In this fast-changing era of IT, companies have to make a daunting choice when managing their infrastructure: hold on to conventional managed services or opt for new-fangled DevOps automation platforms. The decision has major implications on efficiency levels, cost profiles, and the pace with which businesses are able to change to address evolving market demands.
At QuickInfra, we’ve witnessed the impact of this choice directly on the technology direction of companies in many industries. This in-depth comparison hopes to assist you in knowing the main differences, advantages, and limitations of each strategy to make an informed decision for your organization’s future.
What Are Traditional Managed Services?
Traditional managed services usually consist of outsourcing a given IT function to a third-party vendor that owns the responsibility to maintain, monitor, and resolve those systems. This type has been the keystone of IT operations for several decades.
Major Features:
- Human-Centered Operations: Is hugely dependent on IT experts performing work manually
- Reactive Problem Solving: Is resolved on occurrence
- Standardized Service Level Agreements (SLAs): With well-defined response times and expectations of service
- Specialized Expertise: Access to experts with in-depth expertise in particular technologies
- Defined Scope: Services usually packaged in bundles with well-defined limits
What Are DevOps Automation Platforms?
DevOps automation platforms are a newer model that focuses on the unification of development and operations through automated processes, continuous delivery, and infrastructure as code. These platforms allow organizations to deploy, manage, and scale their infrastructure with minimal human intervention. The DevOps automation approach has gained significant traction in recent years.
Key Characteristics:
- Automation-First Approach: Routine tasks are automated using scripts and workflows through DevOps automation technologies
- Proactive Monitoring and Resolution: Systems can anticipate and fix issues before they affect users
- Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment (CI/CD): Efficient software delivery pipelines
- Infrastructure as Code (IaC): Infrastructure configured using version control configuration files
- Self-Service Capabilities: Development teams can allocate resources without operations intervention
Head-to-Head Comparison
1. Operational Efficiency
Traditional Managed Services:
- Bottlenecks in manual processes that occur during peak demand times
- Standardized processes provide consistency at the expense of flexibility
- Resource deployment can be slower, involving approval processes
DevOps Automation Platforms:
- DevOps automation eliminates lots of time spent on mundane work
- Self-service permits teams to act fast
- Repeatable environments for development, testing, and production
2. Cost Structure
Traditional Managed Services:
- Fixed monthly or yearly charges
- Comprehensive view of what’s covered and what’s an add-on
- Typically encompasses specialized staff that might not be fully engaged
- More labor expenses for maintenance work that is recurring in nature
DevOps Automation Platforms:
- Pay-per-use with most cloud-based products
- Upfront investment in DevOps automation development and deployment
- Likelihood of high cost savings with increased scale
- Reduced operating expenses through decreased human intervention
3. Scalability
Classic Managed Services:
- Scaling involves planning, negotiation, and possible contract modifications
- Onboarding new services or capacity may take weeks or months
- Expansion into new geography may mean searching for new service providers
DevOps Automation Platforms:
- DevOps automation enables scaling in near real-time to accommodate spikes in demand
- Repetitive deployment across any number of regions or environments
- Capability to copy whole infrastructures to new projects or markets
4. Innovation Speed
Traditional Managed Services:
- Change management procedures hinder speed of adoption of new features
- Risk-averse methodology focuses on stability rather than innovation
- Slowed capability to rapidly experiment with new technology
DevOps Automation Platforms:
- DevOps automation supports sustained prototyping and testing of new features
- Embedded testing and validation make it possible to experiment more safely
- Rollback capabilities ease risk of innovation
5. Security and Compliance
Traditional Managed Services:
- Highly established security processes and compliance frameworks
- Human intervention for rare security incidents
- Precisely defined responsibility scopes for security incidents
DevOps Automation Platforms:
- Security as code with automated compliance scanning is a core benefit of DevOps automation
- Uniform application of security policies to all environments
- Less human error in security settings
- Increased patching and vulnerability remediation speed
6. Team Structure and Culture
Traditional Managed Services:
- Strong division between development and operations teams
- Specialized staff with in-depth knowledge in narrow domains
- Classic hierarchical team organizations
DevOps Automation Platforms:
- DevOps automation fosters cross-functional teams with joint responsibilities
- Emphasis on collaboration and silo breakdown
- Demands cultural change and new skill development
When to Use Each Model
Traditional Managed Services Best Suited For:
- Companies with scarce internal IT staff
- Companies with stable, predictable workloads
- Regulated industries with stringent regulatory compliance needs
- Companies that value predictable operational costs
- Legacy infrastructure that is not easily converted to modern automation
DevOps Automation Platforms Best Suited For:
- Rapid growth companies that need to scale up fast
- Frequent software releasing companies
- Businesses that are focused on innovation and time-to-market
- Companies with variable workloads
- Existing DevOps proficient teams or learning teams
Hybrid Solutions: Best of Both Worlds
A hybrid solution is found by many organizations to be the best option, marrying the dependability of classic managed services with the flexibility of DevOps automation. This could involve:
- Implementing managed services for stable but mission-critical systems while using DevOps automation for customer applications
- Utilizing managed services providers who have in turn implemented DevOps practices
- Phasing out traditional managed services and moving towards DevOps automation over time
- Leveraging managed DevOps services with the automation advantages minus the need for in-house skill
How QuickInfra Can Assist
At QuickInfraCloud, we recognize that every organization is distinctive and has its own set of needs and challenges. What we do is bring together the best features of legacy managed services and advanced DevOps automation:
- Assessment and Roadmap: We examine your existing infrastructure and create a tailored plan for top-level performance
- Flexible Service Models: Select from fully managed services, DevOps automation platforms, or a custom hybrid model
- Seamless Migration: Our specialists facilitate smooth legacy system to modern infrastructure transitions
- Continuous Optimization: We continuously optimize your infrastructure for better performance and lower costs
- Knowledge Transfer: We equip your team with the necessary skills to succeed in a DevOps environment
Conclusion
The decision between conventional managed services and DevOps automation platforms is not merely a technical one—it’s a strategic one that affects the way your company provides value to your customers. While conventional managed services provide stability and know-how, DevOps automation platforms offer agility and productivity that can revolutionize your business.
Most companies discover that their best solution falls somewhere in between these strategies, leveraging the reliability of managed services while embracing automation’s flexibility and speed. With knowledge of each strategy’s strengths and weaknesses, you can make educated decisions based on your business goals.
At QuickInfraCloud, we’re dedicated to assisting you in this process, whether you want to maximize your current infrastructure or entirely revolutionize your IT operations strategy. Get in touch with us today to see how we can assist you in creating an infrastructure strategy that propels your business forward.
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