DevOps Outsourcing in 2024: Essence, Advantages, and More

DevOps outsourcing refers to the practice of partnering with external vendors to manage and implement DevOps processes and services within an organization. These processes and services encompass a range of practices and tools that integrate software development (Dev) and IT operations (Ops) to improve collaboration, efficiency, and quality in software delivery. By leveraging specialized expertise, companies can optimize their development cycles and enhance team collaboration without the overhead of maintaining an in-house team.

DevOps practices are all about software deployment and operations and addressing the gap between developers and the IT operations team. So it’s the job of a reliable and skilled DevOps engineer to identify the right tools, set processes, and automate the code flow from development to production. That’s why companies turn to DevOps outsourcing specialist team to optimize their deployment pipelines, improve infrastructure management, and maintain consistent, high-quality software releases without the need to build an in-house team.

The option of DevOps outsourcing offers an attractive balance of quality and affordability, especially from offshore destinations where skilled specialists are readily available. Here are the top reasons why it is an ideal solution for companies of all sizes.

DevOps outsourcing minimizes financial risks and eliminates the need for additional expenses like taxes, hardware, software licenses, and office space. You only pay for the services rendered, with no overhead costs for setting up a dedicated workspace or managing employee benefits.

By outsourcing DevOps to an experienced partner, your company can mitigate risks associated with managing product development, monitoring, and maintenance. With these critical processes in the hands of experts, potential disruptions are minimized, ensuring seamless operations. This allows your team to focus on driving business growth and delivering customer value, without the added pressure of overseeing the technical complexities.

Hiring experienced DevOps engineers in-house can be prohibitively expensive, with average salaries in the US reaching $173,133 per year according to Glassdoor. For many companies, especially startups, this cost can strain the budget.

However, outsourcing provides you with access to senior DevOps engineers at more affordable rates, thanks to established recruitment processes that ensure you get top-tier talent from day one. Beyond cost savings, finding senior experts locally can be a challenge, especially in regions with limited talent pools. Outsourcing solves this problem by giving you access to a global network of specialists, allowing you to tap into expertise from around the world without the need to invest time and money in team-building or training.

DevOps outsourcing services can significantly shorten development cycles and enable continuous testing and deployment within custom software development services, leading to faster delivery and higher-quality products, as well as faster time-to-market. This efficiency is achieved because outsourced DevOps teams are highly specialized and experienced in managing effective workflows.

They leverage automation tools (for example, our DevOps engineers use Jenkins for continuous integration, Kubernetes for container orchestration, Ansible for configuration management, etc.) and scalable infrastructure to streamline processes, reducing delays and ensuring continuous integration and delivery.

Thanks to outsourcing specialists for DevOps services, your company can scale resources up or down based on project needs without long-term commitments. Whether you require additional engineers or specialized skills for short-term or ongoing projects, outsourced teams can adapt quickly. This flexibility ensures efficient resource management and cost-effectiveness as your business grows.

There are five continuous stages of outsourcing DevOps workflow:

1. Development and testing
2. Integration
3. Delivery
4. Deployment
5. Monitoring and feedback

Let's check each stage in more detail to understand how they work together to ensure efficient and continuous software delivery.

In this stage of outsourcing DevOps, developers write and test code in iterative cycles, aiming for continuous improvement and early detection of bugs. The use of automated testing ensures that the code meets quality standards before moving forward. Testing happens simultaneously with development to ensure quick feedback, speeding up the process. DevOps engineers commonly use tools like unit tests, integration tests, and mock environments. This ensures the software is stable and ready for integration.

Continuous Integration (CI) involves merging new code changes into a shared repository several times a day. The DevOps specialists run automated builds and tests to verify that the newly integrated code does not break the existing application.

This stage ensures that any bugs or DevOps implementation issues are caught early, minimizing risk. It promotes collaboration among development teams and reduces long periods of code isolation. The goal is to maintain a high-quality codebase.

Continuous Delivery (CD) is the next logical step in the successful execution of the DevOps outsource software development process. During this stage, specialists rendering DevOps services build, test, and package all code changes for automatic and quick release. Moreover, CD automates the release process, and engineers deliver new builds just by hitting a button.

Deployment focuses on releasing the software to a live production environment, marking another crucial step in the DevOps outsourced flow. The specialists do this through automated pipelines that ensure a smooth and efficient transition from staging to production.

Deployment takes it further by automating the entire process, releasing updates directly to users as soon as they pass all stages. This stage emphasizes minimizing downtime and ensuring a seamless user experience.

Once the application is deployed, monitoring ensures that it performs as expected in real-world conditions. DevOps outsourcing teams track key performance metrics, error rates, and user behavior to detect any issues early. Feedback loops are established to continuously improve the software based on real-time data. This stage helps in identifying bottlenecks, security vulnerabilities, and performance issues. The gathered insights are used to inform future development cycles.

