I Built CI/CD Before It Had a Name
They didn’t have names for this when I was doing it.
In 2004, I developed a web application deployment process for Campbell-Ewald to replace a chaotic, developer-run system that led to constant broken builds, inconsistencies between environments, and an overall lack of control. I didn’t do it because I was told to. I didn’t do it because I was trained to. I did it because it made sense.
The Problem: No Standardized Deployment Process
At the time, everyone had their own way of deploying code. Some teams were still hanging onto IIS 4.0, others were flinging CGI scripts into production with no version control, and every deployment was a gamble.
I saw the problem immediately: No automation. No consistency. No accountability.
The Solution: What I Built (Before CI/CD Was a Thing)
✅ Standardized the Stack – Moved everything to Apache/Tomcat, eliminating fragmented tech stacks.
✅ Separated Web & App Layers – Instead of dumping everything onto the same server, I physically split the application and web layers for scalability.
✅ Implemented Logical Load Balancing – We didn’t have hardware load balancers, so I built logical load balancing at the Apache level to distribute traffic efficiently.
✅ Automated Deployments – Wrote deployment scripts so devs could push .war files to test environments without pestering sysadmins.
✅ Created a Structured SDLC Workflow – Without calling it CI/CD, I built a repeatable, automated pipeline for deploying web applications.
Fast Forward to Today: What They Now Call “DevOps”
Everything I built in 2004-2008 is what the industry now calls CI/CD:
- Pushing code to a repo triggers an automated build → (I scripted that)
- Automated testing & integration checks → (Mine wasn’t as polished, but the framework was there)
- Deploying to staging before production → (I had that process in place)
- Containers to standardize environments → (Would have killed for Docker back then)
Now we have Jenkins, GitHub Actions, GitLab CI/CD, Docker, and Kubernetes—but strip away the fancy names, and it’s just structured deployment, done right.
The Real Punchline? I Got No Credit.
I built a scalable, structured deployment system before it had a name, and what did I get?
I got fired.
Because when things stop being a crisis, leadership stops seeing their value. When deployment isn’t a five-alarm fire anymore, they forget it ever was.
Now, in 2025, people treat CI/CD like it’s some grand revelation. No—it’s just common sense engineering.
So Why Talk About This Now?
Because I’m back in the game. And this time, I’m not building for someone else’s bottom line. I’m building for myself.
I don’t need permission to innovate anymore. And this time?
No one gets to fire me.
WCN Tech Stack (and we’re just getting started!)
⚡ Docker – No more screwing around in server.xml!
⚡ Cursor – Apparently no one uses Eclipse anymore? Who knew?
⚡ GitHub – Not that I miss Subversion.
⚡ Flutter – I was told Java only needed to be written once and could run anywhere…
⚡ WSL2 – Seeing Tux in File Explorer was like Bill Gates showing up at Apple World in ’97 (I think), and I can’t believe I missed this one.
⚡ Personal Workflow Tools – Because productivity matters just as much as code.
I’m building with modern tools, but an old-school mentality—structured, scalable, and secure. Builders build. 🚀