DevOps in the IoT
Last Wednesday over 30 DevOps professionals filled LogMeIn’s new space to hear Brian Del Vecchio, Digital Lumens; Daniel Theobald, Vecna; and Steve Vance, Zipcar, talk with Paddy Srinivasan, Xively by LogMeIn about what it means to conduct
DevOps in the IoT.
DevOps in the IoT.
While DevOps teams in software companies have become
common-place, it is still very much in its infancy within the IoT space. And
while there are challenges: rolling out things quickly, effectively, frequently,
and safely to a fleet of robots – having a dev ops model has really helped to
expand Vecna’s business according to Daniel.
common-place, it is still very much in its infancy within the IoT space. And
while there are challenges: rolling out things quickly, effectively, frequently,
and safely to a fleet of robots – having a dev ops model has really helped to
expand Vecna’s business according to Daniel.
And its fundamentally changed Digital Lumens business
process, where when they first developed their smart, connected lighting, they
had “many boots on the ground” and now their goal is to have as “few boots on
the ground” as possible.
process, where when they first developed their smart, connected lighting, they
had “many boots on the ground” and now their goal is to have as “few boots on
the ground” as possible.
Unlike in a typical software product, when updating the
software on top of a hardware device in the IoT space, you must account for
when it is going to be accessible to manage the updates and rollouts. For
instance Zipcar must work around garages or remote areas where their cars are
located.
software on top of a hardware device in the IoT space, you must account for
when it is going to be accessible to manage the updates and rollouts. For
instance Zipcar must work around garages or remote areas where their cars are
located.
A critical component of DevOps is always to test. But when
dealing with hardware, especially when it is sitting in a customer’s location,
there is no room for error. This could mean a multi-step process including
simulating the device, then moving to a test device, then rolling out to a
sample size with just a small group of close customers, and only then rolling
out to the full fleet.
dealing with hardware, especially when it is sitting in a customer’s location,
there is no room for error. This could mean a multi-step process including
simulating the device, then moving to a test device, then rolling out to a
sample size with just a small group of close customers, and only then rolling
out to the full fleet.
Paddy closed the panel with some general observations
including:
including:
·
DevOps in the IoT is a much more shared approach
across engineering teams but as it becomes more commonplace we will begin to
see dedicated teams.
DevOps in the IoT is a much more shared approach
across engineering teams but as it becomes more commonplace we will begin to
see dedicated teams.
·
Just recently using a DevOps model in the IoT
has started to evolve and we are seeing more off the shelf tools, especially
for monitoring and remote management. This is will continue to be a huge
opportunity.
Just recently using a DevOps model in the IoT
has started to evolve and we are seeing more off the shelf tools, especially
for monitoring and remote management. This is will continue to be a huge
opportunity.
Check out the video here
for the full panel.
for the full panel.
