DevOps teams often adopt advanced CI/CD processes, infrastructure as code, and automation to boost deployment frequency and streamline development workflows. According to the State of DevOps Report 2023, 18% of respondents were classified as elite performers, capable of deploying on-demand with change lead times of less than a day. This ability to rapidly deploy is seen as a competitive advantage for many organizations striving for agility in a fast-paced market.
However, while the elite performers can deploy quickly, they also report a 5% change failure rate. For most applications, a 5% failure rate may be manageable, especially if the failures occur during low-traffic periods or in non-mission-critical systems. But when failures happen in applications that demand high availability, like those in the airline or banking industries, the consequences can be catastrophic. These industries often operate under strict uptime requirements, such as 99.999% availability, and even a minor defect or configuration error can result in serious disruptions.
A recent example of deployment gone wrong highlights the risks involved. CrowdStrike experienced a failed deployment that affected 8.5 million Microsoft Windows computers, resulting in nearly 10,000 flight cancellations worldwide. The root cause, according to CrowdStrike’s analysis, was a mismatch between expected and provided input fields, which led to a system crash. This incident not only caused significant financial losses but also brought attention to the critical importance of ensuring deployment processes are both fast and reliable, particularly when dealing with sensitive systems.
Given these risks, DevOps teams need to reassess their deployment strategies. While frequent releases are often beneficial for innovation and agility, there must be a balance between speed and reliability. Teams should evaluate the potential impact of changes and implement safeguards to prevent large-scale failures. By adopting a more cautious approach, such as additional testing, validation steps, and careful monitoring of production environments, DevOps teams can reduce the likelihood of deployment horrors and ensure mission-critical applications remain operational under all conditions.