Systems automation and orchestration
Get expert guidance and practitioner-written tutorials to improve your organization's automation and orchestration processes, offering advice for beginners and pros alike.
Top Stories
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Tip
15 Apr 2025
How to copy files from source to destination in PowerShell
Take a closer look at these Copy-Item coding examples to build advanced PowerShell scripts that copy files with safety measures to ensure the duplicates reach their destinations. Continue Reading
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Tutorial
14 Apr 2025
Asynchronous programming in Python tutorial
Asynchronous programming in Python improves efficiency for I/O-bound applications, but it's not a performance cure-all. Here's how async in Python works and when to use it. Continue Reading
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News
09 Apr 2025
Atlassian Rovo pricing shifts amid industry AI struggles
Atlassian's Rovo, including revamped Search and a new automation Studio, will be built into its cloud products as enterprises grapple with getting AI into production. Continue Reading
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News
08 Apr 2025
AI agents raise stakes in identity and access management
IT vendors roll out fresh tools to take on identity and access management for AI agents as enterprises deploy them internally and battle malicious ones externally. Continue Reading
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Conference Coverage
07 Apr 2025
KubeCon + CloudNativeCon 2025 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 European and North American events. Continue Reading
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News
02 Apr 2025
Model Context Protocol fever spreads in cloud-native world
The Anthropic-led spec for AI agent tool connections gains further momentum this week, with support from cloud-native infrastructure vendors such as Kubiya and Solo.io. Continue Reading
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Definition
27 Mar 2025
What is IT automation? A complete guide for IT teams
IT automation is the use of instructions to create a clear, consistent and repeatable process that replaces an IT professional's manual work in data centers and cloud deployments. Continue Reading
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Podcast
27 Mar 2025
A visual future: GraphRAG and AI observability
In the eyes of one CNCF leader, GNNs, knowledge graphs and GraphRAG will boost IT operations and create 3D views of apps and infrastructure. Continue Reading
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News
26 Mar 2025
Site reliability engineers weigh MLOps vs. LLMOps
Some of the same lessons -- and unsolved problems -- from supporting machine learning apps in production carry over to generative AI apps, but not all. Continue Reading
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News
25 Mar 2025
SREs map uncharted territory with LLMOps
Generative AI apps upend longstanding reliability engineering principles, mindsets and skill sets -- how experts weather the disruption. Continue Reading
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Definition
25 Mar 2025
What is application release automation (ARA)?
Application release automation (ARA) is a process that automatically packages and deploys an application, or application updates, through the stages of development to production. Continue Reading
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News
24 Mar 2025
Open source AI agent frameworks add enterprise ops polish
Kagent and Dapr Agents offer connections to cloud-native infrastructure and microservices, taking differing stances on Microsoft's AutoGen. Continue Reading
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Tip
19 Mar 2025
6 open source workflow engines and how to use them
When evaluating open source workflow engines, learn their features and strengths, then view top platforms that streamline data pipelines, roll out microservices and automate tasks. Continue Reading
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Tip
18 Mar 2025
Kubernetes automation: Use cases and tools to know
Kubernetes automation simplifies the configuration, deployment and management of prepackaged container components supporting business apps, but it's not recommended in all cases. Continue Reading
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Feature
17 Mar 2025
8 service desk automation examples to enhance IT support
NLP-powered chatbots, escalation algorithms, data insights, onboarding, SLA monitoring and faster response times are service desk automation examples boosting IT support. Continue Reading
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Tip
17 Mar 2025
IT automation vs. orchestration: Key differences
As complementary technologies, automation defines each repetitive task to be performed, while orchestration assembles arrays of individual tasks to accomplish complex workflows. Continue Reading
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Tip
12 Mar 2025
8 IT process automation platforms to explore in 2025
Selecting an IT process automation platform requires organizations to evaluate processes, skill level and integration issues. These popular products are good options. Continue Reading
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Definition
12 Mar 2025
What is task automation?
Task automation uses technology to perform repetitive or routine tasks automatically, improving efficiency, minimizing mistakes and reducing errors. Continue Reading
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Tip
12 Mar 2025
7 task automation tools to increase productivity in 2025
Explore task automation tools that save time and reduce risks for IT operations by automating routine tasks, improving efficiency and minimizing errors. Continue Reading
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News
11 Mar 2025
ServiceNow agentic AI acquisitions set pace for enterprises
The combination of Moveworks and Cuein has industry analysts looking ahead to the next stage of enterprise agentic AI development and data management. Continue Reading
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Definition
11 Mar 2025
What is an automation engineer and how do you become one?
