The software lifecycle has evolved, now more than ever, businesses require more speed, reliability, and continuous innovation from their software. Current development and operations methods are not delivering against these needs due to being siloed, utilizing manual processes, and a lack of scalability.
As an automated, single pipeline providing a managed, cloud-based integration of the development-function-to-production-function, DaaS (DevOps as a Service) offers a solution for organizations needing to adopt DevOps to accelerate their software delivery and ensure quality and security.
DaaS enables organizations to adopt DevOps practices without requiring internal knowledge of DevOps, making DaaS a key enabler of digital transformation.
DevOps as a Service (DaaS) refers to how companies can subscribe to using DevOps tools and processes as a managed service from either a public cloud or a hosting provider. DaaS encompasses, but is not limited to:
Continuous Integration (also called CI) using tools like Jenkins
Continuous Deployment/Delivery (CD) using continuous deliveries of releases to production
Automation of infrastructure using tools such as Terraform
Monitoring and logging tools
Tools for integrating security into development (DevSecOps)
DaaS can be offered through underlying platform solutions from companies like AWS with a scalable and integrated service stack such as CI and CD tools.
1. The Core Component of DevOps for Continuous Integration and Continuous Delivery (CI/CD) With DaaS (Jenkins/GitHub Actions) Automating the Code Integration, Testing and Deployment Processes Enabling the Development of High-Quality, Quick Applications Within Organizations.
2. Infrastructure as Code (IaC) Automates the Provisioning of Infrastructure (physical Building Block) on Which to Build Applications Using Terraform (Infrastructure as Code). The Result is a Consistent, Repeatable and Version-Controlled Deployment of Your Infrastructure.
3. Containers and Orchestration Provide Portable, Scalable and Efficient Use of Resources Regardless of Where an Application Runs Using Containerization Technology (Docker) to Package and Deploy Applications within Containers and Orchestration Technology (Kubernetes) to Manage Containerized Applications.
4. DaaS Integrates System Monitoring Tools (Prometheus/Amazon CloudWatch) for Organizations to Monitor Performance (i.e. Speed/Throughput), Application Usage and Key Metrics About Infrastructure.
5. Automated Security Scanning, Vulnerability Assessments, Automated Access Control via IAM, and Compliance Monitoring with Regulatory Requirements Are Embedded Within the DevOps Lifecycle (DevSecOps).
Typically five layers make up a standard DaaS architecture:
Source Code Layer: This layer consists of code repositories being managed through a Git type of system.
Build and Integration Layer: The code is compiled, unit tests are executed and the build artifacts are produced using automated Continuous Integration tools.
Deployment Layer: Applications are deployed from an automated deployment pipeline to both the staging and production environments.
Infrastructure Layer: By means of Infrastructure as Code tools in a cloud environment, infrastructure resources are created and provisioned when necessary.
Monitoring Layer: Continuous Monitoring is utilized to track applications for optimal performance levels and timely corrective action.
1. Speed of Product Delivery - By using automated processes, the disruption to the development lifecycle is reduced, allowing technology to be deployed faster and reach the market sooner.
2. Cost Savings - You are not required to maintain a large, extensive, in-house DevOps team and do not have to make significant capital investments in infrastructure.
3. Scalability - You can quickly add cloud infrastructure resources as your needs change.
4. Better Communication - Developers and operations teams are able to communicate with each other better because of the removal of silos between departments.
5. Increased Reliability - By using automated testing and monitoring, you make your systems more reliable.
DaaS has provided organisations with a new capability for building, deploying and supporting applications through AWS Cloud Services. By implementing new technologies to develop scalable, automated, and secure DevOps workflows, organisations can simplify the management of their processes relative to prior methods.
Utilizing popular DevOps tools (Docker, Jenkins, Kubernetes) allow organisations to enhance the speed in which they deliver products; improve the quality; and continue to do so indefinitely.
DaaS isn't only about technology; it also represents an opportunity for organisations to achieve agility and digital success