How to Ensure Successful DevOps Transformation for Modern Enterprises

DevOps transformation is relatively a new term but it has started gaining ground in the corporate sector rapidly. These days, more entrepreneurs tend to opt for digital transformation that contributes to increasing the competition. 

In such a scenario, enterprises, irrespective of their size and scale, try to figure out new ways to leverage technological advancements and stay ahead of the curve. 

One such innovative way is to bring a paradigm shift in the software development life cycle (SDLC) altogether. It is also one of the most widely used DevOps practices. 

Simply put, enterprise digital transformation needs to implement DevOps best practices based on CI (Continuous Integration) and CD (Continuous Development) to ensure faster releases. In this article, we will dig deep into the best practices for DevOps transformation. 

As the name suggests, the DevOps concept consists of development and operations. With best practices in place, companies can increase collaboration between both these teams thereby ensuring a better scenario for faster releases.

Simultaneous CI and CD processes in the pipeline make it possible. Though many companies have already gained benefits from DevOps, the best DevOps practices can ensure overall success. 

Top Practices for Enterprise DevOps Transformation

Here are the top seven practices to ensure the success of DevOps transformation. 

Alignment of Goals and Processes

DevOps development services are based on three pillars- people, processes, and tools. When it comes to completing DevOps transformation successfully, enterprises need to identify the right stakeholders for the process. 

Secondly, it is necessary to identify the right automation tools, and finally, all the processes should be aligned in a way that matches the core objectives and long-term goals of the business. 

But here, it is necessary to keep all the stakeholders updated with every phase of development processes. You can take necessary and useful inputs from them and gather information on challenges for an effective DevOps transformation. 

Monitoring CI/CD Pipelines Continuously

Successful enterprise DevOps transformation needs continuous monitoring of CI/CD pipelines. These days, advanced tools for DevOps monitoring, alerting, and visualization are available for continuous monitoring. 

It helps in identifying failures and resolves them quickly. Most monitoring tools can work well across different infrastructure including cloud and on-premise. As a result, companies can remain assured of a seamless DevOps transformation process. 

Also, continuous monitoring of the CI/CD pipeline enables teams to improve the quality of software in an efficient monitoring ecosystem. 

Use Automation Tools and Technology

The DevOps transformation process requires maximum usage of automation tools and technologies. As an integral part of DevOps processes, automation is embedded to ensure faster releases.

It further reduces time-to-market and covers the entire monitoring stage while initiating from the code generation stage. 

Many DevOps automation tools are available nowadays that enterprises can leverage. These tools help enterprises deploy applications quickly and efficiently. 

Automation brings accuracy, reliability, and consistency to the DevOps transformation process while increasing the number of releases. This results in offering more features in a reduced time.

Measure Performance Continuously

The ultimate goal of DevOps is to deliver outcomes faster to facilitate production. Therefore, it is necessary to measure the performance of the DevOps development process regularly. 

While measuring the overall performance, enterprises focus on four key metrics including Lead time, Failure Rate, Lead Time, and Mean Time to Repair (MTTR). 

Continuous measurement of these metrics enables companies to determine the team’s software delivery performance. DevOps teams can experiment with various approaches available and measure the impact by using these four metrics. 

These metrics can facilitate DevOps teams to focus more on collaboration for achieving a common goal. 

Also Read- Impact of AI and ML on Developing Enterprise Mobility Solution in 2022

Monitor Production Environment

It is imperative for enterprises to make the production environment ready to release the software for production. Once DevOps teams have written the code, tested, and built software, it is necessary to monitor the production environment proactively to ensure a seamless release of the software for production. 

If the production environment is not ready, it may remain an obstacle in the DevOps transformation process. Therefore, it is necessary to check whether the production environment is ready for the software. 

DevOps service providers can keep a check on the firewall configurations, security controls, backups and disaster recovery, and remote access, etc. 

Focus on Feedback Mechanism

The customer-centric software can satisfy customers with ease. However, still many enterprises struggle to come up with such software. 

Entrepreneurs have to find the answer to the question- how can they bring the software that can meet customer expectations effectively? The answer lies in focusing on the continuous feedback mechanism.

In DevOps, teams work collaboratively and various stakeholders including product owners, developers, and operations teams need to get the necessary data faster. Here, a continuous feedback mechanism remains handy. 

Emphasize on End-user Experience

The DevOps transformation process is about enhancing the end-user experience. Once the application is deployed in the business system, it starts interacting with existing and new systems alike. Its success hugely depends on the satisfaction of end-users at every step. 

In other words, the end-user experience is crucial even after the deployment stage like the same at the ideation or development phase. 

DevOps development service providers keep on evaluating and understanding the issues faced by users to know their priorities. This knowledge is useful in defining KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) and making the necessary changes in the solution to deliver a rich customer experience in high-quality DevOps development solutions. 

Watch Time-to-Market Carefully

Modern businesses require faster releases of high-quality deliverables. Here, the DevOps approach lends a helping hand. As software evolves with new features regularly, and DevOps CI/CD processes tend to leverage the latest automation tools, it is possible to ensure faster releases and reduce time-to-market. 

However, it is necessary for entrepreneurs and DevOps service providers to keep a close watch on Time-to-Market (TTM) so that they do not miss any deadlines. 

Opt for Serverless Architecture

Serverless infrastructure can help both developers and operations teams to focus more on building and deploying apps. Serverless architecture can effectively handle more operations and management-related tasks. 

Various cloud-based tools like Google Cloud, AWS Lambda, and Azure functions can enable DevOps professionals to meet various requirements. 

Concluding lines

The DevOps transformation process has become the need of the hour for enterprises, but then, it is a complex and ongoing process. 

This process requires a long-term commitment from both ends- entrepreneurs and DevOps service providers. Therefore, enterprises must follow the best DevOps practices and leverage the benefits of advanced solutions to take their businesses to a new level. 

Solution Analysts is a leading name for providing customized and robust DevOps development solutions to the global clientele. Our in-house teams of experienced professionals can assist you to leverage the benefits of enterprise digital transformation to take your company to a new level.