Digital Transformation Requires DevOps, Now More than Ever
Beth Busenhart
The pace of digital transformation is now accelerating, driven by a new normal with digital connectivity at the core. For organizations that may not be far along their transformation journey, it's time to take a fresh look at DevOps as a way to build agility and speed.
There’s not a single path to DevOps. You can’t buy DevOps or download it to your phone. DevOps is about transforming your people, your processes, and your technology. It breaks down silos, automates time-consuming processes, and gets your whole organization aligned around common goals. It starts with culture and leadership.
Curating the DevOps culture
The creative culture of software development is unique and sometimes at odds with the more restrained and deliberate culture of IT operations. Building, testing, and deploying new software requires the allocation of infrastructure resources, which historically has happened through IT service tickets. As anyone who has submitted a ticket to IT can testify, the process can be long as the ticket gets routed to the appropriate team for execution.DevOps brings operations and development teams together in small teams with end-to-end responsibility for specific applications — from concept to production. That means that developers, testers, platform architects, and system administrators work together toward the same objectives. It also requires a commitment to a consistent set of cloud-native tools and processes with a keen eye toward automating everything you can.
Source: Interop, "2019 State of DevOps Research Report," May 2019[/caption]
This can be a big shift for teams, and it requires strong leadership and a commitment to going all-in on DevOps. Inevitably, there will be missteps and a clear vision can keep the team on track. When done well, it adds up to reductions in employee burnout and a better work/life balance for everyone.
Not to mention the advantages it brings to your business.
DevOps and your competitive edge
By removing barriers to creativity, DevOps helps you accelerate digital transformation with a focus on innovation.
Source: CB Insights, "State of Innovation," 2018[/caption]
More features, more functionality — Customers, of course, always expect newer/faster/better digital capabilities and disruptive competitors are always ready to step in and take your place. With software at the core of product and services, innovation is driven at the speed of your DevOps teams. High-performing companies are three times more likely to be the first movers to launch new products and services. And they can quickly add features to existing products in weeks, rather than years.
Source: Digital Enterprise Journal, "11 Key Insights Shaping IT Operations in 2018: Research Study," 2018[/caption]
Faster time to market —With automation around infrastructure processes, testing, and deployment, software releases can take minutes instead of hours or days. Increasing the number of software releases is a key indicator of success, with leading companies shifting toward a cycle of continuous optimization. DevOps brings results with higher quality, quicker fixes, and lower costs.
Building the case for DevOps.
We recently completed a new eBook that can help you build the business case for DevOps in your organization. Why DevOps and why now? lays out the rationale for moving to DevOps. I’d encourage you to read it and share it with those in your organization who might be DevOps skeptical.Nobody does DevOps in a vacuum and it’s important to surround yourself with partners that can steer you down the right path. That’s where NetApp comes in. We’re progressing down the DevOps path ourselves and are more than willing to share what we’ve learned. Our entire portfolio of products—from our services to our cloud solutions to our storage and infrastructure systems—are designed with DevOps and cloud-native technologies in mind. Our recent announcement of Project Astra is the icing on the cake, with a bold new vision of data management for Kubernetes applications.
As you accelerate your digital transformation, commit to DevOps today. You won’t be sorry and you won’t look back. Read the full report, Why DevOps, And Why Now?
Beth Busenhart
Beth Busenhart is a customer experience maven at NetApp. She has more than 15 years of experience in a variety of dynamic industries, including media, technology, and private equity; the through-line is her passion for delivering innovative technology solutions that transform the customer experience. Beth is a data-driven, strategic thinker who excels at breaking a big vision down into an actionable plan. At NetApp, she enjoys helping customers understand how their IT strategy is crucial to achieving business outcomes. Outside of work she can be found on the ski slopes or a yoga mat.
