Decoding Technology
A Guide to the Era of Digital Transformation
Essential Guide
Digital Era
Business Professionals
By Rafael Levi, CTO
Table of Contents
Technological Fundamentals
  • Introduction: Why Does Technology Matter to You?
  • The Building Blocks of an Application
  • Managing Code and Collaborating
  • Preparing the Application for the Real World
  • Where Our Applications Live
Strategies and Architecture
  • Architectural Strategies
  • The DevOps Revolution
  • Our Aeropagus Products and Services
Practical Application
  • Relevant Questions for Professionals
  • Glossary of Acronyms and Tools
  • Recommendations for Online Research
  • Conclusion

This material is based on the valuable calls from our CTO, Rafael Levi, expanded with practical analogies and real-world examples.
Introduction: Why Technology Matters to You?
You are about to embark on a journey through the fascinating world of technology, a universe that, although it may seem distant to non-developers, is the backbone of everything we do today. In an increasingly digital market, understanding the fundamentals of technology is no longer a differential, but a strategic necessity.
Improved Communication
Speak the same "language" as the product and technology teams, building bridges and optimizing collaboration.
Opportunity Identification
Recognize the potential for new features, improvements, and even new products based on technological insights.
Stronger Sales Arguments
Confidently and clearly explain how our technology solves real problems for customers.
Strategic Alignment
Understand why certain technological decisions are made and how they directly affect business goals.
"Technology is the foundation upon which we build innovation. Understanding this foundation empowers us to build a more robust future and connect better with our customers."
– Rafael Levi, CTO
The Building Blocks of an Application
Architecture: The Blueprint of Our Digital Home
Imagine we are building a house. Before laying the first brick, we need a blueprint, right? This blueprint defines where the rooms, electrical installations, plumbing, etc., will be. In software, Architecture is exactly that blueprint.
It defines the "way to organize files, folders, and file content" so that the application is efficient, easy to maintain, and scalable. Good architecture prevents chaos and facilitates teamwork, directly impacting the speed and quality of development.
Front-end: The Application's Showroom
Think of a restaurant. The Front-end is everything the customer sees and interacts with: the menu, the decor, the waiter, the tables. It is the user interface – the website, the mobile application, the system you use daily.
JavaScript/TypeScript
The backbone of web interactivity. JavaScript allows buttons to function, menus to open, and information to be loaded dynamically without reloading the page. With the rise of TypeScript, a superset of JavaScript, modern development gains robustness and scalability. It adds static typing, which is fundamental for building complex applications and ensuring code quality in large teams, making front-end development safer and more efficient. In addition to the browser, JavaScript (and, by extension, TypeScript) can run on the server thanks to Node.js, a runtime environment that extends its capabilities to the back-end. This makes JavaScript/TypeScript considered 'fullstack' languages, as they allow developers to use the same language to build both the user interface (front-end) and the server logic and interaction with databases (back-end). This language uniformity simplifies the development process, optimizes code and knowledge sharing between teams, and accelerates project delivery, making them powerful choices for modern applications.
HTML
The "structure" of our digital restaurant. It defines basic elements such as titles, paragraphs, images, and buttons.
CSS
The "decoration" of the restaurant. It defines how HTML elements look (colors, fonts, layouts, spacing).
Back-end and APIs: The Smart Backstage
Back-end: The System's Kitchen
If the Front-end is the restaurant's dining room, the Back-end is the kitchen and all support services: the chef, the cooks, the ingredient stock, the accounting. It is the part of the application that is not visible to the end-user, but that processes information, stores data, and manages business logic.
Python
Highly versatile, popular for artificial intelligence, data analysis, and rapid web development.
Java / C#
Robust languages, frequently used in large enterprises and complex systems that scale very well.
Golang
Developed by Google, known for its high performance and efficiency, ideal for systems with many simultaneous requests.
API: The Digital Waiter
How does the dining room (Front-end) communicate with the kitchen (Back-end)? Through a "digital waiter" called API (Application Programming Interface).
An API is a set of rules and definitions that allows different software to communicate with each other. It is the bridge that enables the exchange of information between different systems.
  • REST: The most common and flexible type of "waiter" nowadays
  • SOAP: An older and more formal type, still used in legacy corporate systems
Databases: Our Company's Memory
Where does the restaurant store its ingredients, recipes, and customer information? In the Database (DB). It's the place where all your application's information is stored in an organized manner.
Relational Databases (SQL)
Perfect Organization
Think of highly structured and interconnected Excel spreadsheets. Data is organized into tables (rows and columns), and these tables can "relate" to each other.
  • MySQL, PostgreSQL, SQL Server
  • Ideal for data that requires high consistency
  • Perfect for complex transactions (banking operations)
Non-Relational Databases (NoSQL)
The Flexibility You Need
Imagine folders containing documents of different formats, without a rigid structure, yet still quickly accessible.
  • MongoDB, Redis
  • Ideal for Big Data and massive scalability
  • Perfect for data with variable structures

