Many people wonder why DevOps is important and whether it’s possible to build a successful software project without DevOps. Approaching software development without DevOps is like trying to fly a kite in a hurricane; even if it gets off the ground, chances are it’ll soon get caught in its web of complexity and eventually crumble altogether.
The purpose of this article is to explain the basic practices, principles and theory behind DevOps solutions as well as to show you the main benefits of this practice.
What is DevOps?
DevOps is a way of engineering that aligns people, processes and tools to work in lasting and efficient ways. DevOps is the bridge that connects the two shores: software development and operations. It is the key to unlocking the full potential of both teams and delivering better products faster while achieving high-quality software.
DevOps relies on bodies of knowledge from Lean theory, Toyota Production System, safety culture and resilience engineering. In addition, DevOps takes its roots from organizational change management, servant leadership and high-trust management cultures.
Still, the responsibilities of DevOps engineers and their work might vary depending on the specifics and size of the project as well as the practices and approaches of different companies.
Four reasons why DevOps is important
Reason 1: DevOps has seductive speed, not a snail’s pace
In the contemporary fast-paced world, slow is a new sinful. To survive and not face “extinction”, your time to market should be fast. DevOps is an accelerant that moves your business ahead of the competition thanks to the optimization of processes. It’s like a high-speed train that refuses to stop at the “procrastination” station. In practice, it means that your customers can get the latest and the greatest features sooner. Consequently, thanks to this, you can get a business advantage over your competitors.
According to statistics, 68% of companies that implement DevOps are experiencing an increase in development speed. Among them, 42% stated that the velocity of development has increased “a great deal” after the incorporation of DevOps practices. Pretty impressive results.
Reason 2: DevOps can tame chaos and fight inefficiency
When chaos reigns, profits drop, and business owners lose control of what is going on in their companies. DevOps helps to avoid that thanks to the implementation of proactive strategies that make the disjoint processes become smooth and efficient.
Let’s take a simple example not from IT sphere. Imagine that you need to cut the grass at your lawn. There are plenty of ways to reach this goal. You can hire several people and they will cut it with scissors. You can buy several cows and they will eat the grass at your lawn in several days. Or you can buy an automatic lawn mower and not to think about this problem ever again. Here, the answer is simple and obvious. However, in the complex technical projects, it is difficult to understand which way is correct. DevOps can help to handle this problem, showing you the right way to efficiency and success. In other words, there is no need to work hard, if you can work smart and get the same result.
Reason 3: DevOps can be a significant cost-fighter
DevOps minimizes manual labor, replacing it with efficient automation of mundane and repetitive tasks. It saves time and resources and helps to minimize rework and unnecessary risks.
Just think by yourself. What would be more efficient? To pay ten Manual Testers or hire an Automation Engineer and DevOps instead, to automate and optimize all the processes on your project, while also making things work better.
Besides, with DevOps, you can say goodbye to those colossal infrastructure expenditures. Thanks to containerization and cloud computing, it becomes possible to adapt to demand and scale down or up with surgical precision.
In addition, analytics and monitoring tools can give you unparalleled insights into your systems, helping to identify bottlenecks and inefficiencies before they take your budget.
Reason 4: DevOps can help people to collaborate
In the past Development and Operations Teams often worked in isolation without having a helicopter view of the entire process. However, it’s impossible to build a successful complex project without collaboration.
DevOps destroys the walls between departments, promoting teamwork, continuous communication and a culture of shared responsibility. The collaboration that DevOps provides is like a glue that connects the people in the team together, encouraging common problem-solving, instead of pointing fingers and blaming each other.
Besides, DevOps engineers often use collaboration and communication tools (for example, version control systems, issue tracking systems and chat platforms) that significantly simplify the process of documentation, tracking and collaboration in teams. In other words, DevOps has everything to make your project successful.
Collaboration with DevOps is similar to collaboration in team sports. Only if the whole team with diverse roles collaborates well, it can win the game. The same applies to software development.
Conclusion
We hope that after reading this article, you don’t ask anymore why DevOps is important, but rather clearly see that this practice is efficient and beneficial.
DevOps is that secret ingredient that turns your bland, mediocre software stew into a spicy, gourmet dish that your customers can’t get enough of. It’s not just a tool, it’s the chef’s kiss in the world of IT.
DevOps-powered organizations will ultimately succeed. These businesses will be the ones capable of creating innovative products and services more quickly than their rivals; adapt to change quickly; and remain ahead of their game no matter the market circumstances.
DevOps is the future, and your willingness and readiness to adopt it will determine its success for your project.
