CIO OPINION automated – even if the processes are manual . It takes discipline and it requires behaviour change , but it ’ s worth it .
Let ’ s look at an example . If your IT environment includes legacy infrastructure , it will still require manual work . Provisioning a server , connecting it to a network , or plugging cables into a switch may all still be done manually .
However , when you have the process maturity to thoroughly document these manual processes , it makes the legacy process transparent – but that is still not enough .
Overcoming challenges with data
Documenting your infrastructure and processes is a step in the right direction but ensuring that you are capturing the correct data is an entirely different issue . You need to take human errors ( and manual data entry ) out of the equation .
Deploying automation requires very accurate and precise information about the actual state of the environment . Hence , it cannot exist without an underlying data strategy that is exhaustive , precise and of very high quality . This requires a mature , largescale and high-quality approach to data – something along the lines of real-time data updates or a data warehousing or data governance strategy .
The simple truth is that if you are managing data about your infrastructure after it is deployed , you cannot fully trust it to implement automation at scale .
Before you call a data centre engineer to plug a new blade into a server rack , document it . All data about the new piece of hardware must be captured accurately at the time of request . This data is stored in a management database which not only documents the current state of your infrastructure but is the first step towards automating future processes .
It also enables traceability , rollback or recovery , and better analysis of infrastructure performance to improve the overall quality and efficiency of managed services . In addition , it may also provide the
Let ’ s be clear – true transformation takes the will to change , and no company will embrace a major change without justification .
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