We continue our Channel Predictions this week with some insights into the world of Networks. We hear from Rob Clark, Director, Technologies and Solutions Development at Nuvias. 1. DevOps goes mainstream While DevOps has traditionally focused on automating the processes to build, test and release software faster and more reliably, the concept built around agility […]
We continue our Channel Predictions this week with some insights into the world of Networks. We hear from Rob Clark, Director, Technologies and Solutions Development at Nuvias.
1. DevOps goes mainstream
While DevOps has traditionally focused on automating the processes to build, test and release software faster and more reliably, the concept built around agility and collaboration is spreading through the enterprise when it comes to software development lifecycle management.
Take security, for example. By integrating security features as you write the code and checking it as you go along in real time, any problems are identified before the software is deployed in the open. This is referred to as a ‘shift left’ – in effect, doing things earlier and more frequently in the lifecycle of an application.
2020 will see an explosion in source code analysis with products such as WhiteSource, GitHub and Neura Legion. Test routines can be captured and automated to run against new builds without manual intervention, saving days’ worth of human intervention. And with the integration of AI techniques, it is even possible for DevOps processes to learn from their mistakes to self-optimise and update changes.
Look out for Nuvias’ own end-to-end, secure, enterprise-ready devops early next year, in partnership with key vendors, shaping the convergence between DevOps, networking and security. This will allow end users to focus on the application benefits rather than the deployment.
2. Open-source goes enterprise-grade
Open source has grown out of all expectations from its early days. The GitHub platform boasts some 40 million developer logins, and many multi-national corporations run their businesses with the help of open source software.
But times are changing with increasing focus on governance, security and compliance – with GDPR as a strong motivating factor. Many businesses are looking for professional, secure versions of open source applications with the appropriate levels of support and backup. Vendors, who have spent heavily in giving away their software, are keen to monetise their investments, while resellers are spotting an opportunity to generate recurring licence revenues through SaaS and support service.
In parallel with the move to enterprise-ready, supported tools, there is also a drive by companies and organisations to eliminate the problem of shadow IT. It has been all too easy for developers or line of business managers to install or spin up an open source application under the radar of the IT department.
3. Visibility as a service
The truism – you don’t know what you don’t know – is as relevant to the world of networks and IT as anything else. And with network infrastructure becoming more complex, thanks also to the arrival of 5G, the challenges increase exponentially. That means that network visibility at every level, will become essential as we move into the next decade of network sprawl. This includes not just the infrastructure but the performance of storage, servers, applications and services, along with the end user experience.
We are starting to see visibility frameworks being developed and Visibility as a Service offerings delivering insight and metrics for operations, line of business managers, IT ops and application optimisation. Visibility is relevant for CEOs and CFOs too, who have an interest in understanding the risk their organisation may be exposed to. Without this level of visibility and intelligence, it is impossible to make informed decisions.
Is the channel ready for these changes and geared up to deliver a new generation of as-as-service offerings? Perhaps not as a whole, but things are changing rapidly, and forward-thinking partners are already well on the journey.
