IT Operations
Top Stories
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Feature
24 Sep 2026
Capability risks rise with layoffs: What CIOs should know
Layoffs can lead to significant capability risk -- the loss of expertise and tacit knowledge. These hidden costs affect productivity, innovation and long-term efficiency. Continue Reading
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News
24 Sep 2026
Groundcover acquisition automates Kubernetes provisioning
Groundcover brings the contextual data, and Wand brings autonomous Kubernetes infrastructure setup. Continue Reading
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Feature
25 Oct 2018
Cloud and containers rewrite monitoring and management rulebooks
IT performance management is tricky when it stretches as big as the public cloud and scrunches as small as a microservice. IT ops techniques must change to keep up. Continue Reading
- 25 Oct 2018
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Opinion
25 Oct 2018
Invest in an IT infrastructure upgrade -- or keep fixing it
Because upgrades to infrastructure equipment can be expensive and difficult, the easier decision is to renew a support contract. But delay comes at a cost, too. Continue Reading
- 25 Oct 2018
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News
25 Oct 2018
Nomad vs. Kubernetes talk prompts HashiCorp managed service plan
HashiCorp's founders say Nomad and Kubernetes are not mutually exclusive, but the company will launch a Nomad managed service to match cloud providers' turnkey Kubernetes services. Continue Reading
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Opinion
25 Oct 2018
Quantum supremacy and the path to encryption chaos
Widespread use of quantum computing isn't as far into the future as some might think. When it arrives, this powerful computing technology could turn IT security upside down. Continue Reading
- 25 Oct 2018
- E-Zine 25 Oct 2018
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Tip
24 Oct 2018
PowerShell Core 6.1 offers many small improvements
New PowerShell Core functionality includes the addition of Windows PowerShell 5.1 modules, making this version worth a closer look for administrators. Continue Reading
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Guide
24 Oct 2018
An introduction to containers and orchestration for IT admins
Given containers' radical effect on provisioning, resource planning and portability, an IT team's container education should begin well before the first one spins up on a host OS. Continue Reading
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Tip
23 Oct 2018
Keep IT project planning on track with 5 principles
Whether you're a seasoned IT vet about to take on the biggest project yet or a new team member spearheading an important build, follow a project planning approach that limits scope and hits goals. Continue Reading
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Answer
23 Oct 2018
Why do admins need both powershell.exe and pwsh.exe?
While the PowerShell development team wants IT to move on to the newer PowerShell version, the powershell.exe executable will remain to avoid breaking changes. Continue Reading
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Tip
22 Oct 2018
Container hosting requires in-depth service network plans
Microservices and containers complement each other with scalability and flexibility. But they can also compound network addressing problems in production without proper precautions. Continue Reading
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News
22 Oct 2018
IT pros shore up Prometheus monitoring via third-party tools
Upstream Prometheus monitoring isn't ready for prime time in enterprise environments, but it gets by with a little help from its friends, such as Sysdig and Rancher Labs. Continue Reading
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Tip
22 Oct 2018
Direct NVMe performance with virtualization and storage tiers
Non-volatile memory express technologies have a host of benefits, but admins must use virtualization and storage tiers to best target NVMe performance boosts. Continue Reading
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Tip
22 Oct 2018
Hyper-V vs. vSphere high availability features
Compare VMware vSphere and Microsoft Hyper-V HA approaches to see how they keep VMs and other workloads online when a host server crashes. Continue Reading
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Tutorial
19 Oct 2018
How to use PowerShell JEA for task delegation
System administrators don't have to do every mundane task themselves anymore with help from Just Enough Administration. Get started with these instructions using PowerShell. Continue Reading
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Tip
19 Oct 2018
Top server sizing strategies for VMs
How many VMs can you put on a server? That depends on whether your hardware and virtual environment are well-matched. This tip offers four criteria to select the right servers. Continue Reading
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News
18 Oct 2018
Netflix Spinnaker pipelines tighten bond with Kubernetes
The Netflix- and Google-led Spinnaker continuous deployment software project has added enterprise appeal with revamped Kubernetes integration. Continue Reading
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Quiz
17 Oct 2018
Can this Active Directory quiz stump you?
How much do you know about Active Directory? Find out with this Active Directory quiz on the service's basics, structure and capabilities. Continue Reading
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Opinion
17 Oct 2018
Does DevOps for operations mean learning how to code?
