Top 20 Challenges in DevOps that UK Businesses face and their solutions

DevOps has changed the way businesses build and run software. It brings together development and operations teams to collaborate more effectively and faster.

In the UK, many businesses are jumping on the DevOps train because it allows them to work much quicker with far fewer problems and make quick updates.

While DevOps sounds great in theory, putting it into practice isn’t always smooth. Making DevOps work for UK businesses often comes with various challenges, which you should know about if you want to adopt it.

UK companies, both large and small, may experience several challenges; some fully comprehend what DevOps is all about, while other teams lack appropriate tools or skilled personnel to execute.

There can be confusion, delays, and even resistance to change from staff who are used to old ways of working. Plus, new technology keeps changing, which means the pressure is on.

This blog will help you understand the top 20 challenges in DevOps for UK businesses that they may be facing or will be facing in 2025. If you're trying to start DevOps or are already using it but running into problems, this guide is for you. Let’s see what is holding you back and what you can do about it.

What is DevOps?

DevOps is a working method that enables cooperation between the software development and IT operations teams.

Rather than working separately from each other, these teams will not only come together but also collaborate to build, test, and deliver software with fewer issues and more quickly.

In DevOps, the shared goal of both teams is to ensure that the software is of the best quality and stays bug-free. To achieve this goal, they have to share tasks or responsibilities, communicate with each other, and employ tools for automating tasks such as testing, building, and deployment.

DevOps creates an environment where people collaborate, continuously learn from mistakes, and keep improving. This helps ensure excellent project outcomes and satisfied customers. Hence, DevOps helps companies deliver better software, and that too faster.

Recommended Reads: How Do Agile And DevOps Interrelate?

Why Many UK Businesses Are Adopting It?

Why are many businesses choosing DevOps? There must be a reason for it. So, first, learn about these reasons before we move on to the challenges of DevOps for UK businesses.

1. Faster Delivery of Products

Earlier, launching an update or fixing an issue used to take a long time. However, DevOps allows teams to launch updates, new features, and fixes much more quickly. It allows businesses to push out notifications and updates quickly, even multiple times a day.

UK consumers expect an app or website to work smoothly. So, if an online shopping site or mobile banking app takes too long to fix an issue, users might switch to another one. DevOps helps businesses avoid that by keeping things moving and always improving.

2. Improved Team Collaboration

DevOps allows the development (building the software) and operations (running the software) teams to collaborate more efficiently.

When they work together, the delay in the project is reduced, teams are able to communicate easily, and the workflow becomes smoother. Both teams have the same goal, which naturally leads to fewer errors and quick problem-solving when issues arise.

3. Fewer Bugs and Quick Fixes

DevOps involves regular software testing during development, so it helps you find the bugs before they reach your users.

And if something slips through and issues come after launch, it can be fixed quickly, and your software system will not be affected. This leads to a more reliable product, which also means less complaints and happier users.

4. Time and Cost Savings

Why waste time doing the same task over and over when DevOps can help you? DevOps allows for the automation of routine tasks like testing and deployment, which helps save time.

Teams don’t have to repeat the same steps manually, which helps lower operational costs. DevOps helps businesses do more with less effort and focus on creative work instead of doing routine tasks manually.

5. Better Customer Experience

With DevOps, companies can listen to user feedback and use it to their advantage. If customers ask for a new feature or report a problem, the team can respond fast and implement those features or user requirements.

This makes customers feel that their reviews and feedback are taken seriously. It also encourages them to stick around.

6. Gives Upper Hand Over Competitor

In a market full of choices, businesses need to move fast and offer the best DevOps services. DevOps helps companies keep up with changing trends, update their software regularly, and provide an excellent user experience.

It is how many UK companies are staying on top or one step ahead while others are still trying to catch up.

Top 20 Challenges in DevOps for UK Businesses

As we have discovered, there are many benefits of DevOps for UK businesses. However, some challenges also make it difficult for businesses to adopt it fully. Let’s learn about these challenges in DevOps in more detail.

1. Legacy Systems That Refuse to Budge

Legacy systems are those that were built years or even decades ago. This means that systems are an essential part of their daily work. Even though they still run, they don’t work well with the latest tools used in DevOps.

