Cloud enables continuous delivery and DevOps

SANTA CRUZ, USA: Cloud is accelerating the implementation of a rapid continuous delivery model, with 25.9 per cent of developers active in Cloud development releasing updates or new versions at least once a day, and 63.3 per cent releasing at least once a week, as Evans Data's new Cloud Development Survey shows.

The survey, conducted in November - December 2013 with 436 active Cloud developers also showed that 51 per cent feel that Cloud computing in general will improve coordination between development and operations, which will also help to enable continuous delivery.

However, opinions and practices diverge across segments. ISVs are most likely to release software quickly, with 45.7 per cent releasing updates daily and 73.6 per cent making updates at least weekly; whereas only 12.9 per cent of internal corporate enterprise developers make daily releases and 66.4 per cent make them at least once per week.

"There are obvious differences between developer segments," said Janel Garvin, Evans Data CEO.

"ISVs were Agile early adopters and today commercial apps have to be updated frequently in order to stay competitive, whereas internal corporate development is where a continuous delivery and DevOps model would be the most beneficial, and yet that's where there is the most resistance," added Garvin.

The two groups also have different opinions about Cloud and DevOps: 76.6 per cent of ISVs think Cloud will make coordination between Development and Operations better and only 9.9 per cent think it will make it worse, but developers working in an internal corporate enterprise are evenly split with 35 per cent thinking Cloud will make coordination better and 35.9 per cent thinking it will make it worse.

Additionally another 22.3 per cent of internal developers think Cloud will erode the need for Operations altogether.