Let’s face it. Scheduling batch jobs with native batch automation tools isn’t easy, or flexible. Whether you’re wrestling with the complex format of cron, or dealing with the limited features in Windows Task Scheduler or SQL Agent, it is never as easy as 1-2-3. Let’s break down some real-world examples of scheduling batch jobs withRead More
Self-Service Automation – What’s Good for End Users is Great for IT Operations
According to Forrester, 70% of customers would prefer to use a company’s website to get answers to their questions than contact companies via telephone or email. Gartner, too, predicts that by 2020, the customer will manage 85% of the relationship with an enterprise, without human interaction. Self-service not only accommodates the preferences of end usersRead More
Gearing Up for Legacy Scheduler Migration
The migration process from legacy job scheduler to modern automation solution can seem daunting at first. By understanding the potential benefits and costs of each method, you will be better able to choose a migration path that fits your needs. Note that if you are consolidating multiple legacy schedulers you will need to select theRead More
Always On – How Workload Automation Supports Business Continuity
Centralized workload automation provides considerable value to businesses that strive to be “always on”. Designing resilient IT environments with year-round, 24/7 availability, helps meet customer demand for continuous access to applications and information. Centralized workload automation aligns well with new standards of “Business Continuity” because it ensures that mission-critical functions continue both during and afterRead More
Reduce your ‘Attack Surface’ with Automation
Security is without a doubt one of the primary concerns in IT today. The added security provided by implementing a comprehensive automation strategy is often overlooked and underestimated, since the security benefits of automation are typically overshadowed by the more obvious benefits such as increased efficiency and reduction in human error. Human error can occurRead More
The File Transfer No Longer Stands Alone (And We’re Much Better Off)
The world runs on data – vast quantities of it. According to IBM, 2.5 quintillion bytes of data are generated EVERY DAY – that’s enough to fill 10 million Blu-ray discs! In most cases, this data needs to be moved from its point of initial capture to one or more locations where it will be processedRead More
Automation is Captured Knowledge – Part 3
In my final post on this subject I will talk about what is probably the least discussed organizational IT asset – Informal Knowledge. Informal Knowledge is the knowledge that is held by members of an organization (and sometimes by partners or customers of the organization) that could be of benefit to that organization. This knowledgeRead More
Automation Is Captured Knowledge – Part 2
In part 1 of this series I mentioned the two types of knowledge that exist within the IT realm at any organization – Formal Knowledge and Informal Knowledge. Here I will be discussing Formal Knowledge and in Part 3 of this series I will talk about Informal Knowledge. One of the definitions of knowledge isRead More
Automation Is Captured Knowledge – Part 1
Sometimes phrases or sentences simply resonate with you – they capture your attention when you hear them and you find yourself thinking about them long after you first heard them. Maybe it is because they were so outrageous that you can’t quite believe that someone just said that, or maybe it is because they gotRead More
Automating Virtual Machines (White Paper)
Is Your VM Running? While it may sound like the start of a joke, there’s nothing funny about burning company cash on unused VM cycles – especially when your big data jobs require VMs with substantial resources. Adding dependencies and advanced scheduling logic to VM jobs produces real, measurable cost savings. Workload Automation is theRead More