Rewriting and replacing them will require a lot of your time and money, and it will also come with risks.

This is the reason many teams find it difficult to use automation tools, testing, or cloud services, since the legacy systems make it difficult. These systems have limits to what they can do.

What Can You Do About It?

• Instead of trying to replace your old system at once, you can break it down into smaller parts and modernise bit by bit. 
  
• Use APIs to help your legacy systems talk to new tools and systems. 
  
• Avoid replacing everything at once; start with one feature at a time and slowly shift specific features to newer tools or microservices.

2. Lack of Skilled DevOps Professionals

Another one of the top challenges in DevOps is finding the right people with DevOps skills in the UK. The field requires knowledge in many areas, like coding, automation, cloud, testing, and security.

However, there are very few professionals who can claim experience in all of these areas. This leads to problems such as delayed project timelines, increased stress on existing team members, and, at times, poor implementation.

Even if a company is willing to train people, it takes time for them to get up to speed.

What Can You Do About It?

• If you can't find the perfect DevOps expert, grow your own. Offer regular training to your current IT staff and teach them automation tools, scripting, or cloud platforms. Upskill them through training and workshops.
  
• Pair up developers and operations staff so they can learn from each other.
  
• Encourage certifications in DevOps tools and cloud platforms.

3. Resistance to Change

Both the software development and IT operations teams are used to using the same old methods and systems. This makes it difficult to implement DevOps, use the latest DevOps tools, and ensure faster release of updates. Not everyone is comfortable with this.

Developers, operations staff, and even management may resist this new approach because it feels risky or unfamiliar. Without open communication and support, this resistance can block progress.

What Can You Do About It?

• Explain the benefits of DevOps in simple terms.
  
• Share success stories from other companies or pilot projects. 
  
• Start with small wins, like automating a manual task, to build confidence. 
  
• Create an open space where they can ask questions, express doubts, and receive guidance.

4. Siloed Departments and Poor Collaboration

One of DevOps' main aims is to improve collaboration across the departments, like developers, testers, operations, and security. But in so many UK businesses, these teams are still working in isolation.

They leverage different tools, follow separate objectives and don’t communicate regularly. That can result in confusion, delays and finger-pointing when things go wrong.

DevOps works to break those silos, but entrusting everyone to work smoothly together creates a huge cultural shift that requires time and work.

What Can You Do About It?

• Encourage a culture of shared goals and teamwork. 
  
• Use shared dashboards, cross-functional meetings, and collaboration tools like Jira or Microsoft Teams to keep everyone on the same page. 
  
• Hold joint sprint planning and reviews so developers, testers, and operations all understand what is happening. 
  
• Celebrate team wins together, not department wins.

5. Inconsistent Toolchains

DevOps involves using numerous tools for code versioning, automation, testing, deployment, and monitoring.

However, issues creep in when different teams use different tools without a standardised process. This inconsistency may result in integration challenges, additional learning curves, and repeated efforts.

Without a unified toolchain, the pipeline maintenance cost increases, leading to low productivity.

What Can You Do About It?

• Start by doing an audit of all DevOps tools currently in use and removing duplicates. Identify overlaps and pick the best ones. 
  
• Stick to standardised tools for CI/CD, monitoring, testing, and version control across teams for smooth collaboration.
  
• Create a central guidebook on how and when to use each tool to avoid chaos.

6. Security Integration in DevOps (DevSecOps)

In traditional setups, security checks happen at the end. In DevOps, security should be part of every step, and this is known as DevSecOps.

But adding security too early can slow things down, especially if teams don’t know how to do it properly.

Many businesses also find that their security teams aren’t trained in DevOps methods and practices, which creates gaps in the process. The challenge is to make sure security is tight without affecting speed and flexibility.

What Can You Do About It?

• Add security checks earlier in the development process.
  
• Use tools like static code analysers or automated security scanners directly in your CI/CD pipeline. 
  
• Train developers to write secure code from the start. 
  
• Create templates or automated scripts that apply security settings by default. 
  
• Use automated tools for scanning code and configurations.

