A write-up in ComputerWorld New Zealand summarized a Forrester Consulting survey of the state of software release management. Business managers were asked how long would it take to deploy new systems. Forty percent said they needed more than a year to deliver on new strategic software projects. Today's companies are "stuck in a rut," focused on the daily grind of keeping systems running rather than delivering strategic innovation.
What does this mean for when you're working with a system that's moving too slowly to satisfy the business? I think it means you have the opportunity to innovate, especially if you can focus on automation. Here are some examples.
Adopting agile processes is a good first start to get out of the software development rut.
Moving from systems that depend on a manual build process to ones that allow automated build and testing means that you can multiply your ability to give the development team tools to spot and fix problems. Automating virtual machine management avoids tedious, repetitive, and error-prone tasks. As anyone who's ever carried a pager knows, there's nothing worse than deploying an emergency patch to a system that you thought should be working fine.
If you've built up skills in large-scale software development, test, and deployment, automation allows you to transform and speed up a slow-moving organization. Intelligent uses of software release management are a force multiplier for systems staff, letting you find and fix problems before they escalate into late-night debugging sessions.
Successful careers are made when systems are transformed for the better, not just from grinding through low-value repetitive tasks. Forrester's survey is a cry for help to reduce the time that it takes to deliver software, and you are in a position to speed up this process.
A sysadmin who has the capacity to bring in the tools that help visualize and manage large systems at scale is a valuable asset to companies large and small.
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