Reflections from the DevOps journey: what surprises is not what's new, but what's still missing

I’ve been working in the world of DevOps and DevSecOps for many years, and a phrase we often hear in the industry is that technology advances and we have to stay up-to-date to stay ahead. And yes, it’s absolutely true. In this field, what’s new today may be obsolete tomorrow. But what surprises me most isn’t so much the speed with which new things appear, but rather how many organizations are still grappling with problems that, for those of us who have been in this business for a long time, seem to have been solved years ago.

Every year, I continue to encounter challenges that reappear in situations I thought were long gone: nonexistent or manual pipelines, security practices that are conspicuously absent, automations that were never implemented, teams that still deploy code “by hand” or without quality control… and this, in large companies with significant technology teams and investment capacity.

The curious—and sometimes frustrating—thing is that, despite living in a globalized world, with almost immediate access to information, tools, and success stories, there is still a huge gap between what some organizations do and what others have yet to consider. While some companies have been adopting modern practices for almost a decade, others are just taking their first steps, even in fundamental areas such as continuous integration, automated testing, or basic vulnerability monitoring.

This gap generates a mixture of surprise and reflection. On the one hand, it reaffirms that I am not that outdated with the practices I apply and promote. But more importantly, it makes me clearly see that there is still much room to contribute, to support, to teach, and to learn. Because it’s not all about the technical: often, the real challenge lies in the organization’s culture, in resistance to change, in fears, in a lack of vision, or in internal support to take the next step.

And that’s where I believe we have a fundamental role as professionals in the sector: not only as technology implementers, but as change facilitators. Accompanying teams, understanding their contexts, helping to build bridges between what “should be” and what is possible today with the resources they have. It’s not about imposing practices, but about raising awareness, showing value with concrete results, and being patient to generate real transformation.

It’s also a good reminder not to fall into the bubble trap: in technical communities, we often talk among those who are already convinced, among those who share best practices, frameworks, tools, and processes. But there’s a huge world out there that hasn’t reached that point yet, and where our contribution can make a huge difference.

So, far from getting frustrated, I choose to view these situations as opportunities. Opportunities to continue learning, to continue teaching, and to remember that in technology, the path is never 100% complete. Because while progress is constant, what really matters isn’t just knowing the latest, but knowing how to apply the right thing, at the right time, and in the right context.

Because at the end of the day, it’s not just about advancing technology, it’s about advancing people. And that’s where real change begins.