DevOps is a smart way to integrate software development and IT operations, hence the term. By using automated tools and collaboration, DevOps speeds up software delivery, improves quality, and ensures reliability. Think of it as a hybrid approach that streamlines workflows by making them smoother and faster. With DevOps, companies can innovate quicker, reduce downtime, and adapt easily to changes, making it essential for today’s tech-driven businesses. With DevOps, the complicated and time-consuming model of giving and receiving feedback to and from the development and operations team is now redundant. Advancements in this field allow for a streamlined flow of communication, as shown by its symbol, the infinity sign. This technology makes developing, testing, and releasing software more reliable and accelerated.
Keep reading to learn how DevOps evolved into what it is today, its current trends, its best practices, and the future outlook of DevOps.
DevOps Evolution
The evolution of DevOps began in the early 2000s and continues to the present and beyond. Let’s examine the key milestones in DevOps evolution and how it became what it is today.
The Agile Movement
The emergence of Agile methodology, based on five steps: define, design, build, test, and release, came to the forefront in the early 2000s. The need for much better collaboration between development and operations teams was realized during this time. A tech writer from a LinkedIn article states, “Agile set the stage for DevOps by emphasizing rapid development cycles and customer-centricity.”
Continuous Integration (CI)
CI became popular in the mid-2000s as developers regularly merged code into a shared repository, automating builds and tests to reduce integration problems and detect and fix bugs faster.
Continuous Deployment (CD)
Building on the success of CI, Continuous Deployment emerged in the early 2010s, automating the release of software changes to production to swiftly and reliably deliver code changes, further speeding up the development cycle.
Infrastructure as Code (IaC)
IaC took off in the early 2010s, transforming infrastructure management by letting teams define and control infrastructure with code. This streamlined processes, cut errors, and made infrastructure scalable and repeatable.
Microservices
Microservices gained traction in the early 2010s, splitting applications into smaller, independent services for easier development, deployment, and scaling, aligning with DevOps principles.
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Containerization
Docker’s 2013 release popularized containerization, allowing developers to package applications and dependencies into containers for consistent environments, smoother deployments, and scaling.
DevSecOps
DevSecOps emerged circa 2017, integrating security throughout the DevOps cycle to bolster application security from planning through deployment.
These key practices and innovations have shaped the evolution of DevOps, driving improved collaboration, efficiency, and reliability in software development and operations. Fast-forward to today, major companies like Netflix, Amazon, Etsy, Target, Facebook, and Adobe utilize DevOps to keep their businesses running smoothly.
If you are more of an auditory/visual learner, there is a quick video about the history of DevOps with a twist.
Current Trends
DevOps continues to grow in 2024 as automation, security, and scalability advancements grow. Key trends such as AI integration, the cloud, microservices, GitOps, and DevSecOps are reshaping how development and operations teams collaborate, ensuring faster and more secure software delivery. In our ever-changing technology landscape, these types of innovations are what we need to continue pushing forward.
AI and DevOps
We all know that AI is permeating the world of technology, and tech gurus have found ways to integrate it to make our lives and jobs easier. Combining AI with DevOps is pushing businesses toward greater efficiency and scalability.
In an article from LinkedIn on how AI is transforming DevOps, the author lists ten benefits of integrating AI with DevOps.
- Enhanced automation
- Predictive analysis
- Continuous integration and delivery
- Intelligent resource management
- Enhanced security
- Intelligent incident response
- Data-driven decision making
- Scalable infrastructure management
- Facilitated collaboration
- Continuous learning and improvement
The author states, “By leveraging AI-driven automation, analytics, and decision-making capabilities, organizations can enhance efficiency, scalability, and reliability across the software delivery lifecycle.”
Companies across the globe are embracing AI and how it can join DevOps to revolutionize the tech industry.
The Cloud and DevOps
Another trending technology that organizations and businesses leverage the power of is the cloud. When DevOps joins forces with the cloud, it creates a more dynamic tech solution.
By incorporating cloud-native technologies, DevOps practices become more agile, resilient, and scalable, ultimately leading to faster innovation and a more responsive development process.
