Let’s be honest – when someone mentions cost reduction in IT, it usually means cutting corners or compromising quality. But what if we told you that the right DevOps approach could actually reduce costs while making your development teams happier and more efficient?

No theoretical frameworks or buzzwords here – just real stories from companies that transformed their operations through DevOps. Here’s how they did it.

Engie: From weekend deployments to automated DevOps cost savings

When Engie came to us, their development teams were spending precious weekends on deployments, with release cycles stretching to 12 weeks. Not exactly ideal for work-life balance (or the budget).

Through DevOps automation and standardization, we helped them:

• Cut release cycles from 12 weeks to just 2 weeks
• Completely eliminate weekend work
• Give developers self-service environments for faster feature validation

Here’s what makes this transformation special: their system could actually handle 2-day release cycles. But instead of rushing in, they chose a pragmatic 2-week cycle until their automated testing matures. That’s the beauty of step-by-step DevOps adoption – you move at a pace that works for your team.

De Lijn: Optimizing DevOps processes and resource allocation

De Lijn’s manual deployment process was tying up five team members every weekend. Not just costly, but a real drain on their technical resources.

Our DevOps transformation delivered:

• Automated build and software delivery processes
• Team size reduction from 5 to 2 people during deployments
• Release cycle compression from 2 weeks to 2 days
• Streamlined communication through automated feedback loops

By freeing up three team members, De Lijn could redirect their technical expertise to crucial platform improvements and customer-facing features. That’s not just cost savings – it’s better resource allocation where it matters most.

TripService: cloud migration and DevOps cost optimization

TripService faced a classic scaling challenge: their shared infrastructure couldn’t keep up with growth, leading to performance issues and rising costs. They needed an infrastructure that could scale with their ambitions.

Our comprehensive approach included:

• Migration from on-premises to Google Cloud
• Transformation to cloud-native microservices architecture
• Implementation of automated software delivery pipelines
• Infrastructure as Code for consistent, repeatable deployments

The numbers speak for themselves: monthly infrastructure costs dropped from €1,500 to €750 in six months. Even better? Two and a half years later, they’re handling significantly more traffic and features while maintaining similar cost levels.

Belgian Union: DevOps modernization brings cultural change

This union wasn’t just dealing with high vendor licensing costs – they were struggling to attract young talent due to their legacy stack. Their story shows how DevOps transformation impacts both the bottom line and company culture.

The results were impressive:

• Slashed licensing costs from €500K to €90K through open-source adoption
• Accelerated delivery from 4 months to 2 days
• Improved system observability across their application landscape
• Created an environment that attracts tech talent

What these stories teach us about DevOps cost optimization

• Observability Isn’t Optional Clear visibility into your IT landscape helps you spot cost-saving opportunities faster and prevent expensive problems before they happen.
• Automate Every Repetitive Task If you’re doing something more than once, automate it. Period. The initial investment in automation always pays off through reduced manual work and fewer errors.
• Culture and Technology Go Hand in Hand Technical changes alone won’t stick without cultural buy-in. Successful DevOps transformations need both – automated processes AND teams that embrace continuous improvement.
• Find Your Own Path Every organization’s DevOps journey looks different. The key is finding the right mix of tools and practices that work for your specific situation and team culture.

Want to Dive Deeper?

Curious about the technical details behind these transformations? Or wondering how your organization could achieve similar results? Check out our detailed case studies or reach out to discuss your DevOps journey.

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