Repository

Git

Git is the most widely used version control system and it is also considered by many as the gold standard of the sector. A distributed version control system, it works by creating a snapshot of a users file at specific moments in time and stores them for future reference or incase of an event that requires going back to a previous version. Benefits of the Git system include simultaneous online or offline development, faster releases, built-in integration, encouraged collaboration, pull requests, and branch policies to ensure that pull requests meet your requirements before they are completed.

SVN

SVN is a continuous integration tool that is used to create repositories and version control systems. It manages your files and directories, allows users to recover older versions of their data, or to inspect the history of how that data has changed over time. SVN, or Subversion, can be used not just for software development, but to manage any collection of files such as source code, list of information, digital video mixdowns, and more. Any business that needs to archive old versions of files or directories with the possibility of needing to resurrect them and see how they have changed will find benefits by utilising an SVN tool.

Atlassian

Bamboo

Bamboo allows developers to build, test, and release projects, or parts of projects, together in a single workflow. It can function as a CI and build server, run automated tests and troubleshoot, deploy via use of automation and permissions, and then connect with other solutions such as Jira Software, Bitbucket and Fisheye. Users can also choose from over 150 add-ons in the Bamboo marketplace, or developers can choose to make their own.

Stash

Atlassian Stash is a Git repository management system for enterprise teams and it provides them with a centralised solution that goes behind and beyond the firewall. Hosting an internal source control server and maintaining access to repositories can be an incredibly complex and time-consuming process but through using Stash, users can concentrate on building top-quality software whilst Stash takes care of repository matters in the background. As one of the most popular version control systems, it gives developers the option to branch off and work on their own and then to easily integrate the code back into the larger project meaning quicker development times when compared to centralised version control options.

Jira

Billed as the number one development tool utilised by agile teams, Jira Software enables teams to efficiently roadmap, plan, track, and then release great software and applications. With an easy-to-use interface and real-time reporting and performance visualisation, it allows teams to develop and mould the software to suit their individual needs. Jira also offers integration with tools such as Confluence , Bitbucket, and hundreds of other well-known developer tools.

Confluence

Confluence is a platform that connects teams with content, information, knowledge and coworkers so they are able to collaborate on projects to get things done quicker. Events such as meeting notes, project plans, release notes, roadmaps, and required documents can be shared and organised, all whilst integrating dynamic content and multimedia. Users are then able to leave feedback within the work without having to navigate cumbersome email or chat threads. With a powerful inbuilt search engine, structured hierarchy, and a feature that allows you to create a space for each team, project, or department, Confluence is great for businesses that have multiple offices, locations, or remote workers.

Slack

Slack is a cloud-based tool that nurtures collaboration between teams, team-members and even external third-parties. Its primary function is to facilitate communication between individuals and groups as well as providing for the sharing of documents, tools, and files. Slack channels can be divided up by project, client, team or any other requirement and it also allows voice, videos, and screensharing as well. Whether you are a group of freelancing friends or a team of developers within a multinational organisation, Slack is there to make all aspects of communication and collaboration easier and more efficient.

CI/CD

Jenkins

If fragmented workflow is a problem for you, then a continuous integration (CI) tool such as Jenkins can help. An open-source CI server, written in Java language, it can be used as a self hosted option for automating the build cycle for almost any project. It dovetails with any programing language and across multiple platforms such as Linux, Windows, and macOS. Billed as one of the leading automation servers on the market it uses an extensible plugin-based architecture so that Jenkins can adapt to a large number of build, test, and acdeployment automation workloads. With over 100,000 installations, it is the most widely used automation server in the world.

Pipeline as Code

Pipeline as Code is the default interaction model with Jenkins and it allows users to implement a projects whole build/test/deploy pipeline in a Jenkinsfile which can be stored alongside their code. The Pipeline plugin benefits from features such as the ability to suspend and resume executing jobs, checking the pipeline definition into source control, and support for extending domain specific language with organisationally specific steps, via Shared Libraries.

Nexus

Nexus is a repository manager created by Nexus that organises, stores and then distributed artefacts that are required for development. Devlopers, through using Nexus can have complete control and access to every artefact related to an organisation from a single location. It is often used in conjuction with Apache products, Docker, and JFrog.

