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Process before tools

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Most companies have heard of DevOps by now. And they’re also convinced of the importance of automation to efficiently setting up and managing their IT infrastructure. But the transition is often difficult. That’s why at BRYXX we prioritize the process. The tools come second.

As a company you’re looking for a solution. A tool is the means to achieve a certain goal, but the tool is not the goal in itself. That seems logical, but it’s at odds with the vision that companies often have. A tool is almost never the panacea a company hopes it will be. It is, however, a useful instrument in the optimization of a process. Therein lies the big difference.

What does the process look like?

BRYXX’s approach is primarily aimed at guiding a company to the right solution. We start with an assessment of the existing situation. How does your company operate today? Where do you see opportunities for improvement? What does your ideal vision of the future look like? Those first conversations are almost never about tools. We talk about how you want to organize your teams and what controls you want to deploy to support automation.

During that first phase, we talk about the concepts that can be useful, such as DevOps or Infrastructure as Code. We only discuss concrete tools later on. It’s a classic mistake to put too much emphasis on tool selection at the outset. Doing that can tie your company to the framework of a particular tool, which may limit options in the future when your company is going through a further transition.

Management thinks along

In practice, we see companies are increasingly being won over by this process-oriented approach. When it comes to implementing a transformation, buy-in from management is crucial to success. From that point of view, too, it’s useful to look at the process first, as traditionally management has little interest in tools. If the management team is convinced of the opportunities that a transformation offers, it will also be willing to invest in tools.

Why are we telling this story? Simple! Companies can no longer see the wood for the trees. There are simply too many frameworks and tools available in the market, which forces companies to focus on selecting a technical solution to quickly. In that context, it’s smart to first take a step back and approach the need for change from the perspective of the process.

Small investment, important choice

In itself, this is a relatively small, preparatory exercise. But it’s one that you learn a lot from and that forms the basis of a clear vision and strategy. By involving the CIO or CTO right from the start, you’re drumming up support from the people who have to give the green light to eventual further investment.

The fact that BRYXX acts as a platform and tool-agnostic advisor makes the difference. It offers an independent point of view that the supplier of a framework or tool can never guarantee. Once a technical solution has been chosen, BRYXX steps into the role of technical implementer and partner. But it is earlier on, in the redrawing of the process, that the most important choices are made.

Curious how BRYXX can help your organization?