by Philippe Magne
When we first encountered the term DevOps strategy and the buzz surrounding it, we wondered if it was simply a new label for established practices. As often happens in the IT field, a new trend doesn’t necessarily signify a revolution but rather an evolution.
The advantage of this new approach is that it reaches a broader audience, including executive management, who often hold the keys to unlocking budgets for digital transformation. Good news: even my banker will finally understand what we’ve been doing for the past 33 years!
1. Why Adopt a DevOps Strategy?
Digital transformation is reshaping business models. Thanks to the internet and global connectivity, new companies are emerging. When these companies reach a market capitalization of one billion dollars, they are called unicorns. These businesses thrive thanks to agile and responsive IT capable of rapidly evolving to meet market demands.
This is precisely where DevOps comes into play—it promises to deliver quickly and securely, with minimal disruption to production environments.
2. DevOps and IBM i: An Established Practice Rediscovered
Given this definition, it’s logical that even non-unicorn companies would rush to adopt this promising methodology. Yet, it often represents merely a fresh take on practices that have long existed in the IBM i world.
The IBM i and DevOps Paradox
IBM i has been applying DevOps principles for decades, which is why many applications, despite being 20 or 30 years old, are still operational. Contrary to popular belief, the rise of web interfaces hasn’t rendered these applications obsolete. On the contrary, these applications now offer a modern user experience comparable to native web apps.
3. DROPS: A Multi-platform DevOps Solution
DevOps’ success hinges on fast and secure deployment. With this in mind, we developed DROPS, a tool dedicated specifically to continuous deployment management.
The Benefits of DROPS
DROPS stands out in the market with:
✅ Multi-platform compatibility, including mainframe systems.
✅ Advanced features inspired by the IBM i environment, such as database component rollbacks.
✅ Smooth integration with widely used DevOps tools such as:
- SVN and GIT for source code management,
- Jenkins for continuous integration,
- Jira and TFS for collaborative work.
4. DROPS Secures Production Releases
Production deployment is the most critical stage of an application change process. If anomalies occur, the entire reputation of the IT department could be impacted. DROPS provides increased structure and security, reducing the significant risks associated with manual methods.
Our clients confirm that the automation and reliability provided by DROPS represent strategic advantages for their operations.
I cannot emphasize enough the importance of exploring this product. It truly encapsulates our technical expertise and business know-how accumulated over 33 years.
Philippe Magne
CEO, ARCAD Software
Philippe Magne is CEO and Founder of ARCAD Software Group, an international software company specializing in multi-platform solutions for DevOps, application modernization, test automation and data masking. He leads the company to produce a range of comprehensive, integrated solutions, distributed by IBM worldwide. Philippe is an expert in modernization and a recognized speaker at IBM events.
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