If DevOps is on your agenda for 2019, there’s no shortage of information out there to help you get started or overcome obstacles. Those who have made breakthroughs with DevOps are passionate and enthusiastic about sharing this way of working with others, and it’s not hard to find examples of DevOps in action at leading companies.
Mik Kersten, CEO of Tasktop, recently told us that in the past year he’s seen a tide shift happening in the world of DevOps. The movement has grown beyond the weekly standup and is now influencing the boardroom, he says. “I was amazed by the number of great discussions and presentations that I witnessed [in 2018] on how DevOps impacts the business, finance, regulation, and company strategy as a whole,” Kersten says.
Whether you’re just dipping your toes in for the first time, or you’re well down the path with DevOps, there’s always something new to learn as this practice grows and evolves. We’ve rounded up 10 resources (and then some) to boost DevOps knowledge and bring you and your team up to speed.
How to explain DevOps:
Video: What is DevOps? - In Simple English: Starting at square one? Or maybe you are well versed in DevOps, but not so great at explaining it to curious colleagues, friends, or family? Send them this video, or borrow some of its language when you need to explain what DevOps is and what it can do.
[ Some people get confused about Agile vs. DevOps. We break it down: Read Agile vs. DevOps: What’s the difference? ]
What to read:
Research: 2018 State of DevOps Report: The State of DevOps report has been around since 2012. The most recent edition aims to uncover the sticking points in the DevOps journey by outlining the five stages of DevOps evolution. Notably, as the report points out, C-level executives and team members often have a mismatched view on how well DevOps is going in practice. Download the report to get a better understanding of where you truly are in your DevOps efforts, and how to get to the next stage.
Books: 13 must-read DevOps books: What are DevOps leaders and practitioners reading to continually learn and refine their skills? Opensource.com’s DevOps Team recently weighed in with their top DevOps book recommendations. See their picks and their thoughts on why you should add these to your reading list this year.
Resources for leaders:
Course: DevOps Leader: This 16-hour course was created specifically for leaders who want to transform the culture of their organization into an environment where DevOps can thrive. By diving deep into the human dynamics of culture change and using real-life scenarios as examples, the course offers insight into the new skills and innovative thinking required to make DevOps work. Not just for CIOs, this course is recommended for leaders throughout the IT organization who are invested in the success of DevOps.
Upcoming research: Upskilling: Enterprise DevOps Skills Report: What are the talent needs and skills required for enterprise DevOps? That’s exactly what a new report hopes to uncover. Led by Eveline Oehrlich, a former vice president and research analyst at Forrester, the “Upskilling: Enterprise DevOps Skills Report” will provide insight into why and how IT professionals should grow their own personal skills, and where business leaders should focus their hiring effort. The report will be published in Q1 2019.
How-to guides:
edX online course: Introduction to DevOps: Transforming and Improving Operations: This intensive 10-week course is organized around “The Three Ways,” the philosophies that guide DevOps processes and practices: from continuous delivery, to feedback loops, to blameless postmortems. If your team is looking for a comprehensive how-to guide for implementing DevOps, this course is for you.
Ebook: Getting Started with DevSecOps: Whether you are implementing DevOps for the first time in your organization, or you are well down the path, you may be looking for ways to bake in security earlier and with intention. That’s where DevSecOps comes in. As Red Hat security strategist Kirsten Newcomer told us recently, “Enterprises that care deeply about security and also care deeply about their ability to quickly deliver business value through software are finding ways to move security left in their application development lifecycles. They’re adopting DevSecOps by integrating security practices, tooling, and automation throughout the CI/CD pipeline.” This guide can answer the most pressing questions around DevSecOps and help you get started.
[ Read our related article: DevSecOps: 7 habits of strong security organizations. ]
Stay up to speed on the latest:
Newsletter: DevOps’ish: Get the latest news and insight on DevOps and open source in your inbox via this weekly newsletter from Chris Short, who aims to “lower the barrier to entry into the DevOps and cloud-native world while keeping seasoned professionals informed on the latest news, tools, and trends.”
Podcast: Arrested DevOps: Prefer to do your learning on the go? There’s a podcast for that. Through interviews with experts and practitioners in the field, the hosts of Arrested DevOps bring you the latest thinking for “maximum DevOps awsomeness.” Check out their latest episode on what DevOps means for your code’s database interactions.
Event: DevOps Enterprise Summit: Want to see how DevOps has transformed businesses around the world and talk to the leaders responsible for making it happen? The DevOps Enterprise Summit is a two-day event, hosted by Gene Kim, that dives into how large, complex organizations are implementing DevOps practices – and what they are learning along the way. See upcoming event dates and learn more here.
DevOps jobs and hiring:
eBook: The ultimate DevOps hiring guide: Whether you're a DevOps job seeker or you're hiring DevOps experts, this guide delivers peer-to-peer advice from IT leaders and DevOps practitioners, who know the challenges all too well, as well as insights from related experts such as recruiters. Download the guide for practical advice, analysis, and statistics on the state of the DevOps hiring market.
[ Want more advice from your DevOps peers? Read DevOps lessons learned: What I wish I knew sooner. ]