Tip: The choice between SQL and NoSQL depends on the specific needs of the project. SQL for consistency and structure, NoSQL for flexibility and scale.
Managing Code: The Developers' Time Machine
Source Code Repositories
Imagine several people writing a book together. How do they ensure they're not writing in the same paragraph simultaneously, that one person's changes don't overwrite another's, and that it's possible to revert to an earlier version if something goes wrong?
01
Version Control
Stores all source code versions, allowing multiple developers to work simultaneously without conflicts.
02
Auditability
Records who did what, when, and why, facilitating change tracking and ensuring transparency.
03
Collaboration
Platforms like GitHub, GitLab, and Bitbucket offer functionalities for code review and project management.
Libraries and Dependencies
In the world of modern development, it's rare to start a project "from scratch." Developers use libraries – pre-existing components to streamline work.
It's like citing another famous book. You don't rewrite the entire book, you just reference the original. If you need an interactive map, you use a map library like Google Maps API.

Attention: Outdated libraries can introduce security vulnerabilities into the software. Version management is crucial!
Containerization: Standardizing the Environment
Docker: The Container Revolution
Have you ever heard the phrase "It works on my machine!"? It's a classic IT problem. Software works perfectly on the developer's computer, but fails when moved to the production server.
"In the past, when I wanted to send something from Brazil to India... I had to have a boat to transport wood. I had to have a boat to transport corn... What did the genius guy do? He said, man, instead of building boats to transport things, I'm going to build a boat to transport containers. And things will go inside the containers."
– Rafael Levi
Code + Dependencies
Your application with everything it needs to run
Docker Container
Standardized and isolated packaging
Consistent Execution
Runs the same in any environment
Registry: The Container Warehouse
After "containerizing" your application with Docker, you need a place to store and share these ready-made container images. The Registry is like a "warehouse" or "library" for Docker images.
Cloud vs. Datacenter: Owning Your Infrastructure or Renting in the Cloud?
Cloud Computing: The Cloud Office
It's like renting an office in a giant commercial building that provides all the infrastructure, and you only pay for what you use.
  • Scalability: Easy to increase or decrease resources as needed
  • Cost-effectiveness: Pay-as-you-go model
  • Flexibility: Access to pre-configured services (AI, Big Data, IoT)
  • Globalization: Deployment in different regions worldwide
Datacenter (On-Premise): Your Own Base
It's like owning your own office building. You buy, build, install, and maintain everything.
  • Total Control: Complete control over hardware, software, and security
  • High Initial Cost: Massive investment in infrastructure
  • Less Flexibility: Scaling is slower and more expensive
  • Complex Maintenance: Risks of power outages, equipment failures
Main Cloud Providers
AWS
The largest and most mature provider, a focus of Areópagos' significant expertise
GCP
Strong in data, AI, and machine learning
Azure
Integrated with the Microsoft ecosystem, popular in large corporations
Oracle
Fewer possibilities, more common in traditional corporate environments
Architecture Strategies: Monolith vs Microservices
Monolith: The Swiss Army Knife
A system where all the "code together" and "coupled code" is packaged into a single unit. All functionalities reside in the same codebase.
Advantages:
  • Low initial maintenance cost
  • Less complexity for small teams
  • Great for startups or MVPs
Disadvantages:
  • High code coupling
  • Maintenance difficulty as it grows
  • Limited scalability
Microservices: Toolkit
Application divided into small, independent services, each performing a specific functionality. "One project for each service".
Advantages:
  • Decoupling and independence
  • Development agility
  • Individual scalability
Disadvantages:
  • High labor cost
  • Higher maintenance complexity
  • Need for more infrastructure resources

Practical Example: At iFood at midday, the order service scales heavily, while the registration service might not need to. With microservices, you scale only what you need!
MonoRepo vs MultiRepo
MonoRepo
All projects live in a single code repository
  • Easy refactoring between projects
  • Visibility of all projects
  • Tool consistency
MultiRepo
Each project has its own separate repository
  • Team autonomy
  • Smaller repository size
  • Clarity in separation of responsibilities
The DevOps Revolution
What is DevOps?
DevOps is not a sector, but a philosophy, a culture within the company that unites the DEVelopment area and OPS (Operations - infrastructure).
1
Old Problem
Development teams "threw the bomb" (code) to infrastructure, causing friction and delays
2
DevOps Solution
Continuous integration and collaboration between teams, automating and streamlining delivery
3
Result
Software that works on the developer's machine also works in production
CI/CD: The Pillars of Agility
CI - Continuous Integration
Developers frequently integrate code (multiple times a day) into a central repository. Each integration is automatically verified by tests.
CD - Continuous Delivery
After integration and testing, changes are automatically prepared to be released to production at any time.
Observability and FinOps
Observability
The ability to monitor and understand what is happening within a system, identifying problems before they affect users.
Tools: Grafana, Prometheus, AWS CloudWatch
FinOps
A discipline that unites finance and operations, focusing on cloud cost optimization. The biggest cost for a technology company is infrastructure.

