you must monitor the life of the projects in order to always keep them up to date, with regularly scheduled updates.

The [End-of-life](https://endoflife.date/) website is made for this :

![End of life](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/oaovnrgsqefi7pld33x1.png)

# Learning roadmaps

if you want to master all the technologies that make up your profession, there is the [roadmap.sh](http://roadmap.sh/) site, which gives you learning paths for particular areas (Devops, Kubernetes, Python, etc.)

![Roadmap](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/7dp2zju96c7ry17ehvvp.png)

# Tech blogs & feeds aggregation

Some people enjoy sharing their knowledge on technical areas, blogs remain accessible and effective media.
[Feedly](https://feedly.com) or [Inoreader](https://www.inoreader.com/) will allow you to follow the RSS feeds of these websites and consult them at your leisure, so you can follow the specific areas that interest you.

Also think about the [Dev.to](http://dev.to/) platform which allows developers to easily share on their topics.

Other preferred media at the moment are [Podcasts](https://www.apple.com/apple-podcasts/) and [YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/), that have a good base of quality content, and have the advantage of being able to be listened to in transport or during a running session.

# Newsletters

Newsletters can remain a good option for keeping up to date without searching for information yourself.

The [TLDR Newsletter](https://tldr.tech/newsletters) is an interesting option if you don't have a lot of time. It summarizes new developments in general, or in particular areas: Devops, AI, etc.

This allows you to optimize your time and get the essentials without getting too lost.

# Latest trends and interactions

If you have a little more time to spare, you can connect on social networks.

[X (Twitter)](https://x.com) remains the platform where you will have the information in advance with a significant user base, and with the fun that is its own. It is also a good medium for following tech events and conferences.

You can favor other alternatives for ideological reasons, like [Mastodon](https://joinmastodon.org/) or [Bluesky](https://bsky.app/), but you should know that there is much less exposure at the moment, although it attracts important people in tech.

[LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com) is also used to share tech news these days.

[Reddit](https://www.reddit.com/) is a platform with a strong user base, which provides exclusive news and technical knowledge.

To share about specific technologies, [Slack](https://slack.com/) or [Discord](https://discord.com/) channels are quite common and effective ways to interact with the community.

# To conclude

We've seen tools and methodologies to keep tabs on what's happening in tech news and always have an overview of the tech landscape so you know how to navigate it.

It's now up to you to take advantage of these tools in order to stay up to date with current events and different tools while maintaining a good life balance on a personal level.

Enjoy your technological exploration, which is an exciting journey and an endless source of inspiration.