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• The keys to an efficient help desk staffing model

  Hiring skilled staff alone to fill help desk roles is not enough to improve workflows. Learn how to unlock a help desk's full potential with these tips. Continue Reading

• bare-metal hypervisor

  A bare-metal hypervisor, also known as a Type 1 hypervisor, is virtualization software that has been installed directly onto the computing hardware. Continue Reading

• Prepare for successful container adoption with these tips

  Enterprises all over the world are making containerized applications a central focus. Learn why your IT organization should be next, and how to prepare. Continue Reading

• 8 certifications and courses for admins, DevOps and IT ops pros

  With a few years of experience now on your resume, it's time to boost or validate those skills you've gained. Explore these courses and certifications for one that fits your goals. Continue Reading

• hypervisor

  A hypervisor is a function that abstracts -- isolates -- operating systems (OSes) and applications from the underlying computer hardware. Continue Reading

• Definitions to Get Started

  • paravirtualization
  • platform engineering
  • platform
  • Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF)

  • site reliability engineering (SRE)
  • Docker
  • Terraform
  • shift-left testing

  View All Definitions

• How to perform a Hyper-V to VMware migration

  Before you migrate from Hyper-V to VMware, you should take a comprehensive inventory, set an agreed-upon schedule and communicate the potential effects to all relevant parties.Continue Reading

• Full virtualization vs. paravirtualization: Key differences

  Full virtualization and paravirtualization both enable hardware resource abstraction, but the two technologies differ when it comes to isolation levels.Continue Reading

• How to find the best server virtualization management software

  Choosing the right server virtualization management software is critical to meeting your organization's current and future needs.Continue Reading

• 5 prerequisites for applying AI to an ops environment

  For organizations that want to apply AI to their ops environments, IT teams must precede the starting line with an understanding of what AI can do -- and what they want from it.Continue Reading

• Docker security checklists mitigate container cyberthreats

  To improve container security, admins can use a Docker security checklist and combat common vulnerabilities, such as gain privileges and corrupt Docker images.Continue Reading

• Use Amazon EMR with Apache Airflow to simplify processes

  Explore Amazon EMR, looking at use cases such as MapReduce and integration with Hadoop. Then, see how it works with Apache Airflow and learn how to get started.Continue Reading

• 5 AIOps skills to add to your DevOps resume

  Organizations use AIOps to address complexity, but these tools don't exist in a vacuum. See the top skills needed to successfully implement them.Continue Reading

• What's the difference between Type 1 vs. Type 2 hypervisor?

  Choosing between the two hypervisor types largely depends on whether IT administrators oversee an enterprise data center or client-facing, end-user systems.Continue Reading

• 4 monitoring and alerting best practices for IT ops

  Monitoring is vital in modern IT environments, but the variety of metrics to track can swiftly overtake admins' capacity -- and sanity.Continue Reading

• Get to know Oracle VM VirtualBox 6.1 and learn to install it

  Oracle VM VirtualBox offers a host of appealing features, such as multigeneration branched snapshots and guest multiprocessing.Continue Reading

• What is SRE in DevOps and how do they work together?

  Site reliability engineering and DevOps share a close relationship -- but it's not always clear what, exactly, that relationship is. Walk through the basics of SRE, and its place in DevOps methodologies.Continue Reading

• A day in the life: What does a site reliability engineer do?

  Site reliability engineering is still a relatively new job role, and it's challenging to get a clear picture of the day to day. Learn what one SRE's role looks like with this profile.Continue Reading

• 4 Docker security best practices to minimize container risks

  Without the right tools and processes in place, Docker security can feel like a moving target. Use these four practices -- related to container images, hosts and more -- to keep deployments safe.Continue Reading

• Run Kubernetes at the edge with these K8s distributions

  The idea of edge computing is not as far off as it once was. Evaluate several ways to bring Kubernetes to the edge, and when an organization should use each approach.Continue Reading

• An overview of Apache Airflow for workflow management

  This introductory look at Apache Airflow walks through some of the basics of the workflow management tool -- from installation steps to its various GUI options.Continue Reading

