Distributed Application Architecture (Scale-Out Architecture) for IT
The distributed application architecture topic center offers advice and tips for IT operations professionals handling new application types and the methods by which distributed, scale-out applications are deployed. These include virtualization containers and microservices, event-driven computing, and cloud application management.
Top Stories
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Conference Coverage
05 Oct 2022
KubeCon + CloudNativeCon 2022 news coverage
Trying to keep up with the latest news out of KubeCon + CloudNativeCon? Use this comprehensive guide to stay updated and informed on both the North American and European events. Continue Reading
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Tip
07 Mar 2022
Micro apps vs. microservices: What developers should know
On the surface, the contrast between micro apps and microservices simply seems a matter of front-end vs. back-end concerns. But this isn't the only difference worth knowing. Continue Reading
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News
18 Sep 2020
Kubernetes on Windows matures, but networking snags remain
Kubernetes on Windows is viable in production for some users via cloud providers' managed services, but IT pros need more networking and storage maturity for on-prem apps. Continue Reading
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Tip
18 Sep 2020
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
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Feature
17 Sep 2020
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
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News
17 Sep 2020
Mirantis rethinks Docker Swarm vs. Kubernetes
Docker Enterprise users say plans to allow Docker Swarm to run on a Kubernetes back end could provide both ease of use for developers and granular infrastructure control for ops. Continue Reading
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News
16 Sep 2020
Mirantis rejuvenates Docker Enterprise cloud tools, support
Docker Enterprise Container Cloud keeps pace with recent trends in Kubernetes management, such as multicluster and multi-cloud support but faces stiff competition. Continue Reading
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Tip
15 Sep 2020
How to manage technical debt in IT organizations
"Debt" is a scary word even without "technical" before it. We can't help you with dollars and cents, but we can share what IT technical debt is and how to create a debt reduction plan. Continue Reading
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News
14 Sep 2020
DevSecOps strategy mimics cloud shared responsibility model
Real-world DevSecOps centralizes IT security around the CI/CD pipeline but defines separate roles that each IT constituency plays in securing apps and infrastructure. Continue Reading
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Feature
14 Sep 2020
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
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Tip
14 Sep 2020
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
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Tip
14 Sep 2020
10 DevOps engineer skills to add to a resume
A DevOps engineer plays a critical role in modern IT. As app development and deployment practices change, orgs will seek pros with hands-on experience -- and the skills to show for it. Continue Reading
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Feature
11 Sep 2020
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
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Feature
11 Sep 2020
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
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News
08 Sep 2020
Progress Software battles legacy rep amid Chef Software buy
Progress Software, a 40-year-old tech company, will mix Chef products into its portfolio of acquisitions, as both seek to keep up with rapid changes in IT automation. Continue Reading
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Tip
08 Sep 2020
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
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Feature
03 Sep 2020
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
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News
03 Sep 2020
Kubernetes monitoring eases migration, security at scale
IT pros in high-scale environments have found that moving to Kubernetes-based infrastructure called for a fresh approach to monitoring for performance and security. Continue Reading
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Tip
02 Sep 2020
Threat identification is IT ops' role in SecOps
IT operations teams can take steps to improve security as part of their daily tasks. Learn about the ways to identify threat incidents and reduce false positives. Continue Reading
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Video
31 Aug 2020
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
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Tip
31 Aug 2020
Compare GitOps vs. DevOps for modern app deployments
Despite some overlap, GitOps and DevOps differ in several important ways, especially as organizations embrace containers and application componentization. Continue Reading
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Tip
28 Aug 2020
5 open source software applications for virtualization
