Devops is a not so new buzzword that companies like to throw around in titles and names of departments in a visual attempt to show that they are hip and cool places to work. This is all well and good, but it is important to get your head around what devops really means. Devops is not a job, it is not a role, it is not title. Devops is a state of mind. Devops is all about the cooperation between development and operations. It is about burning down the fence that used to stand between the two, and working together as a team to deliver your product in the best way that you know how. It is about standing behind your product, and fixing issues, not making those issues somebody else’s problem. It is the logical extension of Agile methodologies into what were formerly operations spaces. When you operate in this manner, communication is the key to success - no communication will lead to no success.

Some shops have been practicing “devops” for years without the need to label it, they simply call it good teamwork.