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Caveman AI Skill for Terse Replies
AI output is often too long, too polished, and full of filler. Our Software Architect, Russ, shares the Caveman skill, a practical way to strip AI responses back to what actually matters, with installation instructions and usage options for individuals and teams.
READ MORERuss Painter
Software Architect, 8 West Consulting
Jun 08, 2026
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Getting Started with Datadog
Datadog is a key tool in our cloud engineering team's Well Architected Framework Audits which help organisations realise cost savings on their cloud environments, as well as map out a path to improved maturity in performance, reliability and security.
READ MOREJoe Cook
Senior Cloud Engineer, 8 West Consulting
Jun 03, 2026
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ARTICLE
Caveman AI Skill for Terse Replies
AI output is often too long, too polished, and full of filler. Our Software Architect, Russ, shares the Caveman skill, a practical way to strip AI responses back to what actually matters, with installation instructions and usage options for individuals and teams.
READ MORERuss Painter
Software Architect, 8 West Consulting
Jun 08, 2026
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ARTICLE
Chrome Dev Tools AI Generated Code for Page Querying and Brainstorming
Chrome 147 added AI code generation directly in the developer console, and it's more useful than it sounds. This article walks through practical examples of using it for DOM querying, data scraping, and quick rebranding proofs of concept without writing a line of code manually.
READ MORERuss Painter
Software Architect, 8 West Consulting
Jun 08, 2026
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ARTICLE
Comprehension Debt: How misusing AI can make you worse at your job
Using AI to move faster is useful. Losing the reasoning behind what it produces is a risk most teams underestimate. Our Software Architect, Russ, explores comprehension debt, what it is, why it applies across every role, and how to avoid it.
READ MORERuss Painter
Software Architect, 8 West Consulting
Jun 08, 2026
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ARTICLE
The Rediscovery of Deep Specification: How LLMs will Rewrite the Agile Playboo
Agile moved us away from deep specification for good reasons. LLMs may have quietly removed them. Our Director of Engineering, Brendan Lawlor, makes the case that some assumptions shaping software development for 25 years are worth revisiting.
READ MOREBrendan Lawlor
Director of Engineering, 8 West Consulting
Jun 08, 2026
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ARTICLE
Brooks’ Law Still Holds. But Something Else Changed.
Brooks' Law hasn't broken, but something fundamental has shifted. Our Director of Engineering, Brendan Lawlor, explores how LLMs are moving the bottlenecks in software delivery and what that means for engineering roles at every level.
READ MOREBrendan Lawlor
Director of Engineering, 8 West Consulting
Jun 08, 2026
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ARTICLE
Supply Chain Defense for Modern Package Managers
Modern software imports code from hundreds of strangers at build time, and AI-powered attackers are making that risk harder to ignore. Our Software Architect, Russ, breaks down the practical defences every engineering team should have in place across TypeScript, C#, Python, Kotlin, and Rust.
READ MORERuss Painter
Software Architect, 8 West Consulting
Jun 08, 2026
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ARTICLE
What I Actually Want From AI in Software Delivery: Read the Logs, Write the Fix, Let Me Approve
Code generation is only half the story. Our Software Architect, Mel Collins, makes the case for AI that stays in the loop after the code is written, reading logs, identifying root causes, preparing fixes, and handing the result to a human for approval.
READ MOREMel Collins
Software Architect, 8 West Consulting
Jun 08, 2026
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ARTICLE
IDE-Less Development with Codex
Our Software Architect, Mel Collins, built a fully functional Android app in 5 hours using Codex, with no prior Android, Flutter, or Bluetooth protocol experience. A practical look at what IDE-less, conversational AI development actually looks like in practice.
READ MOREMel Collins
Software Architect, 8 West Consulting
Jun 08, 2026
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ARTICLE
CLEAR. Practical AI-First Design Principles for Real Codebases
AI tools have given architecture a second consumer alongside human developers. Our Software Architect, Mel Collins, outlines CLEAR, the practical framework for designing codebases where both humans and AI can reason effectively.
READ MOREMel Collins
Software Architect, 8 West Consulting
Jun 08, 2026
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ARTICLE
Agentic Coding in Practice: A Client Case Study
A real-world test of agentic coding on a production application for a dental insurance client, tracking every hour to measure what AI assistance actually delivers. The result was a 38.3% reduction in development time, with lessons on where human judgment remains essential.
READ MORERuss Painter
Software Architect, 8 West Consulting
Jun 05, 2026
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ARTICLE
Technical Deep Dive on converting native app to React Native
A technical walkthrough of how 8 West migrated an iOS Swift app to React Native, covering the architecture decisions, state management approach, and performance considerations that made the transition a success, and what teams considering a similar move should know.
READ MORECatalin Mirza
Full-Stack Engineer, 8 West Consulting
Jun 04, 2026
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ARTICLE
Why Build in React Native
Maintaining separate iOS and Android codebases costs more than it needs to for most apps. This article explains when React Native makes sense as a cross-platform alternative and what the tradeoffs are worth knowing before you make the switch.
