How DevOps can help your business

Discover the transformative power of DevOps in software development. Explore collaboration, efficiency, and continuous improvement.

Share this Article

Introduction

DevOps is a transformative approach to software development that has gained significant traction in the modern business landscape. It focuses on breaking down the traditional silos between development and operations teams to foster collaboration, efficiency, and continuous improvement. In this blog, we will delve into the world of DevOps and explore how its practices can benefit businesses.

What is DevOps?

DevOps is a software development approach that combines development (Dev) and operations (Ops) teams to streamline the software delivery process. It aims to break down the traditional barriers between these teams and promote collaboration, communication, and shared responsibility throughout the development lifecycle.

At its core, DevOps is guided by several principles and objectives. First, it emphasizes close collaboration and integration between development and operations teams, ensuring that both sides work together seamlessly to achieve common goals. This collaboration eliminates the traditional handoffs and silos that often lead to delays, miscommunication, and inefficiencies.

Another key principle of DevOps is the automation of processes. By automating tasks such as code deployment, testing, and infrastructure provisioning, DevOps enables faster and more reliable software delivery. Automation reduces the risk of human error and accelerates the feedback loop, allowing teams to iterate and improve their software continuously.

DevOps also places a strong emphasis on continuous improvement. It encourages teams to adopt a culture of learning, experimentation, and feedback. By continuously assessing and optimizing processes, DevOps teams strive for greater efficiency, quality, and customer satisfaction.

By bridging the gap between development and operations, DevOps fosters collaboration and efficiency. Development teams gain a deeper understanding of operational challenges and considerations, while operations teams become more involved in the development process, providing valuable insights and feedback. This close collaboration leads to faster feedback cycles, quicker issue resolution, and ultimately, the delivery of high-quality software products that meet user needs and exceed expectations.

Streamlined Development and Deployment

DevOps practices bring significant improvements to software development and deployment cycles, enabling organizations to deliver software faster and more frequently. This streamlined approach offers numerous benefits, including increased productivity, shorter time-to-market, and improved software quality.

Continuous integration (CI) is a fundamental DevOps practice that involves regularly merging code changes into a shared repository. This process allows development teams to detect and address integration issues early on, promoting collaboration and reducing the risk of conflicts. By automating the CI process, developers can build, test, and validate their code changes quickly and efficiently.

Continuous delivery (CD) builds upon CI by automating the release process, allowing organizations to deliver software updates more frequently and reliably. With CD, software changes undergo a series of automated tests and checks before being deployed into production. This ensures that only stable and tested code reaches the end-users, reducing the likelihood of bugs and issues. The ability to deploy software updates rapidly and consistently gives organizations a competitive edge in rapidly evolving markets.

Automated testing is an essential component of DevOps practices, enabling organizations to achieve efficient and reliable software releases. Automated tests, including unit tests, integration tests, and performance tests, are executed automatically as part of the CI/CD pipeline. By automating the testing process, organizations can detect bugs and issues early, ensuring the software's functionality, stability, and performance. This reduces the need for manual testing, saves time, and improves the overall quality of the software.

By adopting DevOps practices, organizations can streamline their development and deployment processes, allowing for faster and more frequent software releases. Continuous integration, continuous delivery, and automated testing contribute to efficient and reliable software releases, empowering organizations to meet customer demands, respond to market changes, and stay ahead of the competition.

Enhanced Collaboration and Communication (200-250 words)

DevOps practices promote improved collaboration and communication among cross-functional teams, breaking down silos and fostering a culture of shared responsibilities. By promoting collaboration and knowledge sharing, DevOps enables teams to work together more effectively, resulting in improved efficiency and better outcomes.

One of the key benefits of DevOps is the breaking down of silos that traditionally exist between development, operations, and other teams involved in the software development lifecycle. DevOps encourages these teams to work together, share their expertise, and collaborate on decision-making processes. This collaborative approach helps to eliminate bottlenecks and delays caused by fragmented workflows, resulting in faster and more efficient development cycles.

