As we enter the year 2023, the software development and operations world continues to evolve at an unprecedented pace. The growth of DevOps, which is a set of practices that combines software development and IT operations, has been instrumental in driving this transformation. DevOps has become a cornerstone of digital transformation, enabling organizations to deliver high-quality software faster and more efficiently.
In fact, according to a recent survey, the DevOps industry is set to grow at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 24.7% from 2019 to 2026, reaching a value of $20.01 billion.
As we look ahead to 2023, we must watch the latest emerging DevOps trends. With technology advancing rapidly, new trends are constantly emerging, and staying ahead of the curve is essential for any organization looking to remain competitive. From containerization and serverless computing to artificial intelligence and machine learning, several trends are likely to shape the DevOps landscape in the coming years.
In this blog, we will explore 7 DevOps trends you must watch out for in 2023. We will dive deep into these trends and discuss their potential impact on software development and operations. Whether you are a DevOps practitioner or an enterprise leader just getting started with DevOps, these trends will undoubtedly significantly impact your work in the future. So, without further ado, let’s get started.
Also, Read – The Role of DevOps in Software Development
DevOps Trends To Watch Out for in 2023
- DevSecOps
In 2023, DevOps trends are continuously evolving, and DevSecOps is emerging as one of the most crucial aspects of digital transformation. Security breaches and cyber-attacks are at an all-time high, making it essential for enterprises to integrate security into the development cycle. The DevSecOps lifecycle helps to streamline governance and observability, and it has become a significant focus for organizations looking to strengthen their security measures.
The core concept behind DevSecOps is the shift-left approach that emphasizes security as a fundamental part of the development process rather than an afterthought. According to the latest DevSecOps trends, about 40% of enterprises conduct Dynamic Application Security Testing (DAST), while 50% conduct Static Application Security Testing (SAST). The remaining enterprises conduct scans of dependencies and containers, highlighting the need for integrated automation in the development cycle.
A prime example of how DevSecOps has become a predominant practice is the success story of Pokemon Go. Upon its initial launch, the popular game faced several liability issues, given its vast reach of over 800 million downloads worldwide, with many minors as users. As a result, the game was subject to the GDPR rules, and the responsibility of ensuring user privacy and security compliance was critical.
Pokemon Go partnered with Niantic for its development, with both companies sharing responsibilities regarding security compliance and development. Despite some shared responsibility, the application was primarily governed by Niantic, leaving Pokemon Go with some childcare security compliance and backend operations. The situation called for a collaborative and security-focused culture, leading to the adoption of DevSecOps integrated automation in the development process.
By integrating DevSecOps into the development cycle, Pokemon Go was able to automate security checks and minimize the risk of human error. This cultural shift allowed the company to protect the privacy of billions of children by instilling security compliance from the very first stage of development. As DevOps trends evolve, enterprises will continue to adopt DevSecOps as an integral part of their development process to enhance security and governance while protecting their customers’ privacy.
- Serverless Computing
Serverless computing has emerged as a game-changing software development and deployment approach, revolutionizing the DevOps process in 2023. With this approach, services and applications can be developed and run without requiring server management, which has led to faster development and quicker deployment. This innovative approach has gained widespread adoption and is projected to reach a market value of $30 billion by 2030, with more than 50% of cloud-based enterprise systems integrating serverless computing.
Serverless computing has significantly impacted the DevOps pipeline, enhancing operability and bridging the development and operations gap. With the ability to generate DevOps pipeline code without relying on a host to develop, test, and deploy, the serverless approach has streamlined processes and boosted efficiency.
A prime example of the impact of serverless computing on the DevOps process is Netflix. The company has revolutionized the entertainment industry by shifting its focus from renting DVDs to streaming videos online. However, to maintain its leading position in the market, it had to find a way to manage and scale its infrastructure to meet the growing demand. That’s when Netflix embraced serverless computing to enhance the efficiency and scalability of its platform.