Open source software comes with many benefits, but admins must first determine whether each tool's use cases align with their workload needs. Continue Reading
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News
28 Aug 2020
How the DevOps model will build the new remote workforce
What IT pros expect from remote work post-COVID-19, and ways the DevOps model for collaboration and incident response can address its human and technical problems. Continue Reading
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Tutorial
26 Aug 2020
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
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Feature
24 Aug 2020
Overcome these 5 DevOps challenges
DevOps adoption isn't easy, but the results are worth it. Learn how to collaborate, cooperate and coordinate with better organization and DevOps tooling. Continue Reading
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Tip
24 Aug 2020
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
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News
21 Aug 2020
Kubernetes security defaults prompt upstream dilemma
As Kubernetes matures, community maintainers weigh enterprise demand for secure upstream defaults against concerns about sprawl and customizability. Continue Reading
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News
21 Aug 2020
OpenTelemetry aids distributed tracing, Kubernetes monitoring
OpenTelemetry combines multiple CNCF observability projects, as well as multiple enterprise data collection mechanisms, simplifying Kubernetes monitoring. Continue Reading
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Tip
21 Aug 2020
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
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Tip
19 Aug 2020
Understand the pros and cons of the IBM PowerVM
IBM's enterprise virtualization product, PowerVM, offers a host of benefits, but it also comes with challenges that admins should familiarize themselves with prior to implementation. Continue Reading
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News
19 Aug 2020
GitOps gains momentum among Kubernetes deployment tools
The growing popularity of Kubernetes GitOps tools reflects increasing cloud-native maturity and complexity among enterprise shops such as American Express. Continue Reading
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Tutorial
19 Aug 2020
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
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Feature
17 Aug 2020
5 leading data virtualization tools offer integration strategy
Learn which features and capabilities your organization should consider in order to select the data virtualization platform that will best fits its needs. Continue Reading
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News
14 Aug 2020
Slack integrations to form alternate UI for Atlassian tools
Atlassian plans to make Slack a full alternative interface for its software development and incident response tools, including single sign-on features. Continue Reading
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News
13 Aug 2020
Infrastructure-as-code upstart boosts Kubernetes deployment
Pulumi has expanded its integrations with Kubernetes deployment tools including OPA, Helm v3 and Kustomize, offering a central collaboration point for DevOps container management. Continue Reading
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Tip
13 Aug 2020
Tools and techniques to master API management in production
APIs are a cornerstone of modern application development. IT ops teams must monitor and manage APIs in production to resolve issues that hinder performance. Continue Reading
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News
12 Aug 2020
Terraform Cloud adds enterprise support, usage-based pricing
Terraform Cloud's new Business tier is a sign of what's to come for both Terraform Enterprise and IT ops teams overwhelmed with tools to manage, industry analysts say. Continue Reading
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Feature
12 Aug 2020
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
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Tip
11 Aug 2020
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
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News
07 Aug 2020
Value stream management tames DevOps chaos at Eli Lilly
The pharma firm straightened out disorganized DevOps processes, which now include data management for COVID-19 clinical trials, with a Plutora value stream management tool. Continue Reading
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Tip
06 Aug 2020
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
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News
05 Aug 2020
DevOps pipeline consolidation continues among CI/CD tools
Bespoke DevOps pipelines are becoming a thing of the past as specialist vendors such as Harness and Drone.io merge to compete with large platform vendors. Continue Reading
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News
05 Aug 2020
Microsoft unveils Open Service Mesh, vows donation to CNCF
Microsoft pledged to donate its service mesh to the CNCF in a stab at Istio, setting the stage for potential vendor collaboration around multi-cloud interoperability standards. Continue Reading
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Answer
03 Aug 2020
What is a Docker container vs. an image?
