Centralised DevOps Vs Decentralised DevOps

The question about choosing centralised DevOps or decentralised DevOps? Why does this question arise in every enterprise while choosing DevOps?  

Whenever an enterprise implements DevOps, a key factor to consider is how internal teams efficiently use a toolchain to support the DevOps culture. This not only involves ensuring the right toolchain but also reinforcing practices such as continuous delivery and integration. 

DevOps work on simple moto: The 3's moto in software development

• Strategic collaboration of teams

• Speed delivery of software

• Superior quality software

However, DevOps is not a one-size-fit. Hence, organisations must choose whether it is centralised DevOps or decentralised DevOps.

Both models have merits and challenges. Understanding the use cases of models is critical for enterprises to determine the best fit for their organisation's needs. Should companies adopt standardisation in a centralised model or give complete freedom and flexibility in a decentralised model? This comparison lets the enterprise add its own flavour to its toolchains and processes. 

In this blog, we'll delve into the core comparison between centralised DevOps and decentralised DevOps.

What does Centralized DevOps mean?

Centralized DevOps refers to a single, dedicated team responsible for implementing and managing DevOps practices across the organisation. This team manages toolchains, processes, and governance and is the central driver of DevOps adoption.

Advantages of Centralized DevOps

• Centralized DevOps ensures standardisation by providing consistent tools, projects, and a single centralised process throughout the organisation. 

• Centralised DevOps reduces confusion and facilitates cooperation among development and operations teams. 

• Cost efficiency is achieved by streamlined governance and centralised procurement of tools and services.

• Compliance with security and operational standards is ensured due to uniform governance.

• Specialised skills of a centralised team facilitate innovative solutions and implement best practices.

However, centralised DevOps also comes with challenges.

Disadvantages of Centralised DevOps

• Changes could be slow in a centralised team, creating bottlenecks.

• Pre-made rules and processes limit creation and innovation among teams

• Due to a lack of ownership, teams might feel less flexible and creative.

Toolchains for Centralised DevOps

• Azure DevOps: This comes under CI/ CD tools, providing an integrated suite for testing, monitoring and pipeline automation

• Ansible:  Used for configuration management and deployment  process

• AWS and Google: These are cloud platforms, where AWS is automated CI/CD while Google is built on standard and deployment process

• Slack( with integration): Slack organises tasks and builds centralised communication for team updates

• Nagios and Splunk: Nagios monitors servers and applications while Splunk collects and analyses logs

What is Decentralised DevOps?

Decentralised DevOps refers to a model in which each team manages its own DevOps best practices, toolchains, and processes. This approach allows teams to customise their workflow to meet their needs, promoting creativity and innovation.

Decentralised DevOps follows autonomy, allowing teams to choose their tools, define their workflows, and manage their pipelines. Ownership in DevOps is distributed across teams or organisations, enabling creativity, flexibility, and innovation. Customised processes can be used to suit the unique needs of individual teams.

The Advantages of Decentralised DevOps 

• Decentralised DevOps has increased agility; hence, teams quickly adapt to changes without waiting for approval from the central authority.

• The removal of central authority prevents bottlenecks in decision-making and implementation. Empowered teams can take significant ownership of bringing innovation.

• Customised solutions allow teams to implement DevOps practices that align with their goals and workflow.

         Similarly, Decentralised DevOps also has a few disadvantages too:

Disadvantages of Decentralised DevOps

• Decentralised DevOps can lead to inconsistency across the organisation due to the lack of standardisation.

• Individual efforts might not be recognised as teams continuously replicating work and using DevOps tools that serve the same purpose, which can cause governance issues.

• Teams might struggle to manage their DevOps process when they have limited resources.

Toolchain for Decentralised DevOps

• Git and Bitbucket provide a controlled system that allows teams to manage code independently for team-specific work.

• Jenkins and Circle CI: They are used for continuous integration and continuous deployments of individual projects

• Trello: Trello is used to help teams manage their tasks and projects.   

• Slack: Slack also helps decentralised teams share updates and communicate among themselves.  

• Aqua Security: This security tool ensures the container security of each team

• Kubernetes: Offers flexibility for teams to manage their containerised applications without relying on centralised management. 

Difference Between Centralised and Decentralised DevOps

Factors to Consider Before Selecting the Right DevOps 

1. Size

Organisation size defines the type of DevOps to be chosen. Centralised DevOps is more suitable for large organisations with multiple teams where standardising is crucial for cooperation.

Decentralised DevOps is ideal for small organisations or startups that prioritise adaptation and quick decision-making.           

2. Cost 

For cost optimisation and resource sharing, centralised DevOps can be more effective.

Decentralised DevOps require additional investment in-specific tools and training.

3. Project Complexity  

Centralised DevOps is most suitable for projects requiring constant practices across various teams.

Decentralised DevOps is ideal for projects with unique requirements and specifications.

4. Speed and Innovation                  

Organisations prioritising consistency and reliability can choose a centralised model. 

Organisations can use decentralised models to experiment and adopt practices independently.

5. Governance  

Centralised DevOps is preferred in organisations with strict regulatory standards and governance standards.

The robust mechanism must be implemented to maintain compliance across distributed teams for decentralised DevOps

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The Hybrid Approach 

Most organisations adopt a hybrid approach by combining the right qualities of both centralised and decentralised models. In this setup, centralised teams provide the governance, standard methods and shared services. The individual teams have the authority to tailor the workflows and choose practices that suit their needs. 

This approach offers several advantages:

• The hybrid approach ensures the consistent practice of tools, processes and protocols throughout the organisation.

• It reduces the duplication of resources and tools within the teams.

• Facilitates faster decision-making for individual teams

• Flexibility and standardization help teams meet their unique requirements while still adhering to organisational standards.

• This empowers individual teams to innovate and experiment within the defined framework.

• Brings in the collaboration of centralised and decentralised DevOps

• Helps in scaling both small and large-level projects

DevOps in Real-World Examples 

1. Centralised DevOps in Real-world 

Enterprises like J.P. Morgan Chase or Wells Fargo are financial institutions that prioritise security and compliance measures. They opt for centralised IT and DevOps to ensure that all applications meet security standards.

UK Government digital services also opt for centralised services to ensure consistent service delivery across various teams.

2. Decentralised DevOps in Action

Netflix and other giant tech companies use decentralised DevOps to give freedom to innovate quickly. They use tools like Spinnaker for continuous delivery.

3. Hybrid DevOps in Action

Few companies, like Amazon, use a hybrid approach across the organisation. Teams are free to innovate on core DevOps practices such as infrastructure provisioning and monitoring.

Recommended Approach For DevOps 

In conclusion, the decision between centralised and decentralised DevOps should always align with your organisation's goals, culture and needs.

Centralised DevOps ensures consistency and governance, making it an ideal organisation for prioritising standards. Decentralised DevOps brings flexibility, innovation, and creation, making them suitable and dynamic for fast-paced environments.

A hybrid approach is the most recommended approach from my perspective, as we can leverage the complete merits of both centralised and decentralised DevOps 

Hybrid approach often provides the best of both, balancing each feature to its best. Successful DevOps adoption requires continuous evaluation and adaptation. 

By understanding the pros and cons of each model, organisations can design their strategy for efficiency, collaboration and growth.

With the right approach, you can unlock DevOps's full advantage and pave the way for sustained success in the digital world.

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