Today, we need automation more than ever before.
Editor's note: This article introduces the white paper "Checklists for Checklists on Checklists" available for download free from the MC White Paper Center.
The goal of computers taking care of themselves has been with us since commercial systems became available. Today, new needs are driving a continuing push to automation.
This is an old topic given new impetus in the always-changing world of IT. Applications become integrated; organizations become interconnected; and clients, customers, partners, and employees want to be online 24 hours a day and have little tolerance for downtime or delays.
This white paper is not about getting rid of IT checklists. In fact, it is in awe of the power of a good checklist. But how can you make sure the best procedures are always in place, ready for action, and available all the time? That's where automation comes in.
Written by IT industry expert John Fearon and sponsored by Halcyon Software, this article discusses the advantages of automating traditional manual, hands-on management for the operation and maintenance of IT platforms, systems, networks, and architectures.
These days, operating systems automate many tasks. Beyond that, most organizations need more sophisticated job scheduling, more intelligence in monitoring and alerting, and cross-platform abilities. Often, effective procedures are developed, used once or twice, and then forgotten. It can be difficult to make sure you have the best procedures in place, at the right time always.
System administrators move on, IT changes slightly, and procedures start to weaken and become error-prone.
Today, we need automation more than ever before. Applications rarely sit in their own "silo" anymore. The world is interconnected, both internally (within organizations) and externally (businesses talking to businesses and consumers across the globe and across time zones). The "Internet of Things," devices talking to devices, will soon be bigger than the "Internet of People."
A new workforce is emerging, with Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) becoming commonplace and mobile apps catering to a mobile workforce. Users need access to business tools on demand, across constantly available networks. Business-to-business connections need to be open, increasing demands on reporting, data mining, compliance, and IT management.
More and more organizations are finding benefit in cloud-based solutions. This is not always an external cloud; private and hybrid clouds are growing in popularity. A big feature of this model, whether external or internal, is the seamless delivery of services. Both availability and performance need to be high.
A more subtle driver toward automation is the increasing need to evaluate new technologies, abilities, and available services that will benefit the company. IT staff, with their depth of technical knowledge, are often in the best position to make sense of emerging technology. With the day-to-day running of operations automated, businesses free up more time for IT people to focus on making the best use of new and existing technology.
Cross-platform abilities have now become compulsory, as along with the need for a high level of application awareness. The automation story is still progressing, and many tools are available today to provide scheduling, backup and recovery, workload management, watching, and alerting.
Today's focus is on tight integration of the management tools, with flexibility to cater to changing environments. Download this white paper to learn the five key benefits of automating and the top ten things to look for in an automation project.
More than ever, there is a demand for IT to deliver innovation. Your IBM i has been an essential part of your business operations for years. However, your organization may struggle to maintain the current system and implement new projects. The thousands of customers we've worked with and surveyed state that expectations regarding the digital footprint and vision of the company are not aligned with the current IT environment.
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Forms of ransomware has been around for over 30 years, and with more and more organizations suffering attacks each year, it continues to endure. What has made ransomware such a durable threat and what is the best way to combat it? In order to prevent ransomware, organizations must first understand how it works.
Disaster protection is vital to every business. Yet, it often consists of patched together procedures that are prone to error. From automatic backups to data encryption to media management, Robot automates the routine (yet often complex) tasks of iSeries backup and recovery, saving you time and money and making the process safer and more reliable. Automate your backups with the Robot Backup and Recovery Solution. Key features include:
Business users want new applications now. Market and regulatory pressures require faster application updates and delivery into production. Your IBM i developers may be approaching retirement, and you see no sure way to fill their positions with experienced developers. In addition, you may be caught between maintaining your existing applications and the uncertainty of moving to something new.
IT managers hoping to find new IBM i talent are discovering that the pool of experienced RPG programmers and operators or administrators with intimate knowledge of the operating system and the applications that run on it is small. This begs the question: How will you manage the platform that supports such a big part of your business? This guide offers strategies and software suggestions to help you plan IT staffing and resources and smooth the transition after your AS/400 talent retires. Read on to learn:
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