ITOps vs DevOps: Key Differences & Best Practices

Keeping IT systems running smoothly takes both ITOps and DevOps, but they approach the challenge from different angles. ITOps focuses on maintaining a secure, stable infrastructure, while DevOps aims to speed up software delivery through automation.

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That said, stability isn’t just an infrastructure concern. DevOps also manages resource provisioning and system reliability, just at the software level.

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With automation and cloud-native tools becoming the norm, the gap between these teams is shrinking. Many organizations are now rolling ITOps and DevOps into the same team or at least heavily overlapping their roles. As this shift happens, low-code platforms are becoming a useful automation layer. 

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In this article, we’ll explore:

• The core differences between ITOps and DevOps
• How they shape infrastructure, automation, and security
• How businesses can balance both for long-term success

Let’s dive in.

What is ITOps?

Think of IT Operations (ITOps) as the tech team that keeps the lights on. They’re responsible for making sure all the infrastructure — servers, networks, databases — runs smoothly, securely, and with minimal downtime.

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ITOps covers a broad range of responsibilities, from managing on-prem and cloud infrastructure to handling security and compliance. Some key areas include:

• Monitoring and maintaining IT systems: Keeping an eye on networks, servers, and applications to ensure everything is running optimally. This includes real-time monitoring, incident response, and proactive troubleshooting.
• Managing infrastructure: Overseeing everything from on-prem data centers to cloud environments. This includes provisioning resources, maintaining hardware, and optimizing performance.
• Managing users and devices: Handling enterprise-wide IT needs, from onboarding new employees with the right tools to managing endpoints like laptops, mobile devices, and IoT systems.
• Backup & disaster recovery: Preparing for the worst by implementing data backup strategies and disaster recovery plans to minimize downtime in case of failures.

To handle these responsibilities effectively, ITOps teams rely on a mix of traditional IT Service Management (ITSM) tools like ServiceNow and automation tools, such as DataDog and LogicMonitor.

What is DevOps?

DevOps addresses a specific set of challenges related to streamlining the software development lifecycle. It brings development and operations teams together so infrastructure, deployments, and monitoring are all part of a continuous workflow.

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DevOps teams work across software development, infrastructure automation, and deployment pipelines. Their main responsibilities include:

• Automating software deployment: Replacing manual, error-prone processes with automated workflows for testing, deployment, and infrastructure management.
• Setting up CI/CD pipelines: Automatically testing and deploying code changes frequently sometimes multiple times per day rather than in large, infrequent releases.
• Defining Infrastructure as Code (IaC): Using tools like Terraform and Kubernetes to define infrastructure as code rather than manual processes.
• Monitoring & optimizing performance: Continuously gathering data on application performance and user experience to guide improvements.
• Security & compliance (DevSecOps): Embedding security checks into the DevOps workflow for secure code deployments.

DevOps infrastructure tools primarily include IaC, containerization, CI/CD, cloud services, and monitoring tools.

Key differences between ITOps and DevOps

The differences between IT operations vs DevOps stem from their core responsibilities, priorities, and the way they evolved over time. While they often overlap, their approaches to managing infrastructure and software delivery are different.

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We’ll dive deeper into these differences shortly, but if you’re looking for a quick overview, here’s a comparison table to break it down at a glance:
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Focus

ITOps is stability-focused. It ensures that infrastructure, networks, and systems run smoothly, securely, and compliantly at all times. DevOps is speed-focused. It prioritizes fast, automated software delivery and enables developers to push updates frequently without bottlenecks.

Approach to change

ITOps grew from traditional IT management, where uptime, risk mitigation, and regulatory compliance were the top concerns. This led to structured, approval-heavy processes to prevent disruptions.

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DevOps emerged as a response to slow software delivery cycles. Its approach to change is fast and iterative. Testing, deployments, and infrastructure setup are automated to make sure changes can go live quickly and safely.

