The use of DevOps is a hot topic at the moment and there are endless tutorials or tools which allow you to manage the process. This article isn't about that, it doesn't advocate for DevOps one way or the other, it is written to explain what DevOps actually is and remove the buzzwords.
Then discuss what you as an IT director can do to manage a development process and what the common problems are from visibility of whats actually going on to issue investigation and resolution. All of this is within a cloud context where the problems are usually described as code vs infrastructure.
DevOps is meant to bridge the gap between a development team and an operations team and provide continuous release cycles. It's a set of practices and automation throughout the software development lifecycle. Understanding the nuances of DevOps, especially in the context of AWS and Azure, is crucial for IT Directors navigating the complexities of modern cloud-based systems.
DevOps, short for Development and Operations, is a collaborative approach to software development that seeks to break down traditional silos between software development, IT operations, and quality assurance. It's related to NoOps, see our article on that subject here. It emphasises communication, collaboration, and integration between these functions to streamline the entire software delivery lifecycle. The aim of any DevOps process should be to streamline the process from development to production and move through the stages in between.
So that's the press release definition, but in the real world, this means automation of the different stages and DevOps pipelines from source control to production. If you are an IT manager in a business that provides software to your customers then this all sounds wonderful, but what are the stages involved and where can it go wrong?
Then we can take a look at how you can embrace DevOps and NoOps without losing control of architecture and costs.
DevOps pipelines are a key component of the DevOps methodology, representing a set of automated processes that facilitate the continuous delivery of software. These pipelines orchestrate the steps involved in building, testing, and deploying applications, streamlining the software delivery lifecycle. A typical DevOps pipeline includes the following stages:
Code: Developers commit their code changes to a version control system (e.g., GitHub). The pipeline monitors this repository for changes.
Build: The pipeline automatically triggers the build process, compiling the source code and creating executable artifacts.
Test: Automated testing, including unit tests, integration tests, and sometimes performance or security tests, is performed to ensure the quality of the code.
Deploy: Once the code passes the tests, the pipeline deploys it to a staging environment for further testing and validation.
Release: If the application performs well in the staging environment, the pipeline can release it to production. This stage may include additional checks and approvals. (Automation of this stage often causes problems, its useful to have a manual action included once approved)
Monitoring: Continuous monitoring is an integral part of DevOps pipelines. It involves tracking the application's performance, identifying issues, and providing feedback loops for improvement.
Key benefits of DevOps pipelines include automation, consistency, and the ability to rapidly deliver software updates. Continuous integration and continuous delivery (CI/CD) pipelines, in particular, play a crucial role in achieving a continuous and automated software delivery process, allowing organisations to respond quickly to changing requirements and deliver software in a more efficient and reliable manner.
Overall DevOps is described by different people in different ways, generally, it refers to the process of streamlining and automating your software development and IT operations processes. However, some people argue that it only includes the middle two pillars on the diagram above (They see source control as a traditional IT function and the underlying architecture as not related to development processes), others it's the whole process.
There is then a grey area which surrounds the cloud infrastructure that the application runs on. This then becomes the first problem area.
Complexity and Specialization:
Evolution of Cloud Services:
Vendor-specific Implementations:
Shift in Responsibilities:
Security and Compliance Concerns:
Addressing the grey area in cloud infrastructure within DevOps involves strategies like dedicating specialized teams for infrastructure management, adopting automation for infrastructure as code (IaC), and fostering collaboration between development and operations teams. Clear delineation of responsibilities and continuous learning about evolving cloud technologies are essential for successfully navigating this grey area and ensuring a robust and efficient DevOps process.
As an IT director overseeing a SaaS business or working in a corporate IT department, navigating the post-migration landscape presents a distinct set of challenges that demand strategic attention. The completion of a cloud migration and redevelopment often unveils challenges in crucial areas, and as part of the management team, it's essential to address these issues effectively. Here are key facets that IT directors commonly encounter:
1. Performance: After a cloud migration, ensuring optimal system performance becomes paramount. Variations in application performance, latency issues, and unexpected bottlenecks may surface, necessitating a thorough performance analysis and optimization strategy.