7. Cloud Migration Complexity

Transitioning applications to the cloud offers better performance and scalability benefits, but it isn’t as simple as flicking a switch.

UK businesses are also transitioning to cloud development, but they also frequently face challenges when deciding what to move, how to move it, and when. Some apps are not only moved to the cloud, but need to be redesigned from scratch for the cloud, and it takes time and planning.

There are also concerns about cost, data privacy, and performance in the new environment.

What Can You Do About It?

• First, you need to remember that you don’t have to rush cloud migration. Move to the cloud step-by-step, not all at once.
  
• Start with less critical systems and move in phases. Use "lift and shift" for some apps and "refactor" others to make better use of cloud features. 
  
• Involve cloud experts to help you design a strong cloud foundation. 
  
• Use cloud-native monitoring to watch performance and costs. 
  
• Back up everything before moving, just in case things go wrong.

8. Monitoring and Logging Overload

DevOps teams depend on monitoring tools to track system health, performance, and errors. However, these systems generate a large volume of data, like logs, metrics, and alerts, per second.

Sorting through all that data to get to what matters is a real challenge. If the team is constantly flooded with alerts, they will become desensitised to them or won’t pay attention to the important alerts when real problems arise.

What Can You Do About It?

• Set up alerts only for important issues, not everything. 
  
• Use tools that allow filtering and dashboards like Grafana or ELK Stack. 
  
• Create alert rules that combine multiple signals so your team only gets notified when it's really necessary. 
  
• Train your team to understand which logs and metrics matter most and automate as much analysis as possible.

9. Compliance and Regulatory Roadblocks

There are heavy, post-Brexit rules on data protection, storage, and handling (like GDPR and industry-specific best practice standards) for UK companies.

From the DevOps team's perspective, they need to ensure tools and processes are compliant with these legal requirements.

For example, systems where the pipeline stores data in the cloud must store it in approved regions. You can run into legal trouble and fines if these rules aren't followed.

What Can You Do About It?

• Involve legal and compliance teams early in your DevOps projects to ensure clear requirements from the start.
  
• Use tools that track access, keep logs, and encrypt data. 
  
• Automate compliance checks in your CI/CD process. 
  
• Keep all data logs and documentation organised.

10. Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment (CI/CD) Bottlenecks

CI/CD is central to DevOps. It allows teams to test and release software automatically and frequently. However, when CI/CD pipelines are slow, unstable, or poorly designed, they create bottlenecks.

Developers have to wait hours for builds or experience deployment failure too often. Fixing CI/CD pipelines in DevOps can consume hours and often requires extensive tweaking, testing, and automation experience.

What Can You Do About It?

• CI/CD pipelines should be smooth and fast. So, identify slow steps in the pipeline and fix them. 
  
• Add parallel jobs where possible. 
  
• Use caching so you are not building the same things repeatedly. 
  
• Automate approvals if it's safe to do so. 
  
• Regularly clean up unused tests or jobs that slow things down.

11. Lack of Testing Automation

Without automated testing, all the speed in DevOps is wasted. Manual testing is slow, prone to human error, and does not scale.

Even today, many companies are still doing manual testing because writing automated tests takes time and requires technical expertise.

Without appropriate test coverage, bugs slip through, and updates are delayed. Companies need test automation, but it often gets tossed aside because of tight deadlines or budgets.

What Can You Do About It?

• Start by automating unit tests, then move to integration and testing.
  
• Use tools like Cypress for web testing or JUnit for Java. 
  
• Add these automated tests to your CI/CD pipeline so they run every time code is pushed.
  
• Encourage testers and developers to work together to improve coverage.

12. Cost Management in Cloud Infrastructure

Flexibility is one of the best features the cloud brings, but it also becomes expensive if not managed carefully.

Cloud services are charged based on consumption, and usage costs can occur on unused virtual machines, duplicated environments that were never deleted, or over-provisioned resources.

Many organisations in the UK struggle to track where the money is going, leading to surprises in their cloud bills. Without good visibility and budgeting tools, cloud costs can spin out of control.

What Can You Do About It?

• If you want to avoid big bills, you should track everything.
  
