Did you know that 74% of companies have adopted DevOps powered by hyperscale platforms such as AWS cloud? This shows how inevitable the framework has become for enterprises today and it’s no surprise though. Businesses are being pressurized by market demands and fast-evolving consumer needs; asking production teams to be more agile, flexible, and innovative than ever. And, without a fully managed, secure DevOps pipeline, connecting the code build phases to the final run on live production environments could quickly turn into a nightmare. And, this is where a trusted DevOps partner with the competency to design, deploy, and manage DevOps environments on AWS could be the perfect amigo for businesses.
However, the process of finding the ‘right’ DevOps partner is not rosy. Deploying DevOps environments need advanced expertise in both development and IT operations. This becomes insanely difficult for small and medium-sized companies whose internal IT teams might have limited in-house capabilities in this area and are overstretched with daily IT management. They are left with no choice but to outsource the same a DevOps partner. But, again, this process is ridden with uncertainties. This is why we have jotted down eight core parameters to look for in your future AWS DevOps partner.
Eight Guiding Factors for Choosing the Ideal AWS DevOps Partner
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Does the DevOps Partner Understand Your Scope of Work?
Before you search for a managed service provider (MSP), outline your DevOps needs. Are you seeking to enhance your customer experience? Do you plan to optimize your productivity? Or, do you want to embark on digital transformation? Depending on your requirements, you choose a DevOps partner. The service provider needs to have the expertise and skills to meet your specific demand. In this way, you can get the desired outcome in a timely manner.
For an AWS DevOps provider, ensure that they are a part of the Amazon Partner Network (APN) and have the specific AWS DevOps competency. APN comprises a community of cloud service providers who have received certifications from Amazon Web Services (AWS) after qualifying its criteria. These set of service providers are allowed to leverage AWS to build applications and solutions for customers.
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Can Your Partner Match the Right Tools with Your Needs?
Once you plan out the scope of work, it’s important to define the tools you want to use. An ideal DevOps partner should be familiar with the tools required to guide you through a smooth transition process. In other words, your team should focus on developing the software while your partner deploys visualization and management tools to resolve any issue. Not only this, your DevOps service provider should have the experience of working in the same industry, in a similar environment.
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How Many Years of Work Experience Does Your Partner Have?
Ask yourself this question? Do you need a DevOps partner who has just started building DevOps initiatives or someone who is already in the game? Well, you would want to choose the latter. That’s because a DevOps partner with a high level of business maturity helps you deploy successful AWS devOps services and projects while saving your time and money.
Along with this, a matured AWS DevOps partner will offer round-the-clock support to your IT team. This is why it's important to gain a thorough understanding of your consultant’s service-level agreement. Imagine, your software faces a glitch or there is a sudden downtime. You should be able to reach out to your DevOps partner for a quick resolve.
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Check Out for the Documentation Process
As DevOps is a vast and a comprehensive field, any changes that is made during the course of the software development or deployment needs to be recorded. A reliable DevOps provider would leverage operating procedures to document and standardize best practices. They would check if the application meets the ideal metrics for code quality. Not only that, your DevOps partner should implement policies, for work tracking, CI/CD, source control or change management, and ensure that they are well-document and reviewed.
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Don’t Compromise on Security, Certifications and Competencies
Would you visit a doctor who has no license or certification from the medical board to treat your ailment? The answer would be a big no. Similarly, when it comes to selecting an AWS DevOps partner, certification and competencies plays a very important role. Though, nowadays its common to find a partner with multiple certifications and competencies as they devote a considerable amount of time, skills and resources into earning those accolades. As a result, check if your partner has competencies and certification in areas specifically related to your mission-critical workloads.
AWS offers several competencies to DevOps partners for specialization, just like all the other major cloud providers. Ideally, a competent DevOps managed service provider is one that has gained AWS DevOps and Migration competencies along with being certified as AWS 3.0 Next Gen audited Managed Service Provider. What’s more, check if their engineering team bears the five latest AWS’s pro-certifications including:
- AWS Solutions Architect — Professional
- AWS DevOps Engineer — Professional
- AWS Certified Developer — Associate
- AWS Solutions Architect — Associate
- AWS SysOps Administrator — Associate
Apart from this, don’t forget to go through the security policies of your DevOps partner.
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Never Rely on Just Word of mouth
How do you assess if your partner is credible? Simple, do a lot of background research. And by background research, we mean to deep-dive into their level of capabilities. Have they built custom applications, or modernized legacy apps and infrastructure. Do they have any upstream partners? Do they have successful client stories and case studies to prove their expertise? What scale of projects have they undertaken? Familiarize yourself with their work ethics, commitment, procedures and policies.
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Always Try a Free Demo
The right DevOps partner does not just pay lip service to your promises. They prove their merit through actions. Unlike others, they would offer a free demo service of their capabilities and practices, to help you understand the nature of their work and see if it’s at par with your expectations.
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Ensure your DevOps Partner Embraces your Company Culture
Your DevOps partner has to work in sync with your internal team. This means, that they should easily adapt themselves to your work and company culture. Before giving a final confirmation, ensure that both the teams share the same vision and goals. They are able to collaborate and communicate with each other without any hassle or misunderstandings. One of the core principles of DevOps is to break down the silos and work efficiently across teams. Your DevOps partner should not only inculcate this philosophy, but practice what it preaches.
Still Not Able to Find the Perfect Fit for your AWS DevOps Journey? Turn to Cloud4C
Let’s face this. It takes an entire village to implement DevOps on AWS. You need a dedicated DevOps partner to optimize this process and help you take on big projects.
Cloud4C offers DevOps best practices through a series of flexible, scalable and agile solutions and services, for organizations to get ahead on your DevOps transformation. As a part of the AWS Partner Network and an AWS Advanced Consulting Partner with AWS DevOps competency, we are proud to serve customers across the APAC, EMEA, Americas for 12+ years. Our end-to-end managed DevOps practices and AIOps-powered managed operations help you choose the right strategy and tools to facilitate your DevOps adoption on cloud. As the world’s application-focused cloud MSP, you can definitely count on us to make your DevOps vision come alive.
Get in touch with our cloud representative today!