By fostering shared responsibilities, DevOps encourages teams to take ownership of the entire software development and deployment process. Rather than operating in isolated silos, individuals across different functions collaborate and contribute to the success of the project. This shared responsibility mindset promotes a sense of accountability and empowers team members to make informed decisions that benefit the overall project.

Knowledge sharing is a fundamental aspect of DevOps culture. It encourages team members to openly share their knowledge, skills, and experiences with one another. This knowledge sharing helps to spread best practices, learn from past experiences, and avoid repeating mistakes. It also promotes continuous learning and professional development within the team.

Feedback loops play a vital role in DevOps collaboration and communication. By establishing feedback mechanisms, teams can collect insights, identify areas for improvement, and address any issues or bottlenecks promptly. Feedback loops enable teams to iterate and refine their processes continuously, leading to continuous improvement and higher quality outcomes.

Scalability and Flexibility

DevOps practices facilitate scalability and flexibility in meeting changing business demands. By adopting DevOps principles, organizations can leverage technologies such as infrastructure as code (IaC) and cloud computing to achieve efficient resource allocation and scale their systems as needed.

Infrastructure as code (IaC) is a fundamental concept in DevOps that allows infrastructure provisioning and management through code rather than manual processes. With IaC, organizations can define and manage their infrastructure using configuration files, scripts, or declarative code. This approach provides several benefits for scalability and flexibility. It allows for the rapid provisioning of infrastructure resources, enabling teams to scale up or down their infrastructure based on demand. Additionally, IaC ensures consistency and reproducibility, as the infrastructure configuration is version-controlled and can be easily replicated across different environments.

Cloud computing plays a pivotal role in the scalability and flexibility enabled by DevOps. Cloud platforms offer on-demand access to a vast array of computing resources, including virtual machines, storage, and networking. By leveraging cloud services, organizations can scale their infrastructure resources dynamically, adjusting capacity based on real-time demands. This elasticity allows businesses to handle spikes in traffic, accommodate growth, and optimize resource utilization.

Furthermore, cloud platforms provide additional services and tools that support scalability and flexibility. For example, auto-scaling features automatically adjust resources based on predefined rules or metrics, ensuring optimal performance and cost-efficiency. Load balancers distribute traffic across multiple instances, preventing bottlenecks and enhancing scalability. Database scaling options enable organizations to handle increasing data volumes without compromising performance.

In combination, infrastructure as code (IaC) and cloud computing provide organizations with the ability to scale their infrastructure resources quickly and efficiently. DevOps practices leverage these technologies to ensure that businesses can adapt to changing demands, handle increased workloads, and optimize resource allocation, ultimately enabling them to deliver products and services more effectively and meet customer expectations.

Improved Stability and Reliability

DevOps practices contribute to improved stability and reliability of software systems. By implementing proactive monitoring, automated error detection, and efficient incident response, organizations can ensure high system availability and deliver a seamless and dependable experience to their users.

Proactive monitoring is a critical aspect of maintaining system stability. DevOps teams implement monitoring tools and practices to gather real-time data on system performance, resource utilization, and user behavior. This enables them to identify potential issues or bottlenecks before they escalate, allowing for prompt action and proactive optimization. Through continuous monitoring, organizations can ensure that their systems are running optimally, anticipate potential problems, and make informed decisions to prevent service disruptions.

Automated error detection is another essential component of maintaining system stability. DevOps practices encourage the implementation of automated testing and quality assurance processes, including unit tests, integration tests, and performance tests. By automating the detection of errors and inconsistencies, organizations can identify issues early in the development cycle and address them proactively. This reduces the likelihood of critical issues reaching production environments, minimizing downtime and enhancing system reliability.

Efficient incident response is essential for ensuring high system availability. DevOps teams establish incident response procedures and workflows to handle potential disruptions effectively. By having well-defined incident management processes, organizations can respond swiftly to incidents, minimize downtime, and restore services promptly. DevOps practices also emphasize post-incident analysis and learning, enabling teams to identify root causes, implement preventive measures, and continuously improve system stability and reliability.

