Systems automation and orchestration
Get expert guidance and practitioner-written tutorials to improve your organization's automation and orchestration processes, offering advice for beginners and pros alike.
Top Stories
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Tip
12 Mar 2025
8 IT process automation platforms to explore in 2025
Selecting an IT process automation platform requires organizations to evaluate processes, skill level and integration issues. These popular products are good options. Continue Reading
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Tip
12 Mar 2025
7 task automation tools to increase productivity in 2025
Explore task automation tools that save time and reduce risks for IT operations by automating routine tasks, improving efficiency and minimizing errors. Continue Reading
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Tip
09 Jun 2023
Kubernetes networking 101: Best practices and challenges
Before jumping into the landscape of CNI plugins for Kubernetes, it's important to understand the basic elements of Kubernetes networking. Follow this guide to get started. Continue Reading
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News
08 Jun 2023
Sysdig CNAPP runtime threat detection wins over BigCommerce
Sysdig's fast, comprehensive data collection, now part of a larger CNAPP product, sealed the deal with the e-commerce company. Next, it might replace vulnerability management tools. Continue Reading
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Tutorial
08 Jun 2023
Manage multiple environments with Terraform workspaces
Terraform workspaces let DevOps teams manage configurations for different environments in a centralized way. Get started with workspaces through hands-on examples in this tutorial. Continue Reading
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Guest Post
06 Jun 2023
Compare Rancher vs. OpenShift vs. Tanzu for Kubernetes
Kubernetes management platforms simplify container orchestration at scale, but each has unique pros and cons. See how SUSE Rancher, Red Hat OpenShift and VMware Tanzu stack up. Continue Reading
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Definition
02 Jun 2023
Ansible playbook
An Ansible playbook is an organized unit of scripts that defines the tasks involved in managing a system configuration using the automation tool Ansible. Continue Reading
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Tip
01 Jun 2023
Manage complexity in Kubernetes with AI and machine learning
Learn how DevOps teams can enhance performance and observability in Kubernetes with AI and machine learning techniques. Evaluate pros, cons and use cases. Continue Reading
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News
25 May 2023
AI and automation take center stage at AnsibleFest 2023
Amid excitement around the possibilities raised by AI and automation, experts at Red Hat Summit and AnsibleFest 2023 highlighted the importance of trust and responsibility. Continue Reading
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Opinion
25 May 2023
Automating modernization: Takeaways from Red Hat Summit 2023
Get an industry analyst's take on major announcements from this year's Red Hat Summit and AnsibleFest and how the developments fit into today's IT landscape. Continue Reading
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Feature
25 May 2023
Now a DevOps platform, OpenShift ups value -- and complexity
Red Hat raises OpenShift's profile as a DevOps platform with software supply chain security but faces questions about networking strategy and observability staff departures. Continue Reading
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News
24 May 2023
Event-Driven Ansible early adopters share lessons learned
Beta testers of the new Event-Driven Ansible tool from Red Hat said expanding automation and moving toward self-healing systems requires fresh skills and organizational shifts. Continue Reading
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Definition
24 May 2023
GitOps
GitOps is an operational framework that applies DevOps practices, such as continuous integration/continuous delivery (CI/CD) and version control, to infrastructure automation. Continue Reading
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News
23 May 2023
Ansible Lightspeed leads Red Hat generative AI agenda
Red Hat leans on IBM's expertise in training Watson Code Assistant to write Ansible playbooks, as worries linger about AI-generated code risks and rivals hold a strong lead. Continue Reading
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Tip
22 May 2023
Generative AI use cases for DevOps and IT
Generative AI is often associated with creative projects, but it has promising use cases in DevOps and IT workflows -- if organizations account for its risks and limitations. Continue Reading
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Opinion
18 May 2023
3 rules to adapt cloud change management policies
Having a change management policy can minimize risk when it comes to making changes. Follow these rules to adapt cloud change management policies and compliance within the cloud. Continue Reading
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Tutorial
18 May 2023
Learn how to use the PowerShell Trim method
With the Trim method in your PowerShell toolbox, you can write scripts to remove unwanted characters from strings without using regular expressions. Get started with this tutorial. Continue Reading
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Tip
17 May 2023
Improve automation skills with the AD Administrative Center
You might know that you can use PowerShell to handle repetitive Active Directory tasks. But were you aware the Active Directory Administrative Center can help write the code? Continue Reading
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News
10 May 2023
Google teases generative AI expansion within its own cloud
Google's new generative AI features, including a coding assistant, were tied closely to GCP in preview demos this week, while industry experts said its LLM still lags rivals. Continue Reading
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News
10 May 2023
Cloud repatriation vs. multi-cloud: IT seeks cost relief
Amid fiscal worries, IT orgs reassess cloud investments. Whether they go back on-premises or expand to multi-cloud, they face similar distributed computing management challenges. Continue Reading
