What to Look for When Choosing Your ARA Solution

We’ve all heard it: software is everywhere. Or software is eating the world. It’s true; software touches everyone’s daily lives. In fact, I got an email from my refrigerator the other day saying that it needed a new water filter. Well, I know that the fridge didn’t actually send the email. Instead, likely what happened is this complex scenario: the fridge uploaded its device ID and status to a central server, utilizing my home network. The server software then looked up the device ID in some database to get my contact information, and then constructed an email message letting me know that it was time to order a water filter again. I read the email & clicked on the link that says “Buy” and that set off another complex sequence of events.
The point is this. Innovation means new features , most likely implemented in software. And those features have to get to market fast or they will lose relevance and the company making the device will lose market share. The software systems that implement this seemingly simple task are extremely complex and may involve millions of lines of code, come from different vendors, deployed to different types of machines (i.e. different models of refrigerators and different types of servers), all having different configurations.
A small hiccup at any point along the way from code development to deployment could cost millions in lost revenue . The complexity involved around releasing today’s software has surpassed what can be done with checklists, manual efforts, and even homegrown tooling. A new class of tool has arisen to help deal with automating and managing this process: Application Release Automation (ARA). The difference with these tools, compared to say something like a compiler, code modeling tool, etc., is that they are tied directly to business value . Choose poorly and you will have C-level staff breathing down your neck.

This handy ARA Buyer’s Guide will help you choose your next ARA tool wisely.
Or if you want to hear from an industry expert and a customer who knows about this journey first-hand, check out this free webinar .