READ MOREAlison McDonnell
Project Manager, 8 West Consulting
Jun 04, 2026
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ARTICLE
Embracing Journey-Centric Design
Most digital experience problems are not caused by poor products. they are caused by the gaps between them. This article explores how Journey-Centric Design moves beyond isolated improvements to create seamless, end-to-end experiences that drive real business outcomes.
READ MOREBrendan Foley
Director of Creative and UX, 8 West Consulting
Jun 04, 2026
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ARTICLE
A Quick Look at the Evolution of Phishing
Phishing has evolved from low-effort scams to one of the most sophisticated attack vectors in cybersecurity. Our Cyber Security Specialist, Marcello Carboni, traces that evolution from the early AOL days to AI-driven phishing in 2025, and what it means for organisations trying to stay ahead.
READ MOREMarcello Carboni
Cyber Security Specialist, 8 West Consulting
Jun 04, 2026
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ARTICLE
How to Create Zero Trust Architecture
The traditional perimeter model of cybersecurity has a fundamental flaw. once an attacker is inside, they can move freely. This article from our Cyber Security Specialist, Marcello Carboni, explains the Zero Trust architecture model, its core principles, and why never trust, always verify has become the standard approach for organisations operating in today's complex, cloud-first environments.
READ MOREMarcello Carboni
Cyber Security Specialist, 8 West Consulting
Jun 04, 2026
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ARTICLE
The Emergence of Package Hallucination Attacks
When AI generates code referencing packages that don't exist, attackers can register those names with malicious software. Our Cyber Security Specialist, Marcello Carboni, explains how this emerging supply chain attack works and what teams can do to protect against it.
READ MOREMarcello Carboni
Cyber Security Specialist, 8 West Consulting
Jun 04, 2026
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ARTICLE
Generative AI and Offensive Security
AI is making software teams more productive. It is doing the same for attackers. This article from our team looks at how generative AI is already being used in real-world attacks, from convincing phishing campaigns and deepfake scams to polymorphic malware that evades detection.
READ MOREMarcello Carboni
Cyber Security Specialist, 8 West Consulting
Jun 04, 2026
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ARTICLE
Understanding (and fixing) the LLM Hallucinations Problem
LLM hallucinations are one of the most discussed limitations of AI, but what causes them and can they be fixed? This article explains why models hallucinate and the techniques being used to contain them. A practical read for anyone working with AI where accuracy matters.
READ MOREMarcello Carboni
Cyber Security Specialist, 8 West Consulting
Jun 04, 2026
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ARTICLE
Jailbreaking AI: How Large Language Models Can Be Exploited
LLMs are advancing fast but remain surprisingly easy to manipulate. Our Cyber Security Specialist, Marcello Carboni, explores how jailbreaking works and why it matters as AI becomes more embedded in everyday workflows.
READ MOREMarcello Carboni
Cyber Security Specialist, 8 West Consulting
Jun 04, 2026
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ARTICLE
ECSO: Cybersecurity in Healthcare - Key Takeaways
Healthcare is one of the most targeted sectors for cyberattacks, yet cybersecurity remains an afterthought across much of the industry. Our Cyber Security Specialist, Marcello Carboni, summarises key findings and proposed solutions from ECSO's recent healthcare cybersecurity webinar.
READ MOREMarcello Carboni
Cyber Security Specialist, 8 West Consulting
Jun 03, 2026
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WHITEPAPER
FinOps & Cost Optimization Overview
The FinOps & Cost Optimization Overview outlines how a FinOps-driven approach enables organisations to optimise cloud spend, improve visibility, and align cost with business value.
READ MORE8 West Consulting
Your Vision Realised
Jun 03, 2026
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ARTICLE
Redefining Online Retail with AI
AI is not just changing how retailers operate. it is reshaping how consumers buy. This article from Mark Rainford looks at how AI-driven sales agents and conversational commerce are set to make traditional ecommerce playbooks obsolete, and what smart retailers are already doing about it.
READ MOREMark Rainford
VP of Commercial & Innovation, 8 West Consulting
Jun 03, 2026
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WEBINAR
Getting Started with Datadog
Datadog is a key tool in our cloud engineering team's Well Architected Framework Audits which help organisations realise cost savings on their cloud environments, as well as map out a path to improved maturity in performance, reliability and security.
READ MOREJoe Cook
Senior Cloud Engineer, 8 West Consulting
Jun 03, 2026
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WHITEPAPER
Well-Architected Framework Overview
Is Your Cloud Architecture Fit for Purpose?
READ MORE8 West Consulting
Your Vision Realised
Jun 03, 2026
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ARTICLE
AI and Deveolpment
Can AI go beyond prototypes and help build real production tools? Our Technical Lead, Simone Medas, put that question to the test using Cursor, sharing what worked, where human judgment was still essential, and what it means to work with AI as a development partner.
READ MORESimone Medas
Technical Lead, 8 West Consulting
Jun 03, 2026
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