Learn to live the new culture – get the most out of DevOps

For the past few years, the IT world has been quite loud about DevOps and its role in the development of IT operations. And it has indeed been a game changer for all organizations that have adopted it. Still, it is not that easy to figure out how to smoothly implement it. No matter how big changes the shift may require, DevOps soon needs to become the core of all well-working IT operational cultures. So, how does DevOps help us exactly?

The missing pieces of the full product

Many believe that a product is complete once the developer finishes typing, but this is far from the truth. A fully working product is still a good way down the road from there, in terms of both time and competences. There needs to be a connection between development and operation on several levels. Read on to see how DevOps fill this void.

Developers translate a given vision to the language of the computer. This translated vision (i.e. the software) is like a brain, it executes different tasks and solves certain problems. However, the brain cannot live without of a body. In terms of IT, this means that the software needs to be inserted into an infrastructure in a way that ensures they work together seamlessly. What’s more, an IT product will have at least three different bodies in its lifecycle. Just think of the development environment, the test environment, and the production environment.

After the developer is finished with a task, the new code must go through comprehensive testing. This also adds to the tasks and, therefore, the time between the end of development and the deployment of the product. Decreasing this timeframe can generally be assisted by the automation of known steps in development and testing. Its greatest advantage is that it helps with quality code check, replacing the need for manually combing through the lines. But automation is also a body that needs to work together with the brain/product.

Last, but not least, keeping up with the freshest technologies is imperative for a company and its product(s) to remain competitive and relevant. But who has time for this, when developers and testers are trying to finish and perfect the code as fast as possible?

DevOps to the rescue

While developers have in-depth knowledge of one or more programming languages, the testers know the intended operation of the product, DevOps experts complement them with familiarity with various technologies, frameworks, automation processes and so on. DevOps:

• deploys the system for test automation, as the tester usually does not have the requisite knowledge for this;
• helps decrease the time between the end of development and the implementation of the product, by introducing the right tools (including automation where it makes sense);
• works out the kinks of adopting new technologies, languages, code metrics, etc., as the developer’s time is too valuable to spend on this step; and
• uses its knowledge of IT infrastructure to help prepare the environments and the product for each other.

In other words, DevOps helps with things that used to be executed manually or not by the right resources. It greases the wheels and connects development to operation, so you have a fully operational product in the live environment delivered within the assigned timeframe.

We are here to help

The goal of ABRIS is to provide all the support in the transformation to the DevOps mindset. As Viktor Weininger, the company’s Core Banking Manager put it,

‘The expansion of DevOps makes it increasingly crucial to banking operation. ABRIS is ready to fulfil all the needs through consultation services, its existing products, and a new tool that is to be launched this year. We are ready to help in every situation and create unique solutions for all our customers.’