FLAP, Part 3: Full Data Center Provisioning
In the first two parts of this series (Part 1, Part 2), we covered server provisioning and application provisioning. Knowing a bit about each of these tools is useful (although one blog is hardly a thorough evaluation of strengths and weaknesses—I strongly suggest you do more research), knowing how they work together is the point […]
FLAP, Part 1: Server Provisioning
We have reached the state where end-to-end data center provisioning is a reality. It’s early yet, so there is a certain amount of work involved, but today a DevOps team essentially can turn on the automation and move on to other DevOps priorities. It takes some effort, depending upon the solution chosen, but the end […]
The Two-Month Hello World
How Project Onboarding Can Undermine DevOps Efforts at Large Organizations A “hello world” application is the most basic program a developer, typically a beginner, will write to learn a new language. It’s a sort of “everything works”—a stack-checker app to kick off a project quickly and see its results. The resulting hello world program is […]
Culture Change: Metrics, Tools Make a Difference
Change is in the wind. This time of the year, as winter weather gives way to springtime renewal, this concept isn’t a cliché but rather a concrete, visceral experience. You go outside, smell the earth defrosting and know for certain that change is happening all around you. You can feel it. Such is the case […]
Evolving to Continuous Testing
As agile development practices mature and DevOps principles infiltrate our corporate cultures, organizations are realizing the distinct opportunity to accelerate software delivery. However, when you speed up any process, immature practice areas such as testing and roadblocks become much more pronounced. It’s the difference between driving over a speed bump at 5 mph vs. 50 […]
Experts Weigh In on the Evolution of DevOps
DevOps is an ethereal concept. It means different things to different organizations and individuals. It also is going through an evolution, which means that as quickly as we might think we have a grasp on what it is and how to effectively employ it, DevOps has moved on. There’s no way to accurately predict whether […]
3 Reasons Why Automation is Critical
We’re hearing a lot about the “outcome economy”—how businesses must be results-oriented to meet evolving customer demand and gain greater market share. Today’s marketplace is connected, always on and increasingly competitive. Companies are adopting what we call an “as-a-service” approach to achieve better outcomes fast, consuming and leveraging leading-edge technologies such as cloud and automation. […]
Does DevOps Help or Hinder Compliance?
DevOps tools and principles have revolutionized IT across many industries in recent years. But companies saddled with requirements such as Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX), the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (GLBA) and Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI-DSS), for example, tend to be more cautious when it comes to adopting cutting-edge solutions. […]
5 Things DevOps is Not
For those who have been embracing and championing DevOps for years, the growing popularity of DevOps is as exciting as landing your first job out of college! Okay, maybe not that exciting, but still really cool. More and more companies of all sizes are embracing DevOps by including the adoption of DevOps practices directly into […]
In DevOps, Standardize to Minimize Architectural Debt
I recently reading a great Q&A with the Etsy CTO John Allspaw over on The New Stack, which contained some nuggets of good advice that increasingly are important as we continue the journey toward DevOps adoption. Of particular note were statements on the introduction of “new” things to solve problems. In a nutshell, Allspaw reinforced […]
Conformiq Launches New Transformer for Automated Software Testing
Transforms Tests for Execution, extending the Conformiq 360ᴼ Test Automation Solution San Jose, CA (PRWEB) February 23, 2016 Conformiq™, transforming software testing with 360ᴼ Test Automation™, today announced Conformiq Transformer™, which helps automate software testing across all markets by transforming tests for execution. The new offering extends the Conformiq 360ᴼ Test Automation solution for complex […]
Webinar: 5 Key Metrics to Release Better Software Faster
No matter how often you deploy your application, or how sophisticated your delivery pipeline is, you always need to know the quality status of the software you are building. This can only be done if you measure it. But measure what exactly? Join us for this webinar where Andreas Grabner and Brett Hofer, app performance […]
QA in the DevOps Era
In software approaches that produce monolithic applications, it is not uncommon to find siloed teams, with development, testing and operations each an island unto themselves. The responsibilities of test and development are distinct from each other and are not meshed into a hybrid team as you might see in advanced DevOps shops. “QA (quality assurance) […]
Force Multiplication
Recently, I have found myself reflecting on the statement, “Be a force multiplier.” This usually comes to mind when faced with some sort of burnout: hearing it indirectly from a colleague or friend, or experiencing it firsthand. The intent is good and aligns well with some core tenants of DevOps. Force multiplication fits into the […]
Virtuoso: Focused on Quality as the First Step in DevOps Innovation
I’ve found that those who have been most successful with DevOps do not actually care for the phrase. What they care about is the ability to automate, respond to, and improve their software delivery chain, as well as the tactics of moving faster and improving application quality. Another common attribute of those committed to DevOps […]
Will Microservices Make the ‘Ops’ in ‘DevOps’ Obsolete?
DevOps is a portmanteau of “developers” and “operations.” The concept of DevOps is about shifting IT culture in a way that enables developers and operations to work together more seamlessly. As more and more elements of DevOps become automated and leverage microservices such as container platforms, though, the operations side of that equation plays a […]
Machine Learning, AI Driving DevOps Evolution
Automation is the fuel that drives DevOps. Automating routine, repeatable tasks is one of the defining characteristics of DevOps culture. As artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning improve, the scope and complexity of the tasks that can be automated increases, which raises the bar for all of DevOps. The humans behind the DevOps will be […]
Why You Need to Embrace Automation
Just in case you hadn’t noticed: The robots are coming. Well, you probably had noticed. It’s hard to miss. Newspaper articles and blogs everywhere herald their arrival. The stories usually follow the same general formula: A catalogue of amazing things that robots (really, AI systems) can do. Debate about forced unemployment vs. people freed up to do […]
The Role of APM in Continuous Integration and Continuous Release
Today’s software-defined and -driven business requires fast changes in business models—a phenomenon permeating successful businesses. What this means is almost every company is learning how to make small, rapid changes and adjustments within their business, especially within software systems. As a result, IT is feeling immense pressure to evolve, and the net result is a […]
From Laboratories to DevOps Factories for Continuous Testing
The prior blog Continuous Testing and Monitoring Essentials for SDN and NFV discussed the importance and suggested practices for testing and monitoring complex systems such as software defined networks and network functions that are virtualized . Whether the product being tested is a complex network system or not, with DevOps the laboratory is no longer […]
Never Mind the Bollocks, Here’s the DevOps
What is DevOps? “DevOps is a cultural and professional movement” –Adam Jacob [movement (n): a group of people working together to advance their ideas.] So, who are these people and what’s the big idea? The people are system administrators, developers, product managers, QA technicians, security analysts, network engineers, and anyone else involved in the business […]
7 things 2016 has in store for the future of DevOps and IT
With only a couple weeks left in 2015 it’s time to start looking ahead to what next year has in store. Let’s be honest—most of us have already mentally checked out for the holidays anyway, so it’s already 2016 for all intents and purposes. I spoke with a handful of industry experts to get some […]
DevOps and IT Support: 4 Principles to Keep Your Team Ahead of the Curve
Here’s the million-dollar IT question: what is DevOps and why does it matter to IT support? Short answer: DevOps advocates collaboration between Development and IT Operations. It’s about constant communication, breaking down silos and a culture of collaboration. The DevOps movement has made great headway and many companies have adopted and are employing DevOps practices – […]