Evaluate

Evaluate

Weigh the pros and cons of technologies, products and projects you are considering.

• Windows container monitoring tools prevent resource contention

  Monitoring tools for Windows containers enable admins to keep track of CPU, memory, storage and networking performance metrics and troubleshoot any issues that arise. Continue Reading

• Kubernetes networking face-off: VMware NSX-T vs. Nokia's Nuage

  VMware NSX-T and Nokia's Nuage Networks both provide Kubernetes networking functionality -- but they have important differences and resonate with distinct user bases. Continue Reading

• Match cloud application monitoring to integration needs

  An enterprise's cloud migration includes several elements: a new security process, budget redistribution and a monitoring system that integrates cloud and on-premises apps. Continue Reading

• How does time-series analysis work in IT environments?

  IT monitoring metrics are crucial for enterprises to gauge performance and plan for future events. But admins should understand the tradeoffs between a time-series and point-in-time analysis. Continue Reading

• Heed these cloud security considerations for SaaS, PaaS

  A move to the cloud lessens IT's workload responsibility, but SaaS and PaaS models each require a targeted cloud security strategy to protect applications. Continue Reading

• Choose the right container deployment and management system

  Containers improve a company's cloud and data center operations, but implementation isn't easy. Here's how to plan a container deployment strategy and choose the right platform.Continue Reading

• Compare 10 leading container management systems

  Ready to select a vendor or open source tool to build and manage your container-based infrastructure? This roundup lays out the benefits and complexities of the many options.Continue Reading

• 6 tips to drive infrastructure-as-code best practices

  Evaluating an infrastructure-as-code setup? Use these six tips to grasp IaC benefits, challenges, tool considerations and more before you make the move.Continue Reading

• Assess container hosting, management options based on these criteria

  A company's plans to maintain traditional data centers, move to the public cloud or adopt microservices all play a major role in its container hosting and management decisions.Continue Reading

• How to craft a future-proof enterprise container strategy

  There are many ways to plan an IT container management strategy. Follow these steps to map out an enterprise's needs for container software and tools.Continue Reading

• Micro VMs bridge the gap between full VMs and containers

  Micro VMs address full VM and container disadvantages, all while providing a lightweight container architecture and retaining VM security for each instance.Continue Reading

• What are the main features of Ansible vs. Ansible Tower?

  Both Ansible and Ansible Tower offer enterprises a wealth of resources for config management, but they aren't equals. Assess their differences in crucial aspects such as security.Continue Reading

• What are some examples of embedded hypervisors?

  A virtualization layer in an embedded system provides better efficiency for tasks such as network virtualization. Some examples of embedded hypervisors include the Xvisor and ACRN.Continue Reading

• ITIL 4 framework brings long-awaited flexibility to ITSM

  After eight long years, the ITIL 4 framework finally saw the light of day in 2019 -- but what can enterprises expect to gain from the latest version, and those to come?Continue Reading

• Get to know Hyper-V 2019 new features and functionality

  Window Server 2019 showed fewer new features than first expected, but Hyper-V admins can benefit from improved support for shielded VMs and the new Admin Center feature.Continue Reading

• Embedded hypervisor use cases and benefits explained

  An embedded hypervisor offers several benefits, such as VM security, system reliability and improved hardware use, and is ideal for admins looking to simplify their environments.Continue Reading

• Consider the when, why and how of a Mesos-to-Kubernetes migration

  Before choosing to migrate to Kubernetes, Mesos users should carefully prepare for the complexity of the move -- and first consider using the two technologies side by side.Continue Reading

• Considerations for embedded hypervisor implementation

  Before incorporating an embedded hypervisor, admins must consider storage, memory, system performance and scheduling to help prevent latency issues.Continue Reading

• VMware Workstation vs. VirtualBox: Which is the better hypervisor?

