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Learn to apply best practices and optimize your operations.

• Why automated user provisioning still demands a human touch

  IT teams can automate away many -- but not all -- of the tedious tasks associated with user provisioning. A human operator is still essential to ensure accurate account details. Continue Reading

• Optimize Kubernetes cluster management with these 5 tips

  Effective Kubernetes cluster management requires operations teams to balance pod and node deployments with performance and availability needs. Continue Reading

• Use a zero-trust model for container security in the cloud

  Traditional firewalls just won't cut it when it comes to container security in the public cloud. Zero-trust models are a better approach, but they demand some careful upfront work. Continue Reading

• Remote work technologies to account for in 2020 IT budgets

  In light of a crisis like COVID-19, IT organizations must amend their budgets to invest in technologies that can support remote access and foster employee collaboration. Continue Reading

• Anticipate the unexpected with application capacity planning

  Disasters and crises that disrupt daily routines are inevitable. Follow these app capacity guidelines to prepare IT teams for such events and maintain business capabilities. Continue Reading

• Improve container monitoring with these strategies and tools

  Containerized infrastructure significantly expands the number of available metrics within an IT environment. Take a layered approach to container monitoring and lean heavily on automation.Continue Reading

• Balance the power and challenges of IT monitoring

  Advanced monitoring tools show IT admins exactly what's going on with apps and infrastructure. So, how do you apply those capabilities to solve and prevent real problems?Continue Reading

• Container logging tips for IT troubleshooting and more

  Don't just leave container log data on a host and forget about it. Instead, establish a detailed strategy to index, search, correlate and analyze that data.Continue Reading

• Container training can help admins stay relevant

  IT admins might be good at managing IT systems -- until those systems are replaced with newer technologies. One way to keep pace with the changes is to learn container skills.Continue Reading

• Weave DevOps continuous learning into a CI/CD toolchain

  DevOps shops can bake training materials into CI/CD workflows to ensure IT and development staff constantly advance their skills -- but be sure to keep those materials up to date.Continue Reading

• DevOps roles in 2020 zero in on Kubernetes, CI/CD and more

  The rapid rate of change in IT coupled with the newness of many DevOps practices and technologies creates barriers for those who seek a career in DevOps. Core skills can open the door.Continue Reading

• Modernize ops practices to manage hybrid IT infrastructure

  Hybrid IT management requires ops teams to rethink everything from networking to the way they oversee system configurations. Third-party tools, including those for IaC, can help.Continue Reading

• 3 ways to react to an IT system failure avalanche

  In complex IT infrastructures, a system or resource failure can spur follow-up issues. Compare three approaches to prevent these dreaded domino effects and reach the root of the problem.Continue Reading

• ICYMI: Kubernetes ecosystem updates IT teams should know

  Need to catch up on some recent developments within the Kubernetes vendor and tool ecosystem? This roundup of articles can help.Continue Reading

• Kubernetes taints and tolerations optimize pod-to-node mapping

  In complex Kubernetes environments, admins must navigate pod-to-node mapping carefully. Try using taints and tolerations -- but be sure to closely oversee the process.Continue Reading

• PowerShell 7 features set to address some, not all, functionality gaps

  While PowerShell 7 is set to unify the cross-platform and traditional Windows versions of the tool, it might not check all the boxes in terms of features IT admins want to see.Continue Reading

• Gain deeper IT insight with machine learning for log analysis

  As the log analysis tool market evolves, machine learning plays an increasing role in helping IT teams discover significant anomalies and outliers in their data.Continue Reading

• Four must-haves in Kubernetes security best practices

  When it comes to Kubernetes security, IT teams must look beyond their containerized workloads, and consider code and cloud infrastructure as well.Continue Reading

• Review top container deployment and management tips from 2019

  Check out our top advice for container technology throughout 2019 -- and use it to shape your 2020 plans.Continue Reading

• Optimize application deployments with this expert advice from 2019

  As the year comes to a close, review SearchITOperations' most popular tips on app deployment and support, covering topics such as DevOps automation, SLAs and tool tutorials.Continue Reading

• Enable automated failover with a highly available CMDB

  A resilient CMDB helps drive automated failover processes. Explore several approaches to prepare your configuration management database for DR scenarios.Continue Reading

• Emphasize app modernization in 2020 IT budget plans

  IT budgeting can be stressful and complicated, but it doesn't have to be. Communicate with business leaders and users to identify -- and capitalize on -- the right opportunities.Continue Reading

• IT security best practices for DevOps, cloud and more

  Technology is in constant motion, making it difficult for enterprise IT shops to maintain steadfast security. Explore ways to protect DevOps, microservices and cloud environments.Continue Reading

• Rising use of Kubernetes in production brings new IT demands

  Kubernetes as an enterprise IT service is still in its infancy, but the market has reached a turning point from developer-maintained to IT-provided Kubernetes deployments.Continue Reading

