DevOps Engineers: Who Are They?

DevOps is a mixed concept between “Development” and “Operations”, aiming at enhancing internal communication to boost productivity and efficiency in enterprises. DevOps has attracted a lot of attention since its inception, and it is obvious that the role offers many advantages to businesses. 

When it comes to talks of a DevOps Engineer, it may appear to be simple, because all they do is "automate everything". In fact, it is the wrong guess at all. Being a proficient DevOps Engineer is actually challenging, because it requires a certain combination of technical and business knowledge. 

In this article, GCT Solution will provide an overview of DevOps Engineers: the role of a DevOps Engineer, responsibilities of a DevOps Engineer and skills of a DevOps Engineer. 

The Role Of A DevOps Engineer In A Software Development Team

A DevOps Engineer is responsible for the smooth operation of the IT infrastructure of a business. They work with developers to deploy and manage code changes, and work with operations staff to ensure that systems are updated and run smoothly. A DevOps Engineer needs a solid technical foundation and in-depth knowledge of both development and operations processes in order to succeed in this position.

As the world of business becomes increasingly reliant on digital technology, the role of a DevOps Engineer is becoming more and more important. People who can assist businesses optimize their processes and maximize their IT infrastructure, like a DevOps Engineer, are in high demand. A position as a DevOps Engineer can be ideal for you if you have a solid technical background and you are interested in working with both development and operation functions.

The Responsibilities Of A DevOps Engineer

• Analyze current technologies utilized within the company, then make plans to improve them
• Assist software engineers in producing practical illustration of proposed solutions 
• Provide detailed specifications for proposed solutions including materials, man effort and man hours necessary
• Work with software engineers to maintain hardware and software needed for projects
• Build and maintain CI/CD pipelines
• Implement integrations requested by the system or clients
• Orchestrate and automate cloud-based platforms 
• Manage and develop various cloud technologies (GCP, AWS, Kubernetes, etc) 
• Investigate and resolve technical issues

Necessary Skills Of A DevOps Engineer

DevOps Engineers manage application development and delivery processes of a company. They are in charge of ensuring that all software operations and modifications are carried out within plan and control. According to GCT Solution, DevOps Engineers need to have these skill sets as below to succeed in this position.

• Linux Fundamentals/ Coding and Scripting Skills: DevOps Engineers need to be well-versed in Linux, so that they can set up and manage servers. Code and script are useful for automating tasks
• Automation Skills: DevOps Engineers frequently use tools such as Puppet, Chef, and Ansible to automate tasks
• Cloud Skills: DevOps Engineers need good cloud skills to set up and manage cloud-based infrastructures, such as AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud Platform, according to the current business trend of cloud base
• Security Skills: DevOps Engineers must ensure that the systems and data are well protected. They implement security measures such as encryption, firewalls, and intrusion detection systems
• Testing Skills: DevOps Engineers control that the code changes made do not cause any problems. DevOps Engineers should know how to use automated testing tools such as Selenium and Jenkins
• Technical Support and Maintenance Skills: Being responsible for the systems, DevOps Engineers need to troubleshoot and fix problems as soon as they arise
• Communication and Collaboration Skills to work well with the team and clients
• Foreign language proficiency if the target clients are foreign

Tools Used By DevOps Engineers

• Source Code Management tools manage the source code of an application. They help to ensure that the code is stored in a central repository and that it is easy to track changes.
• Configuration Management tools manage the configuration of an application. They must ensure that the correct versions of the software are deployed and that the configurations are consistent across different environments.
• Continuous Integration tools automatically build and test code changes. They ensure that code changes can be easily integrated into the main codebase and that they do not cause any problems.
• Continuous Monitoring tools automatically monitor systems and applications to identify problems early and prevent them from becoming major issues.
• Continuous Testing tools automatically test code changes to ensure that they meet the requirements and do not cause any problems.
• Containerization packages an application so that it can be deployed quickly and easily. Docker is a typical example of containerization.
• Configuration management tools manage environment variables and configuration files. They ensure that all developers are working with the same set of configurations and that there are no inconsistencies between environments.
• Version management tools keep track of different versions of code and configurations, watching if there are any problems. 

Final thoughts

As businesses strive to become more and more Agile, the demand for talented DevOps Engineers must grow. Organizations are increasingly looking for innovations to optimize their operations, so that they can release new features and products faster.  

While the specific skills required for the DevOps Engineer positions will vary depending on companies and projects, there are some certain qualities and skills that are vital. If you want to stand out from the rest, you must have at least some of the skills required to become a DevOps Engineer that we have mentioned.  

If you are seeking a seasoned IT provider, GCT Solution is the ideal choice. With 3 years of expertise, we specialize in Mobile App , Web App, System Development, Blockchain Development and Testing Services. Our 100+ skilled IT consultants and developers can handle projects of any size. Having successfully delivered over 50+ solutions to clients worldwide, we are dedicated to supporting your goals. Reach out to us for a detailed discussion, confident that GCT Solution is poised to meet all your IT needs with tailored, efficient solutions.