SRE Teams: Leveraging Specialized Knowledge

In this model, a dedicated Site Reliability Engineering (SRE) team handles operations for each product. SRE teams are professionals dedicated to maintaining system reliability and uptime. This team works closely with development teams, who can be pulled into on-call duties as necessary.

SRE Team distribution

Advantages

• This approach combines the benefits of both previous models. It allows for specialist operational knowledge per product (like in the Centralized Ops model) while also leveraging the in-depth software knowledge of the developers (like in the Service Teams model).

• SRE teams are generally composed of engineers with a deep understanding of the system, allowing them to diagnose and fix problems efficiently. They also focus on creating systems to prevent incidents from happening, which can decrease the overall number of incidents.

Challenges

• The SRE model requires clear roles and responsibilities and strong coordination between the SRE and development teams to be effective.

Ideal Use Case

• This model is popular among mid-sized to large companies that have a significant number of service teams and require dedicated teams to maintain system reliability.

• It provides a balance between specialized on-call teams and the need to involve developers in incident management.

In choosing an on-call organization model, evaluate the unique circumstances and requirements of your organization. Each model offers different strengths, and your choice should reflect your operational needs, team structure, and business objectives. Furthermore, remember that incident management is an evolving process, and the chosen model should be reviewed and adapted over time as your needs change.