  The Type 2 hypervisor debate between VMware Workstation and Oracle VirtualBox has gotten tougher as the latter has caught up. Examine their advantages to see which fits your needs.Continue Reading

• Explore container deployment benefits and core components

  As container adoption grows, the ecosystem of tools surrounding the technology expands as well. Explore the benefits of container systems for enterprise app deployments.Continue Reading

• Simplify SaaS integration with an IT service aggregator

  SaaS management can cause as many headaches as SaaS apps prevent. Poor integrations between disparate tools can create bottlenecks and failures, but aggregators can help.Continue Reading

• What's the role of an application load balancer vs. API gateway?

  Application load balancers and API gateways both manage network traffic, but in their own ways. Learn the differences between them and how to use them together in a modern IT deployment.Continue Reading

• Are there tools or platforms that support AWS Firecracker?

  Although there are a handful of tools to help run Firecracker more easily, admins might find issues with the lack of major tool integration for the software.Continue Reading

• Weigh infrastructure as code risks against the benefits

  Infrastructure as code can transform the modern data center, but maintain a healthy dose of caution -- and thorough documentation and testing environments -- to prevent chaos.Continue Reading

• Compare Linkerd vs. Istio for service mesh technology

  To decide between Istio and Linkerd for a service mesh platform, consider everything from performance and ease of use to support from major public cloud providers.Continue Reading

• Check out this free chapter excerpt from ITIL 4 -- A Pocket Guide

  In ITIL 4 -- A Pocket Guide, author Jan van Bon walks readers through the core updates to the ITSM framework, and how they apply to the modern enterprise IT landscape.Continue Reading

• What are micro VMs and how do they benefit data centers?

  When used together, VMs and containers can provide key benefits to an admin's workload, such as isolation and security, without having to deal with typical disadvantages.Continue Reading

• 5 Kubernetes adoption considerations you should think about

  Understand the basics of Kubernetes, including how it works and its pros and cons, before deciding whether or not to adopt. Then, figure out how you plan to manage it.Continue Reading

• Effectively manage containers and improve workload performance

  Containers are increasingly popular, so it's vital that admins understand the tools available and learn how to manage containers before deploying them in production environments.Continue Reading

• Explore the Citrix guest UEFI boot feature for modern systems

  A guest boot feature offered by Citrix provides admins with improved system performance, but they should be wary of its continued experimental status.Continue Reading

• Look inside the Mesosphere DC/OS distributed operating system

  IT organizations that run large, distributed workloads on clusters should examine the Mesosphere DC/OS approach, but be forewarned: It takes a lot of components to simplify ops.Continue Reading

• An ITSM tool comparison for enterprises with an eye on AI

  All AI-enabled ITSM tools aim to streamline and automate IT operations, but buyers must make the right selection to get the most out of these products.Continue Reading

• Assess AIOps benefits and challenges for enterprise IT teams

  To successfully reap the benefits of an AIOps implementation, IT teams first have to navigate some crucial cultural and technical shifts.Continue Reading

• The history of Docker's climb in the container management market

  When the concept of containers became stale, Docker brought containers back to the forefront by creating container management software, and the company continues to evolve.Continue Reading

• Does DevOps require end-to-end monitoring tools?

  While basic monitoring services and feedback loops provide critical insight for DevOps teams, an end-to-end monitoring tool gives them a more holistic view of the end-user experience.Continue Reading

• Future of PowerShell lies in DevOps, cloud resource management

  While PowerShell isn't the only automation and scripting tool that fits in IT pros' cloud and CI/CD toolboxes, it won't fall out of favor any time soon.Continue Reading

• Apply AI to container monitoring and management -- piece by piece

  While the application of AI to container monitoring and management is possible, it first requires certain operations practices and carefully integrated tool sets.Continue Reading

• How to cautiously reap the benefits of DevOps as a service

  Outsourcing the operation of DevOps tools has its perks, but be sure to carefully position that move to in-house development and ops teams first.Continue Reading

• Explore artificial intelligence in ITSM and the tool options

  AI-enabled ITSM tools can improve and streamline operations processes, as well as liberate workers from repetitive, tedious tasks to focus on more meaningful work.Continue Reading

• AIOps monitoring arms IT staff with broader, deeper insights

  Conventional monitoring gives ops teams critical visibility into the health of their IT systems, but with limited scope. Through an AIOps tool, they can significantly broaden their view.Continue Reading

