Lean is in, and it’s changing the function of tech in the organization. When IT first started, dev and ops had nothing to do with one another. Development can now be so agile that it is changing how businesses are managed, practically on the fly.
While there are a number of different factors affecting IT environments, including the demands of the CMO and the seemingly unstoppable incursion of the cloud, DevOps is on-demand IT evolution. And that is a shift worth noting.
So what exactly is DevOps? It’s the linking of two previously distinct functions, development and IT operations, for the purposes of each making the business run more efficiently. The idea is that by giving operations access to development talent tech issues can be identified and solved more efficiently. It strongly embraces the lean startup development model and is heavily influenced by agile practices. The linkage changes the dynamic of a company from development-based to development-driven. Not an easy transition to make, in culture or in process.
If you’re interested in learning more about DevOps, here are six articles to get you stated:
Inspiring: a great story about how DevOps literally transformed how HP’s LaserJet firmware team worked: http://itrevolution.com/the-amazing-devops-transformation-of-the-hp-laserjet-firmware-team-gary-gruver/
Idiot’s guide http://venturebeat.com/2013/09/30/an-idiots-guide-to-devops/ If you know nothing about DevOps or need to explain to someone else who knows nothing, this is a good starting point.
DevOps: eight critical functions http://devops.com/features/eight-critical-devops-practices-innovate-deliver-repeat/ An overview of the key functions that need to be set up for DevOps to work effectively.
Working startup lean is not always a good thing: One developer’s take http://jeffknupp.com/blog/2014/04/15/how-devops-is-killing-the-developer/ It makes a good argument that lean is not always the answer, and when misapplied can do more harm than good.
Finding the right tools: like any maturing field a crop of automation and management tools is growing around DevOps. Here are some recommended by NewRelic: http://blog.newrelic.com/2014/06/02/devops-tools/
Finally, If you want to take your DevOps knowledge past recreational, this six-part IBM series goes in for some deeper dives.
http://www.ibm.com/developerworks/views/global/libraryview.jsp?site_id=1&contentarea_by=All%20Zones&sort_by=Date&sort_order=1&start=1&end=5&topic_by=-1&product_by=-1&type_by=All%20Types&show_abstract=true&search_by=devops,%20aiello,%20sachs&industry_by=-1&series_title_by=
