Atomist today announced it is extending the capabilities of its software delivery automation platform to include drift management tools that make it easier to identify changes to code.

Now in beta, that capability is based on an open source project dubbed Org Visualizer, which makes it possible to clone an entire project hosted in a GitHub repository via a single click and then visually inspect it.

Step 1 of 7

14%

Which of the following best describes how you currently monitor and manage systems across your hybrid cloud environment?(Required)

Multiple separate tools for different environments

Multiple separate tools for different monitoring and management functions

Single consolidated dashboard

Custom built monitoring and management solution

No full monitoring and management solution

Don’t know

How valuable would it be for your monitoring and management solution to incorporate predictive analytics to help you identify and address system issues that are critical and not waste time or effort working through all the data and “noise” that is not critical?(Required)

Extremely valuable

Moderately valuable

Somewhat valuable

Slightly valuable

Not valuable

How do you most typically address potential system issues BEFORE they impact your operations?(Required)

Automated workflows and playbooks to remediate potential issues as soon as they are detected

An orchestrated response process that leverages automation, AI, and human expertise to rapidly respond to potential issues

Advanced monitoring tools such as predictive analytics and anomaly detection to proactively identify and address potential issues

Respond to issues as they arise, using manual processes and troubleshooting techniques

A combination of automated remediation, orchestrated response, and/or proactive monitoring to address potential system issues

Don’t know

Other

What methods does your organization use to control and monitor cloud/IT spending?(Required)

Centralized procurement processes

Pre-approved budget thresholds

Automated cost monitoring tools

Department-level spending controls

Regular cost audits and reviews

Cloud cost optimization platform

Approval workflows for resource provisioning

Native financial operations tools provided by the cloud provider

No formal controls in place

Don’t know

Other

Please specify:

Which methods do you rely on most to detect security vulnerabilities in your systems?(Required)

Automated scanning tools

Manual assessments

Vendor notifications

Threat modeling (for early detection)

None of these

Don’t know

Other

Please specify:

What are the TWO most common ways you prioritize vulnerabilities to address within your environment?(Required)

Based on potential impact

Based on exploitability

Regulatory compliance requirements

Based on CVSS scores

Risk-based analysis of multiple factors

First-in-first-out approach

No formal prioritization process

Don’t know

How do you typically handle system updates and security patches?(Required)

Automated updates and patches

Manually review and apply updates and patches on a regular schedule

A combination of automation and manual review

Apply updates and patches on an as-needed basis.

Outsourced update and patch management

No defined process

Don’t know

Other

Δ

DevOps teams also can leverage a built-in Policy Manager to capture and track changes in code, define custom policies that automatically apply updates and automated actions and generate progress reports showing how close they are to achieving a target policy goal.

Atomist CEO Rod Johnson said the reporting tools provide a visual representation of what’s occurring within an organization’s codebase to make it easier to identify both overly complex dependencies and vulnerabilities.

The drift management tools are built on the software delivery machine (SDM) concept that lies at the heart of the company’s core platform, Johnson said. The Atomist platform is based on a domain model for software delivery constructed around an application programming interface (API) server and GraphQL, an open source data query and manipulation language. That approach eliminates the need to master, for example, complex YAML files to deliver software. The addition of the visualization tools not only make it easier to see what’s going on in the development environments, but they also make it easier to identify areas where technical debt in the form of bugs and vulnerabilities is building within an application development project, he noted.

The sooner those issues are addressed, the more probable it becomes that DevOps teams will deploy reliable, secure code, rather than needing to update it or roll back the entire application, Johnson added.

Although the Atomist platform is capable of working in any application environment, there’s a high correlation between organizations that have embraced microservices-based on containers and organizations looking to automate software delivery using the Atomist platform, Johnson said. Organizations that embrace microservices based on containers typically have a frequent need to update codebases in production environments, he noted, adding many organizations don’t know the impact that microservices updates have on the rest of the production environment.

In general, there’s been a lot of DevOps progress when it comes to automating continuous integration within the context of application development project. However, automating the delivery of software has proven to be a more elusive goal. As the rate and amount of code being developed continues to accelerate, it’s now only a matter of time before software delivery automation becomes a more pressing issue. Manual deployment processes prone to errors only serve to aggravate application development and deployment backlog at a time when business leaders are demanding IT teams become more agile.

At the very least, tools that enable DevOps teams to visualize the scope of the challenge ahead should help frame a realistic conversation about what’s truly achievable, given the current state of the codebase.

— Mike Vizard