DevOps as a Service (DaaS) is a cloud-based model that provides companies with the tools, processes, and automation needed to streamline their software development and operations workflows.

DaaS integrates development, testing, and deployment pipelines, enabling businesses to manage their infrastructure and processes efficiently without the need for in-house DevOps teams. This service enhances collaboration, scalability, and the continuous delivery of high-quality software.

How does it work? DevOps engineers deal with implementing DevOps methodology and fitting it to the existing infrastructure and customers' requirements. These services are fully customizable for each client and project.

Now, let’s find out how DaaS complements DevOps outsourcing services and how you can benefit from it. DevOps as a Service (DaaS) and DevOps outsourcing are two powerful strategies that can work together to enhance an organization's software development capabilities.

Thus, DaaS complements DevOps outsourcing by:

• Providing a flexible and scalable framework that enhances the efficiency of your company’s outsourced teams
• Giving cloud-based tools and automation and allowing external DevOps engineers to seamlessly integrate with existing workflows of your particular business and improve collaboration across teams
• Reducing the time and resources needed for setup but also ensuring that outsourced teams have access to the latest technologies and best practices
• Achieving faster deployment cycles, higher quality software, and a more responsive approach to changing market demands, all while minimizing operational costs

However, you should understand that each project is unique and requires a personalized approach. So clients and DevOps service providers talk through the scope of work and agree on services on a case-by-case basis.

Here, at Cleveroad we offer the following DevOps outsourcing services:

• Creating/adjusting/supporting/optimizing continuous integration and code delivery tools (Jenkins, Bamboo)
• Interacting with Version Control Systems (Gitlab, Github, Bitbucket);
• Processes automation by creating scripts or using specific technologies like Ansible
• Cloud platforms administrating (AWS)
• Optimization of cloud IT infrastructure according to the economic characteristics, management centralization or security aspects
• Implementing a technology into a company's IT processes (like containerization (Docker) of any software running on one or a few servers)

While these services provide comprehensive support for your DevOps needs, it's essential to consider the financial aspects of engaging in DevOps outsourcing.

The average cost of outsourcing seamless DevOps services ranges between $50,000 and $250,000+. However, the exact cost depends on different cost-forming factors you should pay attention to.

The complexity and scope of your DevOps project are crucial factors that significantly influence outsourcing costs. Projects that involve multiple services, integrations, or specialized technologies will naturally require more resources, time, and expertise, driving up the overall expense. Additionally, the size of your project, whether it’s a single module or a full-scale enterprise solution, can also impact costs.

Here's a breakdown of average DevOps outsourcing costs based on project complexity:

• Simple projects (e.g., basic automation, monitoring): $50,000 - $100,000+
• Medium-sized projects (e.g., CI/CD pipeline, cloud migration): $100,000 - $200,000+
• Complex projects (e.g., enterprise-level DevOps transformation): $200,000+

The level of expertise required for your DevOps team significantly impacts the overall cost of outsourcing, as highly experienced engineers or specialists in niche technologies typically command higher rates. Additionally, the geographical location of your outsourced team can also affect pricing. Cooperation in regions with higher living costs, such as North America and Western Europe, is way more expensive than IT outsourcing in Eastern Europe, Central Europe, Asia or South America.

Let’s find out more about the average hourly costs for DevOps outsourcing team members from popular IT outsourcing destinations.

The service model you choose for your DevOps outsourcing can significantly influence costs. Different models, such as dedicated teams, managed services, IT staff augmentation model or pay-as-you-go options, come with varying pricing structures and levels of involvement.

• Dedicated team services might require a greater upfront investment ($50,000-$100,000+ monthly) but offer focused expertise and long-term commitment to your project.
• Managed services, in contrast, could provide more flexibility but may involve additional costs ($20,000-$50,000+ for a month) for ongoing maintenance and support.
• The IT staff augmentation services allow you to extend your in-house team with external DevOps experts (it may cost about $10,000-$50,000+) on a temporary basis, offering cost-efficient scalability based on your immediate needs.

The tools and technology stack utilized in your DevOps processes directly impact the overall cost of outsourcing. Each technology or tool may come with licensing fees, support costs, or additional resources needed for implementation. For example, using advanced automation tools or container orchestration platforms can enhance efficiency but may require higher initial investments.

Now, we’ll find out the average monthly cost for different DevOps tools.

By understanding the above cost-forming elements, you can better estimate your company’s budget and make informed decisions to achieve DevOps goals effectively. You can contact us to get an accurate estimate for DevOps outsourcing services.

Successfully navigating the complexities of DevOps outsourcing requires a strategic approach and a clear understanding of best practices. Here are essential tips to help you achieve a seamless and successful DevOps outsourcing experience.