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News
05 May 2023
For enterprise generative AI adoption, custom models are key
Enterprise interest in deploying generative AI is on the rise, but challenges remain around security, infrastructure requirements and integration with existing systems. Continue Reading
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Definition
05 May 2023
C shell
C shell (csh) is a Unix shell that provides a command-line user interface (UI) to interact with an operating system (OS). Continue Reading
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News
03 May 2023
Observability maven 'cranky' about AIOps embraces GPT
Honeycomb's observability tools will add natural language queries via OpenAI's GPT API, a departure from its co-founder and CTO's broader stance on AI in IT ops tools. Continue Reading
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News
02 May 2023
Citing data privacy, GitLab syncs with Google generative AI
GitLab's deal with Google lets it keep sensitive customer data in the GitLab cloud while training models, amid enterprise concerns about generative AI licensing and security risks. Continue Reading
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Opinion
01 May 2023
How advances in GPT-4 could revolutionize app development
Although public attention has recently centered on ChatGPT, the underlying GPT-3 and GPT-4 models could be even more transformative, particularly for application developers. Continue Reading
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Feature
26 Apr 2023
How ChatGPT can assist with network management
Network professionals can use ChatGPT as a tool to automate mundane processes, write code, design networks and perform other tasks related to network management. Continue Reading
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News
20 Apr 2023
Sidecarless eBPF service mesh sparks debate
As cloud-native service meshes expand beyond Kubernetes, open source community members raise concerns about the security and suitability of eBPF in sidecarless architectures. Continue Reading
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News
19 Apr 2023
Atlassian demos ChatGPT tie-ins for Confluence, Jira Cloud
Atlassian teased early previews of cloud platform AI that supports natural language queries and automated links between Jira, Confluence and third-party products. Continue Reading
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News
19 Apr 2023
Server-side Wasm boosts K8s bonds, devx ahead of key update
Early adopters await a WASI update this year before server-side Wasm can be ready for wider production use. For now, PaaS vendors have begun to bridge some of the gaps. Continue Reading
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Definition
18 Apr 2023
open core model (open core software)
The open core model is an approach to software development that combines attributes of both the open source and closed source models. Continue Reading
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Tip
17 Apr 2023
Evaluate the GitOps model for your organization
For some organizations, GitOps leads to faster, higher-quality software delivery -- but for others, DevOps or NetOps is a better fit. Learn what factors your team should consider. Continue Reading
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Definition
14 Apr 2023
mutation testing
Mutation testing, also known as code mutation testing, is a form of white box testing in which testers change specific components of an application's source code to ensure a software test suite can detect the changes. Continue Reading
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News
13 Apr 2023
ChatGPT craze hits infrastructure as code
From GitHub's Copilot to a purpose-built product from Pulumi, generative AI is emerging for infrastructure as code, with the same potential benefits and risks it presents for apps. Continue Reading
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Tip
12 Apr 2023
Manage complex IT environments with AIOps and observability
As IT environments grow in complexity, AIOps and observability tools can provide valuable insights and identify problem areas -- but prepare for adoption hurdles along the way. Continue Reading
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Definition
12 Apr 2023
application release automation (ARA)
Application release automation (ARA) is a process that automatically packages and deploys an application, or application updates, through the stages of development to production. Continue Reading
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Definition
10 Apr 2023
organizational unit (OU)
An organizational unit (OU) can refer to different things depending on the context, such as an organizational group within a company that is intended to accomplish a specific business function. Continue Reading
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Tutorial
10 Apr 2023
Automate firewall rules with Terraform and VMware NSX
In this hands-on tutorial, learn how infrastructure-as-code tools such as Terraform can streamline firewall management with automated, standardized configuration of firewall rules. Continue Reading
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Feature
06 Apr 2023
Mainframe modernization to AI apps: USPTO reinvents itself
How the US Patent and Trade Office, founded in 1802, maintained IT resilience while managing systems ranging from mainframes to the cloud, AI and beyond. Continue Reading
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News
03 Apr 2023
Istio service mesh doyen departs Google, touts Ambient Mesh
After 16 years at Google, Istio's co-founder takes over as CTO at Solo.io and goes all in on a project he believes will determine the future of cloud-native networking. Continue Reading
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News
29 Mar 2023
Comcast subsidiary survives March Madness with AIOps
AIOps alert reduction brought order to a chaotic environment at TV advertising specialist FreeWheel just in time for a big test of its resiliency during a wild NCAA tournament. Continue Reading
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Tip
29 Mar 2023
Self-healing networks goals, benefits and how they work
With help from automation and AI, self-healing networks promise to detect, remediate and even predict network problems. But can these systems be trusted? Continue Reading
