"DevOps" refers to a set of practices that integrate software development (Dev) and IT operations (Ops) to shorten the development lifecycle and improve the delivery of applications. It emphasizes collaboration, automation, and continuous improvement across teams to enhance productivity and efficiency. By fostering a culture of communication between developers and operations staff, DevOps practices facilitate faster releases, better quality, and increased reliability of software products. Tools like CI/CD pipelines play a key role in automating processes within the DevOps framework.