Tips

Tips

• 5 prerequisites for applying AI to an ops environment

  For organizations that want to apply AI to their ops environments, IT teams must precede the starting line with an understanding of what AI can do -- and what they want from it.  Continue Reading

• The remote workforce is redefining mission-critical apps

  The explosion in remote work doesn't just mean more work calls in your pajamas. IT must be prepared to support application performance and availability as mission-critical.  Continue Reading

• Evaluate open source vs. proprietary AIOps tools

  Cut through the market hype surrounding AIOps to find the tool that suits your needs, comparing the pros and cons of open source vs. proprietary tools.  Continue Reading

• Compare some of the top online IT training providers

  Everyone learns differently. So, to find the right training provider to match your style, weigh the pros and cons of these five options before you subscribe.  Continue Reading

• Conduct a blameless postmortem and focus on the problem

  Postmortems don't need to be about who's at fault for a failure. Rather than point fingers, focus on the bigger picture. Nobody wants ridicule, but everyone wants a solution.  Continue Reading

• Use Amazon EMR with Apache Airflow to simplify processes

  Explore Amazon EMR, looking at use cases such as MapReduce and integration with Hadoop. Then, see how it works with Apache Airflow and learn how to get started.  Continue Reading

• Logging as a service isn't SIEM -- so what is it?

  What is LaaS and how does it work? Storing logs in the cloud can be a voluminous -- and expensive -- challenge, but the cloud offers a variety of enticing benefits.  Continue Reading

• Evaluate Spinnaker vs. Jenkins for CI/CD

  Jenkins is one of the most popular CI/CD tools available, but Spinnaker enables IT teams to manage complex pipelines. Is one better than the other, or should 'vs.' be swapped with 'and'?  Continue Reading

• 5 AIOps skills to add to your DevOps resume

  Organizations use AIOps to address complexity, but these tools don't exist in a vacuum. See the top skills needed to successfully implement them.  Continue Reading

• Manage cluster resources with Kubernetes requests and limits

  Proper Kubernetes cluster management starts at the pod level. Learn about Kubernetes limits and requests, and how Resource Quotas and Limit Ranges work to control resource consumption.  Continue Reading

• Explore Bottlerocket's benefits and limitations

  Everything has pros and cons, but the question is whether the good outweighs the bad. Evaluate what Bottlerocket has to offer, and how it compares to Alpine Linux as a container OS.  Continue Reading

• 4 monitoring and alerting best practices for IT ops

  Monitoring is vital in modern IT environments, but the variety of metrics to track can swiftly overtake admins' capacity -- and sanity.  Continue Reading

• What is SRE in DevOps and how do they work together?

  Site reliability engineering and DevOps share a close relationship -- but it's not always clear what, exactly, that relationship is. Walk through the basics of SRE, and its place in DevOps methodologies.  Continue Reading

• How AI in the help desk transforms IT support

  For IT help desk staff, it should no longer be a question of whether AI will transform their jobs -- but when. Prepare for changes around ticket workflows, troubleshooting and more.  Continue Reading

• 4 Docker security best practices to minimize container risks

  Without the right tools and processes in place, Docker security can feel like a moving target. Use these four practices -- related to container images, hosts and more -- to keep deployments safe.  Continue Reading

• Run Kubernetes at the edge with these K8s distributions

  The idea of edge computing is not as far off as it once was. Evaluate several ways to bring Kubernetes to the edge, and when an organization should use each approach.  Continue Reading

• An overview of Apache Airflow for workflow management

  This introductory look at Apache Airflow walks through some of the basics of the workflow management tool -- from installation steps to its various GUI options.  Continue Reading

• How and why to create an SRE error budget

  No IT service is completely immune to disruption. A realistic error budget is a powerful way to set up a service for success.  Continue Reading

• Building an infrastructure-as-code pipeline in the cloud

  Understand the stages to manage infrastructure as code, from source control to activation deployment -- and how these functions can be accomplished through cloud services.  Continue Reading

• Notable benefits of private cloud for IT ops staff

  Deploying a private cloud could provide more benefits than drawbacks -- although it certainly carries both. Know the specific implications of private cloud on IT ops staff.  Continue Reading

• Infrastructure as code principles: How IaC works and how to use it

  What are the most important things to know about infrastructure as code if you're going to implement it? Follow these guidelines to build a solid IaC foundation.  Continue Reading

• How to apologize for server outages and keep users happy

  Nobody panic: The servers are down. How IT communicates an issue often means more to users than resolution speed. An admission of struggle is more forgivable than silence.  Continue Reading

• Explore the benefits of containers on bare metal vs. on VMs

  Advances in container and cloud technologies have morphed the debate over container deployment on bare-metal servers vs. VMs, with strong pros and cons for each.  Continue Reading