Automation

ITOps uses automation, but it's usually for specific tasks like provisioning servers, monitoring systems, or handling routine maintenance. They automate repetitive stuff, but you wouldn't necessarily call it end-to-end automation. DevOps teams automate everything they can.

Tools and technologies

ITOps frequently use infrastructure management and monitoring tools like ServiceNow (ITSM), Nagios (monitoring), Splunk (log management), and VMware (virtualization). 

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With DevOps, you’ll see tools like Jenkins, GitHub Actions, or GitLab CI/CD for automating builds and deployments, Terraform or Pulumi for Infrastructure as Code, and Kubernetes or Docker for container orchestration.

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However, there is usually significant overlap in tool usage. For example, ITOps teams may use Terraform to automate infrastructure, while DevOps teams may use Splunk.

Security and compliance

ITOps takes a centralized, policy-driven approach to security. They focus on strict access controls, firewalls, intrusion detection systems, and patch management. Security is baked into risk assessments and compliance checks (think ITIL processes) before any major change gets the green light.

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DevOps, however, shifts security left — meaning it’s integrated directly into the development pipeline. Security checks happen early and often, with tools like Snyk, Trivy, and Checkov scanning for vulnerabilities in code. Automated security tests and dependency checks are also built right into CI/CD pipelines.

ITOps: Strengths, challenges, and best practices

ITOps is the foundation of IT stability. But managing IT operations isn’t without its challenges. 

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Let’s take a closer look at the strengths, challenges, and best practices that define modern ITOps:

Strengths of ITOps

• Ensures business continuity & system stability: ITOps keeps the core IT infrastructure running with minimal downtime.
• Strong security & compliance: They enforce security policies, access controls, and compliance frameworks like SOC 2, HIPAA, and ISO 27001.
• Optimized resource management: ITOps teams handle capacity planning, ensuring IT resources are allocated efficiently to prevent overuse or waste.
• Incident response & disaster recovery: ITOps is built for disaster recovery. They handle major incidents, conduct root cause analysis, and ensure critical services stay online.

Challenges of ITOps

• Slower response to software changes: Traditional ITOps processes can sometimes create bottlenecks when businesses need to deploy new features quickly.
• Resource constraints: Teams are often expected to deliver top-notch service with limited budgets, staff, and time.
• Change resistance: The risk-averse culture that helps maintain stability can simultaneously impede innovation.

Best practices for ITOps

• Implement automated monitoring & observability: Use tools like LogicMonitor, ScienceLogic, and Datadog to get real-time insights into IT performance.
• Adopt IT Service Management (ITSM) frameworks: Use popular ITSM platforms like ServiceNow and Jira to improve incident management, streamline ticketing, and automate workflows.
• Enable Infrastructure as Code (IaC) for IT automation: By leveraging Terraform and Ansible, ITOps can automate provisioning and reduce manual work.
• Continuous improvement: Regularly review practices, tools, and workflows to spot inefficiencies and improve over time.

DevOps: Strengths, challenges, and best practices

DevOps enables faster deployments, improved collaboration, and more efficient software delivery. However, it comes with its own challenges, from tool sprawl to balancing agility with security.

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Let’s break down the strengths, challenges, and best practices that make DevOps successful:

Strengths of DevOps

• Accelerates software delivery and deployment: CI/CD pipelines allow teams to push updates quickly without disrupting users.
• Enhances collaboration between teams: DevOps bridges the gap between developers and operations, creating a shared responsibility for software performance and reliability.
• Improves infrastructure management with automation: Using IaC and container orchestration tools, DevOps ensures scalable, repeatable deployments.
• Supports continuous improvement: Built-in feedback loops, monitoring, and automated testing help teams iterate and refine software faster.

Challenges of DevOps

• Requires cultural and organizational change: DevOps requires a mindset shift where teams embrace automation, transparency, and shared ownership.
• Balancing speed with security and compliance: Moving fast can introduce security risks. Integrating security into the pipeline is critical for protecting systems and data.
• Tool overload: The DevOps ecosystem is huge. Without structured governance, it poses a risk of fragmented tool usage and inefficient, siloed workflows.

