DevOps is no different to any other technical field in that it comes with a rich glossary of technical terms – many of which are misunderstood. One such term is ‘DevOps Architect’, so in this article, we will try and clarify exactly what a DevOps architect is and what their job role entails.
What is DevOps?
Amazon Web Services (AWS) defines DevOps as “the combination of cultural philosophies, practices and tools that increase an organisation’s ability to deliver applications and services at high velocity: evolving and improving products at a faster pace than organisations using traditional software development and infrastructure management process.”
DevOps delivers great business outcomes through empowered teams delivering value to their customers rapidly. Therefore, the DevOps team’s success relies on how well both development (Dev) and Operations (Ops) work together.
What is a DevOps architect responsible for?
The role of a DevOps architect is to work with the rest of the DevOps team to create processes and tools which ensure the software release pipeline flows smoothly and efficiently.
They are, therefore, responsible for the following:
- Analysing, executing and streamlining DevOps practices
- Automating processes
- Establishing a DevOps channel across the organisation
- Facilitating the development process and operations
- Guiding developers and the operation team if there is an issue
- Monitoring, managing and reviewing technical operations
- Set up a continuous build environment to speed up software development and deployment
In today’s fast-moving environment, businesses are working hard to release software that improves customer experience or grows revenue continually. The DevOps team needs to keep up with this fast pace. The DevOps architect, therefore, has to work closely with the DevOps team to create an environment which encourages continuous development to enable this while also protecting the business’s future. A critical responsibility for them is the choice of tools they pick to help automate and streamline processes.
One of the benefits that a DevOps architect can bring to an organisation is the opportunity to provide them with a ‘long view’, which considers that software needs to be released while doing the right thing for the business as a whole. This means, however, that sometimes software may be released that isn’t 100% perfect because there is a drive to ship it out on a certain date – this doesn’t mean that the DevOps architect has failed, just that they need to lead the team to work on a fix once the release is out there.
What skills does a DevOps architect need?
A great DevOps architect will have the trust of the whole DevOps team. Still, to gain this, they need to have considerable experience in building software and a familiarity with the tools and processes that face DevOps engineers. They should also have strong leadership abilities that allow them to show empathy with the rest of the team, show them support and guidance when they need it, and choose objectives for them that fit in with what they and the business want. They must be an inspiration to the team, as well as be able to counsel them if need be.
In a nutshell, a DevOps architect needs:
- A solid understanding of concepts
- Experience building great software using the most up-to-date tools
- A leadership mindset
- An inspirational approach to team management
- Strong operational experience
- Effective problem-solving expertise
As you can see then, the role of a DevOps architect is crucial in today’s business environment, as it can help to foster communication and collaboration within a business. Although it is a fairly new role, it will only increase in importance as the DevOps team becomes much more prolific. Building an efficient DevOps team within a business allows you to be more strategic with your decisions.
If you want to add to your DevOps team or for an exciting new opportunity, please get in touch with the experienced recruitment team at Agile Recruit. You can call us on 0161 416 6633 (Manchester) or 0203 800 1222 (Milton Keynes) or email us at info@agilerecruit.com if you prefer.