What do operations folks need to know before they dive into DevOps? Automation is the key to a responsive environment, and users are your guiding light. Continue Reading
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News
16 Oct 2018
Chef InSpec 3.0 horns in on Terraform territory
Chef InSpec 3.0 can scan Terraform infrastructure-as-code files for security and compliance gaps, which knocked HashiCorp Sentinel off the evaluation list at Chef customer Pacific Life. Continue Reading
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News
16 Oct 2018
SRE model requires technical, organizational optimization skills
Practitioners categorize SRE job descriptions two ways -- by distributed systems architecture design that evolves rapidly, and also by the ability to optimize human workflows. Continue Reading
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Answer
16 Oct 2018
What VM automation tools are available?
There are many different VM automation tools available -- some of them part of much wider product and feature suites. Determine which features you need and find the tool that works. Continue Reading
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Answer
16 Oct 2018
What are the most common virtualization automation mistakes?
Avoid automation issues by coordinating with the wider organization to ensure employees know how to provision resources and remain aware of evolving business needs and policies. Continue Reading
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Tip
15 Oct 2018
Microsoft Exchange Unified Messaging change presents dilemma
The arrival of Exchange 2019 also means the end of unified messaging in the on-premises offering. Admins who use voicemail in Outlook should explore their options. Continue Reading
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Tip
15 Oct 2018
Strive for real-world technical debt management in DevOps orgs
Technical debt is a bit like the kitchen junk drawer: It's cobbled-together, useful stuff that just needed to go somewhere. But the longer you wait to sort it out, the worse it gets. Continue Reading
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Answer
15 Oct 2018
What are the primary use cases for VM deployment automation?
Automate the deployment of VMs to meet the demand for resources while ensuring each VM remains properly configured and follows lifecycle and governance policies. Continue Reading
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Answer
12 Oct 2018
How do you optimize a virtual database server?
Avoid virtual database performance hiccups by incorporating monitoring and alerting tools. Stay abreast of any issues and head them off before users encounter them. Continue Reading
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Tip
12 Oct 2018
Implement security for DevOps across the board
Security for DevOps isn't about the devices or the data center facility anymore. Learn how to protect valuable data as it moves beyond the corporate network into hybrid cloud and among various applications composed of microservices. Continue Reading
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Answer
12 Oct 2018
How do you virtualize database servers?
Virtualizing database servers has consolidation and efficiency benefits, but you must carefully choose which databases to virtualize and which tools to virtualize with. Continue Reading
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News
12 Oct 2018
New Relic acquisition of CoScale boosts Kubernetes prowess
Kubernetes monitoring is all the rage, and New Relic's CoScale buy gives it an edge in an increasingly noisy market for container monitoring tools. Continue Reading
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Tutorial
11 Oct 2018
Tips to track down and neutralize PowerShell malware
The benefit of PowerShell is its wide-ranging access to Windows systems, but industrious hackers can exploit its abilities to launch attacks from inside your data center. Continue Reading
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Opinion
11 Oct 2018
DevOps to DevSecOps adjustment banks on cross-group collaboration
It takes collaboration across several levels -- between the C-suite and in cross-functional teams -- to successfully move to DevSecOps and meet compliance requirements. Continue Reading
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Tip
11 Oct 2018
Bevy of Microsoft containers range from cloud to captive workloads
Windows wasn't always an ideal environment for containers, but recent changes offer a wealth of options, including those for Windows Server and the Azure public cloud. Continue Reading
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Tutorial
10 Oct 2018
How to manage Active Directory groups with 7 PowerShell commands
Managing users, devices and other resources with Active Directory doesn't always require a GUI tool. Try PowerShell to streamline some of your administrative workload. Continue Reading
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News
10 Oct 2018
Puppet Enterprise updates give IT ops pros a leg up on DevOps
Puppet Enterprise 2019, Puppet Bolt 1.0 and Puppet Insights broaden enterprise IT ops pros' options for DevOps support and infrastructure automation tools. Continue Reading
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News
10 Oct 2018
Embrace DevOps innovation to modernize legacy applications
To bring legacy applications into the DevOps fold, IT teams must be creative and collaborate in ways that may differ sharply from approaches to greenfield projects. Continue Reading
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News
09 Oct 2018
October Patch Tuesday grounds JET Database Engine flaw
Administrators have a relatively light workload for October Patch Tuesday, but IT workers should pay attention to multiple workstation fixes and issues with older patches. Continue Reading
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Tip
09 Oct 2018
Tap the Chocolatey package manager to usher in Windows DevOps
Create a Chocolatey package with this tutorial on DevOps for Windows. Simplify package management and installation, and swap the GUI for a CLI client. Continue Reading
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Tip
09 Oct 2018
Make IT infrastructure documentation a regular task
Even though documenting IT processes might not be at the top of an admin's to-do list, they should not let it fall by the wayside. Learn documentation best practices here. Continue Reading
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News
05 Oct 2018
Users mull Ansible Tower features' config management controls