Best practices for DevOps

• Adopt Infrastructure as Code (IaC) for automation: Manage infrastructure through version-controlled templates to maintain consistency and reduce risk.
• Use CI/CD pipelines to streamline deployment: Automate builds, tests, and deployments to catch issues early and reduce manual errors.
• Use DevSecOps: Embedding security earlier in the development cycle reduces vulnerabilities and ensures compliance without slowing down delivery.
• Monitor everything with observability tools: Platforms like Prometheus, Grafana, and Datadog provide real-time insights, helping teams detect and resolve issues before they escalate.

How do ITOps and DevOps work together?

Ideally, ITOps sets the guardrails and DevOps moves fast within them. Here’s how they fit together:

• Shared responsibility: DevOps teams rely on stable infrastructure to build, test, and deploy software. Meanwhile, ITOps makes sure that infrastructure is available and secure. When both teams collaborate, new features can roll out faster without sacrificing system reliability.
• Automation & tooling: DevOps loves automation for things like continuous integration and delivery, but ITOps also benefits by automating tasks such as server provisioning and configuration. Using shared tools and scripts means fewer manual errors and more consistency across the board.
• Monitoring & feedback: ITOps usually keeps an eye on system performance, networks, and hardware. DevOps adds another layer by monitoring application performance and deployment pipelines. Together, they get a full picture of system health — and can quickly fix issues when they pop up.
• Security & compliance: ITOps traditionally handles security patches and compliance checks. DevOps helps integrate these checks right into the development pipeline, so any potential security gaps are caught early rather than after production.

ITOps vs. DevOps: Which one does your business need?

Most companies need both ITOps and DevOps, but the balance between them depends on the company’s size, industry, and technology stack.

When to prioritize ITOps

ITOps is critical when stability, security, and compliance are top priorities. 

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You likely need a strong ITOps focus if:

• You operate in highly regulated industries: Sectors like finance, healthcare, and government require strict governance, data security, and compliance measures.
• Your infrastructure includes legacy systems: If your business relies on on-prem hardware, mainframes, or hybrid IT, ITOps ensures long-term support and maintenance.
• High availability and disaster recovery are critical: Businesses that cannot afford downtime — such as banking platforms or airline systems — rely on ITOps for business continuity.

When to prioritize DevOps

DevOps is essential for businesses that deploy software frequently, operate in the cloud, or follow Agile methodologies.

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You likely need a strong DevOps focus if:

• Your business releases software updates frequently: SaaS companies and cloud-native businesses benefit from automated CI/CD pipelines.
• You operate in a cloud-first or microservices environment: DevOps is built for cloud-native, containerized, and serverless architectures.
• Your company embraces Agile and rapid innovation: If your teams follow Agile methodologies, DevOps helps accelerate development and reduce friction.

The hybrid approach: Combining ITOps and DevOps

In the real world, businesses typically get the best results by blending ITOps and DevOps rather than treating them as an either/or proposition. 

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A reliable infrastructure (ITOps) forms the foundation for smooth development and deployment (DevOps). If you’re starting from scratch and releasing a product, investing in DevOps practices early on can help you move faster and automate processes from the start.

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If you've inherited a complex IT environment that's a bit chaotic, you might want to focus on ITOps first to stabilize things. Once the foundation is solid, gradually introduce DevOps practices where they add the most value. The best approach depends on your specific needs, team structure, and business goals.

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In practice, this hybrid approach may look like:

• Centralized security with decentralized automation: ITOps defines compliance rules, while DevOps automates security enforcement within CI/CD pipelines.
• Shared monitoring and observability tools: Both teams rely on the same data to troubleshoot issues and optimize performance.
• Self-service IT for developers: ITOps provisions standardized cloud infrastructure, giving DevOps the autonomy to deploy without delays.
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This marriage isn't always perfect, though. There's an inherent tension between the control that ITOps values and the speed that DevOps prioritizes. 

