Over the last several years, I've had the privilege of leading tech teams in the banking industry, from traditional software projects to innovation centers. More recently, I've led tech teams at various fintechs, including multiple fintechs within both established financial groups and independent ventures. During this journey, one concept has stood out: DevOps. It's a well-known practice, and no one questions its benefits, but successfully implementing DevOps in a way that delivers all its promised advantages is a genuine challenge, especially in fast-paced environments like startups and fintechs.
In this article, I'd like to share what I learned about implementing DevOps, particularly when building startups or fintechs. I hope others can learn from these experiences, bypass common pitfalls, and embrace DevOps practices that actually deliver results.
The Challenges of DevOps in Startups
Startups are always in a rush, often constrained by limited budgets and the pressure to deliver quickly. These factors contribute significantly to the difficulty of implementing DevOps correctly. At the start of a new venture, the focus is usually on validating the business hypothesis, which often means building a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) as quickly as possible. DevOps can sometimes seem like an unnecessary overhead during these early stages.
DevOps can sometimes seem like an unnecessary overhead during these early stages.
However, I've found that the opposite is true. In my experience, having Continuous Integration (CI), Continuous Deployment (CD), and Infrastructure as Code (IaC) set up before writing a single line of code can actually accelerate development. This might sound counterintuitive, but the benefits of automation, consistency, and early establishment of best practices far outweigh the initial time investment.
Implementing DevOps Before Coding: A Personal Experience
I had the opportunity to validate this approach at two fintechs within established financial groups and independent ventures. In both cases, I spent one to two weeks developing the entire foundational infrastructure—covering frontend, backend, QA, and IaC—alongside the CI/CD setup before any code was written for the product itself.
The results were clear and impactful:
Mixed Experience Teams Thrived: We hired teams that included both junior and senior developers. The presence of CI/CD created an environment that fostered continuous learning. Junior developers could quickly contribute without compromising quality, and the overall team culture shifted towards collaboration and shared ownership.
Short Sprints for High Agility: We adopted one-week sprints, which allowed us to quickly iterate and adjust the product based on customer feedback. This rapid cycle of experiments increased the likelihood of finding the right combination of features and experiences that delivered the most business value.
Skyrocketing Deployment Rates: At one fintech, we're deploying to production almost a thousand times yearly. This velocity correlates directly with our one-week sprint strategy. It allows us to continuously deliver improvements and updates, with less stress around releases.
Minimal Infrastructure Costs: Infrastructure costs remained minimal during MVP development. For instance, our infrastructure expenses were just $200 per month in one case. This affordability was made possible by automating everything from the outset.
How to Make DevOps Work for Startups
Based on my experience, here's how you can set up a thriving DevOps culture in a startup environment:
Take 1-2 Weeks for Initial Setup: Dedicate one to two weeks at the very beginning to build the basic infrastructure (IaC) and CI/CD pipelines. Everything should be automated from day one.
Choose the Right Cloud Provider: Select a cloud provider that aligns well with your needs and supports automation. I recommend using AWS, which I have used in my recent projects. AWS provides a wide range of tools and services that make automation and scaling easier, which is crucial for startups.
Invest in DevOps Expertise: Hire the right talent with DevOps expertise. If that's not feasible, hire a consultant to help establish your DevOps environment. It's worth the cost and effort for the long-term benefits.
Commit to Continuous Maintenance: The real challenge begins after the initial setup—maintaining that automation over time. This requires leadership, whether the CTO or CEO, to continually push in that direction. The journey isn't easy, but the benefits are immense.
Conclusion
Implementing DevOps in a startup or fintech can be challenging, but the benefits of doing so far outweigh the initial time and cost investments. By setting up infrastructure and automation from the start, you can create a culture of continuous improvement, achieve faster iteration, and keep infrastructure costs low. In future articles, I'll address some of the topics discussed here in greater depth, such as the specific challenges of maintaining DevOps practices over time, how to scale DevOps as the company grows, and how to choose the best cloud provider for different scenarios. Stay tuned for more insights and practical advice.
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