An automation engineer designs and develops autonomous systems to manage repetitive tasks and improve efficiency and productivity. Continue Reading
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Feature
07 Mar 2025
Benefits and challenges of IT automation
Adopting IT automation comes with improved process efficiency, greater scalability, lower costs and the power of AI, yet implementation, integration and maintenance issues persist. Continue Reading
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Definition
04 Mar 2025
What is root cause analysis?
Root cause analysis (RCA) is a method for understanding the underlying cause of an observed or experienced incident. Continue Reading
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Tip
03 Mar 2025
10 steps to develop your IT automation strategy
Setting business goals, establishing governance practices, identifying and deploying the right tools, and providing training are the foundations of a sound IT automation strategy. Continue Reading
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Definition
27 Feb 2025
What is the Agile test automation pyramid?
The Agile test automation pyramid is a graphical strategy guide for implementing automated software testing. Continue Reading
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News
25 Feb 2025
New Relic takes partnership tack for agentic AI
New Relic users say its collaborative approach to agentic AI, revamped AIOps tools and pricing model will make it easier to explore fresh forms of automation. Continue Reading
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Feature
24 Feb 2025
IT process automation: 6 examples to boost efficiency
A variety of software offerings, increasingly infused with AI, can help an IT shop become more productive, from handling service requests to conducting user satisfaction surveys. Continue Reading
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Definition
21 Feb 2025
What is a batch file?
A batch file is a script file that stores commands to be executed in a serial order. Continue Reading
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Feature
20 Feb 2025
6 IT automation trends to watch in 2025 and the future
Trends reshaping IT automation include the convergence of formerly distinct platforms, the role of generative AI as automation glue and the stepwise expansion of agentic AI. Continue Reading
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Definition
20 Feb 2025
What is function as a service (FaaS)?
Function as a service (FaaS) is a cloud computing model that enables cloud customers to develop applications and deploy functionalities and only be charged when the functionality executes. Continue Reading
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Tip
18 Feb 2025
12 steps to effectively implement IT automation
IT can't automate everything in its purview -- and certainly not all at once. But there are tried-and-true steps IT organizations can follow to automate workflows safely. Continue Reading
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News
13 Feb 2025
IT orgs expand business observability beyond their own walls
Business observability could soon become a part of your IT environment, even if you're not the one who originally thought of it. Continue Reading
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Tutorial
07 Feb 2025
Learn to automate with PowerShell and Task Scheduler
Using automation in tandem with scheduled tasks helps a busy admin stay on top of responsibilities big and small to free up time for more involved work. Continue Reading
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Definition
06 Feb 2025
What is serverless computing?
Serverless computing is a cloud computing execution model that lets software developers build and run applications and servers without having to provision or manage the back-end infrastructure. Continue Reading
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News
05 Feb 2025
Dynatrace ups AIOps ante with log analytics refresh
Updates to Dynatrace CoPilot and log analytics for AIOps prompt users to dump other tools, but migrations can be a challenge. Continue Reading
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Definition
27 Jan 2025
What is cloud orchestration (cloud orchestrator)?
Cloud orchestration (cloud orchestrator) is the use of programming technology to manage the interconnections and interactions among workloads on public and private cloud infrastructure. Continue Reading
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Opinion
10 Jan 2025
5 ways enterprise AI will transform IT infrastructure in 2025
Enterprise AI will take a massive step forward in 2025. Don't let the year slip by without a strategy to turn the AI hype into real value for your IT organization. Continue Reading
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Feature
23 Dec 2024
Compare 7 network automation tools and their capabilities
Network automation tools automate repetitive tasks, provision devices and manage configurations. Evaluate seven tools to discover the benefits each option provides for efficiency. Continue Reading
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Feature
20 Dec 2024
Platform teams draw on DataOps, MLOps to support GenAI
GenAI calls for more rigorous data discipline than previous forms of analytics, but there are lessons platform teams can learn from existing approaches. Continue Reading
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News
18 Dec 2024
AWS, Red Hat hybrid cloud wares court VMware converts
Broadcom has softened some of its stances on VMware licensing and public cloud, but competitors stay poised to pounce on customers looking to defect. Continue Reading
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Tip
12 Dec 2024
See what's new in Desired State Configuration v3
Avoid unexpected surprises, and learn how to bring consistency to your on-premises infrastructure and cloud resources with the overhauled configuration management tool. Continue Reading
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Tip
09 Dec 2024
Comparing Microsoft 365 Copilot vs. GitHub Copilot
There are significant differences between the various Copilots Microsoft has brought to market. Find out details about two of the most significant copilots. Continue Reading
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News
05 Dec 2024
Amazon Q, Bedrock updates make case for cloud in agentic AI
Amazon and its partners rev their engines in anticipation of agentic AI with updates that challenge the cost and quality claims of self-hosted infrastructure competitors. Continue Reading
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Definition
25 Nov 2024
What is a configuration file?
