An effective DevOps team can help your business accelerate its software production lifecycle, reduce costs, and enhance security and compliance. However, building and managing a DevOps team can be time-consuming, expensive, and resource-intensive, especially if you lack the necessary skills, experience, and technology. Outsourcing DevOps services can offer many benefits, but it’s not a one-size-fits-all solution. You need to assess your company’s outsourcing capabilities, define your goals and needs, and find a reliable and experienced provider that can deliver quality and cost-effective services.
Outsourcing DevOps: Is It Right for You?
Once you have assessed your outsourcing capabilities, you can determine whether outsourcing DevOps is the best option for your business. Some of the advantages of outsourcing DevOps services include:
Cost savings: You can save money on salaries, benefits, training, and infrastructure by relying on an external team that already has the necessary skills, tools, and resources.
Expertise: You can gain access to a wider pool of talent that has years of experience and can bring fresh ideas and approaches to your DevOps processes.
Scalability: You can adjust your team size and composition based on your current and future needs without worrying about recruitment, onboarding, or termination costs.
Time-to-market: You can shorten your software delivery timeline, reduce downtime, and improve end-user satisfaction by streamlining your development and deployment workflows.
Compliance: You can ensure that your software meets industry standards and regulations for security, privacy, and quality assurance.
However, outsourcing DevOps services may not be feasible in some cases, such as
Large-scale operations: If your infrastructure is massive and complex, and you need constant and immediate access to full-time employees, outsourcing may not provide the necessary level of control and customization.
Critical functions: If your DevOps processes are mission-critical, and any interruption or error can cause damage, downtime, or loss of revenue, you may prefer to keep them in-house with dedicated staff who have a deep knowledge and accountability.
Cultural fit: If your company culture values close-knit teams, continuous learning and improvement, and frequent communication and feedback, you may find it challenging to integrate an external team that operates on a different schedule, style, or language.
Importance of integrity and trustworthiness in DevOps
One of the most critical factors to consider when outsourcing DevOps services is the integrity and trustworthiness of the team you hire. DevOps professionals have access to sensitive and confidential information and are responsible for ensuring the reliability and security of your software delivery pipeline. Therefore, you must ensure that the provider and team you choose uphold high ethical standards and follow strict security and compliance protocols.
You can assess the integrity and trustworthiness of a potential DevOps provider by
Checking their background and references: Ask for case studies, customer testimonials, and employee bios to get a sense of their experience, skills, and work style. You can also verify their credentials and certifications, such as CISSP, CISM, or CSA, to ensure they have the required knowledge and expertise.
Testing their security and compliance measures: Ask about their security protocols for data protection, access control, encryption, and intrusion detection. You can also check if they have undergone any third-party audits or certifications, such as ISO 27001, SOC 2, or HIPAA, to ensure they comply with industry standards and regulations.
Conducting background checks: You can run background checks on the team members who will work on your project to verify their identity, criminal history, education, and work experience. You may also request them to sign a nondisclosure agreement (NDA) or a code of conduct (CoC) that specifies their responsibilities and obligations.
Working with Others: A Key Skill for a DevOps Team
Another critical factor that determines the success of an outsourced DevOps team is their ability to work with others. DevOps is a collaborative and cross-functional approach that requires different teams and stakeholders to work together seamlessly and efficiently. Therefore, you should look for a DevOps provider that values teamwork, communication, and feedback and has the processes and tools to support collaboration.
Thriving in a Remote-First World
As many businesses are transitioning to remote work environments and outsourcing various processes, including DevOps, it is important to keep certain things in mind when hiring these workers to ensure your company’s performance, success, and profits. Some factors to consider include:
Technical competence: Assess candidates’ technical skills, such as their proficiency with collaboration tools, virtual machines, and networking protocols. Make sure that they have a reliable and secure internet connection, a dedicated workspace, and backup equipment for emergencies.
Experience: Look for candidates who have worked remotely before or have experience with distributed teams. They should be able to adjust their work style to asynchronous communication, be more independent, and require less supervision.
Soft skills: Remote workers need strong time management, self-discipline, and resilience skills, as they operate in a less structured and more distracting environment. Ensure that candidates can demonstrate these skills.
Cultural fit: In a remote-first world, cultural alignment is more challenging to achieve, as team members may have different work schedules, time zones, languages, and cultural backgrounds. Therefore, you should provide clear guidelines, expectations, and feedback to ensure that everyone feels included and valued.
Building and managing an outsourced DevOps team can be a daunting task, but with proper planning, assessment, and communication, you can reap significant benefits for your business. Make sure to evaluate your outsourcing capabilities, define your needs and goals, choose a reliable and experienced provider, and assess their skills, integrity, and collaboration abilities. Don’t forget to adapt to a remote-first world in which technical competence, experience, and soft skills are equally essential. By following these guidelines, you can achieve a more efficient, secure, and innovative DevOps process that enables your business to grow and scale.