Even though it has been nearly a decade since the term DevOps was introduced, it’s still surrounded by a number of misconceptions. Considered a business approach that emphasizes communication, collaboration, and integration between software developers and IT operations, it seems that as these practices grow in popularity the number of misconceptions only increase. 

Countless business leaders have been able to use DevOps to increase the rate in which products are brought to market and to improve customer experience. However, there are misunderstandings regarding DevOps practices even after they are implemented.

A Set Of Automated Tools

Over the years, DevOps has earned the reputation of being an integration tool that you can simply buy. However, that couldn’t be further from what it actually is. DevOps is an assortment of practices that are implemented into an enterprise’s day to day methods. It requires businesses to do more than just purchase and execute a few new tools. DevOps is a culture shift that needs to reach each and every branch of a company in order to be successful

Practicing DevOps allows businesses to think about how to expand and monitor their applications in a whole new way. It’s an approach that focuses on the habits of collaboration, integration, faster distribution, and measuring app health by optimizing certain tools to work in your favor. Simply using tools like GitHub, Puppet, and Docker isn’t going to lead to success if the DevOps mindset isn’t put in place as well.

Requires Different Practices For Each Project

Another common misconception when implementing DevOps practices is that it requires a different set of actions for each project in development. DevOps is, in fact, the opposite as it’s an approach designed to create a process that can be applied to any project and create unification. This method of work ensures that everyone has a familiar role, leaving little room for confusion.  While the practices used in DevOps are flexible, its success relies heavily on understanding the process and engaging in repetition. 

Constantly Releasing Software

The DevOps approach is often linked to the idea of continuous delivery, which has been interpreted to mean that companies are constantly releasing new software and updates. Of course, this isn’t the case. Even the biggest enterprises can’t keep up with these kinds of expectations. While according to a recent survey from Harvard Business Review Analytic Services found that most companies find it essential to develop and produce new software quickly, there’s still debate over how often that should be.

What continuous delivery really means is that you’ve reached a point using the DevOps approach where you’re comfortable having to release updates and new software as needed. Depending on the company, this may be a few times a day or a few times a month. Etsy, for example, uses the DevOps approach to deploy 50 times per day.

It’s true that DevOps was created by engineers, but it’s certainly not a practice meant just for your tech team. On the contrary, this approach needs to be implemented in every sector of a company in order to be successful. Rather than thinking of it as a tool, those who have been successful using DevOps think of it as a company culture. As an approach that can be used by everyone from marketing to development, DevOps builds a culture of automation, distribution, and analysis that offers efficiency to your day to day operations.

A DevOps Approach Is Too Difficult

While the thought of completely changing company culture can sound intimidating, especially for those who have been in business for decades, adopting DevOps doesn’t have to be difficult. The transition is different for each business, however, the overall goal is always the same: improving communication and collaboration between software developers and IT operations. 

To make the transition process seamless, some larger companies have developed learning programs for their employees. Target, for example, implemented what they call the Dojo which is a six-week training program that allows employees to go about their day to day activities with a mentor providing them with assistance using a DevOps point of view.

Your transition will cause short disruptions in production. However, if done properly, the DevOps approach can completely transform how you do business. It’s a practice designed to not only increase revenue but to promote innovation from within.

Conclusion

DevOps enables organizations to create and improve products at a faster pace than they can with traditional software development approaches. What are you waiting for? The future is already here. If you are looking for a place to start, check out Stone Door Group’s solutions page where we can assist you with a broad array of DevOps initiatives: application containerization, microservices transformation,  and continuous integration and continuous deployment (CI/CD) to name a few.

About the Author

Darren Hoch is a Managing Partner for Stone Door Group, an IBM and Red Hat Apex partner, that specializes in enterprise DevOps cloud engineering solutions. Stone Door Group helps enterprises of all sizes with their digital transformation initiatives. To talk to Darren and learn more how Stone Door Group can help, drop us a line at: letsdothis@stonedoorgroup.com.