Interview: @AndiMann on DevOps and CAMS | @DevOpsSummit [#DevOps]

DevOps Journal: Cloud, Big Data, and the IoT all carry disruption within enterprise IT. The same goes with DevOps. Which of these is the major disruptor, in your opinion? Andi Mann: It may well be cloud, because it fundamentally enables all the rest. Cloud scale is why we are now considering Big Data; cloud connectivity is a key enabler of IoT; cloud agility has enabled DevOps to take hold. But in the end, the cloud is “just” a platform, while the results of DevOps speak for themselves--like an average 20+% improvement in areas like revenue, new products, time to market, quality improvement, and more . DevOps Journal: Cloud has been gaining traction for the longest time in this group, too. Andi: Yes, it is still early days for DevOps, with a minority yet to adopt DevOps, so its biggest impact is yet to be seen. This is an incredible opportunity to radically accelerate the pace of change, which in turn will upend all the other disruptions. This is why I think DevOps is perhaps the most exciting and most fundamental changes to IT service delivery at least since cloud, and possibly long before. DevOps Journal: Who has the steepest learning curve? The "dev" side, the "ops" side, or the management that has to integrate DevOps into both sides? Andi: I think management has the biggest challenge. Devs and Ops have process issues--understanding each other team's activities, what they do, when they do it, how they do it, for example. There are also the technology issues of adopting and learning different tools, from agile planning to automated release. But people will overcome these issues, because they are solvable problems, and that is one thing Devs and Ops both know how to do well. DevOps Journal: It always comes back to the people issues... Andi: Yes, the biggest challenge will be, and always has been, the people issues, the cultural part of the equation. While this is critical for both Devand Ops too, it is management that needs to play the strongest role to encourage and even enforce the significant cultural, organizational, and interpersonal change that DevOps requires, at least in the large organizations I see most. This is why I believe it is so critical to bring management and executives into the DevOps discussion, rather than just focusing on technology and process 'speeds and feeds'. DevOps Journal: What are the key principals (other than not going into panic mode) that organizations need to remember as they approach and integrate DevOps into how they manage and develop their IT? Andi: One of the easiest yet most important aspects to remember in DevOps is the concept of CAMS: Culture, Automation, Measurement, Sharing. This is almost like a mantra, although it started out gaining traction almost by accident, if anecdotes are to be believed. In a culture that eschews definition, constriction, centralization, and leadership, this is about as close to prescriptive guidance as DevOps has. I will cover this in more depth at my session at @DevOpsSummit Silicon Valley. But remembering these four elements of DevOps approach will help take away that panic reaction. Using this mantra as a construct to inform both strategy and tactical execution will help to define an achievable path toward the goals of DevOps.

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