Systems automation and orchestration

Hybrid cloud command and control

Expectations set by the public cloud around self-service and speed of deployment are beginning to creep into the enterprise. In the early days of cloud, developers were so wowed -- and the controls around accessing it were so loose -- that many organizations didn't even bother to try to control it. That's changing.

Social collaboration and sharing paradigms have revolutionized consumer behavior and habits. Consider the effects of sites like Facebook, Twitter-esque notions of followers and crowdsourcing knowledge on Wikipedia. IT is usually at the forefront to embrace new ideas, but it has been relatively slow to adopt these constructs.

No longer does every application require its own dedicated hardware; with server virtualization, IT pros can could simply package it up in a virtual machine and make better use of precious resources.

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Can you verify software compatibility on IT systems?

If you're thinking about deploying an application software package, how do you know if it is compatible with your particular systems and hardware? Continue Reading

By

• Adam Fowler

IBM Tivoli software for enterprise system management

IBM Tivoli enterprise system management products are designed to manage all aspects of a data center, including storage, monitoring and automation. Continue Reading

By

• Aditya Gune, Senior Products Editor

What do you need to roll out application containerization?

Containers have a significant following these days, thanks to Docker. Find out how containers can help and what you need to get started. Continue Reading

By

• Stephen J. Bigelow, Senior Technology Editor

How to write server documentation

A data center should be prepared for the worst, but try to avoid that at all costs. Appropriate system documentation helps avoid critical errors. Continue Reading

By

• Stephen J. Bigelow, Senior Technology Editor

Database performance tuning: Five ways for IT to save the day

IT teams can play heroes when database performance issues disrupt applications. Try these five tips for performance tuning before there's a problem. Continue Reading

By

• Mike Matchett, IT analyst

Traditional IT silos face a hostile software-defined environment

Think you got rid of data center silos when you adopted virtualization? Not so fast. Software-defined data center tools promise more silo-busting. Continue Reading

By

• Brad Casey

How to build an enterprise private cloud that looks better than AWS

Clouds that enterprises build rarely stack up to AWS and its ilk in a public cloud. Follow these steps if you want a viable private cloud for users. Continue Reading

By

• John Treadway, Cloud Technology Partners

IT asset management best practices for any data center

Choosing a data center asset management tool depends on how the infrastructure functions, the mix of hardware and software in action and more factors. Continue Reading

By

• Stephen J. Bigelow, Senior Technology Editor

Modern Infrastructure Impact Award winners

The votes are in, and the winners determined. The first edition of the Modern Infrastructure Impact Awards gave prizes to winners in eight categories, which reflect the big topics affecting data center professionals today. Cloud computing, converged infrastructure, enterprise mobility management, hybrid flash storage and desktop and application delivery are all in the spotlight for the Impact Awards. The winning companies and products are those that really stood out for their innovation and intelligence in solving the problems of today’s IT teams.

In addition, the Modern Infrastructure Bright Idea award recognizes an emerging technology concept or product with the potential to really shake up data center operations. The inaugural winner of the Bright Idea award reflects the changing market around using flash storage to improve virtualization practices. Continue Reading

A look inside the DevOps movement

DevOps is a culture, not a job or procedure for an IT team. That said, there are DevOps tools and organizational strategies to help you get there. Continue Reading

How to write your IT automation wish list

IT automation is great, unless complicated, underperforming products that hog resources, time and money overwhelm IT staff. Continue Reading

By

• Stephen J. Bigelow, Senior Technology Editor

Frequently asked questions about server automation tools

Server automation tools save time and reduce errors. But what should tools offer, and are point systems or suites the way to go? Find out in this FAQ. Continue Reading

By

• Stephen J. Bigelow, Senior Technology Editor

Declarative vs. imperative: The DevOps automation debate

Users say Puppet Enterprise 3.0 is a boon, but some industry experts say Puppet's declarative configuration management approach is subject to debate. Continue Reading

By

• Beth Pariseau, Senior News Writer

Tips for improving Active Directory performance on servers

Striking the right balance of memory and disk performance can help optimize Active Directory performance. Continue Reading

By

• Stephen J. Bigelow, Senior Technology Editor

The challenges of change and configuration management

Due diligence, business alignment and proper deployment are key to mastering change and configuration management tools. Continue Reading

By

• Stephen J. Bigelow, Senior Technology Editor

Application performance tips: Workload optimization and software pathing

IT pros looking to maximize application performance should look beyond basic software, tuning to products from vendors pathing software and hardware. Continue Reading

By

• Joe Clabby, Contributor

Using Nagios plugins for configuration and system testing

Using Nagios plugins can be vital in performing specific system tests and configuration. In this tip, you'll learn about using default and custom plugins in Nagios. Continue Reading

By

• Sander van Vugt

Remote server monitoring with Nagios

After the network monitoring tool Nagios is fully configured, learn the next step in setting it up for remote server monitoring. Continue Reading

By

• Sander van Vugt

Improve application performance with multithreaded applications

Multi-core CPUs fuel a server's operating system performance and virtualization technologies. Can multithreaded applications and multi-core CPUs fuel application performance as well? Continue Reading

By

• Frank Ohlhorst

Architecting application failover in your data center

Attempting application failover by re-coding your apps may not be the right choice for every data center, as several factors, including virtualization and coding languages, affect which method you should use. This tip offers advice for finding the application failover option that best suits your IT infrastructure. Continue Reading

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• By Frank J. Ohlhorst, Contributor

Top five keys to success for a new CMDB project

Configuration management database (CMDB) projects require a steady hand and a lot of help from IT staff. Here are some tips to help you ensure CMDB success. Continue Reading

By

• Mark Brunelli

Automating server management and IT processes

Server automation can free up data center resources to focus on higher-value activities. This tip provides some suggestions for getting started by automating low level IT processes. Continue Reading

By

• Audrey Rasmussen, Contributor