How a DevOps Managed Service Provider Can Accelerate Your Digital Transformation

Digital transformation is no longer an option for most organizations – it is a business imperative. Companies across industries are under pressure to deliver innovative products and services rapidly to keep pace with ever-evolving customer expectations and dynamic market conditions. This requires fundamental changes to technology, processes, and culture.

However, leaping into a truly modern digital enterprise is rife with complexity. Many organizations struggle to adopt the cloud, integrate Agile and DevOps methodologies, upskill teams, and transform legacy systems and working methods. This is where partnering with a DevOps-managedservice providercan accelerate outcomes.

Challenges of Digital Transformation

Digital transformation is a monumental effort that touches every part of an organization. It involves moving from rigid, siloed infrastructure to dynamic, cloud-based platforms. From waterfall development processes to Agile and DevOps ways of working. From traditional operations to modern IT service management. And perhaps most critically – from fixed mindsets to a culture of innovation, collaboration, and continuous learning.

The scope of change is so far-reaching that most leadership teams greatly underestimate the depth of transformation required. Major challenges include:

1. Legacy Technology Debt –Most established enterprises have decades of technology investment accrued, including complex on-premises infrastructure and monolithic applications. Refactoring legacy platforms, while critical, sucks up scarce time and resources.
2. Siloed Teams & Processes – Separate IT silos have traditionally worked in isolation with rigid processes that move slowly. Transitioning to DevOps and the cloud necessitates breaking down walls and optimizing flow across teams.
3. Talent & Skills Gaps –Existing staff may lack experience with cutting-edge technologies, methods, and cultural norms needed to compete as a modern digital business. Reskilling at scale is extremely difficult.
4. Funding & Resource Constraints – Executing experimental projects while keeping the lights on for business-critical systems is a tough balancing act. Most organizations lack financial, human, and time resources to fund transformational initiatives properly.
5. Compliance & Security Demands – Compliance and security considerations can severely slow technology modernization efforts in regulated industries like financial services and healthcare.
6. Cultural Resistance – Perhaps most critically, people and cultures accustomed to legacy ways of working pose tremendous inertia. Lack of executive vision and middle management buy-in are cited as top barriers to success.

The combined effect of these challenges creates an immense drag on forward progress. Many digital transformation efforts fail to achieve lift-off or eventually stall. To avoid failure, organizations need help accelerating momentum.

The Case for Partnering with a DevOps MSP

More CIOs and technology leaders are turning to DevOps-managed service providers (MSPs) to drive rapid, tangible progress on digital transformation. DevOps MSPs deliver strategic guidance combined with practical implementation support to unblock transformation efforts.

These new-generation MSPs differ from traditional managed service providers. Traditional MSPs focus narrowly on maintaining infrastructure and keeping the lights on. DevOps MSPs take a business-driven, software-centric approach to driving digital innovation.

DevOps-managed service partnerships provide sorely needed talent, expertise, and capacity to complement internal teams. This accelerated path is well worth the investment – a recent IDC study found that early adopters of third-party DevOps services achieved 106% ROI over 5 years with a break-even in less than 6 months.

The top benefits of partnering with a DevOps MSP include:

1. Proven Methodologies & Frameworks –Mature DevOps MSPs bring research-backed transformation blueprints tailored to client contexts. Pre-defined playbooks help clients optimize flow from ideation to production quickly.
2. Deep Domain Expertise – Leading MSPs have specialized expertise across major platforms like AWS, Azure, and GCP and experience driving transformation for industries like financial services, healthcare, retail, and more. Clients tap into hard-won lessons learned.
3. End-to-End Capabilities – From cloud migration to security to cultural change, DevOps MSPs provide integrated services required to deliver tangible outcomes quickly. The alternative is to attempt to stitch together disparate vendors and partners, which slows progress.
4. Flexibility & Scale – Client resourcing models range from staff augmentation to fractional talent to fully managed team solutions. MSP capacity and capabilities can scale up and down on demand to meet changing needs.
5. Objective Guidance –External DevOps specialists provide unbiased assessments of current states, roadmap prioritization, and recommendations. They have no political agenda or sacred cows to protect.
6. Accelerator Tools & IP – Leading MSPs productize internal tooling and frameworks as accelerators that clients license to speed execution on everything from cloud landing zones to CI/CD pipelines.

The bottom line is that the DevOps dedicated development team model reduces risk, adds velocity, and creates accountability for results. Let’s explore key ways these partnerships can accelerate digital transformation journeys.

Accelerating Transformation with a DevOps MSP

Here are 5 ways partnering with a DevOps-managed service provider can fast-track digital transformation for enterprise organizations:

1. Optimizing Delivery Pipelines

The heart of DevOps transformation is optimizing build, test, release, and deployment processes. This involves shifting both technology and culture from a slow, siloed flow to a fast, automated pipeline model.

DevOps MSP consultants conduct value stream mapping to identify constraints. They help build Continuous Integration/Continuous Delivery (CI/CD) pipelines leveraging leading tools like Jenkins, Spinnaker, and ArgoCD. Pipeline Accelerator solutions provide pre-built templates to jumpstart implementation.

Where needed, DevOps MSP engineers directly implement pipeline changes hands-on alongside internal teams. They embed expertise through paired work designed to upskill client talent.

Faster flow from commitment to production allows organizations to ship innovation faster. MSP partnerships accelerate deployment frequency from yearly or quarterly to weekly, daily, or even hourly.

2. Driving Cultural & Organizational Change

Process and technology change is the easy part. More fundamental is evolving mindsets, incentives, and ways of working to remove cultural roadblocks.

DevOps MSPs embed coaches within client teams to advise leadership and advocate for practitioners. Coaches apply advanced change management techniques to persuade stakeholders, secure buy-in, and celebrate quick wins.

