For decades, software development has been compared to assembly-line manufacturing, where things are designed, planned, made and then launched. But now that technology has such a huge role in how we live and work, there is constant demand for better apps with better features, and organizations are struggling to keep up. The “launch” does not signal the end of the process; it simply begins an endless cycle of learning and iterating for continuous improvement.
This is where DevOps comes into the picture. DevOps is not a tool that you can install and use; it’s a mindset and a culture involving the people, process, and tools to continuously deliver value to the end customer.
According to a survey of 20,000 IT development professionals conducted by Puppet Labs, IT teams that adopt DevOps consistently outperform their peers that do not. Companies with DevOps IT teams are twice more likely to surpass their goals in profitability, market share, and productivity.
How will your business benefit from DevOps?
1. Agility and reliability
These two words don’t usually go hand-in-hand, but they surprisingly do! It is found in the survey mentioned above that high-performing IT teams (that adopt DevOps) deploy code 30 times more frequently, but still deliver reliable software. 2. Fewer failures Although IT teams with a DevOps practice deploy more often, the software that they deliver has 60 times fewer failures. That’s because they deploy in smaller increments of code changes, and users are always in the loop providing continuous feedback.
3. Faster recovery Failures in fulfilling users’ needs can still happen in a DevOps environment, but the team would bounce back faster. In fact, they can recover 168 times more quickly than an average team would. Aside from the smaller code changes, the uninterrupted collaboration between development, operations, and users ensures a faster fix.
4. Increased efficiency in the actual planning and development process Within a DevOps culture, because all of the team members work so closely together, no delays or manual handoffs would be necessary. Also, with the help from DevOps tools, the software development lifecycle can be much shorter than usual, while continuously delivering value to end-users.
5. Enhance productivity and cross-department collaboration In a traditional software development process, there’s often a disconnect between the development and the operations team. However, in a DevOps culture, the development team will start their work based on the feedback from the users. The whole team that’s involved in planning, developing, and monitoring would have a sense of ownership over the system.
What’s next if you want to implement DevOps
Although a DevOps culture is aided by tools and automation, there’s a lot that’s going to change in terms of people and processes. You can’t just hire a DevOps person or use a DevOps tool to implement DevOps; even a C-level executive advocating DevOps would not be enough. Adopting DevOps means transforming people and processes in addition to adopting new tools.
Developers and operations need to start talking and aligning goals and metrics, and you need managers to act as the middle layer. These IT managers should have a good understanding of DevOps in order to effectively translate user needs into developers’ terms, and streamline the process in delivering software.
Enroll in our course now, Microsoft Azure DevOps (AZ-400) Pack 10-Days, and start on your journey towards becoming a DevOps professional.