Why Do We Need DevOps?

What is DevOps, and why do we (as an IT/ development team) need it? Understanding the answers to these questions can greatly enhance your company’s success.

In the past, many companies often split their development and operations teams within an IT department, thinking it was better for each department to focus on their specialisations. Each team worked in its own silo, interacting only to hand off projects.

The DevOps model, however, is the combination of development and operations, created through strong communication and collaboration in the working relationship between your company’s development and IT operations teams.

You can consider DevOps part of a greater company culture that, when done right, will improve IT service delivery.

An Overview of the Benefits of DevOpsPuppet’s 2016 State of DevOps report says, “improving the software delivery cycle at every stage can improve software quality, stability and business outcomes.”

The report says that teams using DevOps practices benefit from improved organisational culture and employee engagement as well, and that these teams perform the best out of surveyed professionals.

One of the clearest benefits of DevOps is that, in combining the two departments or teams into one collaborative environment, you are becoming more efficient as a business.

Instead of two separate groups that have to document, work to hand off projects, and a complex process to get from development through to operations, you have less overhead and less complexity, which frees up time and resources so your DevOps can focus on what matters — creating and deploying excellent products and services.

The collaborative environment can also be excellent for morale. On a combined DevOps team, every employee’s skills, workflows and processes mater and can be used to teach others within the team. DevOps helps build excellent working relationships, and this shared work/ ultimate shared success can boost both morale and productivity.

Chintan Mehta says there are numerous benefits to integrating DevOps into the software development process for your company. With DevOps, he says, you can quickly identify and mitigate software defects and defects in applications, because communication channels will be open and your operations and development departments will be collaborating. Similarly, developing and testing will happen much more quickly owing to the collaborative environment.

Mehta notes an increase in stability, writing, “Organisations with DevOps get their deployment 30 times faster than their rivals with 50 per cent lesser chances of failure.”
Compelling numbers, right?

Why We Need DevOps – Beating the Competition

With greater collaboration, security, stability and morale, your company’s DevOps culture could be just what you need to beat your competition in terms of performance and market success. All of the ways DevOps benefits your business are measurable, and can be used as a selling point for your company. Who wouldn’t want to work with a business that is quick, innovative and accurate?

These advantages also enable your company to get products and services to market quickly, which can make a big difference in your success over that of a competitor that is not utilizing DevOps, and thus, is stuck in the development cycle.

Statistics support this concept. The Puppet report says that high-performing teams, using DevOps, deploy 200 times more frequently, have 2,555 times shorter lead times, three times lower change failure rates and recover 24 times faster from failures. They spend 50 per cent less time fixing security issues because the collaboration of DevOps ensure problems are fixed at every stage, instead of scrambling at the end of a project.

Additionally, the report notes that high performing teams spend less time dealing with unplanned work and rework, which offers another competitive edge to your business — DevOps teams can, and do, spend more time on new work than lower performing teams, which means you have more products and services to put to market, sooner. And, despite the faster pace of work, these teams are doing so with the utmost quality and security, fuelling the fire for faster deployment.

Why We Need Dev Ops – The IT Department of the Future

IT managers should pay attention to DevOps because it will ultimately impact hiring and human resources. The Puppet report notes that employees in high-performing organizations, using DevOps, are more than twice as likely to recommend their organization as a great place to work.

It is clear that DevOps is shaping how organizations are growing and changing. The number of survey respondents working in specifically labeled DevOps departments is growing, and has grown every year from 2014 onward.

New hires may be looking specifically for a DevOps department or DevOps position. If you want to bring your company into the future and make sure that your organization is attractive to IT professionals, adopt DevOps sooner rather than later. This company culture will attract and retain top-notch IT employees.

Switching to DevOps

You understand why DevOps is becoming an important part of IT departments around the world, but how do you switch your company over to a DevOps model?

Switching to DevOps means creating a cultural change within your company, which can be a large undertaking. Whether your employees are resistant or excited, it is a shift that requires a careful touch and an understanding of what needs to happen, in what order, to avoid needless challenges and problems.

Getting help from an expert is always a good idea, when you want to adopt DevOps as a company. With a DevOps model and all it has to offer to your company, you will want to ensure that you make this switch quickly, but accurately.

DevOps experts will take a look at your entire company and its culture, and determine how your development and operations teams can come together to work efficiently and effectively, without negatively impacting any projects or work that is already underway.

Adopting DevOps can greatly improve your entire business, increasing revenues, boosting morale, and sharpening your competitive edge. With the right approach to combining your teams, you’ll be amazed at what your business can accomplish.

Whatever your current setup, internal skills and plans, our experts are always happy to field your questions. Simply ask away using the form below…

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