By integrating proactive monitoring, automated error detection, and efficient incident response into their DevOps practices, organizations can enhance the stability and reliability of their software systems. This leads to improved system availability, reduced downtime, and ultimately, a better user experience. The focus on continuous improvement and proactive measures ensures that businesses can deliver reliable and dependable services to their customers, building trust and loyalty in the process.

Cost Optimization

DevOps practices can lead to cost optimization by minimizing wasteful processes and improving resource utilization. By leveraging cloud-based infrastructure and automated provisioning, organizations can reduce infrastructure costs and optimize their spending.

DevOps practices eliminate wasteful processes by streamlining workflows and automating repetitive tasks. Continuous integration and continuous delivery (CI/CD) pipelines remove manual handoffs and reduce the risk of errors and delays. By automating tasks such as code builds, testing, and deployments, organizations can save time and resources, resulting in cost savings.

Cloud-based infrastructure is a key enabler of cost optimization in DevOps. Cloud platforms offer flexible and scalable infrastructure resources on a pay-as-you-go basis. This eliminates the need for upfront investments in physical hardware and allows organizations to scale resources up or down based on demand. By leveraging cloud services, businesses can avoid the costs associated with managing and maintaining on-premises infrastructure, leading to significant cost savings.

Automated provisioning, facilitated by infrastructure as code (IaC), further contributes to cost optimization. With IaC, organizations can define and provision infrastructure resources programmatically, reducing the time and effort required for manual setup. This automation ensures consistent and reproducible infrastructure deployments while minimizing the risk of errors. By automating the provisioning process, organizations can optimize resource allocation, avoid overprovisioning, and reduce unnecessary costs.

By adopting DevOps practices, organizations can optimize costs by eliminating wasteful processes, leveraging cloud-based infrastructure, and automating provisioning. These practices not only improve resource utilization but also reduce infrastructure costs, leading to overall cost savings for the organization. By focusing on cost optimization alongside development and operational efficiency, DevOps enables businesses to achieve a balance between maximizing value and minimizing expenses.

Security and Compliance

DevOps practices address security concerns and compliance requirements by integrating security measures throughout the development lifecycle and implementing security-focused testing and monitoring.

DevOps promotes a proactive and holistic approach to security. Security considerations are embedded into every stage of the development process, from design and coding to testing and deployment. By implementing secure coding practices, conducting regular security assessments, and performing vulnerability scans, organizations can identify and mitigate potential security risks early on. This helps in reducing the chances of security breaches and ensuring the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of data.

Continuous integration and continuous delivery (CI/CD) pipelines in DevOps enable the automated execution of security-focused tests. This includes static code analysis, vulnerability scanning, and penetration testing. These tests help identify security vulnerabilities and weaknesses in the application code and infrastructure configuration. By addressing these issues in a timely manner, organizations can proactively improve the security posture of their systems.

Monitoring and incident response are also essential components of a secure DevOps practice. By implementing robust monitoring and logging mechanisms, organizations can detect and respond to security incidents promptly. Real-time monitoring helps identify unauthorized access attempts, unusual behavior patterns, or potential breaches, allowing organizations to take immediate action to mitigate risks and prevent further damage.

In addition, DevOps teams ensure compliance with industry-specific regulations and standards. By aligning development and operations processes with compliance requirements, organizations can demonstrate adherence to security and privacy guidelines. This includes implementing access controls, encryption measures, and audit trails to protect sensitive data and meet regulatory obligations.

By adopting DevOps practices, organizations can address security concerns and compliance requirements effectively. By integrating security measures throughout the development lifecycle, implementing security-focused testing and monitoring, and ensuring compliance with industry standards, DevOps teams can build secure and compliant software systems. This approach enhances the organization's ability to protect sensitive data, maintain customer trust, and meet regulatory obligations.