Ansible users know their way around a CLI, but some envision an all-inclusive IT automation platform based on the Ansible Tower management console UI and features. Continue Reading
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News
05 Oct 2018
Automated root cause analysis moves into the mainstream
DevOps monitoring tools that offer automated root cause analysis are now in production within mainstream enterprises. When it comes to their ease of use, however, there is still room to improve. Continue Reading
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Tip
05 Oct 2018
Get to know the Hyper-V processor compatibility mode feature
Hyper-V processor compatibility is relatively easy to use, but it disables some advanced CPU features and is only intended for specific circumstances on a temporary basis. Continue Reading
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News
04 Oct 2018
Ansible roadmap steers toward network, security via integrations
Through simply written automation and granular access control, Ansible will attempt to put networking and security teams in step with IT infrastructure and DevOps counterparts. Continue Reading
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Tutorial
04 Oct 2018
Getting started with AWS Tools for PowerShell
Want to make a move from on-premises systems? The AWS Tools for PowerShell module builds on your knowledge of handling Windows machines and carries it into the Amazon cloud. Continue Reading
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Tip
04 Oct 2018
Incorporate NIST security and virtualization recommendations
Review NIST virtualization security recommendations with this overview of hypervisor security guidelines, including tips on VM lifecycles and hypervisor platform management. Continue Reading
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Feature
03 Oct 2018
Tame the virtualization infrastructure management beast
IT administrators must manage virtual infrastructure requirements, such as patches, reboots and component lifecycles, to create and maintain an efficient data center. Continue Reading
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Tip
02 Oct 2018
Understand how Docker works in the VM-based IT world
With advantages for microservices architectures, disaster recovery and utilization density, among other areas, containers should step out from virtual machines' shadow. Continue Reading
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Tutorial
02 Oct 2018
Compare Go vs. Python for infrastructure programming
Both code languages get the infrastructure-as-code job done, but each from a different angle. This comparison tutorial puts their similarities and differences center stage. Continue Reading
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News
02 Oct 2018
Kubernetes TLS tweaks whet user appetite for easier management
Kubernetes TLS bootstrap improvements in version 1.12 tackle container management complexity, and users hope there's more where that came from. Continue Reading
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Opinion
01 Oct 2018
How to compare Windows and Linux for enterprise workloads
How do Windows and Linux rank when it comes to running production workloads? Organizations should consider more than just the initial cost. Continue Reading
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News
28 Sep 2018
CloudBees sets a path to Cloud Native Jenkins
CloudBees advanced its core CI/CD platform to broaden developers' options to create apps and access additional services in the cloud. Continue Reading
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Feature
27 Sep 2018
Is 'Continuous Delivery with Docker and Jenkins' right for you?
If your IT organization is ready to bring DevOps from mindset to tool set, containers and CI/CD are probably on the agenda. See what you'll learn from Rafal Leszko's book on Docker and Jenkins to advance a pipeline project. Continue Reading
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Tip
27 Sep 2018
Top five SCVMM 2016 features to look out for
SCVMM 2016 provides new features, such as Nano Server management, and enhancements to existing networking and security features to better manage the entire virtualization stack. Continue Reading
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Tip
26 Sep 2018
Design a custom Hyper-V Integration Services component
The steps for creating a new component of Hyper-V Integration Services include registering an app, creating and binding a Hyper-V socket, and compiling server and client apps. Continue Reading
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News
26 Sep 2018
Windows Admin Center unlocks Server 2019 features
Not just for troubleshooting, Windows Admin Center helps admins unlock the full potential of the latest Windows Server offering. Continue Reading
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Tip
25 Sep 2018
Grasp container basics to plan enterprise adoption
To transition from virtualization that mimics hardware to a new level of portable, isolated workloads, absorb key tenets of containers and where container deployment differs from VMs and cloud instances. Continue Reading
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Opinion
24 Sep 2018
How to drive an effective DevOps for business approach
Don't adopt DevOps for the sake of operational and development efficiency. Do DevOps because it yields business gains. In fact, what you should be doing is BizDevOps. Continue Reading
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Answer
24 Sep 2018
Docker for Windows shows permission errors on shared volumes
Understand and work around one of the more common Docker for Windows errors -- permissions for shared volumes -- to read, write and execute to the shared volume. Continue Reading
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Tip
24 Sep 2018
Mulling a public folders migration? Weigh your options
Should you stay or should you migrate? Microsoft offers a bevy of alternatives to public folders. This tip breaks down each option to help you make a decision. Continue Reading
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Answer
21 Sep 2018
Use nested virtualization to run a container in a VM
IT administrators should familiarize themselves with the benefits and limitations of using nested virtualization to run containers in VMs before implementation. Continue Reading
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News
20 Sep 2018
Jenkins on Kubernetes is promising, but integration needs work
Jenkins and Kubernetes are a natural fit for automated application development and delivery, and the open source community has plans to improve how Jenkins runs on containers. Continue Reading
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Tip
