JAX DevOps: Some people call DevOps a cultural movement, others consider it a magic bullet. In your view, what is the essence of DevOps?

Kail: To me, DevOps is a common set of best practices that allow Development and Operations to operate much more cohesively and apply automation techniques wherever possible.

JAX DevOps: What are the latest trends in DevOps? Could you describe one important trend that you are particularly interested in?

Kail: One of the main, and most needed trends, is the “Shifting Left” of Security into the entire Software Development Life Cycle. Code and Application security testing needs to be embedded into the pipeline.

JAX DevOps: What are the most suitable tools that should be part of a ready-to-use “DevOps kit”?

Kail: Before a set of tools can be recommended, the organization needs to outline what the current state of Development and IT is, and what is the desired state. Once that is established, then choose the set of tools that align best with those goals and provide the greatest level of automation and measurement.

IT Leaders who are undergoing a “DevOps Transformation” should certainly research how containers enhance their overall strategy.

JAX DevOps: What is the role of cloud in a DevOps context? What benefits does it bring?

Kail: Cloud infrastructure, by definition, is elastic and programmatic. That allows for a high degree of automation and agility, which is directly aligned with the core tenets of the DevOps definition.

JAX DevOps: If containers are revolutionizing IT infrastructure and DevOps is transforming the modern IT landscape, would you say that they go well together?

Kail: I would say that container technology is a subset of Cloud infrastructure and they are enabling new application architecture patterns and increasing developer agility. IT Leaders who are undergoing a “DevOps Transformation” should certainly research how containers enhance their overall strategy.

JAX DevOps: What are the anti-patterns of DevOps?

Kail: The top ones for me are “DevOps is not a job title”, “DevOps is a process”, and “DevOps is a panacea”

Outline the strategic objectives that map directly to business outcomes. Don’t drive adoption just for the sake of adoption. Give everyone a clear mission, communicate that mission often, and continuously measure progress.

JAX DevOps: Do you have a tip on how we can eliminate obstacles to DevOps adoption?

Kail: The first is to lead by example from the top. If the CIO isn’t driving the culture of change, then any adoption of change will fail. Outline the strategic objectives that map directly to business outcomes. Don’t drive adoption just for the sake of adoption. Give everyone a clear mission, communicate that mission often, and continuously measure progress.