DevOps can be defined as the combination of practices from, on the one hand, software development and, on the other, IT operations. In a DevOps framework, operations and development engineers participate in the entire service lifecycle, from its design through the development process all the way to production support. It is also characterized by operations staff using many of the same techniques as developers for their systems work.
Another key aspect of DevOps is the breaking down of silos within an organization to promote information sharing and openness. Within DevOps, all the different teams are brought together and work in tandem to build software.
Before we look at the top three predictions on the directions DevOps will take in the near future, let’s go over some of DevOps’ fundamental principles.
Enhanced Collaboration
It just wouldn’t be DevOps without collaboration and teamwork. In the pre-DevOps world, software development was done with teams working in isolation with little visibility on what other teams were doing, even though they were working on the same product. In this type of workflow, blockers to one’s work could remain unacknowledged for long periods, affecting the entire pipeline. DevOps brings all relevant teams together to share their progress and work collaboratively in an open environment.
Quantification
In a software development pipeline, you need to measure the progress and quality of the underway work. That’s where quantification comes in. The number of tests, deployments, failures, etc., all serve as quantifying factors that can guide the development process. They also enable you to understand how DevOps can speed up and streamline software development compared to the more traditional software development practices from just a few years ago.
Automation
Automation has always been a part of the software development pipeline, but DevOps brings automation to a new level. From a DevOps perspective, if a manual task needs to be done more than once, it’s time to automate that task. DevOps aims to provide the same level of automation to all teams and processes involved in the pipeline. That achieves a higher level of consistency and efficiency, which would be impossible to obtain with more traditional practices.
Taking a Holistic Approach
DevOps promote a collaborative environment in which the boundaries between teams are erased, and everyone supports everyone else. In A DevOps framework, the entire pipeline, consisting of both development staff and operations staff and the surrounding ecosystem, is taken into account.
DevOps benefits range from decreased complexity and faster problem resolution to more productive teams and simpler management. It also enables continuous delivery and more frequent release cycles for updates and features.
Now that we have a better understanding of DevOps, let’s look at its top three trends moving forward:
A “microservice” is a part of the larger system (the software being built) that can be considered an individual unit that can be worked on as if it were a product in its own right. The DevOps framework removes unneeded complexity and ensures timely delivery while optimizing time, cost, and resources by dividing up a monolithic piece of software into smaller units. This will be a big trend moving forward.
DevSecOps takes the principles of DevOps (collaboration, quantification, automation, etc.) and applies them to the world of IT security. As the pandemic took the world by storm, more and more teams started working remotely from home. That opened up many security issues, dramatically increasing the risk of cyberattacks and the need to identify vulnerabilities quickly. That, in turn, put operational security in the spotlight, and it will likely remain in the coming years. DevSecOps adoption is already on the rise today, and that tendency will only accelerate.
Infrastructure as Code enables organizations to build and manage IT infrastructure (servers, networks, storage devices, using configuration files. Using IaC, software engineers can build a unified infrastructure simply by running a script. You can deploy the same configuration repeatedly, and you end up with the same result each time. This automated approach provides enhanced consistency and efficiency, and simplified accountability. By enabling rapid recovery and reduced downtime, among other benefits, IaC will become the new normal for infrastructure deployment.
So there you have it. DevOps has transformed the internal workings of many organizations into something more open, agile, and responsive. As we continue our relentless march towards more technological growth, DevOps and the principles it promotes will be invaluable. As it continues to enable transformational shifts in software development culture that promote open collaboration and, ultimately, industry growth, DevOps adoption will skyrocket. The result will be leaner, more manageable organizational structures and processes that make life easier for development, operations, and management.