Automation

Key Components of Automation:

1. Transition to DevOps and SRE: Automation serves as the cornerstone for organizations seeking to embrace the principles of DevOps and SRE. It heralds a paradigm shift, urging traditional IT maintenance teams to acquire new skills and adopt a holistic approach that transcends routine tasks.
2. Infrastructure-as-Code (IaC): At the heart of this transformation is Infrastructure-as-Code, a systematic methodology for automating infrastructure management. IaC not only streamlines deployment processes but also fosters collaboration, version control, and the repeatability of environments.
3. Diverse Maturity Levels: Automation is a journey with various maturity levels. From the foundational Infrastructure-as-Code to Configuration-as-Code, Policy-as-Code, and the intricate dance of Code Pipelines, orchestration through platforms like Kubernetes (K8s), to the pinnacle of Event-Driven Automation—each stage contributes to a more sophisticated and responsive IT ecosystem.
4. Skill Enhancement: Embracing automation necessitates a shift in mindset and skill set. Traditional technical maintenance professionals embark on a learning journey to master the intricacies of modern automation tools and practices. This cultural shift promotes collaboration, agility, and continuous improvement.
5. Beyond Ad-Hoc Automation: While tools like Ansible facilitate ad-hoc automation, the true essence lies in the systematic adoption of automation principles. It’s not just about automating tasks; it’s about orchestrating processes, defining policies, and creating a seamless flow that adapts to the evolving demands of IT service delivery.
6. Event-Driven Automation: The pinnacle of automation is reached with Event-Driven Automation, where systems respond dynamically to events, ushering in a new era of proactive and self-healing IT operations.

Automation is the linchpin in the transformative journey of IT service delivery. Beyond mere task mechanization, it marks the shift to DevOps and SRE cultures, introducing Infrastructure-as-Code and advancing through various maturity levels. From ad-hoc automation to Event-Driven Automation, it reshapes not only the technological landscape but also the skills and mindset of IT professionals, fostering a culture of collaboration, adaptability, and continuous improvement.

Fundamentally, it’s what happens when you ask a software engineer to design an operations function.
Ben Treynor ( VP Engineering Google )