Shippable is pushing its developer code automation product into the enterprise space as a means to support growing adoption of DevOps.

The server product, which is an enterprise version of its DevOps platform, is designed for organizations looking to automate the development and sharing of software code. Shippable said the move unifies DevOps tools and processes that can become dispersed across an organization as it rolls out those tools. The firm describes the solution as unifying software development work into “assembly lines.”

The product is targeted at organizations that have development, test, and operations teams automating tasks using tools from different vendors. This can result in “islands of automation” that while optimized for a specific task, struggle to provide visibility across the organization.

“Enterprises are particularly vulnerable to these challenges,” the company said, due to security and compliance requirements, communication lapses, and fragmented application needs. Shippable said its platform can be installed behind firewalls while still allowing for a broad view of ongoing DevOps work.

The platform includes Docker tooling and integrates with all Docker registries. Those include Docker Hub; and Amazon ECR, GCR and private registries. Container orchestration platforms from Amazon ECS, Kubernetes, GKE, and Microsoft Azure are also supported.

Robert Stroud, principal analyst at Forrester Research, said Shippable was going after an "interesting niche" in the market, which he labeled as DevOps-as-a-service.

"This allows companies to focus their efforts on developing differentiation through code rather than focusing efforts on a DevOps model," Stroud said.

Fintan Ryan, an analyst at RedMonk, noted consistency in dealing with DevOps tools is an ongoing issue for organizations. Ryan explained few organizations have implemented plans to enforce consistency, or have had previous work upended by larger business decisions.

“Most organizations are just one acquisition away from their consolidation or integration work being thrown out the window,” Ryan explained of the overall market.

Specifically to Shippable, which Ryan noted was not a client of the analyst firm, he said the pipeline integration approach to its product has garnered positive comments.

“What they are doing is putting together a pipeline to take in all of the DevOps work across an organization to allow for a better understanding and sharing of already established resources,” Ryan said. "This is really helpful for enterprises that are dealing with consistency challenges."

Further complementing the company’s efforts, Ryan noted Shippable was focused on what it can provide, and not setting unrealistic expectations.

“From a business perspective it’s important to set expectations as to what a product can do,” Ryan said. “Everyone has vendors coming to them with what they claim to be a magic bullet. Shippable does not claim they can solve everything, but does say they will provide visibility across the pipeline.”

Moving forward, Stroud said Shippable could look to build on its current platform by upgrading its overall usability and provide broader support. This could include a greater focus on cloud.

"Most work today is on-premise, so to be truly widespread you need to move to the cloud as well," Stroud said. "They have a good opportunity there for more growth."