In certain startups, for example, devops simply means that developers shoulder tasks once performed by operations. But at LinkedIn, where as VP of engineering Connelly has led the company’s site reliability efforts for five and a half years, operations has expanded its role to become more vital than ever while providing developers with the self-service tools they need to be more productive.
You might call that devops done right. In fact, Connelly’s buildout of operations holds valuable lessons for any organization that needs to scale its Internet business. For LinkedIn, that growth has been dramatic: Over the past five years, the service has ballooned from around 80 million to nearly 400 million users — and from basic business social networking to a wide array of messaging, job seeking, and training services.
