DEVOPSdigest

As organizations accelerate digital transformation, DevOps teams are at the forefront, enabling rapid innovation and efficiency. But with every new deployment, pipeline and cloud service, the attack surface grows, introducing risks that can't be left solely to security teams. While cybersecurity often takes center stage, DevOps plays an equally critical role in securing and optimizing modern software delivery.

DevOps teams are uniquely positioned to drive both technological and business success, yet their impact is often overlooked. By demonstrating their value in measurable ways — showing ROI, building internal champions, and aligning with business goals — DevOps can position itself as a key partner in organizational success, similar to how SecOps has achieved a seat at the decision-making table.

Here's how DevOps teams can gain the recognition they deserve — highlighting their impact and proving their indispensable value:

DevOps as a Strategic Partner

Deployed effectively, DevOps is far more than a simple support function — it's a critical driver of security, reliability and business agility — emerging as a strategic partner for organizational leadership, driving innovation and better customer experiences. By connecting DevOps initiatives to the broader business functions like digital transformation, cloud migration and product innovation, DevOps teams help their organizations minimize disruptions while maximizing growth potential.

To prove their value, DevOps teams must communicate their impacting terms that will also resonate with executives. Demonstrating how their adaptability and speed fuels innovation can reframe DevOps from operational support to a cornerstone of the organization's growth and resilience.

Best Practices for Securing DevOps Investments

To ensure sustained investment, DevOps teams must adopt three best practices:

1. Tie initiatives with business objectives: Align every initiative with broader organizational objectives, such as product innovation or scaling digital operations. This alignment ensures DevOps is seen as a direct contributor to the success of organizational objectives, making it an easier lift to secure ongoing support and investment from leadership.

2. Identify and empower internal champions: Identify internal champions who can bridge the gap between technical teams and leadership. These champions should be prepared with clear narratives, metrics and concrete examples that underscore DevOps' contributions. Sharing success stories and advocating for the whole team builds a compelling case for investment and reinforces their value to decision-makers.

3. Speak the language of ROI, always: Translate technical achievements into business terms that highlight ROI and impact. For example, instead of reporting on reduced system downtime in isolation, DevOps should focus on how improvements like this support and enhance customer experiences, protect brand reputation and drive growth. Using relatable metrics, such as cost savings from automation or reduced time-to-market, positions DevOps as a growth driver.

Building a Case for DevOps

SecOps teams have earned their place in the budget by quantifying their impact and effectively demonstrating ROI because it is easy math: as of 2024, breaches cost an average of $4.88M, and we prevented them. DevOps teams can follow suit by focusing on metrics that illustrate their value, such as:

Operational Stability: Using metrics including reduced downtime and improved mean time to recovery (MTTR) to show the impact of DevOps on system reliability. Tie these metrics to savings or revenue. With the right tool, assigning a dollar amount to a minute of downtime can effectively show impact.

Efficiency Gains: Demonstrating how automation can reduce costs while accelerating workflows positions DevOps as a productivity enabler.

Customer Outcomes: Linking DevOps efforts directly to business success through metrics showing faster feature deployments and higher satisfaction. I don't think I've ever heard an executive complain about making their customer's lives easier. Reducing churn through streamlined DevOps practices directly contributes to the bottom line.

DevOps as a Catalyst for Growth

Beyond collecting metrics and identifying champions, the true power of DevOps lies in its ability to foster a culture of continuous improvement. This cultural shift drives innovation, strengthens customer loyalty and ensures operational excellence. Without robust DevOps practices, businesses risk stagnation, inefficiency and lost business opportunities.

The opportunity for DevOps teams to assert their value has never been greater. By stepping into the spotlight, they can not only secure their place at the table but also shape the future of their organizations.

It's time for DevOps to get the recognition — and resources — it deserves.