• Check out this Docker Compose tutorial for beginners

  IT admins tasked with running multi-container applications can use this Docker Compose tutorial -- which also features Redis -- to get started.Continue Reading

• 2 ways to craft a server consolidation project plan

  Server consolidation enables admins to boost server utilization and decrease power consumption, which can also reduce costs and improve performance.Continue Reading

• How and why to create an SRE error budget

  No IT service is completely immune to disruption. A realistic error budget is a powerful way to set up a service for success.Continue Reading

• 11 certifications for entry-level IT operations roles

  Looking to start a career in IT operations? Check out these courses and certifications for beginners to gather all the foundational skills you'll need.Continue Reading

• infrastructure as code

  Infrastructure as code, also referred to as IaC, is an IT practice that codifies and manages underlying IT infrastructure as software.Continue Reading

• Building an infrastructure-as-code pipeline in the cloud

  Understand the stages to manage infrastructure as code, from source control to activation deployment -- and how these functions can be accomplished through cloud services.Continue Reading

• Infrastructure as code principles: How IaC works and how to use it

  What are the most important things to know about infrastructure as code if you're going to implement it? Follow these guidelines to build a solid IaC foundation.Continue Reading

• What is configuration management? A comprehensive guide

  Configuration management (CM) is an information governance and systems engineering process to ensure consistency among physical and logical assets in an operational environment.Continue Reading

• The evolution and history of software configuration management

  IT and software configuration management challenge tech professionals. It's been that way for decades, and best practices continue to evolve.Continue Reading

• These IT automation scripts take little effort and save a lot of work

  Doing some IT tasks by hand is doing them wrong. Whether to provision components, research an issue or report on performance, IT automation scripts are powerful and easy to write.Continue Reading

• A production deployment checklist for enterprise apps

  The more complex an app gets, the more complex production deployment becomes. Split the process into these nine areas to streamline team communication and tasks.Continue Reading

• How to use Slack and Fluentd to demonstrate social output

  Phil Wilkins provides step-by-step instructions on how DevOps teams can enable Slack to capture log events from the open source data collection tool Fluentd.Continue Reading

• Automate these DevOps tasks for maximum productivity

  DevOps is hard work, but only upfront. The goal -- once teams build a pipeline and set up automation -- is to stand aside and watch the builds flow through.Continue Reading

• Write a software deployment plan under these guidelines

  A successful and comprehensive software deployment plan includes many moving pieces. But don't panic -- here are the key aspects to consider.Continue Reading

• Use Docker and Alpine Linux to build lightweight containers

  Alpine Linux won't always be the right OS choice for IT teams, but it's an option worth consideration when lightweight container images are the goal.Continue Reading

• KubeCon 2020 preview: Session guide for fine-tuning Kubernetes

  Hosted as a low-cost virtual event, KubeCon + CloudNativeCon North America 2020 offers a broad array of technical sessions that can help you scale and improve Kubernetes deployments.Continue Reading

• KubeCon 2020 preview: Session guide for Kubernetes professionals

  The virtual format of KubeCon 2020 means Kubernetes adopters can learn from their peers and take in expert presentations on Kubernetes and related technologies.Continue Reading

• KubeCon 2020 preview: Session guide for Kubernetes beginners

  Want expert advice to kick off a container and Kubernetes implementation at your company? Many of the sessions at KubeCon North America are made for you.Continue Reading

• Manage Kubernetes pods and nodes with these native features

  In Kubernetes, pod management requires familiarity with the platform's native features. From Services and Jobs to taints and tolerations, learn how they help direct deployments.Continue Reading

• Infrastructure as code examples for DevOps, cloud deployments

  Administrators can use infrastructure as code to consistently manage a distributed set of resources. Follow these four examples to get started, and explore common IaC tool choices.Continue Reading

• How to start DevOps: A step-by-step guide

  DevOps can be a grand departure from an IT organization's status quo. Follow these seven basic steps for a phased transition that staff will champion.Continue Reading