• Automate declarative configuration management for IT ops success

  AWS CloudFormation is one of the top options for configuration management -- but it isn't without flaws. Compare AWS to other tools to pick the best option for your organization.Continue Reading

• Evaluate AI-based ITSM tools using these key points

  After determining that artificial intelligence would benefit an IT environment, the next big challenge is to assess AI-based ITSM tools in terms of feature set and pricing model.Continue Reading

• Accenture turns to ITSM integration tool for data compilation

  IT orgs that subscribe to help desk management services must access huge quantities of information for analysis. Read how one company overcame this challenge.Continue Reading

• Artificial intelligence for IT operations pays off -- with time

  IT professionals say AIOps holds great potential to optimize day-to-day operations tasks. First, though, teams must lay a foundation of data, consistency and trust.Continue Reading

• Combine reactive, proactive monitoring for optimal IT visibility

  IT monitoring tools can be either proactive or reactive in nature. But, despite their differences in function, cost and required resources, these two types of tools both have a place in modern IT environments.Continue Reading

• Managed container services face-off: Enterprise PKS vs. OpenShift

  VMware Enterprise PKS and Red Hat OpenShift are two leading container platforms with many differences. Assess the technologies in terms of hybrid cloud support, tool ecosystems and more.Continue Reading

• When to choose Hyper-V containers over VMs

  There are different use cases for Hyper-V containers and VMs, but the most important thing to take into consideration when choosing between them is your application needs.Continue Reading

• Explore the benefits, challenges of AI in ITSM

  Are your ITSM processes ready to reap AI's rewards? Discover how AI can benefit your ITSM implementation, as well as the requirements for that transition to be a success.Continue Reading

• Compare Mesos vs. Kubernetes for container federation

  While Mesos dominates for large-scale deployments, Kubernetes is at the center of a flourishing ecosystem of tools. So, which one meets your container federation needs?Continue Reading

• The DevOps paradigm shift: Avoid obsolescence in IT

  DevOps is an appealing paradigm shift in IT, part and parcel with app componentization and containers. But despite the hype, IT pros still face a few hurdles to actual implementation.Continue Reading

• Choose between 5 hosted hypervisors based on features, use cases

  Hypervisors such as VMware Workstation, VMware Fusion, VMware Horizon 7, Oracle VM VirtualBox and Parallels Desktop provide value to small data centers in different ways.Continue Reading

• Compare the top 5 bare-metal hypervisors

  Hypervisors such as VMware vSphere, Microsoft Hyper-V, Citrix Hypervisor, RHV and Oracle VM Server for x86 provide value to enterprise-level data centers in different ways.Continue Reading

• Test your Kubernetes terminology expertise with this quiz

  Can you ace this quiz on Kubernetes architecture and component terminology? Assess your knowledge of these terms and whether you need to hit the books -- or online documentation.Continue Reading

• Evaluate key service mesh benefits and architecture limitations

  Service mesh technologies can provide request routing, authentication and even health checks. IT organizations that handle container and microservices deployments should plan to maximize the benefits of service mesh, and address implementation ...Continue Reading

• AWS Firecracker microVMs provide isolation and agility

  Firecracker aims to bridge the gap between VMs and containers with microVMs, which are secure, lightweight instance types for stateless workloads.Continue Reading

• AI in ITSM reshapes operations practices and tasks

  AI capabilities are merging within ITSM practices to augment IT's performance and enhance the user experience. Read on to learn more about AI uses for ITSM, and how to approach them.Continue Reading

• Xen vs. KVM in 2019 is a no brainer

  Xen might have lost the hypervisor war against KVM, but that doesn't mean it's dead. Niche use cases such as the automotive industry are keeping the open source project alive.Continue Reading

• Evaluate these hyper-converged infrastructure features

  There are six things you should consider when reviewing HCI platform features and functionality: optimizations, storage, hypervisors, management, expandability and integrations.Continue Reading

• How hyper-converged infrastructure benefits virtual workloads

  Realize the many advantages that HCI offers, such as streamlined virtual resource management and enhanced security and compliance practices.Continue Reading

