Ask the Experts

Ask the Experts

• What's the role of an application load balancer vs. API gateway?

  Application load balancers and API gateways both manage network traffic, but in their own ways. Learn the differences between them and how to use them together in a modern IT deployment.  Continue Reading

• Can I install Ansible for Windows system management?

  Even though Ansible has its roots in open source software and Linux, is it possible to use the configuration management tool for Windows environments?  Continue Reading

• What are Ansible roles and when and how should I use them?

  Roles are one of several functions in Ansible that simplify and streamline IT automation processes. Dig into this quick overview to learn the basics of roles and potential use cases.  Continue Reading

• How do I get started with an Ansible playbook?

  An Ansible playbook boosts admin productivity when they manage configurations across machines. Learn how playbooks work and how to avoid live errors.  Continue Reading

• Does DevOps require end-to-end monitoring tools?

  While basic monitoring services and feedback loops provide critical insight for DevOps teams, an end-to-end monitoring tool gives them a more holistic view of the end-user experience.  Continue Reading

• 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?  Continue Reading

• Is Kubernetes free as an open source software?

  Kubernetes is available open source, but also from IT vendors. As a complex container orchestration tool, Kubernetes brings many benefits to IT shops managing containers at scale. Which version will pay off for enterprise adopters?  Continue Reading

• 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?  Continue Reading

• Why is Docker's container approach so important?

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

• What is the best DevOps tool for my career?

  I have no prior knowledge on DevOps. I'm doing an online course and understand Unix. I get the concepts, so what tool should I concentrate on learning to advance my DevOps career?  Continue Reading

• Is IT workload management easier on software-defined infrastructure?

  Our IT organization uses deployment automation, monitoring tools and virtualized resources. What do we need to do to manage IT workloads?  Continue Reading

• How do I start on change and release management?

  I have nothing but an IT help desk email inbox, and deployment management is organized chaos. It works well enough to keep the business running, but I’d like to implement ITSM best practices for project management, software changes and deployment, ...  Continue Reading

• Do ops skills fall into an IT engineering job description?

  What are some ways to level up from an IT operations or administration role into an IT engineering one? Will my experience in IT operations translate into engineering tasks?  Continue Reading

• How do I maintain an Azure VM IP address during a reboot?

  I need a persistent cloud application deployment in which the Azure VMs' IP addresses remain the same after a restart or failure.  Continue Reading

• Are there IT jobs in cloud capacity management?

  If a company moves only 30% of workloads from its data center to the public cloud, that will reduce IT ops demand. Is there still a role for the ops engineer?  Continue Reading