Anyone even remotely familiar with IT has probably heard the term ‘DevOps’ before. But what exactly does it mean, and how should you use it? This article will define DevOps for you and share six of the best practices for implementation.
What is DevOps?
DevOps refers to the practice of combining the efforts of a development team with the IT operations team. Implementing the DevOps movement at your organization can speed up development and encourage higher quality output.
By encouraging communication between teams, you can create products at a faster rate. Instead of solving issues as users find them, DevOps allows your team to take a proactive approach to bugs and defects. They can find them early and resolve them quickly.
Many people refer to DevOps as a movement rather than a process. While the core of it is encouraging communication, there is a lot more to DevOps than that.
Why Use DevOps?
Implementing a DevOps environment at your organization can increase your productivity and proactivity. You will be able to deliver more, higher quality products, and your team can start taking a proactive approach towards bugs. Instead of waiting for issues to arise for users, DevOps encourages finding and fixing errors before they become problems.
Your team and your clients will have a better experience after DevOps is implemented. Clear communication leads to higher quality products and more satisfied customers. However, to receive the full benefits of DevOps, there are certain practices to follow.
DevOps Best Practices
There is much more to DevOps than the collaboration between developers and IT operators. Many DevOps gurus recommend implementing it as a cultural shift and employing specific methods to receive the full benefits of DevOps. Here are six crucial practices to use in your DevOps environment.
1. Have a Centralized Unit
Designate a central unit for the creation and operation of tools. With a centralized unit, tools and applications will be standardized and consistent. This unit will be responsible for implementation, making a more streamlined journey for development.
Place a team in charge of the central unit. That team can share helpful tools for the company and maintain those tools.
2. Shift Left with CI/CD
Continuous integration and continuous delivery help your team deliver high-quality software frequently. CI helps expose potential problems before they can affect users, and early detection always leads to better products. CD creates a more predictable delivery schedule and cuts the feedback loop between developers and users.
With CI/CD, your team will be able to focus on prevention instead of reaction. They can detect issues early and resolve them quickly. Shift these tasks left to shorten the test cycle while preserving quality.
3. Implement Test Automation
Manual testing can take a long time. Automating your tests can help increase the test frequency and quantity, meaning more bugs are found and fixed, and your team will not have to spend time repeating mundane tasks. They can focus on creating and deploying software when testing is taken care of with automation.
4. Implement Continuous Deployment
Continuous deployment involves releasing code in versions instead of all at once. There are various tools to do this, and your team can avoid becoming overwhelmed with an entire release.
5. Communicate With and Between Teams
The focus of DevOps is communication. This goes beyond the development and IT management teams. It includes everyone in your organization, as they all play an essential role in developing and deploying products.
a. Keep Everyone in the Loop
Communicate with everyone in your organization. Without clear communication, doubts, confusion, and inconsistencies become common. Avoid those complications by keeping all of your team members in the loop about developments and changes.
b. Educate
Part of maintaining clear communication is ensuring that everyone is on the same page. Anytime a new process or a cultural change is introduced, team members will have to be educated on it. Create a strong base with thorough training for your team.
c. Implement Automated Dashboards
An automated dashboard will provide data, reports, and insights into different operations, keeping your team up to date without the manual efforts of progress reports. They will be able to review changes easily, and they will have access to a holistic view of the development process.
6. Monitor the Application’s Performance After Launch
Performance determines success. Once an application is launched, your work is not over. Continue monitoring its performance to take a proactive approach.
Final Thoughts
DevOps is an incredibly helpful movement that can increase the speed and quality of your products, but without the right practices, you will not be able to see those benefits. Follow these suggestions to ensure DevOps’ success in your organization.
How Can AlleoTech Help?
If you’d like to learn more about how AlleoTech can help with your DevOps strategy, reach out to us to speak with one of our DevOps consultants. We are experienced in advising businesses on how to improve the efficiency of their development and operations teams.
For more advice or assistance with your IT infrastructure, head over to Alleo.Tech.