Role of TechOps, DevOps, and NoOps in the SDLC

The process of product development and software deployment has continually evolved to meet the requirements for speed (increasing demand) and for scalability, and enhanced efficiency (quality of product). Tech companies must constantly learn, unlearn, and adapt to meet changing demands to bring a viable product to market as quickly as possible.

Previously, IT departments appeared to be centralized teams, but recently, popular operational concepts have been initiated on organizing your IT teams to meet your needs more efficiently. Based on these concepts, IT teams have been structured into specialized departments with distinct roles and outcomes, albeit working collaboratively. Some of these prevailing concepts include TechOps, DevOps, and NoOps.

TechOps, DevOps, and NoOps are not examples of tech stacks or programming languages; they are work models that determine how an IT team interjects and delivers. They are simply different approaches to the production, deployment, and maintenance of tech products.

Let's have an understanding of these concepts.

TechOps

The broad and sometimes vaguely defined scope of TechOps may give the impression that it covers everything IT-related. True, TechOps practices vary greatly from organization to organization, but they all fall under the responsibility of delivering and maintaining the existing technology infrastructure. This involves functions like network maintenance, database management, security maintenance and compliance, disaster recovery, network optimization, software installation and upgrades, and other support tasks.

TechOps is more of a role than anything else. This role assists in reducing the workload of the development team so that they can focus on creation while ensuring that other critical technical duties are efficiently handled.

TechOps does not include application, system, or software development. It also does not address software implementation. In summary, the TechOps concept aids in the performance of all IT-related roles other than software development.

The TechOps role is mostly handled by computer engineers who possess relevant IT-related skills like coding, project management, incident analysis, problem-solving, etc. TechOps jobs are still very much in demand, and according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, TechOps manager jobs are expected to grow at an average rate of 6 percent between 2018 and 2028. The job directory platform Zippia records that the average salary for a TechOps managerial job is $114,000 per annum.

DevOps

DevOps is a culture, a working practice, or a tool that combines the previously separate units of development, operations, and quality assurance into a single collaborative force that works together to improve productivity and optimize the software development value chain. It also refers to the interplay of software development and IT operations. Some experts argue that it is not a replacement for TechOps; rather, it fills the void left by TechOps in the entire IT operations.

Unlike TechOps, DevOps is not a role; it is a culture, a set of practices, and a way of working that enhances IT operations, especially development and deployment. The overall purpose of DevOps is to ensure that quality programs are delivered in the fastest possible time and in the most efficient manner. DevOps practices are mostly implemented in the development process to ensure continuous integration and continuous development.

This concept accelerates the development of applications and programs while also improving the product in the users' best interests. DevOps also actively participates in business analysis, programming, testing software, and web applications. One major differentiating factor between TechOps and DevOps is that while the latter takes a preventive and proactive approach, the former is more reactive.

According to the Atlassian DevOps trends survey for 2020, 99 percent of respondents who have implemented DevOps said it has a beneficial effect on the firm. The State of DevOps reports also observed that firms who have completely adopted DevOps have faster build-to-market time, have fewer complications, and are better problem solvers than others who do not implement DevOps.

Is TechOps an Alternative for DevOps?

In many ways, TechOps is similar to DevOps. Many developers consider TechOps to be the more classic approach of DevOps, but it is much more. The approach considers software development and IT operations to be one fully integrated flow, and it seeks to enhance that workflow and enable higher agility. Instead of emphasizing agility and speed, TechOps emphasizes stability and dependability.

TechOps will test and monitor a finished system in a work setting. Their responsibilities may include restarting a server after it has crashed and automated processes that handle bug testing and error reporting. Both of these examples take place after the product has been manufactured. These roles are also distinct from the production team.

DevOps, on the other hand, eliminates the departmental divide. DevOps incorporates TechOps from the beginning of a project. Teams also collaborate to identify challenges and accelerate the development process.

When compared to TechOps, DevOps is the more adaptable concept. This distinction is due to the operability of both IT concepts. While TechOps adheres to a system of regulations to maintain stability and reduce risks, DevOps actively creates its own rules to develop software quickly. DevOps employ a variety of techniques to find the quickest solution.

From every indication, while TechOps and DevOps play important roles in the IT development process, they should not be regarded as alternatives.

To have a robust and very efficient work operation, you need to have TechOps that would handle maintenance, recovery, and optimization. It would be best if you also had DevOps to ensure agile development. At some point in the work cycle, both concepts must collaborate to scale.

NoOps

The theory of NoOps, or no operations, is that an IT operation can be entirely automated so that there would be no requirement for an operations team to manage and control the development process. NoOps envisions a software environment in which humans are not considered necessary for functions to run smoothly; as a result, every activity is automatic.

Typically, an application programming team identifies and collects necessary needs for a software program before writing code. The development team further affirms the efficiency of the program in a separate test environment for quality assurance before delivering the code to the operations team, which implements and maintains the program. The operations team also ensures that the program is always operational.

NoOps is a drastic shift from the conventional approach to IT operation. It proposes restructuring IT processes by leveraging automated technology, machine learning, and even artificial intelligence to eliminate recurring and  functions as well as more complicated functions that workers currently manage

NoOps may completely eradicate much of the responsibilities associated with implementing and monitoring programs by simplifying and automating operations and reducing the need for extensive in-house TechOps activity. While it is not a one-size-fits-all solution, it provides excellent value by assisting organizations in saving money and time a

In Summary

The NoOps approach is to automate IT operations so that an in-house team is not required for management and control. In this approach, all maintenance and related tasks of an operations team are fully automated to the point where no human intervention is required.

While using AI to automate operations improves efficiency, the idea that businesses can use cloud services and AI to eliminate all IT operations is yet unattainable. Admittedly though, NoOps can be deployed but only for limited operations. If you are going to scale, then you cannot strictly rely on the concept of NoOps.

Notwithstanding the argument for NoOps as a replacement for DevOps, the statistics are still in favour of the latter. In a report on Statista, a survey revealed that over ninety per cent of tech experts. While there is no available data as to those who adopt NoOps, popular opinion from publications can tell us that most tech experts do not agree that NoOps is a complete alternative for DevOps.

Tech educator Spike Morelli believes that a debate between NoOps and DevOps should never be entertained. According to him, it's a matter of using different terms while attempting to achieve the same result.

NoOps can be effective at the start, but you will need more than that to ensure efficient delivery and quality output in the long run. TechOps fields are still relevant, but they also evolve in response to the increasing adoption of automation. In the end, TechOps, NoOps, and DevOps should be complementary and not regarded as alternatives, at least for now.

Conclusion

As already noted, TechOps is a role, DevOps is a working practice or culture, NoOps is the strict application of automated technology like cloud services to enhance operations. An extensive perusal of these three concepts has revealed that they can be adapted collaboratively and not alternatively to promote efficiency.