The quantifiable results generated as a result of adopting DevOps practices into the business infrastructure are acting as a propelling force which is boosting the move towards a DevOps environment.
DevOps is all about a friction-less collaboration between the members of the development and the operations teams. It essentially helps in creating a highly responsive development environment that works in tandem with the business requirements.
According to a Coleman Parkes research, 81 percent of the business executives believe that Agile and DevOps are critical to the business’ digital transformation and 4 out of 5 businesses are currently using these practices to some degree.
In the words of Aruna Ravichandran, VP of DevOps Product and Solutions marketing at Broadcom,
“If digital transformation is the endgame in meeting customer requirements and growing the business, DevOps is the vehicle that allows you to get there.”
Business Benefits of DevOps
Adoption of DevOps practices offers varied benefits to the different stakeholders within the organization including the development team, IT operations staff, and business owners.
It is only natural for the business owners to want to ensure that the time and efforts invested in implementing DevOps within their organization bring about quantifiable business returns, Here are the key business benefits of adopting a DevOps Strategy for your organization.
1. Faster software development cycle
2. Improved interoperability among the teams
3. Continuous releases and deployments
4. Early defect detection leading to quality software development
5. Improved customer experience and greater customer satisfaction
6. Increased productivity as a result of streamlined business processes
7. Fostering innovation within the organization
8. Greater employee satisfaction
1. Improved interoperability among the teams
DevOps adoption results in breaking down of the silos in which the development and business operations teams traditionally operate in. It improves the interaction between the different teams, promotes interoperability and results in a culture of transparency that stems from the collaboration between the different team members.
DevOps allows the IT and business teams to work together collaboratively resulting in shorter feedback loops and higher business growth. Because of the interoperability facilitated by DevOps, the development efforts run in direct synchronization with the business goals.
2. Faster software development cycle
The biggest advantage of DevOps adoption to the business is the incorporation of agility. The software development cycles are shortened resulting in an enhanced ability for incorporating changes.
The speed to market is an important consideration while developing a software product in order to avoid being outpaced by the competitors. The faster development cycle ensures that the deployment of the product is accelerated while also ensuring faster correction of errors and bugs.
Use of DevOps tools and processes not only ensures higher development speeds resulting in faster delivery, it also ensures that the business processes are following the optimal direction, directly contributing to business success and increased ROI.
Related: Does Your Organization Need A DevOps Architect?
3. Continuous releases and deployments
Following the continuous integration and continuous delivery approach of DevOps, the actual deployment of the software speeds up considerably. The development process consists of shorter development cycles resulting in faster release of the code into production. Synchronization of the production cycles with the IT infrastructure also results in improved efficiency.
Another important advantage of DevOps adoption is the incorporation of automation into the organization’s development workflow. Automated testing not only speeds up the development, but it also improves the efficiency of the development process which allows for the incorporation of more innovative techniques as well as flexibility.
4. Early defect detection leading to quality software development
Defects in the software are the biggest threat to your application. DevOps facilitates early detection of defects in the code and their subsequent resolution at a significantly faster rate, resulting in improvement in the overall quality of software.
Collaboration and communication between the different stakeholders, modular programming and iterative development result in the development of a software product that is stable and of enhanced quality.
The collaborative DevOps environment fosters a culture of knowledge sharing across the teams. The automated, continuous monitoring and continuous testing of the code help improve the overall build quality. Teams are empowered to share their feedback with each other so that the defects are detected early as well as resolved early.
Since the business side does not have to wait for the incorporation of the feedback received and changes being made on a shorter notice, more stringent quality control measures can be implemented resulting in a product that provides an enhanced user experience.
5. Improved customer experience and consumer satisfaction
When the development is better and takes place at a faster rate, customer satisfaction naturally peaks. DevOps team can better serve the customers, incorporate the customer feedback in the future product iterations faster, leading to increased customer satisfaction.
DevOps results in increased agility and efficiency responding to their customer needs both proactively, as well as reactively. A satisfied and engaged customer base is directly related to improved return on investment and higher business gains.
Related: How To Deploy Faster With Fewer Errors Using DevOps Automation
6. Increased productivity as a result of streamlined business processes
The traditional waterfall method of software development involved handoffs of the software from one team to another. This increased the chances of error and slowed down the development process. The advantage with DevOps is that the collaboration among the different teams streamlines the business process. Real-time changes to the code can be incorporated and issues and opportunities can be identified at an earlier stage.
The quick incorporation of changes results in low application downtime while boosting the productivity of all the stakeholders involved in the development process. It encourages working together and working fast bringing in efficiency in the software development life cycle.
7. Fostering innovation within the organization
DevOps results in streamlining of processes, more efficient releases, and ensures quality builds. As the deployment phases are more relaxed, the teams are better rested, and there is immense scope for bringing an innovative approach for resolving issues.
DevOps makes it possible for teams to foster innovation and creativity resulting in happier, engaged and a more productive workforce. Automated deployments and standardized production environments, key aspects of the DevOps model, make deployments predictable and free people from routine repetitive tasks to go do more creative things.
8. Improved collaboration leading to employee satisfaction
A smoother and more transparent business process that promotes collaboration among the team members directly results in a happier workplace. The better the team communicates and collaborates, the greater is their efficiency and work satisfaction.
Fostering a positive work atmosphere boosts employee morale. Every team member is equally responsible for contributing to the continuous delivery chain which effectively empowers the entire team. This results in a culture of trust among the team where every individual is motivated resulting in a better output that meets the quality expectations which is delivered in a timely manner and boosts the business growth.
Closing words
Taking the DevOps approach comes with its own set of challenges. It cannot be successfully implemented in the organization by simply asking the software development team including the developers and testers to communicate and collaborate with the operations personnel and expect it to work smoothly from there.
Successful implementation of the DevOps strategy is an organization-wide phenomenon, one that requires the involvement of all stakeholders along with the incorporation of a DevOps culture and imbibing of the lean and agile principles.
Hiring talented DevOps engineers can shorten the path your business needs to take for achieving success. Curious to know how Arkenea’s software development team can empower your business? Feel free to reach out and contact us.