Our DevOps engineers play a vital role in bridging the gap between development and operations teams. They combine their expertise in software development, system administration, and infrastructure management to facilitate collaboration, automate processes, and enhance the overall efficiency of software delivery. With a deep understanding of cloud technologies, they enable organizations to leverage the scalability, flexibility, and cost-effectiveness of cloud infrastructure.

Experience required

At Hexad, we have defined certain standards for the DevOps role, which require experience with:

Integration technology

Automation

Cloud coding languages

At Hexad, standards of expertise have been defined which is a compulsory need o be acquired by different professionals. For instance, systems managers, IT project managers, or database administrators (DBAs) are possible career paths. Almost every DevOps job requires at least 2–3 years of experience with continuous integration, DevOps, and related experience.

Our DevOps engineers are indeed skilled in writing code to enhance and optimize existing cloud platforms and infrastructure. Their focus is on automating processes, streamlining workflows, and improving efficiency within the development and operations lifecycles. By leveraging code and automation, we practice DevOps, which can deploy software updates more frequently and with greater accuracy compared to their competitors.

In addition to the above experience requirements, DevOps engineers typically need a 4-year undergraduate degree in a related field.

Team

We always emphasize excellent communication skills for the important role of a DevOps engineer. In this way, our DevOps engineers are similar to IT project managers. They typically work on a DevOps team with other professionals in a similar role, each managing their own piece of the infrastructure puzzle.

Our DevOps team acts as a bridge between software development and IT operations, promoting collaboration and a shared vision. By breaking down silos and fostering effective communication, our DevOps enables clients to achieve faster software delivery, improved quality, and better alignment between development and operations teams.

Our DevOps engineer serves an important role on each team and liaises between them.

While the demands of a DevOps engineer often require him or her to work alone, they are expert collaborators. Further, their role requires them to build upon the work of their counterparts on development and IT teams to:

Scale cloud programs

Create workflow processes

Assign tenants

And more

Our DevOps teams often mentor software developers and architecture teams, guiding them in creating scalable software solutions. They also collaborate with IT and security teams to ensure the delivery of high-quality and secure software releases. Moreover, our DevSecOps takes this a step further by applying DevOps principles to proactive security measures, embedding security practices throughout the software development lifecycle.

Our DevOps Engineer is an important IT team member because they work with internal customers, including:

QC personnel

Software and application developers

Project managers

Project stakeholders (usually from within your organization)

DevOps engineers rarely work with external customers or end-users, but keep a “customer first” mindset to satisfy the needs of their internal clients.

Besides, DevOps engineers possess a diverse skill set and a customer-centric approach, allowing them to effectively contribute to the DevOps culture and drive continuous improvement in software development and operations. Their ability to combine technical expertise with strong interpersonal skills makes them valuable assets in modern software organizations.

Infrastructure Planning, Testing & Development

In the regular workday, our DevOps engineers look at individual functions of the cloud environment and write code to scale them to fill some immediate needs. This might include:

Addition of users to a cloud infrastructure

Addition permissions

Addition or moderation workflow processes

Addition of entire objects that function like containers (e.g., FaaS) to meet business needs

The role of our DevOps engineer revolves around the configuration, documentation, optimization, and support of infrastructure components. This involves working with various programming languages and requires the ability to write code quickly and efficiently. Our DevOps professionals also need to be proficient in testing in virtual environments.

Given the fast-paced nature of coding and testing, it is important for DevOps engineers to balance their focus and not overlook the planning aspect of their work. While the emphasis is often on development and testing, effective planning plays a crucial role in ensuring the smooth and successful implementation of DevOps practices.

Look at the big picture. Our DevOps engineers need to develop one skill, “infrastructure planning,” for what they are hired to do!

The ability to plan integrations and additions across many systems, however, is what separates the cloud database manager from the DevOps engineer.

Security & automation

At Hexad, DevOps engineers play a vital role in building secure software from the ground up. They leverage their expertise in coding practices, security protocols, and industry best practices to incorporate security measures into the development process. By implementing secure coding practices, DevOps engineers contribute to reducing vulnerabilities and fortifying the software against potential attacks.

The concept of building secure software is central to the DevSecOps mindset. In this context, the DevOps Engineer plays a crucial role in overseeing and collaborating with the DevSecOps team to enhance an organization’s infrastructure security protocols.

DevSecOps is built on the principle that security should be an integral part of every practice within an organization. The DevOps Engineer, in collaboration with the DevSecOps team, fosters a deep understanding of business practices and identifies potential vulnerabilities across various platforms. They work together to implement continuous monitoring, testing, and security measures throughout the development and deployment processes.

Automation

Strong proficiency in automation tools is a fundamental requirement for DevOps engineers. It is a key responsibility that sets them apart from other IT roles, such as Linux engineers. DevOps engineers recognize the value of automation in improving efficiency and productivity, and they continually stay updated on the latest tools and technologies to maintain a competitive edge.

Our DevOps engineers understand that a lot of processes that others do manually can be automated. This allows them to develop and deploy more code than other types of IT engineers. Their expertise in selecting and implementing automation tools, coupled with their scripting and coding skills, allows them to develop and deploy code at a higher velocity than traditional IT roles, enhancing the overall productivity and effectiveness of the organization.

Finally, there are a few soft skills that should be developed to be an exceptional DevOps professional. Soft skills include being a liaison and bridging the gaps between many different IT and software development teams. People management skills are especially important to the overall success of someone in this role because finding common ground between these teams isn’t always an easy task.

Rather, it’s one that includes constant communication. Our DevOps engineers must be comfortable communicating clearly and with ease to get their message across. They have a lot to offer in different parts of the organization when it comes to educating key people on security and scalability.

Further, our DevOps engineers must have the inherent ability to predict needs. These DevOps professionals must be able to go into an organization and understand how the people, culture, and processes work together to impact their job in order to fill the gaps in technology with expert care.

What’s in store for DevOps engineers?

Converting to DevOps has a positive impact on IT organizations from the top down when it comes to:

Team management

Deployment frequency

Delivery timelines

Lead time.

The integration of our DevOps across organizations has yielded positive early responses, with its impact extending beyond just an IT function. Surprisingly, our DevOps has influenced Hexad culture, becoming a philosophy that shapes interactions among employees at all levels, from top management to entry-level positions.

Central to this philosophy is the belief that every individual in Hexad shares responsibility for its overall success. However, due to the ongoing ambiguity surrounding our DevOps engineer roles and responsibilities, hiring managers often struggle to define and recruit for these positions within their organizations.

Nonetheless, it remains essential for the right candidate to possess expertise in deployment automation, infrastructure automation, and version control. While these skills can be acquired through various IT roles, they are typically cultivated in software development roles and through the administration of specific programs.