• How a rules engine can drive -- or derail -- an IT automation strategy

  To benefit fully from a rules engine -- and minimize the risk of chaos -- IT organizations need to carefully define system metrics and be diligent about documentation.Continue Reading

• How to achieve continuous feedback in DevOps pipelines

  Continuous feedback is critical to optimize DevOps processes. While tools can enable feedback loops, DevOps teams still must reduce unnecessary noise and continually measure success.Continue Reading

• 12 DevOps KPIs you should track to gauge improvement

  What's missing from your DevOps workflow? Cold, hard, impartial numbers. Track these key metrics to ensure DevOps processes achieve stated goals.Continue Reading

• Infrastructure-as-code testing strategies to validate a deployment

  IaC, when implemented correctly, can benefit enterprises' CD pipelines. But, when IT teams fail to test the code before deployment, things can go awry. Learn several testing strategies here.Continue Reading

• A GitOps workflow won't benefit every IT organization

  A move to GitOps is a major transition for an IT team and offers a wealth of perks, but it also carries significant challenges and a steep learning curve.Continue Reading

• Conduct an incident post-mortem for ongoing DevOps improvement

  A thorough and effective post-mortem process can strengthen a DevOps organization -- but first, teams must be ready to dig deep and leave blame behind.Continue Reading

• What is the Puppet configuration management tool, and how does it work?

  With Puppet, enterprises can manage configurations and simplify the DevOps process as a whole. Grasp how it works, and see if it's the right choice for your organization.Continue Reading

• Manage the Windows PATH environment variable with PowerShell

  Among many other tasks, IT teams can use PowerShell to manage and edit the PATH environment variable. Walk through these basic steps to access, add and remove system paths.Continue Reading

• Use centralized encryption methods in large-scale IT environments

  Whether data is stored in a VM or in the cloud, centralized encryption key management is critical to prevent theft and protect data from unwanted eyes.Continue Reading

• 10 DevOps engineer skills to add to a resume

  A DevOps engineer plays a critical role in modern IT. As app development and deployment practices change, orgs will seek pros with hands-on experience -- and the skills to show for it.Continue Reading

• configuration management (CM)

  Configuration management (CM) is a governance and systems engineering process for ensuring consistency in an operational environment.Continue Reading

• What IT admins need to know about cloud application patching

  When they host apps in a SaaS or PaaS environment, IT teams offload some patching duties to cloud providers. But other responsibilities become even more important.Continue Reading

• Tips and tools to achieve a serverless DevOps workflow

  Serverless functions bring the benefits of event-driven computing to a CI/CD pipeline -- but to get there, DevOps teams might need to lean heavily on services and tools from the major cloud computing providers.Continue Reading

• Secure configuration management tasks with a certificate authority

  A CA server is a limited shield for the data that configuration management tools collect, but IT admins can use one for many tasks -- like to create custom certificates -- and boost security.Continue Reading

• Embrace an app-centric approach to monitoring in the cloud

  Cloud computing minimizes the need for IT teams to worry about infrastructure hardware -- which means their monitoring strategies can, and should, hone in on apps and the user experience.Continue Reading

• MIS (management information systems)

  MIS, or management information systems, is the software and hardware to support critical business applications. MIS also refers to the staff who select and manage these systems.Continue Reading

• 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

• Cloud adoption questions every IT admin should ask

  For all of a cloud service's benefits, there are limitations, such as restricted access to infrastructure, that cause IT teams to be leery of adoption.Continue Reading

• Apply automation for streamlined IT asset management

  Without accurate data, IT asset management processes fail. But, with automation and self-service capabilities, admins can efficiently track assets -- from onboarding to end of life.Continue Reading

• Combat these common DevOps challenges and mistakes

  A DevOps transition is hard enough, so don't make it harder. Watch out for common pitfalls, such as missing metrics, leadership missteps and automation mistakes.Continue Reading

• When you create a DevOps workflow, avoid these missteps

  How can DevOps help? And how can you apply it correctly? These are important questions to consider before you attempt to create a DevOps pipeline.Continue Reading

• Avoid chaos with an IT crisis management playbook

  A minor IT issue can quickly snowball into a major catastrophe without a carefully constructed crisis management plan, but just what details should an organization include?Continue Reading

• Don't neglect your IT architect skills in public cloud projects

  Public cloud infrastructure is beyond the veil for IT admins: unknown and untouchable. But depending on the deployment -- and the cloud -- admins still have architecture to manage.Continue Reading

• Assess AIOps benefits and challenges for enterprise IT teams

  To successfully reap the benefits of an AIOps implementation, IT teams first have to navigate some crucial cultural and technical shifts.Continue Reading

