Automate your way out of routine tasks
DevOps doctrine makes clear that any manual and repeatable steps -- including those in software testing and deployment -- should be automated. So, if automation is your goal, how do you make it happen? What are the processes and tools that get you there?
This handbook lays out the choices and decisions involved in meeting pipeline objectives, specifically those related to the implementation of DevOps automation tools. IT writer Will Kelly breaks down the shift to automation into three key areas: build, deployment and test. He outlines best practices within these categories, and suggests particular tools worthy of evaluation during your planning process.
Those tools will be necessary to give dev and ops teams the capabilities they need to achieve build automation, repeatable deployment and efficient testing. DevOps automation tools can help an organization create a pipeline for continuous integration -- and continuous improvement. They reinforce the best habits in developers and operations professionals, giving those teams more time and freedom to focus on enhancements to applications and processes. When an IT staff isn't focused entirely on routine tasks, there's no telling what it can innovate.
This handbook also includes articles on how companies use DevOps automation tools -- and how they perceive the plusses and minuses of these products -- as well as guidance on how to automate CI/CD processes for microservices architecture.
Automated code delivery and deployment can provide a boost to both IT efficiency and overall business goals -- if done well. Here's how to plan and execute a strategy to get started on the right path.