Poor cloud usage can generate absurd costs. I've seen companies go bankrupt because of credit card bills on Amazon!
Some of Our Areópagos Products and Services
Discovery Digital Transformation
Initial consulting to identify problems and "gaps" in relation to best practices. Prevents the client from investing in inappropriate solutions.
Software Architecture
Helps clients plan and execute architectural changes, such as migrating from monolith to microservices.
Legacy Modernization
Not just migrating old code, but bringing the entire software manufacturing process to modern methodologies.
Specialized Services
AI Revolution
Mastery of specific AI tools for software development. Case: Nubank reported 8 to 12x efficiency gains with Devin AI.
Squad Team as a Service
Not "people allocation," but "delivery capacity allocation." We guarantee commits, assume turnover, and deliver tangible results.
DevOps Transformation
Implementation of DevOps culture and practices, including CI/CD, infrastructure automation, and cloud migration.
Cloud Migration
Secure and efficient transition to Cloud Computing environments, leveraging scalability and cost optimization.

Areópagos Differential: "Daily commit standards and high productivity, we use DevPerformance which gives us information on Devs' productivity and consistency" - Guarantee of real productivity!
Strategic Questions for Business Professionals
Understanding these concepts allows you to ask smarter, strategically aligned questions. Here are some that can trigger sensitive points for the client, exposing their pain points and needs:
About Architecture
  • "How does the current architecture affect the time to launch new features?"
  • "Do you have clear architecture documentation? Is it up-to-date?"
  • "What is your code's test coverage percentage?"
About Data and BI
  • "What is your company's most valuable asset?"
  • "How do you use data analysis to generate new revenue?"
  • "Why do you need different types of databases?"
About Cloud and DevOps
  • "What is the current cost of your cloud infrastructure?"
  • "Can you predict the trend of your cloud spending?"
  • "When you deliver software to infrastructure, does it work on the first try?"
Squad Team as a Service
"What is the developer turnover in your company per year? How much time and money do you spend hiring, training, and replacing these professionals?"
AI Revolution
"Are you already using AI in your company? Do you know how much you're spending per request or per token? Are you familiar with the tools Nubank uses to optimize development?"
Automation (RPA)
"What is the cost of your industrial automation systems? Are they flexible? Do you have valuable data from your production line?"
Essential Glossary
Understanding technical terminology is crucial for business professionals. This glossary offers concise and practical explanations of the acronyms and tools mentioned, helping you ask more strategic questions and better understand technology investments.
Acronyms
Tools and Technologies
Recommendations for Online Research
To optimize your learning journey and stay updated, it is essential to know where and how to search for information. We present a selection of resources organized by category:
Specialized Websites and Portals
  • Stack Overflow
  • GitHub
  • Medium
  • Dev.to
Channels and Content Creators
  • YouTube channels
  • podcasts
  • newsletters
Official Documentation
  • AWS
  • Google Cloud
  • Microsoft Azure
Communities and Events
  • Meetups
  • conferences
  • LinkedIn groups
These recommendations form the basis for business professionals to effectively research and filter relevant content, ensuring that the information obtained is practical and applicable to their context.

Practical Research Tips
  • Define your question: Be clear about what you want to know before you start.
  • Use specific keywords: Technical terms or acronyms can significantly refine your results.
  • Verify the source: Prioritize official documentation, recognized portals, or area experts.
  • Combine different media types: Articles, videos, and podcasts offer diverse perspectives.
  • Participate in communities: Engaging with other professionals can provide valuable insights.
Conclusion: Empowering Our Teams for Success
This guide is just the beginning of your journey to understand the world of technology. The goal is not to turn you into a developer, but rather a more effective and strategic partner for the technology team.
Communicate with Clarity
With product and technology teams speaking the same "language"
Identify Opportunities
And innovations for our products, anticipating market needs
Sell with Confidence
And authority, transforming technical complexity into customer value
Contribute to Strategy
Overall company strategy in a more informed and impactful way
"Technology is the foundation upon which we build innovation. And a well-understood foundation is the first step towards building a successful future for our company and our clients."
– Rafael Levi, CTO

Next Steps: Use this material as a starting point and continue your curiosity! Research the recommended terms, participate in technical discussions, and apply these concepts in your daily work.