20 Sep 2018
A fine-tuned change request template minimizes user discontent
Change management is an essential ITSM practice, but it doesn't have to come at the expense of end users. Use templates to clarify expectations and set changes in motion without disruption. Continue Reading
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Answer
20 Sep 2018
Is your VM frozen? Isolate the cause and problem solve
Many issues cause VMs to become unresponsive, including invoking particular tasks, such as snapshots or migrations, resource configuration and infrastructure unavailability. Continue Reading
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Answer
20 Sep 2018
Common VM network latency causes explained
There are many potential causes of network performance problems when it comes to VMs. Familiarize yourself with the most common causes to aid in troubleshooting. Continue Reading
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Tip
19 Sep 2018
Use VMware vSphere templates to manage VMs at scale
VM templates in vSphere enable IT administrators to manage large environments by rapidly deploying fully configured VMs using the content library interface. Continue Reading
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News
19 Sep 2018
CloudBees Core sets its sights beyond enterprise Jenkins
CloudBees and its competitors vie to offer the visibility and data-driven performance measurement into CI/CD processes that enterprises need to strive for better DevOps governance. Continue Reading
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Answer
18 Sep 2018
What are the steps for an Exchange certificate renewal?
An expired Exchange 2010 certificate is one of those issues that catches everyone's attention. Check and replace certificates with these basic commands. Continue Reading
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News
18 Sep 2018
DevOps security takes on the dark side of digital transformation
Without better organizational discipline, digital businesses are at risk for massively disruptive data breaches and attacks. Can DevSecOps transform IT in time to avert disaster? Continue Reading
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Tip
17 Sep 2018
Create VM templates without encountering errors
Creating a VM template is a fairly straightforward process. Even so, it's a good idea to familiarize yourself with Microsoft's documentation to avoid common mistakes. Continue Reading
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Opinion
17 Sep 2018
The journey to DevOps starts with solving problems
If you want to do DevOps, don't just follow the prescribed strategies and roadmaps that other companies lay out. Assess your own process, and start addressing your own problems. Continue Reading
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Guide
17 Sep 2018
How to achieve application performance improvement in ops
With more complex infrastructure and applications comes increased need for sophisticated performance monitoring and management tools, accompanied by strengthened processes. Continue Reading
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Tip
14 Sep 2018
Explore the Cubic congestion control provider for Windows
Microsoft made Cubic the default congestion control provider for Windows 10 and plans to do the same for Windows Server 2019. Learn what this means for your organization. Continue Reading
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News
13 Sep 2018
IT experts exchange container security tips and caveats
Real-world container security requires users to dig in to the finer points of container, host, Kubernetes and application configurations. Continue Reading
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Tip
12 Sep 2018
Mix test and production environments with hyper-convergence
Despite the enhanced separation that hyper-converged infrastructure can offer, it's better to mix environments and use rules to create a hardware-independent workload balance. Continue Reading
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Tutorial
12 Sep 2018
Adopt the Git version control system for configuration as code
Configuration files define infrastructure as code, which enables IT admins to control updates and enforce standardization. Start using a version control system to codify configurations with just a handful of commands. Continue Reading
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News
11 Sep 2018
Microsoft shuts down zero-day exploit on September Patch Tuesday
Administrators should prioritize patching systems affected by four public disclosures resolved by the Patch Tuesday updates. Continue Reading
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News
11 Sep 2018
PagerDuty incident response tools loop in business stakeholders
PagerDuty follows Atlassian with incident response tracking for corporate management, while IT pros on the front lines of incident triage also seek enhancements to low-level alerting configurations. Continue Reading
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Tip
10 Sep 2018
Anomaly detection methods unleash microservices performance
When distributed applications run in containers, admins suddenly have a whirlwind of metrics to track instead of just a short list. These methods reach into the heart of the task. Continue Reading
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Feature
10 Sep 2018
The future of composable infrastructure and virtualization
Composable infrastructures -- frameworks of compute, storage and network resource services -- will still make use of virtualization to run applications. Continue Reading
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Conference Coverage
07 Sep 2018
Microsoft Ignite 2018 conference coverage
Keep up to date on the latest developments from the Microsoft Ignite 2018 conference and get a closer look at the latest software and hardware offerings from the company. Continue Reading
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Tutorial
07 Sep 2018
Create and configure a shielded VM in Hyper-V
In just a few easy steps, including installing a Host Guardian Service server and creating certificates, you can shield a Hyper-V VM to protect it against access or tampering. Continue Reading
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Tip
06 Sep 2018
Windows troubleshooting tools to improve VM performance
Fine-tune virtualized workloads and diagnose performance issues with help from these Windows troubleshooting tools every server administrator should know. Continue Reading
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Answer
06 Sep 2018
How does AD DS differ from Microsoft Azure Active Directory?
