Use Automation to Simplify Your Cloud Management
One of the biggest advantages of using cloud is the increased agility it brings to your infrastructure. Resources can be added when needed, without preplanning and extensive provisioning.
The ongoing change in the resources allocated and the speed with which they can be added means that managing systems manually is ineffective. The only way to achieve control over your cloud resources and reduce errors is to automate procedures to ensure configuration changes are applied consistently and that unneeded resources are shut down.
Microsoft Azure Automation Gives You Control Over Your Cloud
Using Microsoft Azure Automation, you can make sure cloud resources are correctly and efficiently used. Automation can help clone servers and apply security policies consistently. You can use automation to integrate virtual machines and cloud services without errors. You can also use automation to shut down servers outside of business hours, saving you money.
Microsoft Azure Automation is built on the PowerShell scripting tool familiar to Windows system administrators. The tool is used to write runbooks that list the sequence of steps to execute standard procedures; runbooks let you control any API-based service. Azure provides workflows for automating common tasks that you can take and run as-is or customize to meet your specific needs.
In addition to the script-based approach, administrators can declaratively create Desired State Configurations (DSCs) that define the end-state of the system. DSCs are ideal for ensuring configurations and patches are deployed consistently across all your servers.
In fact, Azure Automation gives you control over your servers wherever the machines are: Azure Automation’s DSCs can be applied to Azure virtual machines running Windows or Linux, Amazon Web Services virtual machines running Windows or Linux, and on-premises physical and virtual machines running Windows or Linux.
Third-Party Automation Can Offer Additional Flexibility
You aren’t limited to using Microsoft’s own automation tools. Third-party automation products, like Puppet and Chef, also integrate with Azure. If you’re already using these automation tools within your data center or to manage machines in other clouds, you can extend them to the Microsoft Azure cloud as well.
Benefits of Automation
With automation, you free up your team from manual, repetitive tasks that take time and cause errors. Your systems run more reliably and efficiently, and you reduce risk of downtime due to incorrect or incompatible configurations.
Another way to enhance the reliability of your Azure cloud is to use the Azure services offered by Prescient Solutions. As a Microsoft Partner, our expert team members have deep familiarity with Microsoft Azure and other Microsoft solutions. We can help you evaluate your cloud requirements, manage application migration, create runbooks to automate your routine processes, and provide full support for your Azure cloud configuration. Contact us to learn more about automation and other ways you can simplify your cloud infrastructure management.
Additional Microsoft Azure Resources:
Make Your Data Secure in the Microsoft Azure Cloud
What CFOs Need to Know: Microsoft Azure Can Replace Your Computer Room