• Use cost tools like AWS Cost Explorer, Azure Advisor, or Google Cloud’s Billing Dashboard. 
  
• Turn off unused servers when not needed. 
  
• Use auto-scaling so you only pay for what you use. 
  
• Compare prices between cloud providers if you are using multiple. 
  
• Set alerts for cost spikes.

13. Managing Multi-Cloud and Hybrid Environments

Managing multi-cloud and hybrid environments is the challenge in DevOps for UK businesses. To avoid being dependent upon a single provider, many companies use multiple clouds (e.g., AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud) or a combination of cloud and on-premise systems.

While this provides the opportunity for flexibility and choice to meet business requirements, this can make management more complex! Each platform has its own tools, settings, and rules.

DevOps teams must constantly monitor performance, security, and updates across all these environments, which increases the workload and risk.

What Can You Do About It?

• Use tools like Terraform or Kubernetes that work across platforms.
  
• Build infrastructure as code (IaC) to make setups consistent. 
  
• Define rules for which apps run on which cloud.
  
• Monitor all environments from a single dashboard if possible.

14. Limited Executive Buy-In

DevOps isn’t just a technical upgrade; it is a business transformation. But some UK company leaders may not realise this.

If executives consider DevOps to be just "another IT project," they are unlikely to allocate sufficient funding, time, energy or support, which can slow down or stop progress.

Convincing the leadership team to see the bigger picture is paramount to success.

What Can You Do About It?

• Show actual results on how DevOps reduces downtime, speeds up delivery, and makes customers happier. 
  
• Use numbers: "We now deploy updates 3x faster" or "We reduced bugs by 40%." 
  
• Create regular reports with visuals that highlight progress.
  
• Align DevOps goals with business goals.

15. Shifting Left in Security and Testing

“Shifting left” means bringing security and testing earlier in the development cycle instead of waiting until the end. This helps catch bugs and issues sooner.

But to do this, developers need to be involved in areas they did not formally have responsibility for. This shift in responsibility can be difficult to manage without training, the right tools, and proper expectations.

What Can You Do About It?

• Introduce lightweight security and testing tools early in the development process. 
  
• Train developers on how to write secure code and how to test as they build. 
  
• Create shared templates and checklists so teams don’t forget security basics. 
  
• Encourage a habit of testing small pieces of code before moving ahead.

16. Tool Overload and Fragmentation

There are so many DevOps tools out there that produce different aspects of software development. Each of the toolsets promises to solve a different problem, or each claims to have a unique capability.

While choice is good, using too many different tools without proper integration adds to the confusion. Team time is wasted switching between tools, finding out how they work, and resolving integration issues. Rather than being useful, the tools become the problem.

What Can You Do About It?

• Regularly review all tools and remove the unnecessary ones.
  
• Ask teams what they use and what confuses them. 
  
• Drop unused or duplicate tools. 
  
• Choose multi-purpose platforms that do more than one job well. 
  
• Document tool usage so new team members don’t feel lost.

17. Maintaining High Availability and Uptime

Users expect digital services to be available all the time. But keeping apps running 24/7, even during updates, server issues, or cyberattacks, is not easy.

Uptime requires strong monitoring, failover systems, and quick responses when things go wrong. DevOps teams need to continually ensure uptime, with no interference to new deployments.

What Can You Do About It?

• Use health checks, load balancers, and auto-restart tools so systems fix themselves when they fail. 
  
• Build redundancy (don’t rely on just one server or region). 
  
• Test your disaster recovery plan regularly. 
  
• Use monitoring tools that send alerts when something goes wrong so you can fix it fast.

18. Data Privacy Concerns (Especially Post-Brexit)

As a result of Brexit, the UK now has its own data protection rules, which differ slightly from those in the EU.

Businesses must now ensure they are handling customer data according to UK law, especially when using cloud services or working with partners in other countries.

DevOps teams need to build data privacy into their workflows, tools, and deployment processes in order to comply legally.

What Can You Do About It?

• Store personal data in UK data centres or approved zones. 
  
• Use data encryption at rest and in transit. 
  
• Keep access to sensitive info limited. 
  
