Infrastructure Migration to Azure Cloud and Implementation of Microsoft Azure DevOps

Industry: IT Software
Company Size: 50+ Employees

About the Company

Our client is a software development company, dedicated to developing systems for insurance sectors in Southern Africa. They develop system solutions, websites and provide support and infrastructure. Their focus lies within the user experience using the tools available to create feature-rich and engaging experiences.

The Challenge

Our client, a key player in software solutions for the South African insurance sector, initially relied on Team Foundation Server (TFS) for source code management. As technology advances, TFS has been phased out, making way for Microsoft’s Azure DevOps Server as the new platform. With TFS no longer being supported by Microsoft, it posed challenges for concurrent development across multiple projects, leading to complications in emergency bug fixes and frequent releases. The development team faced issues such as code movement and protection to prevent inadvertent releases into production. In their commitment to staying current with technology, our client sought a clear solution.

Our Solution

In response to the challenges faced with TFS and as part of the broader initiative to migrate one of thier clients’ infrastructure to the Azure Cloud, our CyberPro development team alongside the client’s development team implemented Microsoft Azure DevOps. Initially introduced as a source control management tool, it later evolved into a comprehensive Application Lifecycle Management (ALM) solution, incorporating SCRUM methodology. This strategic move empowered the developers with greater flexibility, enabling them to work on projects independently, break down developments into manageable branches, and streamline testing and production environment management.

Benefits to the client

The implementation of Azure DevOps ushered in a new era of efficiency for the development team. Key benefits include the ability for all team members to work independently, the segmentation of projects into manageable branches for individual development and streamlined merging processes for testing and production release. This approach eliminated concerns about accidental releases of untested features into production and prevented file locking issues on different developer workstations.

The more effective handling of source code in Azure DevOps compared to TFS resulted in significant time savings for developers in terms of backing up their work and sharing it with team members. The built-in “code review” functionality within Azure DevOps not only fulfilled the requirement for peer reviews before release but also facilitated knowledge-sharing among developers. This proactive approach helped identify and rectify logic bugs early in the development cycle, ensuring a smoother testing process for stakeholders.

Technologies and Methodologies Used

Microsoft Azure DevOps: A dedicated instance/tenant was created in the client’s Microsoft Azure environment for DevOps integration.
Chocolatey Package (TFS-Git): Leveraging Chocolatey, a package manager for Windows, the TFS-Git package was employed to extract source code from TFS. This process involved converting the historical changes to a Git-acceptable standard before uploading the source code into Azure DevOps. This meticulous approach not only preserved the full history of changes made since day one but also provided the client with the flexibility to decommission TFS while retaining a comprehensive record of project evolution. This strategic move ensures the ability to reallocate resources within their production environment as needed.

This successful transition to Microsoft Azure DevOps not only resolved existing challenges but also positioned the client for enhanced productivity and future scalability in their software development endeavors.

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