DevOps and the Role of Network Monitoring
All the cool kids are talking about DevOps. It’s fun. It’s trendy. It’s a buzzword. But what is it?
There is no shortage of definitions on what DevOps means, but we can describe it in three words:
Development and Operations. Okay, I know DevOps is more than this, but this is essentially what “DevOps” means.
Knowing that DevOps is development and operations is just the beginning. What we need is a working definition. At Datapath.io, we believe DevOps is the following:
DevOps is a relationship of collaboration and shared responsibility. Both parties, Dev and Ops, have an understanding of the DevOps tool chain. Tool chains vary between organizations. What occurs is no bottlenecks in responsibility, as well as there is a team mindset.
For example, if a deployment fails, it is not the deployment manager’s fault. Rather, it is the DevOps team’s fault.
As the DevOps movement gains popularity, it is taking on a life of its own. It is not just a practice, but a movement and a culture. A culture in which software is developed, released, continually monitored, while maintaining streamlined communication.
Let’s dive into the nature of DevOps.
The Role of Development
Beginning with the role of the DevOps Developer, this should be a welcomed transition. Meaning, the developer should want to work in a DevOps environment. If for no other reason than the following two:
- No more calls in the middle of the night
- Better working environment
Why do these two things happen in a DevOps Environment?
The biggest reason has to do with continuous testing. The developer is continually testing code through development. This lowers the risk of issues upon deployment.
In DevOps, the developer adopts a testing mentality. Thus the role becomes development and testing in the first half of the DevOps equation.
The Role of Operations
As the DevOps movement has gained momentum, operations thought this was elimination. This is far from truth and reality. Operations is crucial to the communication process. They are ensuring that the environment can provide steady deployment of applications.
Operations takes the working load for deployment of applications, purchasing of DevOps tools, as well asmonitoring networks and applications.
These are just a few roles. They are essential to the workflow and open communication demanded by a DevOps environment.
The DevOps Culture
A culture of DevOps sounds pretty cool to talk about. It means being a part of something bigger. A DevOps culture is simple to adhere to. It is:
- Collaboration
- Shared responsibility
Creating a culture based around these two principles can not only increase the quality of your application, but also provide an effective and enjoyable working environment. Begin the cultural shift by adhering to these two principles, then build and scale.
The Role of Network Monitoring
As discussed in the role of Operations, monitoring is one of those roles. The lifecycle of an application needs monitoring. As a result, the sub culture within Ops should be one focused on monitoring.
Employing the correct tools, platforms and applications will make monitoring in DevOps function. The role of monitoring falls into life cycle management. Ensuring the application performs and runs properly, as well as last mile network access is optimized.
A deeper concept related to network monitoring in DevOps is NetDevOps. This applies DevOps principles to networking. It also brings networking into the DevOps team.
DevOps is more than just a buzzword. It helps to understand how your organization can enjoy its application. Begin with your organizations roles within DevOps, establish a culture, and watch quality increase.
We would love to hear how you are implementing DevOps within your organization.
Article originally published on the Datapath.io Blog.