On-premises Active Directory or Azure AD? It doesn't have to be an either/or situation, as more cloud services are making their way into traditional data center environments. Continue Reading
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Guide
05 Sep 2018
Rev up IT with continuous delivery and DevOps
IT operations is on the software team with continuous delivery, continuous deployment and DevOps. Done right, the collaboration in tools and culture produces better software faster than previous methodologies. Continue Reading
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News
05 Sep 2018
Atlassian shops size up OpsGenie buy, Jira for incident management
Atlassian snapped up OpsGenie and rolled out Jira Ops as part of a shift in focus to IT incident management. Users will follow the strategy cautiously. Continue Reading
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Tip
04 Sep 2018
Build a secure Docker host environment on Linux systems
In the cutting-edge technology world of containers, don't lose sight of the fundamental security best practices that protect workloads and minimize attack surfaces. Continue Reading
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Tip
31 Aug 2018
Learn the tricks for using Microsoft Teams with Exchange
As Microsoft Teams gains prominence for business collaboration, administrators should investigate the integration options with their Exchange Online or on-premises Exchange setup. Continue Reading
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News
30 Aug 2018
Third-party Kubernetes tools hone performance for database containerization
Kubernetes tools look to carve out a market niche in database containerization with performance monitoring and quality-of-service management features. Continue Reading
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News
29 Aug 2018
Kubernetes community takes over massive Google test bed
Google will donate $9 million in GCP resources and undergo a three-year handoff process to put a massive Kubernetes test bed under CNCF control. Users wonder, what happens next. Continue Reading
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Tip
29 Aug 2018
Application performance metrics and tools fit for modern architectures
Distributed applications and cloud hosting have led to new application interactions and KPI categories -- and different performance concerns need different metrics. Continue Reading
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Opinion
28 Aug 2018
Get into DevOps with cross-functional skills and culture
There's no well-traveled path to a DevOps career. But it's not rocket science. Learn how to explain DevOps and master skills, such as CI/CD, and you'll be on your way. Continue Reading
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Answer
28 Aug 2018
Open source hypervisor technical support, update considerations
Even though open source software itself is completely free to obtain and use, effective hypervisor technical support options for production environments might cost money. Continue Reading
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Tip
28 Aug 2018
Build an IT maintenance plan around infrastructure needs
Don't delay maintenance reboots. It's easy to forget to reboot hosts, tools and drivers, so use a reboot schedule to ensure your infrastructure remains functional. Continue Reading
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News
27 Aug 2018
Free Kubernetes security tools broaden enterprise choices
Kubernetes security tools give enterprise IT shops strategic approaches to container security that go beyond shoring up individual container instances. Continue Reading
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News
27 Aug 2018
VMware vSphere update tweaks HTML5 client, bundles AppDefense
Hoping to keep its broad base of vSphere users engaged, VMware debuted an updated version of the virtualization offering and a version bundled with AppDefense. Continue Reading
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Answer
27 Aug 2018
Is the XenServer hypervisor worth the cost?
There is a free, easy-to-obtain version of Citrix XenServer, but additional features and commercial support from Citrix -- which some shops might need -- require a license. Continue Reading
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Tip
27 Aug 2018
Continuous delivery pipeline tools build IT efficiency
The range of CD tools available is as varied as the organizations that need them. Choose between three primary tool set constructions to suit your organization's structure. Continue Reading
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Answer
24 Aug 2018
Evaluate Oracle VM Server as a potential hypervisor
Oracle VM provides useful features such as high availability and live migration, but it's important for admins to size the server for the workloads it's intended to host. Continue Reading
