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What we can learn from the top DevOps articles of 2022
From runbooks to open source tools and self-service portals, 2022 was a big year for DevOps. IT teams preparing for 2023 should brush up on their understanding of DevOps.
Since its inception in 2007, DevOps has been stirring up the way IT teams handle operations -- and 2022 has been no different.
DevOps combines development and operations to promote collaboration and communication. In turn, it can streamline processes and enable companies to keep up with market and customer demands. These benefits keep DevOps relevant and on the rise. Around 77% of companies use a DevOps model to streamline software deployment, Google reported. The market is expected to grow from $6,079.38 million to $14,554.23 million by 2027, according to 360iResearch's DevOps market forecast.
The majority of DevOps articles TechTarget published in 2022 focus on the knowledge and skills needed to be a successful DevOps engineer and have a competitive advantage in the job market. IT professionals also need strategies and tools to promote individual and organizational growth -- for organizations just beginning their adoption journey or refining a DevOps environment.
As we move into fall 2022, let's review the top 10 DevOps articles from the last six months that dive into everything from DevOps runbooks and preferred programming languages to adoption and desirable skills.
1. What a DevOps role looks like from the perspective of a DevOps engineer
Every organization expects different skills and education levels from their DevOps engineers, but some qualifications are universal. In this article, former associate site editor Alyssa Fallon interviewed Matthew Grasberger, a DevOps engineer at Imperfect Foods and TechTarget contributor, and Mirco Hering, a global transformation lead at Accenture, about the top skills DevOps admins should have and their key responsibilities. Both found that DevOps engineers need cloud experience and should be acquainted with cloud-native platforms, such as Microsoft Azure or Google Cloud. In addition to tool knowledge, they must be adaptable and able to balance regular responsibilities with unexpected tasks.
2. DevOps soft skills set you apart
In a DevOps engineering role, interpersonal skills -- such as listening, curiosity and communication -- are just as important as technical skills. Collaboration and teamwork drive DevOps projects forward because they promote creativity and problem-solving. In an interview conducted for the article, Kyle Fossum, senior DevOps engineer at The Predictive Index, said, "I've heard DevOps defined as people, processes and technology -- in that order, so people come first." Review this article from March to determine what soft skills look like for DevOps engineers and how to translate them onto a resume.
3. DevOps runbooks can be the difference between success and failure
DevOps runbooks focus on a single workflow process and address issues IT teams encounter. With a proper runbook, IT admins can create repeatable processes to help eliminate avoidable issues. In his article on runbook development, analyst Kurt Marko explained why you must record each task step before deploying automation and place it into a runbook. Explore the who, what, when, where and why of runbooks and how to automate them.
4. Uniform DevOps documentation through templates
Every complex procedure should have a runbook that describes detailed steps for continual consistency and accuracy across an organization. Creating a template strengthens existing runbooks and eliminates confusion by explaining what is going on and why. DevOps runbooks provide teams with clear DevOps process descriptions and detail what each process accomplishes. Tom Nolle, president of CIMI Corporation, covered what organizations should include in a runbook template, rules for the structure and how to test it before implementation.
5. Programming languages for DevOps engineers
To keep on top of the variety of tasks DevOps requires, DevOps engineers must have some code knowledge -- using programming skills to implement CI/CD and infrastructure as code, for example. Grasberger unpacked which languages are the most useful, from his experience as a DevOps engineer and shared how to best improve your skills -- through practice, practice and more practice.
6. Get to know the programming language Go
The programming language Go, commonly referred to as Golang, can be a good fit when speed, concurrency and developer experience are a top priority. This strongly typed programming language makes it easier to use, write and read concurrent code than with JavaScript. Go's features also include readable code, extensive documentation and a command-line tool. This tutorial by Grasberger unpacked Go's benefits and teaches readers how to get started.
7. What's the difference between DevOps architects and engineers?
DevOps architect and engineering roles seem similar upon first glance but they differ greatly. In the simplest terms, DevOps architects create the framework and an engineer works to fill it in. An organization needs a DevOps architect if it already has software or enterprise architects. If there is a DevOps team of any kind, it needs engineers. In this article, Nolle explained where the architect and engineer roles diverge and come together in areas such as cloud knowledge and experience levels.
8. Open source orchestration tools for DevOps
Many factors come into play when choosing an orchestration tool, but organizations can turn to open source tools to alleviate costs. When choosing the right tool, keep in mind an organization's size and the extent of its DevOps capabilities. Orchestration tools coordinate all the automated tasks necessary for a deployment. Once DevOps teams implement automation, they can integrate more DevOps processes. In this comparison piece, analyst Kerry Doyle dove into detail about open source orchestration options, such as Rancher, HashiCorp Nomad, Jenkins and GitLab CI.
9. DevOps adoption journeys need set goals and objectives
Just because an organization has implemented a DevOps framework does not guarantee its success. Factors such as unclear definitions, deeply rooted silos, legacy commitments and missing actionable metrics can all contribute to a lackluster and inconsistent DevOps adoption process. For DevOps success, TechTarget senior technology editor Stephen Bigelow recommended ways to set reachable DevOps goals and six steps for a smooth adoption.
10. DevOps self-service portals for remote DevOps teams
Self-service portals standardize build tools, technology, configurations, infrastructure and design patterns across an organization with a centralized dashboard system. In this article, Doyle has laid out the primary benefits of working with a DevOps self-service portal, its key elements and how to best prepare for adoption.