• Hyper-converged infrastructure explained

  HCI breaks down traditional IT silos by bundling compute, storage, networking and virtualization, which helps to streamline resource provisioning and management.Continue Reading

• Don't count out IBM virtualization on the Z platform

  A mainframe can house hundreds of thousands of VMs and a wide range of workloads. Also, IBM Z provides virtualization management via Dynamic Partition Manager and Wave for z/VM.Continue Reading

• Prepare for ITIL framework updates in version 4

  The much-anticipated release of ITIL v4 not only changes the framework's certification structure, but emphasizes many modern software development and IT service delivery practices.Continue Reading

• Evaluate the COBIT framework 2019 update

  ITSM frameworks must adapt as IT changes swiftly or risk stagnation. COBIT ended its six-year silence with its 2019 update. Get an overview of the new information and how to use COBIT.Continue Reading

• 5 Windows network drivers supported by containers

  NAT is the default network for container applications, but there are four other available drivers. Each container network driver poses some limitations and must be used carefully.Continue Reading

• Bare-metal vs. VM container deployment considerations

  Consider your performance requirements, portability needs and what level of isolation and security you want when deploying containers in your environment.Continue Reading

• Evaluate on-premises vs. SaaS tools for IT systems management

  While there are a lot of factors for enterprises to consider when choosing an IT management tool, the on-premises vs. SaaS decision can be a particularly tricky one.Continue Reading

• ICYMI: How IT monitoring systems take on modern challenges

  Don't lose track of IT monitoring as you come to grips with containers and AI advantages. These articles gear up IT and cloud admins to refine processes and improve efficiency.Continue Reading

• Grasp these basic Salt configuration management concepts

  Not sure how Salt conveys configuration instructions to systems? Wonder if your programming skills will carry over to the tool? Use these best practices and tips to assess Salt.Continue Reading

• Compare the pros and cons of container management tools

  From the ever-popular to the obscure, evaluate different container management options based on the user interface, documentation, ease of use, available features and integrations.Continue Reading

• What container management software features are important?

  Because containers are easy to spin up, the infrastructure can quickly get out of hand. A tool that simplifies container management can help, if it provides certain capabilities.Continue Reading

• Use Packer for Windows to enhance machine image automation

  Packer can curtail time sinks for administrators, especially those dealing with rapid OS releases. But the DevOps tool can require additional effort to work for Windows.Continue Reading

• Where container infrastructure and management investments yield ROI

  Containers are efficient and flexible, but these benefits can come with a hefty price tag. Ensure these elements are in the container budget to escape unexpected charges.Continue Reading

• Determine the cost of app customization in the cloud

  Cloud applications are like icebergs: There's a lot users don't see below the surface. One apparently small change could have a massive ripple effect on operations.Continue Reading

• Non-IT software vendors stir up IT tool selection process

  Many non-IT vendors now offer homegrown software -- a model that carries benefits and risks. Weigh the pros and cons around support, availability and other factors before making a decision.Continue Reading

• Major I/O virtualization vendors and technologies explained

  Technologies that virtualize I/O components offer a number of additional capabilities, such as direct memory access remapping and network queuing for each VM.Continue Reading

• GPU virtualization evolves with new chip types on the horizon

  GPU-makers Intel, AMD and Nvidia all provide virtualization support; the next step is to merge CPU and GPU functionality to handle both application and math/graphics-related tasks.Continue Reading

• Adjust IT team dynamics for a cloud-native approach

  As enterprises set their cloud-native strategy, they'll need to navigate major changes -- both from a technical standpoint and in terms of IT team structure and management style.Continue Reading

• Evaluate the Mesos architecture for massive container deployments

  In addition to supporting large-scale IT deployments, Mesos takes a unique approach to data center and cloud resource pools that can benefit both containerized and noncontainerized apps.Continue Reading

• Evaluate remote office/branch office technology trends

  Traditional data center technology, including SD-WANs, HCI, and virtual backup and disaster recovery devices, often supports remote and branch offices.Continue Reading

• Automate the IT service desk workflow for maximum success

  The automated help desk using ITSM software does for IT operations and support what the CI/CD toolchain has done for developers and DevOps engineers.Continue Reading

• How the SaltStack architecture enables config management at scale

  SaltStack's one-to-many communication model enables it to manage configurations in massive IT deployments without network strain. To get the most out of SaltStack, understand ZeroMQ.Continue Reading

• How ops teams stay relevant during a shift left in DevOps

  IT operations administrators should not perceive the shift left in DevOps as a threat to their relevance, but rather as a catalyst for a change in their priorities.Continue Reading

• Pop quiz: Can you identify these top IT trends of 2019?

