BMC Software Automates, Optimizes ALM for Cloud with StreamStep 
BMC Software has acquired StreamStep, noting that the cloud is pushing the needs of DevOps and IT operations for quicker and more efficient application delivery and automated release management. StreamStep accelerates applications delivery and improves release management, and will be integrated into BMC’s Application Release Automation offering.
BMC Software has acquired StreamStep, noting that the cloud is pushing the needs of DevOps and IT operations for quicker and more efficient application delivery and automated release management features.
BMC’s acquisition of SteamStep is the latest move to expand support for seamless application lifecycle management across cloud and on-premise design, development, production and operations, according to Scott Fulton, BMC’s vice president and general manager of cloud and service operations.
StreamStep software, which accelerates applications delivery and improves release management, will be integrated into BMC’s Application Release Automation (ARA) offering.
Fulton described the fast-paced climate brought on by the cloud this way:
“With the move to more cloud computing, development is producing business application changes at breakneck speed. This magnifies the challenges with current, often manual scripted processes.” Without an automated release process, companies will suffer costly bottlenecks in deploying new and updated applications, and could even fall victim to more system outrages, he added.
Keeping pace, requires IT to consider “a shift to an automated release process” that will allow DevOps and IT operations to avoid deployment bottlenecks, speed the update/modification process and even avoid error-driven disruptions and outages, Fulton added.
BMC’s updated Release Process Management (part of BMC’s ARA) with StreamStep streamlines and automates release activities across the lifecycle. The BMC’s RPM supports DevOps collaboration by creating a single source of truth for all releases (past, current, planned) with a centralized, graphical, web-based interface. It will also capture and model current release processes and provide planning, execution, and real-time tracking to accelerate business service delivery, Fulton added.
Under the covers, StreamStep’s Application Model consists of an application – which can have multiple components. (See illustration at left) 
Components are typically software products (code) or logical elements (DB) that are required for the application to function. If it has a version number it is likely to be a good candidate to be a component. Application components are then “installed” in a environment. Applications can have multiple environments. Users can install all components in a environment or a sub-set of components in an environment.
The BMC/StreamStep integration will provide IT the following benefits and features:
- A central, web-based environment that provides a single source of truth that development and IT operations can use to collaborate on application releases
- Integration with application lifecycle management and IT service management to coordinate the manual, scripted and automated tasks required to manage the release process
- Support for the cultural and process change required to support agile business practices
- End-to-end release process transparency with no changes to existing release processes. Features will support: release planning; release execution; and release tracking (including collection of metrics on release activities); and release auditing and governance (to detect and remediate changes and confirm policy enforcement).
One analyst familiar with BMC’s portfolio is bullish on the blending of ARA and StreamStep. “The benefit of an ARA tool is that it will add reliability to the deployment process, with less custom scripting, and by documenting variations across environments to reduce configuration errors and downtime,” said Ronni Colville, Gartner vice president and distinguished analyst, in IT Operations Management in a recent report.
