The term DevOps has been around nearly as long as Twitter. The phrase took off in 2009, just a couple of years after the social media network began its rise in popularity. Yet while a U.S. presidential election has been defined by Twitter in that time span, many IT departments are still figuring out just how to make DevOps work for them.
You don't have to look hard to find a DevOps definition. Although it once may have sounded like a random mishmash of two abbreviations, anyone who follows the evolution of IT departments understands now that DevOps is the melding of development and operations teams to create that well-oiled pipeline you read about so often.
The benefits of DevOps can be significant -- a faster, more nimble product rollout can lead to greater profits and improved problem-solving in an organization. These advantages have not gone unnoticed as more and more businesses turn to a DevOps deployment; a 2016 RightScale survey found that 74% of all businesses are adopting DevOps, and that number goes up to 81% for large enterprises.
But DevOps can mean different things to different organizations. So in this handbook, we wanted to hear from IT managers who have led successful DevOps deployments and find their secret roadmaps. Business and technology writer Alan Earls spoke with several DevOps adopters who, for starters, advised that a commitment to a conservative plan is a wise route. They also encouraged adopters to remember that it is people who need to adjust in a DevOps deployment, not a piece of technology.
DevOps practitioners also preach patience. It will take some time to get going on your DevOps adoption roadmap; after all, not everything can be accomplished in 140 characters.