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Definition
28 Mar 2023
trusted execution environment (TEE)
A trusted execution environment (TEE) is an area on the main processor of a device that is separated from the system's main operating system (OS). Continue Reading
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Tutorial
24 Mar 2023
Build an automated image processing pipeline with AWS tools
In this guide, learn how to automate image processing with AWS Step Functions. Build an image processing pipeline with example code, then explore ways to expand your new workflow. Continue Reading
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Definition
22 Mar 2023
Virtual Machine Disk format (VMDK)
VMware Virtual Machine Disk format (VMDK) is a format specification for virtual machine (VM) disk image files. Continue Reading
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Definition
22 Mar 2023
NoOps (no operations)
NoOps (no operations) is a concept that an IT environment can become so automated and abstracted from the underlying infrastructure that there's no need for a dedicated team to manage software in-house. Continue Reading
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Definition
21 Mar 2023
IT service management (ITSM)
IT service management (ITSM) is a general term that describes a strategic approach to design, deliver, manage and improve the way businesses use IT. Continue Reading
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Definition
21 Mar 2023
management information systems (MIS)
Management information systems (MIS) is a department within an enterprise responsible for controlling the hardware and software systems that the organization uses to make business-critical decisions. Continue Reading
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Tip
17 Mar 2023
PowerShell vs. Bash: Key differences explained
Windows admins have the option to use Bash, a Linux shell, but the command-line tool doesn't stack up one to one with PowerShell for Windows deployments. Continue Reading
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Tip
17 Mar 2023
When to use the Windows command prompt vs. PowerShell
The Windows command prompt and PowerShell can accomplish similar tasks, but how they do so might push users toward one option over the other. Check out these examples to see why. Continue Reading
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News
17 Mar 2023
How ChatGPT and generative AI will affect IT operations
As generative AI programs improve, they raise questions for many engineering disciplines about the future of work -- and IT operations is no exception. Continue Reading
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Definition
16 Mar 2023
IT operations management (ITOM)
IT operations management (ITOM) is a strategic approach to managing an organization's information technology needs. Continue Reading
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Definition
16 Mar 2023
AMD Virtualization (AMD-V)
AMD-V (AMD Virtualization) technology refers to a set of hardware extensions and on-chip features for the AMD family of x86 microprocessors. Continue Reading
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Definition
16 Mar 2023
bare-metal provisioning
Bare-metal provisioning is the process of installing an operating system (OS) or Type 1 hypervisor directly on a computer's hard disk. Continue Reading
- Definition 15 Mar 2023
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Definition
14 Mar 2023
event stream processing (ESP)
Event stream processing (ESP) is a software programming technique designed to process a continuous stream of device data and take action on it in real time. Continue Reading
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Feature
14 Mar 2023
Meeting the challenges of scaling AI with MLOps
As businesses race to capitalize on the promises of AI in the wake of ChatGPT's launch, strategies to move machine learning software from idea to reality are becoming essential. Continue Reading
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Definition
10 Mar 2023
early adopter
An early adopter refers to a person who embraces new technology or tries a new product before most others. Continue Reading
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News
01 Mar 2023
SBOM graph database aims to be cloud security secret sauce
An open source consortium that includes Google plans to release a deployable beta of the GUAC project this month, a possible milestone for cloud-native SBOM. Continue Reading
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Definition
01 Mar 2023
million instructions per second (MIPS)
Million instructions per second (MIPS) is a measure of a processor's speed, providing a standard for representing the number of instructions that a CPU can process in 1 second. Continue Reading
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Definition
28 Feb 2023
job scheduler
A job scheduler is a computer program that enables an enterprise to schedule and, in some cases, monitor computer 'batch' jobs (units of work). Continue Reading
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Definition
22 Feb 2023
STONITH (Shoot The Other Node In The Head)
STONITH (Shoot The Other Node In The Head) is a Linux service for maintaining the integrity of nodes in a high-availability (HA) cluster. Continue Reading
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Tip
22 Feb 2023
The role of IT ops in digital employee experience management
Automated tools for measuring and analyzing employees' digital experience satisfaction can help IT ops predict problems, identify areas for improvement and cut costs. Continue Reading
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Definition
22 Feb 2023
Git
Git is an open source distributed version control system that is available for free under the GNU General Public License version 2. Continue Reading
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Answer
16 Feb 2023
Manage the Windows PATH environment variable with PowerShell
Among many other tasks, IT teams can use PowerShell to manage and edit the PATH environment variable. Walk through these basic steps to access, add and remove system paths. Continue Reading
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Answer
16 Feb 2023
What are hyperautomation use cases for IT operations?
