Many organizations are adopting continuous integration and continuous deployment (CI/CD) practices to ensure faster and more frequent software releases, but they often confuse deployment with release, leading to production issues. Deployment involves making a software system available without directing production traffic, while release involves moving production traffic to the new version, which carries more risk. To avoid the pitfalls of "big-bang" releases, companies can use canary releases, which gradually introduce new features to a small user segment, reducing the risk of widespread issues. Automating this process with release policies ensures consistency and reliability, allowing for smoother, more frequent updates without negatively impacting the customer experience. By codifying release decisions into policies, organizations can automate and standardize the release process, minimizing the risk and stress associated with traditional release strategies.