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Only 20 percent of organizations that have attempted to implement DevOps have fully deployed it, according to the results of a new global study, commissioned by CA Technologies.
The research also found that these “advanced” DevOps adopters were more likely to report that their digital initiatives contributed to competitiveness, customer retention, and top- and bottom-line results. DevOps, the name of which comes from a compound of “development” and “operations,” is an Agile practice that emphasizes the collaboration and communication of both software developers and other IT professionals while automating the process of software delivery and infrastructure changes.
“CA’s DevOps solutions, developed using an agile methodology, play a crucial role in helping customers use their digital initiatives to drive a competitive advantage in an increasingly fast-paced, ever-changing business environment,” said Michael Madden, general manager, DevOps, at CA Technologies, in a statement.
In the study titled “Assembling the DevOps Jigsaw,” more than 80 percent of senior IT and business executives confirm nine components that are key to maximizing DevOps effectiveness. Key areas of focus include business stakeholder education; security and compliance measures; and cross-functional IT processes.
Assembling all of the pieces of the DevOps jigsaw puzzle may require time, effort and substantial planning, but the results are worth it. Compared with those without DevOps, advanced DevOps adopters, according to the study, are:
- 2.5 times more likely to have seen improvements in customer retention
- 2 times more likely to have seen improvements in customer acquisition
- 3.4 times more likely to have seen progress on market share
- 2 times more likely to have seen a positive impact on revenue growth
- 2.4 times more likely to have experienced higher profit growth
“To leverage the full potential of DevOps, organizations need to ensure IT is properly skilled and working collaboratively, as well as put in place the necessary enablers and controls,” Madden said.
Even though DevOps is seen as a key component to driving business agility and keeping up with customer demands, only 55 percent of respondents said they have a well-defined DevOps strategy and objectives. Furthermore, while 86 percent consider business stakeholder education and the alignment of IT and business priorities to be important, only 33 percent and 37 percent, respectively, had completed these steps.
Although both development and operations teams may have individually implemented modern methods and automation techniques, the majority (63 percent) of the DevOps adopters say there’s still work to be done in relation to infrastructure and tooling.
Also, with 46 percent of respondents still working on security and compliance, it is evident that most DevOps activity is not well-supported from an enabling platform and risk management perspective, the study showed.
Industry analyst firm Freeform Dynamics conducted the CA-sponsored global online survey of 1,442 senior IT and business executives in July 2015. Freeform Dynamics augmented the online survey with in-depth telephone interviews with key industry executives.
In 2013, CA created the position of chief DevOps architect and named Ruston Vickers to the role. The company then began to pursue DevOps initiatives in earnest. In 2014, CA and Wipro announced an expansion of their strategic partnership to jointly deliver new testing solutions for DevOps. And last year, CA continued on its DevOps journey, acquiring both Grid-Tools and Rally Software to bolster its DevOps and Agile development portfolios.