IT operations careers and skills
IT operations administrators wear many different hats, which comes with many necessary skills and knowledge. From coding and automation to soft skills and collaboration, IT ops admins are kept on their toes. Get expert tips on enhancing your ITOps career.
Top Stories
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Tutorial
23 Jan 2023
Try out PowerShell grep equivalents with these examples
Though less well known than grep, PowerShell cmdlets such as Select-String have extensive search capabilities in their own right. Explore use cases for both in this tutorial. Continue Reading
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Feature
29 Dec 2022
What's next: Predictions, challenges and IT trends for 2023
As organizations look to address ongoing ops skills shortages and increasing complexity in their IT environments, they'll invest in cybersecurity, AI and automation. Continue Reading
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Feature
20 Dec 2022
Review the top IT operations news stories of 2022
2022 was full of industry updates, company shake-ups and emerging technologies. Review the highlights of this year's IT ops news to prepare for what's next in 2023. Continue Reading
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News
13 Dec 2022
Geek gifts 2022: Business travel essentials and music-making
For better or for worse, the world re-opened this year, renewing geeks' need for business travel accessories, while others sought to explore their musical creativity. Continue Reading
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Tip
13 Dec 2022
What makes a good IT operations manager?
Making the jump to management can be challenging for IT ops professionals; leadership positions often require a different skill set than technical roles. Continue Reading
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News
02 Nov 2022
Fresh crop of IT automation tools targets platform engineers
As enterprise IT shifts from full-stack DevOps to platform engineering, IT automation tools reinvented for the Kubernetes era can reduce toil for operators. Continue Reading
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News
01 Nov 2022
Security AI shifts left into DevSecOps
DevSecOps vendors such as GitLab and Palo Alto's Prisma Cloud embrace security AI throughout the software development lifecycle, as IT trust in AI grows. Continue Reading
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News
27 Oct 2022
Platform engineers plug abstraction leaks
Platform engineers presented at KubeCon about how new tools have helped them better hide infrastructure complexity from developers. But a paradox of choice remains. Continue Reading
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News
18 Oct 2022
Enterprises learn the downsides of DevSecOps metrics
DevSecOps metrics can be helpful, but they can also steer developer and security collaboration in an unproductive direction if they are over-emphasized, practitioners said. Continue Reading
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News
05 Oct 2022
HashiCorp cloud security evolves via Boundary, Consul, Vault
With the debut of Boundary on HashiCorp Cloud Platform, along with updates for Vault and Consul, the vendor lays the foundation for a long-term product strategy. Continue Reading
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Feature
26 Sep 2022
Explore the pros and cons of Go for DevOps
Author and Docker engineer Teiva Harsanyi explains the benefits of Golang -- including why he sees it as the future of back-end development -- and how to avoid common pitfalls. Continue Reading
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News
31 Aug 2022
VMware Tanzu sets up edge computing showdown with OpenShift
Enterprise edge computing is still at a nascent stage, but a battle is brewing between Kubernetes platforms such as VMware Tanzu and OpenShift to support the emerging trend. Continue Reading
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News
11 Aug 2022
Sigstore co-creator talks GitHub, Kubernetes and next steps
Dan Lorenc reflects on a whirlwind year for his open source project, now officially incorporated into Kubernetes and GitHub's npm registry, and his plans for the year to come. Continue Reading
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News
08 Aug 2022
Blue chips hone continuous compliance as GRC pressures mount
The concept of continuous improvement has found its way into IT governance, as companies such as Fannie Mae, JPMorgan Chase and John Deere embrace continuous compliance. Continue Reading
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Tip
17 Jun 2022
Fielding IT management challenges: Supply chain edition
As IT operations teams grapple with global supply chain disruptions and a skills shortage, they must work with IT leadership to make some tough decisions. Continue Reading
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News
09 Jun 2022
DevSecOps demands focus on developer experience, IT pros say
It's not enough to set up an approved path to production to establish DevSecOps, experienced platform engineers say; developer experience and collaboration are equally important. Continue Reading
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Tip
01 Jun 2022
DevOps architect vs. engineer: What's the difference?