• Build and deploy a microservice with Kubernetes

  Ready to run microservices in production? Follow along to create a containerized microservice and deploy it on Kubernetes in this step-by-step tutorial.Continue Reading

• Ways to use feature flags in DevOps

  What's in a name? Whether you call them feature flags or toggles, this approach benefits enterprise IT all the same. Learn the basics and see how to apply them to DevOps.Continue Reading

• Build a DevOps culture using these key principles

  Is your organization ready to adopt DevOps practices? There's a lot to it, so don't try to accomplish everything all at once. Start with these key ideas.Continue Reading

• 5 DevSecOps best practices to prioritize

  Successful DevSecOps isn't just about secure code -- it's securing the flows of data through code, methods and tools. Review these five security tips to button up your DevOps work.Continue Reading

• Evolving DevOps roles demand Kubernetes, CI/CD skills

  The rapid rate of change in IT coupled with the newness of many DevOps practices and technologies creates barriers for those who seek a career in DevOps. These skills can open the door.Continue Reading

• How to approach IT logging in the cloud vs. on premises

  IT organizations must monitor cloud infrastructure and apps with a process that's different than they're used to for on-premises environments. Learn how to do cloud logging here.Continue Reading

• DevOps as a Service

  DevOps as a Service is a delivery model for a set of tools that facilitates collaboration between an organization's software development team and the operations team.Continue Reading

• 16 DevOps books to level up your skills

  Is your organization and IT staff ready to tackle DevOps, from culture to strategies and toolchains? Start with these 16 books from learning DevOps basics to fine-tuning specific DevOps skills and practices.Continue Reading

• Top 15 DevOps blogs to read and follow

  The DevOps community is big, but here are some of the top DevOps blogs to read that cover everything from tips for beginners, the latest news and how-tos.Continue Reading

• Get started with Docker Bench for Security

  Common vulnerabilities in OSes and configuration files can plague Docker hosts. Learn how to set up Docker Bench for Security and use the open source tool to fortify hosts against threats.Continue Reading

• Just what can AI in IT operations accomplish?

  How should the 'AI' in 'AIOps' work? The idea is for it to identify and solve problems in ways similar to how the human mind would -- except faster and without prompting.Continue Reading

• Try out an Ansible dry run in under 5 minutes

  Learn how the dry run tests Ansible configurations without making any accidental changes to the IT environment. This tutorial covers the steps in less time than it takes to make coffee.Continue Reading

• Kubernetes performance testing tutorial: Load test a cluster

  Follow along step by step to run Kubernetes performance tests with Metrics Server and Horizontal Pod Autoscaler. This tutorial works for cloud-, data center- or locally hosted clusters.Continue Reading

• A beginner's guide to hosted and bare-metal virtualization

  Choosing a virtualization approach isn't a matter of competition. Admins must consider their personal use cases to determine which hypervisor type suits their needs.Continue Reading

• How to build a successful IT service desk

  The IT service desk has a lot to manage. With a strong foundation and the right steps in place to handle issues, it can take on anything users throw at it.Continue Reading

• Use Pulumi and Azure DevOps to deploy infrastructure as code

  Follow this tutorial for an overview of Pulumi, an IaC tool, within the Azure DevOps toolchain, and how to use them together to define, build, test and deploy infrastructure.Continue Reading

• Memory management techniques improve system performance

  Prior to using memory management strategies, admins should familiarize themselves with approaches to ensure they implement techniques suited to their specific circumstances.Continue Reading

• Incident communication best practices for happier users

  Proper communication around an IT outage or incident can prevent chaos. Use these techniques -- at home and abroad -- to keep users well-informed.Continue Reading

• How Kubernetes enhances DevOps practices

  Kubernetes isn't necessary for DevOps, and you don't need a DevOps team to adopt Kubernetes container management. But, here are all the ways that these two are better together.Continue Reading

• 4 FAQs to help master KVM management

  When it comes to managing KVM, admins should do their homework and research common questions to better understand the technology and ensure peak performance.Continue Reading

