Custom Application Development and the Concept of DevOps
In traditional technology organizations, there is a distinct line between software engineering, IT operations, and quality assurance. Each of these areas works independently on the service lifecycle. Now, the advancement in technology has made way for increased collaboration between these three departments. It is the era of DevOps, a single set of tools that encompass all aspects of the software development lifecycle.
The origins of DevOps
Andrew ‘Clay’ Shafer and Patrick Debois are the two brains responsible for coining the term ‘DevOps’ and emphasizing its importance in service delivery. The roots of DevOps can be traced to the Agile System Administration movement and the Enterprise Systems Management (ESM) movement in the early 2000s. The IT community was unhappy with traditional modes of service delivery, they wanted a more efficient way to decrease lead times, errors, and failures. Shafer and Debois’s discussions at an Agile conference in 2008 led to the beginning of numerous “DevOps days” across the world. Thus surfaced the concept of DevOps and increased its visibility in the technology sector.
What exactly is DevOps?
DevOps is a cultural phenomenon where engineers from operations and developers collaborate to ensure faster delivery of service. The collaboration is continued throughout the service lifecycle, with both departments making use of the same tools and techniques.
DevOps focuses on how the work is carried out more than the process itself. It ensures a smooth flow of communication between different teams such as development, administration, quality assurance, leadership, security, and others involved in the service lifecycle. The goal of all these teams is the same despite their different working styles.
Key features
The shift in culture and mindset is a key part of succeeding with DevOps. Teams are full of multiple skill sets to ensure new skills are merged with the old for faster deployment of services. For example, a software program sent to the QA team may be sent back to the development team with a list of bugs. The development team, in turn, may accuse the QA team of not testing properly. This back and forth costs the company time and money. If both teams are trained in at least the basics of each other’s skills, the job would be completed faster and would help to ensure respect and courtesy between departments.
Here, it is essential to understand what works for the business as a whole, not just for a single department. Therefore, the responsibility of the success or failure of a service lies with all involved. Irrespective of the team and the technology involved, all are equally responsible for the delivery of the service.
The present and future of DevOps
The primary objectives of DevOps are,
- Faster deployment of services
- Shorter time-to-market
- Fewer failures
- Decreased expenditure
- More time for innovation
These objectives are essential for organizations that develop new cross-functional apps and multi-purpose apps almost every day. Organizations that use DevOps have noted a significant improvement in their productivity, efficiency, reliability, and growth.
Continuous delivery can be achieved by implementing DevOps in an organization. It means that a software application or program is ready for production as and when its individual components are developed. DevOps can optimize custom application development, web application development, and so on.
Owing to improvement in quality, speed, and testing, DevOps can be used by your organization to gain a competitive edge in the market. Using Amzur’s Custom App Development Services, which also focuses on DevOps, your organization can streamline its business and connect better with customers. Thus, you can transform it from a simple development company to a technological powerhouse.
Learn more about Amzur’s DevOps services
President & CEO – Growth Markets
