Understanding the New ITU‑T Y.3525 DevOps Standard: Implications for Cloud Operations

DevOps International Standard Overview

ITU‑T Y.3525 (standard number Y.cccsdaom) titled “Cloud computing – Requirements for cloud service development and operation management” covers design, deployment, operation, and decommissioning phases, aligning closely with the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology (CAICT) domestic DevOps assessment framework.

On April 25, 2024, CAICT’s Cloud Computing Institute announced the DevOps International Standard assessment plan, inviting enterprises from all industries to participate, with the first batch of results expected in mid‑2024.

Development History

From July 16‑27, 2018, at the ITU‑T Study Group 13 meeting in Geneva, representatives from over 20 countries approved the DevOps International Standard project led by CAICT, naming it “Cloud computing – Requirements for cloud service development and operation management.”

After multiple rounds of discussion with representatives from the United States, Japan, Korea, India, and others, the project received support from China Unicom, China Mobile, Datang Software, and the Indian Ministry of Communications, among others.

On July 20‑31, 2020, the standard was formally approved at the ITU‑T Study Group 13 meeting, receiving the standard number ITU‑T Y.3525.

Assessment Scheme

Enterprises can join the CAICT DevOps Capability Maturity Model assessment and simultaneously undergo the International Standard assessment. Unregistered enterprises may register now; evaluated enterprises can obtain a DevOps International Standard certificate issued by CAICT/China Telecom Laboratory.

The assessment will produce two reports: an English International Standard report and a Chinese domestic report, each containing results, improvement suggestions, and best‑practice recommendations.

Three Upgrades in the Assessment

Certificate Upgrade: In addition to the domestic DevOps certificate, a DevOps International Standard certificate will be issued.

Report Upgrade: Both English and Chinese reports will be provided, with the international report incorporating advanced practices.

Scope Upgrade: The assessment now includes requirements from the DevOps International Standard.

Relationship Between Domestic and International Standards

Both standards are led by CAICT, a ministry‑affiliated research institute. The international standard, published by the United Nations ITU, refines China’s industry best practices for global applicability.

The domestic standard comprises 15 parts covering agile development management, continuous delivery, technical operations, DevSecOps, system and tool metrics, and emerging topics such as continuous testing and BizDevOps.

The international standard, finalized in 2020, includes 12 content areas: requirements analysis, development planning, function design, code development, automated testing, continuous integration, continuous delivery, monitoring, quality assurance, deployment & release management, measurement & feedback, and security considerations.

DevOps Capability Maturity Model Overview

CAICT’s DevOps Capability Maturity Model has been adopted by banks, securities, insurance, telecom, internet, and other sectors, improving IT capabilities across industries.

Industry participation statistics (as of April 25, 2024) are shown in the following figures:

For assessment inquiries, contact the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology (CAICT):

Contact: Bai Hanxiong (WeChat: same as phone) – Phone: 159 1076 9206 – Email: [email protected]

Contact: Bai Lu – Phone: 153 1152 6860 – Email: [email protected]

Wei Huanxin (GreatOps Community) – Phone: 185 0025 5645 – Email: [email protected]

Source: CAICT Digital Governance public account.