• Follow these 8 steps to implement automation in IT workflows

  IT can't automate everything under their purview, and certainly not all at once. But there are tried-and-true steps IT orgs can follow to automate safely.Continue Reading

• How to use PowerShell in CI/CD pipelines

  PowerShell has many uses in CI/CD pipelines. Before DevOps teams dive in, they need to grasp the automation tool's scope, from cloud management to infrastructure testing.Continue Reading

• How to make the right HCI deployment decisions

  Hyper-converged infrastructures pose different challenges depending on the deployment method. Software might not offer as much support, while choosing hardware risks vendor lock-in.Continue Reading

• How persistent container storage works -- and why it matters

  Persistent storage retains data when a device is shut off. And for containers -- inherently stateless and ephemeral -- this type of storage is critical for deployments.Continue Reading

• Follow this Grafana Loki tutorial to query IT log data

  IT pros evaluating log data should try tools like Grafana Loki. Follow this tutorial to see how it works firsthand, exploring LogCLI and LogQL.Continue Reading

• Essential serverless concepts to master before deployment

  Serverless computing can be incredibly beneficial -- but easily misunderstood. Before adoption, have a clear understanding of proper use cases and app design principles.Continue Reading

• Modern IT KPIs emphasize cloud, DevOps and user experience

  When it comes to KPIs, IT ops teams have typically prioritized process-centric metrics, but recent technical and cultural shifts have started to change that.Continue Reading

• Walk through 5 essential DevOps pipeline stages

  A DevOps pipeline won't look the same in every organization, but the five phases outlined in this video play a prominent role in most software development and delivery lifecycles.Continue Reading

• 4 steps to implement an IT configuration management process

  Configuration management tools go a long way in effective IT system maintenance. However, admins still need to take certain steps of their own to ensure desired outcomes.Continue Reading

• A Graylog tutorial to centrally manage IT logs

  Graylog enables IT admins to manage and analyze log data from multiple sources. Use this tutorial to set up the tool and learn its primary features, such as pipelines and extractors.Continue Reading

• How to use Clair to scan Docker images

  Container vulnerabilities open the door to security issues and cascading failures across an IT environment. Use this Clair tutorial to scan for compromised Docker container images.Continue Reading

• Prepare for the rise of the IT automation architect

  As IT infrastructures become more complex, and development cycles more rapid, organizations increasingly lean on automation -- and those with the skills to oversee it.Continue Reading

• How to set up Prometheus for Kubernetes monitoring

  Prometheus enables IT teams to automate and quickly configure infrastructure monitoring with open source tools natively in Kubernetes. Follow this tutorial to get started.Continue Reading

• From coding to automation, SRE skills reach far and wide

  A site reliability engineer wears many hats. In addition to development and IT troubleshooting responsibilities, this role requires top-notch communication skills.Continue Reading

• How to integrate DevOps into an IT monitoring strategy

  When it comes to IT monitoring, a DevOps toolchain presents opportunities and challenges. Follow best practices to ensure your teams see and fix problems appropriately.Continue Reading

• It's time to dismiss these 7 DevOps collaboration myths

  DevOps is taking root in IT organizations across the globe -- but that doesn't mean it's well understood. Misconceptions persist, but they can be conquered.Continue Reading

• Get started with threshold monitoring

  IT monitoring doesn't have to be difficult to set up and use. Learn how to set thresholds and dashboards, know when and how to escalate responses, and keep IT systems humming along.Continue Reading

• Learn Kubernetes step by step with this interactive book

  SearchITOperations spoke with author Zach Arnold about what IT pros can expect from The Kubernetes Workshop, an interactive book that progressively builds readers' knowledge of container orchestration.Continue Reading

• Implement compliance-as-code with this Chef InSpec tutorial

  Rather than rely on manual compliance checks, IT admins can use Chef InSpec to automate the process. Watch this brief video to learn essential InSpec commands and run some practice scans.Continue Reading

