DEVOPSdigest

In DEVOPSdigest's first annual list of DevOps Predictions, experts — analysts and consultants, and the top vendors — offer thoughtful, insightful, often controversial and sometimes contradictory predictions on how DevOps and related technologies will evolve and impact business in 2016. Part 5 is the final installment of DevOps predictions.

Start with 2016 DevOps Predictions - Part 1

Start with 2016 DevOps Predictions - Part 2

Start with 2016 DevOps Predictions - Part 3

Start with 2016 DevOps Predictions - Part 4

DEVOPS AND CONTINUOUS DELIVERY DRIVE REVENUE GROWTH

DevOps and Continuous Delivery are intimately intertwined, both with one another and with revenue growth. In effect, applying DevOps principles across the lifecycle smoothes the way or “greases the wheels” for efficient delivery of application code. Indeed, in EMA’s latest survey, almost 90% of the respondents reported their companies are utilizing both, and almost 20% are delivering new code daily or more often. Respondents report business benefits including higher levels of customer satisfaction, faster revenue growth, and better competitive differentiation from their Continuous Delivery initiatives.
Julie Craig
Research Director, Application Management, Enterprise Management Associates (EMA)(link is external)

LARGER ENTERPRISES EMBRACE MICROSERVICES

While the theory behind microservices became popular in 2015, adoption has been primarily by smaller, more agile companies, which has spawned other small companies creating tooling services for this new infrastructure. In 2016, microservices will move from theory to practice among larger enterprises, and the foundational work will mature as well as clear winners among microservice tooling companies.
Frank Stratton
Co-founder and CTO, Runscope(link is external)

DEVOPS FACES CONTAINERIZATION CHALLENGE

DevOps will be dealing with the sloppy mess that will result from undisciplined containerization. Building and maintaining images (even small ones) requires a significant amount of operations discipline that is largely foreign to software developers. This will be a rude awakening on many fronts, but most of all on the security front.
Theo Schlossnagle
Founder and EVP, Products, Circonus(link is external)

THE DEMISE OF AUTO-DISCOVERY

2016 will be the demise of traditional auto-discovery as a product discipline – with the emergence of provisioning tools that can be leveraged to update dependency maps and CMDBs.
Grant Glading
Sales & Marketing Director, Interlink Software(link is external)

NEW DEVOPS FOCUS: THE CORE NETWORK INFRASTRUCTURE

DevOps has existed in IT and Data Center environments for several years however the core network has largely been operated using traditional layered operational models. In 2016 we expect to see significant deployment of DevOps methodologies in core network infrastructure to accelerate service delivery and infrastructure optimization applications. The DevOps applications will focus on long standing challenges in network infrastructure agility - connecting multiple network layers (e.g., routers to transport) and multiple vendor platforms together. The scope of implementations will be both massive and rapid – creating a potential service dichotomy and competitive advantage for those taking the lead in leveraging DevOps methodologies.
Tim Pearson
Senior Advisor, Product Line Management, Ciena(link is external)

APPLICATION DEVELOPMENT MOVES TO THE MAINFRAME

In response to competitive digital requirements for innovation, engaged DevOps teams will implement new tools and processes that make mainframe application development mainstream. The mainframe is an ideal engine for modern applications, particularly mobile transactions, and its applications represent decades of intellectual property. Enterprise developers will unite in embracing agile practices that smartly leverage these mainframe assets to further an agenda of customer engagement innovation. Unfortunately the slow and inflexible culture and processes surrounding the mainframe platform have been preventing this from happening. In 2016, the mainframe's tools, processes and culture must evolve to keep up with the pace of DevOps so it can serve as simply another agile platform for innovation.
Christopher O'Malley
President and CEO, Compuware(link is external)

NEW DEVOPS BUSINESSES ARISE

I predict that there will be new businesses based on the value of DevOps, such as software packages to remove friction in the software development and deployment process. Any time there is a competitive advantage to removing friction, someone will come up with a way to monetize it, and some will be successful.
Thomas Stocking
Director of Sales Engineering, GroundWork(link is external)