When you provide software as a service (SaaS), it is important to note that operations are just as significant as development, if not more so. You could have the best features in the market, but customers will leave if the service experiences frequent or lengthy downtime or is riddled with bugs in every update. You need to provide customers with value and do so consistently.
The marriage of development and operations from two disparate silos into what we know as DevOps was a game changer for SaaS. It enabled engineers to build software that they can expand, build upon, scale to accommodate a growing user base and improve based on customer feedback and requests. All team members that comprise DevOps can now synergistically work toward improving service stability and functionality. This transformation in the way SaaS products were developed and updated was like a leap from horse-drawn carriages to modern automobiles.
And now, a new transformation is dawning on DevOps and SaaS, in the form of remote work. It might not be as fundamentally transformative for engineers as merging development and operations, but if remote work isn’t turning the automobile into an airplane, it is at least turning it into a Lamborghini.
Injecting remote work into the equation does not take away from the good that DevOps and SaaS have going for them — we already run everything through the cloud anyway. But we can go on to reap the benefits of remote work, such as having access to a global talent pool — with something as demanding as software, you don’t want to employ just anyone. Moreover, if your product is growing, you would need to expand your team to keep up with it.
There are other benefits like office space cost-cutting or 24-hour workflows utilizing employees from different time zones and more. This is without considering the benefits for the remote employees, such as work-life balance, no commuting or increased productivity (I don’t enter the office without noise-canceling headphones).
That said, a remote DevOps team is a machine that requires a lot of initial setup to run properly.
How to Bring Remote DevOps Productivity on Par or Beyond That of In-Office Teams
The benefits of remote work can be reaped if you use proper tools to facilitate remote collaboration and communication. Software is the glue that holds remote DevOps teams together. Speaking from experience, in addition to the tools used in the office for engineering, version control, testing and deployment, your DevOps team would find it hard to thrive in a remote environment without:
● Team chat software for seamless communication. Written communication goes a long way, but video conferencing is essential. Until VR/AR business tools perfect an actual virtual office space, this is the next best thing.
● Task management software goes without saying. In-office teams can’t do without this either, but for remote teams, you need more comprehensive features like activity logs that don’t expire. It is a big plus if you get something customizable since the whole company will likely use the same solution, so it would need to fit the workflows of all departments, especially the complicated workflow of DevOps.
● Scheduling software is a must. In an office setting, you can see if someone is or if they are currently busy in a meeting or idling away. Working remotely, you don’t have that luxury; but you also don’t want to disrupt your colleagues unnecessarily, so, anything that can reduce friction by openly displaying when team members are available and when they have meetings scheduled is essential. Aside from meetings, I schedule events in my calendar to give myself time to solve difficult problems without interruptions.
● Time tracking software to review progress and performance and identify bottlenecks. Some remote workers shy away from time trackers, thinking of them as monitoring software designed to micromanage employees remotely — it can be if in the wrong hands. But when used properly, it becomes a productivity tool that provides insight into workflow bottlenecks and helps you establish realistic estimates.
Remote Work is Transforming How DevOps Teams Operate in the SaaS Industry
In 2023, the market size of DevOps exceeded $10 billion and its rapid growth is predicted to only continue — remote work being a big factor in this growth. Remote work enables you to populate your team with skilled members than geographic limitations would otherwise allow.
Time will tell what impact this will have on the SaaS industry, but in my experience, remote work has greatly contributed to growth and improved operational efficiency. I can only imagine what kind of SaaS products globe-spanning DevOps teams would be able to conjure now that remote work isn’t such a rare occurrence. The next big SaaS solution is bound to be a team effort from various corners of the world.