IT Operations: Page

Should you virtualize an edge computing server?

The need to pack a lot of compute power into a small package leaves many wondering whether containers and serverless frameworks could replace virtualization at the edge.

By Robert Sheldon • Aug. 8, 2018

Application performance tuning tips and tricks

Tune hardware, resource allocations and prioritizations to make applications perform their best. Just don't do it without tracking the results.

By Brian Kirsch • Aug. 8, 2018

Write cloud-config automation scripts into the configuration file

Bypass the need for excess infrastructure, and put off the automation languages seminar -- you need to configure the cloud now. Fortunately, you can still do that.

By Stuart Burns • Aug. 7, 2018

Enterprise IT struggles with DevOps for mainframe

Mainframe automation tools are nascent, and many mainframe experts are reluctant to embrace DevOps. But large enterprises must address legacy platforms to realize app delivery goals.

By Beth Pariseau • Aug. 6, 2018

SCVMM vs. Hyper-V Manager: Which tasks are best suited to each?

Although SCVMM offers capabilities far exceeding those of Hyper-V Manager, Hyper-V Manager has the advantage of being simpler to use and not requiring an additional license.

By Brien Posey • Aug. 6, 2018

IT pros debate upstream vs. packaged Kubernetes implementations

As IT vendors race to package Kubernetes implementations, their fiercest competition is not from other vendors, but from pure upstream code and DIY container orchestration projects.

By Beth Pariseau • Aug. 3, 2018

Support a guest security policy with endpoint hardening

Guest security relies not only on a series of tools and best practices, but also on a security mindset that starts with endpoint hardening and follows the deployment of every VM.

By Brian Kirsch • Aug. 3, 2018

Can container communication cross over to noncontainerized apps?

Can an application have Python as a container, run SQL queries on an external Microsoft SQL database and publish the results on an Apache web server container?

By Chris Moyer • Aug. 3, 2018

Words to go: Incident management KPI categories

Because incident management is a vital task for IT operations departments, admins need a way to measure its success. This list of KPIs offers a good place to start.

By Emily Mell • Aug. 2, 2018

Top continuous delivery benefits and how to get them

Continuous delivery doesn't come without challenges -- like getting every disparate IT team on board -- but its list of perks makes the entire process worthwhile.

By Stephen Bigelow • Aug. 1, 2018

Find the ideal incident management automation tool or tools

Unless the data center floods or a digger cuts a network cable, incident management takes place via software tools. The quality of these tools determines how quickly work can resume.

By Clive Longbottom • July 31, 2018

How do you decide to scale up or scale out a workload?

Scaling up or scaling out is not a decision to be made lightly. Use monitoring data to determine the strategy that fits your use case and to inform future decisions.

By Stephen Bigelow • July 31, 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.

By Brian Kirsch • July 31, 2018

How do you analyze the costs of virtualization scalability?

It's easy to allocate more resources to a VM, but scaling decisions require careful deliberation. Without retrospective analysis, scaling can quickly become costly.

By Stephen Bigelow • July 31, 2018

Exchange 2013 hybrid to Exchange 2016 hybrid considerations

Part of the work required for a successful shift from one hybrid Exchange environment to another is to have a full understanding of all the areas that will be affected by the move.

By Theresa Miller • July 30, 2018

Three log analytics use cases set better ops in motion

The path to more resilient, bug-free and available IT deployments is hiding in plain sight, in log data. Parse short- and long-term data these three ways to improve operations.

By Brian Kirsch • July 30, 2018

Atlassian HipChat shutdown surprises enterprise IT pros

IT pros had been skeptical about Atlassian's Stride, but HipChat's disappearance leaves them with lingering questions about licensing and support.

By Beth Pariseau • July 27, 2018

Google Cloud Build puts GCP spin on cloud CI/CD

Enterprise DevOps shops have yet another cloud CI/CD choice, as well as additional options for managed Kubernetes, function as a service and service mesh.

By Beth Pariseau • July 27, 2018

Climb the five steps of a continuous delivery maturity model

The continuous delivery maturity model lays out the five increasingly intense -- and capable -- levels of the process. Know where to start and when to progress.

By Kurt Marko • July 26, 2018

Insurer accelerates DevOps test data refreshes with Actifio

Data-intensive applications can hobble DevOps velocity, but one IT team makes fresh test data available to its developers with a tool that makes rapid copies of large data stores.

By Beth Pariseau • July 25, 2018

Workplace culture is about cultivating behaviors, not beanbags

To really do DevOps, organizations will have to address and cultivate more effective workflows. It's not as easy as bringing in beanbags and pingpong tables.

By Theresa Neate • July 25, 2018

Fail at scale: Build failure into virtual infrastructure design

It's better to be over-prepared than surprised. Design virtual infrastructure around the possibility that it might fail and have a plan in mind for when it does.

By Brian Kirsch • July 25, 2018

Is the CTO the new standard for a DevOps leader?

For DevOps initiatives to work, they need support from the C-suite. With more companies focusing on products, not services, is the CTO the flagbearer of DevOps leadership?

By David Savage • July 24, 2018

Troubleshooting application performance: Issues and answers

Workflow congestion, sluggish switches, pointless parameter settings -- application flaws don't come from a single source, but they're easier to solve when you know where to look first.

By Tom Nolle • July 23, 2018

Why is Docker’s container approach so important?

The name has become synonymous with containers, but there are other container management tools available.

By Stephen Bigelow • July 23, 2018