## 4 Deployment of Information Systems
### Continuous Integration and Continuous Deployment (CI/CD)  
The methodology for carrying out deployment follows the concept of CI/CD (continuous integration/continuous delivery). Continuous integration (or \"CI\") involves the automated movement of metadata through pipelines across environments for the merging and testing of packages before bringing them into production. This way, the testing and validation of new functionalities are optimized to reduce the time required for review [30]. Continuous deployment refers to the instant implementation of changes in an environment as soon as the changes have been merged into the version control. Continuous delivery is the ultimate goal and involves a workflow to bring new functionalities to end-users as quickly as possible. This approach reduces manual work, thus decreasing the likelihood of errors. File deployment is achieved using an application such as Visual Studio Code--a source code editor that runs locally on a computer. It supports JavaScript, TypeScript, and Node.js, along with extensions for other programming languages (C+++, C#, Java, Python, PHP, Go, and.NET). Automate the process of building, testing, and deploying software artifacts to streamline development workflows. Use build automation tools such as Jenkins, Travis CI, or GitLab CI to automate the compilation, packaging, and distribution of software components. Here are some key technical points for the IT team to take into consideration:  
* Use a version control system (e.g., Git) to manage source code, track changes, and facilitate collaboration among development teams. Adopt branching strategies such as GitHub to organize feature development, bug fixes, and release management in a structured manner. * Implement CI practices to integrate code changes into a shared repository frequently, typically several times a day. Configure CI pipelines to trigger automated builds, tests, and code quality checks whenever changes are pushed to the version control system. Use CI tools to run unit tests, integration tests, and other automated checks to validate code changes and identify issues early in the development process. * Extend CI practices to include CD, enabling the automated deployment of code changes to production or staging environments. Implement deployment pipelines to automate the deployment process, including provisioning infrastructure, configuring environments, and deploying application updates. Use deployment orchestration tools such as Kubernetes, Docker Swarm, or AWS CodeDeploy to automate deployment tasks and manage the application lifecycle. * Integrate monitoring and feedback mechanisms into the CI/CD pipelines to track system performance, health, and reliability. Monitor key metrics such as build success rate, test coverage, deployment frequency, and mean time to recovery to assess pipeline effectiveness and identify areas for improvement. * Implement security best practices throughout the CI/CD pipeline to ensure code integrity, data confidentiality, and compliance with regulatory requirements. Incorporate security scanning tools, vulnerability assessments, and static code analysis into the CI/CD workflows to identify and remediate security vulnerabilities early in the development lifecycle. * Enable incremental updates and rollback capabilities in the CI/CD pipelines to minimize the impact of failed deployments and ensure system reliability. Implement blue/green deployments, canary releases, or feature toggles to gradually roll out changes and mitigate risks associated with new releases. * Document the CI/CD processes, procedures, and best practices to facilitate knowledge sharing and the onboarding of new team members. Provide training and resources to developers, testers, and operations teams to ensure they understand and adhere to the CI/CD principles and workflows. * Foster a culture of continuous improvement by regularly reviewing and optimizing the CI/CD pipelines, tools, and practices.