A configuration file, often shortened to config file, defines the parameters, options, settings and preferences applied to operating systems (OSes), infrastructure devices and applications in an IT context. Continue Reading
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News
21 Nov 2024
WasmCloud makes strides with Wasm component model
After a stall in 2023, this year's WASI Preview 2 pushed server-side WebAssembly forward, turning heads at companies such as American Express -- but it's far from mainstream use. Continue Reading
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News
15 Nov 2024
AI gateways, Kubernetes multi-tenancy loop in LLMOps
There are many areas of IT infrastructure affected by the emergence of LLMOps; for each, there were products and projects rolled out this week at KubeCon. Continue Reading
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News
15 Nov 2024
Intel, Nvidia vie for dominance with agentic AI blueprints
Rival sets of tools meant to better support AI apps on developer platforms have hit the market as an even bigger wave of change looms in agentic AI. Continue Reading
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News
14 Nov 2024
Platform engineers call for cloud-native GenAI updates
GenAI apps put unprecedented pressure on IT infrastructure management, which has IT pros in the field looking to the open source community for reinforcements. Continue Reading
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News
12 Nov 2024
OpenShift AI boosts LLMOps chops with Neural Magic deal
The acquisition of a top contributor to an open source library already linked to OpenShift AI comes as LLMOps fundamentally alters the platform engineering scene. Continue Reading
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Tip
12 Nov 2024
How to make the most of Windows Autopatch with Intune
IT administrators can use Intune to manage numerous settings related to Windows OSes and business apps. The Windows Autopatch feature can automate and improve those processes. Continue Reading
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News
07 Nov 2024
Google DORA issues platform engineering caveats
As with generative AI, the same techniques that can boost enterprise developer productivity can also slow and destabilize overall software delivery. Continue Reading
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Feature
29 Oct 2024
Physical vs. virtual memory: How the two types compare
Physical memory wasn't enough for storage systems. Computer architects created virtual memory to ease the performance burden and work alongside the physical form. Continue Reading
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Tutorial
25 Oct 2024
How to use Ansible with Windows for server management
Initially made for Linux, Ansible also manages Windows systems through playbooks that use declarative syntax. Learn how to set up a control node and add roles to Windows Server. Continue Reading
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News
24 Oct 2024
Linkerd stable release paywall worked, Buoyant CEO says
Buoyant's CEO urged other CNCF projects to follow Linkerd's lead in holding back stable releases for paying customers, but analysts don't echo that recommendation. Continue Reading
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Tip
18 Oct 2024
CI/CD pipeline security: Know the risks and best practices
Rapid release cycles need not compromise the security of an application and supporting infrastructure. Follow these guidelines to ensure security throughout the CI/CD pipeline. Continue Reading
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News
17 Oct 2024
HashiCorp Vault scalability updates target big enterprises
HashiCorp Vault 1.18 updates make it more suited to large companies, which the vendor is courting with a lighter cloud migration push than with Terraform. Continue Reading
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News
17 Oct 2024
HashiCorp CTO talks AI strategy, Ansible tie-ins, FedRAMP
In a Q&A to wrap up HashiConf, the company's co-founder and CTO gave his outlook on HashiCorp's approach to AI, configuration management and cloud compliance. Continue Reading
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News
16 Oct 2024
Terraform Stacks, HCP Waypoint prompt migration questions
HashiCorp fends off challengers that sell ease of use with fresh infrastructure-as-code abstraction, while Terraform users grapple with a potential move to cloud-first services. Continue Reading
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News
11 Oct 2024
Buildkite: CI/CD pipelines still a job for app developers
In an era of platform engineering, Buildkite and its high-scale users maintain that CI/CD pipelines and testing should remain the purview of app developer teams. Continue Reading
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Feature
08 Oct 2024
Top 8 configuration management tools in DevOps
Configuration management tools ease the IT burden. Explore the top configuration management tools in DevOps, evaluate their features and consider key aspects that set them apart. Continue Reading
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Feature
07 Oct 2024
Configuration management vs. asset management simplified
Configuration management and asset management are sometimes used interchangeably. While similar in certain ways, they are not the same thing. Discover where the two diverge and where they overlap. Continue Reading
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Feature
07 Oct 2024
Ansible vs. Chef vs. Puppet: A comparison
For teams that oversee ecosystems and software packages, configuration management tools have the power to boost operational consistency. But which products deserve attention? Continue Reading
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Definition
01 Oct 2024
What is configuration management? A comprehensive guide
Configuration management, or CM, is a governance and systems engineering process used to track and control IT resources, services and applications across an enterprise. Continue Reading
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Definition
01 Oct 2024
What are ModelOps (model operations) analytics models?
