What is the true cost of a DevOps adoption?

Source – jaxenter.com

Transitioning to a DevOps approach can be a wonderful experience. But for all that we talk about it on JAXenter, we often don’t go into the nitty-gritty details of how a DevOps adoption actually works.

KMS Technology recently released a survey of over 200 IT professionals who had participated in DevOps in the past year. Their key takeaway? In order for DevOps to be successful, companies need a clear road map with a thorough understanding of the necessary financial and labor costs.

Realistic expectations are apparently more important than general enthusiasm.

In any case, people are happy with their DevOps transitions: 51% of IT professionals reported having “very positive” impression of DevOps after making the switch.

Sounds good, right? Well, most DevOps transitions are far from smooth. Commonly, limited skill-set and DevOps knowledge among in-house IT staff tend to slow the transition. Lack of executive support is another significant challenge. Equally important, challenges arise based on an inability to agree on or articulate DevOps goals of a transition. And of course, budget issues will also hinder a transition.

Money, money, money

So, what will a DevOps transition cost an organization? Turns out, it’s not exactly pocket change.

According to the KMS survey, the plurality of transitions cost somewhere between $100, 000 and $500,000. Of that, a third of respondents explained that the lion’s share of the budget went to DevOps tools and technologies. Another 40% said that their budget was projected to rise as much as a quarter for DevOps related expenses like software development, testing, and services.

Quality isn’t cheap. And neither is a DevOps transition. But, it’s worth keeping in mind that a consensus of It professionals believe DevOps has a clear advantage that’s worth all the trouble.

The times they are a-changing

How long should a DevOps transition take? Is it an instantaneous switch? Signs point to no.

The conclusions from the KMS survey are particularly strong. 85% of DevOps transitions take up to one year to be completed. While tech moves at the speed of sound, this is actually a really impressive stat. Organizational transitions aren’t known for their speedy agility, adherence to Agile and Lean principles or no.

Making a massive change to DevOps is a big deal and it’s worth doing well. So, taking about a year is a fairly legitimate amount of time.

DevOps adoptions

Obviously, the decision for making a DevOps transition is not a light one. It is one that must be made soberly, with a firm understanding of the costs and challenges that come with it. But, as many who have made it through report, the results are worth it.

Below, here’s an interesting infographic from KMS about why you need to switch to a DevOps approach.