• These IT automation scripts take little effort and save a lot of work

  Doing some IT tasks by hand is doing them wrong. Whether to provision components, research an issue or report on performance, IT automation scripts are powerful and easy to write.  Continue Reading

• A production deployment checklist for enterprise apps

  The more complex an app gets, the more complex production deployment becomes. Split the process into these nine areas to streamline team communication and tasks.  Continue Reading

• Build an incident response runbook based on these 3 components

  The secret to a good runbook is balance between the effort to create and maintain one versus the effect it has on IT staff. Application layout and rebooting are ideal starting points.  Continue Reading

• Automate these DevOps tasks for maximum productivity

  DevOps is hard work, but only upfront. The goal -- once teams build a pipeline and set up automation -- is to stand aside and watch the builds flow through.  Continue Reading

• Bolster remote IT management with these security tips

  The remote management of IT systems has become essential -- but admins need to uphold that responsibility in a way that doesn't compromise security.  Continue Reading

• Write a software deployment plan under these guidelines

  A successful and comprehensive software deployment plan includes many moving pieces. But don't panic -- here are the key aspects to consider.  Continue Reading

• Manage Kubernetes pods and nodes with these native features

  In Kubernetes, pod management requires familiarity with the platform's native features. From Services and Jobs to taints and tolerations, learn how they help direct deployments.  Continue Reading

• Infrastructure as code examples for DevOps, cloud deployments

  Administrators can use infrastructure as code to consistently manage a distributed set of resources. Follow these four examples to get started, and explore common IaC tool choices.  Continue Reading

• How to kickstart a proof-of-concept IT project

  As with any IT initiative, operations staff should have a clear vision for a proof-of-concept project -- from technical requirements to the key stakeholders involved.  Continue Reading

• Compare runbooks vs. playbooks for IT process documentation

  Despite some contextual differences, runbooks and playbooks serve a similar purpose in the enterprise: to document critical processes.  Continue Reading

• How to start DevOps: A step-by-step guide

  DevOps can be a grand departure from an IT organization's status quo. Follow these seven basic steps for a phased transition that staff will champion.  Continue Reading

• Manage containerized microservices with a service registry

  It's easier than ever to spin up a containerized app, but that ease has created a problem: How to keep track of containerized microservices. Turn to service registries and orchestrators.  Continue Reading

• Tips for a smooth DevSecOps transformation

  DevSecOps is a natural progression of DevOps and spreads security responsibilities to other IT teams. Where to begin? Here are core concepts, helpful tools and ways to learn more.  Continue Reading

• Ways to use feature flags in DevOps

  What's in a name? Whether you call them feature flags or toggles, this approach benefits enterprise IT all the same. Learn the basics and see how to apply them to DevOps.  Continue Reading

• Build a DevOps culture using these key principles

  Is your organization ready to adopt DevOps practices? There's a lot to it, so don't try to accomplish everything all at once. Start with these key ideas.  Continue Reading

• How to manage technical debt in IT organizations

  "Debt" is a scary word even without "technical" before it. We can't help you with dollars and cents, but we can share what IT technical debt is and how to create a debt reduction plan.  Continue Reading

• How to approach IT logging in the cloud vs. on premises

  IT organizations must monitor cloud infrastructure and apps with a process that's different than they're used to for on-premises environments. Learn how to do cloud logging here.  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

• Compare ARM templates vs. Terraform for infrastructure as code

  ARM templates and Terraform are popular infrastructure-as-code options. Check out an Ubuntu Server VM example in each approach and learn the pros and cons of these tools.  Continue Reading

• Get started with Docker Bench for Security

  Common vulnerabilities in OSes and configuration files can plague Docker hosts. Learn how to set up Docker Bench for Security and use the open source tool to fortify hosts against threats.  Continue Reading

• Threat identification is IT ops' role in SecOps

  IT operations teams can take steps to improve security as part of their daily tasks. Learn about the ways to identify threat incidents and reduce false positives.  Continue Reading

• Compare GitOps vs. DevOps for modern app deployments

  Despite some overlap, GitOps and DevOps differ in several important ways, especially as organizations embrace containers and application componentization.  Continue Reading

• How to build a successful IT service desk

  The IT service desk has a lot to manage. With a strong foundation and the right steps in place to handle issues, it can take on anything users throw at it.  Continue Reading

• Tools and techniques to master API management in production

  APIs are a cornerstone of modern application development. IT ops teams must monitor and manage APIs in production to resolve issues that hinder performance.  Continue Reading

