IT Operations: Page

Chef InSpec 3.0 horns in on Terraform territory

Chef InSpec 3.0 can scan Terraform infrastructure-as-code files for security and compliance gaps, which knocked HashiCorp Sentinel off the evaluation list at Chef customer Pacific Life.

By Beth Pariseau • Oct. 16, 2018

SRE model requires technical, organizational optimization skills

Practitioners categorize SRE job descriptions two ways -- by distributed systems architecture design that evolves rapidly, and also by the ability to optimize human workflows.

By Beth Pariseau • Oct. 16, 2018

What VM automation tools are available?

There are many different VM automation tools available -- some of them part of much wider product and feature suites. Determine which features you need and find the tool that works.

By Stephen Bigelow • Oct. 16, 2018

What are the most common virtualization automation mistakes?

Avoid automation issues by coordinating with the wider organization to ensure employees know how to provision resources and remain aware of evolving business needs and policies.

By Stephen Bigelow • Oct. 16, 2018

Microsoft Exchange Unified Messaging change presents dilemma

The arrival of Exchange 2019 also means the end of unified messaging in the on-premises offering. Admins who use voicemail in Outlook should explore their options.

By Reda Chouffani • Oct. 15, 2018

Strive for real-world technical debt management in DevOps orgs

Technical debt is a bit like the kitchen junk drawer: It's cobbled-together, useful stuff that just needed to go somewhere. But the longer you wait to sort it out, the worse it gets.

By Adam Bertram • Oct. 15, 2018

What are the primary use cases for VM deployment automation?

Automate the deployment of VMs to meet the demand for resources while ensuring each VM remains properly configured and follows lifecycle and governance policies.

By Stephen Bigelow • Oct. 15, 2018

How do you optimize a virtual database server?

Avoid virtual database performance hiccups by incorporating monitoring and alerting tools. Stay abreast of any issues and head them off before users encounter them.

By Alexander Gillis • Oct. 12, 2018

Implement security for DevOps across the board

Security for DevOps isn't about the devices or the data center facility anymore. Learn how to protect valuable data as it moves beyond the corporate network into hybrid cloud and among various applications composed of microservices.

By Clive Longbottom • Oct. 12, 2018

How do you virtualize database servers?

Virtualizing database servers has consolidation and efficiency benefits, but you must carefully choose which databases to virtualize and which tools to virtualize with.

By Alexander Gillis • Oct. 12, 2018

Hardware makers discuss tariff effects at channel event

Hardware vendors aim to mitigate the effects of the Trump administration's tariffs on imported Chinese goods, using such strategies as tariff engineering.

By John Moore and Simon Quicke • Oct. 12, 2018

New Relic acquisition of CoScale boosts Kubernetes prowess

Kubernetes monitoring is all the rage, and New Relic's CoScale buy gives it an edge in an increasingly noisy market for container monitoring tools.

By Beth Pariseau • Oct. 12, 2018

Tips to track down and neutralize PowerShell malware

The benefit of PowerShell is its wide-ranging access to Windows systems, but industrious hackers can exploit its abilities to launch attacks from inside your data center.

By Edward van Biljon • Oct. 11, 2018

DevOps to DevSecOps adjustment banks on cross-group collaboration

It takes collaboration across several levels -- between the C-suite and in cross-functional teams -- to successfully move to DevSecOps and meet compliance requirements.

By Will Kelly • Oct. 11, 2018

Bevy of Microsoft containers range from cloud to captive workloads

Windows wasn't always an ideal environment for containers, but recent changes offer a wealth of options, including those for Windows Server and the Azure public cloud.

By Adam Bertram • Oct. 11, 2018

How to manage Active Directory groups with 7 PowerShell commands

Managing users, devices and other resources with Active Directory doesn't always require a GUI tool. Try PowerShell to streamline some of your administrative workload.

By Richard Siddaway • Oct. 10, 2018

Puppet Enterprise updates give IT ops pros a leg up on DevOps

Puppet Enterprise 2019, Puppet Bolt 1.0 and Puppet Insights broaden enterprise IT ops pros' options for DevOps support and infrastructure automation tools.

By Beth Pariseau • Oct. 10, 2018

Embrace DevOps innovation to modernize legacy applications

To bring legacy applications into the DevOps fold, IT teams must be creative and collaborate in ways that may differ sharply from approaches to greenfield projects.

By Beth Pariseau • Oct. 10, 2018

October Patch Tuesday grounds JET Database Engine flaw

Administrators have a relatively light workload for October Patch Tuesday, but IT workers should pay attention to multiple workstation fixes and issues with older patches.

By Kristen Gloss • Oct. 10, 2018

Tap the Chocolatey package manager to usher in Windows DevOps

Create a Chocolatey package with this tutorial on DevOps for Windows. Simplify package management and installation, and swap the GUI for a CLI client.

By Dan Franciscus • Oct. 9, 2018

Make IT infrastructure documentation a regular task

Even though documenting IT processes might not be at the top of an admin's to-do list, they should not let it fall by the wayside. Learn documentation best practices here.

By Adam Fowler • Oct. 9, 2018

Users mull Ansible Tower features’ config management controls

Ansible users know their way around a CLI, but some envision an all-inclusive IT automation platform based on the Ansible Tower management console UI and features.

By Meredith Courtemanche • Oct. 5, 2018

Automated root cause analysis moves into the mainstream

DevOps monitoring tools that offer automated root cause analysis are now in production within mainstream enterprises. When it comes to their ease of use, however, there is still room to improve.

By Beth Pariseau • Oct. 5, 2018

Get to know the Hyper-V processor compatibility mode feature

Hyper-V processor compatibility is relatively easy to use, but it disables some advanced CPU features and is only intended for specific circumstances on a temporary basis.

By Brien Posey • Oct. 5, 2018

Ansible roadmap steers toward network, security via integrations

Through simply written automation and granular access control, Ansible will attempt to put networking and security teams in step with IT infrastructure and DevOps counterparts.

By Meredith Courtemanche • Oct. 4, 2018