DEVOPSdigest

Only 20 percent of organizations that have attempted to implement DevOps have fully deployed it, according to the results of a new global study, commissioned by CA Technologies.

The research also found that these "advanced" DevOps adopters were more likely to report that their digital initiatives contributed to competitiveness, customer retention and top- and bottom-line results.

In the study titled Assembling the DevOps Jigsaw, more than 80 percent of senior IT and business executives confirm nine components that are key to maximize DevOps effectiveness — see infographic. Vital areas of focus include business stakeholder education; security and compliance measures; and cross functional IT processes.

Even though DevOps is seen as a key component to driving business agility and keeping up with customer demands, only a little over half (55 percent) of respondents stated that they have a well-defined DevOps strategy and objectives. Furthermore, while 86 percent considered business stakeholder education, and the alignment of IT and business priorities to be important, only 33 percent and 37 percent respectively had completed these steps.

Although both development and operations teams may have individually implemented modern methods and automation techniques, the majority (63 percent) of the DevOps adopters say there is still work to be done in relation to infrastructure and tooling.

Also, with 46 percent of respondents still working on security and compliance, it is clear that most DevOps activity is not well supported from an enabling platform and risk management perspective.

Assembling all of the pieces of the DevOps jigsaw puzzle may require time, effort and careful planning, but the results are worth it.

Compared to those without DevOps, advanced DevOps adopters are:

■ 2.5 times more likely to have seen improvements in customer retention

■ 2 times more likely to have seen improvements in customer acquisition

■ 3.4 times more likely to have seen progress on market share

■ 2 times more likely to have seen a positive impact on revenue growth

■ 2.4 times more likely to have experienced higher profit growth

Survey Methodology: The global online survey of 1,442 senior IT and business executives was sponsored by CA Technologies and conducted by industry analyst firm Freeform Dynamics in July 2015. It was augmented by in-depth telephone interviews with key industry executives.