A 3-step plan for DevOps platform migration

When making your DevOps platform migration plan, less really is more, at least when it comes to tools.

Our 2022 Global DevSecOps Survey found that not only do teams have lots of tools, they spend a significant amount of time managing them. All told 40% of developers spend between one quarter and one half of their time on toolchain maintenance and integration, and another 33% spend between 50% and all of their time on this task. So it’s hardly a surprise that 69% of survey takers said they want to consolidate their toolchains.

One obvious way to consolidate is migrating to a DevOps platform. DevOps platform migration does take some planning and teamwork, but it can be done. Here’s a 3-step plan (and a self-evaluation checklist) to get teams started.

Choose the right path

The most important thing to know about migrating to an end-to-end DevOps platform is that everyone's needs are different so there isn’t one “right way” to carry out your migration.

A company that has 1,000 users will have completely different DevOps needs than a company that has 5,000 users. What your specific DevOps platform migration plan requires will depend on the types of projects you migrate, the file types within those projects, and a whole host of other parameters. Because of this, there is not a “one size fits all” migration process for everyone to follow.

Here’s a basic 3-step guide for migrating to a DevOps platform:

Begin by identifying the strategic goals and be clear about why they are a priority for future business plans.

Evaluate tools currently in use that no longer serve future goals. Ultimately the goal should be to operate entirely out of a single application for maximum efficiency. But it may make sense to migrate some things now and others down the line.

This is the time to become a historian and discern which tools have been problematic in the past. Consider what to migrate right away or later on and why (i.e., instability or costly maintenance and licensing) and really use that to inform the migration process.

An important note: Take into consideration the business disruption that migration has on a company. Replacing existing tools with a new DevOps platform in one step could mean sweeping changes across the organization, and the fallout might not be worth it. Instead, start with the things taking time, effort and money to maintain. And continue to keep it as simple and streamlined as possible.

Have everyone on the team complete a self-evaluation so there are no surprises.

Do a self-evaluation

Here are key questions to ask:

• What’s the timeline? Discuss with all involved parties – existing team members and a representative of the new DevOps platform – how much time to allot for a completed migration. Migrations can take anywhere from 2 weeks for the initial migration to 3-6 months for monitoring.

• What are the costs? This kind of platform adoption can ultimately save a LOT of money. However, the adoption of a new DevOps platform and the associated migration will no doubt have costs. Consider all costs and make sure they align with budgetary goals and requirements.

• What about assistance? Are other parts of the company prepared to support a migration? How much of this will require work from the existing team and how much support will the DevOps platform provider offer?

• Who are the primary and other platform users? What teams of people will migrate to this new platform? Will everyone have the same level or different levels of permissions? What needs to be done so that these teams are prepared to learn and teach the ins and outs of the new platform to other team members?

• What data is migrating? Make sure to have a 360 view of the data involved in a migration including, projects, issues, and file types. What changes can happen with data when moving to a brand new DevOps platform? When evaluating the projects planned for migration, explore which applications teams spend the most time and energy working with, and what will set them up for success in the new platform.

• How will automation fit in? Ensure teams understand the technology underpinnings of automation, like Kubernetes, CI/CD and more. How should it be customized? Not every tool on a DevOps platform will be right for every team, and some tools might be a better fit at a later date. It makes sense to address any technology “outliers” right from the start.

• Should the process be documented? Every step of the migration process should be documented and shared across teams. This level of transparency and an iterative, easy-to-search knowledge base can help problem-solve and refer back to stages already completed. Much like a single source for DevOps, a single source of truth for DevOps migration info helps everyone involved.

• What about security? Security is never a “one and done,” but this is a good time to consider processes and levels of protection. What are good results?: What will a successful migration look like – when data is moved, or when teams are comfortable in their knowledge and use of the new system? Map out what the goals that will be critical to a successful migration.

Check out our Migrating to a DevOps platform eBook for even more useful information about how to complete a successful DevOps platform migration.