If you are planning to implement a successful DevOps strategy, you need to realize that it is related to cloud computing. This is especially true if your organization functions on a SaaS platform, or designs cloud-based applications.
To successfully implement DevOps, you must understand that the basis of its relationship lies in automating the development process. Whereas conventional platforms require weeks to months of planning using compatible hardware and software, the process takes longer, even with sophisticated virtualization.
DevOps allows you to carry out this process continuously, involving all the stages of development. This includes testing, staging, deployment, and operations of the application.
A DevOps Strategy for Success with the Cloud:
Understand Your Requirements:
Although this step may sound quite obvious to you, several organizations neglect this key initial step. For instance, at this stage, you need to decide whether you require a processor-intensive or a data-intensive application. Secondly, you need to determine whether the application would require any specialized hardware or software. Once you have determined all this, the actual process of implementation would require you to decide the core functionalities of your application, such as performance, security, governance, and monitoring.
Bear in mind that the application you wish to develop is not for a single application. It must be able to support a cloud architecture for multiple applications. Furthermore, you may also keep multiple deployment options. This would be helpful when your cloud architecture matures over time. It will help you keep your architecture viable, even with fluctuating costs for private and public cloud services.
Define Your DevOps Process:
To successfully implement your DevOps process, you must understand the results that you require. The processes vary from one organization to the next. However, at its very core, you need to have a grasp on how things change, and how to modify your strategy accordingly.
To successfully implement your DevOps you must also understand that you are offering services and not software. Accordingly, determine which traditional practices you should keep, and which to discard. The primary difference between traditional methods and DevOps is that the former was reactive, whereas the latter is proactive. Adjust your implementation strategy accordingly.
Select and Test Tools:
Remember to select tools that are compatible with public cloud services. Some tools may also require compatibility with private clouds. Thus, you should aim to select a DevOps package that works best on hybrid platforms. Any application you develop is bound to be full of complexities. Thus, make sure there is an adequate network and IT support.
This allows you to maintain functionality seamlessly and with relative ease. You should link the DevOps and the application with adequate security, monitoring, and governance features. This would help you maintain the viability of your application seamlessly. It will allow you to manage your target cloud services easily.
Focus on Automated Testing:
Ensure to work on a cloud platform that allows automated testing. The way to go about this is to leverage public and private cloud platforms focusing on automated testing. Some applications may require incorporating certain traditional on-premise applications.
Provide adequate data to create automated test scripts and allow application testing by leveraging real-time data provided by cloud monitoring. The main goal for this is to allow your application to run smoothly over the cloud and maintain its functionality. Moreover, you need to determine the expectations the user base would have for your application, and to live up to them.
Organizational Change:
A successful DevOps application has as much to do with software, as it is with the user base, the people that use them. Hiring the right personnel is of crucial importance. Moreover, simply hiring the right people does not guarantee smooth operations.
You must provide your personnel with adequate training. The training should focus on your requirements. Make a note of the skills that you require, and the skills you have in-house. Successful implementation entails bridging this gap and making minor adjustments to your current plan.
Implementation:
This is the most difficult aspect of your DevOps implementation. The most important aspect of this is to understand that you must prepare for ‘when’ the issues occur, and not ‘if’ they occur. Once you understand this, implementation will become easier.
Conclusion:
Integration of DevOps is not simply related to a particular software but also makes business operations more agile. Your target should be to implement applications that are quick to develop and employ. IT support is crucial in such cases. Remember, when implemented correctly, the value of DevOps implementation can add a lot of value to your business.