• How to prevent ransomware with smart IT operations

  Whatever you do: Don't pay the ransom. Learn how the right tools and procedures can enable IT ops admins to prevent, mitigate and recover from a ransomware attack.  Continue Reading

• Incident communication best practices for happier users

  Proper communication around an IT outage or incident can prevent chaos. Use these techniques -- at home and abroad -- to keep users well-informed.  Continue Reading

• How Kubernetes enhances DevOps practices

  Kubernetes isn't necessary for DevOps, and you don't need a DevOps team to adopt Kubernetes container management. But, here are all the ways that these two are better together.  Continue Reading

• Follow these 8 steps to implement automation in IT workflows

  IT can't automate everything under their purview, and certainly not all at once. But there are tried-and-true steps IT orgs can follow to automate safely.  Continue Reading

• How to use PowerShell in CI/CD pipelines

  PowerShell has many uses in CI/CD pipelines. Before DevOps teams dive in, they need to grasp the automation tool's scope, from cloud management to infrastructure testing.  Continue Reading

• How persistent container storage works -- and why it matters

  Persistent storage retains data when a device is shut off. And for containers -- inherently stateless and ephemeral -- this type of storage is critical for deployments.  Continue Reading

• Essential serverless concepts to master before deployment

  Serverless computing can be incredibly beneficial -- but easily misunderstood. Before adoption, have a clear understanding of proper use cases and app design principles.  Continue Reading

• An overview of Knative use cases, benefits and challenges

  Knative might be more complex than a serverless platform in the public cloud, but for IT shops already committed to Kubernetes and microservices, it could be worth the leap.  Continue Reading

• Choose the best programming language for DevOps workflows

  DevOps is a rapidly evolving set of technologies and practices; choosing the right programming language -- or languages -- makes a big difference in terms of functionality, efficiency and speed.  Continue Reading

• Explore common machine learning use cases in IT operations

  Machine learning is a hot topic with use cases that span IT and the business. Learn how IT operations teams most commonly apply the technology -- from help desk response to gauging end-user satisfaction.  Continue Reading

• Compare the roles of SREs and DevOps engineers

  Unsure whether your team needs an SRE or DevOps engineer? Or could the company benefit from both? To staff successfully, grasp how the roles differ and intersect.  Continue Reading

• 5 critical help desk KPIs to track and manage

  IT operations teams shouldn't view help desk KPIs in isolation, but rather as a set of closely related metrics that work together to track the user experience and costs.  Continue Reading

• Evaluate 3 IT ops use cases for the Aternity monitoring tool

  Operations teams can use data from an IT environment to detect, prevent and remediate issues. With Aternity, they can specifically track metrics and manage tasks related to user experience.  Continue Reading

• 4 steps to implement an IT configuration management process

  Configuration management tools go a long way in effective IT system maintenance. However, admins still need to take certain steps of their own to ensure desired outcomes.  Continue Reading

• Prepare for these common SRE interview questions

  To ace that job interview, aspiring SREs should prepare to discuss everything from programming languages to network troubleshooting at varying levels of detail.  Continue Reading

• Prepare for the rise of the IT automation architect

  As IT infrastructures become more complex, and development cycles more rapid, organizations increasingly lean on automation -- and those with the skills to oversee it.  Continue Reading

• From coding to automation, SRE skills reach far and wide

  A site reliability engineer wears many hats. In addition to development and IT troubleshooting responsibilities, this role requires top-notch communication skills.  Continue Reading

• 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

• It's time to dismiss these 7 DevOps collaboration myths

  DevOps is taking root in IT organizations across the globe -- but that doesn't mean it's well understood. Misconceptions persist, but they can be conquered.  Continue Reading

• Get started with threshold monitoring

  IT monitoring doesn't have to be difficult to set up and use. Learn how to set thresholds and dashboards, know when and how to escalate responses, and keep IT systems humming along.  Continue Reading

• Evaluate Grafana vs. Kibana for IT data visualization

  Take a deep dive into how Grafana and Kibana can help IT admins visualize critical system data through this database monitoring example.  Continue Reading

• How to respond to 3 common IT alerts

  When those IT alerts pop up, the ops team needs to respond. Take steps to deal with the problems -- but also look out for possible sources of the trouble.  Continue Reading

• Container auditing best practices for large-scale deployments

  Container auditing and reporting are essential security and compliance measures in a production environment. Apply these practices to uncover abnormalities, control user access and choose the right tool.  Continue Reading

• 6 tips to master server troubleshooting

  Understand, communicate, monitor, check logs, ask for support. Follow these guidelines, and make troubleshooting server problems quick and easy.  Continue Reading

• How -- and why -- to add SolarWinds modules

  SolarWinds is known for its capabilities in network monitoring, but flexible modules give IT operations staff the ability to monitor systems far and wide.  Continue Reading

