IT Operations: Page

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.

By Brian Kirsch • Dec. 10, 2018

Ways administrators can avoid IT burnout

The last thing an overextended admin needs is additional work, but there are certain practices that, once introduced, can curb tech burnout in the long run.

By Adam Fowler • Dec. 10, 2018

AIOps use cases address complexity in virtual data centers

The ever-growing complexity of virtual infrastructures is making management a struggle, but an AIOps platform can enable admins to transform raw data into useful information.

By Robert Sheldon • Dec. 10, 2018

Put your IT disaster recovery plan to the test

Operations teams need to make DR planning and preparation a priority every day of the year -- not just at test time. Here's how to keep apps and systems out of harm's way.

By Alastair Cooke • Dec. 7, 2018

Align KPIs for IT with corresponding business goals

It's easy for IT KPIs to take a back seat to those of the business or vice versa. Instead, explore these ways to maintain a working balance.

By Alan Earls • Dec. 7, 2018

Create an IT support process to take on any outage

Every IT incident must be met with a streamlined resolution procedure, all the way from critical to trivial. Ensure those plans are in place before it's do or die.

By Stephen Bigelow • Dec. 5, 2018

Prepare for VM-to-cloud workload migration

Migrating VMs to the cloud can be relatively straightforward if you lay the groundwork to meet workload and vendor requirements. Follow these steps to prepare for the migration.

By Ryann Burnett • Dec. 5, 2018

Meet Hyper-V cluster requirements to maintain high availability

Hyper-V high availability is important for failover, so check that Hyper-V clusters meet the proper requirements, which range from hardware management to network configuration.

By Brien Posey • Dec. 5, 2018

Microsoft and Docker CNAB takes aim at distributed computing

Microsoft and Docker want to push container-like abstraction up the stack with the CNAB open source spec, which has piqued enterprise interest in its early stages.

By Beth Pariseau • Dec. 4, 2018

Kubernetes security vulnerability reveals fractured market

Enterprises that pay for Kubernetes support will respond differently to this week's critical security vulnerability than lean DevOps teams that use upstream distributions.

By Beth Pariseau • Dec. 4, 2018

Exchange Online

Exchange Online is the hosted version of Microsoft's Exchange Server messaging platform that organizations can obtain as a stand-alone service or via an Office 365 subscription.

By Tom Walat, Matt Gervais • Nov. 30, 2018

Improve microservices management in operations with 5 tips

Distributed applications are the future of IT, thanks to their scalability and flexibility, but growth means growing pains. Tackle microservices issues with this expert advice.

By Emily Mell • Nov. 30, 2018

Stay in control with these Active Directory basics

Administrators have an ever-increasing number of resources to handle and permissions to track, but they can cut this seemingly impossible task down to size with Active Directory.

By Kristen Gloss • Nov. 30, 2018

Istio service mesh vies for lead in microservices market

Istio's integration into Google Cloud will give it momentum, but service mesh competition remains fierce, as HashiCorp Consul makes strong inroads with early adopters.

By Beth Pariseau • Nov. 30, 2018

Meet data center compliance standards in hybrid deployments

Data center compliance is a moving target that shifts with standards and technologies. Don't get sidetracked by the complexity -- prioritize performance while maintaining compliance.

By Brian Kirsch • Nov. 30, 2018

Simple-to-automate IT tasks: Stop doing these 3 things

There are certain tasks that no IT ops administrator should still do manually. No more excuses -- take these easy operations processes off your plate, and let scripts or tools take over.

By Brian Kirsch • Nov. 30, 2018

Unlock storage savings with Windows Server deduplication

Windows Server comes with a data deduplication feature to reduce the organization's storage crunch, but it's important to plan around some potential drawbacks.

By Brian Kirsch • Nov. 29, 2018

Hyper-V 2016 security comes down to VM considerations

Secure guest VMs and OSes to ensure Hyper-V security

By Stephen Bigelow • Nov. 29, 2018

What’s the best way to achieve Hyper-V security for hosts?

Hyper-V security is complicated, but you can set the foundation of your security strategies by following a few best practices, such as simplification and encryption.

By Stephen Bigelow • Nov. 29, 2018

As-a-service at your service: Cloud tools simplify DevOps automation

AWS offers the widest range of cloud-integrated DevOps tools. But Google Cloud has a strategy with more focus on integration, and Azure closely ties in with other Microsoft products.

By Kurt Marko • Nov. 28, 2018

Is read-only mode a viable approach to container hardening?

Can containers work in read-only mode, and how does this setup make a difference in security hardening?

By Alexander Gillis • Nov. 28, 2018

Use shielded VMs, guarded fabric to enable Hyper-V encryption

Enable Hyper-V encryption using guarded fabric, the Host Guardian Service and shielded VM technologies. Host systems must be proven trustworthy before operating protected VMs.

By Stephen Bigelow • Nov. 28, 2018

Resolve an Outlook outage when using Office 365

When administrators get reports about an Outlook outage, they must work quickly to identify the affected accounts, research the causes and know where to turn for support.

By Theresa Miller • Nov. 27, 2018

How does Linux Secure Boot affect Hyper-V 2016 VMs?

Linux Secure Boot can help ensure you're booting trusted OSes, but navigating different distributions and digital signatures can be challenging without these considerations.

By Stephen Bigelow • Nov. 27, 2018

What’s next for VMs vs. containers as isolation, performance evolve?

With advances from Docker, Kubernetes and other container technologies, an ecosystem is emerging that threatens the existence -- or at least importance -- of VMs in enterprise IT orgs.

By Tom Nolle • Nov. 21, 2018