Best Practices for Using DevOps in the Cloud

The Challenges of Multi-Cloud Environments

Companies at the frontier of technological evolution recognize how important it is to streamline development processes so that the ever changing requirements of the market can be quickly and efficiently addressed. While the cloud offers automatic scaling to make room for application changes, it is DevOps that makes optimal use of cloud resources. However, even the best practices for DevOps get compromised when the pressure of accelerating the business is heightened.

The fusion of cloud services and DevOps is relatively new; it has posed relevant obstructions in understanding core mechanics and improvising of these mechanics into practical scenarios. What is to follow is a collection of ideas that should be kept in mind while working with DevOps for its best possible implementation in a cloud-based environment.

Training is Essential

The challenges posed by operating evolving technology should be seen as opportunities to formulate generalizations on how to make the best use of the technology. Proper training before implementation works as an investment that will reward your business. Training sessions help employees tackle common obstacles and be prepared for significant events that might occur during execution. If properly mentored, the unit can become independent of future assistance, which will result in minimized errors and maximized precision.

Taking Security Measures

It’s intuitive to acknowledge that the security model in the cloud is not the same as in old data practices; this requires special attention because security is the backbone of your implementation system. When DevOps is introduced into the environment, it should be made sure that each implementation level is complying with the required security measures — automated testing should be deployed and integrated into these levels of the environment.

Choosing DevOps Tools

While choosing DevOps tools, keep in mind that you are selecting a set of tools that are not dedicated to one particular cloud (on demand, on-premise or public). When you restrict your business to a specific cloud, you forfeit the luxury of moving from one cloud to the other depending on your need — this directly interrupts the smooth and optimal deployment of DevOps.

Service and Resource Governance

Ongoing operations in the environment, if not properly governed, might result in clogging of processes. It so happens that lack of governance only comes in notice when you see a multitude of operations becoming impossible to manage. To avoid this scenario, you must build a management system that ensures a smooth and systematic workflow; this is easily achieved through the formulation of a governance infrastructure well in advance. It comprises of features and functions that help in tracking, securing, and managing in-house services.

Automated Testing

In cloud-based environments, application performance issues are often rendered after the application has gone into production. They are not caught before that period because automated performance testing is not implemented within the levels of production. Performance testing helps in preventing poor performing applications from going into production through partial checking at every level of production — this is an essential measure to be taken to ensure better performance and efficient use of resources.

Importance of Containers

Containers give you added flexibility to move the components of an application on an independent basis; you can efficiently manage and orchestrate your applications using these independent containers at intermediate levels. Integrating containers into the DevOps process will make the development processes more manageable. However, containers cannot be implemented into any application, as some applications require a unified application core in development. Know the needs of your application and the standard of this approach.

Cloud computing sees soaring development as soon as DevOps is introduced in the business; however, these soaring developments can be hindered by many unprecedented obstacles. Applying strategies such as maintaining containers, automated testing, and governance, you can cut short those obstacles; this requires expertise; therefore, it is advised that you consider taking the help of field experts whenever necessary. Once you understand the nature of commitment and knowledge needed to implement smooth functioning of DevOps, this component will become an indispensable part of your strategic model.

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The 5 Best Practices for DevOps in the Cloud

The 5 Best Practices for DevOps in the Cloud

The Cloud is known for offering scaling and automated provisioning facilities to accommodate potential changes that can affect applications. DevOps is used for streamlining an application’s progress so that user requirements can be mapped according to the appropriate application production queues.

Even though DevOps is considered to be a helpful tool, IT Engineers tend to utilize them in the wrong way; it can be rightly said that this is just due to the lack of study and understanding in the field of DevOps. Individuals who are skilled in the nuances of the IT sector don’t necessarily understand the correct functionality of DevOps and its powers in the world of technology.

Implementation of 5 Common Practices

Rely on Security For Your Cloud
It is common that security standards are permitted to change on a regular basis in the cloud. Usually, one can integrate different types of technologies, such as identity-based security models, to enhance security within the cloud.

However, security also needs to be extended to the organization and the individual DevOps tools, which will lead to the creation of a secured cloud; this can go a long way in keeping organizational processes safe at all times.

It’s important to understand that there is never enough security. In some way, there is always another way to add an extra layer of protection without affecting the existing security structure. It is even helpful to employ a security officer, whose job focus will be on monitoring security within the DevOps process, in conjunction with the cloud.

Choose DevOps Tools That Work with Multiple Cloud Systems
Due to the integration of technology over the past three to four decades, a collection of development has led the computing and technology industry towards more advanced software development.

Today, IT specialists and engineers, along with coders, are in remarkably high demand. In fact, obtaining a qualification in these fields will almost ensure you a high profile career; however, it doesn’t come without its own set of challenges.

DevOps is quite challenging to understand; it forms a part of a much higher public cloud provider, which can be tedious to follow. It’s never a good idea to lock your process knowledge and applications on a single platform within the cloud. In fact, applications should be established on various cloud platforms for safety purposes – this way, one can ensure maximum security within both public and private clouds.