• Reality strikes when enterprises deploy Kubernetes in production

  It's easy to run containers with Kubernetes, but Kubernetes in production -- with enterprise security, monitoring and compliance demands -- is a different story.Continue Reading

• DevOps for networking hits chokepoints, tangled communications

  NetOps complements DevOps in enterprises that need to scale application delivery efforts up and out. Networking tools -- and teams -- need to advance to find their place in CI/CD pipelines.Continue Reading

• Adapt IT operations skills for QA roles

  IT admins who want to transition into a QA role can lean on their existing skill sets around data analysis, documentation and more, but the move still presents a learning curve.Continue Reading

• Combine containers and serverless to optimize app environments

  Rather than pick a side in the debate around containers vs. serverless computing, DevOps shops would benefit from putting both of these complementary technologies to use.Continue Reading

• Enterprise DevOps growth evident in CI/CD, container data

  CI/CD tool sets combine with containerization development to create fertile ground for IT organizations to grow into DevOps practices.Continue Reading

• Implement these 5 ALM best practices from dev to deployment

  Enterprise applications are anything but simple. To wrangle the software, resources and code of these critical apps, be smart with IT tooling, management and other aspects of support.Continue Reading

• How DevOps teams use a CMS for documentation, collaboration

  DevOps teams should choose a CMS that enables continuous, integrated content management, and select tools for internal document sharing that build an easily searched and categorized knowledge base.Continue Reading

• Bookmark this expansive guide to DevOps for Windows

  Native Windows DevOps tools and Azure DevOps services enable Microsoft shops to keep pace with Linux setups.Continue Reading

• Improve help desk management for smooth IT operations

  A streamlined help desk benefits both IT ops teams and end users. Learn how to improve your organization's help desk with these expert tips on templates, automation and AI.Continue Reading

• Assess the micro VM market with AWS Firecracker

  Consider the benefits of AWS Firecracker as it compares to other micro VMs and system containers, but be wary of its limitations before installing this virtualization technology.Continue Reading

• Get familiar with these SLA maintenance tips

  The basics of SLA management come at the intersection of business goals and the reality of possibility. IT teams must learn how to strike a balance between specific and conditional promises.Continue Reading

• GitOps provides an answer for complicated IT deployments

  Version control isn't a new concept in IT, but ops pros are applying it to distributed environments for declarative configuration management.Continue Reading

• Steps to safely build and manage a preproduction environment

  A well-run testing lab is a true asset to developers. An uncontrolled one, on the other hand, is a massive liability that can cost dearly. Plan lab builds along these guidelines.Continue Reading

• Add Elasticsearch nodes to a cluster in simple steps

  Elasticsearch, part of the Elastic Stack with Logstash and Kibana, uses YAML for configuration scripting. Follow these steps to configure an Elasticsearch cluster with two nodes.Continue Reading

• Determine the cost of app customization in the cloud

  Cloud applications are like icebergs: There's a lot users don't see below the surface. One apparently small change could have a massive ripple effect on operations.Continue Reading

• Non-IT software vendors stir up IT tool selection process

  Many non-IT vendors now offer homegrown software -- a model that carries benefits and risks. Weigh the pros and cons around support, availability and other factors before making a decision.Continue Reading

• Get informed of the risks associated with docker.sock

  Container security is a new area for many IT admins, and enterprise IT organizations can easily set up Docker in ways that compromise access control -- potentially exposing the host.Continue Reading

• Create Vagrant boxes with Packer for rapid IT environment builds

  Vagrant boxes enable IT admins to test infrastructure updates in production-identical QA environments. Follow this Vagrant tutorial to build a machine and export it to a Vagrant box.Continue Reading

• How to update configurations via the Salt state file

  Salt users must grasp the concepts around state files for configuration changes and updates. Follow along with this tutorial, which also features Cassandra, to get started.Continue Reading

• Control Docker containers with the Nginx load balancer

  Docker is an efficient container platform, but it isn't perfect. Follow this Nginx load balancer tutorial to provide your container environment with high availability across multiple nodes.Continue Reading

• Manage application log files with the right tools and guidelines

  IT operations teams face costly and complicated steps to monitor the crucial data in log files. Learn to use log management and aggregation tools to interpret trends without waste.Continue Reading

• How to improve help desk support via knowledge management

  Your organization's help desk support system could be more efficient. Find out how knowledge management and natural language processing solve hidden IT woes.Continue Reading

• 10 tips to approach IT operations processes with confidence

  Stuck in the NOC over the holidays? To pass the time, improve your ability to plan projects and quash production infrastructure incidents with confidence.Continue Reading

• Bookmark 10 popular tips on containers and Kubernetes

  Should we go with an open source or commercial option? What about DevOps? These 10 essential tips explain how containers fit into complex modern IT environments.Continue Reading

