CIO OPINION
Automation only really works if you have highquality data to support it .
Alexis Mermet-Grandfille , Group CTO Technology Advisor at Atos
It ’ s time to expect more from managed infrastructure services
Alexis Mermet-Grandfille , Group CTO Technology Advisor at Atos , discusses how enterprises must prioritise automation and data accuracy to manage today ’ s complex IT infrastructures .
When it comes to managed infrastructure services , automation is the buzzword of the day . The problem is that automation only really works if you have high-quality data to support it . If you need to manage many servers , you need to know which operating system is running on each of them .
The quality of your configuration data is not just a limiting factor . It ’ s the limiting factor . IT-managed services are becoming a software-driven business that requires software engineering skills . Unfortunately , it ’ s also exposed to the same risks as software engineering – specifically , ensuring quality at enterprise scale .
Working with hyperscalers is complicated enough . Even though they are fully automated with their own control plane , API and configuration database , most large enterprises have a mix of IT environments that include on-premises or private data centres which have spilt over into the cloud . This hybrid cloud or mixed cloud setup adds another layer of complexity .
So , if you face a mix of cloud and on-prem , modern and legacy , and automated and manual infrastructure management processes , how can you possibly manage it all effectively ?
The trouble with manual infrastructure management
The right way to address this complexity and need for quality is to invert the equation . Start thinking about delivering infrastructure services as if they are
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