Integrate Automated Performance Testing
On many occasions, performance issues don’t get recognized in time, which causes cloud users to discover and report them after a lag in time. Since the cloud is considered to be such a large storage platform, this isn’t a sound methodology to follow. Regular performance testing is a necessary component of application design, which works towards preventing such issues from occurring.

One can enhance the production of poor-performing apps by automating and testing their performance on a regular basis. During this process, the idea is to ensure that the existing testing procedures for user interfaces and APIs are stable and accurate at all times.

Consider Using Containers
Applications can be enhanced by making use of containers, which are both well-managed and portable for your convenience – you could integrate them into the relevant DevOps or Cloud strategy to bring out the best out of each application. One can also consider making use of cluster management, security, and any orchestration tools that might prove to be advantageous to you in the long run.

Deploying containers for building applications won’t always work; however, it’s important to keep trying to garner any advantages one can gain through the use of technology.

Make Applications Cloud-Native
Use your Cloud platform and the infrastructure wisely and choose to design applications that don’t have to rely on any physical resources. Understand the efficiency involved in the deployment and overall development stages of all apps, as well as their underlying resources in the cloud. Chances are, you can improve your overall performance by 70%; this, in turn, will save your organization money as your resources will be far more efficient, thereby, allowing your organization to garner monetary savings on a monthly basis.

By implementing these five practices for DevOps in the Cloud, you’ll be able to integrate the two more efficiently, allowing for ultimate success.

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True Business Efficiency Combines the Power of Cloud Computing and DevOps Practices

True Business Efficiency Combines the Power of Cloud Computing and DevOps

The use of both DevOps and cloud-computing have become a promising combination for companies these days. The blend of practices and implementations provides increased speed and efficiency, as well as higher agility and better end-user experiences. While the Cloud and DevOps are two independent technologies, they become intertwined, resulting in a workflow more efficient than ever before.

The Driving Force of the Cloud and DevOps

Implementation of Cloud computing techniques has rapidly ushered in the use of the DevOps philosophy. Through this trend, enterprises are increasingly making use of agile software to develop and implement administrative IT operations for their customers to enhance their services in the long run.

Through the concept of DevOps, businesses can break down their functional silos and drive discipline between their IT-related processes. Since the process of development is rather elaborate, more companies have to spend a lot of time, effort, and resources to plan and transform their IT infrastructure thoroughly – all to obtain the maximum benefit out of available resources.

The progression of the Cloud and DevOps has been rather sudden, as compared to other technological advancements in the enterprise market. The development of DevOps is aimed at making the approach more Cloud-centric; this means that most public and private Cloud providers are beginning to support the implementation of DevOps within their platforms. These practices will enhance and aid the continuous creation of development tools. Strong integration leaves little or no space for cost inefficiencies, as there is an efficient mode of centralized governance within the processes.

Through effective governance, there is tighter control on developers, since they have a more streamlined process to follow, which is controlled centrally via Cloud services. This way, in a subtle yet efficient manner, companies can bring their differentiated departments under control. Cloud-based DevOps also lessen the need for leveraging resources, thereby providing a usage-based accounting solution. Through such elaborate measures, companies can track their applications and developers related data.

Would it be right to say that the Cloud is running DevOps? The answer is quite merely ‘no.’ Given the interdependence between the two technologies, there is an imminent need for both the technologies to be present to derive maximum functionality. As per RightScale’s 2015 State of the Cloud Report, over 71% of companies have adopted 66% of DevOps within their Cloud Services.

DevOps Leads the way into the Cloud

The Cloud is ruled by DevOps – this fact has been proven time and again. With the powerful combination of the Cloud and DevOps working together, there is a lot of aggregate value for CTOs, who are working to remove technical challenges from the paths of implementation. To gain maximum efficiency out of the partnership between the Cloud and DevOps enterprises need to strive towards the rapid deployment of DevOps practices continually.

Due to the inherent lack of knowledge and deployment techniques, many large enterprises and developers alike fear the implementation, since the concept of utilization comes across as confusing and sometimes, even impossible. If Cloud computing is paving the path towards the future, chances are enterprises and developers will need to take this bull by the horns and make the most out of it. In other words, if the Cloud has to work, one must adequately know how to deploy and implement DevOps for best results. Companies such as Idexcel focus on providing DevOps consulting services which provide reduced development times and operational costs for businesses of all sizes.

Use the Cloud and DevOps to Your Advantage

Budgets need to be focused and modified to utilize the Cloud’s full potential and meet enterprise goals. DevOps is about using the right techniques to mold the Cloud’s functionality to one’s advantage. The better the implementation, the more efficient a process will be created. With the right approach and the proper knowledge, developers and enterprises can go a long way in advancing towards the right direction, especially when it comes to meeting all chalked out goals in the long run.

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