Real-World Examples and Case Studies

Real-world examples and case studies showcase the successful implementations of DevOps in various industries. These examples demonstrate the tangible benefits and outcomes achieved by organizations that have embraced DevOps practices.

One notable example is Netflix, a leading provider of streaming services. By adopting a DevOps culture, Netflix has transformed the way video streaming services operate. They have achieved rapid deployment, continuous integration, and continuous delivery. Through automation and infrastructure as code, Netflix can deliver new features and updates to millions of subscribers worldwide seamlessly. This has led to improved customer satisfaction, increased availability, and a highly scalable platform.

Another example is Etsy, a popular e-commerce marketplace. Etsy implemented DevOps practices to enhance collaboration and accelerate software delivery. By adopting continuous integration and deployment, they reduced the time from code commit to production deployment from weeks to hours. This resulted in faster feature releases, shorter feedback loops, and increased customer engagement. Etsy's DevOps implementation also led to improved stability, with a significant reduction in production incidents.

Amazon, a leading global e-commerce platform, has leveraged DevOps to achieve unparalleled scalability and reliability. Their use of infrastructure as code and automated deployment pipelines allows them to handle massive traffic loads during peak shopping seasons. By embracing DevOps, Amazon can rapidly innovate, experiment with new features, and quickly respond to customer demands. This has solidified their position as a trusted and customer-centric online marketplace.

Capital One, a prominent financial services company, embraced DevOps to improve software delivery and enhance customer experience. By implementing continuous integration and delivery, they reduced their time to market for new features and products. This resulted in faster innovation cycles, improved customer satisfaction, and increased competitiveness in the financial industry.

These real-world examples highlight the tangible benefits achieved through successful DevOps implementations. Organizations have experienced faster time to market, improved software quality, enhanced collaboration between teams, and increased operational efficiency. The flexibility, scalability, and reliability enabled by DevOps practices have proven instrumental in driving business success across various industries.

Getting Started with DevOps

Getting started with DevOps requires careful planning and a strategic approach. Here are some practical tips to help businesses embark on their DevOps journey:

  1. Assess your current state: Evaluate your existing development and operations processes, identify pain points, and determine areas for improvement. This assessment will provide a baseline for your DevOps transformation.
  2. Define your goals: Clearly define the objectives you want to achieve with DevOps. Whether it's faster software delivery, improved collaboration, or enhanced customer satisfaction, having well-defined goals will guide your implementation.
  3. Foster a culture of collaboration: DevOps is not just about tools and processes; it's a cultural shift. Encourage collaboration, communication, and shared responsibilities between development and operations teams. Break down silos and promote cross-functional teamwork.
  4. Invest in training and upskilling: Provide training and resources to empower your teams with the skills and knowledge necessary for DevOps. This includes learning automation tools, version control systems, and continuous integration/delivery practices.
  5. Embrace automation: Automate repetitive tasks, such as builds, testing, and deployments, to eliminate manual errors and improve efficiency. Implement infrastructure as code (IaC) to enable automated provisioning and configuration management.
  6. Select the right tools: Choose tools that align with your DevOps goals and support your technology stack. This may include version control systems (e.g., Git), continuous integration tools (e.g., Jenkins), and configuration management tools (e.g., Ansible).
  7. Start with small, incremental changes: DevOps transformation is a journey, not a one-time event. Begin by implementing DevOps practices in a specific project or team, and gradually expand across the organization. Learn from each iteration and continuously improve.

By following these tips, businesses can lay a solid foundation for their DevOps journey. Remember, DevOps is not a one-size-fits-all approach, so tailor your implementation to suit your organization's unique needs and goals. With the right mindset, commitment, and the support of your teams, you can unlock the numerous benefits of DevOps and drive business success.

Conclusion

In conclusion, DevOps practices have become essential for businesses looking to achieve faster, more efficient software delivery and improved overall performance. By adopting DevOps methodologies, businesses can unlock a range of benefits, and partnering with Digital Grind can help you navigate this transformation with ease.