ModelOps (model operations) is a holistic approach to building analytics models that can quickly progress from the lab to production. Continue Reading
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News
26 Sep 2024
Fresh crop of startups takes on infrastructure-as-code toil
Emerging vendors, including a new venture from the founder of Chef, set out to put a fresh face on IT infrastructure automation for the platform engineering era. Continue Reading
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News
25 Sep 2024
Harness DevOps tools add database, QA automation, AI agents
With a series of updates this week, Harness claims unique support for database DevOps, as well as pipeline generation and UI test automation using AI agents. Continue Reading
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News
24 Sep 2024
New Grafana Labs features aim to simplify observability
The vendor's latest set of capabilities includes prebuilt applications and automated features aimed at making it easier to use observability tools to monitor data and IT processes. Continue Reading
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Feature
24 Sep 2024
U.S. Army, Lockheed Martin detail SBOM progress
Despite muddied regulatory waters and industry angst over technical stumbling blocks, enterprises are forging ahead with SBOMs, according to presenters at a recent CISA event. Continue Reading
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Tutorial
23 Sep 2024
Learn to use PowerShell Invoke-RestMethod for API calls
Admins who work with the cloud, from Azure hybrid services to Microsoft 365, should understand how REST APIs work in conjunction with PowerShell for their automation needs. Continue Reading
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News
19 Sep 2024
Platform engineers embrace secrets management tool
Pulumi's ESC, now GA, filled an automation gap in multi-cloud identity and permissions management for platform engineers well-versed in general-purpose programming languages. Continue Reading
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Podcast
19 Sep 2024
SecOps' new frontier in the remote work era: HR
A CISO shares the story of how his SOC staff caught and contained a North Korean agent posing as a software engineer, saying he hopes to raise awareness of a growing threat. Continue Reading
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News
09 Sep 2024
OpenTofu, OpenBao reach milestones post-HashiCorp BSL
OpenTofu capped a year since launch with a new registry UI and API, while OpenBao reached GA, but open source forks didn't keep HashiCorp from beating growth estimates. Continue Reading
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News
28 Aug 2024
Cribl positions for IPO with $319M in latest funding round
The observability specialist's latest financing, along with strong recurring revenue and customer growth, helps set the vendor up to go public pending further financial milestones. Continue Reading
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Tip
26 Aug 2024
Building an infrastructure-as-code pipeline in the cloud
There are key stages to manage infrastructure as code, from source control to deployment. Here's how these functions can be accomplished through cloud services. Continue Reading
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Video
23 Aug 2024
An explanation of configuration management
Configuration management has four key benefits -- compliance, consistency, service delivery and security. Continue Reading
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Definition
14 Aug 2024
What is virtual reality? How it's used and how it will evolve
Virtual reality, or VR, is a simulated three-dimensional (3D) environment that lets users explore and interact with a virtual surrounding in a way that approximates reality, as it's perceived through the users' senses. Continue Reading
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Tip
13 Aug 2024
How Puppet works: Using the configuration management tool
With Puppet, organizations can manage configurations and simplify the DevOps process. Learn how it works, and see if it's the right choice for your organization. Continue Reading
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Tip
09 Aug 2024
How AI can automate IT patch management
AI-based patch automation can take pressure off the process of scanning, testing, deploying and producing a report. Is AI the right way to go for your organization? Continue Reading
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Tip
08 Aug 2024
12 CI/CD best practices for DevOps teams
Building and maintaining a CI/CD pipeline requires more than just chains of automation. Adopt these CI/CD approaches to maximize your development and deployment efforts. Continue Reading
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Definition
07 Aug 2024
What is a service mesh?