• How to respond to 3 common IT alerts

  When those IT alerts pop up, the ops team needs to respond. Take steps to deal with the problems -- but also look out for possible sources of the trouble.Continue Reading

• 5 IT automation examples that ops teams should implement today

  IT automation use cases are plentiful and highly variegated -- but organizations should emphasize these five examples in their roadmaps.Continue Reading

• Container auditing best practices for large-scale deployments

  Container auditing and reporting are essential security and compliance measures in a production environment. Apply these practices to uncover abnormalities, control user access and choose the right tool.Continue Reading

• How -- and why -- to add SolarWinds modules

  SolarWinds is known for its capabilities in network monitoring, but flexible modules give IT operations staff the ability to monitor systems far and wide.Continue Reading

• A Kubernetes namespaces tutorial to manage cluster resources

  Namespaces in Kubernetes serve several purposes -- from allowing teams to share a single cluster to enforcing resource quotas. Use this tutorial to get started with this important Kubernetes feature.Continue Reading

• Create an AKS cluster with this Ansible and Kubernetes tutorial

  IT admins familiar with Ansible can use the configuration management tool, alongside Azure Cloud Shell, to spin up a Kubernetes cluster in AKS.Continue Reading

• Craft a DevOps transformation roadmap around these 5 milestones

  As organizations embark on a DevOps journey, they can use these five milestones to ensure team members stay on track -- and collaborate efficiently along the way.Continue Reading

• How many Kubernetes nodes should be in a cluster?

  There's no one-size-fits-all answer in terms of how many nodes should make up a Kubernetes cluster. Instead, that number varies based on specific workload requirements.Continue Reading

• Lean on these core Ansible features for IT automation success

  These six articles break down Ansible playbooks, roles and other key concepts for IT pros who are new to the tool -- or could benefit from a refresher.Continue Reading

• Top Docker best practices for container management

  Many admins use Docker for container management, so they should explore best practices such as container backup procedures and exploring Dockerfile commands.Continue Reading

• 6 articles to modernize an IT log management strategy

  Enterprises must adapt IT log management best practices and tools to handle an ever-growing volume of log files. Here are several modern approaches to tackle IT logging efficiently.Continue Reading

• Expand your knowledge of Hyper-V virtual switch types

  Admins can create three Hyper-V virtual switch types: external, internal and private. The need for internet access and a secure network can help admins decide which one to use.Continue Reading

• 4 components of a disaster recovery plan to prepare for a crisis

  IT teams must take a proactive approach to crisis management and disaster recovery. Use these four guidelines around communication, monitoring and more to build a plan that works.Continue Reading

• Tap into these dark data use cases for IT ops and the business

  Untapped data sources cause enterprises to forgo a wealth of information that benefits both IT operations and the business. Here's why -- and how -- to shine a light on dark data.Continue Reading

• Lay the groundwork for a SecOps team structure

  A good partnership between IT operations and security teams requires trust, mutual commitment and continual work -- but results in significantly reduced security exposures and a healthier work culture for all.Continue Reading

• Configure advanced VM settings in vSphere 6.7

  Configuring advanced VM settings is no easy task. Some common questions admins ask include where to place VM swap files and how many sockets and cores they should use.Continue Reading

• What to expect as AI for DevOps advances in the enterprise

  While still an emerging practice, the use of artificial intelligence in DevOps shops will have major implications on monitoring, cost optimization and more.Continue Reading

• Walk through 5 common PowerShell uses for IT ops teams

  PowerShell use cases have expanded past Microsoft's original design -- but IT automation is still at the tool's core, whether it's to support an AIOps strategy or monitor server performance.Continue Reading

• Kubectl commands and best practices for new Kubernetes users

  Kubectl is a simple and powerful means to control containers in Kubernetes. But as with any CLI, it demands familiarity with available operations, resource types and associated syntax.Continue Reading

• VM networking best practices to boost network performance

  Admins who familiarize themselves with VM network switches and activity can better understand issues and employ best practices to mitigate lackluster network performance.Continue Reading