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Best of 2024: DevOps: What’s the End Goal?
Don MacVittie asks the existential question: What, exactly, are we trying to achieve through DevOps’ integration with AI?
Jan 2, 2025 · 3 minAll articles by Don Macvittie
Showing 1–24Your AI Might be Lying to You
Simple tests can demonstrate whether a code generator is actually doing what you ask.
Our Infrastructure is Still Expanding
Infrastructure is expanding in almost every possible way, and this creates more of a burden on every aspect of IT, specifically DevOps.
The IT-DevOps Life Cycle is Like a Pyramid That Keeps Growing
For the most part, the demand for new technology to solve age-old problems has been a net increase in workload.
Is it Time to Reconsider CI?
If you have issues with Jenkins, look around. There are options. Find the best CI tool for you, not just the most convenient.
Google is Right to be Afraid
Google’s recent stumbles come at a rather inopportune time, but the concerns that made them actually address the controversy are worse than most know.
How Much Testing is Too Much?
Advances in automated testing have great potential, but there are also downsides to consider as the technology matures.
DevOps: What’s the End Goal?
Don MacVittie asks the existential question: What, exactly, are we trying to achieve through DevOps’ integration with AI?
Data Gravity Will Remain an Issue
Don MacVittie explains we’re in the ‘dream world’ of data – where the cloud-native stack realizes the dream of portable programming.
We Will Control the World!
Don MacVittie has one request for vendors: Don’t tell us how you can manage other vendors’ tools; tell us how you’re making it easier to manage yours.
Security Across the SDLC
Don MacVittie believes we’ve made progress integrating security across the SDLC, but there’s still a ways to go.
Agile is no Excuse
Agile doesn’t excuse bad communications, and DevOps is not short for ‘random change on a whim.’ Don MacVittie explains the importance of a clear product roadmap.
No, You Don’t Want to be a Prompt Engineer
Prompt engineering became a thing in 2023 and will stop being a thing in 2024. Don MacVittie explains why.
New Year, New ‘Tude
Don MacVittie starts the year with advice about understanding the difference between what you can and cannot change.
Shared Responsibility? Yeah.
Don MacVittie reminds us that the shared responsibility model was really cloud vendors telling us that we still have to protect our apps, no matter where they’re deployed.
Things To Do During Slow Times
Don MacVittie offers suggestions on what to tackle during this slow, holiday-filled time of year when many folks may not be available.
2024: The Year of Testing
Now that AI has made advanced automation a fact, it is time to consider implementing the level of testing we always knew we should have.
The Trouble With SaaS (or, Nothing is a Silver Bullet)
Both SaaS and rapid iteration are great on paper, but like just about every good idea in IT, they are being treated like a panacea.
It’s All About Communication
With all of our technological advances, DevOps teams are still facing unexpected issues that need to be communicated clearly and quickly.
It’s Funny How We Forgot About Container Sprawl
Don MacVittie explains how DevOps technology and tools have saved developers from the horrors of container sprawl.
Generative AI: Some Parts of the Future Are Cool
Using generative AI for code creation is a game-changer, and Don MacVittie advises learning how as quickly as possible.
Improvement Cycles and AI
Don MacVittie makes one early prediction for 2024: AI will be the next big DevOps tool to break bottlenecks.
Don’t Forget the One-Offs
In the age of DevOps, we have automated the things that happen all the time or are mission-critical (like backups). But we forget about the one-offs.
Remember: Tools Fail, Too
In DevOps, we’re admonishing each other less and fixing things more, and that’s good. But tools are going to fail.