Netflix uses AWS Lambda, Amazon S3, and Amazon CloudFront to power its streaming services, enabling the company to handle enormous traffic without compromising performance or user experience. By adopting a serverless approach, Netflix could focus more on developing its platform rather than managing servers, thus reducing the overall operational overhead. Moreover, it allowed the company to optimize its costs by only paying for the actual usage of its services.
Implementing serverless computing has boosted Netflix’s performance, scalability, and agility in rolling out new features and updates. Netflix could deploy updates in days or weeks with traditional server-based architectures. However, with microservices architecture, the company can now deploy updates in seconds or minutes. This level of agility has enabled Netflix to offer its customers a seamless and innovative user experience, which has been a key factor in the company’s massive success in the streaming industry.
Serverless computing has transformed the DevOps process by enabling faster development, deployment, and enhanced scalability. By adopting a serverless approach, companies like Netflix have streamlined their infrastructure management, optimized costs, and offered innovative services to their customers.
Also, Read – A Guide to Serverless Vs. Microservices Architecture
- Microservice Architecture
Microservice Architecture, also known as microservices, has become an integral part of the IT industry, catering to the latest DevOps trends of 2023. By breaking down mammoth-sized applications into smaller, more manageable pieces, has simplified the development, testing, and deployment process. As a result, it has streamlined the delivery of software and applications while improving the overall quality of products through the facilitation of DevOps principles.
A prime example of its success is Coca-Cola, which has produced over 3800 products globally. Initially, the company relied on a legacy architecture to connect various entities across continents. However, as they grew, it became increasingly challenging to support their expansion. To overcome this hurdle, Coca-Cola’s IT teams adopted a DevOps-based approach that utilized microservices. Creating a separate area for concerns and reusable modules enhanced the agility and speed of product deployment. Consequently, there was a significant reduction in data flow within the network, providing them more time to scale up and support freestyle machines within minutes compared to weeks.
Overall, microservice architecture has proven a valuable asset to DevOps consulting firms. Its ability to simplify complex processes and enhance efficiency has made it a popular choice in the IT industry.
- AIOps
AIOps is one of the most significant DevOps trends, revolutionizing the industry with its automated IT processes and operations. Working with MLOps, these two tools are key drivers in optimizing DevOps operations, resulting in high-quality and rapid releases. Industry experts predict the AIOps market will be worth 40.91 billion dollars by 2026.
AIOps enables the identification of root causes of issues that can negatively impact operational productivity. Simultaneously, MLOps strengthens the machine learning development system, allowing for the seamless optimization of operations and increased productivity.
HCL’s DRYiCE IntelliOps platform is a prime example of AIOps in action. This solution addresses enterprises’ full stack AIOps requirements, transforming HCL’s customers from reactive to proactive. By improving incident management and increasing infrastructure visibility, HCL has supported customers’ transition into agile business practitioners, reducing help desk tickets by 62% and MTTR by 33%. These improvements have streamlined the cloud migration process, all while reducing operational costs.
At the core, AIOps is one of the most significant DevOps trends in 2023, providing a powerful tool for optimizing operations and enhancing productivity. Its integration with MLOps allows businesses to automate IT processes and identify the root causes of issues, leading to proactive problem-solving and agile business practices.
- Low Code Applications
In the fast-moving world of DevOps, another top trend that enterprises are adopting is using low-code applications. A development approach that provides agility, giving organizations a competitive advantage in the demanding and ever-changing software market.
Low-code platforms empower businesses to create applications without extensive coding knowledge, making it easier for non-technical professionals to contribute to the development process through a visual interface. This streamlined approach to app development has sped up the process of creating simplistic and user-friendly applications, allowing for faster deployment.
Low-code applications also integrate with programming tools to automate application deployment, simplifying crucial DevOps practices such as version control, QA, and build validation. The low-code approach helps DevOps service providers work more efficiently by reducing complexity and streamlining processes.
