Summary

  • Ring deployment is a method of gradually rolling out software updates to different user groups, starting with a small test group and expanding to the full user base. 
  • By catching and addressing issues at their onset, we minimize risks and enhance the user experience by averting widespread disruptions. 
  • Key practices include aligning rings with business impact, automating deployments, continuous monitoring, having rollback plans, and communicating with users throughout the process. 

Exploitation of vulnerabilities increased 180% year over year from 2023 to 2024, which means that quickly and effectively securing endpoints – always a priority – will only continue to escalate. Patching these vulnerabilities promptly, but without sacrificing stability, can present operational challenges. One way to achieve this: ring deployment — a technique that progressively scales rollouts to user groups. Below, we'll explore what ring deployment is, how it works and why it's an essential strategy for IT and security teams.

Understanding the ring deployment model

The ring deployment model is a structured approach to software rollouts that involves deploying updates or new features in progressive stages, or "rings." Each ring represents a different group of users, starting with a small, controlled group and gradually expanding to a larger audience. This method allows teams to test and validate changes in a controlled environment before releasing them to the entire user base.

Once the initial ring-based deployment proves successful and any issues are ironed out, teams can confidently expand the update to the next ring. This step-by-step expansion helps minimize the risk of widespread problems and makes the deployment more reliable.

How ring-based deployment works: a step-by step guide

The first step in implementing a ring deployment strategy is to define your rings. Each ring should represent a different group of users, with the size and composition of each group tailored to your organization's needs. Rings can be tailored to suit business needs, including:

  • Test ring: a small group of internal testers or IT staff responsible for identifying critical issues.
  • Early adopters ring: A slightly larger group of users, including key stakeholders who are willing to test new features and provide feedback.
  • Full production ring: The final stage, where the software is released to the entire user base not covered in the test and early adopters rings.

Once your rings are defined, the next step is to deploy the software to the early rings and closely monitor performance. At this stage, you’ll track performance, bugs such as app crashes and error rates and user feedback. This data will help identify any issues that need to be addressed before progressing to the next ring.

After successfully deploying to the early rings and addressing any issues, the next step is to gradually expand the rollout to larger groups. This phased approach ensures that the software remains stable and performs well as it reaches a broader audience.

The final stage is the full production deployment, where the software is released to the entire user base. Even after reaching this stage, it's important to continue monitoring performance and gathering feedback to make ongoing improvements.

Best practices for implementing a ring deployment strategy

  • Aligning rings with business impact levels: Ensuring that rings are aligned with the business impact levels of your organization makes sure you to protect critical business functions and promptly address potential issues.
  • Automating deployments for efficiency: This can help improve efficiency and reduce the risk of human error. Tools and scripts can be used to automate the deployment to each ring, ensuring a consistent and reliable process.
  • Continuous monitoring: A robust monitoring system can track performance, user feedback and any anomalies. This allows you to swiftly detect and resolve issues, ensuring a seamless user experience.
  • Having rollback plans in case of failure: Issues can still arise after the test ring deployment. Having a rollback plan in place allows teams to quickly revert to a previous version of the software if necessary, minimizing the impact on users.
  • Communicating with users in different rings: Keep users in each ring informed about the deployment process, including any known issues and expected timelines. This helps manage expectations and ensures that users are prepared for any changes.
  • Following up with a user sentiment survey: Early users are invaluable, offering insights that can drive significant refinements. By actively engaging with user feedback via a user survey, teams can pinpoint issues, address bugs and uncover areas for improvement that may not have been evident during the deployment process.

Key benefits of using ring deployment

Reduces risk

One of the primary benefits of ring deployment is the ability to catch and resolve issues early in the deployment process. By starting with a small group of users, teams can identify and address critical bugs and performance issues before they affect the entire user base, allowing for seamless facilitation of continuous improvement. This iterative process enables teams to make rapid adjustments and enhancements, ensuring that the final version of deployed patches aligns perfectly with the needs and expectations of broader user bases.

Improves user experience

By testing new patches with smaller groups, teams can gather valuable feedback and make necessary adjustments. Any errors that might occur with releases are caught and iterated upon before they can interrupt the majority of users.

Avoids major disruptions

Ring-based deployment not only reduces user disruption but also keeps productivity flowing during updates. By introducing changes gradually, users are less likely to be to be caught off guard by sudden, major shifts that could derail their workflows. This methodical, controlled rollout guarantees a smoother transition, keeping downtime and frustration to a minimum. Users can acclimate to new features and updates at a comfortable pace, which is especially crucial in enterprise settings where stability and reliability are non-negotiable.

Supports iterative improvements

Ring deployment supports continuous improvement by letting teams gather feedback from users at each stage of the rollout. This feedback can be used to make iterative improvements, ensuring that the final update meets user needs and expectations.

Why ring deployment is a smart choice

A ring-based deployment strategy can help organizations achieve a smoother and more stable deployment process, ultimately leading to better software and happier users. If your organization is looking to adopt ring deployment, start by defining your rings, automating the deployment process and maintaining effective communication with users. With careful planning and execution, ring deployment can become a valuable part of your IT and software development strategy.

FAQ 

  • What is ring deployment? Ring deployment is a strategy for software updates where new features are introduced in incremental stages, or “rings,” starting with a controlled group and broadening the scope to a larger user group over time. 
  • What are the “rings” in ring deployment? Rings are user groups. Ring deployment usually starts with a test ring (internal testers or IT staff), an early adopters ring (a broad group of key stakeholders), and a full production ring (the entire user base). 
  • How does ring deployment reduce risk? Ring deployment lets teams detect and resolve issues early in the deployment process, before they impact the entire user base.