In an article for Forbes, Chris Cancialosi argues that DevOps is not simply implemented through changes in job titles and company roles. Cancialosi highlights the ways Sumo Logic uses DevOps, contending that merely “coming together” does not alter the mindsets of employees. Many team members have immovable beliefs about their positions, and a more comprehensive system is necessary to sway their way of thinking.
Cancialosi’s article is a breath of fresh air for an industry drunk on DevOps hype. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a DevOps guy through and through. But DevOps is not magic. It cannot be implemented with the simple stroke of a pen. It’s much more involved and complex than that. I takes hard work and an ongoing struggle for a more evolved approach to IT.
With Cancialosi’s article in mind, I decided to offer my own thoughts on the symbiosis between Sumo Logic and a properly managed DevOps program.
More Than a Formal Rearrangement of Operational Hierarchy
DevOps is a philosophy and without cross-functional, open-minded teams, it cannot be realized. That hasn’t prevented firms like Sumo Logic from realizing their DevOps goals, however.
Sumo Logic is a cloud-based log management and analytics service that leverages machine-generated big data to deliver real-time IT insights. With a task like that, DevOps is vital to their efficiency.
Here is the 5-point system Sumo Logic uses to realize these values:
1. It’s about seeing things from different perspectives
The staff at Sumo Logic are rotated into different positions within the company to gain a better understanding of how each role functions, both independently and within the team.
2. Cross-functional teaming is the core
Product Development Units (PDUs) were developed to cut across superficial company boundaries and share ideas and work between departments that would not normally have interactions.
3. It’s about awareness and collective learning
Sumo Logic teaches its teams the core values of DevOps. The focus on working together to deliver to customers completely changed the way they operate on every level.
4. Make customers your focus
Many companies claim that customers are their priority, but that is often a goal and not a focus. Sumo Logic delivers value through their emphasis on the consumer.
5. It takes time and collective experiences
DevOps implementation is not an overnight process. It involves new ways of team-building, constant dialogue and collective learning.
Disruption Construction
The tech industry tends to think and be managed in a binary way. DevOps is challenging the belief that a technical solution can solve all problems, but many industry leaders are quickly learning how to adapt to and benefit from it.