• Run regular privacy impact assessments and get legal teams to review practices.

19. Scaling DevOps Practices Across Teams

Starting DevOps with one team is manageable. But applying it across the entire company is hard. Getting started with DevOps with one team is feasible. But applying it across the entire company is hard.

Each team use the tools they want, has its own team culture, and may have different priorities. Getting everyone aligned, trained, and using similar processes takes a lot of planning and ongoing support. Without consistency, DevOps becomes a patchwork that doesn’t scale well.

What Can You Do About It?

• Start with a “DevOps pilot team” that gets it right, then use their process as a blueprint for others. 
  
• Appoint DevOps engineers in each team to guide the rollout. 
  
• Share best practices and lessons learned. 
  
• Give teams freedom to tweak the model to suit their work, but keep key principles the same.

20. Measuring the ROI of DevOps

Businesses want to see results, but how do you measure the success of DevOps? While you might feel like things are moving faster or smoother, you need data to prove it.

Metrics like deployment frequency, recovery time, or error rates help, but not every company tracks them. Without a clear ROI, it becomes harder to justify further investment or get buy-in from leadership.

What Can You Do About It?

• Track metrics like release speed, bug fixes, and downtime.
  
• Show before-and-after comparisons.
  
• Use data to show how DevOps is helping the business grow.

Partner With Arramton For the Best DevOps Services for Your Business

We have learned all the challenges in DevOps that many UK businesses face, and if you are also facing such challenges and want to overcome them, it is time to team up with Arramton.

We help UK businesses like yours to build fast, smart, and secure development processes using effective DevOps strategies.

Whether you are having a hard time with legacy systems, tool overload, or a cloud migration, our expert team is here to make it simple and allow you to achieve your goals without any stress.

It’s not just the tools that we are bringing; it’s the results as well. We will lead the way in everything from smoother CI/CD pipelines to stronger security and better collaboration for you to understand every part of the process.

Partnering with Arramton Infotech is not like working with another tech team. You will also be getting a reliable partner who is trustworthy and dedicated to your success.

Our focus is on delivering practical results, keeping communication transparent, and extending the required support for the business as it grows. So, contact us today to get started!

Conclusion

DevOps gives UK businesses a huge advantage by enabling faster development, better teams, quicker releases, and higher quality. The only problem is that it is not always so simple.

There can be many challenges in DevOps, from dealing with legacy systems to managing complex toolchains. However, adopting the right approach, thinking ahead and having a reliable DevOps partner will certainly address all these issues.

Whether it’s through better training, smarter tools, or simply getting teams to work together more effectively, there’s always a way forward.

If you are serious about being in the game, growing faster, and providing the best products to the market, seize the chance to act on these problems right now.

Therefore, if you are ready to overcome DevOps challenges and change how your teams build and deliver software, you can reach out to Arramton Infotech today.

They understand the unique DevOps struggles UK businesses face and provide solutions based on your business needs. Whether you are just getting started or looking to improve your current process, our team is here to support you every step of the way.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q1 What is the main goal of DevOps?

Ans The main goal of DevOps is to help development and operations teams work together better. It aims to speed up software delivery, reduce errors, and make sure updates and changes happen smoothly. It’s all about teamwork, faster releases, and improving the quality of the product.

Q2 Why is DevOps hard for some UK businesses?

Ans DevOps can be hard because it is not just about tools but also about changing how people work. Some teams aren’t ready to change their habits, others don’t have the right skills, and sometimes the company culture doesn’t support open communication or making decisions quickly. All these things can slow down progress.

Q3 Do small businesses also face DevOps challenges?

Ans Yes, small businesses face challenges too. They may have less money to spend on tools and a limited time to train their team. However, small businesses can adapt more quickly once they decide to go for it.

Q4 Can DevOps help with security?

Ans Yes! DevOps includes a part called “DevSecOps,” which adds security to every step of the development process. This means security checks happen early, which helps catch problems sooner and makes the product safer.

Q5 How long does it take to see results from DevOps?

Ans It depends on the company. Some see changes in a few months, while others may take a year or more. The speed of results depends on how committed the team is, how well they adopt new tools and practices, and how open they are to change.