Fully automated NoOps workflows might not be possible, but there's always room to further automate existing processes. An expert explains two hyperautomation use cases for DevOps. Continue Reading
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News
16 Feb 2023
Dynatrace security AI roots out Log4j, sets tone for roadmap
Dynatrace must prove itself beyond application security, but its AI's effectiveness against the Log4j vulnerability has some customers receptive to its product expansion plans. Continue Reading
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News
16 Feb 2023
Dynatrace users make headway with AIOps
Dynatrace's aggressive NoOps vision hasn't come to fruition, but some customers have begun to see real-world results with root-cause analysis and automated rollbacks. Continue Reading
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News
14 Feb 2023
Cribl Search marks fresh observability sortie for upstart
The Splunk nemesis begins new forays onto the turf of incumbent vendors with federated search that doesn't require data migration or indexing -- and big roadmap plans. Continue Reading
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Tutorial
14 Feb 2023
How and why PowerShell Linux commands differ from Windows
PowerShell is a popular tool for IT professionals and a broad range of tasks. But PowerShell on Linux is not quite the same as on Windows. Let's explore the differences. Continue Reading
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Definition
14 Feb 2023
Fedora
Fedora, also known as Fedora Linux, is a popular open source Linux-based operating system (OS). Continue Reading
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News
09 Feb 2023
Kubernetes platforms and the hazy fate of cloud portability
Whatever happened to Kubernetes for cloud portability? Some market research suggests the dream still lives, but platform engineering further complicates matters. Continue Reading
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News
07 Feb 2023
Cisco samples OpenTelemetry-based observability tool blends
Updates set to ship this week and next quarter will unify data collection for Cisco's observability and security tools and catch them up with full-stack competitors. Continue Reading
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Definition
03 Feb 2023
mission-critical application
A mission-critical application is a software program or suite of related programs that must function continuously for a business or business segment to be successful. Continue Reading
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News
24 Jan 2023
IT budgets under pressure spur tool consolidation
As the tech industry suffers layoffs and slowing growth, IT organizations such as Boeing are handing some of their IT vendors pink slips of their own. Continue Reading
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News
19 Jan 2023
Data pipelines feed IT’s observability beast
Amid data growth, cloud complexity and demand for advanced automation, the data pipelines developed to satisfy the appetites of AI apps also serve observability tools. Continue Reading
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Definition
12 Jan 2023
compliance automation
Compliance automation, also known as automated compliance, is the practice of using technology -- such as applications with artificial intelligence features -- to perform and simplify compliance procedures. Continue Reading
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Definition
12 Jan 2023
YAML (YAML Ain't Markup Language)
YAML (YAML Ain't Markup Language) is a data serialization language used as the input format for diverse software applications. Continue Reading
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Tip
12 Jan 2023
Testing infrastructure as code: A complete guide
IaC, when implemented correctly, can benefit enterprises' CD pipelines. But, when the code isn't tested before deployment, things can go awry. Follow these strategies for success. Continue Reading
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Definition
10 Jan 2023
rolling deployment
A rolling deployment is the installation of software updates on one server or server subset at a time, rather than updating all servers or server subsets at the same time. Continue Reading
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Definition
04 Jan 2023
ChatOps
ChatOps, sometimes known as conversation-driven collaboration or conversation-driven DevOps, is the use of chat clients, chatbots and other real-time communication tools to facilitate software development and IT operations tasks. Continue Reading
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Tutorial
04 Jan 2023
How to deploy Kubernetes on VMware with vSphere Tanzu
Instead of working with Kubernetes with your regular platform, it might be time to give VMware vSphere with Tanzu a try. Follow this tutorial to get started. Continue Reading
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Definition
27 Dec 2022
IT automation
IT automation is the use of instructions to create a repeated process that replaces an IT professional's manual work in data centers and cloud deployments. Continue Reading
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News
21 Dec 2022
Dish Media swaps observability sprawl for Elastic Stack SaaS
With fewer tools and data repositories to wrangle and Elastic cluster management outsourced to SaaS, Dish Media's ops teams reduced toil and achieved proactive incident response. Continue Reading
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Definition
14 Dec 2022
e-ticket (electronic ticket)
