The Software Challenge

Getting applications into production reliably, every time is the challenge isn’t it? The road to production release and deployment is tricky to follow as your application moves from environment to environment. The pressure on IT and you, the developer, grows as your business increasingly depends upon those software applications you manage for virtually every aspect of running that business. As the pressure increases, are you ready? Is your build and deploy process well prepared and documented so that almost anyone in the department could get it done? Are there enough people in IT that can do it right or are key steps and details forgotten? Most importantly, when was your last failed deployment? If it is but a dim memory of the distant past, then congratulations are in order. But if you are like most development groups, you can vividly remember that last nasty failed deployment. You know, the one where the business screeched to a halt and the bosses came down on you like a ton of bricks. How can you restore confidence in your Build–Promote–Deploy–Distribute process so that you are the champion of the IT department?

The Problem with Releasing Software

You know that successfully passing the build isn’t enough to guarantee that an application will reliably and correctly deploy. Think about it, your software portfolio is full of applications that pass through multiple environments on the road from the developer to the end user. Each environment, for example, QA or staging, is its own distinct deployment with its own configurations and idiosyncrasies. Those details intrinsically affect the progress and outcome of the promotion of a particular release into production. Over time, these environments change thereby multiplying the software release problem. How can you be expected to remember all of those details for all of those applications across all of those servers?

The Boundary Problem

Quite frankly, the problem is fundamentally one of scope. When most people think of software, they think of the source code or the executable. In the old days, that might have been true. Today, though, the software envelope extends beyond the edges of the source code to include the scripts, configuration files, libraries and more that play a critical factor in the build and deployment of your favorite application. Why is this extended boundary set so often neglected in process and in solution set?

The Last Mile

As an application is promoted from stage to stage on its journey, the last mile of deployment contains the most complexity as it leads to production. Choosing the right weapon, one that can manage the extended software envelope, is essential. Only BuildMaster can give you the proper edge. In your hands, traversing the last mile will be child’s play as you nimbly build, promote, deploy and distribute applications with consistent reliability, repeatability and transparency. With a single click, BuildMaster makes you the hero of build and deploy in your development group.