Best-in-class DevOps automation

DevOps automation uses tools and scripts to automate repetitive tasks in the software development lifecycle (SDLC) and IT operations, improving efficiency and reducing human error. It is crucial for enabling continuous integration and continuous deployment (CI/CD) practices because it ensures that code changes are automatically tested and built and that deployment processes remain consistent.

Common tasks to automate for DevOps include provisioning, configuration management and application deployment. Many teams leverage infrastructure-as-code (IaC) tools like Jenkins, Ansible and Terraform or frameworks such as Kubernetes and Docker.

Read our guide on DevOps workflow automation best practices.

The benefits of DevOps automation are extensive and significantly impact both development and operations teams. Key advantages include:

• Increased efficiency: Automation tools streamline workflows by reducing manual tasks, enabling faster CI/CD pipelines and quicker software delivery.
• Improved quality: Automated testing and deployment processes enhance the reliability of code changes, so there is a lower chance of bugs and a higher quality of applications.
• Enhanced collaboration: By providing real-time feedback loops and observability, DevOps automation fosters better communication and collaboration between dev and operations team members.
• Scalability: Automation enables scalable infrastructure management, making it easier to handle growing demands and complex cloud infrastructures on platforms like AWS and Azure.
• Reduced costs: Automating repetitive tasks and streamlining deployment minimizes resource utilization and operational costs.
• Faster time to market: With automated workflows, development teams can quickly respond to market changes and deliver new features and updates.

Learn about the differences between IT Operations and DevOps.

Despite its numerous benefits, DevOps automation comes with several challenges.

1. Integrating various automation tools and ensuring they work seamlessly together can be complex and time-consuming.
2. Adopting DevOps practices requires a cultural shift within some organizations.
3. DevOps teams need specialized skills to manage and operate DevOps automation tools effectively.
4. Implementing DevSecOps practices is crucial but challenging because it requires automating security checks and compliance.
5. Managing dependencies and version control and orchestrating the various components of software delivery can be difficult for some teams.
6. Establishing effective metrics and monitoring the performance and impact of automation efforts could be hard to achieve.
7. With more mature levels of automation come debugging issues that may require advanced observability tools.

Learn more about the power of infrastructure automation and how it helps empower DevOps teams.

Workload Automation (WLA) solutions align with common DevOps methodology because it automates, streamlines and integrates various processes across the software development and IT operations lifecycle. This enhances efficiency, consistency and collaboration, which are core principles of DevOps.

WLA automates everything from code changes to application deployment, which eliminates bottlenecks and allows for faster and more efficient software delivery. Because many WLA solutions offer real-time alerting and feedback, it’s easier to keep all stakeholders, including developers, IT operations and business teams, informed. Top WLA platforms are compatible with various cloud infrastructures as well as on-premises environments, giving you the flexibility and adaptability to meet different organizational needs. They also provide a superior user experience with composable automation design, supporting any DevOps team’s goals with efficient solutions.

Learn more about the future of workload automation and the role DevOps has.