DORA analysts and consultants (DevOps Research & Assessment) have teamed with Google Cloud to present their sixth annual status report on DevOps. In the study “Accelerate: State of DevOps 2019” survey results of more than 31,000 experts from companies of all industries worldwide have been incorporated.

Supported by well-known authors such as Jez Humble, Gene Kim and Nicole Forsgren, the most recent edition of the study shows that the successful implementation of DevOps practices is becoming increasingly established in organizations around the world. The proportion of companies that are considered to be among the DevOps pioneers, whose organizations have already firmly anchored DevOps processes, has almost tripled from 7 percent to 20 percent compared to the previous year.

Successful through and with the cloud

Characteristic of particularly successful DevOps organizations, which in addition to the elite group include the so-called high performers, are DORA according to a far-reaching use of the cloud and the preferred use of open source software. Relevant aspects for cloud use are the five key features defined by National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST): on-demand self-service, standards-based network access from multiple devices, resource pooling, rapid elasticity, and measured service.

The elite and high performers are taking advantage of the cloud benefits much more extensively and efficiently than the low performers among DevOps organizations. The proportion of those who even use all five cloud aspects is 24 times higher than the less experienced DevOps users.

In her blog post for the publication of Report 2019, Nicole Forsgren, Research and Strategy at Google Cloud, emphasizes that the company’s DevOps expertise has now reached maturity level, as author Geoffrey A. Moore wrote in his eponymous marketing book, “Crossing the Chasm “. A closer look at the study results, however, shows that the gain in know-how and practical experience in DevOps can be found above all in the elite companies. Overall, however, the proportion of DevOps experts (elite plus high performers) among the organizations studied fell from 55 percent in the previous year to only 43 percent, while the medium performers now make up the largest group with 44 percent.

One of the reasons for this development may be found in the fact that while the majority of companies invest in the implementation of cloud technologies, their potential has not yet been fully exploited. According to the study, only 29 percent have managed to reconcile their DevOps processes with the five NIST cloud criteria.

Ideal combination: Open Source and DevOps

Another criterion for success is the study executives in the use of open source. As already described in the report 2018, especially low performers still rely on proprietary software. The associated costs for maintenance and support are, according to the DORA experts, usually an obstacle to the successful and efficient implementation of DevOps. For this reason, elite and high performers relied more on open source software.

Further findings of the report can be found in the article by Nicole Forsgren. The complete study “Accelerate: State of DevOps 2019” is available for download free of charge on the Google Cloud website – the providers only expect a registration stating some personal data.