At Digital Grind, we have a team of experienced professionals who specialize in DevOps implementation. Our expertise and industry knowledge allow us to guide businesses through the process of adopting DevOps practices, ensuring a seamless transition and optimal results.

By working with Digital Grind, you can leverage our deep understanding of DevOps principles and tools to streamline your development and deployment processes. We can help you implement continuous integration and continuous delivery, automate testing and monitoring, and establish efficient collaboration and communication channels across your cross-functional teams.

Additionally, our team is well-versed in infrastructure as code (IaC) and cloud computing, enabling us to assist you in scaling your resources effectively and optimizing costs. With our security-focused approach, we prioritize integrating security measures throughout the development lifecycle, ensuring your systems are robust, compliant, and protected against potential threats.

Partnering with Digital Grind means gaining a trusted advisor who will tailor DevOps practices to your unique business requirements. We offer comprehensive support, training, and ongoing guidance to help you embark on your DevOps journey with confidence. Let us help you unlock the full potential of DevOps and propel your business to new heights of success. Contact us today to learn more about how we can assist you in adopting DevOps practices and achieving your software development goals.

Let's Work Together

We grind digital tech to fuel brands and ignite possibility. Specialising in providing quick turnarounds, scalable solutions and piece of mind that your product are in the best hands to take your business and product to the next level.

get In touch
Content Offer
About
Trish Anthony

Continue reading

arrow icon
Technology has been evolving rapidly over the past few decades at an extraordinary speed most of us never thought possible. Technology currently has infinite uses and ...

Technology has been evolving rapidly over the past few decades at an extraordinary speed most of us never thought possible. Technology currently has infinite uses and has impacted and improved the lives of global citizens, whether at home, work, in classrooms or leisure activities. 

During 2020, businesses had to come face-to-face with the COVID-19 pandemic and the effects it had on all our livelihoods. For some, going through an intense digital transformation was the only way to allow employees to work remotely and maintain productivity in response to the lockdowns restrictions.

Software developers were at the forefront of this change, and their teams had to start incorporating functionality that enabled social engagement. Some of them had their work cut out for them, having to quickly adapt in such an agile environment to their customers' new and growing needs.

Now that we’re in 2021, more people have grown to appreciate the importance of software development. There are a number of trends that have been seen in the software development industry. We’ll discuss some of these below and the future outlook.

Rising demand for developers

The increasing demand for digital solutions by businesses around the globe meant companies had to hire developers to transform their business models, particularly through e-commerce. Developers increased in demand by 25% between 2019 and 2020, and job portals around the globe are continuing to see a rapid recruitment boom.

While other industries and sectors started to teeter on the brink of collapse, software development continued on an upward trend during the pandemic. This trend is expected to continue over the next decade as new opportunities continue to come out of this industry.

In fact, what is evident is that developers who upskill themselves in various emerging technologies will benefit most from this trend. The top skills that will be in demand going into the future will be IT automation, and AI and machine learning. With the number of tech startups also on an upward trend, the future looks promising for software development.

A hybrid and flexible work environment

Due to the pandemic, businesses everywhere were forced to both digitise and digitalise. Software developers had to respond to this call and became more flexible by collaborating on projects more remotely than ever before.

Where developers were used to running projects mostly in person, they had to now adapt to a hybrid work approach. This has seen a reduction in meeting lengths as teams aim to become more efficient in the wake of increasing workloads.

Things are constantly changing, as the year 2020 has shown. This has necessitated the use of an agile approach on workstreams. With the emerging in-demand coding skills, self-teaching is becoming another major trend in the industry to keep up with the rapid transformation.

Growth of the Cloud

As software teams are now working remote-first, most development projects have now moved to the cloud, incorporating social and collaborative tools. Value stream management software will help drive agility right now and going forward. The cloud computing market is forecast to grow 18% in 2021, with the trend set to continue over the next five years.