DevOps engineers and architects work in the same environment, but their roles, skills and experience differ. Learn what each entails and how to prepare for one over the other. Continue Reading
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News
20 May 2022
Cisco, CNCF leader urges corporate open source contributions
Critical problems in open source security require major increases in open source contributions from enterprises -- and not just in code, according to Cisco's head of open source. Continue Reading
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Tip
11 May 2022
Important DevOps engineer programming languages to learn
We've learned that DevOps demands some code knowledge -- but there are a lot of languages to choose from. Think about CI/CD, object-oriented languages and infrastructure as code. Continue Reading
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Feature
07 Apr 2022
DevOps administrator: The role and responsibilities
To really understand a job, it's best to hear from those who have held it. Learn about what it means to work in a DevOps role from these practitioners. Continue Reading
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Tip
31 Mar 2022
Prepare for these common SRE interview questions
To ace that job interview, aspiring SREs should prepare to discuss everything from programming languages to network troubleshooting at varying levels of detail. Continue Reading
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News
25 Mar 2022
Observability maturity favors data clarity over quantity
Experienced SREs share lessons learned about making effective use of copious amounts of observability data, from pre-collection priorities to data visualization. Continue Reading
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News
23 Mar 2022
NPM 'protestware' raises questions on open source security
The deliberate sabotage of an NPM package to protest war in Ukraine worsens the already complex threat of software supply chain attacks, open source and security experts said. Continue Reading
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News
21 Mar 2022
SREs provision their role in DevSecOps
Whether it's creating automated tools for OS certification or exploring eBPF as a way to safeguard supply chain security in production, cybersecurity is a growing part of SRE jobs. Continue Reading
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Feature
18 Mar 2022
6 DevOps soft skills and how they drive success
DevOps is built on collaboration and communication -- and soft skills make that foundation strong. Discover six soft skills to help set you apart. Continue Reading
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Tip
15 Mar 2022
VCP exam prep: Learn what help the VMware course provides
The VMware Certification Professional badge is for admins with network, storage and data center virtualization know-how. Get insight into course specifics and structure. Continue Reading
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Opinion
08 Feb 2022
Access free courses with the Microsoft ESI program
Do you qualify for the Microsoft ESI program? Here's more about it from someone who has taken advantage of it, and why you should consider it to upgrade your skill set. Continue Reading
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Tip
21 Dec 2021
12 DevOps KPIs you should track to gauge improvement
What's missing from your DevOps workflow? Cold, hard, impartial numbers. Track these key metrics to ensure DevOps processes achieve stated goals. Continue Reading
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Tip
03 Dec 2021
Low-cost virtualization courses to build your VMware skills
Online courses are a great option for professional development, but they can be costly. Options from Udemy, LinkedIn and Global Knowledge let you increase skills at minimal cost. Continue Reading
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Feature
23 Nov 2021
IT skills shortage opens chances for growth and diversity
A lack of skilled employees can hurt business initiatives. To solve this IT skills gap will take commitments to meeting employee demands and dedication to learning. Continue Reading
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Tutorial
25 Oct 2021
Connect data with PowerShell's Join-Object module
In PowerShell, connect different data sources and sets with the community module Join-Object. Examine different examples and use cases to relate your data. Continue Reading
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Tip
02 Aug 2021
Disperse documentation in DevOps processes, top to bottom
Your IT organization's pre-DevOps documentation practices aren't cutting it. Improve speed, accuracy and quality -- and don't leave it for last. Continue Reading
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Tip
29 Jul 2021
11 job interview questions for virtualization engineers
Interviews are your chance to showcase your overall knowledge -- and technical expertise -- of virtualization. Prepare for your next job interview and review typical questions. Continue Reading
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Quiz
22 Jul 2021
Take this quick DevOps quiz to test your expertise
DevOps as a methodology and cultural movement has been around for years -- but how well do you know its concepts and best practices? Find out here. Continue Reading
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Feature
27 May 2021
9 advanced IT certifications for operations experts
To be an IT expert requires dedication to the ever-changing technology and processes. Here's a list of certifications to demonstrate that skill and experience. Continue Reading
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Tip
15 Apr 2021
Close the tech skills gap with the right training
Employee skills are a valuable business resource. The scarcity of new or emerging IT skills has led to a skills gap that impedes tech adoption and business competitiveness. Continue Reading
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Feature
04 Mar 2021
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
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Tip
09 Feb 2021
Compare some of the top online IT training providers
Everyone learns differently. So, to find the right training provider to match your style, weigh the pros and cons of these five options before you subscribe. Continue Reading
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Tip
15 Jan 2021
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
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Feature
30 Oct 2020
Tips for attending virtual IT conferences like a pro
