Six Enterprise Technology Trends that will Impact DevOps and DevSecOps in 2021

Development and Operations (DevOps) and Development Security and Operations (DevSecOps) are leading models for efficient software delivery. Indeed, DevOps and DevSecOps adoption trends are likely to dictate software development for the next few years.

However, both DevOps and DevSecOps are also tipped to evolve substantially over the coming years. Below, we discuss top expert predictions for the two areas to help you better plan for the rest of 2021. We’ve divided the trends into three parts – infrastructure, architecture, and technology for ease of understanding.

DevOps and DevSecOps adoption trends: Architecture

Architecture in computing refers to the collection of protocols that define the utility, structure, and execution of software applications. The term describes how software apps work. Architecture also determines each component’s function in the computing infrastructure, making it critical for DevOps teams.

The two main DevOps and DevSecOps adoption trends predicted in the area of architecture are monolithic to microservice architecture and cloud-first development.

1. From monolithic to micro-service

Traditional computing architecture is defined as monolithic because it gives us inflexible computer systems that are difficult to manipulate. More recently, we’ve seen the shift to lighter, nimbler architectures that are friendlier to DevOps and DevSecOps adoption. This new architecture style structures applications as collections of highly maintainable and testable, loosely coupled, and independently deployable services.

The new structure makes it easier than ever for teams to code, debug, and deploy software. They also offer a better collaboration environment and are easier to install and maintain.

2. Cloud-first architecture

Cloud-first refers to software solutions explicitly designed to utilize modern cloud computing functionality. Cloud-first architectures leverage modern cloud hosting providers, such as Google, Amazon, and Azure, for maximum ROI. The architectures are better performing and, in many cases, more stable than traditional application models.

Cloud-first architectures are often contrasted with solutions that are migrated to the cloud. Unlike migrated solutions, cloud-first applications are designed in the cloud from the start.

DevOps and DevSecOps adoption trends: Infrastructure

The term “infrastructure” in computing collectively refers to the software, hardware, networks, systems, and tools that, put together, allow organizations to accomplish their operations such as app development and management.

Therefore, trends in infrastructure typically touch on both hardware and software. The two main infrastructure DevOps and DevSecOps adoption trends that will impact DevOps and DevSecOps in 2021 are Kubernetes Plus/Minus DevOps and agile practices.

3. Kubernetes Plus/Minus DevOps

Kubernetes is open-source software designed to accelerate the development, management, and deployment of containers. It empowers organizations to be more productive, with a particular emphasis on collaboration and security.

Containers in the Kubernetes infrastructure allow multiple teams to collaborate on project development by enabling resource management and maximizing transparency. This makes it easy for group members to work simultaneously or in quicker, shorter cycles. The new infrastructure is best known for continuous detection, consistency, and self-healing.

4. Agile Infrastructure

“Agile” has become one of the most popular terms in application development. It’s also perhaps the biggest trend impacting DevOps and DevSecOps adoption and activities today. The majority of DevOps and DevSecOps are migrating from traditional, rigid methods to the more flexible agile development and app management approaches.

A vital advantage of the agile approach is that, similar to DevOps, it focuses on collaboration, organization, and skill diversification to achieve resilience, self-improvement, and rapid iteration. Each product delivery is followed by a feedback cycle for self-improvement.

DevOps and DevSecOps adoption trends: Technology

Finally, tech is also changing. These changes are bound to have a significant impact on DevOps and DevSecOps operations. Two DevOps and DevSecOps adoption trends in technology predicted to have the biggest impact on DevOps and DevSecOps teams are release & deployment automation and the shift towards AI/ML.

5. Release and Deployment automation

In the past, app development teams needed to move software manually from testing to production environments. While this approach had its strengths, it’s also a grossly inefficient and painfully laborious task. The worst part is that the team must repeat the same process every time you need to add new updates or features or release a new version.

Traditional, manual release & deployment is set to end with the rise of release and deployment automation. Automation allows organizations to save time by enabling the automatic conversion of test code to production-ready work at the click of a button.

6. The rise of AI and ML

Finally, you cannot discuss 2021 tech trends without mentioning Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML). The evolution of AI and ML could completely change development approaches. AI and ML can capture and process massive amounts of data, allowing DevOps and DevSecOps teams to make extremely accurate analyses and predictions.

However, the most significant contribution from these two technologies could come in automation. Some experts believe that eventually, we may see NoOps cycles that don’t require human intervention. So, in the short term, AI and ML will significantly impact both DevOps and DevSecOps. But, in the long term, they may eliminate the two.

Eyes on the Ball

The most important thing you need to do right now is to keep your eyes open and closely follow these trends (and the many other predictions out there) to determine how they may impact your organization. This will allow you to react quickly to take maximum advantage of any developments.