DevOps for Startups

Many established companies are trying to switch to a DevOps approach, changing from a silo-based environment. Looking at startups, DevOps is a logical choice from day one. It can be much easier to implement DevOps for startups because it integrates with company culture from day one.

Some of the most challenging parts of integrating DevOps exist because you have to dismantle existing roles and structures and replace them with collaboration. DevOps for startups is a much easier approach when you want your startup to, well, start up!

Why Choose DevOps for Startups?

When development and operations work separately, your business is less efficient. Projects move from the development team to the operations team and back again until they are complete. Problems that could be solved early are not caught because the teams are not collaborating.

DevOps is popular for a reason. It offers a lot of great benefits to businesses, both established and new. With DevOps for startups, your teams are cohesive from the start. Changes and improvements in your product roll out as quickly as possible without delays between each team’s work. Feedback from developers, operations team members, and even users is integrated quickly.

Add cloud computing to the mix, and you have speed and reliability on your side.
Startups often struggle with funding. DevOps can save you money. Cutting out waiting times, staff overhead, and wasted resources means a faster delivery with less expenditure. You will save time with DevOps, and, in all businesses, time is money!

Your startup may be a small, tight-knit business. Loyalty is key to getting startups to thrive, and DevOps can help with that. You can have your staff collaborate and work closely, without one person or team standing higher than another. A close team, delivering high-quality products, is loyal to the business. Job satisfaction and employee morale are typically high under a DevOps approach. This positive atmosphere translates to startup success.
Startups can be tenuous. Keeping customers and staff happy will make or break you. Give yourself the right tools with DevOps, and failure will not be an option!

How to Implement DevOps for Startups

Focusing on building things the right way from the outset makes all the difference. When you use progressive technologies from day one, you do not need to waste time or effort bringing legacy programs into the future.
Startups are uniquely positioned to make DevOps an easy transition. Still, there are best practices that will make your DevOps more likely to succeed.

DevOps is exciting but that does not mean you should forge ahead without considering security measures. Especially if you are using DevOps in the cloud, you need to make sure that your startup is protected. Security is important for testing, integration, and deployment. Even if your team is small, consider appointing someone to be in charge of monitoring security.

Fund your DevOps appropriately. We know there is not normally a lot of money to go around in a startup environment, but this is important! DevOps informs your entire company culture and shapes your pathway to the future. You need to budget appropriately for it and recognize its importance.

You will likely have to invest heavily in DevOps at the start. That is arguably easier as a startup company, however, versus an established company trying to pull from another budget area.
Common advice for businesses implementing DevOps is to start small and scale up. If you are a brand new startup, this should be easy! There is nowhere to go but up.

If you have already done some work and are now switching to DevOps, remember scale. Stick to the projects that are quick and small, see how it works, then adopt it widely.

Testing the Impact of DevOps for Startups

This all sounds great, right? But how can you ensure that your DevOps approach is working for your startup?
Using monitoring and metrics, you can follow how DevOps is impacting your startup. Then you can make adjustments as needed. Check out these three principles.
Your products and the processes to create them require monitoring.
Your staff performance and satisfaction are equally important.
Finally, feedback from end users is vital.

To monitor your software or applications, your operations team should be working continuously to ensure peak performance. The development side of DevOps can make that happen with built-in analytics and monitoring processes when the programs are created.

Team members need to collaborate, and that collaboration has to be effective. Leaders can monitor this through performance reviews that focus on the entire team versus individuals. Are development and deployment happening on schedule? If not, where are things falling apart? DevOps lets your staff find solutions that make sense and helps it take ownership of roles.

Having a feedback mechanism in place lets you hear directly from your users. If something is working well, they can let you know. More importantly, if it is not, you will want to hear it! Let your end users inform your DevOps team and improvements will make sense. Again, this is something developers can build into applications from the start.

The Bottom Line for Startup Success

It is no secret that startups often fail, or struggle. Failure often happens when startups are not focused, not motivated, and deliver poor products. Successful startups hit their stride because of commitment, lean operations, and willingness to adjust. With DevOps, your company can stay focused, stay happy, and meet its goals.

We are here to help your company build itself into an industry giant, from its very first steps. We work with businesses large and small to offer the tech solutions that guide positive change. We are as excited about your new venture as you are, and we want to see you succeed!

Connect with us to learn more about our DevOps services. Our experts will guide your team through implementing DevOps, helping you deliver the best products the first time around.