Before initiating the outsourcing process with a DevOps service vendor, it's essential to establish clear and measurable objectives for your project. Outline what you aim to achieve, whether it’s faster deployment times, improved collaboration, or enhanced software quality. Make sure to include specific DevOps metrics, such as deployment frequency, lead time for changes, and mean time to recovery, to track progress accurately.

Communicate these goals effectively to your vendor, ensuring they fully understand your expectations and success criteria. This clarity will serve as a guiding framework throughout the project, enabling both parties to stay aligned and focused on the end objectives.

Maintaining open lines of communication between your in-house team and the outsourced DevOps team is essential for success when evaluating in-house vs outsource software development option. Regular check-ins and status updates can help bridge any gaps that may arise due to time zone differences or cultural barriers.

Cleveroad prioritizes open communication and collaboration as key elements of successful outsourcing DevOps partnerships. Our team utilizes advanced communication tools (e.g., project management tools like Jira, messaging platforms like Slack, Zoom, etc.) and practices to ensure seamless interaction and transparency. We encourage regular feedback and maintain open lines of communication to address any challenges or questions promptly.

Take advantage of automation tools and practices to streamline your DevOps processes. By automating repetitive tasks such as code integration, testing, and deployment, you can significantly reduce the time and effort required for software delivery.

Discuss with your vendor the best automation tools that align with your project needs and infrastructure. Implementing automation not only enhances efficiency but also minimizes the risk of human error, ensuring consistent results.

Some of the best automation tools our team uses are the following:

• Jenkins: A popular open-source CI/CD server
• GitLab: A comprehensive DevOps platform offering CI/CD, source code management, and issue tracking
• Docker: A platform for building, shipping, and running applications in containers
• Kubernetes: An open-source container orchestration platform for managing containerized applications

Implementing continuous monitoring and feedback mechanisms is essential for maintaining the quality of your DevOps processes. Set up performance metrics allowing you to track the success of your outsourcing efforts in real-time.

Regularly assess the performance of your outsourced team and the tools being used, identifying areas for improvement. Encourage your vendor to provide insights and recommendations based on their observations, fostering a collaborative approach to optimizing workflows.

Selecting the right DevOps outsourcing vendor is crucial for your project's success. As a skilled outsourcing software development provider rendering DevOps services, we’ve made a list of points to pay attention to when looking for DevOps outsourcing company:

• Industry-specific expertise: Familiarity with your industry’s specific DevOps needs and compliance standards.
• Reputation and client reviews: Positive feedback and testimonials highlighting the vendor’s effectiveness in DevOps outsourcing.
• Technical experience: Proven expertise in implementing DevOps practices, such as CI/CD, automation, and cloud integration.
• Portfolio: Successful delivery of DevOps projects, showcasing relevant case studies and technologies used.
• Talent pool: Access to a diverse team of DevOps specialists, ensuring consistent support throughout the project lifecycle.

Cleveroad is a professional DevOps outsourcing provider with 12+ years of experience in the software development market. Our offices and R&D centers are located in Estonia, Poland, Ukraine, and the US. As a trusted DevOps partner, we specialize in building and optimizing custom DevOps architectures to streamline software delivery for businesses of all sizes.

Our software development services are designed to help companies adopt the best DevOps practices that enhance collaboration and efficiency. Our team is committed to delivering scalable solutions tailored to your needs.

Our partners are ensured with the following benefits when choosing cooperation with us:

• An utter team of result-oriented DevOps engineers with 75% of them at the senior level, bringing in-depth expertise and experience
• On-demand services: tracking system’s uptime and availability, converting more users into customers with a bug-free experience, scaling infrastructure and software systems, running security tests, and so on.
• Free Solution Workshop stage to align your software development idea with the technical implementation of tailored DevOps services
• A robust project management office ensuring your project will be delivered in time and within your budget frames
• A cutting-edge tech stack to deliver state-of-art software (e.g., AWS, Digital Ocean, Microsoft Azure, Hetzner, etc.)

Our portfolio includes a bunch of successful outsourced DevOps services rendering cases for our clients. Let us share some of them with you.

A versatile video-on-demand platform for the Entertainment domain. We’ve built a streaming platform offering qualitative and fast video transferring for our client from Denmark. Our team of DevOps experts implemented the AWS Services platform to transfer the VOD streaming solution from on-premise to the cloud and established a unified data platform.

• You can read more about our Blockbuster video streaming platform case study.

Quality Management system for medical services manufacturers. Our team has also created a B2B SaaS solution for Prime Path MedTech company. The solution offers them opportunities to automate their paperwork and processes. One of our DevOps Engineer with certification in AWS performed complex configuration of the AWS S3 storage server. This enabled us to limit direct access to all QMS documents and specify their customizable access and editing permissions based on user roles.

• You can read more about our Quality Management system for medical services manufacturers.

This is what Breanne Butler, Project Manager at Prime Path MedTech, says about collaboration with Cleveroad on QMS development.