What is DevOps?

DevOps is a set of practices that emphasise collaboration and communication between software developers and IT operations professionals, automating the software delivery process and infrastructure changes.

DevOps: Definition

What does DevOps mean? The name of the methodology comes from the combination of ”development” and ”operations”.

DevOps aims to create a culture and an environment in which software design, testing and release can take place quickly, frequently and efficiently. DevOps is not just a methodology, it is a real working philosophy.

History of DevOps

In recent decades, both the world of software development and the world of IT operations have greatly improved their way of working. However currently there is a need to re-align and it is precisely from this need for re-alignment that the DevOps movement is born.

DevOps is based on a philosophy that completely transforms the way IT professionals view the stability and resilience of the system they manage, as well as their own role within the end-to-end value stream. The ”development vs. operations” is disappearing, albeit gradually, because both parties are increasingly aware that they belong to the same team and work towards the same goal.

The expression “DevOps” was born during a series of DevOps Days that began in 2009 in Belgium. Since then, the numerous DevOps events around the world and a very active online community have allowed the spread of this cultural movement. The DevOps community is committed to studying and sharing practices and technologies that enable the rapid development and implementation of quality software products and services.

Advantages of DevOps for Teams, Customers and Organisation

The main advantages of DevOps for all stakeholders involved include the following aspects:

• Customer Focus: when developing software, it is very easy to make the mistake of wanting to develop the “best software ever” and not ”the best software for the customer”. DevOps allows developers to stay on track towards customer satisfaction through continuous minor releases.
  
• Collaboration between teams: all teams involved benefit from an Agile work organisation. With the use of DevOps, this is especially the case for operations teams, which are positively influenced by the work system of the development teams, which have been working in an Agile manner for several years now.
  
• Automations: Through DevOps, different types of automation can be introduced at different levels. Automating repetitive processes leaves room for innovation and definitely benefits workflow and team processes.
  
• Accountability: all stakeholders are involved in the development and especially in the feedback process. Continuous releases allow the customer to observe the product in the making and the developers to gather opinions and requests.
  
• Speed and Quality: faster delivery, reduction in the quantity and extent of errors and increased product quality through cooperation between stakeholders.

DevOps Innovative Features

Some of the innovative features that DevOps brings to the workforce are the following;

• Integrated team
• Integrated delivery model
• Continuous Integration and Continuous Delivery

Integrated Team

Developers are no longer outside of operational management. With DevOps, developers and systems engineers in operation become integrated into a single, cohesive development team (development – Dev) and operation (operations – Ops).

Integrated Delivery Model

DevOps pushes us towards a single reference code that includes software, middleware, and operating environment. DevOps brings together what were historically different systems, in terms of management mode, release cycle or control model. With DevOps, multiple disciplines work together in a seamlessly integrated delivery model to add customer value.

Continuous Integration and Continuous Delivery

DevOps combines Continuous Integration (CI) and Continuous Delivery (CD), and its CI / CD improves the speed of meeting customer needs. It’s a question of time to market!

The 8 Benefits of Adopting the DevOps Approach

Looking at the innovative features that DevOps bring to the team mentioned above, we now conclude 8 benefits of adopting the DevOps approach:

1. Improved quality of code, products and services (fewer anomalies, higher success rate for changes, etc.)
   
2. Increased efficiency (for example, optimising the time spent on activities that create added value: unprecedented added value for the customer)
   
3. Improved time to market
   
4. Better alignment between IT and the business
5. Smaller versions delivered very quickly and very frequently
   
6. Improved productivity, customer satisfaction, staff satisfaction
   
7. Fewer risks and fewer setbacks
   
8. Long-term cost reduction

DevOps and Agile

DevOps principles and practices are absolutely compatible with Agile, indeed many think that DevOps is the logical continuation for those that decided to work with Agile approaches.

• Agile has been fundamental in improving the trust relationship between Development and Business, DevOps, also focusing on the Operation part, deals with the trust relationship between business and IT in its entirety.
• Very often Agile serves as an important support to DevOps, thanks to its focus on small teams that continuously deliver high-quality code to customers.

A traditional waterfall approach of product development is to first develop the complete product and test it in the end while an agile approach is to incorporate testing continuously, in order to find bugs in an earlier stage and resolve issues quicker.

The goal to create a continuous and collaborative workflow through the overall development process is known as the “Shift Left and the Shift Right approaches”, and those two are considered to be DevOps practices.

DevOps and ITIL

Some see DevOps as a denial of ITIL or IT Service Management. ITIL has had a large influence on generations of operations practitioners (Ops) and is a constantly evolving set of practices that encode the processes that support IT Operations, covering service strategy, design and support.

DevOps practices can be compatible with the ITIL process; however, to support the shorter technical times and higher delivery rates associated with DevOps, many areas of ITIL processes become fully automated.

Finally, precisely because DevOps requires speed in incident detection and recovery, ITIL’s service design, incident and problem management disciplines remain more important and useful than ever.

How to Get the DevOps Certification

DevOps certifications are ideal for individuals and organisations that seek an understanding of DevOps principles.

The DevOps Institute (DOI) is the continuous learning community around emerging DevOps practices.

QRP International offers DevOps certifications, designed by the DevOps Institute:

• DevOps Foundation designed for people who require a basic level of DevOps understanding.
• DevOps Leader designed for people who want to take a transformational leadership approach and make an impact within their organisation by implementing DevOps.

The DevOps qualification scheme consists of different distinct certifications: visit our DevOps page to know more.

To help you remember the 8 benefits of DevOps, we have created a very insightful infographic that sums up Why DevOps should be used. Download it now!

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