• Without DevOps metrics, forget about DevOps glory

  DevOps doesn't provide easy comparison points to quantify improvements. So how do you know if you're on the path to success or just spinning your wheels?Continue Reading

• A configuration management plan can unite tools and teams

  Continue Reading

• Manage Salt minions in large environments in symphony

  IT organizations must create, enforce and update configurations in a standardized manner. Learn how to direct Salt minions to install software without repetitive manual work.Continue Reading

• Use Puppet for Windows ops automation with dsc_lite

  With DSC and dsc_lite, as well as a native option, users operate in Puppet within the familiarity of PowerShell settings. Here's how each approach works.Continue Reading

• Disaster recovery procedures deserve daily attention

  An occasional disaster recovery test sounds like a good idea. But routine work on DR readiness might be the difference between a minor bump and a major disruption.Continue Reading

• 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.Continue Reading

• 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.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

• Try this Chocolatey tutorial to pick up Vagrant provisioning for Windows

  To install a Linux-based tool on a non-Linux machine, at least one intermediary tool is necessary. On Windows, use the Chocolatey package manager for a smooth process.Continue Reading

• Why teams create DevOps platforms to match projects

  Prebuilt platforms offer a wealth of capabilities without the hassle to integrate everything. But cherry-picking for exact needs yields tighter resource management.Continue Reading

• Boost DevOps cred with script management in Git version control

  DevOps teams use configuration management to automate patches and provisioning. They use version control to increase collaboration and change control. Learn how to combine the two.Continue Reading

• Use Active Directory for testing environments in DevOps shops

  AD enables admins to create testing environments almost identical to production environments through duplicated trees, interconnected forests and authentication best practices.Continue Reading

• 6 emerging technologies that belong in an IT operations plan

  A penny saved is a penny earned. But when it comes to AI, specialized compute engines and these other key emerging IT operations areas, a penny saved today is a dollar wasted -- or worse -- in the future.Continue Reading

• It's time to automate the help desk ticketing system

  The help desk is no admin's favorite job -- and no user's favorite place. But with a little automation and AI, the help desk can become a more palatable experience for both parties.Continue Reading

• Cloud and containers rewrite monitoring and management rulebooks

  IT performance management is tricky when it stretches as big as the public cloud and scrunches as small as a microservice. IT ops techniques must change to keep up.Continue Reading

• Quantum supremacy and the path to encryption chaos

  Widespread use of quantum computing isn't as far into the future as some might think. When it arrives, this powerful computing technology could turn IT security upside down.Continue Reading

• Keep IT project planning on track with 5 principles

  Whether you're a seasoned IT vet about to take on the biggest project yet or a new team member spearheading an important build, follow a project planning approach that limits scope and hits goals.Continue Reading

• A fine-tuned change request template minimizes user discontent

  Change management is an essential ITSM practice, but it doesn't have to come at the expense of end users. Use templates to clarify expectations and set changes in motion without disruption.Continue Reading

• Anomaly detection methods unleash microservices performance

  When distributed applications run in containers, admins suddenly have a whirlwind of metrics to track instead of just a short list. These methods reach into the heart of the task.Continue Reading

• Build a secure Docker host environment on Linux systems

  In the cutting-edge technology world of containers, don't lose sight of the fundamental security best practices that protect workloads and minimize attack surfaces.Continue Reading

• incident management

  Incident management, in information technology, is a process designed to return service to normal as quickly as possible after an incident, in a way that has with little to no negative impact on the business... (Continued)Continue Reading

• IT incident management

  IT incident management is an area of IT service management (ITSM) wherein the IT team returns a service to normal as quickly as possible after a disruption, in a way that aims to create as little negative impact on the business as possible.Continue Reading

• Application performance metrics and tools fit for modern architectures

  Distributed applications and cloud hosting have led to new application interactions and KPI categories -- and different performance concerns need different metrics.Continue Reading

• Continuous delivery pipeline tools build IT efficiency

  The range of CD tools available is as varied as the organizations that need them. Choose between three primary tool set constructions to suit your organization's structure.Continue Reading

• Most jobs in the IT industry pay well, but skills matter

  A survey of tech professionals identified which IT skills are most in demand. Find out how salaries compare from region to region, and how expertise affects compensation.Continue Reading

• Emotional intelligence in the workplace makes a difference

  Technologists need to know people as well as they know their craft. Applying emotional intelligence in the workplace helps convey ideas and change organizations.Continue Reading

• Big data processing could be the way all data is processed

  Some organizations take their time with new technologies to let first adopters suffer the growing pains. But there's no treading water in the big data stream; the current won't wait.Continue Reading

• IT incident management best practices -- and myths that scare you away

  When IT activity inevitably goes awry, admins need to know the best course of action to take to ensure accountability, efficiency and accuracy -- and not get lost in myths.Continue Reading