In the last few years, a new delivery model, DevOps, has emerged as an effective and efficient way to build solutions for an increasingly digital world. But what exactly is DevOps, and why is it important for your enterprise?
In its most straightforward description, DevOps is the set of techniques and best practices that make it easier to develop, deploy, and manage applications in an automated manner. It helps an organization develop new applications more quickly and efficiently by coordinating all departments' work and technology resources.
We see five key trends that will propel DevOps forward in 2021.
Adoption in the Enterprise
Five years ago, there was a radical thought process in IT: "What if we do things differently and embrace DevOps methodology?"
DevOps is a cross-functional approach to developing software across the entire software life cycle, from the coding phase through the testing and deployment process to infrastructure and operations management. Its core principles are freedom, flexibility, agility, and transparency.
There has also been a shift in how business applications development is done, from teams targeting smaller, short-term projects to those targeting long-term revenue. With DevOps teams, these opportunities have been extended in the sense that teams are not restricted to one particular part of the business; they can work on a wide variety of projects that have the potential to increase the bottom line.
Cloud Services
Cloud providers have become both the driving force behind the DevOps concept and the biggest source of frustration for developers. There are many ways that DevOps is continually changing to accommodate cloud-based applications better. Cloud providers have to be able to provide a tool that is responsive to developers' needs. While the following tips offer ways to create a better environment for development, they also show just how vital DevOps is to cloud providers.
As cloud adoption continues to rise, DevOps is only becoming more necessary for modern-day businesses. DevOps is the perfect way for organizations to adapt to change and grow.
Cloud providers offer DevOps tools to create a more professional and seamless experience for their cloud users. The cloud providers that provide DevOps tools often provide advanced capabilities as well, such as support for containers, multi-cloud deployments, and more.
Tools
DevOps teams often rely on tools that make their lives easier while not as central to DevOps as dedicated automation tools. A few of the DevOps tools that we have observed and reported on recently include:
- Monitoring: Tools like JIRA help create DevOps environments. JIRA has enabled organizations to keep track of tasks, projects, and backlogs, but it also allows teams to communicate on a high level. Using cloud providers can make this process easier. However, it is essential to note that while the Cloud Protector component is a functional tool, it doesn't provide the same automation level as JIRA.
- Deployment: Many cloud providers offer native tools that make it easy to deploy applications and services. If a deployment is not automated, teams will need to create and maintain a complicated and tedious toolchain. Setting up this toolchain may seem like a lot of work, but it is often worth the effort.
- Automation: DevOps tools allow teams to automate IT and cloud management tasks. For example, Amazon ECS will enable users to set up complex workflows. It's a useful tool for teams to follow as they make changes to configurations, deploy applications, and make changes to the design itself.
In addition to these categories is an ever-increasing number of Open Source tools, such as Kubernetes, that DevOps teams can leverage.
Training
The demand for DevOps workers is only growing. According to the 2018 State of DevOps Report, which surveyed 4,700 IT professionals from businesses that deploy at least one DevOps-based software release in the past year, respondents expect the need for professionals with DevOps skills to increase by 56 percent from 2017 to 2022.
However, DevOps skills are hard to come by. A 2017 Stack Overflow survey found that while 70 percent of respondents think DevOps skills are increasing in importance, only 2.8 percent of respondents believed that DevOps skills are "filled." A similar survey by DXC Technology found that only 13 percent of businesses have enough DevOps talent to support business objectives.
The good news is that there are ways to learn DevOps skills through certifications and professional development courses such as Simplilearn's DevOps Engineer Master's Program. These courses aren't nearly as expensive as you might think.
Interested to begin a career in DevOps? Enroll now for the DevOps Certification Course. Click to check out the course curriculum.
Pandemic Effects
Unfortunately, the global COVID-19 pandemic has changed how we work with each other. The demand for digital solution delivery is up significantly due to the need to use tablets and computers to interact with people.
Optimistic expectations show the pandemic easing up in the summer. With that said, expect travel restrictions to stay in place for much of the year. The outcome will be increasing demand for digital solutions and an increasing need for DevOps skills to implement them.
No matter how you look at it, DevOps is here to stay. As this shift continues, we will see more and more businesses fully embracing the DevOps methodology to help scale their businesses and enhance their digital transformation efforts. To prepare your enterprise for success, look into upskilling your key application development and deployment team members with courses like the DevOps Engineer Master's Program.
