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Scaling DevOps platforms has become increasingly difficult for infrastructure and operations (I&O) teams, especially in hybrid cloud environments. Many of these platforms exist in silos and don't communicate with each other. Legacy platforms, in particular, are relatively easy to scale in any environment, let alone the cloud.
Platform engineering could provide a solution. It builds on the DevOps toolchain by managing platform requirements across different environments. Alongside software engineering and security teams, platform engineers ensure tools function correctly in the hybrid cloud.
Learn more about the role platform engineering plays in scaling DevOps platforms below!
Hybrid cloud setups often involve disparate systems that complicate collaboration and scalability. DevOps platforms, particularly legacy ones, may need help to meet the demands of a modern, distributed architecture.
Common challenges include:
Gartner highlights that traditional DevOps workflows often fail to adapt to the rapidly evolving hybrid cloud landscape. To remain competitive, organizations need scalable solutions that align with DevOps principles while addressing these persistent obstacles.
Platform engineering focuses on creating tailored, scalable environments that support the entire software development lifecycle. Unlike traditional DevOps, which emphasizes culture and collaboration, platform engineering prioritizes the tools and platforms enabling development teams to work efficiently.
Key benefits include:
By aligning platform engineering with resilience engineering and IT service management (ITSM) principles, organizations can ensure both scalability and reliability.
The first step to scaling DevOps platforms in the hybrid cloud is assembling a team of platform engineers. This team will be responsible for increasing the value of DevOps platforms. It will also be accountable for any bottlenecks that occur when scaling these platforms to the hybrid cloud.
These issues include adhering to data governance frameworks, knowledge-sharing, troubleshooting, and general compliance. According to Gartner, a good platform engineering team focuses on the needs of product teams, development teams, or software engineering teams.
Gartner also says I&O leaders should work closely with platform users and identify their pain points when creating a team. That can result in better self-service outcomes for developers, as well as more “coherent, composable tools and/or templates.”
Collaborating with teams that provide K8s and other software execution environments is also critical. This process is similar to how platform engineers manage the lifecycle of Kubernetes clusters and K8 distributions.
To scale DevOps platforms, you must determine the hybrid cloud platform and architecture you will use. Gartner recommends platform owners and consumers work together to find the right solution for a DevOps platform. Also, communicate with business product owners or software engineering leaders to identify the right tools.
Gap analysis can also help you find the tools you require, such as platforms that support cloud-native architecture. This process involves assessing the performance of your business unit to decide whether you meet objectives and requirements. That can help you decide whether to invest in specific cloud computing tools.
Gartner also says:
“When scaling [a] DevOps platform to a hybrid cloud environment, mitigate toolchain technology debt for [that] DevOps platform. Use a hybrid architecture to mitigate growing costs incurred by scaling up your existing pipeline or vendor lock-in.”
Standardizing and simplifying the scalability of DevOps platforms is a good idea. Here are some ways to achieve these goals:
The thinnest viable platform (TVP) is a concept that says platforms should provide an abstraction as "thin" and simple as possible. That can help you keep costs down when building and maintaining a DevOps platform for the hybrid cloud.
Your platform should have a simple but user-friendly design based on the requirements of its users. Don’t build or invest in a platform that changes user behavior.
Your platform should establish a developer portal that enables automation and reduces friction. That will reduce manual and repetitive tasks in your software delivery pipeline. Choose a platform with a portal that automates jobs, such as provisioning, monitoring, and testing.
Standardize the build process by using a container-native platform. You should also utilize management services and container orchestration to launch and maintain generated images.
Infrastructure as Code (IaC) involves provisioning and managing infrastructure with programming languages instead of manual processes. Utilize IaC tools like Terraform to enable this process when using a forensic process as a service (FPaaS) and serverless applications. You can also integrate CI/CD pipelines with tools such as Amazon (AWS) CodeBuild.
Assembling a platform engineering team can help you scale DevOps platforms in hybrid cloud environments. However, you should define your hybrid cloud architecture and simplify workflows for the best results.
Working with a technology consultant lets you discover the best tools and technologies when scaling DevOps platforms. Find the right paid-for and open-source solutions for your business and make hybrid cloud deployment less of a chore.
Adservio is a technology consultancy that connects you with the best software tools and cloud providers based on your business needs and DevOps principles. Contact us now to learn more!
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