Deep Dive into 3 Real Case Studies ! Release Management

Today, we will explore real-world examples of how Release Management has been implemented in various organizations and the benefits it has provided. Let’s dive in!

Case Study 1: IBM Cloud Kubernetes Service

IBM Cloud Kubernetes Service is an infrastructure service for running containers on IBM Cloud. Release Management has helped IBM in many ways, including cost savings, reducing manual work, and boosting confidence for the operations team.

Problem:

IBM offers a Free Trial for users, but some misuse it for activities such as Bitcoin mining, leading to unnecessary resource consumption. Engineers had to spend a significant amount of time and effort detecting and blocking these unauthorized activities.

Solution:

IBM used Release Management to address this issue by:

1.    Automatically disabling Free Trial accounts without restarting the system.

2.    Blocking access from IPs or domains with a history of misuse, significantly reducing costs and alleviating the workload for security teams monitoring customer activity.

Progressive Deployment for New Data Centers

IBM needed to open new data centers to support usage in multiple regions. Before making them fully available, they conducted internal testing by allowing admins and testers to access them first. Gradually, access was expanded to beta users and then the general public. This Progressive Deployment approach helped IBM maintain quality control and minimize risks before full-scale release.

Case Study 2: Vodafone

Vodafone, a global telecommunications provider with over 330 million customers across 15 countries, is transforming into a tech-driven company aiming to launch more innovative products.

Problem:

Previously, Vodafone had a slow feature release cycle, following a Big Bang Release approach, launching new features only once per quarter. This made it difficult to compete in a rapidly evolving market.

Solution:

Vodafone’s executives wanted to release features more frequently. They used Release Management to reduce risk and separate Deployment from Release by:

• Adopting Trunk-Based Development instead of managing multiple version branches.

• Implementing Feature Flags to control feature activation in production.

  
  

Results:

• Increased feature rollout frequency from once per quarter → 220 releases per month!

• Maintained high system stability despite frequent releases.

• A Vodafone executive stated, “LaunchDarkly was a key factor in making this transformation possible.”

Case Study 3: Atlassian

Atlassian, a global software company, is known for products like Trello (Kanban Board) and Jira (Bug & Project Management System).

Problem:

Atlassian initially built its own Feature Flag system, but encountered challenges:

• The dedicated development team spent excessive time supporting other teams.

• SDK limitations made it difficult to support multiple languages like Python and JavaScript.

• The in-house system had a complex UI, making it difficult for non-technical teams to use.

  
  

Solution:

When Atlassian switched to LaunchDarkly, the benefits were clear:

• SDKs supporting 30-40+ languages, eliminating the need for internal development.

• A user-friendly UI, enabling business teams to control feature rollouts.

• Built-in Audit & Compliance for regulatory requirements.

  
  

Results:

• Net Promoter Score (NPS) increased, indicating higher customer satisfaction.

• Production issue resolution time reduced by 97%.

• The development team could now focus on innovation rather than maintaining the Feature Flag system.

Conclusion

From the three case studies of IBM, Vodafone, and Atlassian, it’s evident that Release Management is a critical tool for accelerating feature releases, reducing costs, and improving system stability. This showcases the advantages of using LaunchDarkly, which we highly recommend considering!