Highlights From IDG’s Recent #IDGTechTalk on DevOps

Each week IDG engages in a tech in a TechTalk, and this week I was invited to talk about DevOps with some experts in the space. We were even trending on Twitter. They broke the talk into 5 questions, with answers from various community members. There were a lot of contributors and I encourage you to check out the hashtag #IDGTechTalk.

Do any of you have a handy definition of DevOps you feel comfortable with?

They started with the most open-ended question possible. As a writer and an outside presence, I find this easy to answer. It was interesting to see some of the responses from industry professionals though.

Developers in industry had become so specialized that all they did was write code and ignore testing, deployment, and user experience. DevOps is about bringing developers back to the table to talk with the users. #idgtechtalk

— Brent Kirkpatrick (@DrBKirkpatrick) March 1, 2018

This is an interesting perspective from Brent Kirkpatrick. Sometimes, end-users seem to be the last priority in a lot of software development. It’s nice to see someone who cares about DevOps because of the benefits to the user experience. He adds to this:

Developers used to sit in their cubicles and only talk with the testing people. There was a barrier. In order to talk to a developer, you had to bring them a use-case and an execution path with a very specific bug. #idgtechtalk

— Brent Kirkpatrick (@DrBKirkpatrick) March 1, 2018

Connecting users with developers is idealistic, but DevOps is an idealistic philosophy. In this talk, I defined DevOps as “a cultural change first.” The tools that enhance DevOps wouldn’t be as useful without cultural change. The culture needs to be there first. From a managerial level, there needs to be recognition that the old ways of development aren’t as effective. Eliminating silos between development, and operations (and even users according to Brent Kirkpatrick) are what it takes to implement a proper IT culture.

Have you actually implemented DevOps in your organization? If so, does it extend to all Dev Groups?

This question is a lot harder to answer than some may realize. DevOps has so many components, when are you done? Are you ever actually done? Allan Zander doesn’t seem to think so:

A.2 Let's say we're moving toward a more idealized vision of #DevOps, with continuous improvement being the goal. I'm not sure if one is ever "done" implementing #DevOps. #IDGTechTalk @IDGTechTalk

— Allan Zander (@ajzander) March 1, 2018

DevOps is going to look different for every company. Some may focus on automation, some may focus on the cultural side, etc. There’s no definitive end to DevOps. If you think you’ve finished implementing it, then you might be at risk of ruining it. New tools will always be available to improve processes. Automation, AI, and machine learning are regularly growing more complex. To be done with DevOps would be to ignore these tools.

What has been the greatest benefit of DevOps for you?

DevOps benefits can be diverse depending on who you ask. Thus, the answers on the IDGTechTalk were diverse. Some people were interested in speedy releases, while others were interested in measurability. Perspective varied heavily in this section. Perhaps the biggest takeaway was the follow-up question asked by Brent Kilpatrick:

Agile development might seem faster than the traditional method, but less testing was done before release. How do you see testing fitting into the DevOps framework? #idgtechtalk

— Brent Kirkpatrick (@DrBKirkpatrick) March 1, 2018

Some of the biggest drawbacks for DevOps is the lack of focus on testing and security. It wasn’t a surprise to see people talking about agile release times. Recognizing the flaws in our practices is what makes us improve. Best practices are the best because they’re proven. Nicholas D. Evans had a great response regarding micro-features:

It definitely needs to be in there or could be recipe for disaster. Testing can be done in an agile manner as well however. We're typically releasing micro-features on a regular cadence so can test very quickly. Agree, more testing needed for major functionality… #idgtechtalk

— Nicholas D. Evans (@NicholasDEvans) March 1, 2018

This trick is a great way to stay secure and have the best releases possible. Rather than focusing on major release schedules, agile changes in an incremental method can be just as effective while staying safe.

What have been some of the major sticking points of DevOps? Pockets of resistance?

Security was my answer. Security teams have been left out of the DevOps process and this has been an issue. DevSecOps has been a popular talking point, but DevOps is the buzzword reigning supreme.

Another pocket of resistance are those who are feeling obsolete with DevOps:

It varies. But this is classic change management. DevOps is happening. Developers and Testers must recognize the choice is not between "this change or no change." It's now between "this change or another change." Embracing DevOps means taking proactive control. #idgtechtalk

— Steven M Prentice (@StevenPrentice) March 1, 2018

Steven’s quote is precisely how management should go about implementing DevOps. Enterprises are moving to the cloud, adding containers, automation, etc. There isn’t room for resistance and management need to make that clear. Change isn’t always for the better, but it is with DevOps.

Be sure to follow @IDGTechTalk on Twitter for next week’s talk!