Software has become the undisputed driver of business today. As the reliance on software has grown, so have the moving parts needed to make it, especially amid the rise of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI). As a result, software development has become a complex process, potentially hampering innovation.
According to Deloitte, GenAI usage in Australian workplaces grew 20% from 2023 to 2024, with 38% of employees using it. While GenAI requires large volumes of data and advanced programming, it’s just one factor contributing to the complexities of modern software development
As businesses and their tech teams navigate an increasingly complex software environment, the collection of operational software functions referred to as ‘EveryOps’ has emerged as a software delivery model that is providing solutions to some of the key challenges engineers face in today’s software development lifecycle.
Opting for the ‘Ops’ approach
Developers have been handed a clear challenge: to deliver software faster while owning applications, end-to-end, across the lifecycle — from coding and deployment to security and maintenance. Hence the rise of DevOps — a business practice that integrates software development (dev) and operations (ops) teams to deliver software faster and more reliably.
At the same time, development teams are increasingly tasked with the implementation of machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence (AI) components as part of the applications they’re building and maintaining. Thus, teams have had to adapt, and the operational component of the DevOps approach is making its way into other areas.
This evolution in developer responsibilities has given rise to new IT models such as DevSecOps, which aims to integrate security practices into all the phases of the software development lifecycle, and MLOps — or machine learning operations — which is designed to streamline the ML model production process. These changes demonstrate how the ‘Ops’ element of software development has become paramount. This is why the EveryOps philosophy is vital in the modern age of the software supply chain.
Constructing the Modern Software Factory
EveryOps is the next evolution of modern software delivery, integrating DevOps, DevSecOps, AI and MLOps into a seamless, efficient workflow. It is centered around building trusted software by bridging the gaps between these different operational disciplines, taking a more holistic approach to software delivery, by streamlining processes with enhanced automation, scalability, and security across the entire software lifecycle.
At the end of the day, organisations need to be able to inspect and prove the secure output of software components to various stakeholders — compliance managers, CISOs, CIOs, or sometimes external auditors.
With that in mind, an organisation must be able to trace which components are included in what software at any time, with a record of software development steps, distinguishing between direct and transitive dependencies, providing insights into areas such as static applications, security status, and data flow.
This process is not only important for compliance managers and senior leadership, but it also enables more proactive and reliable vulnerability assessments. The core message of EveryOps is that a secure software factory must integrate everything. Automation is vital, and software pipelines need strong policies to ensure trustworthiness. Ultimately, teams must retain control and build confidence in the entire development and deployment process.
For me, the real trick lies in building a system that is highly opinionated in its foundational concepts but remains open and API-driven. This approach allows organisations to gradually adopt and integrate different aspects of the software supply chain while ensuring security and reliability throughout.
Enabling Continuous Improvement for Software Development
A core principle of EveryOps is to seamlessly integrate trust and accountability into the software development lifecycle with minimal friction for developers. This requires not only a shift in tool usage, but also in culture and policies.
Companies must leverage tools and frameworks designed for cross-collaboration between traditionally siloed teams in order to have a reliable unified view of their software supply chain.
The EveryOps approach can enhance trust thanks to the consolidated visibility of DevOps, DevSecOps, MLOps, and other emerging ‘Ops’ paradigms under a cohesive framework. By embracing EveryOps, organisations have a better chance of addressing the complexities of modern, secure software development in the AI era.
