What is DevOps?
As businesses look to change the way that they function and deliver improved products and services to their customers, many systems and processes have become integrated. Integration helps a business to see the bigger picture as opposed to teams working individually, improving the efficacy and the products that they produce. DevOps solutions refer to the integration of software development (Dev) and the operations of a company (Ops), combining people, tools, software, and processes to improve the overall functioning and efficiency of IT systems.
This corroboration of these systems and processes ultimately leads to the shortening of the life cycle of systems development and improving the quality of the products that are produced. Software development and operations have become integral parts of any business and ensuring that these two aspects are functioning well together is extremely important! Working across an entire application lifecycle as opposed to being involved in segments of development can help a team better understand the bigger picture, leading to quicker product development and fewer issues within the overall functioning of applications!
Why is DevOps Important?
Software development has become an integral part of every company as the internet and online processes have become more popular. Software is needed to develop just about every system in a business which has made it important that software developers know and understand what exactly the systems they develop will be used for. The development of software through the integration of the operations of a business helps a software team better understand both the needs of the company as well as the needs of their customers. DevOps services have offered such an important integration of these two systems and have helped businesses design software systems that work better and are more aligned with the overall goals of a company.
Who’s Adopting DevOps?
Many different companies are adopting DevOps frameworks as a way to better refine and understand the software that they are building and using. As software engineers have developed DevOps automation tools according to the needs of a business in terms of operations, businesses have noted that software development has been more in line with the needs of the business. This has created better software systems that deliver more refined products at a faster pace, streamlining and improving the overall functioning of a business. Software development and operations are two key elements of any business and the goal of DevOps platforms is to ensure that both of these parts of an organization work together efficiently! This makes DevOps important for just about any type of business in a variety of different industries!
What is DevOps Culture?
The development of DevOps is all about gaining a shared understanding between two very different parts of a company. In more traditional business models, these two teams would not work alongside one another but rather work separately, which has tended to slow down processes and development. This is because neither team was assimilated in such a way that they understood the goals that each team was working towards. As DevOps has developed, applications have evolved more quickly and have produced more reliable systems and products. Through this, a DevOps culture has developed. DevOps culture refers to the shared understanding that has been created through the integration of software development and operations, both teams taking responsibility for and understanding the software that is developed.
The DevOps Lifecycle: How Does DevOps Work?
DevOps tools are used through a continuous lifecycle whereby different aspects are integrated, tested, deployed, and then monitored. The phases of the DevOps lifecycle are reliant on these different processes as they ensure the constant development and refinement of the current software. This lifecycle is extremely beneficial because it ensures that the DevOps team is learning about the issues that occur and are taking the necessary steps to refine the entire system. The following are the key components of the DevOps lifecycle that are continuously being looked at and worked on.
- Development: When thinking about the development process, DevOps requires that a team be constantly developing newer and better software. This part of the life cycle involves both planning as well as developing the code for the software and the team would usually be separated into smaller groups to complete this. Continuous development is needed to map out the entire process, helping those within a team to better understand the final goal.
- Integration: One of the main principles of DevOps includes continuous integration. During this phase, tests need to be completed on the software being developed with changes made to anything that may not be working effectively within the system. Integrating testing procedures and providing the findings of these tests to the entire team can help to improve the final product. A large part of this phase of the cycle is looking into how a business can take the information provided by clients and create a better user experience. When it comes to DevOps, remembering that the processes are aiming toward creating a better user experience is vital.
- Testing: A large part of software development is testing for bugs and errors within the code developed. When testing for these issues, other aspects of the code should also be analyzed, ensuring that the code is written with usability in mind. Continuous testing of the code that is developed or refined will ensure that when it is released, it is in line with what the business needs are!
- Monitoring: Developing new software involves monitoring the different aspects of it and ensuring that the code that is developed will enhance the software application. There are a wide variety of monitoring tools that can be used in DevOps and this streamlines the process and enhances the changes that need to be made. Regular monitoring of different processes by the entire team will ensure that the software correspondent to all aspects of the operations of a business. This is vital to achieving success.
What are the Benefits of DevOps?
There are several different benefits of DevOps to look into if you are looking at implementing this integrated system in your business. The following are just a few of the benefits of using DevOps.
Cultural Benefits
When a team has been tasked with working together and integrating processes that were once done separately, there are many cultural benefits. Usually, teams will work to produce certain features of software separately, taking ownership of the part that they played in the process. When a team works together and as a whole and takes ownership of the work that they produce, it greatly improves team morale and how different sectors of a business work together. As DevOps requires a team to become more integrated and involved with a variety of different phases involved in creating and improving software, both software engineers and an operations team are involved in the final product. Working together creates a better working environment!
Technical Benefits
When different parts of software development are created individually, there are often problems when it comes to systems working together. With DevOps software combining phases of software development, far fewer technical issues occur. Technical errors are also picked up far quicker compared to more traditional models as you have a team working and focusing on how different pieces of software will function together. This is extremely beneficial and will help to improve the final product that is produced by the DevOps team!
Faster Problem Solving
When issues can be picked up on quickly, a team is better able to make informed decisions about changes that need to be made. Having different sections of a business that do not work well together and do not communicate can make it much harder to both pick up on and solve the issues that are bound to come up. The integration of people and ideas offers a great way for businesses to promote better problem-solving tactics, with more reliable solutions developed and quickly implemented. DevOps processes and systems introduce quick turnaround when issues occur and ensure that the solution has been well-thought-out!
What are DevOps Practices?
Ensuring that you are aware of the best DevOps practices can help further refine your team and streamline your software systems. The following are just a few of the most important DevOps practices to use when developing your team!
- Remove the Concept of Silos in IT teams: IT departments have been structured into specific teams of people who are responsible for certain things. While these siols have worked in the past, they have allowed for a lack of communication between different doctors of an IT department. Breaking down these different silos to create a well-functioning singular team is an extremely important practice when it comes to implementing DevOps.
- Use Software Automation: Automating processes can help to reduce the workload of your team. Many different aspects of your IT department can be automated and these processes will help to ensure accuracy and improve the time in which products are developed.
- Use Project Management Tools: Ensuring that the entire DevOps team can see exactly what is being done and the timeframe around completion will further streamline and integrate your teams. Many project management tools can be used and as long as each member of the team has access to this database, they should be kept up to date with all the projects going on at any point in time.
- Using AI in DevOps: If you are already using automated processes and want to look into ways that you can further improve these automated systems, consider looking into AI! Artificial intelligence can improve collaboration and help to find and solve problems more quickly! One of the great things about AI is that it can do this quickly and can often work independently.
What Problems Can DevOps Solve?
DevOps helps a business to create software systems that are integrated with the operations of a business and therefore more in line with its overall goals. So, why was DevOps created and what problems can it solve? DevOps solves problems that have occurred through software development and operations not being in line with one another. Any successful business owner will know that in order to attend to the needs of your customers and create a valuable product, different parts of your business need to be structured in a way that communication and integration are at the forefront of development. DevOps solves both technical and cultural issues that arise when different sections of a business are not communicating and working together.
