In the ever-evolving landscape of software development and operations, I recently found myself in a sales call with a company considering hiring us to implement DevOps practices. This experience highlighted a common disconnect in the industry: the vast knowledge gap between organizations at different stages of their DevOps journey.
The Reality Check Link to heading
I’m continually surprised by what I encounter in the field—from supposed cloud specialists questioning basic git concepts to established national companies still deliberating whether DevOps is “right for them” in 2025, even as platform engineering pushes the “DevOps is dead” narrative.
Let’s be clear: DevOps isn’t dead. Market professionals will always use trendy terminology to sell their solutions, particularly when you consider the influence certain companies have over mediums like platformengineering.org. The current focus on orchestrators and configuration languages to unify resource definitions and enable GitOps through tools like Crossplane for managing Argo and Kubernetes is about scaling at great proportions.
DevOps Fundamentals: Size Doesn’t Matter Link to heading
The Universal Value Proposition
Regardless of where your company falls on the scale spectrum, properly applied DevOps principles deliver net positive results. Automation offers immediate improvements, but this creates a common trap—organizations rush to automate flawed processes without stepping back to evaluate the bigger picture. This Article by Lucas Loureiro provides a great perspective on this issue.
The Foundation First Approach
Before chasing buzzwords, start by:
- Reviewing repository and team structures
- Improving communication channels
- Implementing defined version control strategies
- Identifying actual pain points and team friction areas
With clear goals and a well-defined plan, you’ll progress much faster when you begin implementing solutions with thorough testing, security scanning, and automated compliance policies. This approach is harder to advocate for because it resembles compounding interest—it takes time to show results. In a world where cloud providers offer enormous onboarding credits, the illusion of immediate improvement often leads companies to make Faustian bargains, committing to the wrong objectives and falling further behind.
Evolution, Not Revolution Link to heading
This isn’t an elitist position. DevOps isn’t just for bleeding-edge early adopters anymore. While traditional approaches can still sustain successful businesses, these organizations could perform significantly better by adopting the fundamental building blocks of DevOps culture and tooling, enabling faster scaling with improved security and reliability.
I’m not dismissing Platform Engineering—it represents the natural evolution of a well-defined, principles-oriented DevOps approach for enterprise scenarios. We should address the challenges of complexity, cognitive load, and developer experience. However, even small businesses that want to thrive in today’s digital landscape need strategies that consider these factors while selecting appropriate approaches and tools. As Lucas aptly noted, “The difference between medicine and poison is the dosage.”
Continuous Improvement Alongside Innovation Link to heading
Breaking the False Dichotomy
CEOs and sales teams often present a false choice between shipping new features and improving processes. In reality, continuous improvement should happen alongside innovation. A bottom-up approach—making small improvements whenever you touch a process—embedded within development iterations is key. The ROI is substantial, so even minimal time investment will yield significant long-term dividends.
Cloud Adoption Strategy
This applies equally to cloud adoption and startup incentive programs. With careful evaluation, well-defined principles, and vendor lock-in avoidance, taking advantage of these incentives makes perfect sense.
Practical Starting Points Link to heading
Begin with established version control strategies like GitHub Flow that organize your development cycle without overwhelming your team with process complexity. Research your options, get organized, leverage containers appropriately, and implement testing. After integrating these pillars into your workflow, evaluate how to automate your improved processes.
After each development cycle, conduct blameless retrospectives focused on improvement. Create plans to address identified issues, establish metrics to measure progress, and continue iterating.
Vendor Independence
Avoid vendor-managed tools when possible or limit usage to non-vendor-specific features. Understand your use case thoroughly and prioritize vendor-agnostic tools like OpenTofu and Valkey, especially when beginning your DevOps journey.
The Cultural Challenge Link to heading
Ultimately, the process and cultural challenges outweigh the technical ones. Countless technical solutions exist for various use cases. By maintaining focus on core principles, you and your team will achieve more while enjoying the journey.