According to tech experts at Aspire Systems, “Reports have claimed that over 32% of organizations were using the Cloud-Native approach before the onset of the pandemic, with the number rising to about 55% the following year. With the power of Containerization, Cloud-Native technology has the potential to decrease the stress on infrastructure and minimize security risks.”
Using this type of technology has certainly revolutionized the way businesses do business. Now, blend the power of Cloud-Native with DevOps, and they have a well-oiled machine with undeniable benefits. They have a symbiotic relationship, helping each other create exactly what we need. The author with Aspire Systems shares just exactly how they benefit each other:
“DevOps leverages the flexibility and scalability of cloud computing to automate the software development and deployment process, enabling businesses to deliver high-quality applications at a faster pace. At the same time, DevOps has helped cloud computing evolve, with its focus on automation and collaboration driving the development of new cloud-based tools and services.”
Overall, the combination fosters a synergistic relationship where both technologies enhance each other, leading to a more streamlined and powerful tech solution.
Microservices and DevOps
Microservices are particularly well-suited for large and complex applications where agility, scalability, and maintainability are important. They are typically used with tools like Docker and Kubernetes to manage services efficiently. Simply put, they break an application into multiple “micro” services. Microservices ensures that if there is a major issue with one part of the application, it won’t affect others.
In an article by BMC, the author points out that DevOps and microservices are “tailor-made” for each other. She states, “The role microservices play in DevOps includes streamlining the DevOps process and increasing productivity and quality of the application while moving developments to a flexible architecture. This leads to developing cloud-native applications capable of fulfilling any user demand.”
This example shows how the synergy of DevOps and microservices enables numerous user benefits.
Best Practices
Follow these four quick tips to utilize DevOps in the best way possible for your business:
- Foster a collaborative culture and reach for common goals.
- Constantly seek feedback to optimize DevOps workflows.
- Automate processes to minimize errors and speed up delivery time. Continuously monitoring with automated testing is key.
- Ensure you are utilizing the correct tools that integrate perfectly with DevOps; if you have an expert team, this shouldn’t be a problem.
By following these best practices, organizations can enhance their DevOps processes, leading to more efficient, secure, and scalable software development and operations.
Future Outlook
DevOps isn’t going anywhere—it is only predicted to skyrocket and become more commonplace as companies understand its advantages, especially in the United States. Predictions for the future of DevOps surround increased automation, collaboration, an emphasis on security, and hybrid-platform approaches.
A report by Spacelift highlighted that “The DevOps market is forecast to grow at a CAGR of 19.7% from an estimated $10.4 billion in 2023 to $25.5 billion in 2028. North America is the largest DevOps market, with 38.5% of the global market in 2023. 61.21% (132,180) of companies that use DevOps services technology software are from the United States.
The shining future of DevOps is creating new, highly demanded careers, such as engineers, consultants, and trainers.
With new or quickly advancing technology, there are always challenges. Being proactive and forward-thinking about these challenges will allow companies to be on their game when issues arise in the future.
These are a few challenges and organizational needs to consider with the future of DevOps:
- Finding trained, top-tier DevOps professionals to work with may be difficult at first. However, as DevOps gains traction, the industry will have more of an abundance of marketable DevOps experts.
- Personnel may be resistant to change. DevOps is a mindset, a culture if you will. But just like with any technological advancement, individuals need to be trained and feel powerful with the knowledge they’ve learned to operate the new tool effectively.
- Data management is another DevOps challenge. A 2022 GitLab survey revealed that numerous teams face challenges accessing and managing data, and some organizations fail to track essential information. Organizations must adopt appropriate tools and processes to overcome these issues and ensure data is accessible and well-managed.
- Cybersecurity is also a challenge to consider. Organizations must prioritize security and know how to integrate security protocols into DevOps processes appropriately.
With any innovation comes curiosity, an understanding of challenges, and excitement about the future. DevOps is one you can look forward to getting to know for the long run.
Conclusion
The outlook of DevOps in the world of technology is nothing short of revolutionary. With its emphasis on automation, collaboration, and continuous improvement, DevOps transforms how organizations develop, deploy, and manage software. DevOps’ efficiency, scalability, and innovation potential are set to soar as we integrate more advanced cloud-native technologies and embrace microservices. The future is bright, and DevOps is at the forefront, driving the next wave of technological advancement.