An e-ticket (electronic ticket) is a paperless electronic document used for ticketing purposes, such as airfare or concert admission. Continue Reading
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Tip
12 Dec 2022
How to fix Active Directory account lockouts with PowerShell
With more apps and credentials to juggle, users can get blocked from their accounts after too many login attempts. Learn to use PowerShell to find and fix these issues. Continue Reading
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Tip
09 Dec 2022
Compare these PowerShell front-end GUI tools
These offerings provide portals to avoid security issues and other stumbling blocks that hamper organizations from providing more wide-ranging use of PowerShell. Continue Reading
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News
08 Dec 2022
GitOps hits stride as CNCF graduates Flux CD and Argo CD
Flux and Argo CD earned graduated status within CNCF after a year in which platform engineering adoption and DevOps advances put both in the enterprise spotlight. Continue Reading
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Tip
06 Dec 2022
Manage application storage with Kubernetes and CSI drivers
Container Storage Interface drivers offer IT ops teams increased autonomy and flexibility in deploying and managing persistent storage on Kubernetes clusters. Continue Reading
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Definition
06 Dec 2022
software asset management (SAM)
Software asset management (SAM) is the administration of processes, policies and procedures that support the procurement, deployment, use, maintenance and disposal of software applications within an organization. Continue Reading
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Tutorial
28 Nov 2022
How to build an Azure AD user report with Microsoft Graph
Microsoft Graph will be the way forward to manage users and devices that connect to Office 365. Learn how to gather information and perform tasks, such as license assignments. Continue Reading
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Tip
22 Nov 2022
Explore network plugins for Kubernetes: CNI explained
With Container Network Interface plugins, IT teams can create and deploy network options for diverse Kubernetes environments. Learn how CNI works and compare top network plugins. Continue Reading
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Tip
18 Nov 2022
Automating testing and delivery for virtual apps and desktops
One of the many tasks that come with maintaining a virtual environment is the testing and delivery of virtual apps and desktops. Learn how automation can help these processes. Continue Reading
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News
18 Nov 2022
Knowledge graphs and GraphQL: What DevOps pros need to know
New approaches to data management and business analytics have found their way into IT automation and observability tools -- now what? Continue Reading
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News
17 Nov 2022
Server-side WebAssembly prepares for takeoff in 2023
Server-side WebAssembly is still a work in progress, but engineers at Adobe and BMW say it shows promise for fast, flexible app management among cloud and edge environments. Continue Reading
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Definition
16 Nov 2022
sidecar proxy
A sidecar proxy is an application design pattern which abstracts certain features, such as inter-service communications, monitoring and security, away from the main architecture to ease the tracking and maintenance of an application. Continue Reading
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Definition
16 Nov 2022
Kubernetes operator
A Kubernetes operator is a method for application packaging and deployment that extends Kubernetes' capabilities to manage more complex, stateful workloads. Continue Reading
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Definition
15 Nov 2022
composable infrastructure
Composable infrastructure is a framework that decouples device resources in order to treat them as services. Continue Reading
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Opinion
10 Nov 2022
3 actions to optimize infrastructure as code initiatives
Learn how to get the most out of IaC and read analyst insights from HashiConf 2022, including Terraform updates and predictions about what's next for observability. Continue Reading
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Tutorial
10 Nov 2022
Manage VMs with Azure Automation State Configuration
Admins can use the Azure Automation State Configuration tool to manage VMs in Azure, on premises and in other clouds. Follow this step-by-step tutorial to get started. Continue Reading
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Tutorial
07 Nov 2022
Manage Kubernetes clusters with PowerShell and kubectl
Learn how to use the Kubernetes tool kubectl in PowerShell, including setting up aliasing and tab-completion, parsing JSON output and searching logs with the Select-String cmdlet. Continue Reading
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Definition
04 Nov 2022
immutable infrastructure
Immutable infrastructure is an approach to managing services and software deployments on IT resources wherein components are replaced rather than changed. Continue Reading
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Definition
03 Nov 2022
legacy system (legacy application)
A legacy system is any outdated computing system, hardware or software that is still in use. Legacy systems include computer hardware, software applications, file formats and programming languages. Continue Reading