Enterprise DevOps for the Cloud

Cloud Does Not Equal DevOps

Easy access to public cloud technologies creates a common misconception: moving to the cloud will not only provide more flexible and scalable infrastructure at a lower cost, but it will also accelerate the delivery of applications to the customer. In reality, moving to the cloud is just one step in that journey.

Enterprises that are looking to improve and accelerate software delivery are implementing DevOps practices that span the entire software delivery value stream.

These practices are generally unrelated to the cloud itself: they focus on management of the end-to-end software release and application deployment process—from idea to code to production. To succeed with DevOps, organizations must create standardized processes that are technology agnostic, enforce governance requirements, and enable collaboration across both technical and non-technical teams.

Wanted: A DevOps Framework Designed for the Cloud

Enterprises delivering DevOps at scale need a framework that abstracts configurations and infrastructure and that enforces consistent processes across all teams and environments. And they need a DevOps-focused framework that’s designed for the unique needs of cloud-based and hybrid applications:

1. On-demand cloud resources: Provision and de-provision cloud resources on a “just-in-time basis,” as part of the DevOps release pipeline flow
2. Intelligent oversight of complex release pipelines: Manage and orchestrate complex release processes for multi-component applications, and automatically visualize, manage, and map dependencies
3. Standardized processes that are technology agnostic, across all environments: Create and automate standard, repeatable processes that work for hybrid environments—without having to create custom configuration scripts each time
4. Complete visibility into release status, including component and change status, from backlog to code to production: Provide real-time visibility into all aspects of release processes and components, across all “locations” and systems
5. Enforce IT governance as part of the core process: Maintain infrastructure to address security, compliance, audit, and even reporting needs—automatically, every time

WHITE PAPER

Enterprise Software Delivery in the Age of Containers

How can enterprises take advantage of the benefits of container technology without creating more work for their teams? Download this free whitepaper to learn where containers fall short and how Release Orchestration and Deployment Automation tools can bridge the gap between the promise of containers and the realities of complex enterprise application delivery.

The XebiaLabs DevOps Platform Provides the Foundation for Enterprise DevOps for Cloud Deployments

The XebiaLabs DevOps Platform is the only solution that provides large enterprises with the DevOps functionality necessary to deploy applications to the cloud at any scale. It delivers orchestration, analytics, and deployment automation functions that are designed to meet the unique needs of cloud and hybrid infrastructures, helping companies manage applications deployed in the cloud at speed and scale. Critical capabilities include:

• Automation, orchestration, and management of complex software release pipelines, deployment processes, and configurations
• Automatic provisioning and de-provisioning of cloud-based resources, on-demand, as part of the DevOps pipeline flow
• Hybrid deployments that are managed across a mix of clouds, VMs, containers, and traditional environments
• Dependency management between application components and microservices across the complete Continuous Delivery pipeline
• Detailed visibility into release pipeline and deployment status across all environments—easily accessible across all teams, both technical and non-technical
• Built-in, granular control of your processes, including compliance, security, reporting, governance, and audit trail capture—all automatically built into the release process

“Across all industries, enterprises are ‘lifting and shifting’ their applications to cloud-based resources,” said Robert Stroud, Chief Product Officer for XebiaLabs and former Principal Analyst at Forrester Research. “Most of them start with a few one-off projects here and there, and they see initial, but limited, success. As they start to shift at a larger scale, they need to align their cloud initiatives with their DevOps processes, or both initiatives are likely to flounder. The most effective way to deliver thousands of applications to the cloud in a repeatable, scalable, and secure way is to fully include cloud deployments in your end-to-end DevOps process and utilize a comprehensive, cloud-native DevOps platform, such as XebiaLabs.”

Example: Enterprise DevOps for AWS Cloud Services

The XebiaLabs DevOps Platform integrates seamlessly with many popular public and hybrid and cloud services, including Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud, and AWS. Companies can include cloud-based infrastructure as part of a code-to-production, automated release pipeline that is driven by standardized processes and that incorporates all required controls. The XebiaLabs DevOps Platform is designed to provide best practices for DevOps in cloud environments. For example, companies can automatically provision cloud-based infrastructure using AWS CloudFormation templates. Combining XebiaLabs and AWS CloudFormation, teams can standardize cloud configurations across their organizations, promote the reuse of vetted CloudFormation templates, and simplify the process of troubleshooting cloud-based environments. To help teams streamline releases and make the most of their AWS resources, XebiaLabs also promotes the use of AWS best practices such as recommended default configurations, the use of IAM roles for powerful and flexible access management, and the use of proxies when connecting to AWS to ensure additional security.

Additional Resources

• Release Pipeline Orchestration white paper
• How Application Release Automation Helps You Deploy to the Cloud
• The Secret Behind Model-based Deployments
• Automation, Visibility and Control with the XebiaLabs DevOps Platform