As a DevOps engineer, the specific role description may shift widely from one organization to another, especially dependent on the data management system that the company uses. However, central to every DevOps engineer will be focused on release engineering, infrastructure resourcing and provisioning, data management, system admin and security, and on an ongoing basis, DevOps advocacy both internally and externally.
DevOps advocacy can often be undervalued or overlooked in its importance—but it is essential to the work of every DevOps engineer. Since DevOps transitions and initiatives can be confusing and cause disruption, engineers must become the subject matter experts who help educate and train teams in DevOps culture throughout an organization. A true DevOps evangelist will be empowered by a strong technical background with a growing focus on interpersonal communication and process improvement across all departments.
Now, the specific tools and processes for DevOps engineers will vary depending on coding preference, pipeline automation, infrastructure scheduling, and other factors. Engineers will focus on elements such as infrastructure provisioning and system administration, maintaining storage needs, and networking resources.
It’s critical to realize that every DevOps engineer must possess a broad set of skills that can work alongside other specialists to implement DevOps and improve the software development pipeline.