CLOUD AND DEVOPS: WHAT IS THE RELATION?
A lot of companies today talk about digital transformation and how embracing it can help them stay ahead of the curve. The term digital transformation, is closely related to two more terms thrown around like nobody’s business – Cloud and DevOps. A lot has been said and written about Cloud and DevOps, but their interrelation remains confusing to a large audience. Is DevOps dependent on the Cloud? Can you only do Cloud using DevOps? Do you get cell reception in the Cloud?
With so many questions around these them, it’s imperative that we start from the basics. While DevOps and Cloud are two very different concepts, they are not mutually exclusive. DevOps is all about processes and working methodologies. Cloud Computing is a term for new age technology services. We’ll start by briefly introducing these two concepts and then explore their relation and importance in today’s scenario.
WHAT IS DEVOPS?
There are many different adaptations and definitions of DevOps going around, as any cultural philosophy worth its mettle. Wikipedia broadly defines DevOps as a software engineering practice that blurs the lines between development and operations teams. Quite unlike the traditional practices which have silo’ed development and operations.
DevOps as a word, is an amalgamation of Development and Operations. Practicing DevOps helps companies shorten their dev cycles, increase frequency of shipping software and creates a better working environment. DevOps heavily proponents automation around testing and deployments, thereby allowing for speed and agility at scale.
WHAT IS CLOUD COMPUTING?
Cloud computing, in essence, is the practice of using a network of remote servers via the Internet to access, manage, store and process data. Instead of purchasing and owning data centers, companies can now leverage Cloud Computing and get access to virtually unlimited storage and processing power through third party providers.
Such a practice helps companies avoid huge infrastructure setup costs, while at the same time allowing them the agility and speed required to scale quickly. Operations teams can set up servers with custom configurations within minutes using the Cloud.
THE RELATION
Looking at the general definitions of Cloud Computing and DevOps, it’s hard to miss the common ground – speed and agility. Cloud facilitates business agility by making infrastructure flexible. But just implementing Cloud and expecting miracles is far from the possibility. This is where DevOps ideology steps in. Moving from a slow, silo-based development and operations standard to a faster, automated and unified development methodology can aide a company’s quest for speed. The IT department of a company, irrespective of using Cloud or owned infrastructure, needs to align itself to the business needs. Adapting the Cloud allows software engineers access to infrastructure and automated processes that help them implement DevOps as a repeatable, long term strategy.
Cloud technology offers developers self serviced methods for infrastructure provisioning. This fits perfectly with the DevOps ideology which blurs the lines between dev and ops. Developers don’t need to ask for permission and wait for the ops team to provision the infrastructure. Thereby allowing developers to build fast and fail faster. The onus of provisioning falling on the developers also adds responsibility and a sense of ownership. DevOps does promote a happier workplace environment.
For organizations still dealing with legacy IT systems and looking towards a digital transformation, exploring Cloud and DevOps is essential. While it’s possible to adapt the Cloud and keep traditional software development practices in place, it does not really solve the problem. The need for faster, more agile yet cost effective solutions has given birth to the digital transformation facilitated by Cloud Computing and DevOps.
If you are looking to assess if Cloud or DevOps can help your business stay ahead of the curve, our consultants will be happy to talk to you!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
MADHAVAN SRINIVASAN
Managing Director – Products and Solutions