The focus on cloud-native skills will gain more importance going into the future and this will be supported by virtual colocation infrastructure which allows for scalability to cope with the increased agility. The scalability offered by the Cloud is allowing developers to adjust to ever changing demand. 

Sectors such as tourism, travel and hospitality experienced reduced demand. Scalability allowed some to reduce their server needs without bearing the full costs of a physical data centre. 

Agility and the shift to cloud infrastructure has led to an increased demand for full-stack developers to support the flexibility requirements and increasing software development needs. If you haven’t already migrated to the Cloud, then this is the best time to start looking at some options that can benefit your organisation.

Low-code and no-code adoption

As organisations scrambled to adopt digital solutions in 2020, developers were left with higher workload. This led to an increase in low-code products that could be quickly deployed and free up developer capacity.

These low-code solutions are easily scalable and components can be reused on multiple clients. This is particularly useful given that the demand for developers is surpassing the ability of recruiters to fill vacancies. One example of these solutions is the Bubble platform.

Low-code and no-code allow for rapid development and deployment of web apps primarily. People with great ideas will benefit mostly from these developments, speeding up their implementation. Going forward, this market segment is expected to continue on a positive uptick, powered by the Cloud.

AI and automation

Trends currently show that AI and machine learning will be at the forefront of software development automation going into the future. This will particularly be of benefit in test automation, helping to identify problems faster through natural language processing.

AI helps make more informed decisions as it can provide predictive analytics, ultimately improving user experience. You may need to start thinking whether you think you might need to find a software developer to help incorporate AI to speed up business processes and get ahead of your competition.

5G is here to stay

What is certain is that 5G was one of the most talked about topics in 2020, mostly for all the wrong reasons. Now that the dust has mostly settled, 5G is set to contribute to the rapid growth of software solutions.

5G is expected to have a 15% share of the global mobile industry by 2025. The outstanding speeds that can be achieved using this mobile technology, among several benefits, provide endless possibilities for developers. 

For those looking to incorporate AR and VR in their business, the speeds provided by 5G will be a perfect fit as they are resource-intensive technologies. In addition, the growing trends of progressive web apps and IoT will continue in 2021 and beyond. Their development and use will be enhanced even further by 5G technology.

The technology trends we witnessed starting in 2020 are expected to continue to grow in the long run. One thing for sure is that life will never be the same again as before the pandemic.

Are you future-looking and thinking of jumping onto one of these trends for your business? If you were searching for software development experts, then look no further. Whether it’s app or web development, e-commerce solutions, AR and VR, or getting insights from your data, to name a few, talk to Digital Grind. We’ve got you covered.


We had our very first podcast recording with the incredibly talented Lauren Haworth

Lauren Haworth is a business professional who actively invests and works with NFT projects – but her experience is that most NFT projects out there don’t have any real, tangible impact in the world (and many are scams or pyramid schemes). We sat down with Lauren to unpack some of her hands-on experience with NFT investing, and to figure out why and how businesses should incorporate NFTs into their day-to-day operations. Lauren also shares her experience with Green Tokens, some practical insights into an NFT project she’s currently involved in that’s bringing education to underprivileged children, and how she makes sure she invests in credible, profitable NFT projects.

Resources mentioned in this episode: Investopedia

Often, a big decision when starting a new software project is whether or not to outsource development or simply do it in-house. The most common reason for this concern...

Often, a big decision when starting a new software project is whether or not to outsource development or simply do it in-house. The most common reason for this concern to pop up is that companies have heard about bad experiences from friends or colleagues, or they’ve experienced it themselves.

After all, working with third parties can come with its challenges. But as with everything in life, proper planning prevents poor performance - and this applies to outsourcing tasks as much as it does to anything else. 

How does this dilemma come about?

Upgrading software is a critical task for any modern business and can improve a company’s productivity by as much as 50%. Apart from this, new systems are more adaptable and have better security, a key factor in today’s data landscape.

According to Norton, one of the most used antivirus softwares in the world, new software and upgrades can help get rid of old flaws. Hackers and cybercriminals are constantly getting better and you should too, to make sure your company’s data and systems are safe and efficient.