Docker images, Dockerfiles and containers are all instrumental in a Docker setup. Learn what tasks each component completes and how they interact with each other to run applications. Continue Reading
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Feature
31 Jul 2020
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
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News
30 Jul 2020
New Relic pricing plummets with product overhaul
New Relic dropped pricing for a newly unified set of IT monitoring tools, as it faces fresh competitive pressures and users adjust to cloud-native complexity. Continue Reading
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News
29 Jul 2020
Styra policy builder eases access to IT compliance as code
Styra's Rego Policy Builder guides novice users through the process of rendering OPA policies, part of the vendor's push to broaden the audience for its commercial software. Continue Reading
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Tip
29 Jul 2020
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
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Tip
27 Jul 2020
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
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Answer
27 Jul 2020
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
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Answer
22 Jul 2020
When to use canary vs. blue/green vs. rolling deployment
App deployment strategies such as rolling updates and blue/green environments help IT organizations manage change with minimal risk. See which strategy fits your application. Continue Reading
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Tip
20 Jul 2020
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
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Tutorial
16 Jul 2020
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
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News
16 Jul 2020
Google's OUC play muddies Istio service mesh outlook
Google surprised even major partners with the transfer of Istio's trademark to a new organization it launched last week, leaving some key governance details undefined. Continue Reading
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Tip
14 Jul 2020
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
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Tip
10 Jul 2020
An overview of Knative use cases, benefits and challenges
Knative might be more complex than a serverless platform in the public cloud, but for IT shops already committed to Kubernetes and microservices, it could be worth the leap. Continue Reading
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Tip
10 Jul 2020
Enable AMD-V in BIOS to remediate error codes
If admins are experiencing error codes due to AMD-V being disabled, they can easily remediate this issue by entering BIOS and reenabling the virtualization extension. Continue Reading
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Tip
08 Jul 2020
Choose the best programming language for DevOps workflows
DevOps is a rapidly evolving set of technologies and practices; choosing the right programming language -- or languages -- makes a big difference in terms of functionality, efficiency and speed. Continue Reading
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News
07 Jul 2020
Open source license issues stymie enterprise contributions
Business and ethical pressures have given rise to new types of open source licenses in the last year, presenting challenges to enterprises that want to contribute to projects. Continue Reading
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Feature
06 Jul 2020
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
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News
06 Jul 2020
Open source contributions face friction over company IP
Software engineers who want to contribute to open source projects must convince conservative corporate legal departments it's worth the potential risk to corporate IP. Continue Reading
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Tip
02 Jul 2020
Explore common machine learning use cases in IT operations
Machine learning is a hot topic with use cases that span IT and the business. Learn how IT operations teams most commonly apply the technology -- from help desk response to gauging end-user satisfaction. Continue Reading
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News
02 Jul 2020
AIOps tools expand as users warm slowly to autoremediation
AIOps tool vendors keep expanding the environments they can support with automated remediation features, but users are taking their time to move beyond root cause analysis. Continue Reading
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News
01 Jul 2020
Kubernetes complicates Cloud Foundry platform development
The Cloud Foundry community has begun to port its developer interface onto Kubernetes infrastructure, but there are multiple approaches to sort out amid the transition. Continue Reading
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Tip
30 Jun 2020
Compare the roles of SREs and DevOps engineers
Unsure whether your team needs an SRE or DevOps engineer? Or could the company benefit from both? To staff successfully, grasp how the roles differ and intersect. Continue Reading
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Tip
26 Jun 2020
5 critical help desk KPIs to track and manage
IT operations teams shouldn't view help desk KPIs in isolation, but rather as a set of closely related metrics that work together to track the user experience and costs. Continue Reading
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Tip
26 Jun 2020
CPU vs. microprocessor: What are the differences?
CPUs and microprocessors can execute many of the same tasks, such as arithmetic and I/O processing. However, there are some tasks CPUs can't execute effectively. Continue Reading
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News
25 Jun 2020
Puppet unveils event-driven IT automation plans
Puppet's IT automation system Relay, now in beta, offers an event-driven take on IT workflows, but the vendor must clearly establish the product's value over competing DevOps systems. Continue Reading
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Tip
25 Jun 2020
4 FAQs to better understand a paravirtualization interface
Admins are using paravirtualization because of its ability to improve system performance and reduce virtualization overhead, but its challenges can cause issues for some. Continue Reading
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Tip
25 Jun 2020
Evaluate 3 IT ops use cases for the Aternity monitoring tool
Operations teams can use data from an IT environment to detect, prevent and remediate issues. With Aternity, they can specifically track metrics and manage tasks related to user experience. Continue Reading