  From serverless and AIOps to a widening tech skills gap, numerous IT trends bring momentum into 2019. See how ready you are for new opportunities and hurdles in IT with this quiz.Continue Reading

• Kata Containers, gVisor offer more secure container strategies

  Kata Containers and Google gVisor present different approaches to using VMs for container security. Evaluate their advantages to get insight into the future of container security.Continue Reading

• AIOps tools supplement -- not supplant -- DevOps pipelines

  While the line between DevOps and AIOps often seems blurred, the two disciplines aren't synonymous. Instead, they present some key differences in terms of required skill sets and tools.Continue Reading

• Explore the new year's emerging IT trends

  Small data centers, intelligent IT management tools -- digital diversity? Catch up on the 10 trends driving IT operations forward in 2019, and how they'll shape your organization.Continue Reading

• 10 tips to approach IT operations processes with confidence

  Stuck in the NOC over the holidays? To pass the time, improve your ability to plan projects and quash production infrastructure incidents with confidence.Continue Reading

• Bookmark 10 popular tips on containers and Kubernetes

  Should we go with an open source or commercial option? What about DevOps? These 10 essential tips explain how containers fit into complex modern IT environments.Continue Reading

• Top 10 IT tutorials of 2018 for professional development in 2019

  Most IT admins take control of their education via home labs and tutorials. Refresh skills in PowerShell or Python -- or learn new ones like Kubernetes -- with these popular walkthroughs.Continue Reading

• Estimate the cost of open source software in 5 practical areas

  Open source tools and technologies are free for the taking, as long as enterprise IT organizations correctly calculate the cost of implementation, support, contribution and more.Continue Reading

• IT organizations anticipate DevOps evolution in 2019

  DevOps shifts around like ice cubes skate across water: quickly and always toward its outer limits. Kurt Marko explores some areas where DevOps will go in 2019.Continue Reading

• Hyper-V Integration Services and VMware Tools improve OSes

  Hyper-V Integration Services and VMware Tools are similar utilities with a few small differences. One is that Hyper-V Integration Services supports fewer guests than VMware Tools.Continue Reading

• Establish a configuration management strategy to guide transition

  Humans are notoriously averse to change in routine -- even when it makes their jobs easier. Encourage innovation and be flexible: Strategy is a journey, not a destination.Continue Reading

• A configuration management plan can unite tools and teams

  Continue Reading

• Expect more container evolution, growth in 2019

  Containerization shows no sign of winding down. With technologies, product options and providers focused on technological improvement, container ecosystems will develop rapidly in the coming year.Continue Reading

• AI for IT operations means smarter, safer deployments

  Anticipate developments in AIOps and IT automation in 2019, particularly in major spaces such as IT security. Help your organization look forward and adopt smarter automation.Continue Reading

• Use Puppet for Windows ops automation with dsc_lite

  With DSC and dsc_lite, as well as a native option, users operate in Puppet within the familiarity of PowerShell settings. Here's how each approach works.Continue Reading

• Key IT skills to make you current and capable in an ops role

  With the rapid pace of IT, it's easy to lose your edge -- even for technologically curious ops professionals. Master a balance of the best IT and people skills to get ahead in modern operations.Continue Reading

• Align KPIs for IT with corresponding business goals

  It's easy for IT KPIs to take a back seat to those of the business or vice versa. Instead, explore these ways to maintain a working balance.Continue Reading

• As-a-service at your service: Cloud tools simplify DevOps automation

  AWS offers the widest range of cloud-integrated DevOps tools. But Google Cloud has a strategy with more focus on integration, and Azure closely ties in with other Microsoft products.Continue Reading