They guide clients in establishing foundational elements like DevOps Centers of Excellence (CoEs), which spearhead training, community-building, communications, and change efforts across business units.

Through good times and inevitable setbacks, savvy change agents from MSP partners counsel teams on maintaining persistent momentum.

3. Architecting Cloud Native Platforms

Transitioning from legacy data centers to cloud-native architecture is foundational for agility. The cloud unlocks innovation velocity, resiliency and economies of scale.

DevOps MSP consultants assess current infrastructure and applications to create evolutionary roadmaps. Reference architectures provide blueprints tailored to client goals and constraints.

Managed service engineers and then implemented cloud migrations hands-on or trained client teams. Services range from lifting and shifting virtualized workloads to refactoring monoliths into containerized microservices.

Leading MSPs also provide access to Cloud Accelerators, pre-built solutions like landing zones, CI/CD pipelines, and application infrastructure. Accelerators codify reusable design patterns for faster benefit realization.

The end state is an adaptive cloud native foundation that seamlessly scales on-demand while optimizing DevOps deployment flows.

4. Upleveling Team Skills & Capabilities

Lack of internal skills is consistently cited as the #1 obstacle to DevOps and digital transformation. Reskilling at scale is hard. Handing this challenge to MSP talent partners allows organizations to skill up while driving outcomes faster.

DevOps MSPs offer deep multi-cloud and toolchain expertise that client teams often lack. Some embed engineers on-site to work shoulder-to-shoulder with client teams. Paired work transfers knowledge through hands-on mentoring.

Others provide fractional consulting plus remote delivery support. Mixed models blend offshore talent with onshore architects and coaches to balance cost, quality, and culture fit.

Ultimately, MSPs produce better-upskilled talent faster than traditional training. Teams gain proficiency through real-world project execution with guidance from seasoned experts.

5. Optimizing Budgets & Resources

Attempting transformation with only internal resources almost always underestimates true complexity. Stretched teams juggle competing priorities, stifling dedicated focus and follow-through.

Engaging a DevOps MSP provides services on demand that can ebb and flow based on client needs. MSP talent and tooling are force multipliers that amplify outcomes without requiring a permanent headcount.

In addition to augmenting capacity, MSP services shift spending from CapEx to OpEx. Rather than large upfront capital investments, capabilities are accessed as a variable operating cost. This creates budget flexibility while controlling costs.

Shared accountability also ensures consulting hours achieve defined outcomes quickly. MSPs put skin in the game via value-based engagements tied to KPIs like lead time reduction, release frequency, and productivity gains.

Key Capabilities to Look For in a DevOps MSP

Not all managed service providers are created equal. As the DevOps services market matures, provider capabilities and strengths will vary widely.

Here are key capabilities to evaluate when assessing DevOps MSPs:

• Deep Domain Expertise – MSP consultants should demonstrate depth in your industry and specific technology domains like mainframe modernization, Kubernetes, or machine learning ops. Look for evidence of successful transformations in your vertical.
• End-to-End Services – To drive holistic transformation, MSPs must span advisory consulting, implementation services, and managed solutions. Assess the ability to own outcomes from roadmaps to execution.
• Talent Scale + Quality –Check for seasoned practitioners, cloud architects, certified engineers, and platform specialists. Validate flexibility to scale talent up/down to project needs and work models that embed expertise.
• Methodology & Accelerators – Mature MSPs codify proven blueprints, frameworks, architectures, and tools to accelerate outcomes. Ask to review these assets and determine reusability for your context vs. generic frameworks.
• Partnerships – To augment services, MSPs should maintain tight partnerships with leading technology vendors like AWS, Hashicorp, and Datadog. These extend platform reach and perspective.
• Industry Recognition –Leading analysts like Gartner, Forrester, and Everest Group validate top global MSPs exhibiting outsized growth, innovation, and client satisfaction.
• Client References – The best substitute for vetting capabilities is direct discussions with clients. Ask for case studies, success metrics, and client referrals within your industry.

Selecting the right DevOps transformation partner promises accelerated outcomes, provided you validate the core elements above. Now, let’s explore this journey through a client example.

Getting Started with a DevOps MSP

Embarking on a transformational journey with a DevOps-managed service partner promises accelerated outcomes – provided you lay the groundwork for long-term success.

Here are the best practices to set your acceleration program up for success:

• Secure Executive Sponsorship – Ensure executive leadership is highly visible in championing the partnership. Align on imperatives, objectives, and success indicators.
• Set Realistic Expectations –Balance urgency with pragmatic timeline expectations across stakeholders. Quick wins build momentum, but systemic change takes time.
• Formalize Feedback Loops –Institute regular touchpoints between MSP delivery teams, IT leadership, and business partners. Continuously socialize progress and gather input.
• Emphasize Knowledge Transfer – Require the partner to define a clear knowledge transfer plan so your teams build self-sufficiency over time.
• Build Internal Capabilities – Complement partner velocity with programs to bolster internal skill sets long-term. These may include formal training, hiring key roles, or centers of excellence.
• Maintain Engagement Vigilance –Proactively ensure the MSP partnership maintains urgency, direction, and stakeholder commitment amid inevitable organizational distraction and inertia.

While every transformation journey is unique, the acceleration fuel and momentum from a DevOps-managed services partner stack the odds for successful outcomes. Perhaps most critically, you create institutional muscle memory for shepherding change.

This capability to continuously adapt and deliver innovation – no matter the challenge or external disruption – may be the most vital to future-proof your organization.

So, in closing, don’t just dip your toe into DevOps and modern delivery. Dive into the deep end by engaging seasoned transformation experts. Act now with urgency, courage, and committed partnership to build an organization positioned to evolve and lead continuously.