In this post, we will be listing out the top 5 DevOps mistakes you should avoid to create a smooth and successful DevOps culture.

Top 5 DevOps Mistakes to Avoid

Photo by Francisco De Legarreta C. on Unsplash

DevOps has revolutionized the way modern software development works. It has brought development and operations teams closer enough to communicate and collaborate effectively toward a common, shared goal. However, as with any novel approach, there are potential pitfalls that can trip you up if you are not careful. Whether you’re new to DevOps or looking to optimize your current infrastructure, avoiding certain common mistakes is crucial to creating a smooth and successful DevOps culture. In this post, we’ll dive into 5 key mistakes that many teams make and provide tips on how to avoid them, to ensure a smooth DevOps journey.

Mistake 1: Inadequate monitoring

Bugs and errors are bound to happen, even with the best developers and tools. That’s why monitoring is crucial for detecting and resolving these issues promptly. It involves continuous collection and analysis of data on system health and performance. Monitoring and observability tools measure various parameters and metrics such as CPU utilization, load speed, and uptime/downtime.

Inadequate monitoring may allow some smaller problems to go unnoticed which may lead to major issues later. Hence, a robust monitoring system is necessary to keep all processes and the infrastructure under check.

Mistake 2: Ignoring automation & tooling

Automation is integral to DevOps culture. It involves using tools that can be programmed to carry out certain repetitive processes without requiring much human interference. Tools can automate tasks like testing, security checking, deploying, backing up, and scaling.

However, many businesses, especially small-scale ones, might avoid using automation for various reasons. Firstly, because automation tools demand high initial costs. Setting up the automated system across the software development process requires time and expert interference. The expert may be hired from outside, or in-house employees may be trained, which, again, takes both time and money. Moreover, legacy systems can also act as an obstacle to adopting automation tools. These systems work well with the business but because of their rigidness and inflexibility, they are difficult to integrate with newer technologies (like automation tools).

However, regardless of these reasons, businesses should consider the long-term benefits of automation as they can help save significant time, cost, and manual workforce.

Mistake 3: Overlooking security

Ignoring security can lead to vulnerabilities that hackers can exploit. There are various techniques to ensure security across the software development process.

DevSecOps refers to an approach where security is prioritized in a DevOps environment by integrating security practices into every step of the DevOps lifecycle. It is also referred to as ‘shifting security to the left’ which means shifting security testing to earlier stages in the development process. It involves using automated security testing tools and continuous monitoring of infrastructure to detect any security threats.

Mistake 4: Prioritizing speed over quality

Smaller and newer businesses may frequently develop and deploy new features, but this may come at the cost of stability and quality. As a result, it can lead to higher failure rates and spending maximum time on fixing bugs and errors. Low-quality services and irrelevant features can hamper customer experience and satisfaction. Ultimately, it can negatively impact the business’s competency in today’s competitive market which prioritizes quality over speed.

Mistake 5: Not understanding what DevOps actually is

Image credits: What Is AWS DevOps? Everything You Need To Know

Many businesses think of DevOps as a technology that a DevOps professional can install and DevOps will turn out magically. However, it’s not that simple. DevOps is an entire culture, a set of practices and philosophies that encourages collaboration between different software development teams. That said, a successful DevOps environment does not necessarily require a separate team. It is, instead, the duty of every team member to contribute to the DevOps culture. The various technologies are only different ways to assist the DevOps philosophy. However, it’s the responsibility of the team members to incorporate and implement these technologies with minimum resistance.

Conclusion

Avoiding these common DevOps mistakes can greatly improve your team’s efficiency and overall success. By focusing on proper monitoring, using automation tools wherever you can, prioritizing security, balancing speed with quality, and understanding that DevOps is more than just tools, you can ensure a smooth and effective DevOps culture. Moreover, DevOps is about continuous improvement, so regularly revisiting and refining your processes is key to staying ahead in today’s fast-paced development environment.