A service mesh is a dedicated infrastructure layer that controls service-to-service communication within a distributed application. Continue Reading
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Tip
06 Aug 2024
How to use Linux package managers
There are many different package managers for Linux distributions. Linux admins should know what to expect from these distributions and how to tackle software maintenance. Continue Reading
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Tip
05 Aug 2024
How to put CI, CT and CD together in a DevOps pipeline
DevOps pipelines aren't just about CI/CD. Learn why continuous testing is a crucial piece of the puzzle and how it ultimately results in cleaner code with fewer errors. Continue Reading
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Podcast
30 Jul 2024
Is open source a tragedy of the commons? It's complicated
In the season finale of the 'IT Ops Query' podcast, Pantheon's Josh Koenig and David Strauss explain why it's difficult to label open source a tragedy of the commons. Continue Reading
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Tutorial
30 Jul 2024
Deploy Azure landing zones using Terraform
Azure landing zones are well-managed environments that provide a way to run workloads. Deploying them using Terraform lets users build a solid foundation. Continue Reading
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News
26 Jul 2024
CrowdStrike outage underscores software testing dilemmas
Experts say efforts to avoid incidents such as last week's CrowdStrike outage will face time-honored tradeoffs between velocity, stability, access and security. Continue Reading
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Tutorial
24 Jul 2024
Boost Exchange Online automation with Azure Functions
Admins can use the event-driven functionality in Microsoft's serverless offering and build event-driven workflows for a more efficient management approach. Continue Reading
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News
23 Jul 2024
GitLab users cautiously optimistic on Datadog DevSecOps deal
Datadog is reportedly a suitor for GitLab; existing users understand the rationale for such a deal, but key questions must be answered before they'd adopt deeper integrations. Continue Reading
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Podcast
17 Jul 2024
An unpopular way to fund popular open source software
Tech analyst and consultant Justin Warren has a few thoughts on how to solve the open source maintenance problem. Some might not like his approach. Continue Reading
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Tutorial
15 Jul 2024
Manage Microsoft 365 users and groups with Azure Functions
This Microsoft service performs large-scale admin jobs and also automatically reacts to certain conditions to execute predefined tasks with speed and consistency. Continue Reading
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News
10 Jul 2024
IT ops pros grapple with glut of AI assistants
After nearly two years of hype, it's still early for enterprise GenAI. That said, skepticism -- and outright pessimism -- have begun to emerge about AI assistants for IT automation. Continue Reading
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Video
09 Jul 2024
Python's GIL removal is a poison pill and benefits Mojo
Developers have pleaded for 30 years for the stewards of the language to remove Python's GIL. If they do it now, it will be the end of Python. Continue Reading
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Tip
02 Jul 2024
Requirements vs. user stories in software development
User stories fulfill the same purpose as software requirements but through different means. Learn how to write user stories and how they relate to software requirements. Continue Reading
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News
26 Jun 2024
Datadog DASH updates push into fresh IT automation turf
A series of product updates at Datadog DASH broke out of the vendor's usual observability domain and into territory held by Atlassian, PagerDuty and others. Continue Reading
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Definition
26 Jun 2024
What is multi-tenancy (multi-tenant architecture)?
Multi-tenancy is an architecture in which a single instance of a software application serves multiple customers. Continue Reading
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Video
20 Jun 2024
No-GIL Python is a mistake
Python's GIL is slated for the chopping block, and while the promise is improved performance, the reality of removing the GIL may be quite different. Continue Reading
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News
19 Jun 2024
OpsRamp embraces automation for GenAI workloads
In this Q&A, Varma Kunaparaju, HPE OpsRamp lead, talks about soon-to-come platform updates, which include GenAI capabilities and building trust for AI-driven automation. Continue Reading
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News
19 Jun 2024
SUSE Rancher gears up amid VMware-Broadcom 'feeding frenzy'
SUSE Rancher bolsters its bid to capture users dissatisfied with Broadcom's changes to VMware with the acquisition of StackState and other updates to its Prime package. Continue Reading
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News
17 Jun 2024
Post-lawsuit, Splunk and Cribl meet again in data pipelines
Weeks after a jury awarded Splunk $1 in its lawsuit against Cribl, the two vendors remain on a collision course, this time in the realm of data pipelines and federated analytics. Continue Reading
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Podcast
17 Jun 2024
Open source security's systemic challenges
In this installment of 'IT Ops Query,' Emily Fox talks about how reevaluating 50-year-old open source security practices could lead the community somewhere new. Continue Reading
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Tutorial
13 Jun 2024
How to successfully debug PowerShell scripts
Got a PowerShell script that isn't working as intended? Debug it using breakpoints and a few simple steps in VS Code, and you'll be on your way to scripting success. Continue Reading
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News
12 Jun 2024
New Cisco-Splunk observability roadmap details emerge
Post-acquisition, Cisco puts Splunk's CEO in charge of its observability strategy and lays out the details of how Splunk Observability Cloud will replace its existing platform. Continue Reading
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Tip
12 Jun 2024
Azure Functions overview: A guide for Microsoft admins
With Azure Functions, admins can tap into advanced automation, enjoy enhanced security controls and create highly customized workflows catered to the organization's needs. Continue Reading