Site Reliability Engineering, 2nd Edition

Chapter 2. The Value of Reliability

By Ben McCormack, Brian Kudzia, David Huska, and Jose Andrade

with Garret Holthaus

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This will be the 2nd chapter of the final book. Please note that the GitHub repo will be made active later on.

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Introduction

The smooth and consistent operation of technology services isn’t discretionary; it’s a critical factor for business success. This chapter discusses Site Reliability Engineering from a perspective which often isn’t considered: as a business investment to the organization. While there are certainly business costs associated with implementing SRE, the measurable return on that investment can be substantial. We’ll examine how SRE principles—like managing risk, setting service performance goals, reducing repetitive tasks, improving system visibility, and automating processes—not only prevent expensive service disruptions, but also drive efficiency and foster innovation throughout the organization.

Why SRE Is Right for Google

Traditionally, engineering teams were organized by separating software development from operations. This usually resulted in suboptimal outcomes ...