The fusion of “low code” and DevOps’ focus on efficient collaboration has created an effective tool for enhancing the development and deployment process. As such, low-code applications remain a top trend in the DevOps landscape in 2023, providing organizations with a powerful tool for achieving their software development goals.
- GitOps
GitOps continues to be a prominent trend in the realm of DevOps. This approach to infrastructure management offers a powerful means of controlling, monitoring, and automating infrastructure, making it a vital tool for IT operation managers and developers.
GitOps is based on the Kubernetes paradigm and utilizes Git for collecting and deploying multiple applications. By incorporating the best practices from DevOps, such as collaboration, version control, compliance, and CI/CD, GitOps provides an efficient way to automate infrastructure while improving software development workflows. It prioritizes consistent delivery and speedy software deployment, enabling teams to create, test, and deploy software faster and more efficiently.
An excellent example of GitOps is the finance platform Mettle, powered by NatWest. Mettle offers small business customers streamlined payment applications and effective financial management tools, making it essential for its services to run consistently 24/7. When the engineering team at Mettle was challenged to deploy new features more quickly without compromising the security or reliability of the CI/CD pipeline, they turned to Weaveworks to adopt the GitOps approach.
The results were impressive, with Mettle’s implementation of a self-service program enabling engineers to focus more on delivering value through innovation without requiring assistance from the platform team. The outcome was a 50% increase in production and a 25% acceleration in deployment, which certainly highlights the power of GitOps as a DevOps trend in 2023 and beyond. GitOps’s ability to streamline infrastructure management, enhance collaboration and ensure consistent software delivery makes it a valuable tool for any team looking to improve its DevOps workflows.
- Kubernetes
Kubernetes, also known as K8, has become another critical DevOps trend in 2023 due to its exceptional ability to manage containerized services and workloads in an extensible and portable open-source platform.
With Kubernetes, developers can effortlessly scale up or down resources within a continuous and autonomous container-based ecosystem for seamless integration. Nearly half of all developers have turned to Kubernetes for container integration, solidifying its place as a top DevOps trend.
Kubernetes has proven to be an essential tool for DevOps practices, particularly in facilitating cross-functional action and ensuring minimal deployment downtime while adhering to industry best practices.
The success of Kubernetes in this regard is exemplified by Nordstrom Inc., a luxury department store based in Seattle, prioritizes agility, speed, and exceptional customer experiences as an e-commerce company. Using Kubernetes to execute a complete DevOps transformation, including deploying pipelines and consistent integration, Nordstrom reduced deployment time from three months to just 30 minutes, significantly improving operational efficiency.
Kubernetes’ flexibility, portability, and ability to streamline DevOps processes and reduce deployment time are vital for any organization looking to stay competitive in today’s constantly evolving technological landscape.
Also, Read – The Role of Cloud and DevOps in Digital Transformation
In the End!
And so, our journey exploring the seven DevOps trends of 2023 comes to a close. As we have witnessed, DevOps practices are constantly evolving, and businesses are now embracing new technologies and strategies to increase agility, speed, and efficiency. These trends will revolutionize the DevOps landscape, from the surge in AIOps and GitOps to the growing adoption of cloud-native technologies and automation and security testing.
In today’s highly competitive business environment, there will be an even greater demand for DevOps Service Providers that adopt these trends and technologies, positioning themselves to drive innovation, achieve operational excellence, and deliver superior customer experiences. By leveraging the power of these trends and partnering with the best DevOps company, business leaders can stay ahead of the curve, remain agile, and adapt to changing market demands.
As we move forward, we can expect to see more exciting developments in DevOps. With ongoing advancements in technology and a growing emphasis on collaboration, automation, and security, the possibilities for DevOps are truly limitless. By embracing these trends and partnering with the right DevOps company, businesses can unlock their full potential and succeed in today’s rapidly evolving technological landscape.