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News
24 Jun 2020
HashiCorp Consul 1.8 aims to smooth service mesh transition
HashiCorp Consul users are mulling how to extend service discovery into service mesh. The vendor has added gateway support to ease this transition. Continue Reading
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Feature
24 Jun 2020
Why -- and how -- to use Docker image tags
Version control is a critical part of software development and deployment. IT teams can use Docker tags to better manage and organize container images. Continue Reading
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News
24 Jun 2020
HashiCorp Terraform beta brings long-awaited features
Terraform 0.13, recently released to public beta, includes support for complex infrastructure deployments that users have eagerly awaited. Continue Reading
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Video
23 Jun 2020
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
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Tip
23 Jun 2020
Compare Nutanix AHV vs. VMware ESXi in the hypervisor battle
Though Nutanix AHV and VMware ESXi offer similar feature sets, admins' decisions will depend on several factors, such as virtualizations needs and workload size. Continue Reading
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News
22 Jun 2020
HashiCorp shops hope new Consul service comes at lower cost
Multi-cloud hosted services planned for HashiCorp products, including Consul, Vault and Nomad, would reduce IT ops overhead, users say, but prices must be affordable. Continue Reading
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Tip
22 Jun 2020
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
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Feature
17 Jun 2020
Lessons learned: Strategies to adjust IT operations in a crisis
Curious how other businesses adjusted their IT operations strategies in light of COVID-19? Look back at these five recent SearchITOperations news stories to find out. Continue Reading
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Tutorial
16 Jun 2020
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
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Feature
12 Jun 2020
ServiceNow vs. Jira Service Desk for ITSM workflow management
ServiceNow and Jira Service Desk are both big names in ITSM, but which one is better for your workflow management needs? Compare the two tools in terms of flexibility, integration support and more. Continue Reading
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News
11 Jun 2020
DevOps pros rethink cloud cost with continuous delivery tool
Cloud cost management is a new task for developers under DevOps, and a continuous delivery add-on presents a new way to show them infrastructure inefficiencies. Continue Reading
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Feature
11 Jun 2020
The definitive guide to enterprise IT monitoring
This comprehensive IT monitoring guide examines strategies to track systems, from servers to software UIs, and how to choose tools for every monitoring need. Continue Reading
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Tutorial
10 Jun 2020
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
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Tip
09 Jun 2020
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
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News
05 Jun 2020
New ServiceNow workflows extend into more markets
ServiceNow continues to direct its workflows toward vertical markets with new offerings for telecommunications, financial services and healthcare markets. Continue Reading
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Tutorial
04 Jun 2020
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
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Tip
02 Jun 2020
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
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News
02 Jun 2020
Atlassian takes on DevOps pipeline tools integration
Pre-built hooks between Atlassian DevOps tools are in demand among IT teams that must manage an overwhelming number of cross-functional projects and vendor products. Continue Reading
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News
02 Jun 2020
Chef software broadens scope amid IT automation disruption
Chef seeks a new niche as IT automation shifts toward Kubernetes and cloud-native tools, but IT pros have many options, with some more appealing than Chef in high-scale scenarios. Continue Reading
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Feature
29 May 2020
Your Golden Ticket: The Hidden Power of CMDB in IT Digital Transformation
Learn how a Configuration Management Database (CMDB) can be a powerful tool in your organization’s IT digital transformation journey. Continue Reading
- 29 May 2020
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Feature
29 May 2020
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
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Feature
29 May 2020
Composing a CMDB requires new rules for navigating today’s modern enterprise
Learn what the four new rules are for composing a Configuration Management Database (CMDB) for navigating today’s modern enterprise. Continue Reading
- 29 May 2020
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Feature
29 May 2020
ServiceNow Configuration Management Database
Learn how to maintain current and accurate data, identify performance and user experience improvement, visualize complex data to drive better decisions, and more with the ServiceNow Configuration Management Database. Continue Reading
- 29 May 2020
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Tip
29 May 2020
Why automated user provisioning still demands a human touch
IT teams can automate away many -- but not all -- of the tedious tasks associated with user provisioning. A human operator is still essential to ensure accurate account details. Continue Reading
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Tip
28 May 2020
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
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Tip
27 May 2020
Proxmox VE 6 and later offers container features, better security
Proxmox VE, an open source virtualization management product, provides admins with several features, such as VM live migration, backup abilities and high availability. Continue Reading
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Tip
27 May 2020
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
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Feature
27 May 2020
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
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Video
26 May 2020
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