• 3 options to use Kubernetes and containers for edge computing

  While every deployment is unique, these general guidelines can help IT teams determine whether -- and how -- to incorporate Kubernetes and containers into an edge computing strategy.  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

• Craft a DevOps transformation roadmap around these 5 milestones

  As organizations embark on a DevOps journey, they can use these five milestones to ensure team members stay on track -- and collaborate efficiently along the way.  Continue Reading

• Reduce IT burdens, costs with on-premises storage as a service

  Most organizations automatically associate storage as a service with the cloud -- but emerging, on-premises STaaS offerings can benefit IT ops and the business just as much, if not more.  Continue Reading

• How change management and configuration management differ in IT

  When examining change management vs. configuration management, it's easy to confuse them. The examples below illustrate how they intertwine, but still address different areas.  Continue Reading

• Outsourced DevOps brings benefits, and risks, to IT shops

  Lack certain DevOps skills? Consider outsourcing as a way to fill the gaps, but be sure to understand the potential risks, which vary with each DevOps pipeline stage.  Continue Reading

• How zero-touch IT operations can be a burden, not a benefit

  In their pursuits of end-to-end automation, IT operations teams should be careful not to downplay the importance of human staff.  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

• 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

• 4 components of a disaster recovery plan to prepare for a crisis

  IT teams must take a proactive approach to crisis management and disaster recovery. Use these four guidelines around communication, monitoring and more to build a plan that works.  Continue Reading

• Tap into these dark data use cases for IT ops and the business

  Untapped data sources cause enterprises to forgo a wealth of information that benefits both IT operations and the business. Here's why -- and how -- to shine a light on dark data.  Continue Reading

• Consider the pros, cons of AI-based log analysis tools

  Machine learning can help IT teams uncover new insights in system log files. But these advanced analytics capabilities, especially when achieved through on-premises tools, can be costly.  Continue Reading

• Lay the groundwork for a SecOps team structure

  A good partnership between IT operations and security teams requires trust, mutual commitment and continual work -- but results in significantly reduced security exposures and a healthier work culture for all.  Continue Reading

• What to expect as AI for DevOps advances in the enterprise

  While still an emerging practice, the use of artificial intelligence in DevOps shops will have major implications on monitoring, cost optimization and more.  Continue Reading

• Kubectl commands and best practices for new Kubernetes users

  Kubectl is a simple and powerful means to control containers in Kubernetes. But as with any CLI, it demands familiarity with available operations, resource types and associated syntax.  Continue Reading

• 3 ways IT teams can use PowerShell in AI initiatives

  As they embark on AIOps strategies, IT admins -- particularly those in Windows shops -- can lean on a familiar tool for data gathering and issue remediation: PowerShell.  Continue Reading

• Dig into Kubernetes pod deployment for optimal container use

  Improve your Kubernetes deployment strategy with balanced application hosting and sound pod-to-nodes mapping. Learn the ins and outs of resource pools and Kubernetes communication.  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

• Master these 3 common Kubernetes troubleshooting tasks

  Not enough nodes? Have some noisy neighbors? Plenty of things can cause containers to underperform. Here's how to chase down and resolve three common Kubernetes problems.  Continue Reading

• Build a SaaS disaster recovery plan for IT automation tools

  While cloud-based IT automation software offers speed and flexibility, it poses the same potential risk of other hosted tools: a loss of availability during an outage.  Continue Reading

• Optimize Docker images for improved efficiency and security

  There are several ways -- ranging from Dockerfile adjustments to vulnerability scans -- that IT teams can ensure their Docker images are both efficient and secure.  Continue Reading

• 5 IT security measures to safeguard distributed environments

  In today's complex IT landscape, it's easy to make mistakes that leave applications and data vulnerable. Follow these five tips to create a comprehensive security plan.  Continue Reading

• Why to use staging environments for IT infrastructure testing

  A well-built and efficient staging environment pays off in a more stable production deployment. For this reason, IT ops teams should perform isolated infrastructure tests in staging.  Continue Reading

• IT tool selection criteria to guide emerging tech navigation

  The IT industry is almost always in flux. For organizations to keep up, they must invest in the right tools, which takes asking the right questions.  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

• Optimize platform costs, use with an IT asset management strategy

  Without a thorough asset management plan that accounts for the complexities of today's IT environments, organizations risk cost inefficiencies and suboptimal support for the business.  Continue Reading

• Practical advice to integrate IT systems after a merger

  A merger or acquisition can devour an IT administrator's time in many ways -- from running and supporting parallel sets of infrastructure to managing automation and security.  Continue Reading