The coronavirus pushed all physical gathering events into the digital realm for public safety. But this completely disrupts our prep patterns. Here are some tips to help. Continue Reading
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Tip
24 Sep 2020
Tips for a smooth DevSecOps transformation
DevSecOps is a natural progression of DevOps and spreads security responsibilities to other IT teams. Where to begin? Here are core concepts, helpful tools and ways to learn more. 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
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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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
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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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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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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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
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
- 19 May 2020
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Feature
19 May 2020
A successful CMDB deployment in five essential steps
Join the first of our three-part series on maintaining your CMDB as a trusted source and learning the essential role it plays in your organization’s modernization. Continue Reading
- E-Zine 19 May 2020
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Tip
31 Mar 2020
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
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Tip
19 Feb 2020
Weave DevOps continuous learning into a CI/CD toolchain
DevOps shops can bake training materials into CI/CD workflows to ensure IT and development staff constantly advance their skills -- but be sure to keep those materials up to date. Continue Reading
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Tip
13 Feb 2020
Evolve IT help desk skills to meet modern user demands
"Have you tried turning it off and then back on again?" is no longer the first question a help desk technician should ask. Widespread use of tech by just about everyone has changed the role. Continue Reading
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News
29 Jan 2020
'Limited' number of VMware layoffs confirmed in 'rebalancing'
VMware says the layoffs will allow the company to better focus on helping corporate users figure out their multi-cloud strategies and affected workers may be reassigned. Continue Reading
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News
17 Dec 2019
Verizon, Walmart embrace DevOps dojo for IT training
Some IT training experts say 'Dojo is a no-go,' but companies such as Verizon and Walmart say the DevOps dojo approach has been well worth it for them. Continue Reading
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Feature
13 Dec 2019
Put infrastructure automation at the heart of modern IT ops
IT automation, DevOps at scale and hybrid infrastructure management are three critical -- and interconnected -- IT operations initiatives for 2020. Continue Reading
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News
13 Dec 2019
Geek gifts 2019: Think Opex, not Capex with subscriptions
Why manage buying your own gifts for geeks, when there are so many subscription gift box services that will do that kind of undifferentiated heavy lifting for you? Continue Reading
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Feature
10 Dec 2019
IT security best practices for DevOps, cloud and more
Technology is in constant motion, making it difficult for enterprise IT shops to maintain steadfast security. Explore ways to protect DevOps, microservices and cloud environments. Continue Reading
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News
04 Nov 2019
JASK buy may boost security analytics in Sumo Logic SIEM
Sumo Logic has acquired JASK, an automated SOC that will be most useful for security analytics and alert reduction features within Sumo Logic's SIEM. Continue Reading
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News
27 Aug 2019
IT training programs stall amid search for best practices
Without a standard set of best practices to refer to for IT training programs, or any industry consensus on the best general approach to training, large enterprises have begun to trail smaller, more nimble counterparts in the efficiency of their software releases. Continue Reading
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Feature
14 Aug 2019
IT training flaws compound DevOps skills shortage
Before investing in an online course to learn new IT skills, heed this warning from brain scientists: there is a big difference between knowing what to do and knowing how to do it. Continue Reading
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Feature
09 Aug 2019
5 IT video tutorials admins don't want to miss
The best way to ramp up with a new technology or IT practice is to see it in action. Use these five video tutorials to visually walk through GitOps workflows, CI/CD pipelines and more. Continue Reading
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Feature
26 Jul 2019
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
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Tip
18 Jul 2019
Essential virtualization certifications for IT professionals
As companies move beyond virtualization, the need for IT pros with fine-tuned expertise in cloud administration, ethical hacking, legacy infrastructure migration and automation rises. Continue Reading
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Tip
09 Jul 2019
Don't neglect your IT architect skills in public cloud projects
Public cloud infrastructure is beyond the veil for IT admins: unknown and untouchable. But depending on the deployment -- and the cloud -- admins still have architecture to manage. Continue Reading
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Feature
28 Jun 2019
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
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Feature
03 Jun 2019
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
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Tip
29 May 2019
Inherit and manage a virtualization environment with these strategies
Stepping into a management role when it comes to a newly inherited virtualization environment can be a challenge, but with the right approach, you can ease the transition. Continue Reading
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Feature
13 May 2019
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
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Tip