Artifactory

Artifactory is a product created by JFrog that works as as binary repository manager. This means that by running your builds through it, users can benefit from attaching fully detailed build information to each and every build. All builds also become fully reproducible and any changes that are made along the way are fully traceable. A package-agostic product, it works seamlessly with a range of package clients meaning it can be fully integrated into any CI/CD delivery ecosystem.

Configuration Management

Server systems are the foundations of our applications and as such, they need to be version controlled, tested, and automated to ensure full optimisation. Here are a selection of tools that will allow us to help you do just that.

Ansible

Ansible is one of the simplest ways to simplify tasks and to roll out enterprise-wide protocols with just a click of a button. It gives teams the tools they need to automate, solve, share, and of course, deploy apps. By automating cloud provisioning, configuration management, application deployment and intra-service orchestration, it perfectly suits multi-tier deployments. It gets to the bottom of how your IT systems inter-relate and uses YAML to describe automation jobs in an easy-to-understand format.

Puppet

Puppet is an open-source software configuration management tool that runs on Unix-like systems including Windows. It also uses its own declarative language, to describe system configuration. Its purpose is to future-proof, inspect, deliver, and operate all of your applications in a much quicker and more efficient manner through its easy-to-use interface and processing system. It ultimately provides users with the visualisation and reporting they need to make key decisions or respond to compliance initiatives. It also means that applications can be deployed much quicker with greater levels of control or visibility across the team.

Virtualisation

VMware Server

VMware Server is a virtualisation product that enables the single partitioning of a physical server into several virtual machines that are based in the cloud. Fully compatible with Windows, Linux, Solaris, and Netware, meaning it can be deployed at the same time across multiple diverse environments. The programme facilitates the testing of software in virtual machines, without having to install and configure, as well as being able to test operating systems and legacy applications.

vSphere

vSphere is a client that connects from the client machine to the ESXi server in order to undertake management tasks. A part of VMware Servicer, it serves as a complete platform for implementing and managing virtual machines infrastructure on a large scale. Also referred to as a cloud operating system or a virtualised data centre, it allows IT departments to efficiently transfer their workloads onto one of the most cost-effective compute resources available.

KVM

KVM stands for a Kernel Based Virtual Machine and it is an open source virtualisation infrastructure for the Linux kernel that evolves it into a hypervisor. It contains virualisation exxtensions (Intel VT or AMD-V) and consists of a loadable kernel module that offers core virtualisation infrastructure as well as a rocessor specific module. Users of KVM can run multiple virtual machines that are using unmodified versions of Windows or Linux images. Each machine will have its own virtual, private hardware such as a disk, network card, and graphics adapter.

Monitoring

Technologically advanced equipment, networks, and systems are an integral part of running a company, and being able to oversee the performance of every entity its an important part of the process. Even the best bits of software and hardware are vulnerable to failure, so it’s critical they are monitored by a comprehensive monitoring system. These are our top picks.

Nagios

Nagios is one of the world’s leading monitoring systems that allows organisations and users to both identify, and resolve their IT infrastructure challenges before they have the chance to critically impact important business processes. Since its launch in 1999, it has grown to include thousands of projects that have all been developed by the global Nagios community. The programme oversees the whole IT infrastructure to make sure that all apps, systems, services, and processes are functioning as they should. If there is a failure, Nagios will alert tech staff of the issue so they can respond quickly and efficiently.

Opsview

Opsview provides a range of software products that monitors physical, virtual, and even cloud-based IT infrastructures. With the sole aim of providing a unified view or IT operations. It is useful to both IT administrators and business owners by providing tailor-made alerts that will help users get to the bottom of issues quicker, and therefore save money, downtime, and the resources of IT operations.

Cacti

Cacti is an open-sourced, web-based graphing and network monitoring tool that is designed to function as a front-end app for the industry-standard data logging tool, RRDtool. It enables its users to poll services at pre-specified times and to then graph the data that is collected as a result. It is often used to graph time-series data pertaining to metrics, including CPU load and the utilisation of the networks bandwidth. It is also used to monitor network traffic through polling a router interface or network switch via its Simple Network Management Protocol.

Zabbix

Another open source monitoring option, Zabbix is a diverse tool that can oversee networks, virtual machines, servers, and cloud services. It offers monitoring metrics including CPU load and disk space consumption and network utilisation and it works across Linux, macOS X, Solaris, and Hwelett Packard Unix with Windows monitoring only available through agents.