What is DevOps?
Development and Operations in a Cloud Development World
DevOps Fundamentals – Defining DevOps
DevOps is a term that defines collaboration between the “Dev”, software development team, and “Ops”, the operations team. The objective is to ensure that the company’s application development team and the IT operations team work together to sort out problems quickly and efficiently.
In a traditional setting, the development team and the operations team often work independently of each other. This lack of collaboration increases the chances of errors when the product is rolled out to consumers. Even when both the development and the operations team work together, the method of building, deploying, and testing the software can take a very long time.
DevOps makes things easier by allowing developers and operations teams to work in a way that boosts productivity. In an ideal condition, the product is delivered in time, meets the user requirement, and runs optimally on the first try.
Continuous Development
Continuous development involves updating the software one piece at a time. Once the feature is updated, it is delivered to the customer. The process contrasts with traditional methods where all updates were integrated into one large batch before rolling out the newer version.
It is sometimes explained as a sustained cycle of development where developers proactively work on solving problems after gathering feedback from customers. The method generally integrates a variety of processes such as integration, continuous testing, continuous delivery, and continuous deployment.
Following is an overview of how integration works:
Continuous Integration
It is among the popular methods used by software developers to improve productivity. Software developers use it to merge their code changes in a central depository, which automates builds and tests, resulting in a quick resolution.
Historically, developers worked independently to make changes to code and merge those changes to a master branch. This made it difficult to correct errors. Since it took a lot of time to fix bugs, updating the software remained a tedious task.
Continuous integration is the answer to all these troubles because it allows developers to fix bugs quicker, roll out updates promptly, and improve software quality.
Is DevOps a Methodology?
DevOps is a method that encourages the product development team and operations team to break silos and work collaboratively to improve the workflow. According to Gur Steif, president of digital business automation at BMC, it can be described as an approach where everyone works together to build and deliver computer software.
Experts have often compared the process to an efficient assembly line where different departments collaborate to achieve a common goal. Instead of focusing on individual tasks, the team collaborates with the other departments to learn about their challenges. Together, everyone works in unison keeping in view what customers want.
The method is not only about doing the right thing but fixing things that cause delays. Delays are often attributed to a traditional setting where the development team is unduly engrossed in writing the code. As a result, unexpected errors and problems occur, which are blamed on operations. Similarly, the workplace environment and the method of product workflow prevent the operations team from communicating to IT about the outdated tools and functions that may not support the code.
In an efficient work environment, the workflow can be improved by working on small updates and testing them before rolling out new features. From a broader perspective, developers, IT teams, and stakeholders keep in touch with each other to address major problems prior to using the software in the real world.
Since everything is done in real-time and updated on a regular basis, you will routinely hear about terms such as continuous development and continuous integration.
How DevOps Is Related to Cloud?
Cloud technology allows organizations to access a range of features and functions without resorting to traditional stand-alone applications. Similarly, DevOps is also a unique method that allows everyone in an organization to work efficiently without using unproductive techniques.
In a way, these two different fields are related because one allows people to work efficiently by collaborating, while the other allows people to access resources that are otherwise not available to them.
According to recent research, IT professionals who used Cloud technology saw a boost of 53% in their performance. This performance boost is comparable to a 52% increase in efficiency when IT professionals used DevOps. However, companies that used both features experienced an increase of 81% in their performance.
Benefits of Cloud-based DevOps
Now that you have an overview of the two terms, here is how your team can benefit from the cloud:
What is DevOps in the Cloud?
- Automation: Many tools in the market offer automation for continuous deployment and related processes. Using applications such as GitLab and CircleCI, your team can increase overall productivity.
- Centralization: The cloud environment offers a centralized platform where everyone in the team can test, deploy, and monitor the software. Anyone, irrespective of the location, can easily collaborate with other team members. The cloud platform keeps the entire team on one page enabling them to track progress in real-time.
- Scalability: When new features are rolled out, developers and operations try to keep everything in sync. The cloud makes it a lot easier for everyone in the team to upscale and downscale using individual features as needed.
- Available Resources: In a cloud-based environment, builds can happen quickly as team members don’t have to wait for servers to become free. Instead, everyone can experiment more because the cloud usually provides unlimited server resources.
- Maximum Uptime: Cloud technology is well-known to offer maximum uptime without maintenance issues. It means that your team can focus on product development and testing rather than spending time and money on maintaining the platform.
Career in DevOps and Cloud Development
If you’re seeking a career in this field, you will surely find lots of opportunities. According to Global Market Insight, the industry is destined to grow exponentially in the next few years. The compound annual growth rate is 20%, which translates into $17 billion in revenues by 2026.
This role is a senior-level post that requires experience in a related IT field. Most individuals have a background in computer science. However, IT certifications and cloud development experience also count. Knowledge of Amazon Web Services, Google Cloud Platform, and Microsoft Azure is a real bonus.
According to Forbes Magazine, a DevOps career offers a lucrative income. For instance, a DevOps specialist skilled in cloud development will likely receive more than $100K even with a high school diploma. The salary level depends on your role and experience but starting salaries are often greater than $75K. In the coming years, nearly half of the IT companies will require someone who has experience in this field.
How Does DevOps Work?
A DevOps engineer usually works on a variety of different tasks at once. Engineers in both the development and operational team continuously collaborate. These teams are dictated by different sets of philosophies and methods that the parent organization adapts.
Depending on the nature of an existing project, you may work on different tasks that can range from building scripts to executing automated test cases and collaborating with the system admin. Everyday tasks can include monitoring, logging, and generating reports. DevOps engineer also coordinates with other departments that may include QA and product management.
What Is an Example of DevOps in Action?
You may have realized by now that DevOps is a diverse field, which requires multitasking and attention to detail. Depending on the nature of work, job titles and job duties can also differ significantly. To help you understand, here are some examples of what it takes to fulfill job requirements:
- You will do coding and unit testing.
- You will define and deliver service level objectives.
- Teams are involved in testing and fixing bugs on a continuous basis.
- Engineers regularly configure servers and platforms.
- The management is responsible for workflow management and streamlining the process.
In a nutshell, teams are always regularly working to analyze and improve the process. It is an ongoing process that requires scaling resources to meet demand. To improve productivity, most companies integrate cloud-based platforms and applications. As a result, you’re likely to use tools related to cloud development.