07 May 2019
Study tips to ace the CNCF's CKA exam
IT certifications are an IT admin's superpower, lending official credibility to technology expertise. Know what to expect -- and practice -- to become Kubernetes certified. Continue Reading
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Tip
02 May 2019
The virtualization and container skills gap widens
Businesses face organizational and management challenges as their support staff transitions from virtualization to a new development and management environment. Continue Reading
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Tip
19 Apr 2019
Virtualization cost-savings methods for IT administrators
The biggest costs in any virtualization environment tend to be licenses, hardware acquisition, support and maintenance, so that's where you should look for ways to reduce expenses. Continue Reading
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Feature
27 Mar 2019
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
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Feature
27 Mar 2019
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
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Feature
27 Dec 2018
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
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Feature
26 Dec 2018
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
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Feature
13 Dec 2018
Review the top 9 virtualization techniques of the year
IT administrators always have room to improve their virtualization skills. Read our top articles of the year to perfect PowerShell management, Hyper-V customization and more. Continue Reading
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Opinion
10 Dec 2018
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
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Blog Post
21 Nov 2018
What does an IT person do? Answers from around the globe
The holiday season is fast approaching, when IT and DevOps professionals around the world answer a perennial question at the family dinner table: What does an IT person do? While you might only ... Continue Reading
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Opinion
12 Nov 2018
6 emerging technologies that belong in an IT operations plan
A penny saved is a penny earned. But when it comes to AI, specialized compute engines and these other key emerging IT operations areas, a penny saved today is a dollar wasted -- or worse -- in the future. 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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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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Opinion
24 Aug 2018
The DevOps hiring process should be audition-based
How do we ensure competence? Certification is now a big business, but the way we test a 6 year old should differ from the way we test a doctoral candidate or DevOps engineer. Continue Reading
- 21 Aug 2018
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Opinion
16 Aug 2018
Let's develop best practices for security in DevOps
We've turned to DevOps and microservices because they've made it faster and easier to release and update applications. It's past time we developed security practices for them. Continue Reading
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Opinion
31 Jul 2018
A DevOps mindset shouldn't overemphasize speed
DevOps isn't really about the fastest release process. Ultimately, DevOps should make the user's life better. Find a balance between velocity and utility. Continue Reading
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Opinion
09 Jul 2018
Satisfy GDPR standards and identify issues early in the pipeline
GDPR requirements are here to stay. Get your developers involved early and shift security left to make your pipeline secure. Everyone is responsible for compliance now. Continue Reading
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Tip
05 Jul 2018
Build an IT infrastructure plan from the ground up
IT infrastructure improvements require careful planning that includes evaluating new technologies, such as converged and hyper-converged, and building for future flexibility. Continue Reading
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Opinion
03 Jul 2018
Salary snapshot: Embrace an entry-level DevOps role
New DevOps engineers make much more than their software engineer counterparts. If you have DevOps skills, maybe it's time to rebrand. Continue Reading
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Opinion
26 Jun 2018
Tackle DevOps compliance challenges with automation
The same DevOps principles that help address compliance issues should be the same principles that are applied to development in the first place. Continue Reading
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Quiz
06 Jun 2018
Is your shop compliant? Take our DevOps audit quiz to find out
Compliance is hard, even in a Waterfall environment. Bring in the speed of DevOps, and it can feel overwhelming. Take our quiz to see if your DevOps team is ready. Continue Reading
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Answer
01 Jun 2018
What is the best DevOps tool for my career?
I have no prior knowledge on DevOps. I'm doing an online course and understand Unix. I get the concepts, so what tool should I concentrate on learning to advance my DevOps career? Continue Reading
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Opinion
20 May 2018
Not sure how to start with DevOps? Here's one option
A new consulting firm with roots in Netflix and Amazon aims to help even legacy-heavy companies ship software faster. It starts with 15 metrics and small wins. Continue Reading
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Opinion
16 May 2018
Use event-driven architecture to design for DevOps 2.0
Collaboration is key to DevOps, but it will be even more important to DevOps 2.0. Expert Bob Reselman explains how event-driven architecture will help us build the next-gen DevOps. Continue Reading
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Tip
16 May 2018
Top-tier ITSM skills go beyond a good tool set
An organization can supply all the tools IT wants and still struggle to succeed. Build up key soft skills in IT and you'll boost productivity and business relationships. Continue Reading
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Quiz
09 May 2018
Can you ace our DevOps quiz? Maybe, but beware SnackOps
Do you know the difference between BizDevOps and DevOps 2.0? How about HumanOps and HugOps? What about SnackOps? Time to test your DevOps methodology knowledge. Continue Reading