How to successfully combine ITOps and DevOps

This tension doesn’t have to be a roadblock. Creating shared processes and using automation, can help teams strike a balance that serves both needs.

Success typically revolves around:

1. Define shared goals and KPIs that matter to both sides: This includes KPIs like system availability, security posture, deployment frequency, and incident response times.
2. Regular communication between both teams: When teams sync up consistently about infrastructure changes, security requirements, and deployment schedules, they avoid nasty surprises.
3. Blameless post-mortems: When problems inevitably occur, conducting truly blameless post-mortems helps everyone learn and improve together instead of pointing fingers.
4. Unified observability platforms: Use observability platforms (Datadog, Prometheus) that provide insights into infrastructure and applications in one place. On the infrastructure side, use IaC tools to standardize provisioning and reduce manual intervention. 

Frequently Asked Questions

Can a business function with only ITOps or only DevOps?

Most organizations benefit from a combination of both. Traditional enterprises with legacy infrastructure may lean heavily on ITOps, while cloud-native startups might operate with a DevOps-first approach. 

Is DevOps replacing ITOps?

DevOps isn't replacing ITOps, but it is transforming it. Core ITOps responsibilities like maintaining security, compliance, and IT governance remain crucial, but DevOps introduces a collaborative and automated approach to infrastructure management. This often leads to integrated teams and shared responsibilities rather than a strict separation.

Why do some enterprises struggle to integrate ITOps and DevOps?

The common challenge is often cultural and structural silos. Traditional ITOps teams may be resistant to rapid change, while DevOps teams may overlook security and compliance concerns. Other obstacles are a lack of clear communication, insufficient tooling, and inadequate training. 

Successful integration requires shared goals, automation, and a unified toolset to bridge the gap.

How can businesses transition from ITOps to DevOps without disruption?

Instead of a sudden shift, businesses should take a phased approach:

• Start with automation: Introduce CI/CD pipelines to reduce manual processes.
• Encourage collaboration: Create cross-functional teams where ITOps and DevOps work together.
• Adopt shared observability tools: Use platforms like Datadog or Prometheus to provide visibility across both infrastructure and applications.
• Integrate security early: Implement DevSecOps practices, so compliance remains a priority as DevOps speeds up deployments.

The Superblocks advantage: A shared platform for ITOps and DevOps

For IT teams looking to work together on internal tools, Superblocks provides a unified platform to make this happen with essential security, integrations, and automation features built in.

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We designed these features to meet both teams' priorities. ITOps gets the security and reliability they need, while DevOps benefits from built-in speed and CI/CD support.

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With the heavy lifting handled, teams can focus on the smaller things such as setting up SSO, defining RBAC rules, building apps, and integrating everything into their CI/CD pipeline. 

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To make this possible, Superblocks provides:

• Fast internal tool development: Drag-and-drop UI components to build dashboards, approval workflows, and monitoring tools. 
• Integrate any database or API: Use our 60+ native integrations to connect to ServiceNow, AWS, Datadog, GitHub, and more, so teams can pull in data and automate tasks without writing API glue code.
• Centralize monitoring & logging: Receive metrics, traces, and logs from all your internal tools directly in Datadog, New Relic, Splunk, or any other observability platform.
• Enforce security policies: Easily manage RBAC permissions from one place. Control who can build, access, and deploy workflows and apps.
• Streamline CI/CD & deployments: Integrate with GitHub Actions, CircleCI, Jenkins, and more to trigger builds, automate approvals, and deploy internal tools with built-in version control and safe rollbacks.
• Automate tests: Use the testing APIs to write and run automated tests for your APIs locally and as a part of CI/CD.
• Maintain visibility with audit logs: Gain full visibility into any app edits, workflow runs, or account modifications from a single dashboard.
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In short, Superblocks helps ITOps and DevOps teams collaborate better, and automate smarter, without requiring custom integrations. If you’d like to see how it can help your team, check out our 5-minute Quickstart guide or try it for free.