In the same breath, companies don’t always have the resources to allocate time and internal spend to technical projects and need support, to a greater or lesser degree.

5 Questions To Guide You

Every situation and every upgrade is different. It is vital for you to do a thorough analysis of your project, plan out your goals and timeline before deciding who’s going to be responsible for the task of upgrading - and to what extent they’re involved. Key decision-makers should ask themselves:

What is the scope of the upgrade or new development?

The most important question to find an answer to when upgrading your software is why you are doing it. The key objectives you use as a mark, serve as vital information for the development team, and can help you figure out priority and critical areas for development. This will impact the level of resources you need to continue and give you a basis for understanding when and what you can get help with.

Do you have the skillset, internally - and is it your core competency?

Sit down with your team and find out if they have the ability to develop the best possible software. 

Building software is a complex process and the benefit of having an outside company is they can have access and knowledge on the latest technology that is being used. (Maxxor Blog) However, many companies don’t have in-house development teams because of the cost or demand for that kind of work on a monthly basis. 

On the other hand, some companies do software development for other brands, as their core service offering and this presents an ethical and logistical dilemma. When a skill is your company’s core competency, outsourcing this skill makes your business vulnerable. In these cases, it’s best to enlist temporary or supporting development, rather than putting an entirely separate team on the project. 

Outsourced Software Development

Do you have capacity?

Does your team have the ability and capacity to do this work while continuing to service your company on a daily basis? Very few businesses can afford a software team solely for building new products. This means that they are constantly dividing their time between your upgrades and their daily tasks. 

Your team may have the skills and the experience to get this job done but do they have the capacity with everything else going on? If yes, then you could think about doing it in-house as a priority - even if the cost is higher than that of partnering with other developers. If no, then it may be more effective to look at outsourcing the work to some extent.

Is your internal infrastructure set up for partnerships?

Agility in the software world is key and can help create environments where partnering with service providers is easier. Without the right communications and data-sharing infrastructure, it will be a complex task to plug in new teams and can create a myriad of challenges when working with freelancers or other organizations.

If your internal infrastructure is not geared up for remote and collaborative working, you’re going to have a problem. In these instances, you need to factor in the costs of creating this environment, although the benefits can be two-fold for your business. If you can’t do this, starting in-house may be a more viable option. 

What is your budget?

Budget constraints play a major role when going into a new project. And while the face value of one option may be cheaper, you need to take into account the cost of mistakes, setbacks, and not reaching the goals you want to achieve. Besides that, the training and infrastructure costs internally can add up fast and need to be considered. 

It may seem cheaper to hire more staff but will you have work for them after this project is done? Further to that S&C says “Businesses cut down their development costs up to 50-60% when they turn to an outsourcing company”. 

Typically, there is a lesser risk and cost associated with outsourcing, as you are not bound to permanently employ developers and not responsible for the overheads associated with third parties, however, in cases where they are too far removed from your team, you are likely to incur quality control and time costs. 

Who can you outsource to?

There are many companies that offer software development services, but quality and competency are two important considerations. At Digital Grind, we’ve got an established team of digital experts who understand the software and user experience design landscape. 

For example, we recently worked on a project with Moro Hub where we built a platform with an A-grade standard of accessibility. In that instance, the infrastructure existed for us to work together as a team and the result was an exciting new platform that could help Moro grow their brand awareness and continue to evolve. Their feedback? "Digital Grind developed our company's website, and they have done an excellent job. They developed a website that was more than our expectation and it is AAA accessible. They were very cooperative and accommodating; their flexibility in amending changes to meet our different stakeholder's requests was exceptional."

So, there are definitely instances where partnering or outsourcing your development can be beneficial to you and your organization. However, considering the checklist above, you will need the right processes and environment to make this achievable and should be aware of your core competencies - and the impact that outsourcing can have on your brand and clients. 

When it’s not your game, it’s best to handoff to an all-star team. Speak to us