Everybody knows they need DevOps, and everybody knows they need automation. Both have shot to the surface as necessities in the quest to future-proof your business. However, the two intertwine and complement each other more than you may think. In particular, automation could catalyse DevOps efforts, making for quicker, more controlled software development.
The purpose of DevOps is clear: to innovate and speed up time to market. However, what if you could go even faster?
Automation equals innovation
Automation, as we all know very well, takes over monotonous, repetitive tasks for your employees. As a result, they can repurpose their focus on more meaningful, higher value tasks.
Unfortunately for DevOps, there are a lot of responsibilities to carry out. This includes setting up and configuring software, as well as testing and validating data, all while adhering to security best practices. What's more, the expectations of DevOps are such that releases are more frequent. As a result, they have a shorter window of time to test and ensure quality. In short, DevOps have a lot on their plate.
Thus, it's no wonder that organisations are exploring automation to boost DevOps. Firstly, by minimising the manual work involved, you reduce the risk of human error. Therefore, by automating replication and code processes, you can counteract the likelihood of mistakes. This begs the message that, for companies who are hesitant to invest in automation, it's just a hurdle you must overcome. The cost of human error will be far more and result in unhappy clients.
Not to keep steering the negative scenarios, but automation can also be a godsend in the event of recovery. In particular, it will speed up recovery time and get you back on track much quicker.
Approaching your automation
However, it's not about simply automating everything and anything. With DevOps, you need to strike a balance and prioritise what processes will undergo automation. Remember, DevOps was born out of an evident need for the team and culture it comes with and will always be heavily characterised by human input.
It needn't be a stressful endeavour to automate your DevOps either. There are a number of great offerings out there which can help you make the most out of DevOps automation. Therefore, if you're unsure how to navigate your automation needs, you can leave it to the experts. We like Sonatype's offering for DevSecOps, which promises to "infuse automated governance into every phase of your CI/CD pipeline." Thus, you can enjoy quicker releases with less risk.
If, like us, you just can't get enough of DevOps, then make sure you check out All Day Devops, taking place on 6 November. In particular, you can take advantage of the 150 practitioner-led sessions on offer.
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