DevOps from the Inside Out

Author: Andrew Dvirnyk

In our previous article, we gave you the bird’s eye view of DevOps for mainframe. We talked about some of the unique advantages of DevOps. And we looked at how we make it possible to stop looking at your mainframe like it is a dinosaur. Then, we introduced the idea of how you can improve your mainframe by introducing the agility and flexibility we associate with the cloud, and the future-ready, resource saving solutions we associate with automation.

Today, we are taking an even deeper dive into DevOps from the inside out. Together, we explore how and why DevOps adds agility and flexibility. We talk about the value of continuous delivery for the mainframe, a function that sets DevOps apart from the traditional experience of working with a mainframe. And we look at the ways in which DevOps helps to reduce budget concerns and improve employee experience and productivity.

And, we take a hard look at how to simplify DevOps migration projects. Let’s be honest. We can have all the great ideas in the world, and all the tools that we know will make our lives and our work better. But if we are not able to implement those tools – or migrate to new ways of doing things – we are never going to get anywhere. Once we start dealing with lag and inefficiencies, even if they occur on the road to greater efficiencies and cost savings, we have a problem. That’s why, when we partner with our clients, we keep in mind not only how to connect them to the best solutions to their problems, but how to implement the technology we present in ways that are seamless, and that take into account your needs, your budgets, and your goals.

IBA from the Inside Out

Just as we are looking more closely at DevOps, we want to take a moment to show you a bit more of who we are. IBA Group was established in 1993, when the computing and the technology world was a creative, dynamic space, and engineers like us came in and provided a high level of value and an experience that made (and continues to make) our clients feel heard, feel cared for, and feel like they were connecting with real partners they could trust. That is the kind of thing that people long for even more now. As faceless IT solutions pop up, and it becomes difficult to tell what you are really getting, knowing that you are working with real people, with real experience, who are here to co-create a SMART future with you, goes a long way.

Back in the day, our initial focus was on IBM products, that is part of why we are such experts on mainframes and DevOps. We understand where you are. We have been there for a long time, always with the goal to make things better, stronger, more efficient and more sustainable.

Our expertise in development and support of mainframe applications makes us a leader, with more than 80 teams for more than 100 products.

And, just as we talked about in our last post, inspiring and preparing the next generation to be creative, savvy problem solvers is important to us. It inspires us to educate and employ the next generation of technology leaders. We train and employ at least 25 young people for z Platform every year. We host hackathons and generate new ideas for the development of the mainframe culture. And we love it! Just like we love working to bring DevOps to everyone who needs it.

Agile Problem Solving

DevOps do a lot to improve mainframe app agility. Using DevOps on the mainframe allows you to do what you are already doing with better results, and greater speed, by shortening the lifecycle on mainframe applications.

DevOps facilitates new ways to organize development stages, including pushing mainframe test environments over to distributed test environments. This allows for simulations and other scenarios to run tests. And to run them quickly. This kind of agility enables you to get information faster and to draw accurate conclusions quickly. Ultimately, the level of agility that DevOps provides on the mainframe helps you to identify and resolve issues quickly and accurately.

Continuous Delivery

Continuous delivery of performance information makes it possible to produce continued improvements. This is where we see scalability, responsiveness and customization come to life with mainframe DevOps application.
Because of this continuous delivery of information, response times improve across the board. This means that problems are resolved in near real-time. It also means that fewer problems arise, because they are dealt with rapidly, and effectively. After all, DevOps is about the people involved in our processes, not just the technology itself.

When you receive higher quality information, you get better outcomes. You improve your mainframe. Now, let’s add speed to that equation. When you are able to receive better information faster, you improve your mainframe even more. Suddenly you, in this environment, you end up seeing improvements that are not limited to these processes. You begin to see the positive impact on the people who make up your business. That lends a level of sustainable success to your organization, whose value is unparalleled.

Automation

Improved automation means that you can expect even greater improvements to processes. And, as we have just discussed, it also means better opportunities, experiences, and outcomes for all the people who work with the mainframe and throughout your organization.
Automation simplifies processes across all your organization’s IT. The ability to automate and deploy software projects is a significant value of DevOps, across mainframe applications. When we talk about automation, we are looking at so much more than freeing up time (even though freeing up time is important to all of us). We are talking about making it possible for your teams to be creative, agile, and productive.

Cost and Budget

This is exactly the kind of outcome you need if staffing and budgets are a concern. And, as we all know, these are both always a concern for organizations, to one degree or another. Saving time and resolving issues with agility and flexibility addresses immediate cost constraints that a business may be facing.

The agility that DevOps provides, also allows you to work with even modest budgets, and still get the results that you need. Within a wide range of budgets, with the proper deployment of DevOps, you should be able to expect results that maximize and improve your mainframe and other technology investments.

Inside Out Challenges in Your Business