Once, I was in a meeting with a group of businessmen and IT managers.
I will spare you the details of why I was there, but I was only expected to observe how the meeting was going. A young man was explaining the benefits of Azure DevOps to his audience. His technical knowledge was impressive, the man knew Azure inside and out. However, I noticed something that I thought to be odd at the time.
While the technical managers were listening intently, some of the more business-minded people were losing focus, their eyes glazing over. Until finally, the lead executive raised his hand. The poor young man, who was just starting to get comfortable, faltered. “All this is very impressive,” said the business executive. “You’ve clearly done your research. But can you please explain to me in five minutes or less why we should invest in this?”
The young man didn’t have an answer, or at least, not an articulate one. He could only stand there repeating some of the information he already said and gaping like a fish. At the time, it was awkward to watch, and I felt bad for the guy, and I still do.
Fast forward a few years, as the head of Oscore, I have made several presentations to businesses on the benefits of Azure. Making all those presentations helped me understand where the young man went wrong. You see, what the business executive was looking for was how Azure DevOps would contribute to their bottom line, not a detailed technical explanation of how it works.
If you would permit me to indulge in a ‘what if’ scenario, this is how I would make a case for Azure DevOps to that business executive.
Reasons to use Azure DevOps
Continuous integration
Whether you are making an app or a website, most development companies no longer follow the old school waterfall methodology. Instead, most software development companies follow the DevOps method, which focuses on iteration and improvement of a base software application because it is more productive and efficient.
Azure DevOps is perfectly suited for continuous integration and delivery, making the DevOps method more cost-efficient while eliminating inefficiencies in the process. It is a robust platform, with a huge market for integrations, plugins and infrastructure of code, which in turn, can be integrated into the pipeline to expand functionality and even automate functions.
Encourages collaboration
Azure DevOps allows for hosting and managing of code with an entire team. Code management is crucial in a collaborative process, especially, if you have an internal IT department working with external consultants. Azure DevOps makes code management easier because it acts as a central repository for code, making certain management functions, like code management easier.
With this DevOps tool, you can make the production processes much smoother, improving productivity and eliminating inefficiencies.
It is an open platform
There is nothing more frustrating than finding out that your software infrastructure can’t do something and needs an extra plugin to work as intended. It holds up the entire process, forcing you to re-estimate everything, like time taken for deliverables and even operating costs. Fortunately, this is not a problem you will see with Azure DevOps.
This is because Azure DevOps is an open platform, meaning that there are plenty of tools and integrations for the platform. This means, if you need to expand the platform’s functionality for a specific reason, chances are, there is a suitable integration to easily expand its functionality.
Make complex systems easier to manage
Azure DevOps makes it easier to manage the workload of complex systems. Whether it is code or IT systems, they are complex assets that need to be managed carefully, especially, if you are working with a consultant. Azure DevOps utilises work items to ease the workload. No matter the type of project (software development or system administration), it allows you to divide complex systems into manageable workloads amongst your team members.
Getting started with Azure DevOps
Azure DevOps is a handy tool for not only software developers but also for businesses that rely on technology to boost productivity and efficiency. However, as beneficial as Microsoft Azure is, it is important to work with a software solutions partner that truly understands the technology. When you work with an expert in Azure, it’s much easier to anticipate the pitfalls in development, fix errors and make the development process much smoother than before.