2. Cost Management: Controlling and optimizing costs in the cloud environment is a perpetual challenge. The dynamic nature of cloud services can lead to unforeseen expenses. Effective cost management strategies, such as resource optimization and budget monitoring, are crucial for financial sustainability.
3. In-House Knowledge: The shift to the cloud often requires a corresponding shift in the skill sets of the in-house team. Gaps in knowledge related to cloud technologies, best practices, and security measures can impede operations. IT directors need to facilitate ongoing training programs to bridge these knowledge gaps and empower the team with the necessary expertise.
4. Ownership of Problems: In a cloud environment, the delineation of responsibilities between the cloud service provider and the internal team can sometimes be ambiguous. Establishing clear ownership of problems and ensuring a seamless collaboration between the internal team and the cloud provider is crucial for effective issue resolution.
5. Cloud Services Lifecycles: Managing the lifecycle of various cloud services, including updates, patches, and version upgrades, is a continuous challenge. Keeping abreast of changes in the cloud ecosystem, understanding service deprecations, and planning for service transitions are essential to maintaining a resilient and up-to-date infrastructure.
Recognizing these challenges is the first step for an IT director to proactively address them. Implementing robust monitoring and analytics tools, fostering a culture of continuous learning, and establishing clear communication channels between the team and cloud service providers are instrumental in overcoming these challenges and ensuring the sustained success of the cloud-based SaaS business.
In theory, infrastructure as code has several advantages:
In practice, this approach often falls down for several reasons not least of which is that often the different environments are not the same for a reason and also keeping the scripts up to date creates a large overhead. Any small change to the infrastructure settings or sizes has to be reflected in the scripts.
Also one of the biggest use cases for this is that you are constantly deploying your cloud infrastructure rather than modifying it over time as it evolves. These scripts are useful to give a baseline environment, but as things progress they get more and more out of date unless time and resource is dedicated to keeping them up to date.
As such separating out and your infrastructure management and DevOps starts to make more sense. Unless you are doing a lot of installs and the environment is stable and doesn't change. But when has that ever been true!
In a word, YES! I have to say it should be, developers don't want to manage infrastructure. Also you want to separate the platform from the code base. This enables you to answer questions like. is it infrastructure or is it code when there is an issue.
Problems emerge when DevOps teams are tasked with managing infrastructure alongside their development responsibilities. The complexity of cloud platforms like AWS and Azure demands specialized knowledge in networking, security, and infrastructure scaling. DevOps teams might find themselves stretched thin, juggling both application development and infrastructure management.
One fundamental principle for successful DevOps in AWS and Azure is the separation of concerns, particularly in managing cloud infrastructure. The stability of the foundation is pivotal for the success of any DevOps initiative. Cloud resources, such as servers, databases, and networks, need dedicated attention distinct from the application code.
We have the experience you need to provide stable cloud infrastructure and get to the root of problems as quickly as possible. We can extend your existing team and help you get back to your roadmap instead of firefighting at every turn.
The CloudOps cloud management platform offers a comprehensive suite of services and expertise to empower your DevOps endeavors, allowing you to focus on innovation and development without the constant challenges of managing and troubleshooting your cloud infrastructure. Here's how CloudOps can help you concentrate on DevOps:
1. Dedicated Cloud Team:
2. Multi-Cloud Rollup: (AWS, Azure, GCP, Hybrid)
3. Continuous Monitoring & Alerting:
4. Application Monitoring:
5. Infrastructure as Code (IaC) Support:
6. Stable Infrastructure / Cost-Effective:
7. Security and Compliance:
8. Empower Development Team:
9. Release Process Control:
We are confident we can help your team stay on track or get you back on track.
Why? Because we have done it for others, read our case studies and find out how.
IG CloudOps' cloud management platform is plug-and-play for both AWS & Azure making cloud adoption even easier and more secure. Our platform allows companies to quickly manage solutions while maintaining the highest levels of security and compliance – all in a cloud environment that is optimised for sustainability.
We also have a team of cloud experts available for the support and advisory services you need on demand.
Contact us below to learn more about how we can help your company make DevOps in Azure & AWS simpler, faster, and more sustainable.
Or if you want to find out more about our CloudOps platform book a test drive.